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Did Covid-19 really originate in bats? Was it really Wuhan’s animal market?
७ बैशाख २०७७, आईतवार ०२:५२
In the public mind, the origin story of coronavirus seems well fixed: in late 2019 someone at the now world-famous Huanan seafood market in Wuhan was infected with a virus from an animal.
The rest is part of an awful history still in the making, with Covid-19 spreading from that first cluster in the capital of China’s Hubei province to a pandemic that has killed about 80,000 people so far.
Stock footage of pangolins – a scaly mammal that looks like an anteater – have made it on to news bulletins, suggesting this animal was the staging post for the virus before it spread to humans.
But there is uncertainty about several aspects of the Covid-19 origin story that scientists are trying hard to unravel, including which species passed it to a human. They’re trying hard because knowing how a pandemic starts is a key to stopping the next one.
Prof Stephen Turner, head of the department of microbiology at Melbourne’s Monash University, says what’s most likely is that virus originated in bats.
But that’s where his certainty ends, he says.
On the hypothesis that the virus emerged at the Wuhan live animal market from an interaction between an animal and a human, Turner says: “I don’t think it’s conclusive by any means.”
“Part of the problem is that the information is only as good as the surveillance,” he says, adding that viruses of this type are circulating all the time in the animal kingdom.
The fact that the virus has infected a tiger in a New York zoo shows how viruses can move around between species, he says. “Understanding the breadth of species this virus can infect is important as it helps us narrow down down where it might have come from.”
Scientists say it is highly likely that the virus came from bats but first passed through an intermediary animal in the same way that another coronavirus – the 2002 Sars outbreak – moved from horseshoe bats to cat-like civets before infecting humans.
One animal implicated as an intermediary host between bats and humans is the pangolin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says they are “the most illegally traded mammal in the world” and are prized for their meat and the claimed medicinal properties of their scales.
As reported in Nature, pangolins were not listed on the inventory of items being sold in Wuhan, although this omission could be deliberate as it’s illegal to sell them.
“Whether the poor pangolin was the species at which it jumped, it’s not clear,” Turner says. “It’s either mixed in something else, mixed in a poor pangolin, or it’s jumped into people and evolved in people.”
Prof Edward Holmes, of the University of Sydney, was a co-author on a Nature study that examined the likely origins of the virus by looking at its genome. On social media he has stressed that the identity of the species that served as an intermediate host for the virus is “still uncertain”.
One statistical study looked at a characteristic of the virus that evolved to enable it to latch on to human cells. Pangolins were able to develop this characteristic, but so were cats, buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and pigeons.
Another study claimed to have ruled out pangolins as an intermediary altogether, because samples of similar viruses taken from pangolins lacked a chain of amino acids seen in the virus now circulating in humans.
The study Holmes worked on suggested that the scenario in which a human at the Wuhan market interacted with an animal that carried the virus was only one potential version of the Covid-19 origin story. Another was the possibility that a descendent of the virus jumped into humans and then adapted as it was passed from human to human.
“Once acquired, these adaptations would enable the pandemic to take off and produce a sufficiently large cluster of cases to trigger the surveillance system that detected it,” the study said.
Analysis of the first 41 Covid-19 patients in medical journal the Lancet found that 27 of them had direct exposure to the Wuhan market. But the same analysis found that the first known case of the illness did not.
This might be another reason to doubt the established story.
Prof Stanley Perlman, a leading immunologist at the University of Iowa and an expert on previous coronavirus outbreaks that have stemmed from animals, says the idea the link to the Wuhan market is coincidental “cannot be ruled out” but that possibility “seems less likely” because the genetic material of the virus had been found in the market environment.
Perlman told Guardian Australia he does believe there was an intermediary animal but adds that while pangolins are possible candidates, they “are not proven to be the key intermediary”.
“I suspect that any evolution [of the virus] occurred in the intermediate animal if there was one. There has been no substantial changes in the virus in the three months of the pandemic, indicating that the virus is well adapted to humans.”
So-called wet markets – where live animals are traded – have been implicated in previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, in particular Sars.
Dr Michelle Baker, an immunologist at CSIRO who studies viruses in bats, says some of the research on Covid-19’s origins have stepped off from what was known from the past.
But “we really don’t know” how accurate the origin story is, she says: “There’s some sort of connection [to the Wuhan market] and there were people exposed to the market that were infected.”
Baker says what is “very likely” is that the virus originated in a bat. “It’s a likely scenario but we will never know. The market was cleaned up quite quickly. We can only speculate.”
“These wet markets have been identified as an issue because you do have species interacting,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to highlight the dangers of them and an opportunity to clamp down on them.”
Turner adds: “We’ve found the ancestors of the virus, but having broader knowledge of the coronavirus in other species might give us a hint about the evolution of this thing and how it jumped.” (Copied from the Guardian)
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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime: The most pre-ordered Android Honeycomb device of all time
Yo, Taylor, we’re really happy for you. We’re going to let you finish, but the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime had the most pre-orders for an Android Honeycomb device of all time.
Figures released by Currys and PC World are very much pointing to the above being true. Pre-order estimates for the multi-part Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet-cum-laptop beast are said to be “seven times greater than expected,” with numbers for pre-orders “already in their thousands.”
Mark Slater, Category Director at Dixons Retail, said in a statement that: “We are expecting the Transformer Prime to be in high demand when it arrives in January so anyone hoping to purchase one is strongly advised to pre-order now, in order to avoid missing out.”
Sadly, we we unable to find out of what the expected amount was, nor a more concrete figure for the pre-orders when we asked. At the very least, over two thousand, we can assume.
£499 is the pre-order price for an Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime from Currys and PC World. While the hybrid tablet won’t be released until the 12th of January, placing the ackers on the counter will guarantee that you’ll get one in the new year.
Available to pre-order in either gold or grey, you get 32GB of internal storage and the Qwerty keyboard dock thrown in. The dock features a track pad, USB 2.0 port and SD card slot, complimenting the mini HDMI, microSD and micro USB ports of the Transformer Prime’s tablet portion.
Powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 3 Kal-El quad-core CPU and 1GB of RAM the Prime sounds scarily powerful; shipping with 3.2 Honeycomb it’s also in line to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in due course.
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Tom Baker and the Return of the Cybermen
Tony Jones / March 19, 2020
Big Finish is to create another Doctor Who Lost Story and this time it’s Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor in Return of the Cybermen. Some details are available and more are promised in the April Doctor Who Magazine. We don’t even have artwork yet, hence the weird version of Revenge of the Cybermen.
Return of the Cybermen
A new lost story from the distant past of Doctor Who will emerge from the shadows as a full-cast audio drama due for future release by Big Finish.
The Lost Stories range is a series of adventures originally written for the television series but never produced – until now. Previous releases include stories featuring many familiar enemies of the Doctor, including The First Sontarans, Mission to Magnus, Thin Ice and The Daleks – The Destroyers.
Now it’s the turn of the Cybermen, as an unmade script from the pen of their creator Gerry Davis, Return of the Cybermen, is realised in its original form for the very first time. Initially submitted in 1974 for Tom Baker’s first season, it was substantially rewritten by the series’ then script editor, Robert Holmes, before airing as Revenge of the Cybermen.
“It’s rather different in tone to Revenge of the Cybermen – darker, scarier and more reminiscent of claustrophobic 1960s Cybermen tales like The Moonbase and The Invasion.”
March 19, 2020 in Big Finish, Lost Stories. Tags: cybermen, doctor who, fourth doctor, tom baker
David Tennant and Tom Baker are out of time!
Stranded 2 cast goes crackers
What did the Second Doctor ever do for the show?
← Is the Chibnall Masterplan a catastrophe for Doctor Who?
Paternoster Heritage 3 details released →
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How the New Tax Bill May Affect Actors
Written by ReelGuru| December 29, 2017| The Business of Acting
The recent tax bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump has sent the entertainment world into a tizzy. The onslaught of misinformation began before the ink was dry on the legislation, fueled by articles and social media posts claiming that the entertainment world would come to a fiery end because certain deductions and expenses would no longer be allowed on a performing artist’s tax return.
To add to the confusion, responses to the doomsday articles stated, in effect, “Hold on, Sparky! Those deductions and unreimbursed business expenses only affected those that itemize their deductions. For those of us that are performing artists and say we are independent contractors, we will still be able to deduct expenses like acting classes and the cost of auditioning for roles because we are self employed business people!”
Yes…..and no. Sure, you can deduct those expenses on a Schedule C (Profit and Loss from a Business), but if the I.R.S. takes a good, hard look at your return, you could be in a bit of trouble.
The biggest issue concerning many part time actors is if they are an employee of a production or an independent contractor. As much as we would prefer otherwise, the I.R.S. is pretty clear that most actors and crewmembers are to be considered employees.
The latest I.R.S. Entertainment Audit Technique Guide (this is what the I.R.S. auditors refer to when doing an audit), published in October of 2015, states:
“The majority of entertainers and technicians are employees and will receive a Form W-2 with federal income tax and FICA tax withheld. The extent of control a studio or production company has over an entertainer continues to be the determining factor in classifying an individual as either an employee or an independent contractor.
Treas. Reg. § 31.3401(c)-1(b) states in part:
Generally, the relationship of employer and employee exists when the person for whom services are performed has the right to control and direct the individual who performs the services, not only as to the result to be accomplished by the work but also as to the details and means by which that result is accomplished.
I.R.S. Revenue Ruling 57-155, 1955-2 C.B. 333 says in part:
An actor or actress who provided his or her own costume, delivered a few lines from a script, and took technical instructions from the producer was considered an employee; a narrator who took technical instruction from the producer and advice from the client was also an employee.
(An I.R.S. Revenue Ruling is a public administrative ruling which can be relied on as precedent by all taxpayers.)
A discussion on why someone in the performing arts business should be classified as an employee vs. an independent contractor is a subject for another article. Invariably, people will try to argue why the project they are working on should classify the performing artists they have hired as independent contractors. That’s fine, but there is a reason the movie studios pay their talent as employees.
So how does the new tax law affect actors that are paid as employees? One of the biggest areas that will affect performing artists is the elimination of most expenses you could write off as an itemized deduction.
What is an itemized deduction? When you fill out your taxes, you can reduce the amount of money the Government will tax you on by deducting some expenses from your overall income. One day, Congress said, “Instead of making our taxpayers keep track of all the things they are allowed to deduct, let’s make it so they have the option of deducting one amount!”, and the standard deduction was born. So when you fill out your taxes for 2017, and you are filing Single, you can take the standard deduction of $6,350 off of your taxable income, or you can go through the list of all the qualified deductions, itemize them, and if the amount is higher, use that figure instead of the standard deduction, so you play less in taxes.
The new tax bill eliminates many of those itemized deduction, but raises the standard deduction. The theory is that for most Americans, they will be better off using the higher standard deduction than trying to figure out their itemized deductions.
For performing artists, they will no longer be able to write off union dues, job searches, work related education, etc.
Ouch. Or maybe ouch. A lot depends on how much of a working performing artist you are. For those that don’t perform a lot, there is a good chance the increased standard deduction will make up for the expenses you can no longer deduct. If you are a mega superstar, you have probably incorporated yourself, which brings in a whole new set of rules.
If you are a REALLY part time performing artist, a quirky deduction that was introduced in 1986 established a Qualified Performing Artist category that allowed you to deduct expenses of your trade in addition to taking the standard deduction. However, to qualify, you must:
1. Performed services in the performing arts as an employee for at least two employers during the tax year,
2. Received from at least two of those employers wages of $200 or more per employer,
3. Had allowable business expenses attributable to the performing arts of more than 10% of gross income from the performing arts, and
4. Had adjusted gross income of $16,000 or less before deducting expenses as a performing artist.
So, you have no more than $16,000 in adjusted gross income; at least two W-2s, each paying at least $200, from entertainment-related companies; and performing-related deductions equal to at least 10 percent of your adjusted gross income.
One important thing to remember is that these rules don’t take effect until the 2018 tax year, so fill out your 2017 tax return like you normally do. Sometime in 2018, the I.R.S. will most likely publish new guidelines and interpretations of the new tax law, so the above may change some. Mid-term elections may introduce whole new legislation in 2019, so stay up to date and keep informed!
(Author Randall R. Reese is a part time actor, freelance writer, and also worked for the Internal Revenue Service in the Small Business/Self Employment Division for three years. The information in this article is his interpretation of federal tax laws and a tax advisor should be consulted for more information.)
actors actors tax bill actresses hollywood reporter I.R.S. IRS tax bill taxing actors texes for actors
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You searched for: Subject Headings Library Buildings Remove constraint Subject Headings: Library Buildings Subject Headings Public Libraries Remove constraint Subject Headings: Public Libraries Physical Format Slides (photographs) Remove constraint Physical Format: Slides (photographs) Location City of Minneapolis Remove constraint Location: City of Minneapolis Topic Architecture Remove constraint Topic: Architecture
Sort by Title: Z to A
1. Linden Hills Branch, Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, showing the Adult Fiction section. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
Slides (photographs)
The Children's Room of the Linden Hills branch of Minneapolis Public Library. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, from the Reading Room looking toward Adult Non-Fiction and entrance. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Interior of the Linden Hills branch of the Minneapolis Public Library, showing the Adult Fiction section looking toward the circulation desk. The branch moved into this building at 2900 West Forty-third Street in 1931, with a stock of 10,000 books. In 2000 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Architecture[remove]
Slides (photographs)[remove]
City of Minneapolis[remove]
Library Buildings[remove]
Public Libraries[remove]
Hennepin County Library
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Virginia disputes ACLU charges of harsh solitary
August 8, 2018 by Charles Stanley Longley
The solitary confinement program in Virginia’s prisons is chastised in a new ACLU report for its inhumane conditions, according to the Washington Post.
Disciplinary segregation, special housing and administrative segregation are also considered to be solitary confinement by the ACLU.
“It simply doesn’t matter what you call it. The impact of the practice on people is exactly the same,” said Claire Gastanaga, ACLU executive director.
During solitary confinement, prisoners are housed in small cells for 22 to 24 hours a day with reduced or no natural light and little human contract. They have restrictions on reading material, visits, TV and radio as well, according to the report.
Putting inmates in isolationary confinement is “allowing people to be treated worse than zoo animals,” said David Smith, a former inmate.
Smith said he was confined in a windowless 12-foot by 6-foot cell for more than 16 months in the Norfolk City Jail. He was allowed to exercise every two weeks in the prison’s in-door gym, said the article.
“It’s a place of fear and isolation,” said Smith.
Virginia’s Department of Corrections disputed ACLU’s findings. Lisa Kinney, the department’s spokesperson, said the state has a long-term restrictive housing program without the use of solitary confinement.
Kinney also said the inmates have reading materials, out-of-cell recreation and classes.
“The Virginia Department of Corrections serves as a national model for the limited use of restrictive housing,” she said.
In Virginia, Kinney added, seriously mentally ill inmates cannot spend more than 30 days in restrictive housing. It is rare for offenders to be released from long-term restrictive housing back into the community, she said.
In 2011, the Virginia Department of Corrections implemented a “step down” program, meaning that inmates can get out of solitary confinement through good behavior. This was a part of reforms at Red Onion and Wallens Ridge State Prisons, meant to reduce the number of people held in “administrative segregation.”
Additionally, a DOJ recommendation for a program that diverts those with serious mental illness from restrictive housing was implemented in 2016.
www.stopsolitaryforkids.org
http://sanquentinnews.com/nys-solitary-confinement-of-youth-persists-under-different-name/
https://sanquentinnews.com/virtual-reality-and-the-solitary-prison-experience/
$200 For Parolees Doesn’t Make It
https://sanquentinnews.com/alabama-fails-fix-housing-mentally-ill-inmates-solitary/
Filed Under: Legal Tagged With: ACLU, DOJ, Lisa Kinney, Norfolk City Jail, Solitary Watch, Virginia’s Department of Corrections, Washington Post
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Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting
Jon Chao Hong, Ming Yueh Hwang, Kai Hsin Tai, Pei Chun Lin
Department of Adult & Continuing Education
Individual gameplay interest is affected by numerous factors and a competition setting is also of importance as there are factors that need to be managed. To understand the motivational variables related to an educational game competition, this study explored the interrelatedness between self-efficacy, competitive anxiety, and gameplay interest in a one-on-one Chinese idiom string up game competition. Effective data from 278 elementary school students from grades five to six were collected and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of this study showed that the higher the level of competitive anxiety, the lower the degree of gameplay interest (i.e. Like, Enjoyment, and Engagement). In addition, self-efficacy in learning Chinese idioms was negatively associated with competitive anxiety. The implication of this study contributed towards understanding that low competitive anxiety is more facilitative to interest in gameplay. The results also suggested that enhancing self-efficacy in a specific task can eliminate anxiety and support players’ interests to play the game in a competitive setting.
Published - 2015 Oct 29
Chinese idiom
Competitive anxiety
Gameplay interest
One-on-one competition
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
elementary school Social Sciences
factor analysis Social Sciences
school grade Social Sciences
Hong, J. C., Hwang, M. Y., Tai, K. H., & Lin, P. C. (2015). Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting. Educational Technology Research and Development, 63(5), 791-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9389-2
Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting. / Hong, Jon Chao; Hwang, Ming Yueh; Tai, Kai Hsin; Lin, Pei Chun.
In: Educational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 63, No. 5, 29.10.2015, p. 791-807.
Hong, JC, Hwang, MY, Tai, KH & Lin, PC 2015, 'Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting', Educational Technology Research and Development, vol. 63, no. 5, pp. 791-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9389-2
Hong JC, Hwang MY, Tai KH, Lin PC. Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting. Educational Technology Research and Development. 2015 Oct 29;63(5):791-807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9389-2
Hong, Jon Chao ; Hwang, Ming Yueh ; Tai, Kai Hsin ; Lin, Pei Chun. / Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting. In: Educational Technology Research and Development. 2015 ; Vol. 63, No. 5. pp. 791-807.
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title = "Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting",
abstract = "Individual gameplay interest is affected by numerous factors and a competition setting is also of importance as there are factors that need to be managed. To understand the motivational variables related to an educational game competition, this study explored the interrelatedness between self-efficacy, competitive anxiety, and gameplay interest in a one-on-one Chinese idiom string up game competition. Effective data from 278 elementary school students from grades five to six were collected and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of this study showed that the higher the level of competitive anxiety, the lower the degree of gameplay interest (i.e. Like, Enjoyment, and Engagement). In addition, self-efficacy in learning Chinese idioms was negatively associated with competitive anxiety. The implication of this study contributed towards understanding that low competitive anxiety is more facilitative to interest in gameplay. The results also suggested that enhancing self-efficacy in a specific task can eliminate anxiety and support players{\textquoteright} interests to play the game in a competitive setting.",
keywords = "Chinese idiom, Competitive anxiety, Gameplay interest, Mandarin, One-on-one competition, Self-efficacy",
author = "Hong, {Jon Chao} and Hwang, {Ming Yueh} and Tai, {Kai Hsin} and Lin, {Pei Chun}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015, Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
journal = "Educational Technology Research and Development",
publisher = "Springer Boston",
T1 - Self-efficacy relevant to competitive anxiety and gameplay interest in the one-on-one competition setting
AU - Hong, Jon Chao
AU - Hwang, Ming Yueh
AU - Tai, Kai Hsin
AU - Lin, Pei Chun
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015, Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
N2 - Individual gameplay interest is affected by numerous factors and a competition setting is also of importance as there are factors that need to be managed. To understand the motivational variables related to an educational game competition, this study explored the interrelatedness between self-efficacy, competitive anxiety, and gameplay interest in a one-on-one Chinese idiom string up game competition. Effective data from 278 elementary school students from grades five to six were collected and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of this study showed that the higher the level of competitive anxiety, the lower the degree of gameplay interest (i.e. Like, Enjoyment, and Engagement). In addition, self-efficacy in learning Chinese idioms was negatively associated with competitive anxiety. The implication of this study contributed towards understanding that low competitive anxiety is more facilitative to interest in gameplay. The results also suggested that enhancing self-efficacy in a specific task can eliminate anxiety and support players’ interests to play the game in a competitive setting.
AB - Individual gameplay interest is affected by numerous factors and a competition setting is also of importance as there are factors that need to be managed. To understand the motivational variables related to an educational game competition, this study explored the interrelatedness between self-efficacy, competitive anxiety, and gameplay interest in a one-on-one Chinese idiom string up game competition. Effective data from 278 elementary school students from grades five to six were collected and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of this study showed that the higher the level of competitive anxiety, the lower the degree of gameplay interest (i.e. Like, Enjoyment, and Engagement). In addition, self-efficacy in learning Chinese idioms was negatively associated with competitive anxiety. The implication of this study contributed towards understanding that low competitive anxiety is more facilitative to interest in gameplay. The results also suggested that enhancing self-efficacy in a specific task can eliminate anxiety and support players’ interests to play the game in a competitive setting.
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KW - Competitive anxiety
KW - Gameplay interest
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KW - One-on-one competition
KW - Self-efficacy
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Grant number like: EH-50164-08
EH-50164-08
University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ 85721-0001)
Katherine G. Morrissey (Project Director: March 2008 to June 2010)
Nature and History at the Nation's Edge: A Field Institute in Environmental and Borderlands History
A four-week institute for twenty-five college and university faculty on the cultural and environmental history of Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora, Mexico.
Nature and History at the Nation's Edge is a NEH 2009 Summer Institute that will bring 25 humanities faculty to the University of Arizona. This month-long institute will enable participants to develop a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary fields of environmental and borderlands history through a distinctive, hands-on seminar that will include travel through the arid lands and historical landscapes of Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora, Mexico. Both in the classroom and in the field, leading scholars will offer participants insights and methods for reading the historical landscape in a variety of rural, urban, and industrial settings, and for thinking about both cultural and environmental history in a broader binational context. The institute will benefit faculty who teach undergraduate courses in fields such as U.S. History, Geography, Latin American Studies, Anthropology, American Studies, and Mexican American Studies and contribute to the advancement of humanities teaching.
Institutes for College and University Teachers
10/1/2008 – 12/31/2009
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The Orville 2×13 – ‘Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow’ – Review
By Lee Thacker 29 April 2019 28 April 2019
Leave a Comment on The Orville 2×13 – ‘Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow’ – Review
“You’re not married. You’re not a Captain. You maintain a distance from your crew. There were three things I wanted in life, and you haven’t come close on one. You’ve made my future a disappointment.”
What if you’d travelled through time, and met your future self? Would you be happy with how things had turned out for you? If you knew how things turned out, would you want to do things differently? And just what would the future you think of their past self, and what their life used to be like? Would you seem like two very different people? The latest episode of The Orville explores exactly this, after an accident during an experiment lets one of the ship’s crew take a long, hard look at herself.
This week’s MacGuffin is research being carried out by Isaac (Mark Jackson) into looking at whether time travel may be possible, including a connection to the use of individual thought patterns, based on studies already conducted by the Kaylon in this particular area. Captain Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane) and Commander Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki) have been reminiscing about old times, including the morning after their first date seven years previously; the ship hits a gravitational disturbance, just as Kelly happens to be the one stood closest to the equipment, and it triggers a temporal distortion. Because sci-fi. Don’t worry too much about the logic, just enjoy the spectacle.
The end result is a Kelly-off, as the Kelly Grayson of seven years prior – from the very morning after in question – ends up being whisked to the present. Whenever a series does a duplicate or doppelgänger episode, there’s always a question of how technically accomplished they’ll be when it comes to ‘doubling up’, and having the actor involved share a scene with him or herself; in this case, they’ve done a more than creditable job. It’s easy enough to do a split-screen effect, as that’s old hat when it comes to pulling off tricks like this; it’s another thing altogether when it comes to direct physical interaction, and having one Kelly holding the other one’s arm is easy enough to do badly, yet they manage to do it here seamlessly, and it’s difficult to know exactly how they did it. Just like any good magician with their tricks, you should always be left wondering.
It’s also an unusual proposition in these sorts of stories to have an actor playing a different version of their character – you’d usually expect them just to have to stand on the opposite side of the shot, but act as they would normally, as doubles don’t usually vary. The big challenge here is for Palicki to have to give us a younger Kelly, someone who’s dissimilar enough from the present Kelly that they stand up as a distinct individual in their own right. It’s reassuring to see that she does a fantastic job in giving us a living, breathing, fully fleshed out character in her own right, one who’s very much her own person. The performance stands up well enough that, at times, you may find yourself forgetting they aren’t using two different actresses, or a younger sister, and that’s a testament to her skills.
READ MORE: Star Wars: The Clone Wars #29 – ‘Tales From the Dark Side’ – TV Rewind
It’s one thing to suggest an alternate take on a known character just by changing their physical appearance – in this case, they give young Kelly another hairstyle (including highlights and a fringe), as well as a more subtle lipstick colour. However, that’s only 50% of the job, and if there’s no deeper discernible changes between the two, the whole exercise can fall flat. Palicki does more than enough to create someone who can stand up in her own right, by not only seeming less stiff than ‘our’ Kelly when it comes to physical characteristics – thereby indicating someone younger and less encumbered by the weight of responsibility – but also softening her vocally and altering her tone when she speaks. Palicki more than earns her keep here.
The story also poses a conundrum of what would happen if we were given a second chance to make a failed relationship work – younger Kelly hasn’t yet lived through all the pain of their divorce, and she’s keen to take things further with Ed, who happens to still carry a torch for her. However, the reality can be somewhat different, and Ed realises that he’s grown as a person in the seven years since he and Kelly first met, so he’s far more in love with the idea of the younger her than how she actually is when he’s confronted with it in person, whereas what he really wants is the person who Kelly’s become over that period of time. It all just goes to show that you can never go back.
As the crew struggle to find a way to try and send younger Kelly back, for fear of altering their timeline, the climax of the episode sets up what promises to be a big – and unexpected – chain of events. Even though we call it ‘the present’, it may not always be the gift we actually want, and next week’s big season finale should be a very interesting proposition.
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The Shuggies
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Film, Rankings
Top 10 – Golden Globe Winners
Date: January 6, 2020Author: Shuggie Says 0 Comments
Way back when I made my first ever rankings post I started with a Top 5 Oscar Winners. Since then I have seen a lot more of the films that have won Oscars, and so award winners was a topic that I wanted to revisit. However I decided that because we just had the Golden Globes that I would count down my favourite Globes winners. Because the Globes have Best Picture awards for both Drama and Musical or Comedy I am going to pick my 5 favourite winners in each category. As always, these are my personal preferences, and I’d love to hear your picks in the comments below.
Number 5:
Drama: The Social Network – A film about the creation of Facebook has absolutely no right to be a great film, but somehow David Fincher made one of the best films of the 2010s. Jesse Eisenberg gives what is still the stand out performance of his career as a man who just has this arrogance that makes him know he’s the smartest person in the room, but is also incredibly lonely and isolated. Sure it is not really anything like the actual Mark Zuckerberg, but that’s ok when he turned him into such a layered and interesting character.
Musical or Comedy: Lady Bird – The winner in 2018 was Greta Gerwig’s brilliant look at a mother and daughter relationship, the coming of age masterpiece Lady Bird, and it instantly became one of my favourite films. The film is driven by two exceptional performances from Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf as Christine/Lady Bird and her mother Marion. Both are brilliant individually delivering Oscar worthy performances that sadly missed out, but when they share the screen the chemistry is just breathtaking. This feels like such an authentic mother/daughter relationship, where you know that they love one another, but can feel the frustration and distance that has grown between them. Gerwig’s screenplay and direction just bring all of this together. I knew her as an actor, but she has quickly become one of the most exciting directors working.
Drama: The Godfather – The Godfather and its sequel are rightly regarded amongst the greatest films of all time. But as the second film lost out to Chinatown its the original that claims a place on this list. Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic is still the high bar of the crime genre, but as a character piece about Michael Corleone’s transformation to the head of the Corleone crime family. The cast is spectacular, with so many incredible performances. But I think the biggest compliment I can pay The Godfather is that this is a 3 hour epic, that feels as though it has that kind of scope, but it also feels like an intimate story that is so gripping.
Musical or Comedy: Beauty and the Beast – Looking back over the winners of the Musical or Comedy award winner there have actually been a good number of animated films that have competed for the award, and my favourite of them has to be the 1991 classic Beauty and the Beast. There’s a reason this was the first ever animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, it is just a beautiful masterpiece. It may be a simple story, but its an effective one. And that is backed up by some of the best songs ever written for a Disney movie musical, up there with any Disney film for the number of great songs. There’s a reason that this, like The Lion King wasn’t really touched in the Live Action adaptations, and that’s because you don’t mess with perfection.
Drama: Lawrence of Arabia – I believe that Lawrence of Arabia may well be the best film ever made, and features the greatest performance in any film. David Lean’s historical epic about the life of T. E. Lawrence might be nearly 4 hours long, but that time just flies by. I know virtually nothing about the time period, so I can’t tell you if this is a fair representation of Lawrence as a man, but as a character study nothing comes close to Lawrence of Arabia in my opinion, not even Citizen Kane. A large part of that is on the genuinely jaw dropping performance of Peter O’Toole. And then when you throw in all the brilliant supporting performances and Maurice Jarre’s score, as well as the technical aspects such as the cinematography, production design, and editing it is hard to ignore the awe inspiring work that is Lawrence of Arabia.
Musical or Comedy: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson is one of my favourite directors around, and my personal favourite of his work is the beautiful The Grand Budapest Hotel. I’m delighted that it won a Golden Globe because it was sadly overlooked at the Oscars in the Birdman vs Boyhood fight for most of the big awards. But Wes Anderson’s humour and charm has never been as brilliantly on display as it is during Grand Budapest Hotel, and a large part of that has to come down to Ralph Fiennes in his career best performance and and Tony Revolori’s breakout role. The two have incredible chemistry, which is perfect for Anderson’s odd style. Surrounded by most of Anderson usual stable of actors, The Grand Budapest Hotel was a worthy award winner, and one I wish had done even better.
Drama: Gladiator – As a classicist I’m aware there are a lot of historical inaccuracies with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, but it is such a brilliant epic that I love every second of it. Russell Crowe’s Maximus is easily one of my favourite characters of all time, this is Crowe at his absolute best. His presence and charisma on screen have never been as prevalent as they were in Gladiator he manages to dominate the film, even up against such incredible talent as Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, and Richard Harris. The dialogue is sharp and memorable, and the fight sequences are all superb, and each one brings something new. Gladiator is truly one of the great historical epics in cinematic history.
Musical or Comedy: Some Like It Hot – A Billy Wilder film took home this award two years in a row, and whilst The Apartment came very close to earning a spot on this list, Some Like It Hot is one of my all time favourite films. Starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two musicians who disguise themselves as women in order to join an all female band to escape mobsters. The film is hilarious. Wilder’s sharp dialogue with the talent of Curtis and Lemmon behind it is a match made in heaven, and then you throw the incredible Marilyn Monroe into the mix. The dynamics between all three of them, and Joe E. Brown, are superb, they all play off one another so well and have electric chemistry. And the closing line that Wilder delivers is one of the greatest in cinema history.
Drama: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Well I’m sure you’re all shocked. The closing part of the greatest cinematic trilogy of all time is a fantasy epic of magnificent proportions. The scale of the Battle of Pelennor Fields is insane, managing to even eclipse Helm’s Deep. This was an incredible capper to the ending of the saga with some of the best performances. My love for the Lord of the Rings is well represented in these lists, so there’s not much more for me to say.
Musical or Comedy: La La Land – Yes another great surprise in the Musical or Comedy category. From seeing La La Land from the first time I fell in love with the film, and it is still to this day a big happy place film for me. Chazelle created a film that is not only a technical marvel, but a beautiful look at these two characters, and what they have to sacrifice in order to achieve their dreams. The music is great, the performances from Gosling and Stone are superb, and it is a film that never fails to fill me with a warm lovely glow. I understand those who don’t love La La Land, but for me this is a modern classic that will be held in high regard for a long time.
Beauty and the BeastcomedydramaGladiatorGolden GlobesHFPAHollywood Foreign Press AssociationLa La LandLady BirdLawrence of ArabiamusicalSome Like It HotThe GodfatherThe Grand Budapest HotelThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Social Network
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Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Kill Bacteria
Volker Brinkmann1,
Ulrike Reichard1,2,
Christian Goosmann1,2,
Beatrix Fauler1,
Yvonne Uhlemann2,
David S. Weiss2,
Yvette Weinrauch3,
Arturo Zychlinsky2,*
1 Microscopy Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Schumannstrasse 21/22, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
2 Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Schumannstrasse 21/22, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
3 Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: zychlinsky{at}mpiib-berlin.mpg.de
Volker Brinkmann
Ulrike Reichard
Christian Goosmann
Beatrix Fauler
Yvonne Uhlemann
David S. Weiss
Yvette Weinrauch
Arturo Zychlinsky
Neutrophils engulf and kill bacteria when their antimicrobial granules fuse with the phagosome. Here, we describe that, upon activation, neutrophils release granule proteins and chromatin that together form extracellular fibers that bind Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. These neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) degrade virulence factors and kill bacteria. NETs are abundant in vivo in experimental dysentery and spontaneous human appendicitis, two examples of acute inflammation. NETs appear to be a form of innate response that binds microorganisms, prevents them from spreading, and ensures a high local concentration of antimicrobial agents to degrade virulence factors and kill bacteria.
In response to inflammatory stimuli, neutrophils migrate from the circulating blood to infected tissues, where they efficiently bind, engulf, and inactivate bacteria. Phagocytosed bacteria are killed rapidly by proteolytic enzymes, antimicrobial proteins, and reactive oxygen species (1, 2). Neutrophils also degranulate, releasing antimicrobial factors into the extracellular medium (3). Here, we show that neutrophils generate extracellular fibers, or neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which are structures composed of granule and nuclear constituents that disarm and kill bacteria extracellularly.
NETs were made by activated neutrophils. Although naïve cells were round with some membrane folds (Fig. 1, A and C), neutrophils stimulated with interleukin-8 (IL-8), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) became flat and formed membrane protrusions (Fig. 1B) as previously described (4). Surprisingly, we found that activated neutrophils but not naïve cells made prominent extracellular structures (arrows, Fig. 1, B and D). These fibers, or NETs, were very fragile, and specimens had to be washed and fixed carefully to preserve them. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the NETs contained smooth stretches with a diameter of 15 to 17 nm (Fig. 1E, arrowheads) and globular domains of around 25 nm (Fig. 1E, arrows) that aggregated into larger threads with diameters of up to 50 nm. Analysis of cross sections of the NETs by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed they were not surrounded by membranes (Fig. 1F).
Electron microscopical analysis of resting and activated neutrophils. (A) Resting neutrophils are round and devoid of fibers. (B) Upon stimulation with 25 nM PMA for 30 min, the cells flatten, make many membrane protrusions, and form fibers (NETs), arrows in (B) and (D). (C) TEM analysis of naïve neutrophils in suspension. (D) Ultrathin section of neutrophils stimulated in suspension with 10 ng of IL-8 for 45 min. Bars in (A) to (D) indicate 10 μm. The multilobular nuclei and different granules are clearly visible in both figures. The activated cells in (D) have many pseudopods and show NETs (arrow). (E) High-resolution SEM analysis of NETs that consist of smooth fibers (diameters of 15 to 17 nm, arrowheads) and globular domains (diameter around 25 nm, arrow). Globular complexes can be aggregated to thick bundles or fibers. (F) Ultrathin sections of NETs show that they are not membrane-bound. Neutrophils were stimulated as in (D). Bars in (E) and (F), 500 μm.
The composition of NETs was analyzed by immunofluorescence. NETs contained proteins from azurophilic (primary) granules (5, 6) such as neutrophil elastase (Fig. 2A), cathepsin G, and myeloperoxidase (table S1). Proteins from specific (secondary) granules and tertiary granules, such as lactoferrin and gelatinase, respectively, were also present (table S1). In contrast, CD63, a granule membrane protein, the cytoplasmic markers annexin I (7), actin, tubulin, and various other cytoplasmic proteins were excluded from NETs (table S1).
Immunostaining of NETs. Neutrophils were activated with 10 ng of IL-8 for 30 min and stained for neutrophil elastase (A), DNA (B), and the complex formed by H2A-H2B-DNA (C). Extracellular fibrous material is stained brightly. As expected, we found granular staining for neutrophil elastase (A) and nuclear staining for histones and DNA [(B) and (C)]. Samples were analyzed with the use of a Leica TCS-SP (Beusheim, Germany) confocal microscope. The images are projections of a z stack (original dimensions: x and y, 85.5 μm; z = 6.3 μm). Bar, 10 μm. (D) Immunodetection of histones (large gold particles, arrows) and neutrophil elastase (small gold particles, arrowheads) in ultrathin cryosections of neutrophils stimulated with IL-8 (10 ng, 1 hour). Bar, 200 nm. (E) Immuno-SEM, pseudocolored, of neutrophils treated as in (A) to (C). Overlay of images from secondary electron detector (red, topography) and backscattered electron detector (green, element sensitive, most back-scattered electrons from the site of gold binding). Bright yellow dots (arrows) show localization of 12-nm gold particles detecting neutrophil elastase. Bar, 200 nm.
DNA is a major structural component of NETs, because several DNA intercalating dyes stained NETs strongly (Fig. 2B) and a brief treatment with deoxyribonuclease (DNase) resulted in the disintegration of NETs (movie S1). Conversely, protease treatment left the DNA of the NETs intact (8). The NETs reacted with antibodies against histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 (table S1) and against the H2A-H2B-DNA complex (9, 10) (Fig. 2C).
Double immunostaining of ultrathin cryosections for TEM (Fig. 2D) confirmed the presence of neutrophil elastase (small gold particles, arrowheads) and H2A-H2B-DNA complexes (large gold particles, arrows) in NETs. Histone and neutrophil elastase staining was found on globular NET domains. Furthermore, immunostaining of SEM samples (Fig. 2E) corroborated the localization of neutrophil elastase to the globular domains of NETs. These data demonstrate that the structures visualized by different microscopy approaches (immunofluorescence, TEM, and SEM) are identical. NET formation was quantified in a fluorometer with the use of a DNA dye that is excluded from cells. Neutrophils release NETs as early as 10 min after activation, and the release depends on the dose of the activator (fig. S1).
Several lines of evidence indicate that neutrophils make NETs actively: (i) Stimuli that induce NETs do not promote the release of the cytoplasmic marker lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and activated cells exclude vital dyes for at least two hours after stimulation (8). (ii) Stimuli such as IL-8 and LPS, which prolong the life of neutrophils (11), can induce NETs efficiently. (iii) Incubation with DNA intercalating dyes before neutrophil activation prevents NET formation but has no effect on the induction of apoptosis by staurosporine or tumor necrosis factor α (8). (iv) NETs are formed as early as 10 min after activation, a time course faster than apoptosis (fig. S1). (v) Time-lapse video microscopy (movie S2) shows that motile cells make NETs. Taken together, these data strongly indicate that NETs are not the result of leakage during cellular disintegration. We cannot exclude, however, the possibility that NET formation is an early event in the neutrophil program for cell death. Neutrophils are terminally differentiated cells that are programmed to die a few hours after they enter into circulation. Furthermore, isolated neutrophils are a heterogeneous population with respect to age, and a small portion of this “aged” subpopulation is expected to die. Neutrophils can undergo caspase-dependent (12) and -independent apoptosis in vitro (13), but the process that leads to neutrophil death in vivo is not known. It is conceivable that NET formation is an early event in cell death.
NETs associate with both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, shown in Fig. 3A) and Gram-negative pathogens (Salmonella typhimurium and Shigella flexneri, shown in Fig. 3, B and C, respectively). We have previously shown that neutrophil elastase degrades virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria (14). Our finding that bacteria are trapped in NETs decorated with neutrophil elastase prompted us to test whether bacterial virulence factors were targeted extracellularly. Immunofluorescence staining of IpaB, a virulence factor of S. flexneri, was weaker in bacteria trapped in NETs compared to free Shigella (Fig. 3D, top left), although the bacteria and the NETs were clearly visible when DNA was stained. In contrast, when neutrophil protease activity was blocked by the secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI), bacteria trapped in NETs contained high amounts of IpaB (Fig. 3D, bottom left). Interestingly, virulence factors from Gram-positive bacteria were also susceptible to neutrophil proteases. Lower amounts of the S. aureus virulence factor α toxin were found in NET-associated bacteria compared to that of free bacteria or when neutrophil proteases were blocked with SLPI (fig. S2). These results suggest that NETs can disarm a wide range of pathogens.
Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria associate with neutrophil fibers. SEM of S. aureus (A), S. typhimurium (B), and S. flexneri (C) trapped by NETs. Neutrophils were treated with 100 ng of IL-8 for 40 min before infection. Bar, 500 nm. (D) Immunofluorescence of neutrophils infected with S. flexneri stained for the virulence factor IpaB and DNA. IpaB is degraded by neutrophil elastase and is only detectable on the bacteria (arrows) when neutrophil elastase is blocked with SLPI. DNA staining shows NETs and bacteria (arrows). (E) Western blot showing that the virulence factors IcsA and IpaB but not OmpA were degraded by cytochalasin D–treated neutrophils incubated with S. flexneri. Lane 1, bacteria alone. Lane 2, bacteria incubated with cytochalasin D–treated neutrophils. (F) Extracellular bactericidal activity was greatly reduced in both S. flexneri and S. aureus infections after incubation with DNase, which dissociates NETs. (G) Extracellular bacterial killing by neutrophils was reduced by addition of antibodies against histones. Neutrophils were treated with cytochalasin D to prevent phagocytosis and infected with S. flexneri or S. aureus. In the presence of antibody against H2A, bacterial killing was abrogated.
We corroborated that extracellular proteases degrade bacterial virulence factors by inhibiting neutrophil phagocytosis. This was accomplished by incubating activated neutrophils with cytochalasin D. In the presence of cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, NETs persisted and phagocytosis was blocked. We infected these neutrophils that have NETs but cannot phagocytose with S. flexneri. Extracellular neutrophil elastase, like purified elastase (14), degraded the virulence factors IcsA and IpaB but not the control OmpA, an outer membrane protein (Fig. 3E). This confirms that neutrophil elastase presented in NETs actively targets bacterial virulence factors.
Activated neutrophils incubated with cytochalasin D after formation of the NETs can kill about 30% of a S. flexneri or S. aureus inoculum (Fig. 3F, without DNase). We propose the hypothesis that the NET structure is necessary for this extracellular bactericidal activity. Indeed, when NETs were dismantled with DNase (movie S1), the killing of bacteria was negligible (Fig. 3F). In these experiments, the cultures were not washed after treatment with protease-free DNase, leaving the total protein concentration unchanged. Hence, these data strongly suggest that the fibrous structure of NETs is necessary for the sequestration and killing of bacteria by delivering a high local concentration of antimicrobial molecules to the bound microbes.
In an alternative approach to demonstrate the antibacterial activity of NETs, we showed that a monoclonal antibody against the H2A-H2B-DNA complex abrogated S. flexneri and S. aureus killing in infections of neutrophils pretreated with cytochalasin D after NET formation (Fig. 3G). An isotype control antibody had no effect on killing. The factors responsible for bacterial killing are likely to include granule proteins like bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI) (table S1) and histones. The antimicrobial activity of histones (15), evolutionarily conserved proteins that bind DNA to form the nucleosome complex, and peptides derived from histones, is well established (16, 17) Indeed, purified H2A killed S. flexneri, S. typhimurium, and S. aureus cultures with concentrations as low as 2 μg/ml (140 nM) in 30 min (fig. S3). The concentration of H2A required to kill bacteria is low compared with other antimicrobial proteins (18).
To determine whether NETs are present in vivo, we analyzed samples from experimental shigellosis in rabbits and spontaneous appendicitis in humans. Staining of histological sections clearly showed extracellular fibrous material that contains NET components: histones (Fig. 4, A and F), DNA (Fig. 4, C and G), and neutrophil elastase (Fig. 4E). In vivo, NETs trap bacteria as shown by the localization of Shigella (Fig. 4B) to the NETs. These results indicate that NETs are abundant at inflammatory sites.
Analysis of tissue sections from experimental shigellosis in rabbits (A to D) and spontaneous human appendicitis (E to H). (A) Immunofluorescence staining of histones reveals nuclear and extracellular localization that largely overlaps with staining for DNA (C). (B) Staining with an antibody against Shigella-specific LPS. (D) The overlay indicates that numerous Shigellae are closely associated to fibrous material staining for histones and DNA. (E) Staining for neutrophil elastase in an area of neutrophil exudate in human spontaneous appendicitis reveals fibrous extracellular material that also stains for histone (F) and DNA (G). (H) Overlay of the images. The images are projections of confocal z stacks generated from sections of 5 to 6 μm thickness. Bar, 50 μm.
Neutrophils make NETs through an active mechanism that remains to be understood. NETs disarm pathogens with proteases such as neutrophil elastase. NETs also kill bacteria efficiently, and at least one of the NET components, histones, exerts antimicrobial activity at surprisingly low concentrations. These data correlate with previous findings showing that neutrophil degranulation releases antimicrobial factors extracellularly (3) and the observation that inflammatory exudates rich in neutrophils, like pus, contain DNA, which was not known to play an active role in antimicrobial defense. Also, these data are in accord with recent findings proposing that oxygen-independent mechanisms play an important role in the control of infections (19). The data presented here indicate that granule proteins and chromatin together form an extracellular structure that amplifies the effectiveness of its antimicrobial substances by ensuring a high local concentration. NETs degrade virulence factors and/or kill bacteria even before the microorganisms are engulfed by neutrophils. In addition to their antimicrobial properties, NETs may serve as a physical barrier that prevents further spread of bacteria. Moreover, sequestering the granule proteins into NETs may keep potentially noxious proteins like proteases from diffusing away and inducing damage in tissue adjacent to the site of inflammation (20). NETs might also have a deleterious effect on the host, because the exposure of extracellular histone complexes could play a role during the development of autoimmune diseases like lupus erythematosus.
Supporting Online Material
www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/303/5663/1532/DC1
Figs. S1 to S3
Table S1
Movies S1 and S2
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The gift of M. Monestier, Temple University, the monoclonal antibody against H2A-H2B-DNA, is gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank the help of M. Ingersoll, B. Raupach, C. Scharff, C. Heinz, and members of the Department of Cellular Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology. Supported in part by NIH grant AI037720.
You are going to email the following Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Kill Bacteria
By Volker Brinkmann, Ulrike Reichard, Christian Goosmann, Beatrix Fauler, Yvonne Uhlemann, David S. Weiss, Yvette Weinrauch, Arturo Zychlinsky
Neutrophils, the first cells recruited to fight bacterial infections, make extracellular traps that disarm and kill invading microorganisms.
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Academy Awards - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oscarr
This, according to organizer Bill Mechanic, was to ensure the elimination of what he termed "the single most hated thing on the show" – overly long and embarrassing displays of emotion. In 2016, in a further effort to streamline speeches, winners' dedications were displayed on an on-screen ticker . [76]
Awarded for: Excellence in the American film industry
First awarded: May 16, 1929; 91 years ago
Presented by: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Fight Club - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club_(film)
Jan 08, 2021 · Fight Club is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk . Norton plays the unnamed narrator , who is discontented with his white-collar job.
Based on: Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
Produced by: Art Linson, Ceán Chaffin, Ross Grayson Bell
Directed by: David Fincher
Screenplay by: Jim Uhls
Anastasia (1997 film) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_(cartoon)
Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman in association with Fox Animation Studios, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and starring the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Hank Azaria, Christopher Lloyd, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury.
Nikita Mikhalkov - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_Revolver
Jan 10, 2021 · Nikita Mikhalkov won the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival (1991) and was nominated for the Academy Award (1993) in the category Best International Feature Film for the film Close to Eden. He won an Academy Award (1995) for Best Foreign Language Film and the Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival (1994) for the film Burnt by the Sun .
Terminator 3 - Le macchine ribelli - Wikipedia
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_3
Terminator 3 - Le macchine ribelli ricevette recensioni generalmente favorevoli dalla critica. Il 69% delle 206 recensioni raccolte dal sito Rotten Tomatoes sono positive, con un voto medio di 6,50/10.
64ª Mostra internazionale d'arte cinematografica di Venezia ...
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/64ª_Mostra_internazionale...
Jan 10, 2021 · Bill Mechanic (produttore, Stati Uniti d'America) - Presidente; Rupert Everett (attore, Gran Bretagna) Randa Chahal (regista, Libano) Liu Jie (regista, Cina) Valeria Solarino (attrice, Italia) Giuria della sezione "Corto Cortissimo" François-Jacques Ossang (regista, Francia) - Presidente; Yasmine Kassari (regista, Marocco)
La battaglia di Hacksaw Ridge - Wikipedia
it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacksaw_Ridge
5 days ago · La battaglia di Hacksaw Ridge (Hacksaw Ridge) è un film del 2016 diretto da Mel Gibson. Racconta la storia vera di Desmond Doss , primo obiettore di coscienza dell' Esercito Statunitense a ricevere la medaglia d'onore .
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SAS Bulletin
Volume 19 Number 1/2 January /June 1996
Soils in Archaeology: Landscape Evolution and Human Occupation. Vance T. Holliday (ed.). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1993. 272 pp. $16.95 (paper).
Reviewed by William D. Middleton, Department of Anthropology, Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, 53706
Vance Holliday's edited volume joins the small corpus of works dedicated to various archaeological applications of soil science (e.g. Cornwall 1958; Courty et al. 1989; Groenman-van Waateringe and Robinson 1988; Keeley and Macphail 1981; Limbrey 1975). As such, it ranks as an important contribution to this small but growing body of literature, although it would still be an important addition even if the literature were more extensive. The work is the proceedings of the first Annual Fryxell Symposium held at the Society for American Archaeology meeting in Phoenix, Arizona in April 1988.
The sub-title, "Landscape Evolution and Human Occupation," is slightly misleading. With the exception of Stein's contribution (discussed below), the contributions concentrate almost exclusively on landscape evolution (geomorphology). Human occupation enters into the contributions more as occupation on an evolving landscape and the implications of geomorphological processes for archaeology than as site-based archaeological soil analysis as an adjunct to behavioral interpretation (e.g. Barba and Ortiz 1992; Heidenreich and Konrad 1973; Manzanilla and Barba 1990). The title implies a broader orientation than it actually presents, which may disappoint some readers: the reviewer has recently noted a comment on an Internet discussion group expressing disappointment that the work was so heavily geomorphologically oriented. While this is not really a flaw, it does point to the need for a broader consideration in the near future.
The book is emphatically not a handbook or manual, but neither is it merely a collection of case studies. Rather, each contribution considers a specific issue or approach and its implications for archaeology with illustrative case studies. Issues considered include geomorphological factors affecting site formation and location, the integration of geomorphological studies with regional (site) survey, the use of soil chronosequences in dating sites, paleoecological reconstruction, anthropogenic and natural organic matter in soil formation, and the effects of agricultural terracing on soil formation.
The work comprises eight articles: "Alluvial Pedology and Geoarchaeological Research" by C. Reid Ferring; "Soils and Holocene Landscape Evolution in central and Southwestern Kansas: Implications for Archaeological Research" by Rolfe D. Mandel; "Soil Formation, Time, and Archaeology" by Vance T. Holliday; "Soil Morphological Properties and Weathering Zone Characteristics as Age Indicators in Holocene Alluvium in the Upper Midwest" by E. Arthur Bettis III; "Micromorphology, Soils, and Archaeological Sites" by Paul Goldberg; "Soil Properties of Sediments in Wadi Feiran, Sinai: A Geoarchaeological Interpretation" by Bruce G. Gladfelter; "Organic Matter in Archaeological Contexts" by Julie K. Stein; "Long-term Effects of Prehistoric Agriculture on Soils: Examples from New Mexico and Peru" by Jonathan A. Sandor; and a very useful glossary by Holliday and Goldberg. It is well written, illustrated, and edited. The authors employ a variety of technical and methodological approaches in their contributions, but for the most part these are not discussed in detail. Each article, however, is well referenced, so the interested reader can easily pursue more information on a particular approach.
The first six contributions focus on pedologic and geomorphic aspects of landscape (and site) formation and their contingent ramifications for archaeological interpretation. A recurrent theme is the lack of precision in the archaeological use of the terms "soil" and "sediment" (also very well covered in Stein's contribution), and the confusion resulting from their imprecise use. To briefly summarize, in pedological terminology a sediment is a particulate matter deposited by some agency (wind, water, etc.) and a soil is the weathered product of a sediment. A key point, well made by Ferring, Holliday, and Gladfelter, is that a soil can only develop on a stable land-surface because soil formation takes time; sedimentation on the other hand can occur at any rate. A soil, therefore, always indicates a stable land surface, but the absence of a soil does not, conversely, indicate that there was no land surface. Failure to clearly distinguish between the two can greatly complicate the interpretation of stratigraphic and chronological sequences.
As Ferring, Holliday, and Gladfelter point out, artifacts at a single component site can be vertically dispersed with little evidence of stratification if there is continuous sedimentation, while artifacts at a multi-component site can all be superimposed on the same surface if there is a period of extended landscape stability. The ability to recognize the depositional environment is extremely i mportant in either case.
An important, related point is that various surfaces within a landscape can be of different ages as the result of differential action by geomorphic forces (erosion, sedimentation, glaciation, etc.). Both Mandell and Bettis discuss the implications for regional site survey: whole stretches of prehistory may be out of reach to anything but accidental discovery because the contemporary land surface has been buried beneath more recent sediments or soils or has been eroded. Regional surveys must take this into account when interpreting their results. Once they have been correlated, however, different soils (both buried and surface) can be used to date sites, predict their location, and identify areas where surface survey will be unprofitable.
Goldberg discusses the use of soil micromorphology in distinguishing between various geomorphic and pedogenic processes impacting site formation. These range from identifying sources of sedimentary material, to distinguishing between soils, sediments, and anthropogenic features. An understanding of these factors is extremely important for interpreting stratigraphic relationships and determining the integrity of deposits.
Each of the final two contributions stands somewhat apart from the preceding six. Stein presents an excellent discussion of organic matter in archaeological sites. In addition to mechanisms of accumulation and degradation of organic matter, she offers a very clear discussion of the distinction between sedimentary and pedogenic organic matter and between soil and sediment. Sandor reviews the effects of agricultural terracing on pedogenesis and demonstrates how pedological investigations can aid in the interpretation of these features.
Taken together, this collection presents a very good picture of the geomorphology side of geoarchaeology. Given the scope of its title, though, it is unfortunate that the contributions were not more diverse. The issues covered, however, are significant. It is the reviewer's impression that many of these issues are not widely appreciated by many archaeologists, and for this reason the book is especially important. Most archaeologists would profit by reading it, especially the contributions by Ferring, Holliday, Goldberg, and Stein.
Barba, L.A. & A. Ortiz
1992 Analisis quimico de pisos de occupacion: un caso etnografico en Tlaxcala, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 3(1):63 82.
Cornwall, I.W. 1958 Soils for the Archaeologist. London: Phoenix House.
Courty, M.A., P. Goldberg and R. Macphail
1989 Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Groenman-van Waateringe, W., & M. Robinson
1988 Man Made Soils. BAR International Series 410. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.
Heidenreich, C.E., & V.A. Konrad
1973 Soil analysis at the Robataille Site part II: a method useful in determining the location of longhouse patterns. Ontario Archaeology 21:33 62.
Keeley, H.C.M., & R. Macphail
1981 A Soil Handbook for Archaeologists. London: University of London.
Limbrey, S.
1975 Soil Science in Archaeology. London: Academic Press.
Manzanilla, L. & L. Barba
1990 The study of activities in Classic households: two cases from Coba and Teotihuacan. Ancient Mesoamerica 1:41 49.
Back to the Society for Archaeological Sciences
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Herbert Spencer Barber Papers,
Barber, Herbert Spencer, 1882-1950
7 cu. ft. (14 document boxes)
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
These papers concern mostly his professional work as an entomologist and administration of the work of the Department of Agriculture and the National Museum. His field notebooks include information on his trips to California (1903), Texas (1904 and 1918), Guatemala (1906), and Arizona (1914), and lists of photographs of specimens taken during the trips. In a series of outgoing correspondence, 1904-1909, family and other personal correspondence predominates, but in later correspondence, professional and museum matters assume priority. Some letters to and from Schwarz are included, probably a result of close association. This latter correspondence is concerned with Museum and Agriculture business, including acquisition of specimens, arrangements for study at the Museum, internal administration, acquisition and loan of specimens, and answers to questions and requests for determinations; a substantial proportion of the correspondence consists of professional communication between Barber and other entomologists concerning questions of taxonomy and biology of insects.
Prominent correspondents are listed in the description of each series, followed by folder lists. Some Barber material remains in the Department of Entomology, notably random nomenclature and taxonomic notes on various genera of Chrysomelidae (.75 cubic foot) and card files of collecting and research work at Plummer's Island.
Herbert Spencer Barber (1882-1950) was associated with entomology in the United States National Museum, Division of Insects, from 1898 until his death in 1950. A man with little formal education, he was appointed as assistant preparator of insects in 1898, and until 1902 worked directly for Eugene Amandus Schwarz. From 1902-1904 he was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture, part of which time he spent studying cotton insects in the southern states. From 1904 to 1908 he was back in the museum with Schwarz. From 1908 until his death in 1950 he was a specialist on beetles in the Division of Insect Identification in the Agriculture Department. During these years he worked mostly in the museum, in association with Schwarz until the latter1s death in 1928. Barber collected insects in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, and he was an internationally recognized authority on chrysomelid bruchid and lampyrid beetles. He had wide knowledge extending beyond his own specialties, the coleoptera, and even the field of entomology.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7103, Herbert Spencer Barber Papers
Barber, Herbert Spencer, 1882-1950 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schwarz, Eugene Amandus, 1844-1928 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Department of Agriculture Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum. Division of Insects Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Entomology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Field notes Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
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2 Capitol Police officers suspended and at least 10 more under investigation for alleged roles in riot
(CNN)Two US Capitol Police officers were suspended and at least 10 more are under investigation for their behavior during last week’s assault on the Capitol, and federal agents will look at whether current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the riot.
One of the Capitol police officers took a selfie with someone who was part of the mob that overtook the Capitol and the other wore a “Make America Great Again” hat and started directing people around the building, according to Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat. He didn’t disclose how many other officers were under investigation but confirmed it was between 10 and 15, and didn’t say what they were being scrutinized for except that it was their behavior during the riot.Ryan told reporters that one individual had been arrested, but a spokesperson for the congressman later said he was wrong and no members of law enforcement have been arrested.The spokesperson said at least 10 Capitol Police officers are being investigated for their roles in the riot.A House aide separately said there are as many as 17 officers under investigation as part of eight investigations into the insurrection at the Capitol.Read MoreThe federal investigative interest is a priority and a part of the broader investigation into the mob at the Capitol, sources said. The investigation into insurrectionist ties to law enforcement is a priority because the skills that officers are trained to use during their duties could be useful to an extremist mob, authorities say. This includes clearing rooms, taking custody of people, securing areas and handling firearms.Democratic members of the House have also raised questions about potential sympathies for the attackers among the ranks of US Capitol Police. That agency hasn’t responded to CNN’s request for comment.House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, is among those who have others questions about whether some Capitol Police officers aided the protesters and were complicit in Wednesday’s insurrection. Clyburn, for instance, said it was fishy that the rioters knew the location of lawmakers’ offices.Early videos — one showing a Trump supporter taking a selfie with a police officer near an entrance to the Capitol and another appearing to show police letting protesters into the building — went viral on social media.The second video was later found to have been taken an hour after the Capitol had been breached.Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who chairs one of the House committees that oversee Capitol Police, said there would be an investigation into those videos.”A number of social media have indicated concerns about individual officers who, you know, if you look at the video, may have taken selfies with these seditionists or even let them in,” Lofgren said. “We need to thoroughly investigate that, but I also know there were many officers who responded with tremendous bravery. Many officers were injured protecting the Capitol and we do thank them for their patriotism in protecting this temple of democracy.”Investigations across the countryAt least seven officers in five other departments across the country have come under internal investigations as their presence in Washington during the assault comes to light through social media or other means.One officer in New York, one in Philadelphia, two in Seattle, two in Virginia and one in Texas are under investigation by their departments for potential rules violations. Additionally, some departments have been contacted by the FBI as part of their criminal investigation into the overrunning of the Capitol.The number may grow as investigators and the public sift through social media and lodge allegations that officers may have been involved in the siege.Police departments have said their investigation will hinge on what type of involvement officers are found to had with last week’s assault.”There’s a big difference between walking down Pennsylvania Avenue and expressing yourself and going into a building where rioters pushed police and hit police and pushed them out of the way to get in,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.”That will be the question. They just came and they marched, versus did they go inside the building and become part of a (riot).”No law enforcement member has been charged with a crime.More than 70 million people voted for Trump in the 2020 election and he often touted police as strong supporters. An on-duty officer was killed in last week’s assault and dozens of others were injured. The Fraternal Order of Police, which supported Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, released a statement calling on him to denounce those who attacked the Capitol and urging everyone to “reject the use of violence and to obey the orders of law enforcement.”The FBI is investigating the attack on the Capitol and members of Congress have promised investigations. A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police has not responded to requests for comment.Wexler said almost every police department has a “conduct unbecoming” section of its rulebook that could be used to discipline officers for their conduct Wednesday. Officers can exercise their First Amendment rights but need to preserve credibility so they can testify, he said.”Being a police officer really is different from other positions in that credibility is very important in terms of testifying in cases,” he said. “Your activity outside when you’re a police officer becomes relevant to testifying. … That worries police chiefs. That’s why you have internal affairs investigations opened up when you have reason to believe officers were involved.””I think it’s worth investigating. It’s totally worth investigating,” Wexler said. “You have a police officer who died as a result of these rioters. You have enormous concerns about safety, about police officers working the event.”Wexler said investigators have will to determine whether they were just attending a rally or if they gained access to the Capitol with the mob seeking to overturn the election.”Did they use the fact they were police officers to gain access in some way? That would be highly problematic. Did they go into the building and follow others who broke into the building? That would be highly problematic and could cost them their job,” Wexler said.Departments working with the FBISpokespeople for the Houston, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Antonio, San Diego, Phoenix and Denver police departments have said their agencies have not been contacted by the FBI and there aren’t any open internal investigations into officers.Chicago police are investigating whether members violated rules or laws but haven’t found any evidence so far, a spokesman said. Dallas police haven’t responded to a request for comment.The New York Police Department has opened an investigation into one member of the police department, according to New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.”There is one investigation that is active on one member,” he told CNN affiliate NY1 Monday. “There is no name yet released, because we don’t know if it’s true or not. … Anyone committing crimes certainly would have a very short shelf life with the NYPD.”The Philadelphia Police Department is investigating whether one of its detectives participated in the riots. A department spokesman said the department was aware of social media posts that allegedly show a member of its force at the Capitol on Wednesday.”At this time, we are aware of social media posts that allege that a PPD detective may have been in attendance at the events on Washington, DC on January 6,” Gripp said. “An IAB investigation has been opened to determine if any PPD polices were violated by the detective, and if they participated in any illegal activities while in attendance. The detective’s assignment has been changed pending the outcome of the investigation.”The Seattle police department has placed at least two officers on administrative leave while officials investigate whether they took part in the riot, the department’s chief — Adrian Diaz — said in a statement on Friday night.”The Department fully supports all lawful expressions of First Amendment freedom of speech, but the violent mob and events that unfolded at the US Capitol were unlawful and resulted in the death of another police officer,” the statement read. “The incident has been forwarded to the Office of Police Accountability for full review of any SPD employee activities at the US Capitol.”The chief added he will immediately fire any officer found to have taken part in the mob at the Capitol.Two Rocky Mount, Virginia, police officers are on administrative leave after attending the demonstrations in Washington, according to the Rocky Mount Police Department.”The Town of Rocky Mount fully supports all lawful expressions of freedom of speech and assembly by its employees but does not condone the unlawful acts that occurred that day,” the department said in a statement. “Based on the available information, the Police Department has notified federal authorities and the individuals that were present at the event are on administrative leave pending review.”In Texas, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is initiating an internal affairs investigation after a lieutenant, who has been on administrative leave for an unrelated ongoing internal affairs investigation, posted selfies and photos to social media identifying herself as a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office employee while attending the pro-Trump rally in Washington, according to the office. In a video statement sent to CNN, Sheriff Javier Salazar said he was notified about the posts to his personal social media account. “I then took those screenshots and forwarded them to my chiefs and ordered them to initiate an internal affairs investigation on the administrative violations, if any,” he said. “Then I turned those same screenshots over to the FBI.””Now, I know that the FBI is probably going to be the handling agency to look at the whole incident, and they’re going to determine what, if anything, people did that was criminal and then maybe some people there were just peaceful protesters. At this point, to be fair, I don’t know what her involvement is, but I turned this information over to the FBI to allow them to factor it into their ongoing investigation.”The lieutenant has been on administrative leave since October, according to Salazar, and she had been stripped of all her agency property and her credentials. “Right now, she doesn’t wear a uniform, she doesn’t carry a badge. It is unpaid administrative leave. It is not determined yet, at what point that investigation is over with. To be fair, we don’t know what the outcome will be of that, but certainly this is going to tend to complicate that other investigation as it unfolds,” he said.This story has been updated with additional information on police involvement in last week’s riot at the US Capitol.
CNN’s Jessica Schneider, Mark Morales, Manu Raju, Dana Bash, Daniella Diaz, Michael Holmes, Josh Campbell, Jeremy Herb, Evan Perez, Kelsie Smith and Paul Murphy contributed to this story.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/capitol-police-officers-suspended-tim-ryan/index.html
How right-wing media reacted to Putin and Trump’s joint press conference
Planters Introduces Baby Nut At Super Bowl And Twitter Goes Into Meltdown
Hill leaders near deal on long-awaited Covid relief plan
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Give us higher pay not woke words, says ex-driver taking on Uber in the UK
London (CNN Business)Yaseen Aslam never set out to drive for a living. But in 2006, laid off from his job in tech with few other options, he found work as a taxi driver. He stuck with it because it offered flexibility and paid well — £500 ($635) in a weekend, after expenses. In 2013, he was lured to a startup offering even more lucrative pay and bonuses: Uber.
But the attractive income didn’t last long. Over time, fares were cut and bonuses trimmed, and suddenly there were many more drivers chasing fewer fares. Ultimately, Aslam stopped driving for the same reason he started: he had a mortgage to pay, and a family to support. Uber just wasn’t cutting it.
Self-isolate or get paid? That's the choice for gig workers in a virus outbreak, and it's a big problem for the rest of usAslam is the lead plaintiff in a long running lawsuit against Uber that reached the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday. He’s trying to force the company to treat its drivers not as contractors, but as employees entitled to the minimum wage, sick leave and the right to unionize. Uber, having lost three times since 2016, is down to its final appeal. It could become a landmark case for workers’ rights in Britain, potentially requiring Uber to change its business model in ways that, so far, it has not had to while the appeals have been heard.For Aslam, the case seems especially timely given recent mass protests over systemic racism. In London, 94% of all private hire drivers are not white, according to a 2018 report commissioned by the Mayor’s office. At Uber, the vast majority are also immigrants, according to a study the company conducted with Oxford University in 2018.Protesters have targeted police brutality, racial bias in the justice system, dated symbols and statues of historical figures tied to slavery. While largely peaceful, some protests have left police stations torched, and parts of cities vandalized. But much of the corporate world has escaped close scrutiny.
Yaseen Aslam, right, and his co-plaintiff James Farrar outside the UK Supreme Court. Read MoreCompanies responded by issuing statements against racism and in support of Black Lives Matter. Many made large donations to organizations promoting racial equality. Some even changed branding, removed executives for racist behavior, set new targets for hiring Black people, and using their purchasing power to support Black-owned businesses. Uber (UBER) has been among the most vocal. It pledged $1 million to social justice causes and waived the delivery fee for Black-owned restaurants on the Uber Eats app in North America “to support the Black community and help fight racial injustice,” according to a company statement. “Uber stands in solidarity with the Black community during these difficult times,” the company added.On Twitter, US Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, described the restaurant move as “an expensive exercise in virtue signaling,” suggesting Uber would be sued for “explicit race-based discrimination.”Aslam called it a “PR Stunt” to appease the protesters. He suggested the company has spent much more money fighting its workers in his case and other similar lawsuits around the world. Uber and American rival Lyft, for example, have rejected a recent California law designed to make ride-share drivers employees of Uber. They have said the law doesn’t apply to them, and California sued the companies in May for misclassifying their workers.
Quarantined Lyft and Uber drivers are fighting for coronavirus payAslam, a 38-year-old father of three, doesn’t think Uber actually believes in equality. If it did, he says, it would change its business model. “I think all Uber cares about is money. The way the [business] model is set, it’s all about mass-recruiting drivers. It’s all about exploiting the workforce,” he told CNN Business in an interview. Uber declined an interview for this article, but Northern Europe general manager Jamie Heywood said in a statement that, “The vast majority of drivers want to work independently, and over a number of years we’ve made significant changes to our app to offer more benefits with total flexibility,” adding that the company now offers free insurance that covers injuries or illness.Aslam is the founder and president of the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU), a UK labor union. In 2016, under a previous name, the union estimated that drivers earned just £5.17 ($6.56) per hour for a 48-hour work week after deducting costs such as fuel, car rental and Uber’s 25% commission. Uber points to the study it conducted with Oxford University, which estimated that drivers earned more than £11 per hour ($13.95) on average — just above the £10.20 ($12.94) London “living wage.”
Uber and Lyft still aren't helping their most vulnerable driversThe apparent contradiction between a company talking up its equality and anti-racism credentials, and its majority minority workforce struggling to earn a living wage, is what Helen Lewis calls the “iron law of woke institutions.”Lewis is the author of Difficult Women, a book about the experiences of feminists fighting for equality. Companies often make splashy, but token gestures and fail to make the deeper systemic changes that would make a bigger difference to working moms.Boosting entry-level salaries, paying all workers a living wage or even just “paying the office cleaners well,” would go a lot further to correct racial income disparities than the changes companies often introduce in response to protests, she told CNN Business.”Companies have managed to, I think, hoodwink left wingers into thinking that big capitalist companies are on their side,” she said.It may take weeks for the UK Supreme Court to rule on Uber’s final appeal, and even if the company loses, change may not come overnight. Aslam, who has returned to work in the tech industry, says he will keep fighting for his former colleagues.”It’s just not good enough just to go to a protest and shout ‘black life matters,'” Aslam says. “But what are they delivering? It’s just words. We’re just hearing words. There’s nothing behind it.”— CNN’s Mick Krever contributed to this report.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/21/tech/uber-uk-court-case-blm/index.html
uber's
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Reflections on the Third Anniversary of the Death of Qaddafi
As we look back on the third anniversary of the death of Muammar Qaddafi it is impossible to argue with President Obama’s self-assessment that his greatest foreign policy error was made in Libya. The failure was not to be found in Benghazi as the partisan conspiracy theorists allege or because “leading from behind” is a sign of weakness. The allegations about the former have been dismissed after thorough investigation and resulted from the fog that inevitably accompanies the immediate aftermath of any tragic event and the latter was a mature assessment that sometimes allies and friends have to act in their own interests – that American soldiers and taxpayers can’t be expected to do all the heavy lifting across 197 million square miles of the earth’s surface. Unfortunately, the failure – however well-intentioned -- was manifold in terms the of an inability to conceive of and execute an integrated foreign policy, specifically:
The failure to learn lessons from Iraq
The failure to adhere to its own strategy of “Engagement”
The depletion of “soft power” reserves in the Middle East, and
The failure to place the crisis in Geopolitical perspective
As a state senator and later as a US Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama had correctly decried the shortcomings of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The risk of destabilization via regime change in a country that had been under tight control for decades by a monolithic and brutal regime was quite well understood by 2011. Pursuing the objective of regime change with no plan of action for the “day after” was clearly seen as a fiasco in leadership almost immediately after the fall of Baghdad and was a major reason behind the dramatic gains by the Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections. In spite of this the Obama administration and our European allies – including France that opposed Iraq but was a major advocate of taking action in Libya – repeated all of the same mistakes. Regime change, followed by no plan of action, followed by chaos and radicalization. There is no excuse.
During the 2008 presidential campaign candidate Obama proposed the policy of engagement with troublesome regimes as a major theme for his foreign policy. He reiterated this message in his Inaugural Address. Yet, in Libya the west had the poster child for the benefits of engagement in what up until that time was referred to glowingly as “The Libya Model.” In 2003 Libya had renounced terrorism, given up its nuclear weapons program and cooperated with US intelligence about the A. Q. Kahn nuclear proliferation network. Consequently, the US government did not oppose Libya’s membership on the UN Security Council in 2008-09. President Obama met also met with Colonel Qaddafi who had been invited to attend the 2009 G8 Summit by the host country Italy. President Bush had sent the first US Ambassador to Libya in 36 years and the Obama continued the policy of recognizing the Qaddafi regime. The Libyan intervention certainly does not sell the benefits of engagement, a lesson that was likely not lost on Teheran.
A corollary to the policy of engagement was a commitment to employ soft power and to open a dialogue with voices of moderation in the Islamic world. Early in his administration the President flew to Cairo and stated, “America will defend itself respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law…” In his Nobel address he had stated, “… no nation can insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don’t, our actions appear arbitrary and undercut the legitimacy of future interventions, no matter how justified.” These words would came back to haunt him when he failed to take action against much larger systematic massacres of civilians in Syria In failing to go to Congress for approval of these actions he also contradicted comments made in 2007 when he stated, “The president does not have the power to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping the actual or imminent threat to the nation.” Candidate Obama had promised the end of “unchecked presidential power” and “no more ignoring the law when convenient.”
In approaching the violence in Libya that arose as part of the so-called Arab Spring the President did nevertheless seek UN authority. The two UN resolutions (1970 and 1973), however, authorized only a no fly zone and an arms embargo. The UN Charter itself authorizes actions to “restore international peace and security” but not “force against another state” or, in this case, regime change. As carried out, however, the intervention was contrary to these principles. President Obama not only called for Qaddafi to step down (a legitimate request) but on at least four occasions NATO bombardments targeted the compounds frequented by Qaddafi resulting in the deaths of members of Qaddafi’s family. In spite of the UN resolutions arms were funneled to the rebels who were ultimately recognized as the legitimate representatives of Libya. During the presidential debates in 2012 the president acknowledged that regime change had been the objective from the start. In addition, the chaos unleashed in Libya also clearly contributed to the transfer of weapons and increased violence in Mali and Syria. The president’s aggressive adoption of military action, especially drone warfare elsewhere, has undermined the “soft power” promise that greeted his election.
One area of notable success that the Obama administration achieved in its early years was the imposition of sanctions against Iran and then later in regard to Libya with the tacit approval of China and Russia which abstained in the Security Council. The feeling by both countries, but especially by Russia, that it had been duped in Libya not only made any consensus for humanitarian assistance in Syria out of the question, but complicated continued cooperation by these two powers in dealing with Iran. The suspicion and, in Russia’s view, the outright hypocrisy of the United States in talking about international law when it suited its interest jaundiced the perception of events in Maidan Square and almost certainly played some role in the actions President Putin has taken in Crimea and Ukraine. An administration that commenced with the hopeful language of “reset” enters its final two years with a dangerously adversarial relationship with Moscow and “salami slicing” in the China Sea.
President Obama was very poorly served by his entire foreign policy team that strongly advised him to take action in Libya contrary to many of the principles he had enunciated up to that time and in intertwining it with the language of the yet inchoate principle of Responsibility to Protect. First, as stated above, they acted with complete disregard of the clear lessons learned in Iraq. Second, in doing so they advised that he act in pursuance of a norm that is yet emerging under international law and has not been ratified as American policy. Thirdly, if they truly care about establishing such humanitarian intervention as a legitimate practice they cannot do so by acting contrary to the language of the authorizing resolutions or by pursuing purely political objectives, such as regime change, lurking under the humanitarian mantel. The result of such inconsistent behavior has now opened the world to political objectives pursued under the cover of humanitarian assistance and which we are now witnessing elsewhere in the world in military supply convoys and military ships being painted white and therefore operating in a zone of exception that we ourselves created. A final takeaway point is that the president directly intervened in Libya but not in Syria and yet both countries are essentially embroiled in civil wars underscoring perhaps the best advice given on the Middle East in recent memory. As former Secretary of the Navy and Senator Jim Webb said, do not get in the middle of a five sided argument you do not understand.
David W. Wise, a retired business executive, is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law of Diplomacy at Tufts University and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
lilliandiane
First of all, Muammar Gaddafi died in October. Secondly, in my book, Obama is a coward for betraying his own beliefs or stated beliefs and for betraying a man who had called him son because Obama had African roots. Thirdly, he listened to the blood-thirsty Hillary Clinton, who couldn't be denied her role as power broker and murderer in the area. Or maybe Obama couldn't face the man who was leader of a democracy and who had raised his country up from the crushing poverty and illiteracy created by all those colonial powers who had once called Libya a "sand crate".
The US has absolutely zero right to seek a "regime change" in any country except our own, and what he unleashed after Obama murdered Gaddafi is proof-positive of the horror we foster when we think we know what is better for a country than their own CHOSEN leaders. Libya is now in ruins and chaos. They have been plunged back into the tribal ways before Gaddafi gave them pride, education, democracy, the Great Man-Made River, and money.
What happened to Gaddafi, one of the greatest men of all time, should haunt Obama until the day he dies. A man who had single-handedly and successfully brought his country prosperity and visionary leadership was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and by a miserable coward.
Outlaw 09
Tue, 11/25/2014 - 11:05am
Would argue that to some degree the comments by the author on say the following;
QUOTE: The feeling by both countries, but especially by Russia, that it had been duped in Libya not only made any consensus for humanitarian assistance in Syria out of the question, but complicated continued cooperation by these two powers in dealing with Iran. The suspicion and, in Russia’s view, the outright hypocrisy of the United States in talking about international law when it suited its interest jaundiced the perception of events in Maidan Square and almost certainly played some role in the actions President Putin has taken in Crimea and Ukraine. An administration that commenced with the hopeful language of “reset” enters its final two years with a dangerously adversarial relationship with Moscow and “salami slicing” in the China Sea. UNQOUTE
definitely fall in the current Russian geo political arguments for their involvement in the Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
But here is what the author missed in his comment concerning Russia---ever since 1992 the then Soviet Union and now Russia has repeatedly placed blame for all of their problems onto the West and especially "perceived" US slights and violations of what Russia "perceives" to be international law.
There has been repeated statements concerning their "humiliation" by the NATO "promises" of non expansion and that the West in particular the US does not "respect" Russia's right to have a "sphere of influence" as the reasons for Putin's actions --even he has stated this a number of times.
We hear often still today from Russia about the Bosnian solution for the Ukraine and the Kosovo solutions as being their "legal" basis for actions on the Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
This article needs to be read and while old the thesis is not far from wrong when one looks at the ultra nationalist slant Russia has taken under Putin.
1992 article on dangers of Russian "neo-messianic" Eurasianism, esp. the conclusions:
http://bit.ly/1vJ4Ior
This is a most interesting view and it parallels exactly what we are seeing today with Putin, the Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
The twin schools of "Eurasians" and "Russo-centrists" on the one hand,
and "neo-internationalists" on the other, differ on important issues but are united by the messianic fundamentalist concept of a "Third Way" for
Russia. They share the view that the historical cataclysm that occurred in
Eurasia is more than a simple defeat of communism, but rather the beginning of far-reaching changes in the world order and the first global
revolution. In that sense, Russia is the first country to suffer this trial by fire, which—in their view—awaits the other industrial nations. Through this ideological prism, Russia is not a cluster of backward nations needing Western assistance to catch up, but rather, a pioneer country, paving the way for a new, global order. In a transmuted context, this, of course, recapitulates the self-proclaimed vision of the founders of communism, of leading a new international order. UNQUOTE
At the heart of these complaints and what many US commenters and author here seem to not mention is there has been absolutely no single Soviet and or Russian leader who stepped up after 1992 and took full responsibility for both the political and economic failures of the former Soviet Union and now Russia. even the current Russian Communist Party denies their own responsibilities all the while condemning the US and the West for "violating this and violating that".
One could list easily five major post 1992 agreements/treaties signed by Russia it has either ignored and or violated as practical examples.
Russia collapsed much as the GDR did --from internal decay meaning the economic system was built on a massive Ponzi system of monthly production lies and politically---with their own populations especially the young no longer really believing anything they were being taught/told by the "system".
We still see that attitude in the Russian denial of their "vacationing troops" inside the Ukraine---it is been one constant 40 year long "it ain't us---it is them" being repeated as the smokescreen clouding their own neo imperialistic expansion drive who many can and do call a new form of Russian fascism. Putin himself called the collapse of the SU the worst disaster that ever hit Russia.
The core problem is that the Russian leadership has become so tangled in their own info war propaganda that they can no longer clearly define what is and is not actual reality and that is truly dangerous---at least the old line Communist Soviet leadership understood where and when to stop--Putin knows neither.
When Putin drives Russia to achieve nuclear superiority numbers wise over the US, violates the INF, and threatens over three times the US/NATO/EU with the use of tactical nuclear weapons and when for the Russians MAD is no longer a deterrent then the West in general is in serious trouble.
IMO both China and Russia were fully aware of what the end state for Qaddafi would be--if they did not then their intelligence service chiefs should be fired and to argue the West "surprised them" is simply another smokescreen to argue their current view points.
The following is important to understand as it lends a certain credence to the fact that right now Russia and Putin is in another "altered state of reality" based on their belief in their own propaganda and that was not the case in the old Soviet days.
"In case a major war breaks out" DefMin Shoygu asks Putin to launch obligatory military training for all RU governors
http://rt.com/politics/208551-russia-governors-military-training/
The last time I checked NATO/EU/US had managed to find and offer via their public/private statements at least four different off ramps for Putin to pull back on--he ignored them all as he is dead set on reestablishing the old Soviet Empire, destabilize NATO, destabilize the EU, and to decouple the US from Europe thus establishing Russia as the regional hegemon over all of Europe---the old Czarist dream.
Russian Parliament speaker says has "fantastic idea" for EU to handle current crisis,suggests to throw US out of NATO http://top.rbc.ru/politics/25/11/2014/5474680bcbb20f4bae5f40f4 …
Merkel's recent statement after meeting with Putin for over four hours is both telling and revealing as Putin has now "lost" German support for a mediated off ramp and she no longer "believes" Putin understands "reality".
"He radiated coldness" - Merkel, Putin hit diplomatic dead-end http://reut.rs/1uB9BJe
pic.twitter.com/B2gRzwJfqM
For nearly four hours, Merkel -- joined around midnight by new European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker -- tried to get the former KGB agent, a fluent German speaker, to let down his guard and clearly state his intentions.
But all the chancellor got from Putin, officials briefed on the conversation told Reuters, were the same denials and dodges she had been hearing for months.
"He radiated coldness," one official said of the encounter. "Putin has dug himself in and he can't get out." UNQUOTE
We can blame Obama and or blame US for poor judgment and a serious lack of a strategy, but Russia has been on it's long path back to their "perceived superpower status" since 1992 and that seems to be overlooked by commenters and authors alike.
It was all there to read---we are simply not willing to believe that what someone writes in say 1992 is relevant to 2014.
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MLB postseason picture: Blue Jays clinch AL wild-card spot while NL gets wilder
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
We’ve reached the home stretch of Major League Baseball’s 60-game season and there’s a lot left to sort out. Every day between now and the start of the postseason we’ll keep you updated on all the latest developments.
The surprising Toronto Blue Jays have clinched a spot in American League playoffs.
With a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday, the Blue Jays joined a loaded field that includes the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. It’s Toronto’s first postseason appearance since 2016 and only their third since winning back-to-back World Series in 1992-93.
The Blue Jays success has been shocking for a couple reasons. First and foremost, they didn’t get to play a true home game all season after Canadian officials ruled against them traveling in and out of Canada during the pandemic. The Blue Jays made Sahlen Field in Buffalo their home away from home.
Beyond that, the Blue Jays weren’t figured to be contenders just yet. The franchise has been in rebuild mode, but has developed quicker than expected. The young core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio have all been contributors and supporting players like Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have made them a dangerous team.
The young Toronto Blue Jays clinched a wild card berth in the MLB playoffs with a win Thursday night. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
The last remaining playoff spot in the AL figures to go to the Houston Astros when they clinch second place in the AL West. Their magic number heading into Thursday was two. The Blue Jays figure to be the No. 8 seed in the AL, which means they would meet the Rays in a best-of-three series.
Magic Number Countdown
ASTROS: The Astros walloped the Rangers on Thursday, bringing their magic number down to one. They need to beat the Rangers again Friday or need the Angels to lose to the Dodgers.
TWINS: The Twins are in the postseason, but they’d like to swoop in and take the AL Central crown too. They have a one-game lead over the White Sox after another Chicago loss and their magic number to win the Central is three.
CUBS: The Cubs remain in the driver’s seat in the NL Central. They lost Thursday and their magic number sits at three. The Cardinals won, so Chicago’s lead in the division is down to 2.5 games.
Key Races
NL CENTRAL: The Cardinals, Reds and Brewers are trying for second place and a playoff berth. The Cardinals own the spot now, but the Reds are a half-game back. The Brewers are two back.
NL EAST: Same situation in the NL East, where the Braves have the division locked up but the Marlins and Phillies are fighting over second place. The Marlins have a one-game lead.
NL WILD CARD: Combined with the races above, there are four open spots in the NL and six teams vying for them — because you can’t forget about the Giants. The Reds and Giants hold those wild-card spots, but it’s close. The Reds have a half-game lead over the Giants, who have a half-game lead over the Phillies, who have a half-game lead over the Brewers. Yep, the final weekend is going to be wild.
Games to Watch
Brewers at Cardinals (5:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. ET) — The Brewers and Cardinals play two on Friday with big postseason implications. If the Brewers want to sneak in, this is how they can do it.
Astros at Rangers (8:15 p.m. ET) — The Astros can complete the AL playoff field with another win in Arlington.
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Watch James Harden Euro-step his way to first bucket with Brooklyn
His first points as a Net came at the free throw line.
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Jacobsen expands dealer network
The Staff April 14, 2008 3 views
Daily NewsUncategorized0 Comments3 views 0
Charlotte, NC-Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, continues to focus on the needs of its customers and create a superior service experience by expanding the territories of three existing equipment dealerships, and adding one new dealer to its national authorized dealer network.
Kansas Golf & Turf, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., will now serve the northeast corner of Kansas and the western half of Missouri, territory previously covered by Golf & Turf Technology, in addition to the areas across Kansas that it has covered for more than 15 years.
Luber Brothers, Inc., in Dallas, Texas, will now serve customers in southeast Texas, the Houston market previously covered by Houston Turf, in addition to those in its current territory of northern Texas, Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
Midwest Golf & Turf, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, will now serve Michigan and the northwest corner of Ohio, previously covered by W. F. Miller Company, in addition to its current territory of Kentucky, Indiana and the southwest corner of Ohio.
Tri-State Pump & Controls, Inc., in Liberty, S.C., became the newest authorized Jacobsen dealer for customers in North Carolina and South Carolina, except the coastal region. This area was formerly served by Jacobsen Turf Direct.
“As a result of their reputations for strong customer service, Jacobsen has expanded the territories of three dealers to include more area,” says Ralph Nicotera, Jacobsen vice president of sales. “We have also added a dealer in the Carolinas and are confident these changes will result in the finest possible service and support for both new and current Jacobsen customers throughout each region.”
For more information about Jacobsen’s authorized dealer network or to find a Jacobsen dealer in your area, log on to www.Jacobsen.com or call 1-888-922-TURF.
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India: Changing face of serving Summons: From Post to WhatsApp
Source: www.delhihighcourt.nic.in
Several Courts around the country are experimenting the usage of technology and in judicial proceedings especially while serving of official documents. Recently, the Delhi High Court gave an order setting a milestone, “Double tick on WhatsApp is a prima facie proof of delivery of summons.”
The primary method of serving summons is by personal service, which means that someone must physically deliver the summons document to the other person. There may be certain restrictions depending upon the jurisdictions and whether the case is civil or criminal. The alternative method is to affix a copy of the summons on the outer door or some other conspicuous part of the house in which the defendant ordinarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain if the serving officer after due diligence is not able to trace the person. The Court shall also in addition to personal service, may direct the summons to be served by registered post at the place where the defendant, or his agent, actually and voluntarily resides or carries on business or personally works for gain.
The summons in most cases are not served timely due to reasons like shortage in the manpower or lack of training and more often due to the challenging task of dealing with people who avoid service of process. To address the existing bottlenecks and introduce reforms in the rules and procedures relating to process service, important legislative changes have been introduced in the procedural laws. Further, High Courts have also adopted practical steps to address the problems of delay caused due to process service by introducing changes in rules and policies. The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 was amended in 2002 which included electronic means of serving summons in Rule 9 and 9A.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the case of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission Vs National Hydroelectric Power Corpn. Ltd. & Ors., directed that in commercial litigation and in those cases where the Advocates seek urgent interim reliefs, service of notices may be effected by E-mail, in addition to normal mode of service. The Courts have inducted the “electronic means” in their respective rules in order to speed up the summons process. The Delhi High Court notified on February 9, 2011, “Delhi Courts Service of Processes by Courier, Fax and Electronic Mail Service (Civil Proceedings) Rules, 2010” wherein service by fax and electronic mail was provided for. Similarly, Bombay and Andhra Pradesh High Court have amended their rules for the same. This helps cut down the cost & effort that goes into serving notices to defendants, especially those who do not want to be found.
However, recently the Courts have taken landmark judgements and added WhatsApp to the list of electronic means trying to tackle the problem. The first one to send summons by WhatsApp is Financial Commissioner (FC) Court in Haryana, a quasi-judicial body. In April 2017, Senior IAS officer Ashok Khema ordered that summons in a partition suit be served via WhatsApp.
In the same month, Justice Gautam Patel, of the Bombay High Court set a precedent allowing serving of summons through WhatsApp in a copyright infringement case. The case concerned allegations of copyright infringement against Producers of the Kannada movie ‘Pushpaka Vimana’ that was released in the beginning of 2017. Justice Patel said “It cannot be that our rules and procedure are either so ancient or so rigid (or both) that without some antiquated formal service mode through a bailiff or even by beat of drum or pattaki, a party cannot be said to have been ‘properly’ served. The purpose of service is put the other party to notice and to give him a copy of the papers. The mode is surely irrelevant. We have not formally approved of email and other modes as acceptable simply because there are inherent limitation to proving service. Where an alternative mode is used, however, and service is shown to be effected, and is acknowledged, then surely it cannot be suggested that the Defendants had ‘no notice’
……Defendants who avoid and evade service by regular modes cannot be permitted to take advantage of that evasion.”
Soon after on May 4, 2017, the Delhi High Court in Tata Sons Ltd & Ors. Vs. John Doe(s) & Ors., allowed the Plaintiff to serve the summons on one of the Defendant through WhatsApp, text message & email, and to file affidavit of service.
Around the same time, Rohini Civil Court in Delhi, accepted the blue double-tick sign in a WhatsApp message as valid proof that a case related notice had been seen by the message’s recipients. A man served the notice to five people including his son, daughter-in-law, her parents and her friends through WhatsApp in connection with a family dispute (trespass to property). He then took the color printout of the sent message with the blue double tick, which indicates that the message has been read – visible in it. Senior Civil Judge cum Rent Controller (North) Sidharth Mathur concluded based on the proof that the Defendants had acquired the knowledge of the scheduled hearing.
The Delhi Metropolitan Court, earlier in March this year allowed a woman to serve summons to his husband in Australia through WhatsApp. In this case, the man had left for Australia in the year 2015 for pursuing further studies leaving behind the complainant, a homemaker, and their minor daughter, who was two years old then. The complainant continued to stay in their rented accommodation in Noida but soon joined her parents in Delhi after the husband stopped paying rent for the house. After a few months, he severed all contacts with the complainant and never reciprocated to her attempts to contact him. The complainant also learnt through sources that he had visited India last year but did not make any efforts to meet her or their daughter. Therefore, the woman filed a case of domestic violence and also sought maintenance for their daughter and herself.
In March, Pal and Kumar had suggested to the magistrate that the summons can be served via WhatsApp etc since summons sent from past eight months being returned, as the man is not staying at the last known address in Delhi. Advocate Kumar also remarked that it takes over two weeks for summons to be served to anyone outside India and the Ministry had raised objections, as the summons sent to the man in Australia has changed his address, and therefore they are left with no other option but to request the Court to allow him to summon through WhatsApp, SMS and e-mail. Following the earlier order of the Court, the wife served the summons to her husband via email and mobile. However, the husband failed to respond. The husband had earlier appeared before the court in some other matter and knew well that his summoning was urgent in this matter as well. The documents submitted before the Court reveal that there is “Double Tick” on the WhatsApp messages sent. The Court observed that this implies that the copy of the summons has been delivered on the mobile number of the estranged husband. The case will now be heard in May.
The procedural laws and the Courts in their rules and policies have laid down a proper procedure and method for serving summons. In addition to the traditional methods the Courts have now recognized WhatsApp as one. The Courts have found a completely new purpose of WhatsApp. However, it is essentially important to understand that the electronic means, least of all WhatsApp, are not going to replace the “regular models”. They are meant for those exceptional cases where the Defendants are hiding and evading their appearance in Courts.
Legal Retainer-ship and COVID-19-Futuristic Approach
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For more information please contact us at : info@ssrana.com
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Ancient Irish Olympics | The Lughnasa Games at Telltown
Stair na hÉireannHistory, Ireland, Irish HistoryAncient Irish Olympics, Cú Chulainn, Co Meath, Croke Park, Dublin, EyeCandy, Gaelic god, Hill of Tara, Hogan Stand, Lú Lamhfada Samildanách, Lugh the Long-Armed Master of the Arts, Tailtiu Games, Telltown, The Lughnasa Games at TelltownLeave a comment
The Telltown or Tailtiu Games were said to have been instituted by the Gaelic god Lú Lamhfada Samildanách – Lugh the Long-Armed Master of the Arts, and are considered to be the Irish Olympics Games.
They predate the Greek Olympics by about 1200 years and it could be reasonably speculated that the Irish Telltown Games were the inspiration for the later Greek and, as such, modern Olympic games. More than a just battles of skill and brawn the Telltown Games were a celebration of Irish culture and its arts.
During this time the people of Ireland would travel to the Áenach Tailteann or Telltown Fair to sell and trade, to court young women and make marriage arrangements, or to enter into contracts for winter accommodation and work. But the main attraction was the games themselves as thousands gathered to watch the best of Ireland’s youth pit their wits and strength against each other in the hopes of obtaining the glory and reputation for themselves and their tribal kin-groups.
“From time immemorial the sons of Erin have played a most conspicuous part in every branch of athletic sports. […] When and where did athletic games originate? In Ireland, almost 2,000 years before the Christian era. The “Annals of the Four Masters” tell us that the Tailtan [sic] games were instituted in ancient Ireland at a place now known as Telltown. […] Those games developed mighty heroes, the greatest of whom was Cú Chulainn, who has been aptly called the Hercules of Hibernia.” –Thomas Lonergan
The games are named after the goddess Tailtiu the wife of Eochaid mac Eirc, last of the Fir Bolg High Kings and beloved foster-mother of Lugh who established the celebrations in her honour; although in modern times people tend to mistakenly associate this festival primarily with Lugh, not Tailtiu. They took place every three years around August to mark the year’s first harvest, to this day the Gaelic word for August is Lughnasa named after Lugh. It was traditionally a month of reaping and celebrations and Lughnasa was one of the great fire festivals that took place throughout the year.
They took place close to the ancient seat of power on the Hill of Tara in Co Meath at a place that to this day still bears the anglicised name for Tailtiu – Telltown and lasted until 1169AD with the coming of the Anglo-Norman invasion, a time that marks the beginning of the erosion of native Irish culture.
“While [Lugh] was king, his foster-mother Taillte, daughter of Magh Mor, the Great Plain died. And before her death she bade her husband Duach the Dark, he that built the Fort of the Hostages in Teamhair, to clear away the wood of Cuan, the way there could be a gathering of the people around her grave.
So he called to the men of Ireland to cut down the wood with their wide-bladed knives and bill-hooks and hatchets, and within a month the whole wood was cut down.
And Lugh buried her in the plain of Midhe [Meath], and raised a mound over her, that is to be seen to this day. And he ordered fires to be kindled, and keening [mourning] to be made, and games and sports to be held in the summer of every year out of respect to her.
And the place they were held got its name from her, that is Taillten (Telltown).” –Lady Gregory, Gods and Fighting Men.
Tailtiu herself is considered the goddess of Irish sovereignty and like most goddesses she exhibits the characteristics of fertile land and a fruitful harvest. Given the themes of harvest and fertility it seems fitting that the month of celebrations should have this aspect of a female deity in harmony to counter-balance with the male deity in the form of Lugh.
In 1924, having obtained independent nationhood, there was an effort to revive the ancient games and photos from the time give us a rare glimpse or an echo of an even earlier past. While being a 20th century interpretation of how the ancients might have dressed and acted these photos probably the closest thing we have to an authentic image of the likes of the Red Branch Knights of Cú Chulainn or na Fíanna of Fionn MacCumhail.
The revival of the Telltown games happened during the same year as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, or simply the Olympics, that were held in Paris that year. At this time there was a hope among the Irish that the Telltown Games would resume their place as the original and pre-dominating athletics competition with talks of opening entry for everyone regardless of nationality, not just the Irish. A Dáil debate dated 8th June 1922 states:
“We have got representations from America to the effect that it would be advisable to depart from the idea of confining the Tailteann games to the Irish race and seeing that they predated the Greek Olympics by a thousand years we should be justified in entering upon a more varied programme.”
The Tailteann Games were more than a mere sporting competition, though. They were a testament to the world that Ireland had returned, and that she hasn’t forgotten her culture and history; that was at least as rich as Ancient Greece and Rome, if not more so.
However, the Irish Civil War of 1922-23 caused the revival to be delayed and the first of the revived games or “meeting of the Irish race” was in 1924 and for this purpose the Hogan Stand was built-in Croke Park, the home of the Gaelic Athletics Association, but further events took place every four years until 1932. Entry was open to anyone of Irish descent and participants came from all over the world to take part or to watch the sports. Would they be revived again? We would like to see this happening but know it would only come at a time when the modern Irish people wish to connect and assert their true native heritage once again.
This TG4 documentary covers the rise and fall of this great national celebration and shows how the advent of Fianna Fáil and their allegiance to the Catholic Church led to its ultimate fading back out of Irish life only to be confined to the old film reels that have been dusted off and represented in this captivating piece.
Source | Brehon Law Academy, brehonlawacademy@gmail.com
Image | Depiction of the celebrations during the opening ceremony of the Tailteann Games by P.J. Lynch, 1920s
#OTD in 1922 – Dáil Éireann votes 64 to 57 to accept the Anglo-Irish Treaty, creating the Irish Free State, setting the scene for the Irish Civil War.
#OTD in Irish History | 8 January:
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And thank you for being a part of our first full year (2015) of house concerts in Barrie. Our audience has grown considerably since the move, and we're thrilled to have met a bunch of new neighbours and friends.
The 2015 Recap
It was certainly a busy year!
David Essig
Our first concert of 2015 was actually hosted for the Barrie Folk Society, with the incomparable David Essig performing. One of Canada's finest blues guitarists and songwriters, he warmed us all up on a blustery night! A mutual friend has been trying to introduce us for years, so we were thrilled to finally have an evening together, and may have gone to bed a little late that night... (but oh, the wine was tasty!). He's an incredible songwriter, and a thoroughly entertaining performer – he even brought his book for the CD table! He's planning to move from his paradise in BC to another piece of paradise overseas, but we're hoping he'll be back in Canada regularly, and look forward David return, even if just for the great conversation (but hopefully he'll perform for us again, too!).
Jon Brooks
In March, one of our favourite people and performers returned (well, he'd performed at our place in Orillia, but this was his first time in Barrie), singer-songwriter Jon Brooks, with his new album, "The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside". It appears the Take Note audiences are not afraid of murder ballads! (It wasn't limited to his new songs, of course, there were also many of his earlier ones – but hmmm, guys, you sure did gravitate to the darker stuff!) It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and Jon earned himself a lot of new fans in Barrie.
Ron Hynes
In April, of course, we had the legendary Ron Hynes perform – he had just finished recording his final album, as it turns out. His recent passing in November makes us all the more pleased that we were able to present this concert when we did. There was much singing along of old favourites, plus some of his songs off the new album. We also learned that our living room can easily cram in 50 people, if we move the furniture around the right way. Despite his worries about the recording affecting his throat, his voice was in fine form, and he put on a terrific show. We will all remember it and him fondly.
Emilia Torrini & David Celia
May was a bit of a departure for us, and we'll admit we were a little nervous about taking Bob Henderson up on his proposal to bring Icelandic sensation Emiliana Torrini – could we get enough ticket sales to make it worthwhile for her, and would our audience follow us that far to the edge of the folk/pop spectrum? Our nervousness was in vain: we had a full house, and everyone just loved her music, and the playful banter with David Celia (her guitarist on this Ontario tour). It was their last concert of the tour before Emiliana flew home, and we had a great after-show visit and late-night dance party – and hopefully she got a good sleep on the plane, because the sun was rising when we gave in and slept for a couple of hours. Many have already asked us to let them know when she's returning – we promise!
Rick Fines & Roly Platt
Another duo graced our stage in June, singer-songwriter Rick Fines and harmonica player Roly Platt – two of Canada's finest blues musicians. Their incredible musicianship dazzled everyone, and the way they supported each other as they traded songs back and forth made this combination greater than the sum of its parts (which is already a pretty astounding sum!). When they played Rick's "Riley Wants His Life Back" (with full sing-along happening), one of the audience members turned to us and proclaimed we had the life of Riley, knowing such great performers – we have to heartily agree!
Ben Sures
After planning to take the summer off (famous last words), we broke our own rule for the first time when we heard Edmonton-based singer-songwriter Ben Sures was coming through Ontario and looking for a place to play. As it turns out, this was also the first house concert for our new pup, Macie, who enjoyed it almost as much as our audience did. Ben should be commended for being a very brave soul – you know what they say about kids and dogs! – but all attention was definitely on him throughout the show. And while it's usually pretty easy to get our audience singing along, he managed to get us all dancing as well!
They sing, they dance!
Leaf Rapids
We broke our own rule for the second time with Manitoba's powerhouse duo Leaf Rapids (Keri and Devin Latimer) at the end of summer. This is definitely our first house concert to involve a Theremin, which Keri demonstrated beautifully. Their songs and sounds were just breathtaking, and it was a beautiful way to end the summer. And speaking of kids and dogs, their son and daughter were on the road with them, so Macie had an absolute blast! There was only one bark, which unfortunately happened while Keri was laying down a loop – fortunately Macie has a natural sense of rhythm, so the looped yip happened on the beat.
Our 2015/16 season began with another husband-and-wife team, The Young Novelists (Graydon James and Laura Spink). Shortly after their performance for us, the group was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards (ultimately winning New/Emerging Artist of the Year), and Graydon was named the winner of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award. We won't say we had anything to do with it, but... let's just see who plays our September 2016 show! They had us all mesmerized, and nobody was surprised to hear all their well-deserved good news. We hope they'll return, even though they've now hit the folkie big-time!
Rob Lutes
In October, the stars had finally aligned for a concert we'd been trying to organize for a few years: the return of one of our favourite singer-songwriters (and people), Montreal singer-songwriter Rob Lutes. As always, he put on a spectacular concert, pulling emotions out deep from everybody's baby toes and dazzling them with his guitar playing and smooth single-malt voice (which, fortunately, wasn't affected by the head cold he'd developed that morning). We hope it won't be too many years before we get him back again! By the way, he and Michael Emenau have a new project called Sussex, which has some incredible arrangements of Rob's songs with Michael's vibraphone playing, and a number of other fine players – their CD "Parade Day" is now available, and it's incredible (as are all of Rob's albums).
Naming the Twins (sorry, Laura doesn't like live shots).
2015 was finished off with a magical night, courtesy of three easterners: the inimitable Laura Smith and duo Naming the Twins. They even got the two of us up playing and singing along, plus Ray Dillard adding some percussion! Three-part harmonies (and occasionally five) on Laura and Robbie's glorious songs, ah... sigh... At intermission, Laura got the news that her friend (and our April performer) Ron Hynes had just passed away, which made our earlier decision to sing "Farther Along" (with all five of us up front) all that more poignant. And we of course added Ron's classic "Sonny's Dream" – when Laura's tears prevented her from completing a verse, the audience joined in to help her out. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. It was a sad night, but it seems particularly fitting to have this reminder that the music carries on, and the depth of emotion shared in our living room that evening is reverberating through it still.
In all our enthusiasm for the concerts last year, we managed to thoroughly exhaust ourselves, and we think we started to over-stretch our audience as well. So with that in mind, we're going to try our darndest to stick to our original game plan – 2 concerts in each of autumn, winter and spring, and nothing in the summer. We're gonna try, anyhow...
Our first three concerts are now confirmed, starting Wednesday, February 10 with Sarah Jane Scouten – a new discovery for us, and we hope you'll enjoy her as much as we do! We'll be getting full details about that concert out momentarily... honest... we mean it. (Or you can see them on our website right away.)
Up next is Fraser & Girard on Saturday, March 19 – a new duo made up of Allan Fraser ("Dance Hall Girls", Fraser & DeBolt) and Marianne Girard (CFMA nominee), "an incomparable couple, both on and off the stage" [London Free Press].
And on Saturday, April 16, we'll be featuring another couple on and off the stage, KEWT, featuring guitarist Terry Tufts (who you saw here in 2014) and pianist Kathryn Briggs.
There will be one more show in May, before we take a break for the summer (we really mean it this time!), but it hasn't been confirmed just yet.
Alyssa & Don
in House Concerts
Faint Resemblance 3:23
Faint Resemblance
Dark Waters 5:46
Live, Love, Dream 3:30
Live, Love, Dream
Muskoka Dreamtime 4:20
Muskoka Dreamtime
Katie 5:00
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Do CEOs Determine Their Own Pay?
Do CEOs decide their own salary?
Who is the boss of a CEO?
Do founders get paid?
Do CEOs get paid monthly?
How is CEO compensation calculated?
How much does a CEO of a small company make?
How much do CEOs pay themselves?
Why do CEOs get paid so much?
How does a CEO get paid?
Can a CEO be fired?
Is COO higher than CFO?
How much money does a CEO make per hour?
Why do CEOs pay themselves $1?
Are CEO paid too much?
Is CEO the owner?
What do CEOs do all day?
Is being a CEO worth it?
Do CEOs get paid too much Moriarty?
CEOs of public corporations get paid based on the recommendations of the board of directors.
The pay package can include salary, bonus, stock options, and deferred compensation, along with use of the “company” jet to fly to the “company” villa in Tuscany or Aspen and a limo to drive you to an expense account lunch..
Every team needs a leader, and the board of directors is essentially a team, so a chairman is selected to fill that role. Since the board oversees the CEO and a chairman leads the board, you might think the chairman is the CEO’s boss — but that’s the role of the entire board, not just one individual.
Here’s what the average founder earns. How much do startup founders pay themselves? … “If they go on to receive angel investment [they] can pay themselves about $50,000 per year. With venture capital funding, this tends to increase to about US$100,000 per year.”
As of Jan 4, 2021, the average monthly pay for a CEO in the United States is $12,392 a month. … A CEO in your area makes on average $12,686 per month, or $294 (2%) more than the national average monthly salary of $12,392. ranks number 1 out of 50 states nationwide for CEO salaries.
Finding Executive Compensation All executive compensation information can be found in public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC mandates all public companies to disclose how much they are paying their executives, how this amount is derived, and who is involved in determining pay.
The average private company CEO total compensation package for 2017 was $2,213,679, but the median was a more modest $350,622. These figures include base salary, bonus, equity appreciation, new equity/option grants, benefits and perquisites.
Last year, we analyzed data from 125 startups to find that the average 2018 salary for a startup CEO was $130,000. This year, we expanded the data to over 200 of our seed and venture-backed clients and found that in 2019, CEO salaries rose to an average of $142,000 annually, nearly a 10% increase.
So why are CEOs paid that much anyway? Mainly because many of the board directors believe that they are one out of a tiny pool of people who can actually lead their company. At least, that’s what Donatiello and his colleagues found when they surveyed directors serving on the boards of the largest 250 U.S. companies.
Executive compensation is made up of several components, but usually the three key buckets are: salary, a performance bonus and shares. If the CEO and the senior team succeed in turning around the results of the company, then they will be rewarded through a performance bonus and a share valuation.
Founders or CEOs are often fired by a vote of the company’s board. … Ownership share ultimately leads to a loss of control over the company. As companies bring in outside investors, their shares are diluted. Founders often end up owning less than 50 percent of the company’s shares, leaving them vulnerable to being fired.
The COO is often referred to as a senior vice president. Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Also reporting directly to the CEO, the CFO is responsible for analyzing and reviewing financial data, reporting financial performance, preparing budgets, and monitoring expenditures and costs.
For the companies on our list, the average CEO salary in 2018 was $18,669,849—or just under $9,000 an hour.
This reduction in pay is typically symbolic, used by CEOs to broadcast an alignment of interests with shareholders during a rough patch. It’s also hailed as an altruistic act — a sacrificial, praise-worthy gesture that other employees should emulate. Truth is, the $1 CEO salary often isn’t as selfless as it seems.
We hear that CEOs are paid too much (or too much relative to workers), or that they rig others’ pay, or that their pay is insufficiently related to positive outcomes. … The typical CEO of a top American corporation—from the 350 largest such companies—now makes about $18.9 million a year.
The title of CEO is typically given to someone by the board of directors. Owner as a job title is earned by sole proprietors and entrepreneurs who have total ownership of the business. But these job titles are not mutually exclusive — CEOs can be owners and owners can be CEOs.
Meetings make up a big bulk of a CEO’s day too; 72 percent of their work time is spent in meetings, compared to 28 percent alone time. … The study also found CEOs value face-time: 61 percent of their communication was face-to-face, while only 24 percent was electronic (like email), and 15 percent by phone and letter.
Being a CEO is going to cost you more of everything than you think, but the return is worth it. In addition to the obvious, it costs you confidence as it will cause a ton of self-doubt. However, it will also give it all back, plus more. Leading is all consuming, especially when you do it with passion.
Moriarty argues that money is not the only reason people… Moriarty argues that CEOs’ compensation should be structured so that… … If CEOs are paid high then employees will work harder to get promoted.
Question: How Does A Tornado End?
What happens to the human body in a tornado? –
Why Is Liston Significant In The History Of Anaesthesia?
What was surgery like in the 1800s? That was the grim
Quick Answer: How Much Does It Cost To Sell A Domain On Flippa?
Is flippa good? Flippa is a lower end marketplace for
Quick Answer: How Much Boost Can A Stock Ls2 Handle?
Which LS engine is best? Best LS EnginesLS9/LSA: Made
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App data
Shell City is plunged into a state of emergency after coming under attack from the devastating forces of PHANTOM. As the National Army struggle to contain the terrifying war machines, they call upon the only thing that stands between Shell City’s obliteration and its salvation; the peanut chompin’, villain stompin’, TEMBO THE BADASS...
Store | Hub | SteamDB | Site
Developer: GAME FREAK inc. Publisher: SEGA
Genre: Action Games, Adventure, Indie
Languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain
Tags: Adventure (44), Action (43), Platformer (42), 2D (20), Singleplayer (20), Indie (14), Funny (13)
Category: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Full controller support, Steam Leaderboards
Release date: Jul 21, 2015
Old userscore: 73% Owners: 20,000 .. 50,000
Followers: 3,368
Peak concurrent players yesterday: 2
YouTube stats: 5 views and 0 comments for top 50 videos uploaded last week, 1 new videos uploaded yesterday.
Playtime total: 00:39 (average) 00:39 (median)
Steam Spy is still in beta, so expect major bugs.
Audience (2 weeks)
CCU (daily)
CCU (hourly)
Twitch (daily)
Twitch (hourly)
Tags over time
Playtime (total)
Playtime (2 weeks)
Owners data:
Audience in 2 weeks:
Peak daily concurrent players:
CCU data courtesy of SteamDB. Used with permission.
Hourly concurrent players:
Daily Twitch stats:
Hourly Twitch stats:
Views for top 50 videos on YouTube for this game:
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Instill Change
Mon, May 23, 16
JamBase - Neil Young Shares The Stage With Stephen Stills & The Rides In Los Angeles
By Scott Bernstein
Old CSNY and Buffalo Springfield band mates Neil Young and Stephen Stills performed together for the first time in a year last night at the 4th Annual Light Up The Blues charity concert. Stephen Stills and his wife Kristen Stills put together the concert held at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles to benefit the Autism Speaks charity.
Young started his set solo with “Heart Of Gold,” his first rendition of “Thrasher” since 2014 and “Out On The Weekend.” Stills as well as his son Chris Stills then accompanied Neil on an acoustic “Human Highway.” Neil and Stephen went electric and were accompanied by The Rides for “Mr. Soul” and “For What It’s Worth” before the stage was loaded with friends and the evening’s other performers for “Rockin’ In The Free World.”
Neil Young will appear on Thursday night’s episode of the CBS talk show Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Here’s a collection of Neil’s past visits to talk shows.
See More Videos>>
ABOUT STEPHEN STILLS
An American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and seminal member of a number of successful bands. Stills has combined record sales of over 35 million albums.
©2021 Stephen Stills.
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Publishing a Kindle Book
I just published my brother's book of poems - Metre Readings - on Amazon. It's very interesting to do and I thought I'd add my own experience to the many posts and forums on the subject.
At the end is a brief summary of useful information for someone thinking of buying a Kindle.
I prepared the original document for the book in Word which doesn't have to be a very recent copy as the document should be saved as .doc, not .docx which is the latest Word format. I used Arial throughout as the Kindle only uses one typeface and I placed the various illustrations (in JPG format). The document was then saved as "web page filtered". This creates an HTML document.
This can then be edited if necessary. I discovered that Amazon automatically indents the first line of all paragraphs and this is inconvenient for poetry which depends very much on retaining its original format, unlike simple blocks of text. I opened my document in Wordpad and found the CSS tag which applied to the body of the text and added "text-indent:0;" (not forgetting the semi-colon!).
I have Sarah Dawson in the UK (Poetry after Ink) to thank for pointing out text-indent:0.
It looked like this:
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
text-indent:0;}
In other words, if you're not familiar with CSS, this says that:
"every time there is a <p> tag, a <li> tag or a <div> tag called MsoNormal, apply the following (8) settings".
This is a typical line of text in the body of the document:
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;text-autospace:none'><span lang=EN-US
style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></p>
Verbose, isn't it?
Having tweaked the HTML file, I then opened it in Mobipocket Creator which I downloaded from Mobipocket.com This converts the HTML into a .PRC file in two stages which is one of the formats that Amazon accepts. I could then copy it directly to the Kindle in order to test it.
Also Amazon provides a Kindle preview application but, for some reason, it didn't work on my Windows XP computer (it just shut down when I loaded a book) but it was ok in my Windows 7 netbook. To download the Kindle previewer go to this link.
When first I published the book, I uploaded my HTML file to Amazon but, 24 hours later, when the book appeared for sale, the illustrations were missing. My first guess was that they were too large but the Kindle screen resolution is 600x800 pixels and most of my JPG images were in that region and I had carefully kept the image file sizes below the 127k limit which Amazon specifies. Most were around 80KB. But one was still in RGB mode and was too big, so I changed it to Grey Scale. I've re-submitted the book and I now have to wait 12 hours to see if it is ok this time. The book is already up for sale but anyone buying it will get rather a raw deal, no illustrations and no quick link to the Table of Contents!
So, another important point is not only to have a Table of Contents but also to tell the computer at Amazon that it exists. It's no good just having a list of items with hyperlinks to each chapter, the Kindle will recognise the hyperlinks, that's no problem, but the "Go To" menu in the Kindle won't recognise the TOC and the selector will be "greyed out". I tried to create a TOC in Word and became very frustrated and gave up! I looked again at "Convenience Features" at Amazon and the solution is simple. One places a Bookmark in Word at the Table of Contents calling it "TOC" and the Kindle will recognise it. Google calls this feature "Guide Items".
I just checked the book for sale but it still doesn't have its images. When you think about it, there's no point in sending just an HTML file because, of course, it doesn't contain images. So now I've zipped my HTML file together with the folder containing the images that Word saved and I've sent that.
Now on Saturday 24th March, the book is published... with illustrations! I think many people have similar problems. It's important that, when zipping the HTML file and its illustrations, that the illustrations are in the same sub-directory that Word used to store them when saving the book as "Web page filtered". It's all too easy simply to zip all the files together in one chunk losing the sub-directory relationship but this won't work. This is the main reason for using PkZip, it's not the compression that's so important, it's the relationship between directories.
The book is called "Metre Readings" and it's at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk depending on where you live.
Are you thinking of buying a Kindle?
I have the earlier keyboard model so I have no experience of the new cheaper (sorry, more economical) version with touch-screen. I don't use the keyboard very much but it's handy for doing a word search inside the book.
All Kindles have the facility to alter the text size so, if your eyesight isn't very good then this will solve the problem. You can also choose between viewing the book in portrait or landscape mode. When I was preparing my brother's Kindle book, I soon realised that page numbers were meaningless (in fact they don't exist). This is due to the fact that because the user can select a text size the total number of pages will change. So the Table of Contents is vital and it should have hyperlinks to each of the chapters (or poems in the case of my book). I.e., click on the item in the Contents and it will take you directly to the poem or chapter.
Where to buy your books. You don't have to buy all your books from Amazon but those that you do are "locked in" to your Amazon account and can't be copied to friends. On the other hand, there are many sites in the internet that sell books in formats that the Kindle can read. Sometimes "Kindle Format" is specified but .mobi and .prc files providing they are not copy-protected can also be read by the Kindle. Simply download the file into your PC and copy to the Documents folder in your Kindle. There are so many sites that it's impossible to list them here, just do a search for Kindle format books (or free Kindle books). There is one site worth mentioning and that is Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org (Gutenberg was the inventor of the printing press). At this site you will find many free books for your Kindle.
One disadvantage of living in Spain is that one can't buy Kindle books from Amazon.co.uk (unless one has one of those crafty service providers that makes it appear that you are in the UK!) You are stuck with buying from Amazon.com in the USA or Amazon.es. This point is often raised in forums.
One other subject which is frequently raised is why Kindle books are sometimes more expensive than their printed counterparts. The reason given is that the cost of printing is not very great and, as with the limitation as to where one can buy the books, the reason is all tied up with copyright and royalties. But I don't pretend to understand it!
The Wonderful iPod and a Tripod Mount
About a year ago, I bought an iPod Touch with 32Gbytes of memory and I wouldn't be without it. It's an iPhone without the phone so it's slimmer. But it has wifi so, providing I'm close to a hot-spot (and virtually the whole of Girona is covered) I can use it for e-mail and browsing the net.
I have Plane Finder, Boat Finder, Ultralingua English-Spanish and English-French dictionaries which are superb and my entire collection of 170 CDs. I had an Ultralingua dictionary on my old Palm PDA and it was awful. The difference bewteen that and the iPod version is astonishing.
My latest passion is to use the built-in video camera. Frequently I use the camera for taking pictures which, later, may become paintings but I'm keen on producing videos about art. For this, I need a tripod mount for the "camera". Apple doesn't produce such a device so I did a search on the web. They do exist but I decided to make my own. I used a flat metal plate with a 1/4" thread in the middle which was originally supplied to artists for mounting an art board on a tripod and I built a wooden frame for the iPod. I then mounted the contraption on top of a small tripod and I use it for mobile shots, rather like a "Steadycam" but a little cheaper. Note the tasteful varnish.
You've probably guessed the reason why I haven't shown my iPod mounted in the wooden frame!
I've ordered 100 square nuts to take a tripod mount which I plan to use to make my own iPod and iPhone tripod mount. The photo shows the home-made version but obviously the production version will be more sophisticated. So, if you live in the Girona area and you would like more information then please contact me. The price will be around €15.
I've upgraded my Quick Time application to the Pro version which enables me to edit videos. I need to buy a decent microphone to clip onto my clothes which then plugs into the headphone/mic socket on the iPod. Being an ex-BBC sound man, obviously I need to produce the very best quality audio!
Stand by for art videos on this Blog. I know I have a bit of catching up to do but I get there in the end!
Making Money Out of my Art
I know that many artists are driven by a deep passion for something in their lives and their paintings reflect that particular subject. There is a clear theme running through all their pictures. I wish I could say the same about myself but my paintings reflect many different themes and are painted in a number of different styles, from conventional watercolours of landscapes to slightly surrealist oils!
My motivation is this: I love experimenting with different mediums, papers, canvasses and paints. As a consequence, I end up spending large sums of money on materials, some of which I give away if they are not a success. To compensate for this I need to sell the end result rather than having it stacked up in one of my bedrooms.
My exhibition in May should help my plan as it's the pivot for a lot of self-publicising at this time. But I'm always being told that no one has any money these days. I tell people that, one day, my paintings will be more valuable when I'm not longer able to paint - that's a euphemism for being dead. But it doesn't seem to help!
Many artists make money by producing screen prints, etchings and other forms of art where one can create several copies fairly quickly but one can still say that they are the work of the artist. I discount here lithography which, to me, is just printing, unless of course it is done manually by the artist with plates and tins of printers' ink. But that sounds incredibly messy!
No, what I mean is a shop simply ordering a print run of, say, 500 and calling it a "limited edition". There is no harm in making money out of litho copies. I have a friend in Barcelona who makes a good living out of selling his incredible original artwork as posters in the newsagents in La Rambla. But they are posters, nothing more. The artist makes no contribution to each copy as it rolls off the press.
I tell people that I'm more than happy to print a poster of any of my artwork, whether or not it's previously been sold, on heavy watercolour paper on my A3 printer for €12. I'll even sign it! The result is very good but only is really authentic in the case of watercolours. All ink-jet printers are "watercolour", they uses water-soluble ink. If the original is in oil, then the copy looks nothing like the original.
I don't claim to be anything more than an upstart amateur. I never received formal training in art but people make many kind and positive comments about my work so I must be doing the right thing. But, at my level, I can't hope to sell my pictures for €2000 or to make a good living out of art. So I will build on my strengths. I'm a technician and I've written elsewhere that I'm fascinated by the "technology" of art. My latest purchase is transparent gesso primer. I'll tell you about my plan.
Recently I painted an acrylic of Celrà as a commission for my doctor but I wasn't sure whether it was destined for the health centre or for his home. In the end, it was the latter and I was disappointed that it's not reaching a wider audience because I really liked the painting but I didn't like the colours. But see my posting elsewhere in this Blog about acrylics. The original version is on my web-site.
I'm going to re-paint it, this time in oils. Every painting gets scanned into my computer and my plan is to print it but as a weak image onto A3+ heavy grade paper. The paper is so thick that it has to be fed in at the back of the printer and it remains flat during the printing process. Being water-based, my first step is to seal it with a fixer spray which is normally used to seal pencil and charcoal sketches. Then I will paint a coat of transparent gesso primer.
The image is now ready to receive the oil paint. I can re-paint parts that I didn't like but I have the advantage of starting with the outline image. Now, I have to think of a name for this process! I like the word "re-mastered", it's rather cheeky as it is used in sound recording to re-mix the original multitrack tape into a new stereo copy in order to squeeze more sales out of the original recording.
I suppose the closest thing is in the case of artists producing monochrome etchings which they then paint with colour, each copy therefore is different.
This process gives me some more ideas. Now I can paint oils onto any surface, including paper, but retaining the original image. I can draw a sketch on paper, seal it, prime it transparently and apply the oils. I can go back to some of my early pencil sketches and update them in oil.
But, in the end, it is a commercial process! I need to recover my material costs. In this year alone, I've spent around €350 not forgetting the stock that I've carried over from previous years, very little of which has been paid for through sales.
I seem to have lost one of my paintings, "Arcos de Pals", but it's still in my computer and on the web-site. So it's not totally lost! I'll re-master it, make a clone. Aha, maybe that's the word to describe what I'm doing. (1st June: just sold the replacement Arcos de Pals).
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Editors Choice New ‘research center’ a dead end for purged diplomats reinstated by the...
New ‘research center’ a dead end for purged diplomats reinstated by the courts
Career diplomats who were purged from the Foreign Ministry by the Turkish government and subsequently reinstated by the courts will be employed in a research center if the foreign minister declines to reappoint them to their former positions, according to a regulation published in Turkey’s Official Gazette on Wednesday.
In the aftermath of a failed coup on July 15, 2016, the government declared a state of emergency and dismissed tens of thousands of public servants from various institutions using emergency decree-laws. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was among the institutions that were hit the hardest by the purges. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kıran, 550 career diplomats — around 30 percent of the Turkish diplomatic corps — had been dismissed as of May 2019.
Officials were dismissed and banned from public service with the claim that they were “a member of or have a connection to or are in communication with the structures, organizations, groups or terrorist organizations that are considered by the National Security Council [MGK] to pose a threat to the national security of the state.”
In May 2019 some 100 former diplomats were detained by the authorities for suspected links to the faith-based Gülen movement, accused by the government of orchestrating the abortive putsch. Following allegations of torture by the diplomats, the Ankara Bar Association conducted an investigation and said the victims’ statements “confirm that the individuals were subjected to blows, torture and ill-treatment.” The victims said they were forced to sign prepared statements.
The main targets of the purge were people perceived to be members of the movement, inspired by US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. However, a much wider group of people has been targeted.
The Turkish government considers the Gülen movement a terrorist organization (Fetullahist Terrorist Organization, or FETÖ). The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity. Following the allegations, Gülen called on the Turkish government to allow for an international investigation.
Although the newly published regulation stipulates the establishment of a research center, a closer look reveals that the center was not intended to provide support for the Foreign Ministry. In fact, the ministry already has such an organization, the Center for Strategic Research (SAM). According to its website SAM was established in 1995 “as a consultative body to provide Turkish foreign policy decision-makers with scholarly and scientific assessments of relevant issues, and reviews Turkish foreign policy with a futuristic perspective.”
The research center regulation was drafted in accordance with a law that gives the minister of foreign affairs the authority to employ purged diplomats who were reinstated by the courts or the Emergency Procedures Investigation Commission (OHAL Commission) in a research center instead of returning them to their old positions and ranks. The law does not provide any objective criteria as to when a diplomat can be fully reinstated, in essence giving the minister the authority to not fully implement the court decisions.
In Turkey, under normal conditions, the Law on Public Servants requires that disciplinary actions, including dismissal from public service, be recommended by a committee after hearing the employee’s defense. The decision must then be approved by a higher body within the relevant institution and can be challenged in the administrative court system.
But during the state of emergency, public servants were not even informed of accusations against them and were never asked to submit their defenses. The legal path for appeal in the cases was also closed with a decree. After warnings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) about a case overload of complainants from Turkey, the Turkish government established the OHAL Commission as an appeal mechanism for civil servants dismissed by decrees.
Following the end of the state of emergency, a similar regime was created with a temporary law that would be in effect for 36 months, until July 2021. According to this law, officials suspected of membership in or affiliation with entities deemed a threat to national security can be dismissed by the ministers upon the proposal of a disciplinary commission.
Turkey has done illegal renditions from more countries in past 6 years than any other country, says Freedom House official
Purge victim in prison since 2016 was mistakenly arrested for a tweet he didn’t post
Turkish police conduct raids to detain 37 for using messaging app ByLock
Turkish government continued its assault on human rights during pandemic: Human Rights Watch
Turkish authorities yet to start investigation into disappearance of purged public servant after 15 days
Vague terrorism charge used to target supporters of the Gülen movement: UN special rapporteurs
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The Approval of the Election Law Amendment for the Year 2018 by the National Congress Party Assembl
» http://sudaneseonline.com/cgi-bin/esdb/2bb.cgi?seq=msg&board=15&msg=1543070852&rn=1
Title: The Approval of the Election Law Amendment for the Year 2018 by the National Congress Party Assembl
Author: Mahmoud A. Suleiman
Date: 11-24-2018, 02:47 PM
Parent: #0
02:47 PM November, 24 2018
Sudanese Online
Mahmoud A. Suleiman-
The Approval of the Election Law Amendment for the Year 2018 by the National Congress Party Assembly in Sudan is a clear violation of the Constitution
This article comes against the backdrop of the illegal and shameful decision taken by the Muslim Brotherhood Movement's parliament in Khartoum to amend the constitution to allow Omar al-Bashir to run in the so-called 2020 elections despite expiration of his legal legitimacy to run for the alleged elections. The National Shura Council of the National Congress Party (NCP) regime has met in Khartoum and approved Al Bashir as its presidential candidate, in spite of a restriction to two terms by Sudan’s Constitution. Al Bashir’s nomination for a third term followed amendments made by the NCP to its own constitution first, and then by the current more serious step of amendments made to the 2005 Transitional Constitution of Sudan.
The people of the Sudan are in a state of deep anger, wondering as to what achievements Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir has made during his arbitrary rule, which lasted for nearly thirty lean years for the Sudan other than wars of attrition, disease, poverty, hunger, corruption, looting of people's wealth and worse of all forcing the people of the country in the Southern part of Sudan to secede. Bashir, unashamedly wants to continue in power for another period of torment and destruction of the citizens of the country. Omer al-Bashir is considered the most failed head of state in the twenty-first century in the world and does not deserve to go for re-election to restore the torment for the people of Sudan who originally suffered woes of oppression by the scourge of the ruling regime of the Muslim Brotherhood's Masonic Global Movement in Khartoum.
The incident of an amendment of the constitution of the country to make room for an incumbent President, who has already ruled for two consecutive presidential terms and wants to rule further, although the constitution does not allow, cannot pass without addressing it with a view to expose and deter the perpetrator by all the possible means. This is a duty and an obligation for every citizen who is caring for his/her legitimate rights and the rights of his/her Motherland.
The ruling regime of the National Congress Party (NCP) has tried hard to reproduce itself and stirred up and afresh the ongoing chronic Sudanese crises to legitimize the policy of empowerment by passing the law of the 2020 elections through the parliament owned by Omar al-Bashir, his followers and entourage illegally. Furthermore, the current election law reinforces its totalitarianism and has done away with the defunct so-called Wathba dialogue which earlier aborted sustainable peace in Sudan. The (NCP) regime electoral law came with no surprise for the Sudanese people who are sick and tired of the decisions imposed on the people of Sudan issued through its shredded media outlets trumpet. The NCP regime president's showcasing will result into more struggles of the people of Sudan for the sake of the liberation of the country from the clutches of oppression and tyranny that lasted for three centuries, which was characterized by corruption, failure, and the perpetration of the most heinous crimes committed against the Sudanese civilian citizens. The approval of the sham electoral law by the regime is nothing but lack of transparency, integrity and the inevitability an abject fraud. The parliament passed its election law for 2018 by a majority of 430 members in the midst of a wave of applause. The opposition forces boycotted the session, protesting the passage of the law without any consensus according to the recommendations of the national dialogue. The President of the Republic has the right to appoint the president and members of the Electoral Commission after consultation and consensus with the political forces to be approved by the National Assembly. The law called on the Civil Registry Department to complete the registration of citizens who did not register or complete the national number well before the elections. These are all words on paper and have no presence on the reality in which marginalized people of Sudan live. It is nothing but a fait accompli. Can the perfume seller change the smell of what has been damaged by age-related effects؟
Despicable Statement of Omer al-Bashir Omar al-Bashir said in his latest statement that the safest decision taken since he came to the rule of Sudan is the establishment of the rapid support forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dugulu famous Hamiditi! It is ironic that this bizarre characterizes us with this despicable statement.
It is not expected that the Sudanese citizen to feel reassured of the integrity of the elections held by Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, who was recently quoted as saying his latest statement that the safest and the best decision he has taken since he came to power is the establishment of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohammed Hamdan Dugulu, more famous as Hamiditi! It is ironic that this bizarre character still remains ruling the Sudanese Nation despite his despicable statements, three decades on.
Therefore, the Sudanese Opposition components, both civil and armed reiterated their refusing positions regarding the election law amendment, which was passed today by the well-known mechanical majority of unelected deputies of the National Congress Party (NCP) and its associates, does not represent us, does not reflect the will of our people, and we are not party to any elections under it. It is noteworthy to refer to the fact that the Ninth General Congress of the Sudanese Islamic Movement (SIM) has supported the nomination of President Omer al-Bashir for the Presidency of the Republic for another Term in Office as a Presidential Candidate in the Elections of “Twenty-Twenty”, calling for the adoption of legal and constitutional procedures to amend the 2005 Transitional Constitution, which provides for the presidency of Two Sessions Only; Bearing in mind that the 2005 Constitution is based on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) aka, Naivasha Agreement which was an accord signed on Sunday January 9, 2005, by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Government of Sudan (GoS).
Omer Bashir’s amendment of the National Constitution to legitimise his illegitimate existence on the helm of the country is nothing but one of the boring neverending series of the ruling regime in the Sudan to strip the citizens’ acumen to rob their legitimate rights. The amendments to the Constitution have been met with criticism from both within the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the opposition. Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, who has occupied the Presidency since the 30th of June 1989, is a fugitive from the international Justice and indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands and wants to remain in power for life to avoid being apprehended and handed over to the Court for trial like those who have been indicted on any counts of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The rigging of elections and the amendment of laws in favor of the heads of the totalitarian regimes is something that is reprehensible but the rigging of elections and the amendment of laws in favour of the heads of the totalitarian regimes is something that is reprehensible but it is widespread particularly under military dictatorships akin to Sudan under Omer al-Bashir.
Leon Acton "Lynn" Westmoreland who is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 3rd congressional district from 2007 to 2017 and the 8th district from 2005 to 2007and a member of the Republican Party has been quoted as saying: “The greatest threat to the constitutional right to vote is voter fraud.” https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voter_fraudhttps://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voter_fraud
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voter_fraudhttps://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voter_fraud
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/http://thussudan.wordpress.com/
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Foreign Investments Back In India’s Real Estate
Loknath Das May 30, 2018 Real Estate No Comments
Foreign investments into India’s real estate rebounded after a two-year lull, indicating revival in a sector that’s among the largest job creators for the economy.
Foreign direct investment in construction development, including townships, housing and built-up infrastructure, stood at Rs 2,453 crore ($385 million) in April-December 2017—up 250 percent from Rs 703 crore ($105 million) in the year ago-period, according to data from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
A raft of measures are behind the revival. The last year and a half saw a housing law that protects the interests of buyers, demonetisation, the goods and services tax and crackdown on benami property (or property held via proxy). They were aimed at hobbling the shadow economy and widening the tax net.
The measures may’ve had short-term negative impacts, but they also encouraged the inflow of foreign funding, said Shobhit Agarwal, managing director and chief executive officer of property consultancy firm Anarock Capital. “Foreign funding always reacts favourably to signs of increasing transparency, accountability and financial discipline.”
The entire real estate sector got investments worth Rs 30,000 crore, including from domestic and overseas investors, through the year to March, according to a report by real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield.
Most of the fresh investment went into commercial real estate and infrastructure. The country’s buoyant office sector continues to attract heightened interest from foreign investors who are building a portfolio of rent-yielding assets, Cushman and Wakefield said in a report for highlighting a rise in private equity inflows into the property market. That’s altering the ownership pattern of office stock in major cities, it said.
Private equity investments in the sector for the quarter ended March was Rs 8,500 crore ($1.3 billion), according to the report. Part of it came from overseas private equity firms.
Investors from Japan, U.S. and China have tied up with domestic developers to enter (or plan to enter) the Indian realty market, said Anshul Jain, country head and managing director, Cushman and Wakefield India.
They include Blackstone, GIC, Brookfield Asset Management and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. Blackstone’s private equity funds have invested $3.5 billion in India till date. CPPIB has a wide array of investments in India, its latest being $142 million in an investment platform with developer Phoenix Mills Ltd.
A pedestrian carries a child across a road in front of residential apartment buildings in Palava City on the outskirts of Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
Affordable Housing In Focus
Residential sector too has attracted overseas investors, according to Anuj Puri, chairman of Anarock Property Consultants. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to root out black money has given them confidence.
A sudden ban on the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes put stress on cash-rich real estate sector, and sales and new launches plummeted. Demand has started picking up only now. Most of the new opportunities are in affordable housing, where the government allows subsidy on home loan interest for buyers with income of up to Rs 18 lakh.
The residential segment has attracted even the likes of sovereign funds that are sponsored by governments, Puri said, citing the example of the CPPIB and Singapore’s GIC. “They are more active in the affordable segment. That’s where the demand is.”
Yet, the office sector will continue to garner a large chunk of the investments, Agarwal said.
The residential sector, however, will get a fillip after the government allowed 100 percent foreign direct investment under automatic route in the construction development segment, which includes townships, real-estate broking services and housing.
BloombergQuint
Loknath Das Real Estate
Real Estate Agents Stay Up to Speed with Keeping Current Matters
Raj Real Estate
Omaxe Sells Rs. 1,335-Crore Properties in April-December
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Rafa Nadal’s Academy of Tennis!
Nadal puts the firm to build a tennis center in Manacor
Nadal said that this training center for young players is an idea that had for years and hopes he can begin to be build “very soon”
The tennis player Rafael Nadal today has signed a cooperation protocol with the regional institutions Islands that is the first step in building an international tennis reference that bears his name in his hometown of Manacor.
Nadal has said that this training center for young players is an idea that he has in his head for years and he hopes he can begin to be built “very soon “, for which it will in collaboration with the City of Manacor, the council of Mallorca and the Balearic Government to expedite the necessary paperwork.
“Today is an important day for me because presenting this international center is a source of great personal satisfaction to me, ” Nadal said in a press conference at the headquarters Fundación Antoni Maria Alcover in Manacor, where he highlighted the fact that will be built in his hometown makes it even more relevant.
Nadal aims to attract his academy to “players from all over the world ” and provide the center of “all the facilities needed for an athlete to grow and train. ” Has detailed have between 15 and 20 tennis courts, facilities for other sports and a residence of 70 to 100 rooms.
The center will be funded entirely by the player and he said he did not know exactly the cost that will entail but has admitted that “a significant investment. ”
Nadal to open International Tennis School in Mallorca
It has been announced that tennis star Rafael Nadal, with the collaboration of the City of Manacor & the Consell de Mallorca, is to create an international tennis centre in his home town of Manacor. The construction is expected to begin at the end of the summer 2011 and will be entirely funded by Nadal.
The facilities will include 15-25 tennis courts, a football ground, swimming pool, medical centre and accommodation for 70-100 athletes. The site earmarked for the project is at the sports centre of Torre dels Enagistes to the south of the city. The government is delighted that the world’s number one tennis star has committed to such a project, saying that the centre will put Majorca on the map, not only for tennis, but for sport at all levels.
Rafa Nadal hopes his school will attract players from all over the world and become a place where young talent can be nurtured and transformed into professional tennis players. He told a press conference that this tennis academy is something that he has thought about for many years and that the opportunity to create such a centre in his home town gives him great personal satisfaction.
The centre will also become the headquarters of the Foundation Rafael Nadal.
Nadal firmly believes in encouraging young people, especially those in socially disadvantaged situations, to become involved with sport so that they can develop personal skills such as self-esteem and confidence.
source: www.seemallorca.com
1 comment - What do you think? Posted by Admin - May 18, 2011 at 3:03 am
Categories: Players Tags: academy, mallorca, nadal, rafa, school
One Response to “Rafa Nadal’s Academy of Tennis!”
Irenee Grant says:
The tennis centre is a great philanthropic venture for Rafa and Manacor. Encouraging athletes from around the world and not just his home country of Spain is typical of Rafa’s generous nature and worldly outlook
He is a credit to tennis and a model of Sportsmanship to young athletes
I hope one day to be lucky enough to see him play in person and not just on TV
Good luck with the new tennis school
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Home Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection Performing at Luna Park Zoo, view 3
Performing at Luna Park Zoo, view 3
Title Performing at Luna Park Zoo, view 3
Location/Accession L.A.-Zoos-Luna Park Zoo; G-001-996.3 4x5
Historical Data Opened to the public on June 20, 1915, the Selig Zoo, located at 3800 N. Mission Road, also served as a film production studio for the Selig Polyscope Company, and briefly the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation. Dramatic entrance gates featuring statues of elephants and lions were designed by Italian sculptor Carlo Romanelli, with interior structures by Arthur Burnett Benton. Selig Polyscope became insolvent in 1918, and over the years the zoo changed names and ownership. It was known as the Selig Zoo (1915-1925), Luna Park Zoo (1925-1931), L.A. Wild Animal Farms (1931-1932), the California Zoological Gardens (1932-1936), and Zoopark (1936-1940). The zoo officially closed in 1940 and many of the animals were relocated to the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park. The Mission Road grounds would subsequently serve as the Lincoln Speedway and the Lincoln Amusement Park, before being redeveloped in the 1950s. The entrance gates would remain standing into the 1960s, before being dismantled and moved to an Inland Empire junkyard. The statues were rediscovered in 2000 and donated to the Los Angeles Zoo, where some of them are now on display.
Description A woman wearing a Spanish-style costume and holding a fan is shown performing in an enclosed area with multiple lions at the Luna Park Zoo.
Subject Luna Park Zoo (Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, Calif.).
Zoos--California--Lincoln Heights (Los Angeles).
Lions.
Zoo animals--California--Los Angeles.
Animal cages--California--Los Angeles.
Inclosures--California--Los Angeles.
Parks--California--Lincoln Heights (Los Angeles).
Lincoln Park (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Lincoln Heights (Los Angeles, Calif.).
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health · mom interviews · Jan 27, 2020
How Kim Rodriguez, CEO of Acessa Health & 9 months pregnant, is revolutionizing Womens Health in the MedTech Industry
Kim is the CEO of Acessa Health, which offers a minimally invasive, uterine-sparing solution for women with symptomatic fibroids.
Unlike many treatment alternatives, FDA-cleared Acessa can treat almost all fibroid sizes and locations, on an outpatient basis, with women returning to normal activity in days, not weeks. Yes to this!
We spoke with her about being a female CEO in the medtech industry, how she's handled being pregnant while running a company, fibroids and pregnancy, and lots more...
1) What is Acessa Health?
It's a women's health medical device company and I'm the president and CEO. We have a technology or procedure that is for the treatment of women who have uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are a benign growth in the uterus. They can be the size of a blueberry to the size of a grapefruit. Today the standard of care is a hysterectomy where they cut the uterus out or they do a myomectomy to cut the fibroids out, both of which are major surgery.
We offer a minimally invasive procedure where women can go home on the same day. It's a 2 port laparoscopic procedure so it's minimally invasive surgery and women are typically going home on a Tylenol afterwards. The procedure uses a needle to target each fibroid with heat and we destroy each fibroid by heating up the tissue until it dies. There's not cutting, no suturing and patients are back to normal in 3-5 days as opposed to major surgery which is a recovery of 6-8 weeks and women are on opioids, etc. We have FDA clearance and we're the only company doing this procedure currently in the United States.
Our plan is to commercialize broadly in Europe in the next 12-24 months with the treatment. We're actually doing a study in Germany right now where we're looking at women who eventually want to get pregnant after their fibroid treatment.
2) What happens if a women leaves her fibroids untreated? What are unwanted consequences?
The symptoms of women with fibroids are pretty dramatic and debilitating. Some symptoms are heavy menstrual bleeding, back pain, urinary frequency and pain, painful sex, abdominal pain and discomfort. Some women can look obese or even pregnant because of how big their fibroids can become in their abdomen. Not treating fibroids can lead to a very difficult lifestyle. The bleeding can be severe - I have stories of patients who are at work sitting on a trash bag.
3) How does having fibroids affect getting pregnant?
At this time, the Acessa procedure, has a warning label and does not have sufficient clinical data evaluating the safety for women who want to later become pregnant, which is why we're currently doing a study in Germany. Women should discuss the procedure with their OBGYN if they are considering future pregnancy.
That said, The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology published the findings of a study that looked at the pregnancy outcomes of 28 women after the Acessa Procedure. The full study is available here.
4) Is it more difficult to get pregnant if you have fibroids?
Sometimes, it depends on where the fibroid is located. If the fibroid is in the cavity then there may be difficulty with implantation of the egg and the sperm. But if they're in the muscle wall, than the woman may have no problems other than discomfort while the baby grows.
5) Is your procedure covered by health insurance in the US?
Yes, we have many insurance carriers covering the procedure (about half the US) and we're trying to add more and more.
6) Is this procedure a game changer for women suffering from fibroids?
Yes! In addition to resolving their symptoms, but really as important, we're getting them back to their daily life and routines, getting them back to normal much more quickly than the standard of care, which is a hysterectomy and major surgery.
A lot of women don't have time to take off work for 6-8 weeks for a hysterectomy or to not be able to take care of their kids or families for that long. We're enabling women to get back to their daily lives more quickly. And they're keeping their uterus! So if you want to have children, this is the only procedure that allows you to do that.
7) Tell us how you got into medtech! We read that you had wanted to follow in your mother's footsteps, who was a nurse, and go into healthcare...
I was working in a hospital at the time and I was so in love with the medical side of helping patients but I also realized there are medical devices and drugs that also help patients. And I felt if somehow I could bring those two things together from a business perspective than I might be able to help more patients than working in a hospital.
I was in my 20's when I found my way into medical technology (medtech) and just fell in love with it and was hooked. I was applying to medical schools when I was recruited by a company on the business side. After working there I decided to go back to school and get my MBA.
8) You're the CEO and president of your company in an industry that is male dominated. What kind of advantages are there as female running a company like Acessa Health?
There are few of us, not a lot in the industry. I might be biased, but I think based on patient and physicianfeedback, women really appreciate having someone who's leading the company who really understands what they're going through. On the surgical side of things, making sure the ergonomics of the technology fit women's surgeon hands vs only men’s hands. Finally, related to our messaging and positioning in the marketplace. Having a womens perspective is pretty important.
9) Being a new business and a new procedure, were there low moments/challenges starting the business?
Acessa Health was formed by buying the assets from a previous company, the technology was actually developed over a decade ago and some solid foundational work was done, but the technology wasn't ready to be scaled, launched and available to women broadly.
There certainly were doubts and uncertainty whether we could relaunch the system, but we have, so that's very exciting. With the right team, the right investors and the right focus we've been able to bring the company to a point where we've done almost 4,000 procedures, we have 47 peer reviewed publications, we've launched 3rd generation technology.
10) You're 9 months pregnant with your first! Tell us about being pregnant while running your company.
That's tough, pursuing a career and trying to have a family is always challenging. We were having trouble with infertility but we were finally blessed with a little boy who'll be here between Christmas and New Years and we're so excited.
Now that I'm pregnant I certainly have a better appreciation for working moms, more than I've ever had. I love having that perspective because women are entering the workforce in big numbers and they want to lead and start their own companies and take leadership roles. I think a working mom is one of the best hires you can make. The women that can pull off everything from the home, to family to work are the heroes in the story.
11) As the CEO of a startup, what's your plan on taking time off after baby's here?
I plan on coming back soon after having the baby. I'm thinking about how to best do that and I know I'm going to need a lot of help. We're running a startup, it's not like I work for a large company that offers a lot of vacation time. Because I'm leading this company I'm probably only taking 5 weeks off officially, and then I'll be doing a hybrid work from home for about 2 months following that so that I can still be connecting with my son and breastfeeding.
I even plan to bring him in to the office with my nanny so I can be close to him I will. I'm trying to think about how to make it all work. I have an excellent team so I'm not worried about who's going to cover for me, it's my connection inside the company and I know it will be hard to let go!
12) How do you feel about breastfeeding?
I'm definitely going to try and do my very best. I think there's two sides to this coin in terms about how people feel about it. I'm going to make my best effort and do it as long as I can, and if I can't I'll do the second best thing, pumping and if I can't do that then we'll find some really good formula and will make sure that my baby has the right nutrition..that's my position having never done it before.
13) As the CEO and president of your company what are your tips for dressing in the office as a female in a leadership role, especially with a bump.
Healthcare tends to be a more conservative industry than others, so I try to keep my office attire classic so I can be ready for impromptu meetings with physicians or investors.
You certainly can't come into the office in leggings. All the women are looking up to you to set the pace. I am in awe of the women who can do it all and look so great doing it. If there's a way to use your bump as an accessory and keep your fashion sense and comfort. And clothes like yours allow that!
I bring in some personality with jewelry or unique silhouettes. I actually wore high heels all the way to 9 months pregnant which made me feel classy the whole way through!
14) What are your favorite Teat&Cosset styles that you'd feel confident wearing to the office?
Some of my favorite office ready picks from Teat & Cosset are the Giada Dress, the Gemma Sweatshirt and the Viola Shirtdress!
Thanks so much Kim and congratulations! Kim had her baby after Christmas in late December and her and her family are doing great! This interview was done just before that. Love, Peggy
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Twitter is considering badging bots — “as far as we can detect them”
At today’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was asked by vice chair Sen. Mark Warner whether users should have “a right to know” if they are talking to a bot or a human on its platform — to help people better navigate the information they are being exposed to.
Dorsey agreed that “more context” around tweets and accounts is good, but — when pressed by Warner on whether Twitter should have a policy to ID bots vs humans on the platform — he said Twitter is actively considering it, albeit cautioning “as far as we can detect them”.
“We can certainly label and add context to accounts that come through our API,” he continued. “Where it becomes a lot trickier is where automation is actually scripting our website to look like a human actor. So as far as we can label and we can identify these automations we can label them — and I think that is useful context.”
“It’s an idea that we have been considering over the past few months,” he added. “It’s really a question of the implementation — but we are interested in it. And we are going to do something along those lines.”
A bit later in the session, answering questions about fake accounts, Dorsey said Twitter has had more success in identifying inauthentic activity on its platform by using deep learning and machine learning technologies that are focused on identifying “behavioral patterns” — so looking at account behavior across the network — rather than trying to identify where specific accounts are located in real-time.
“We’ve got a lot more leverage out of that in terms of scale vs systems that try and identify fake profiles,” he added.
Dorsey tweeted his opening remarks to the committee — though not literally in real time as he read them out. Which rather underlines the challenge for any future ‘bot or not’ labelling system on Twitter, which would need to sift through scripted activity to try to determine what’s human and what’s machine.
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Hello Tomorrow Launches its €250K Global Challenge with Deep Tech at Center Stage
Hello Tomorrow,the international organisation fast becoming the reference in deep tech has launched its 4th edition of the Global Challenge open to both infant and mature stage deep-tech startups, which aims to propel promising disruptive technology from the lab and into the world.
Applications to the Hello Tomorrow Challenge, with a €250K prize has seen over 10 000+ applicants in 100+ countries in its last three years, close on June 1st for a two day final challenge set to be held in Paris on October 26 and 27th
In 2016, Hello Tomorrow Challenge prize winners shared prize money of €250,000 and met 120 of the world’s biggest Venture Capitalists, which allowed them to accelerate their project and while previously reserved for early-stage startups, this year the Hello Tomorrow Challenge is now accepting more mature startups, who have raised up to €2 million.
Deep tech is fast infiltrating our daily lives, and is on track to revolutionise the world around us. The transformation of our most pressing environmental and social issues has already begun through innovative advances in science and technology, be it via specialised cancer treatments or new methods of reforestation. This is at the very heart of what Hello Tomorrow does, and it is from this desire to transform society through technology that the Hello Tomorrow Challenge was born, in order to support those behind these incredible advances.
READ Rwanda's Jifunza Preserving African Culture through Technology
Hello Tomorrow selects 500 projects with potential for strong long-term impact from over 3,500 startup candidates in 10 Challenge Tracks, each one corresponding to a different sector. Since 2014, Challenge finalists have managed to raise nearly €120M and have gone on to achieve ever-increasing success.
The Challenge culminates at the Global Summit, which is dedicated to rewarding the best projects selected from the Top 500 startups. The Global Summit is, above all else, created to maximise fruitful meetings between startups and potential partners. With more than 50% of all participants coming from outside of France, this truly international and atmospheric event is organised every year as an experience within itself. The selective dimension is reflected in the high quality of the visitors and speakers. New on the agenda this year is also an Investor Summit, a whole day dedicated to introducing startups to a network of international investors (Atomico, Index, Accel, Lakestar…).
Hello Tomorrow also facilitates the startups access to a network of potential partners and invites them to join a passionate community, which uses science and technology to create a brighter future. Hello Tomorrow works with partners such as Worldwide Partner BNP Paribas, BCG, la French Tech, L’Oréal, Carrefour, Air Liquide, Groupe ADP, Michelin, Solvay, and Sycomore Asset Management.
Tags: STARTUPstartupsTech
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Lee-Jackson Day: Honoring Civil War Heroes Or Upholding White Supremacy?
by Jaisal Noor January 18, 2015 September 23, 2020
Baltimore residents oppose the marking of the birthdays of two Confederate generals on the same weekend as Martin Luther King Day
JAISAL NOOR, TRNN PRODUCER: In Baltimore on Saturday, January 17, a silent protest was held in opposition to the celebration of Confederate generals during the same weekend as Martin Luther King Day. Speakers said they are simply honoring generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson in defending against efforts to rewrite history. UNIDENTIFIED: Only a parasite would defame the names of generals Lee and Jackson. Only a parasite would denigrate the service of our Confederate ancestors. And only a parasite would inject the malicious bile of calumny and fabrication into the bloodstream of our Southern heritage. NOOR: Opponents note although the statue honoring Lee and Jackson dates back to the 1940s, it only became a rallying point in Baltimore in 1987 after Martin Luther King Day was established as a federal holiday. Seventeen-year-old high school senior and neighborhood resident Seraju Keyende [spl?] organized a counter protest with his family and a local anti-racist Quaker group. SURAJU KEHINDE, COUNTER-PROTEST ORGANIZER: Ever since I was five, I’d always hear the drums and I would look outside. And I thought they were very interesting. But then, later, when I became older, I started to realize what they were doing it for. And I don’t have a problem with them celebrating Stonewall Jackson Lee and his birthday, except I don’t appreciate how they do it on Martin King’s birthday weekend. NOOR: This is author and historian Gerald Horne. GERALD HORNE, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: I think it’s also a pro-racist response. It’s an anti-black response. Obviously, they know that the establishment of the King holiday was a great people’s victory. It was a setback for those who hold dear Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. ~~~ NOOR: What do you say to people that say, change the date because it’s inflammatory to African Americans and that, like, the Confederate flag is a symbol of white supremacy and racism? MICHAEL GLENN, SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS: No, the Confederate flag belongs to–different groups steal the Confederate flag for their own purposes. The people who oppose–I mean, they’re entitled to–this is what this country is all about, freedom of speech. So if they oppose us, we do what we think is best for our interests. They’re entitled to the way they think. ~~~ HORNE: I’d like to have something that they’re smoking, ’cause obviously it’s quite potent. If we were to awake from the dead Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis and Vice President Alexander Stephens of Georgia, they would be quite shocked to hear that there’s a session that had nothing to do with slavery. They said at the time that it was all about slavery. And, of course, they were correct. GLENN: It’s not political; it’s to honour these two great men. NOOR: Dayvon Love, director of research and public policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, says the ideology represented by the pro-Confederate groups are more prevalent today than many would like to acknowledge. DAYVON LOVE, DIRECTOR AT LEADERS OF A BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE: Oftentimes people reduce the concept of racism and white supremacy to the kinds of folks you talk to today, who are celebrating a legacy that was kind of overtly celebration of Southern plantations and chattel slavery. What I think we should learn from demonstrations and groups like the one you encountered today is that America and the collective American consciousness is more akin to those types of folks than it likes to realize. And I think when you say that their statement is that it’s not racist, it’s the same way that the average society tries to say that we don’t live in a racist society, because they will make the argument that the Confederacy is just a cultural history they want to preserve in a way that they try to distance it from the damage that it did and that it continued to do to black people. And so this is a move that is very common, not just in neo-Confederate representatives and neo-Confederate activists or political figures, but this is prevalent in mainstream American discourse. NOOR: From Baltimore, this is Jaisal Noor.
Jaisal Noor
Jaisal is a host, producer, and reporter for TRNN. With his expertise in education policy and systemic inequity, he focuses on Baltimore, Maryland. He mainly grew up in the Baltimore area and studied modern history at the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining TRNN, he contributed print, radio, and TV reports to Free Speech Radio News, Democracy Now! and The Indypendent.
Jaisal's mother has taught in the Baltimore City Public School system for the past 25 years.
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Posted inClimate Crisis, Politics and Movements: US, The Real Baltimore
Kids Take to the Streets in DC to Demand Climate Action
by Dharna Noor July 22, 2018 September 23, 2020
A year ago, youth from across the country rallied in the pouring rain to demand elected officials break ties with the fossil fuel industry and preserve their future
DHARNA NOOR: The Zero Hour Youth Climate March in Washington, D.C. was organized by young people to demand decisive action on climate change.
JAMIE MARGOLIN: I’m 16. I’m under voting age. So I don’t get to decide what the politicians back there, who they are and what they do. But I get to pay the biggest consequences for their actions.
DHARNA NOOR: Actions were also held in other cities. But organizers traveled to D.C. from all over the country. Speakers included some of the young people who organized the march.
NADIA NAZAR: We will not be known for our tall skyscrapers, landing on the moon, or building walls. We will only be known as the cause of the extinction of everything on this planet.
DHARNA NOOR: Youth from Standing Rock.
SPEAKER: In Standing Rock, where I live, we’re still fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline every day. It’s a crisis. I don’t know whether or not the pipeline will break. And when it does, it’s ten minutes away from getting into my school; 15 minutes away from contaminating my home water system.
DHARNA NOOR: And a young D.C. resident.
HAVANA EDWARDS: I’m here to make sure the adults making the laws think about us, too. Malala said, even if I am a girl, even if people think I can’t do it, I should not lose hope. For all the kids out there listening today, we got this.
DHARNA NOOR: Almost all scientists agree that climate change is human-caused, and that if we don’t reduce fossil fuel emissions drastically in the coming decades, some even say altogether, we will usher in catastrophic effects like unprecedented sea level rise and extreme weather.
KIBIRITI MAJUTO: We will be still alive 50 years from now. Will there be food? I look at how many wars will there be? Because when people stop fighting for fishing, food, like, I just-. It’s foreshadowing, like how would the future look like. It’ll be like Mad Max.
DHARNA NOOR: Protesters say world leaders have failed to take the necessary steps to protect the planet. Their demands include reducing emissions by 10 percent every decade. The organizers were energized by the Trump administration’s climate denial, but the White House is not their target.
JAMIE MARGOLIN: Trump is not our our target. He’s just one guy who everyone focuses on. But he is a lost cause. He’s going to be gone soon. And it’s like, this problem was before him, and it’s going to come after him.
KIBIRITI MAJUTO: We could get Trump out of office. But the people in power, like the senators, the representatives, are the ones literally in the hands of fossil fuel powers. It’ll be great to get Trump out of office. But that wouldn’t be enough. We actually aren’t addressing the problem of, like, campaign finance.
DHARNA NOOR: Earlier this week, key members of Zero Hour held a lobby day in Washington, D.C. They met with just under 40 elected officials, and aim to get as many officials as possible to pledge to not accept money from fossil fuel industries.
JAMIE MARGOLIN: We’re asking leaders to divest from fossil fuels, and promise the young people that they are going to be taking proper action around the climate crisis by not taking money from fossil fuels. So we passed our fossil fuel pledge along, and our leaders are going to be looking at it and hopefully signing it.
DHARNA NOOR: Zero Hour was inspired by the Women’s March, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the March For Our Lives. Their platform highlights those most severely impacted by climate change, including the Global South, poor people, people of color, indigenous people, and other marginalized groups.
KIBIRITI MAJUTO: The best way to address climate change is going to address- starting off with who’s mostly impacted by fossil fuel industries.
DHARNA NOOR: And they say this march is just the beginning.
SPEAKER: Because this isn’t just the beginning of one march. This is the start of us taking control of our future.
DHARNA NOOR: For The Real News, with Jaisal Noor and Uruj Sheikh, this is Dharna Noor.
Dharna Noor is a staff writer at Earther, Gizmodo's climate vertical.
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Ratner Report: Why I Resigned from Brandeis Univ. Ethics Board
by Michael Ratner May 29, 2014 September 23, 2020
Center for Constitutional Rights president emeritus Michael Ratner says strong Zionist influences have taken a stranglehold over the university
JESSICA DESVARIEUX, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Jessica Desvarieux in Baltimore. And welcome to this edition of The Ratner Report. Now joining us is Michael Ratner.
Michael Ratner is a president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and he’s also a board member of The Real News Network.
Thank you for joining us, Michael.
MICHAEL RATNER, PRESIDENT EMERITUS, CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: Good to be with The Real News again.
DESVARIEUX: So, Michael, you recently resigned from the ethics board at Brandeis University. Can you just tell us what happened?
RATNER: Well, I wanted to talk about it a bit not just because I resigned, but because it of course involves Brandeis University, originally a Jewish-founded university and still has that kind of ethics. It also involves Palestine and a university in Jerusalem called Al-Quds and the president of that university, Sari Nusseibeh. And it was the relationship between Sari Nusseibeh, Al-Quds, and Brandeis that has really called into question my remaining on the Brandeis board and the actions they took against Sari Nusseibeh and Al-Quds.
The board I’m on is called the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis, and it’s involved with the Brandeis University relationship with Al-Quds University, which is in Jerusalem, Palestine.
I resigned, really, in protest because Brandeis’s treatment of a fellow board member, no longer a board member. Sari Nusseibeh is a Palestinian and noted scholar and, importantly, the president of Al-Quds. The president of Brandeis, Fred Lawrence, suspended Sari Nusseibeh from the ethics board I was on, and he suspended the Brandeis relationship with Al-Quds, which had been in place since 2003, an 11-year relationship. Because I disagreed so profoundly with those actions, I had no choice but to resign.
At the core of the dispute or at the core of the actions by the president of Brandeis (I wouldn’t say dispute) and the failure of the board of trustees of Brandeis to really scream about it, we can see what’s being said is a lot about how impossible it is in the United States to have even the most moderate Palestinian voices heard. And Sari Nusseibeh was a very moderate Palestinian voice.
The dominant narrative of uncritical support of Israel still rules in the United States. And then a university, where liberal values should rule, sets aside those liberal values when it comes to Palestine. And I should know, because I went to Brandeis in the late ’60s, and my own experiences in that period were at a time when it was an extremely liberal university, left-wing. Herbert Marcuse, a Marxist professor, taught there. Malcolm X spoke there and I heard him. There was the activism of the civil rights movement, the beginning of the anti-Vietnam War movement. And it’s really in many ways where I began my activist career. And it’s sad to see that those liberal values have been so set aside when it comes to anything to do with Palestine.
As I said, the actions were not only harmful to Sari Nusseibeh’s reputation, but they at least were–and they were in addition harmful, obviously, to the relationship to Al-Quds, which was a relationship in which there were student exchanges, etc., and it could have led to a much better understanding, at least among some members of Al-Quds and Brandeis, the situation in Palestine.
Here’s the story how it happened.
Al-Quds has many different student groups, like any other university. In the case of Al-Quds, they’re often related to outside political groups. So there’s a student group related to the Palestinian Authority, a student group related to Hamas, many different elements of the politics of Palestine coming to the student groups.
In November 2013, there was a demonstration against the occupation in Al-Quds University, at Al-Quds, and apparently it was a very dramatic demonstration. Israeli flags were stepped on and other actions were taken by a particular student faction that actually went against guidelines for demonstrations at Al-Quds. In no way was the demonstration authorized by Al-Quds or the actions there. In fact, as I said, it went against the guidelines.
Sari Nusseibeh, who is a fellow board member, or was a fellow board member on the ethics board at Brandeis, the president of Al-Quds was critical of the demonstration, issued a statement exhorting the students and others to act in a way that promotes mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and the exchange of ideas.
But apparently what Sari Nusseibeh said was not enough for Fred Lawrence, the president of Brandeis. Somehow, that president called Sari Nusseibeh’s statement unacceptable and inflamatory. Hard to understand. I’ve read the statement. It’s hard to believe he could say that about what Sari Nusseibeh said. And he then suspended Sary from the board I’m on without even notifying anyone on our board, including the president, Richard J. Goldstone, who is the author of the Goldstone Report, and he suspended the relationship with Al-Quds.
In the wake of that, Brandeis then sent a fact-finding mission to Al-Quds to find out more about the situation. Three faculty went there. But the president, before he suspended the relationship, did await the report of the fact-finding mission. Three faculty from Brandeis came back, and you can–let’s say there’s at least some good in the world, or at least some good among the Brandeis faculty. And that fact-finding mission determined, quote, that university officials responded promptly–that’s university officials at Al-Quds–and appropriately by communicating to both internal and external constituencies that the rally violated university policies and principles. Sari Nusseibeh’s letter about the situation expressed no intolerance or hatred. Rather, they said it was a genuine effort on the university president to reach the students with the values of peace and mutual respect.
The report of Brandeis’s own faculty disagreed with the suspension of President Nusseibeh from the board, as well as the suspending of the relationship with Al-Quds, and asked Brandeis to resume the relationship with Al-Quds and redouble its efforts. Despite this, no action by president Fred Lawrence. Al-Quds remains suspended in its relationship with Brandeis. Sari Nusseibeh, who was quite upset by the suspension of himself from the board, has not been asked to return, as far as I know, but I don’t think he would return in any case.
I sent the president of Brandeis a long letter, resigning from my ethics board. They had originally said they would reappoint me. I said no. And what I said was this. Yes, in some communities, especially those that have embraced stereotyped views of Palestinians, Dr. Nusseibeh’s reputation may have been harmed by what Brandeis did. But for those who understand a more nuanced picture of these events and are aware of what is occurring in Palestine and Israel, it is the reputation of Brandeis and yourself, President Lawrence, that have been damaged by these actions.
And in my final paragraph, I cannot countenance these actions by you or Brandeis or be seen to endorse them by remaining on the board or continuing to support Brandeis. Apparently, even those Palestinians with the most moderate views are unacceptable partners and colleagues. That is unacceptable to me.
And I want to end with two final points. The first one is this is to me a case, a dramatic case, of the Zionist establishment in the United States dictating the rules to Palestinians and believing that they have a right to dictate those rules or attempting to dictate those rules. And if you don’t, as Palestinians, do precisely as we–he’s what I would have to say very, very perhaps conservative or, certainly, very strong Zionists–if you don’t do what they say, they will, with a flick of your finger, push you away and say you were gone. I think that’s an important point in understanding the power dynamics in what is going on here. Powerful institutions in the Global North, in the U.S., in this case a Zionist institution, with a flick of a finger got rid of a moderate Palestinian [incompr.] relationship to a university that I feel was important for at least making some inroads into understanding Palestine.
I want to end on a slightly more positive note, and that is this: as the narrative on Palestine begins to change in the United States, particularly at universities across the country, we’re seeing more protests, we’re seeing the BDS campaign, the boycott, divestment, and sanctions take off. We’re seeing a new sort of narrative beginning to emerge, more dissent and protests. The bastions of places of Zionism like Brandeis, which will not accept any other narrative, will make themselves even more fortress-like. They make themselves harsher.
So in a small way what Brandeis did here, what Brandeis did here was really a reaction to the fact that the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Palestinians to a homeland are making progress. But that’s the only positive thing I can take out of it. But that’s an important one.
DESVARIEUX: Alright. Michael Ratner, thank you for your report.
RATNER: And thank you for having me on The Real News.
DESVARIEUX: And, of course, you can always follow us on Twitter at The Real News. And feel free to send me questions and comments @Jessica_Reports.
Thank you for watching The Real News Network.
Michael Ratner
Michael Ratner is President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) in New York and Chair of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights in Berlin. He is currently a legal adviser to Wikileaks and Julian Assange. He and CCR brought the first case challenging the Guantanamo detentions and continue in their efforts to close Guantanamo. He taught at Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School, and was President of the National Lawyers Guild. His current books include Hell No: Your Right to Dissent in the Twenty-First Century America, and Who Killed Che? How the CIA Got Away With Murder.
NOTE: Mr. Ratner speaks on his own behalf and not for any organization with which he is affiliated.
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Nina Turner to Bill Maher: It’s Never Okay To Use The N-Word
by Nina Turner June 8, 2017 September 23, 2020
In conversation with Eddie Conway, Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator and host of the upcoming TRNN program The Nina Turner Show, says that house slaves sometimes endured worse conditions than field slaves.
EDDIE CONWAY: Welcome to The Real News. I’m Eddie Conway, coming to you from Baltimore. On June 2nd, Bill Maher used the N-word during his HBO show, “Real Time.” It created outrage across the nation. Here’s a clip. BILL MAHER: Got to get to Nebraska more. BEN SASSE: You’re welcome. We’d love to have you work on the fields with us. BILL MAHER: Work in the fields? I’m a house n*gger. It’s a joke. Thank you. EDDIE CONWAY: Joining me to discuss this is former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner. Senator Turner, thanks for joining me. NINA TURNER: It’s a pleasure to be with you. EDDIE CONWAY: Can you explain what this controversy is about? The use of the N-word, and so on. NINA TURNER: Well yes, as you mentioned at the top the introduction, Mr. Bill Maher used the N-word term in his conversation with an elected official, who had made reference to inviting him to work in the fields. Mr. Bill Maher decided to say that he would not join anyone in the field, because he is a house N, and it did start an uproar. It’s unfortunate that the people in the audience were laughing, and you know, it’s a moment that I think we can use in the country as a teachable moment, and what really gets to me more than the use of the word, the casual, cool, calm nature by which these words rolled off his tongue, and he declared himself to be a house nigger, I’m just going to say what he said, is the fact that in the United States of America, and this is bigger than Bill Maher, in the United States of America, African Americans still face other pressures and the impact of folks in this country not understanding and not respecting the struggle. My message to him and to any other person, especially white people who want to declare themselves, is that it was just as if African slaves, African American slaves that worked in the house on a plantation, were at a country club chilling, instead of chattel slavery which they were, and chattel slavery is you are an object, you are a thing. It’s like your dog, your car, your washing machine. You are a thing, and African Americans were owned in this country. Hopefully this will turn into a teachable moment that we should not, even though yes, First Amendment, free speech, all of that stuff, I get it, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should do something. The way he framed that was absolutely wrong and deplorable. EDDIE CONWAY: Okay. I guess one of the things that leaps out at me is that within the black community, and I guess I myself is guilty of this, we use those terms frequently. What’s the difference between us using those terms and a white person say using those terms? NINA TURNER: Well, I personally don’t think anybody should use the term as a term of endearment. You may remember, Eddie, a few years ago, Dr. Cornel West did a spoken word CD, and in that spoken word CD, he addressed the use of the N-word, and basically what he said was that this is not a term of endearment. How about brother? Sister? Doctor? Why must we continue to use a word that was created to dehumanize African Americans? I mean, this word was used when African Americans were beat. This word was used when they were made to feel “less than.” It is absolutely not a term of endearment, and yes, I do get African Americans use it. I don’t like it when they use it, but it has an extra special sting when white folks use it, knowing full well what the history is in this country. I wish that no one would use it, so to me, there really is not much of a difference, although I know within the black culture it is used, especially in popular culture, especially with the onset of gangster rap. There are some African Americans who believe that they can take the sting out of that word. As a historian, I would argue that they cannot take the sting out of that word, that African Americans by far have been the only ethnic group in this country for a longer period of time, less I say our Native American sisters and brothers, for the longest period of time have been fighting to define themselves, have been fighting to show their humanity, and even in the 21st century, we still fight to show that we are equal to and deserve as much respect as anybody else. Again, I want our viewers to understand it’s not just the use of the word, but it’s the context in which the word was used, and not really even giving a thought to what it meant to be a slave in America, that slavery existed in this country for over 250 years. Then, we had to endure another 100 years of Jim Crow, segregation, “Let’s continue to treat them like second class citizens,” and another 50 years of in-between status. That is a lot. That is a heavy burden for the African American community to have to bear, and the descendants of slave are still enduring in different ways, institutional racism in the United States of America. That is why someone, especially of that stature, should never use those words in that context. EDDIE CONWAY: Yes. One of the things, and I think a lot of people don’t even recognize or realize that the conditions inside those plantations, the big house, were horrendous also. One of the accounts I was looking at was George Washington, the first President, at the end of his term in Pennsylvania, he had a slave working in the house as a cook, named Hercules. Hercules was an excellent cook, but he was in slavery throughout the whole administration of George Washington. When George Washington decided to go back to Mount Vernon, Hercules ran away. Hercules wasn’t just the first slave of George Washington to run away. When they asked Hercules’ daughter, was she going to miss her dad because he was gone, his daughter said that she was so glad he was gone because he was free, which indicates the conditions even for men in the big house was bad, but certainly the conditions in the big house for women was even worse. I don’t think people realize that just because you’re in the house with somebody that owns you, don’t make you safe and don’t make the conditions any better. NINA TURNER: Absolutely. In some cases, it was worse. Some historians, and even psychologists, even social scientists in this field would actually argue that the house slave had to endure more of the psychological torment. Not really being able to even get a mental reprieve, if you will. Slavery was harsh. This was not a game, this was harsh. Folks died. They were used, they were insured like property, they were worked hard, they were beaten, they were killed, and you just shipped some more in. Then, after the international slave trade closed in this country in the early 1800’s, the domestic slave trade began. Slave masters would get two, a male and a female slave, and mate them like they were animals, and they would try to get the biggest ones, so that they could try to get the strongest litter, if you will. I know that’s about cats, but that is just how they treated African Americans. You are absolutely right. The psychological trauma that went along with slavery, but especially if you were a house slave, and in many cases, the slave, the female slave that took care of children for example, took care of the mistress, sleeping on the floor by the side, never getting a reprieve, black women having to leave their children to suckle the babies of their owners, and meanwhile neglect their own children. Slavery was harsh. It was cruel, it was inhumane, and it didn’t matter whether or not you were in the house, or you were in the field. Women were always in fear that they would be raped, and that didn’t matter whether you were in the house or in the field, but the slave owners and overseers and their sons, and their relatives could get to you a lot quicker while you were in the house. Had to walk a little distance to get to you in the field, but rape occurred of women, rape occurred of men, families being separated, sold on the block. This is the essence of slavery in this country, and so for anybody to make light of that, it’s just wrong. EDDIE CONWAY: Yes, and one of the things that I noticed this past week, a study came out of the Oakland, California City Police Department, how they interacted with people, based on the use of the body cams. They looked at the language and the disrespect, and the language between the races and made a determination that whether the office were white or black, they disrespected the black population several times more than they did the white population when they made stops, when they made inquiries, et cetera. Basically what it was saying was that there’s something about the use of language in how you see people that diminishes how you respect them right from the beginning. I think maybe, and your point taken that nobody should use this word, maybe that is a very valid point, because language is very important in terms of how you see people. NINA TURNER: Absolutely. Words do matter. There was something I just read in the USA Today. It was called “The Five Things You Need To Know,” and they were making reference to another study that has just been completed that shows that black soldiers, for example, or black military personnel receive stiffer penalties, two times harsher penalties than their white colleagues. I’m talking about the military right now, in the 21st century, not the 20th century, not the 19th century, but in the 20th century, right now today. Just read that today, two times harsher penalties. We know that black children, especially black males, are suspended at higher rates, out of school suspensions at higher rates, are penalized more. Again, it really is in the DNA of this country, which is so much bigger than Bill Maher, but we can certainly use this moment as a teachable moment. He did apologize, Eddie. He did apologize. I think his apology was about him not having had enough sleep, and what I will say with that, because some people rushed and said, “You guys, let it go. Accept his apology.” They have a right to their opinion, but it really got to me. I started feeling some type of way, especially the white folks telling black people to get over it. We’re the only group, again, that are asked to get over stuff really quickly. A day hadn’t gone by, it hadn’t even sunk in, he hadn’t even had time to realize his transgression before folks are running out there saying get over it. Now, I’m not necessarily of the school that says that he should be fired for this. I think people rush and they want folks to be fired. Anybody can have a human moment, but the way in which, and I hope when our viewers see, that the way in which that just rolled off him like that, gave me the impression that this was not necessarily the first time. For the folks that think that we should get over it, I absolutely disagree with him, and I wish that he had given a stronger apology, Eddie. I wish his apology had have went something like this, in only the way that Bill Maher can do, because we know he’s raw, but he should have something like, “I F’d up,” and he would say the word, “And I want to apologize to my colleagues, I want to apologize to the producers, I want to apologize to my audience, but most importantly, I want to apologize to African Americans for this moment that I had where I took for granted and didn’t quite understand the weight of my words, in not really capturing the essence of the human suffering that African Americans had to endure, generation after generation.” “And I, although I am not a black man, and I am not a black woman, I will never, ever fully understand the weight of racism, the weight of institutional racism, the weight of knowing that if you are a black mother in slavery that when you birthed a child into this world that that child would be a slave because you are a slave, although I will never, ever truly understand what it means to have your relatives on a block, and you guys are sold, you are sold like cattle, you are treated as less than human, and even when we made gains in this country, with this 13th and 14th and 15th amendments to the constitution, you were still treated like second class citizens in this country for a 100 more years.” “Even though we’ve made many, many gains in this country, you are still treated differently in this country. I want to apologize for the fact that I did not quite get that, and moving forward, I want to be a champion to try to do everything in my power to eradicate institutional racism, and I ask the larger community, but I especially ask African Americans, to forgive me for my transgression.” See Eddie, that’s the kind of apology the brother should have gave, not this, “I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.” I’m over it. Eddie Conway: Yes. I think this has been very informative for our audience, and thank you for sharing, and we will keep an eye on this and see what happens. Nina Turner: Thank you, Eddie. Thank you so much, and thank you to our audience. EDDIE CONWAY: Okay, and thank you for joining The Real News.
Nina Turner
Nina Turner is the president of Our Revolution. She is a former Ohio State Senator, college professor, public speaker, frequent media commentator and author, and was a national surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary. She has been the host of the Nina Turner Show on the Real News Network.
More by Nina Turner
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Posted inPolitics and Movements: International
Iraqi City of Mosul Faces the Bloody Prospect of ‘Liberation’
by Sabah Alnasseri August 15, 2016 September 23, 2020
Sabah Alnasseri: Corruption and factional fighting within the parliament will soon be accompanied by intensified conflict as the army attempts to take Mosul from the Islamic State
SHARMINI PERIES, TRNN: It’s the Real News Network. I’m Sharmini Peries coming to you from Baltimore. U.S. Lieutenant General Shaun MacFarland told the Associated Press that the Islamic State has been reduced to as few as 15,000 fighters. He said, the enemy is in retreat on all fronts. With so much focus this week on Aleppo, Syria, and Turkey-Russia reset, there’s very little news that we hear coming out of Iraq. Why? Well, we’re going to talk about Iraq and what’s happening there. And joining us to do that is Sabah Alnasseri. Sabah is an associate professor and director of the graduate program of political science at York University in Toronto. Sabah, thank you so much for joining us today. SABAH ALNASSERI: Good to be with you, Sharmini. PERIES: Sabah, the comments of the U.S. general suggest that the campaign against the Islamic State has been successful and almost over. Do you think this has brought about some stability to the country, especially to the people of Iraq? ALNASSERI: Well, I’m not quite sure where General MacFarland has his numbers. But even if this is correct, they have 15,000 fighters–the problem is, you know, when the Iraqi army retook Fallujah and Ramadi, 100,000 people were displaced and 10,000 were killed, not only through the campaign to retake the city, but also through some sectarian militia killing on the local population. This is a breeding ground for ISIS. Many of these civilians who were killed, or their families are killed or displaced, they end up joining ISIS. So even if they have 15,000 fighters now, for this campaign and the killing of civilians, this will give them new recruits, those who want to take revenge on the Iraqi army, the militias, or the U.S. army and so on. So it is just a statistical figure which has less relevance on the reality of the ground. PERIES: Right. And then one of the things that we hear very little about is sort of the major dilemmas that are going on in the Iraqi government itself. You know, there’s a huge corruption case going on involving the Iraqi parliamentary speaker and the defense minister. Tell us a little bit about that. ALNASSERI: There are three issues here, I think, of concern. The one is the question of corruption, as I said. The second one, internal fight and struggle among different factions of politicians in the parliament. Then the third issue is, of course, the question of the city of Mosul, and the so-called liberation of the city of Mosul. The first one, the corruption affair. Last week one of the members, actually a few members of the parliament, especially [inaud.], they brought a corruption case against the defense minister al-Obaidi. He was summoned to the parliament last week, and questioned by the parliament. He actually accused the speaker of the house, Salim al-Jabouri, another five parliamentarians. He accused them of corruption and tried to blackmail them, or force them to seal the arms deals with the United States and so on. So much that the minister [inaud.] opened up an investigation against these MPs and issued a ban on their [troubles] until the investigation is over. Of course, three days ago the speaker of the house Salim al-Jabouri was cleared of these corruption affairs. But what does this tell me? That there’s an enormous pressure on the Iraqi street, on the Abadi government, to deal with corruption. And a few days ago, the Iraqi government signed an agreement with the UNTP, the United Nation development, to recruit a [inaud.] investigator, a trained Iraq investigator, to fight corruption. So there’s enormous pressure on the government to deal with corruption. This, of course, creates tension among different factions of politicians of different parties within the parliament. And facing an organization of corruption, and so on. The second issue is the internal quarrel and struggle around the question of this. Or better, around the question of post-liberated Mosul. Who will be in control of the city, and who will be in charge in Mosul, and how to deal with the many Iraqi generals and officers, also from Mosul, who were laid off during the [inaud.] period. PERIES: Why is Mosul so important? ALNASSERI: Well, see, the significance is, before going back to Mosul, is two days ago the Iraqi parliament issued a law of [inaud.] again. And it is significant because I think it refers to Mosul, because the majority of the Iraqi generals and officers come from Mosul. And most of them were laid off by [inaud.] at that time, and when the Iraqi government accusing them of [being biased], although the absolute majority of them were not biased. So all of these generals and officers and soldiers in Mosul, they are unemployed six years, they don’t have any pensions, and so on. Some of them are [inaud.] with ISIL. Some are not. So the question among these different factions, especially with the [inaud.] and the [inaud.] parties within the parliament, if we retake Mosul, what to do with all these 10,000 of generals and officers and bureaucrats? Because then they want to be hired, they want to be, they want to get back their public office and so on. So I think the quarrels now among these factions of politicians is to ensure that they’re employing their supporters, their party members, to keep their job, and there’s no way that those ex-generals, bureaucrats, officers, they can come back to the state [inaud.]. So just to give you an example. When, for instance, al-Obaidi accused the speaker of the house, al-Jabouri, of corruption, if we look at these two figures, al-Obaidi himself is from Mosul. The defense minister, he is from Mosul, from a different [inaud.] of Mosul. Whereas al-Jabouri is very close to the [inaud.], used to control Mosul into 2014, when ISIS captured Mosul, and al-Obaidi resigned, or was pushed out of his office. So you can see, also, the struggle among different plans for Mosul over the question of post-conflict of post-liberation [inaud.] the city. And the third question, I think the major one, is the preparation to, the so-called liberation. I don’t call it liberation because recapturing of other cities that [inaud.] Ramadi, et cetera, caused the death of 10,000 people and displacement of 100,000 people. So that in the meantime in Iraq you have 3.3 million displaced people within Iraq only. And in the last few months, 100,000 families from Mosul fled the city, fearing the offensive and, of course, the sectarian cleansing, et cetera. So this will create a disaster for the civil population. The preparation are [inaud.]. The Iraqi government thinks that they can liberate the city by the end of the year, which I don’t think that–that’s not realistic. But you can see they’ve been doing their preparation for the liberation of Mosul. These tensions started within different parties and politicians within the parliament, displacement of 100,000 people. Some conflict among the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, and the so-called [inaud.], the popular mobilization front, Shiite, some of them sectarian, backed by Iran, conflict with them and the Peshmerga. And between these mobilization fronts and [still] tribal forces. So we have a lot of conflict formation going on even before the city of Mosul is liberated, which reflects, again, on–and explains why there is conflict and tension within the parliament among different politicians and factions there. PERIES: And Sabah, in terms of the U.S. involvement in all of this in government, and their effort to, you know, what they were trying to do, negotiate between the different sides, is that still going on, and is it having any impact? ALNASSERI: Well, I think the U.S. is playing different games here. Because I was just looking at the news yesterday and today, and the parliament was outraged that the Iraqi government, Mr. Abadi, signed a deal, a memorandum of understanding, with the United States to supply weapons, U.S. weapons and arms to Iraq. But this was secured by a loan to the Iraqi government, a high interest rate on that. And the parliament was not informed of this deal. So there’s conflict now between the parliament and the government around these issues that, you know, arms supplies, or memorandum of understanding, or other deals that the parliaments have informed, especially in the preparation for the [liberation] of Mosul. So you have a lot of tension going on, also, between the parliament and the government because of the U.S. games with different factions within the Iraq parliament, or the Iraqi government, or with the Peshmerga or the Kurdish government vis-a-vis the Iraqi government. It creates a lot of tension and conflict within the parliament in Baghdad, but also in Kurdistan. PERIES: Right. Well, there’s no peace coming for the people of Iraq, [inaud.]. ALNASSERI: We will witness, within the next few weeks and months, an intensified conflict, war, displacement, refugee crisis, and of course killing on many sides. Not only fighting ISIS, but killing and fighting among the Peshmergas and the Shiite militias, the Shiite militias and Sunni tribal forces that were some of the forces within Mosul who were actually fighting ISIS, but not part of the Iraqi army. They would want to secure Mosul in the post-conflict time. So [inaud.] a lot of conflict, violence, and displacement within the next weeks and months. PERIES: It certainly raises the bigger question. You know, they’ve moved from Iraq, destroyed Afghanistan, Libya, now Syria, possibly Turkey, and it goes on. ALNASSERI: Yes, absolutely. PERIES: All right. Sabah Alnasseri, I thank you so much for joining us today, and we look forward to ongoing updates of developments in Iraq from you, so looking forward to that. ALNASSERI: It would be my pleasure. Thanks for having me, Sharmini. PERIES: And thank you for joining us on the Real News Network.
Sabah Alnasseri
Sabah Alnasseri was born in Basra, Iraq, and earned his doctorate at the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. He teaches Middle East politics and economy at the Political Science Department at York University in Toronto, Canada. His publications cover various topics in Marxist political economy, Marxist state theory in the tradition of Gramsci, Poulantzas and Althusser, theory of regulation, and Middle East politics and economy.
More by Sabah Alnasseri
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AC Milan brings on Bee Taechaubol, investor to buy 48% stake
June DerlenAC Milan, Bee Taechaubol, Serie A, Silvio Berlusconi
AC Milan has some fresh capital coming in thanks to a new investor. The club confirmed on Friday that Bee Taechaubol, a Thai investor, has reached an agreement to purchase a 48% stake in the club. Significantly, this means that Berlusconi will retain control over the club and remain deeply involved in the strategic direction for the Rossoneri.
Taechaubol has made a career of private equity investments in growth and turnaround scenarios in industries ranging from financial services, payments, real estate, technology, public infrastructure as well as sports properties. It seems likely that Milan will seek to use his connections to grow the club’s presence in the rapidly expanding Southeast Asia and greater Asia market.
Taechaubol has been quoted as saying, “Milan have a thoroughly Italian soul and identity,”. “It’s a brand of Italian excellence, and it should remain that way.
“It would be absurd to see a skyboy filled with Asian Milan directors. Milan would then lose its identity.
“I’m not here to be the president. I’m an investor. Central figures like Galliani and Barbara Berlusconi will not be touched.
Full translated text of press release below:
President Silvio Berlusconi approved the agreement signed by the managing director of Fininvest Pasquale Cannatelli and Mr. Bee Taechaubol it plans to deal exclusively for a period of eight weeks a partnership related to AC Milan.
In this time of Silvio Berlusconi, who will continue as President and Mr. Taechaubol they will work together to build a large and ambitious project to restore the economic and sports Milan at the highest levels of Italian football and international sphere of responsibility to history, prestige and results.
In this context, the draft agreement, which will be ‘examined in detail, which provides control of the club remains in the hands of President Silvio Berlusconi and Fininvest, which will’ head a absolute majority share of 52%. The consortium represented by Mr. Taechaubol will acquire ‘instead of a minority stake of 48%.
The draft agreement has as its objective the promotion and marketing of the brand AC Milan in particular in Asian countries, in order to get a boost in revenue and consequently the financial resources needed to bring, through a proposed technical and sporting extremely incisive , AC Milan to compete with the main historical clubs in world football.
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TP Keywords
International Developments
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UN – United Nations
G20 – GLOBAL FORUM
CbC Red Flag Jurisdictions
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Intangibles - Goodwill Know-how Patents
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Tag: Luxembourg
Netherlands vs X B.V., December 2020, Supreme Court (Preliminary ruling by the Advocate General), Case No 20/02096 ECLI:NL:PHR:2020:1198
December 18, 2020 / Burden of proof (Onus), Business rationale, Cayman Islands, Double Dipping , Financial Transactions, Fraus legis, Inter-company loan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mismatch, Netherlands, Non-Recognition and Recharacterisation, Prudent and diligent business manager, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Triple dip, Two-sided perspective
This case concerns a private equity takeover structure with apparently an intended international mismatch, i.e. a deduction/no inclusion of the remuneration on the provision of funds. The case was (primarily) decided by the Court of Appeal on the basis of your non-business loan case law. The facts are as follows: A private equity fund [A] raised LP equity capital from (institutional) investors in its subfund [B] and then channelled it into two (sub)funds configured in the Cayman Islands, Fund [C] and [D] Fund. Participating in those two Funds were LPs in which the limited partners were the external equity investors and the general partners were Jersey-based [A] entities and/or executives. The equity raised in [A] was used for leveraged, debt-financed acquisitions of European targets to be sold at a capital gain after five to seven years, after optimising their EBITDA. One of these European targets was the Dutch [F] group. The equity used in its acquisition was provided not only ... Continue to full case
AXA S.A. issued an income assessment of EUR 130 million by the French tax authorities
November 20, 2020 / AXA, Disputes and Settlements, Financial institution exemption, France, Luxembourg, Tax Avoidance Schemes, tax exempt, Tax Planning (Aggressive), Tax ruling, Transfer Pricing News
Insurance group AXA S.A. is now paying back millions of euros in taxes after French tax authorities found that a Luxembourg-based structure had been used by the group for tax avoidance. According to the French tax authorities AXE S.A. had undeclared taxable profits of at least 130 million in FY 2005 and 2010. The scheme involved use of a group entity in Luxembourg granting loans to AXA’s foreign subsidiaries. The entity in Luxembourg benefited from a tax ruling issued by Luxembourg’s authorities that allowed it to be tax-exempt. According to AXA the tax laws of France and Luxembourg were fully respected and the group is confident regarding the outcome of this process and will keep collaborating with fiscal authorities to assert its rights ... Continue to full case
Allegations of tax avoidance in Dutch Pharma Group Qiagen
October 5, 2020 / European Union, Financial Transactions, Hearings and Investigations, Interest free loan, International Developments, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Qiagen, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax Havens and Harmful Tax Practices, Transfer Pricing News
According to investigations by SOMO – an independent center for Research on Multinational Corporations – the annual accounts of Pharma Group Qiagen shows that the group has avoided tax on profits by passing internal loans through an elaborate network of letterbox companies in European tax havens including Ireland, Luxembourg and Malta. It is estimated that, since 2010, the group has avoided at least €93 million in taxes and has accumulated tax deduction in an amount of €49 million ... Continue to full case
Mexico vs Majestic Silver Corp, September 2020, Federal Administrative Court, Not published
September 23, 2020 / Advance pricing agreement (APA), Annulment, Barbados, Commodity Transactions, First Majestic Mining Corp, Luxembourg, MAP - APA, Mexico, Mining, Silver prices, Spot price, Trading hub
On 23 September 2020, the Federal Administrative Court in Mexico issued a not yet published decision in a dispute between the Mexican tax authorities (SAT) and Canadian mining group First Majestic Silver Corp’s Mexican subsidiary, Primero Empresa Minera. The court case was filed back in 2015 by the tax authorities, to cancel an Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) issued to Primero Empresa Minera back in 2012. According to the APA, a methodology had been determined allowing the Mexican mining company to sell silver at 4.04 dollars per ounce to a group company based in Barbados (Silver Trading Barbados Ltd) via Luxembourg, when the average market price of silver was above 30 dollars. The APA was applied by Primero Empresa Minera for FY 2010 – 2014. The Federal Court decided in favor of the tax authorities that the APA was invalid and therefore nullified. After receiving the decision from the Federal Court, First Majestic on 25 September 2020 issued a press release ... Continue to full case
UK vs General Electric, July 2020, High Court, Case No RL-2018-000005
July 31, 2020 / Anti Arbitrage Rules, Binding ruling, Cash pool, Circular arrangement, Clearance agreement, Commercially Irrational Transactions, Double Dipping , Financial Transactions, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), General Electric, Hybrid Entity , Interest deduction, Luxembourg, Misrepresentation, Roundtrip arrangement, Specific Anti-Avoidance Rules (SAAR), Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax Planning (Aggressive), Trible dip, UK treasury company, United Kingdom
General Electric (GE) have been routing financial transactions (AUS $ 5 billion) related to GE companies in Australia via the UK in order to gain a tax advantage – by “triple dipping” in regards to interest deductions, thus saving billions of dollars in tax in Australia, the UK and the US. Before entering into these transactions, GE obtained clearance from HMRC that UK tax rules were met, in particular new “Anti-Arbitrage Rules” introduced in the UK in 2005, specifically designed to prevent tax avoidance through the exploitation of the tax treatment of ‘hybrid’ entities in different jurisdictions. The clearance was granted by the tax authorities in 2005 based on the understanding that the funds would be used to invest in businesses operating in Australia. In total, GE’s clearance application concerned 107 cross-border loans amounting to debt financing of approximately £21.2 billion. The Australian Transaction was one part of the application. After digging into the financing structure and receiving documents from ... Continue to full case
France vs SA Sacla, February 2020, CAA de Lyon, Case No. 17LY04170
February 13, 2020 / Brand name, France, Intangibles - Goodwill Know-how Patents, Luxembourg, Royalty and License Payments, Transfer of intangibles, Valuation
SA Sacla, a French company trading in protective clothing and footwear, as well as small equipment, was audited for fiscal years 2007, 2008 and 2009. The French tax administration issued an assessment, considering that SA Sacla by selling brands owned by it for an amount of 90,000 euros to a Luxembourg company, Involvex, had indirectly transfered profits abroad. Due to inconclusive results of various valuations presented by the tax authorities and the taxpayer, an expert opinion was ordered by the Court on the question of whether the price of the brands sold by SA Sacla to the company Involvex had been at arm’s length. DECIDES: Article 1: Before ruling on the request of SA SACLA, an expert will carry out an assessment in order to determine whether the selling price of the brands sold by SA SACLA corresponds to their value, taking into account the exemption payment of royalties for a period of 5 years granted by the company Involvex ... Continue to full case
European Commission decision to open state-aid investigation into Luxembourg deduction of deemed interest on interest free loans – The Huhtamaki
May 3, 2019 / Deemed interest, EU State Aid, European Union, Financial Transactions, Hearings and Investigations, Interest free loan, Luxembourg, State aid, Transfer Pricing News
The European Commission has published a non-confidential version of the decision to open a state aid investigation into tax rulings granted by the Luxembourg tax authorities to the Huhtamaki Group in relation to the treatment of interest-free loans granted by an Irish group company to a Luxembourg group company, Huhtalux S.a.r.l. The investigation will focus on three rulings obtained by a Luxembourg subsidiary of a group from the Luxembourg tax administration in 2009, 2012 and 2013. The Luxembourg subsidiary which carried out intra-group financing activities was granted interest-free loans from an Irish group subsidiary and used the funds to grant interest bearing loans to other group companies. In the rulings the tax authorities in Luxembourg confirmes that the financing subsidiary can deduct an amount of deemed interest on the interest-free loans corresponding to interest payments that an independent third party would have demanded for the loans in question. As in the “Belgian excess profits” State aid case, the Commission considers that ... Continue to full case
Austria vs. LU Ltd, 27. march 2019, VwGH, Case No Ro 2018713/0004
March 27, 2019 / Abusive, Airport, Austria, Cayman Islands, Dividends, Economic reason, Foreign tax credits, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Luxembourg, Shares and Dividends, Substance test, Tax Avoidance Schemes
A Luxembourg-based limited company (LU) held a 30% stake in an Austrian stock company operating an airport. LU employed no personnel and did not develop any activities. The parent company of LUP was likewise resident in Luxembourg. LUP had business premises in Luxembourg and employed three people. All of the shares in LUP were held by a company in the British Cayman Islands in trust for a non- resident Cayman Islands-based fund. In 2015, the Austrian Company distributed a dividend to LU. LU was not yet involved in the Austrian corporation “for an uninterrupted period of at least one year” thus withholding tax was withheld and deducted. A request for refunding of the withholding tax was denied by the tax office because the dividend was distributed to recipients in a third country and the tax authorities regarded the structure as abusive. LU then appealed the decision to the Federal Fiscal Court. The Court held that the appeal was unfounded, because ... Continue to full case
EU report on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance
March 26, 2019 / Artificial arrangements, Belgium, CCCTB, Cum-ex, Cyprus, Digital Service Tax (DTS), Double non taxation, Effective tax rate, EU state aid rules, European Union, Hungary, Illegal state aid, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Money laundering, Netherlands, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax evasion, Tax Havens and Harmful Tax Practices, Transfer Pricing News, VAT fraud
In March 2018 a special EU committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance (TAX3) was established. Now, one year later, The EU Parliament has approved a controversial report from the committee. According to the report close to 40 % of MNEs’ profits are shifted to tax havens globally each year with some European Union countries appearing to be the prime losers of profit shifting, as 35 % of shifted profits come from EU countries. About 80 % of the profits shifted from EU Member States are channelled to or through a few other EU Member States. The latest estimates of tax evasion within the EU point to a figure of approximately EUR 825 billion per year. Tax avoidance via six EU Member States results in a loss of EUR 42,8 billion in tax revenue in the other 22 Member States, which means that the net payment position of these countries can be offset against the losses they inflict ... Continue to full case
Commission opens in-depth investigation into tax treatment of Huhtamäki in Luxembourg
March 7, 2019 / EU State Aid, EU state aid rules, European Union, Fictitious expenses, Financial Transactions, Harmful tax practices, Hearings and Investigations, Huhtamäki, Interest free loan, Ireland, Luxembourg, Tax ruling, Transfer Pricing News
The European Commission has now opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether tax rulings granted by Luxembourg to Finnish food and drink packaging company Huhtamäki may have given the company an unfair advantage over its competitors, in breach of EU State Aid rules. Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner in charge of competition policy, said: “Member States should not allow companies to set up arrangements that unduly reduce their taxable profits and give them an unfair advantage over their competitors. The Commission will carefully investigate Huhtamäki’s tax treatment in Luxembourg to assess whether it is in line with EU State aid rules.” The Commission’s formal investigation concerns three tax rulings issued by Luxembourg to the Luxembourg-based company Huhtalux S.à.r.l. in 2009, 2012 and 2013. The 2009 tax ruling was disclosed as part of the “Luxleaks” investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in 2014. Huhtalux is part of the Huhtamäki group, which is headquartered in Finland. Huhtamäki is a company active ... Continue to full case
Denmark vs T and Y Denmark, February 2019, European Court of Justice, Cases C-116/16 and C-117/16
February 26, 2019 / Beneficial owner, Bermuda, Conduit company, Conduit jurisdictions, Denmark, Dividends, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Luxembourg, Substance over form, Tax avoidance, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, Withholding tax
The cases of T Danmark (C-116/16) and Y Denmark Aps (C-117/16) adresses questions related to interpretation of the EU-Parent-Subsidary-Directive The issue is withholding taxes levied by the Danish tax authorities in situations where dividend payments are made to conduit companies located in treaty countries but were the beneficial owners of these payments are located in non-treaty countries. During the proceedings in the Danish court system the European Court of Justice was asked a number of questions related to the conditions under which exemption from withholding tax can be denied on dividend payments to related parties. The European Court of Justice has now answered these questions in favor of the Danish Tax Ministry; Benefits granted under the Parent-Subsidiary Directive can be denied where fraudulent or abusive tax avoidance is involved. Quotations from cases C-116/16 and C-117/16: “The general principle of EU law that EU law cannot be relied on for abusive or fraudulent ends must be interpreted as meaning that, where ... Continue to full case
Denmark vs N, X, C, and Z Denmark, February 2019, European Court of Justice, Cases C-115/16, C-118/16, C-119/16 and C-299/16
February 26, 2019 / Beneficial owner, Bermuda, Conduit company, Conduit jurisdictions, Denmark, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Interest and royalty directive, Luxembourg, Substance over form, Tax avoidance, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, Withholding tax
The cases of N Luxembourg 1 (C-115/16), X Denmark A/S (C-118/16), C Danmark I (C-119/16) and Z Denmark ApS (C-299/16), adresses questions related to the interpretation of the EU Interest and Royalty Directive. The issue in these cases is withholding taxes levied by the Danish tax authorities in situations where interest payments are made to conduit companies located in treaty countries but were the beneficial owners of these payments are located in non-treaty countries. During the proceedings in the Danish court system the European Court of Justice was asked a number of questions related to the conditions under which exemption from withholding tax can be denied on interest payments to related parties. The European Court of Justice has now answered these questions in favor of the Danish Tax Ministry; Benefits granted under the Interest and Royalty Directive can be denied where fraudulent or abusive tax avoidance is involved. Quotations from cases C-115/16, C-118/16, C-119/16 and C-299/16: “The concept of ‘beneficial ... Continue to full case
Italy vs Dolce & Gabbana, December 2018, Supreme Court, Case no 33234/2018
December 21, 2018 / Abuse of freedom, Beneficial owner, Dolce & Gabbana, Fixed place of business, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Interest and royalty directive, Italy, Luxembourg, Royalty and License Payments, Substance test, Tax avoidance, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax Treaties
In this case the Italian fashion group, Dolce & Gabbana, had moved ownership of valuable intangibles to a subsidiary established for that purpose in Luxembourg. The Italian Revenue Agency found the arrangement to be wholly artificial and set up only to avoid Italien taxes and to benefit from the privileged tax treatment in Luxembourg. The Revenue Agency argued that all decision related to the intangibles was in fact taken at the Italian headquarters of Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, and not in Luxembourg, where there were no administrative structure and only one employee with mere secretarial duties. Dolce & Gobbana disargeed with these findings and brought the case to court. In the first and second instance the courts ruled in favor of the Italian Revenue Agency, but the Italian Supreme Court ruled in favor of Dolce & Gabbana. According to the Supreme Court, the fact that a company is established in another EU Member State to benefit from more advantageous ... Continue to full case
European Commission vs McDonald, December 2018, European Commission Case no. SA.38945
December 18, 2018 / Cost sharing agreement, EU State Aid, European Union, Franchise, Illegal state aid, Luxembourg, McDonald's, Permanent establishment, Royalty fee payments, Selective advantage, Switzerland, Tax Treaties
The European Commission found that Luxembourg did not grant illegal State aid to McDonald’s as a consequence of the exemption of income attributed to a US branch. ...it is not established that the Luxembourg tax authorities misapplied the Luxembourg – US double taxation treaty. Therefore, on the basis of the doubts raised in the Opening Decision and taking into account its definition of the reference system, the Commission cannot establish that the contested rulings granted a selective advantage to McD Europe by misapplying the Luxembourg – US double taxation treaty ... Continue to full case
Italy vs CDC srl, December 2018, Italian Supreme Court, Case No 32255/2018
December 13, 2018 / Double tax treaty, EU Parent Subsidiary Directive, Italy, Luxembourg, Shares and Dividends, Tax free dividends, Tax Treaties, Withholding tax
A refund of withholding tax on dividend payments from an Italien subsidiary, CDC srl, was claimed by the parent company in Luxembourg, CDC Net SA. The parent company had been subject to income tax in Luxembourg as required by the EU Directive, but in Luxembourg there were no actual taxation of the dividends. The refund was denied as, according to the authorities, the Luxembourg company did not meet the requirements of the EU Directive due to lack of actual taxation of the dividends in Luxembourg. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the tax authorities and denied the refund of withholding taxes under the European Parent Subsidiary Directive (Directive 90/435/EEC, Article 5, paragraph 1, ) as no double taxation existed due to the dividend exemption regime in Luxembourg. Click here for translation Italy Dividend Supreme Court 2018 ... Continue to full case
Norway vs Stanley Black & Decker Norway AS , December 2018, Borgarting Lagmannsrett, Case No 2016-105694
December 11, 2018 / Arm’s length range, Black & Decker, Comparability, Luxembourg, Norway, Sales and Marketing Hubs, TNMM, Transfer Pricing Documentation, Transfer Pricing Methods
At issue was the transfer pricing method applied on transactions between Black & Deckers Norwegian distribution company and the group trading hub in Luxembourg, Black & Decker Ltd SARL. The Norwegian tax authorities in 2013 issued a tax assessment of Black and Decker Norway AS where the taxable income for years 2005 – 2008 was increased with a total amount of NOK 50 million. The assessment was appealed to the Tax Appeals Committee where the amount was reduced to a total of NOK 26 million in line with recommendations of the tax authorities during the proceedings. The decision of the Tax Appeals Committee was upheld by the District Court and later the Court of Appeal where the appeal of Black & Decker was rejected. Click here for translation Norway vs Black & Decker december 2018 case no LB-2016-105694 ... Continue to full case
Canada vs ALTA Energy Luxemburg, September 2018, Case no 2014-4359(IT)G
September 24, 2018 / ALTA Energy, Barbados, Canada, GAAR, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Luxembourg, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping
ALTA Energy, a resident of Luxembourg, claimed an exemption from Canadian income tax under Article 13(5) of the Canada-Luxembourg Income Tax Treaty in respect of a large capital gain arising from the sale of shares of ALTA Canada, its wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary. At that time, Alta Canada carried on an unconventional shale oil business in the Duvernay shale oil formation situated in Northern Alberta. Alta Canada was granted the right to explore, drill and extract hydrocarbons from an area of the Duvernay formation designated under licenses granted by the government of Alberta. The Canadian tax authorities denied that the exemption applied and assessed ALTA Energy accordingly. Article 13(5) of the Canada-Luxembourg Tax Treaty is a distributive rule of last application. It applies only in the case where the capital gain is not otherwise taxable under paragraphs (1) to (4) of Article 13 of the Treaty. Article 13(4) is relevant to the outcome of this appeal. Under that provision, Canada has ... Continue to full case
European Commission concludes on investigation into Luxembourg’s tax treatment of McDonald’s under EU state aid regulations, September 2018
September 19, 2018 / Double non taxation, EU State Aid, European Union, Franchise, Franchise agreement, Hearings and Investigations, Luxembourg, McDonald's, Non domiciled, State aid, Swiss, Tax Avoidance Schemes
Following an investigation into Luxembourg’s tax treatment of McDonald’s under EU state aid regulations since 2015, the EU Commission concluded that the tax rulings granted by Luxembourg to McDonald’s in 2009 did not provide illegal state aid. According to the Commission, the law allowing McDonald’s to escape taxation on franchise income in Luxembourg – and the US – did not amount to an illegal selective advantage under EU law. The double non-taxation of McDonald’s franchise income was due to a mismatch between the laws of the United States and Luxembourg. See the 2015 announcement of formal opening of the investigations into McDonald’s tax agreements with Luxembourg from the EU Commission EU vs McDonal IP-18-5831_EN ... Continue to full case
European Commission’s investigations into member state transfer pricing and tax ruling practices
June 30, 2018 / Amazon, Apple, Belgium, EU Commission, EU State Aid, European Union, Fiat, Hearings and Investigations, Ireland, Luxembourg, McDonald's, Netherlands, Starbucks, State aid, Tax Avoidance Schemes, Tax ruling
Since June 2013, the European Commission has been investigating tax ruling practices of EU Member States. A Task Force was set up in summer 2013 to follow up on allegations of favourable tax treatment of certain companies, in particular in the form of unilateral tax rulings. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (“TFEU”) provides that “any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, in so far as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the internal market.”. The State aid rules ensures that the functioning of the internal market is not distorted by anticompetitive behavior favouring some to the detriment of others. In June 2014 the Commission initiated a series of State aid investigations on Multinational Corporations related to transfer pricing practices and rulings. Final decisions now have been published ... Continue to full case
Amazon has settled a 200 million Euro tax dispute with France
February 6, 2018 / Amazon, Digital Economy, Disputes and Settlements, France, Luxembourg, Transfer Pricing News
The dispute between Amazon and the French tax authorities relates to transfer pricing in fiscal years 2006 to 2010. Amazon has been accused of tax avoidance in the EU by channeling all local sales through Luxembourg. This set up has been changed in France, where Amazon in 2015 established a branch where all retail sales, charges and profits in France are booked. In October 2017 the EU commission decided that Luxembourg’s arrangement with Amazon is in conflict with EU State Aid regulations and ordered Luxembourg to recover 250 million euros in back taxes from Amazon. This decision has later been challenged by Luxembourg ... Continue to full case
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Hundreds of L.A. County nursing facilities to receive COVID vaccine in next few days
by The AV Times Staff • December 29, 2020 Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is leading a deployment effort to get the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to 339 Skilled Nursing Facilities in Los Angeles County by the end of 2020, and 59 facilities have already received it as of Tuesday.
Nursing facilities account for 5% of California’s COVID-19 cases but 35% of its deaths, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Joint Information Center.
“Skilled Nursing Facilities have been hit hard by COVID-19, accounting for close to 3,000 deaths,” Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
About 69,000 vaccines will be sent to the facilities in the next few days. A majority of the facilities reported that they do not need assistance receiving and administering the vaccines to staff and residents, but officials will be deploying mobile teams to assist with vaccine education, registration and delivery.
County officials will provide logistics and administration support for facilities in the county, while the city, led by Garcetti’s office and the Los Angeles Fire Department, will provide that support for the facilities within the city.
“Our city’s number one responsibility is to preserve the health and safety of our residents — especially the most vulnerable — and with the arrival of these vaccines, our first priority must be protecting the folks hardest hit by this pandemic, from healthcare workers to the staff and residents of skilled nursing facilities,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
“True progress is made through partnerships, and the city is proud to work alongside the county, Curative, CORE and LAFD to first bring free testing to our communities and now to support the effort to vaccinate Angelenos.”
Curative, which was founded in Los Angeles, has been one of the city’s partners to provide free COVID-19 testing to Los Angeles County residents during the pandemic.
“As we enter this new phase of the pandemic, we’re building on everything we learned over the last year at Curative and we look forward to making healthcare more accessible to all: both now and in the future as we evolve as a company,” Curative co-founder and CIO Isaac Turner said.
Filed Under: Health, Home
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Incredible Facts About The Bay Area’s Diminishing Ghost Fleet
Ned Cogswell
Unbeknownst to many in the Bay Area, a gigantic surplus of steel, armory and weapons was once housed just a few miles from the city of San Francisco. Often called the ‘Mothball Fleet’ or the ‘Ghost Fleet’, the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet is basically an open-air shipyard run by the United States Maritime Administration. Started in 1946, the shipyard has housed thousands of ships and has created a legacy as one of the largest military holding areas in the United States. In this brief article we will detail seven facts about this fascinating piece of Bay Area history.
Suisun Bay was named after the Suisunes Tribe of Northern California
The Suisunes people (also called Suisun or the ‘People of the West Wind’) were a Native American tribe that lived in the Suisun Marsh region of Northern California. This relatively small tribe survived off a basic diet of acorns, fish and miners lettuce. Their main village, Yulyul, was believed to have been located where Rockville is today. The actual Suisun Marsh is also the largest brackish water marsh on the west coast and supports nearly 80% of the states commercial salmon fisheries by providing regions of water where juvenile salmon can grow and mature.
Aerial photo of the Suisun Bay. Benicia to the left, Martinez to the right, and Fairfield/Suisun City to the north @Ryanloney/Wikipedia
Before it moved to Los Angeles in 2011, the historically important USS Iowa was housed in Suisun Bay for ten years
This massive 45,000 ton, 900 foot battleship was commissioned in 1943 and served as one of the most important battleships in the entire United States Navy. In 1943, she ferried Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Algeria on his first leg of a major journey to Tehran where he met Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to discuss plans for the war in Europe. (There was even a special Roosevelt bathtub installed for his journey). The Iowa went on to serve the Pacific Fleet in WWII where she shelled the beachheads of Kwajalein and Eniwetok before Allied landings. During the Korean War she bombarded the North Korean coast, and she was finally decommissioned in 1990. She arrived at Suisun Bay in 2001 and stayed there for ten years until she was sailed down to Los Angeles to become a floating museum.
Iowa fires a full broadside of nine 16-inch (410 mm)/50-caliber and six 5-inch (130 mm)/38 cal guns during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, on 1 July 1984. Shock waves are visible in the water @ Phan J. Alan Elliott/Wikipedia
By September 30, 2017, the mothball fleet will be completely dismantled and/or moved due to environmental concerns
Over the years, the Ghost Fleet has been slowly dismantled or shipped to other locations. Today, only a few small ships grace Suisun Bay, which is supposed to be empty in early 2017. Most of the ships have either been sold at auctions or sold for scrap to foreign or domestic buyers. In the terms of settlement regarding the ships in Suisun Bay, there were certain clauses that state: hazardous paint debris collected on vessel decks will be removed within 120 days, the ships will be sent to a local drydock for cleaning before their removal (to remove marine growth from the underwater hull and to clean flaking paint from areas above the water), and the horizontal surfaces of the obsolete ships will be cleaned every 90 days to prevent peeling paint from getting into the water.
Ships at Suisun Bay, California. Note USS Iowa (BB-61) on the bottom end of the second row from the bottom @ USGS/Wikipedia
On April 28th 2004, a petroleum pipeline spilled 2,950 barrels into the Suisun Marsh
Due to a corroded pipeline, nearly 123,774 gallons of mid-grade diesel oil spilled into the Suisun Marsh. The Pipeline was owned by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, and many indigenous animals that thrived in the beautiful marsh were injured or killed. There was various documentation of birds covered in oil seen near San Francisco, but no real investigation was ever taken to understand the major ecological impact. The spill was luckily contained to a relatively small area (around 200 acres) but still caused major problems for the wildlife. Kinder Morgan was forced to pay millions of dollars in fines due to knowledge of a corroded pipeline and negligence of operations. Strangely enough, in the same year, Kinder Morgan had a pipeline explode in Walnut Creek when a backhoe pierced a different metal pipeline running to San Jose.
Suisun Marsh @ USFWS photo, Steve Martarano/Wikipedia
It was also the home to the GSF Explorer, formerly known as the USNS Hughes Glomar Explorer, a deep-sea drillship platform initially built to recover the sunken Soviet submarine K-129, which was lost in 1968
Another incredibly interesting ship that was housed at Suisun Bay was the $350 million ($1.6 billion today) GSF Explorer. The ship was built by the United States Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division and was a major part of the top secret Project Azorian, which intended to recover the sunken Soviet submarine K-129. The Soviet submarine mysteriously sank (one of four only major submarine disappearances), and the CIA created this ship with the intent to retrieve its nuclear codes and missiles nearly three miles under the ocean surface. The CIA also created a cover story in which it stated that the vastly expensive ship was to be used in commercial manganese nodule mining. The ship wasn’t used for much else and was mothballed for many years at Suisun before it was eventually scrapped to a Chinese company.
Color photo of the Hughes Glomar Explorer @ U.S. Government/Wikipedia
There were major environmental issues related to storing ships in Suisun Bay, as heavy metals and anti-fouling agents in shipboard paint peeled off the vessels and contaminated the surrounding area
Unknown to many officials, the storage of the Mothball Fleet at Suisun Bay created major environmental issues due to rusting metal and shipboard paint contaminating the nearby waterways. After public outcry due to lax environmental standards, Congress assigned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to oversee a program to deal with the toxic waste. The plan is now in its final stages, and the environmental eye-sore will be soon removed from the Bay Area. Although the Ghost Fleet was certainly an interesting sight for many Bay Area residents, it was essentially an environmental hellhole where these mammoth industrial projects were left to rust and rot away. If you do plan on catching a glimpse of the fleet, you should go now before the remaining ships are scrapped.
Mothballed fleet @ User jitze/Wikipedia
Although it is illegal to visit the ships, daring urban explorers have explored the ships and documented the creepy, rotting innards of the once majestic ghost fleet
Many urban explorers have taken it upon themselves to document the interiors of these once glorious items of the past. The pictures that come out of these adventures are often breathtaking and give an incredible insight into American maritime history. Fair warning for all those possible urban explorers: entering the ships is a federal crime, and security boats do patrol the area at all hours. The areas are also incredibly unsafe and contain various toxic materials. Although we are sure glad to have these incredible photos, we might just want leave this to the urban exploring daredevils.
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The TPP will create American jobs
By Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-La.) — 11/18/13 07:17 PM EST
Living here in the United States, it is easy for us to forget that over 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of our borders. Because of this, American exports continue to serve as one of the largest drivers of economic growth domestically.
My home state of Louisiana reported record-breaking export numbers in 2012, proving that even in today’s challenging economic times, American commodities are still in high demand across the globe. Trade plays an important role in empowering our nation, growing its economy, creating domestic jobs and enhancing American competitiveness in the global chain of commerce.
Trade transcends party lines here in Washington, and it unifies stakeholders across the globe. The United States has the rare benefit of being both an Atlantic and Pacific coast nation. This serves as a competitive advantage for our nation’s exporters, as over 40 percent of international consumers are in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most of the world’s recent economic growth has been and is projected to be in the Asia-Pacific region for years to come. Focusing efforts to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement sends the clear message to our global partners that the U.S. remains firmly committed to addressing 21st century trade issues.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement between the U.S. and the following 11 Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
The TPP supports economic growth and job creation in America while expanding access for American goods and services in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2012, trade exports supported 9.8 million domestic jobs, up 1.3 million from 2009. In Louisiana, over 200,000 jobs are supported by trade with TPP countries. Trade is a source of strength and an engine of growth for America.
The TPP agreement provides the U.S. with an opportunity for export growth while addressing a range of important tariff and non-tariff barriers that currently impede trade with these same countries. Those involved in the TPP negotiations are sending a bold message to the rest of the world by addressing the need for a robust and substantive agreement while setting modern standards.
Completion of the TPP will enhance trade and usher in 21st century rules affecting many consumers from Kuala Lumpur to Canberra, Santiago to South Louisiana, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Best of all, it will open dialogue and facilitate new trade relationships with global partners across the world. Now that’s something we should all get behind.
Boustany has represented Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District (formerly the 7th Congressional District) since 2005. He sits on the Ways and Means Committee and is co-chairman of the newly formed Trans-Pacific Partnership Caucus.
Tags International trade Non-tariff barriers to trade International relations
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The Monroe Sun (https://themonroesun.com/democrats-hope-to-end-one-party-rule-in-monroe/)
Democrats hope to end one party rule in Monroe
By Bill Bittar | September 19, 2019
Patricia Paniccia, the Democratic Town Committee chair, talks to supporters at a meet and greet event at Monroe Social on Main Street Wednesday. At left is incumbent Councilwoman Dee Dee Martin and Town Council candidates, from left, are Sue Koneff and incumbent Jason Maur.
Town Democrats are running a diverse slate of candidates this November with the goal of winning a majority on the Town Council and flipping the treasurer’s office from red to blue.
Democratic Town Committee Chair Patricia Paniccia said it is unfortunate that First Selectman Ken Kellogg, the Republican incumbent, faces no challenger this election, but she expressed excitement about her party’s Town Council candidates.
“These people are the ones who really make the policy and make the decisions for the town of Monroe, more than the first selectman. It rests with them,” she told supporters at a gathering at Monroe Social Wednesday night.
Republicans, who hold majorities on every town board and commission, have held a six-to-three majority on the Town Council for many years, but this year Democrats are running a full complement of six candidates.
Sue Koneff, left, a former registrar, is running for the Town Council with incumbent Dee Dee Martin, right, in an effort to swing the majority of council membership to the Democratic side of the aisle.
“Unfortunately for us, as citizens of Monroe, right now it’s a one party system,” Paniccia said, “and let’s face it, one party doesn’t work. You’re not listening to anybody else’s ideas. It’s a rubber stamp, because they’re doing what they want and not listening to anybody else.”
“So if you want to have more of a voice in town and what happens and the policies, these are the people you have to support,” she said of the Democrats’ slate, “and they can’t get elected without our help.”
Paniccia urged those in attendance to go to the polls on Nov. 5, to knock on doors and to get all of their friends and relatives to vote.
Veterans and newcomers
Christa DeLeo is a Democrat challenging incumbent town treasurer, Pat O’Hara, who is a Republican.
Treasurer Pat O’Hara, the Republican incumbent, faces a challenge from Democrat, Christa DeLeo.
“We know she’ll be great,” Paniccia said of DeLeo. “She knows a lot of people in town and we’ll be pulling those people out and supporting the rest of the ticket.”
There are 12 candidates running for nine Town Council seats. Due to rules on minority representation, one party can have a maximum of six seats.
The Republicans are running six candidates: incumbent Chairman Frank Lieto, incumbent Vice Chairman Enid Lipeles, incumbents Terry Rooney, Kevin Reid and Sean O’Rourke. Jonathan Formichella is also vying for a seat.
The Democrats are running incumbents Dee Dee Martin, Jennifer Aguilar and Jason Maur. Former councilwoman Phyllis Kansky, Spencer Wesley and former registrar of voters Susan Koneff are also challenging for seats.
On Wednesday, Paniccia asked the Democrats’ Town Council candidates to gather around her.
“This is a fantastic slate, mixed of newcomers,” she said. “Spencer hasn’t been involved in politics yet and he is stepping forward, because he loves Monroe and he wants to make a difference.”
“Dee Dee is our longest serving Town Council member and Jen and Jason are both incumbents and are running again,” Paniccia added. “And Sue, who’s been on the Democratic Town Committee, she’s the vice chair. She’s also a past registrar of voters and is stepping up to serve even more people as a member of the Town Council.”
Kansky was not able to attend Wednesday’s event. She is a former Town Hall employee who had served for two terms on the Town Council and ran for first selectman in 2011.
“I’m excited about the candidates,” Martin said. “We have a wonderful blend of experience. Spencer Wesley is 27, a Masuk grad who was born and raised in Monroe. He brings new ideas and Phyllis has forgotten more than most people know about Monroe. She just brings a lot of history.”
Spencer Wesley, a Democrat running for a seat on the Town Council, is flanked by his mother, LoriAnne, left, and his sister, Taylor Anne, right.
Wesley graduated from the University of Connecticut when he was 22 and enlisted in the Army, where he served for two years. He is now in the Army Reserve.
He said the condition of Cottage Street, where his family lives, is poor. “After the last election, they didn’t do anything about it,” Wesley said of the town’s Republican leadership. “They don’t feel the need to fix our roads, because they’re always going to get the vote.”
If elected, Wesley said he will focus on infrastructure, education and controlling spending.
Lauren Gray, a representative of U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, was a special guest at Wednesday’s event, where people could meet the candidates and make a donation if they chose to.
“It’s great to be here and support good candidates and see this great energy in Monroe,” Gray said. “They are qualified candidates, ready to lead.”
Monroe voters see red as GOP sweeps to election day victories
First Selectman Ken Kellogg ran unopposed and his fellow Republican candidates won handily in Tuesday’s municipal election, maintaining a 6-3 majority on the Town Council. Town Treasurer Patrick O’Hara, the Republican incumbent, easily fended off a challenge from Democrat, Christa DeLeo, in the only other contested race.
One thought on “Democrats hope to end one party rule in Monroe”
Patricia Curtis on September 20, 2019 at 8:39 pm said:
Sue, Wishing you the best of luck on Election Day! Monroe will be very fortunate to have you on the Town Council. Go Democrats!!! Pat & Bob
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North Las Vegas is a melting pot of desert valleys, panoramic vistas, and dynamic development. North Las Vegas is home to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Nellis Air Force Base.
As one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Nevada, North Las Vegas is a melting pot of desert valleys, panoramic vistas and dynamic development. Many people are surprised to learn that the city is actually separate from Las Vegas, with an entirely new set of attractions and appeal all is own. And, while it may not boast the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, visitors will find no shortage of gaming venues in North Las Vegas, including the impressive Cannery Casino and Hotel.
North Las Vegas is home to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where you can attend Nevada’s only NASCAR event, or get behind the wheel to race luxury cars at Exotics Racing. Nellis Air Force Base is also in North Las Vegas, which includes the Weapons Museum…one of the best-kept tourism secrets in the state and a must-see for military buffs. Visitors to North Las Vegas will also be excited to peruse one of the many museums, expansive parks or impressive golf courses.
The city of North Las Vegas is situated at the northern edge of the Las Vegas Valley, where recreational endeavors are never-ending. Travelers can enjoy just about any outdoor activity here, including hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, sightseeing and camping. Also, the alluring Lake Mead National Recreation Area is just minutes away, with over 500 miles of shoreline to enjoy. Also, Mt. Charleston, Nevada’s fifth tallest peak and most ultra-prominent mountain is right around the corner, which makes for a cooler retreat in the sweltering summer months and a cozy mountain getaway during wintertime. A quick 30-minute drive to the Spring Mountains is the ticket to skiing at Lee Canyon, hiking and picnicking, and also a great place to get up close and personal with the Bristlecone Pine Tree, the oldest living thing on earth. Surprisingly, the Spring Mountains are home to the largest population of the Bristlecone Pine in the Intermountain West and is just minutes from the bustling metropolis below.
Also known for an array of festivities, North Las Vegas hosts Taste & Tunes, a celebration of culture, heritage and music in the form of cooking demonstrations, concerts, dancing, boxing and even a salsa contest! Also, at various parks throughout the city, Movie Madness offers free flicks under the stars on a giant mobile movie screen—a perfect family outing.
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#FUNDCOURAGE: PROJECT BLACKBIRD
ACTIVISTS: Candace is the founder of Project Blackbird and a human rights activist who works to inspire collective healing, wellness, and the liberation of women, queer, non-binary, and trans communities.
CONTEXT: Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of incarceration for women and people of color in the USA, many of whom are serving disproportionately long sentences. In particular, Oklahoma’s ‘failure to protect’ law often results in women being penalized for child abuse carried out by their male partners. When criminal justice reforms were enacted in 2019, Project Blackbird seized the opportunity to put the spotlight on the case of Tondaloa Hall, who was serving 15 years behind bars under these exact circumstances.
IMPACT: Ten days after receiving a grant from Urgent Action Fund, Project Blackbird succeeded in its campaign for Tondaloa’s release. As a result of a legal challenge and Candice’s advocacy, Oklahoma’s governor commuted Tondaloa’s 30-year sentence. This victory sent a clear signal that the time is now to bring justice to the countless other women still behind bars for their abuser’s crimes.
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California vegan egg startup Eat Just yokes itself to China's fast food chain
Rita Liao
Eat Just, a food startup from San Francisco making chicken-less eggs, has ambitions to crack the Chinese market where consumer appetite for plant-based food is growing and other Western vegan substitute brands like Beyond became available in recent quarters.
The startup said this week it will be suppling to fast-food chain Dicos, a local rival to McDonald's and KFC in China. The agreement will see Eat Just add its plant-based eggs to the restaurant's breakfast items across more than 500 locations. The eggs are derived from a legume called mung beans, which have long been a popular ingredient for soup, noodles and dessert in China.
At Dicos in major Chinese cities, consumers will find Eat Just eggs in breakfast burgers, bagel sandwiches and Western-style breakfast plates. That diversifies the Dicos plant-based menu, which already includes a vegan chicken burger supplied by local startup Starfield. Dicos also offers a gateway into China's low-tier cities where it has built a stronghold and can potentially help evangelize plant-based proteins in communities beyond China's urban yuppies. The chain operates a total of 2,600 stores in China and serves 600 million customers a year.
Eat Just first entered China in 2019 and currently generates less than 5% of its revenue from the country, Andrew Noyes, head of global communications at Eat Just, told TechCrunch. But over time, the company expects China to account for more than half of its revenue. Ten of its 160 employees are based in China.
Eat Just's vegan egg recipe / Photo: Eat Just
"We have been intentional about starting small, going slow and hiring people who know the market and understand how to build a sustainable business there. We've also been focused on finding the right partners to work with on downstream manufacturing, sales and distribution, and that work continues," said Noyes.
The partnership with Dicos arrived on the heels of Eat Just's announcement to set up an Asia subsidiary. The nine-year-old company, formerly Hampton Creek, has raised over $300 million from prominent investors, including Li Ka-Shing, Peter Thiel, Bill Gates and Khosla Ventures. It was last valued at $1.2 billion.
Before its tie-up with Dicos, Eat Just had already been selling online in China through Alibaba and JD.com among other retail channels. Its China business is currently growing by 70% year-over-year.
While there's no shortage of strong competition in the plant-based food race in China, Eat Just claims it's taken a unique angle by zeroing in on eggs.
"Plant-based meat companies offer products that pair deliciously with Just Egg," the brand name of the startup's main product, Noyes noted.
"Plant-based foods are increasing in popularity among Chinese consumers and more sustainable eating is becoming part of a national dialogue about the feeding of the country in the future. China produces about 435 billion eggs per year and demand for protein is increasing."
Indeed, Euromonitor predicted that China, the world's largest meat-consuming country, would see its "free from meat" market size grow to $12 billion by 2023, compared to $10 billion in 2018.
Beyond Burger arrives in Alibaba’s grocery stores in China
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One man is on a mission to identify the masks that offer the best protection from COVID-19. Here's what he found.
Joshua Eaton
·Contributor
18 December 2020, 12:47 pm ·10-min read
When Aaron Collins sat down to talk, he’d just come from fitting workers at his child’s daycare with high-quality masks. He said they were skeptical at first, but he convinced them it would be a good way to market themselves to parents who are anxious about the coronavirus.
“That’s what I do. I look for ways to spread the gospel of KF94s, like I’m a Johnny Appleseed of protective face masks,” he said, referring to a type of mask made in South Korea.
Collins is a mechanical engineer for a technology company — a job that is unrelated to masks. But he also occupies a niche that government and industry haven’t yet been able to fill. Since August, the self-described “citizen scientist” has been trying to make it easier for Americans to find high-quality face masks that will protect them and others from COVID-19 without taking supplies away from frontline medical workers.
To do that, Collins set up an aerosol lab in his bathroom and started sharing the results with his YouTube subscribers. Some of his videos show him hooking up masks to testing equipment as he jots down numbers on a piece of paper next to the sink. In others, he runs down what he’s learned about different masks and which ones he prefers. He also breaks down the science of how masks work and how to wear them effectively.
Underneath the videos are links where people can buy the masks Collins recommends. He said he doesn’t get any money from those sales and hasn’t monetized his videos in any other way — and doesn’t plan to in the future. He currently has almost 800 subscribers to his channel.
Screengrab via Yahoo News Video
“I’m just going to find as many good masks as I can and then publish all that,” he said. “And then people can kind of figure out which ones they like and what’s in stock and what their price point is.”
Getting many Americans to wear any mask at all has been an uphill battle. For weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, public health officials in the U.S. said that the highest quality masks, like surgical masks and N95s, should be reserved for health care workers, while insisting that homemade cloth masks would do little to stop the coronavirus from spreading.
In early April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally reversed course and recommended that Americans wear cloth face coverings in public. Meanwhile, masks had turned partisan. President Trump mocked Fox News host Laura Ingraham for wearing a mask at one of his campaign rallies as late as the end of October, and polls show there’s still a party divide in mask use.
Lost in the political debate was a scientific discussion over what sorts of masks people — outside of a health care setting — should wear.
That’s where Collins came in. He had written his master’s thesis at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities on the science of aerosols — tiny particles, like smoke or certain viruses, that can hang suspended in the air for long periods of time and travel far from their source. After graduating, he spent years building instruments to count and describe those particles.
He also read about severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, a different coronavirus that emerged in Asia in 2003 and killed more than 750 people. So when COVID-19 started to spread around the world earlier this this year, Collins suspected it might also be spread through aerosols. If that were the case, then masks would provide an obvious benefit.
After health authorities in the U.S. began encouraging the use of cloth masks, he was hopeful that the general public would start to adopt better masks, like the N95s used by doctors and nurses, but those were in short supply. It soon became clear that N95s were not going to be widely available to the public. “So by July or August I was like, ‘Uh-oh, we’re in trouble,’” Collins recalled. “First of all, half the country doesn’t believe masks do anything. And there’s clearly no ramp-up of N95s.”
A woman in New York wears a protective face mask in November. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
In the U.S., two kinds of disposable masks are used in health care settings. Surgical masks are loose-fitting, single-use masks that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. They don’t offer much protection from airborne particles. N95 masks — officially called “respirators” — form a tight seal on the face and filter out at least 95 percent of most airborne particles. They’re tested and certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, which is part of the CDC.
NIOSH also certifies other types of respirators, like N99s and P100s, that offer even higher levels of protection than N95s. “In normal, non-pandemic times, these are used by the guy or the girl in the steel foundry or the dust plant,” said Ron Shaffer, a scientist who spent over 15 years at NIOSH testing masks and other personal protective equipment.
The U.S. doesn’t have a mask standard that’s less than an N95 but more than a surgical or cloth mask, something that is widely available and will filter out small particles but doesn’t need to meet the high medical or industrial standards of an N95.
In other words, there isn’t a respirator for the people. That’s where Collins comes in with his work in trying to identify the best mask easily available for purchase.
What Collins focused on were KF94s and Chinese-made KN95s. Each country has different standards for respirator masks, so unlike the N95s, these aren’t certified to U.S. standards. But unlike cloth and surgical masks, they seal against the wearer’s face and are designed to filter out small aerosol particles. They’re also increasingly available in the U.S.
“It sits between a surgical mask and an N95,” Collins said. “Which is what I like to call, and I don’t know if it’s the best term, a ‘general population mask’ or a ‘general population respirator.’”
Collins said these masks came out of Asia’s experiences with SARS and another coronavirus called Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS.
While China and South Korea were hit hard by those epidemics, the U.S. was largely untouched. And with N95s readily available until this year, there hasn’t been demand for widely available protective masks that fill that gap — despite their potential usefulness during wildfire season.
N95 masks are still not widely available to the general public in the U.S. (Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters)
Collins decided to start testing masks because he noticed, with KN95 masks especially, that it’s hard to know if what you’re buying is legit. When NIOSH started testing Chinese KN95s this year, it found wide variation between different brands of masks that were supposed to meet the same standard — and even between different samples of the same brand. In May, the CDC withdrew an emergency use authorization from several brands of Chinese KN95 masks because they didn’t filter out at least 95 percent of small particles, as promised.
NIOSH’s standards, like the N95, include quality controls to ensure consistency. “For some of the other standards out there, it’s just not as rigorous,” Shaffer said.
Luckily, Collins already had all the equipment he needed to test face masks in his basement. His setup looks complicated, but the basic idea is simple. A device called an aerosol generator spews out tiny particles using salt and water. (Collins does the tests in his bathroom because it’s small enough to fill up with a lot of particles quickly.) A second device called a condensation particle counter counts how many particles are in the room. Then it counts how many particles are inside the mask Collins is wearing, which is hooked up to the condensation particle counter through a plastic tube that allows the device to sample the air from inside the mask.
By comparing the number of particles inside the mask with the number of particles outside it, Collins can calculate how good the mask is at filtering particles out.
He said he’s spotted a number of knockoff masks since he started testing in July. Many of those tests never made it onto his YouTube channel, he said, because he wanted to focus on telling people where they can find good masks rather than proving he can find bad ones. But one KN95 mask he’s tested had a filtration efficiency of only about 67.4 percent, far less than the 95 percent they’re supposed to be rated at.
“Don’t buy random Amazon or eBay KN95s,” he said in the video after he tested the mask.
Collins isn’t completely opposed to KN95 masks; he recently released a video that included his top KN95 suggestions. But he said that the South Korean KF94 masks he’s tested have shown much more consistent quality. That’s one reason why his top recommendations are all KF94s.
Collins tests an Amazon KN95 mask. (Screengrab via Aaron Coliins/YouTube)
“Every KF94 mask I’ve tested that has come out of South Korea has been legit, which is amazing to me,” Collins told Yahoo News. “And they’re not skirting by at 95 percent. I mean, these masks I’m checking are all at 99 percent-plus filtration efficiency.”
Many of the KF94s he recommends are imported by Be Healthy, a Korean beauty and health supplies store based in New Jersey that also sells masks on its website. Others come from specialty online retailers like Bona Fide Masks. But Collins said he’s been impressed with the KN95 masks carried at big box stores.
When it comes to protective masks like KN95s and KF94s, Collins also recommends against popular at-home tests like seeing whether water bleeds through the mask, whether you can blow out a flame while wearing it or whether you can smell with it on. A lot of bad masks will pass those tests, he said, while many legitimate ones won’t.
Collins said he recently bought 1,000 KF94s that he plans to donate to local food pantries — part of his mission to spread the masks far and wide.
While he recommends the KF94s, Collins is quick to say that a cloth face mask is better than no mask at all. One cloth mask he tested on his YouTube channel filtered about 52.6 percent of small particles.
As for him and his wife, they have two favorite brands of KF94s that they usually wear when they leave the house: the BOTN, which Collins says fits larger faces well, and the Bluna Facefit, which runs a little smaller. In a nod to style, they almost always choose the versions that come in black, rather than the clinical-looking white ones.
For KF94s, Collins also recommends the LG Airwasher Basic, the Bon Blue 3D and the Dr. Puri, which has even been tested by NIOSH. For KN95s, he recommends the Powecom and the Arun.
Different masks will fit better on different faces, and fit makes a big difference in how well a mask works. So Collins recommends trying one out to see how it fits before stocking up.
During a recent interview over Zoom, Collins said he and his wife may have found a new favorite, something he called “the future of protective face masks.” He held up a KF94 printed with a striking floral pattern that made it look more like a piece of brocade silk than a piece of personal protective equipment. He plans to feature it in a future video.
“It’s everything that we see with cloth face masks, right?” Collins said. “People want cool designs. People want something that’s comfortable. But imagine getting that and having the protection that comes with it.”
The 2020 election wasn't 'stolen.' Here are all the facts that prove it.
Trump's desperate gambit to stay in office alarms Europeans, who know about coups
In liberal San Francisco, white responses to George Floyd's killing proved revealing
What Biden's Cabinet picks signal about his presidency
Safeguard controversial statues and put them in context, minister says
Humbled Trump seeks warmer welcome in Florida
It follows the dumping of the Colston statue into Bristol Harbour by protestors.
President Donald Trump will leave Washington in disgrace next week, destined for a warmer welcome in Florida, where some supporters are so gung-ho they recently wrote his name on the back of a fat, lumbering manatee.
Scientist findings in Tanzania show how ancient humans used tools 2 million years ago
The concentration of stone tools and animal fossils was evidence both humans and fauna gathered around water sources in Olduvai Gorge
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Venganza Media Gazette
Tech, TV, Movies, Games, and More
Corn Connection: Isaac isn’t only one returning for ‘666’
The sixth installment in the neverending enduring Children of the Corn series sees the return of a star from the original film. It’s not Linda Hamilton.
It’s no secret either, as the title gives it away; this is the film that brings back child cult leader Isaac (John Franklin). You can hear the actor introduce this week’s episode of Now Playing Podcast, in which the hosts also explain how Franklin played a critical role in getting the 1999 sequel made.
As it turns out, he’s not the only familiar face (familiar used loosely). Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return features a pair of famous genre stars, along with a few names who are returning to the Corn series as new characters.
That turns out to be great news for this week’s Corn Connection, as you’ll be able to get away from the fields and enjoy some of the better films reviewed in the Now Playing archives.
Nancy Allen (Rachel) – Carrie Retrospective, Robocop Retrospective, Poltergeist Retrospective
Nancy Allen is one of those stars who gets a lot of coverage on Now Playing Podcast. Not only did she make an appearance in last fall’s Carrie retrospective, but her work in the Robocop series was profiled earlier this year, and she showed up in the Poltergeist donation series. The latter was available exclusively to donors.
Stacy Keach (Doc Michaels) – Batman Retrospective
Keach’s resume goes back decades, but the actor only appears one other time in the Now Playing archives; he voiced Carl Beaumont and the murderous Phantasm in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
John Franklin (Isaac) – Children of the Corn Retrospective, Child’s Play Retrospective
It’s all about Isaac.
Franklin, as mentioned above, returns to the Corn series more than a decade after he starred in the original film. Franklin also did voice work for the first Child’s Play film, which was reviewed on Now Playing but released exclusively to donors.
Gary Bullock (Zachariah) – Robocop Retrospective, Children of the Corn Retrospective
Bullock just showed up in the previous Corn film, credited as “Farmer.”
This isn’t the first time he’s appeared in a series as two different characters; Bullock also appeared as “Hack Doctor” in Robocop 2 and then as “Gas Station Clerk” in Robocop 3.
William Prael (Jake) – Children of the Corn Retrospective
This is where it gets silly. Prael, like Bullock and Franklin, also has a previous Corn film on his resume. He appeared in Children of the Corn IV, where he is credited as “Concerned Father.”
It’s not over, there are still three Corn films to go. And, as Arnie teases in this week’s episode, there’s a very familiar face to look forward to next week.
Did we miss anyone? If you spot an actor or actress with a connection to Now Playing Podcast leave a comment and help a fellow listener!
September 24, 2014 Posted by Jason Latham | Now Playing Podcast, Podcasts | Batman, batman mask of the phantasm, Carrie, Children of the Corn, children of the corn 666, gary bullock, isaac's return, john franklin, nancy allen, robocop, stacy keach, william prael | Comments Off on Corn Connection: Isaac isn’t only one returning for ‘666’
Corn Connection: Familiar faces in ‘Fields’
The Now Playing Podcast review of Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror went online Tuesday, and while I won’t spoil the review, I will say the film has something going for it; this entry boasts the most recognizable cast in the series.
That doesn’t mean they’re all A-listers. It just means I know who they are. I’ve seen them on TV or film, some in better productions and some in ones less noteworthy than the fourth Children of the Corn sequel.
Still, it’s a welcome relief after desperately scraping the bottom of IMDB to find connections in the previous Corn films.
Check out some of these names: Kane Hodder, Eva Mendes, David Carradine, Fred Williamson, Alexis Arquette, Ahmet Zappa. There are even more; actors and actresses I recognize from Escape from New York and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and Arquette’s not the only Pulp Fiction alum in the cast.
But as much as I enjoy seeing familiar faces, The Corn Connection doesn’t list their resumes, just their places in the Now Playing Podcast archives.
So let’s get started:
Kane Hodder (Bartender) – Friday the 13th Retrospective Series, Daredevil & Elektra Retrospective, Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses & Devil’s Rejects Retrospective Series
I thought it best to get Hodder out of the way first, because he’s Jason Voorhees!
Hodder played the iconic screen slasher in four Friday the 13th films, all of them covered during Now Playing’s first retrospective series in 2009.
I didn’t want to get into Hodder’s stunt credits, because I’m focusing on films where he portrayed a character.
You can also catch Hodder in the Now Playing Podcast review of 2003’s Daredevil, part of the Marvel Movie Retrospective. He also had an uncredited role in Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, a film reviewed by Now Playing in 2009.
Alexis Arquette (Greg) – Child’s Play Retrospective Series, Sometimes They Come Back Retrospective Series
At the time of Children of the Corn V’s release in 1998, Arquette already had a pretty good-sized resume, with roles in Pulp Fiction and Threesome. He was even the vampire DJ in 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer (something I learned just now).
Arquette’s breakout role would also come in 1998, when he co-starred in Adam Sandler’s The Wedding Singer. But this same year he also had a role as Jennifer Tilly’s doomed neighbor Damien in Bride of Chucky, a film that was covered by Now Playing, but was only available to donors.
The actor popped up again earlier this year when Now Playing covered Sometimes They Come Back… Again as part of the ongoing Stephen King retrospective.
Eva Mendes (Kir) – Ghost Rider Retrospective Series
Fields of Terror was the first film for Mendes, who was just a few years away from becoming a Hollywood star. Despite appearances alongside leading men such as Johnny Depp, Will Smith and Steven Seagal, Mendes only appears once in the Now Playing Podcast archives; when she co-starred with Nicolas Cage in 2007’s Ghost Rider.
Adam Wylie (Ezeekial) – Child’s Play Retrospective Series
Wylie was a child actor in the 90s who many people remember from his role on Picket Fences.
He appeared one other time in a film covered by Now Playing Podcast; 1990’s Child’s Play 2.
Gary Bullock (Farmer) – Robocop Retrospective Series
Bullock has credits in two films covered by Now Playing Podcast, playing separate characters in Robocop 2 and Robocop 3. He’s credited as “Hack Doctor” in the former, and “Gas Station Clerk” in the latter.
Edward Edwards (Lilly’s Father) – Robocop Retrospective Series
Mr. Edwards’ resume include a number of minor television and film credits, including the the role of “Manson” in 1987’s Robocop.
Danny Goldring (Mr. O’Brien) – Batman Retrospective Series
This actor is credited as “Grumpy” in 2008’s The Dark Knight, a film featured in Now Playing’s 2012 Batman Retrospective Series.
I had to research the name Grumpy, and I assumed he was one of the clowns who take part in the bank robbery that opens the film. I was right. Goldring is the one leading the robbery; he’s the one with the most lines, including the memorable, “What bus driver?”
So that’s a pretty good lineup for a Corn sequel. Before sneaking a peek at IMDB for next week’s entry, make sure you listen to this week’s episode of Now Playing Podcast.
September 17, 2014 Posted by Jason Latham | Now Playing Podcast, Podcasts | adam wylie, alexis arquette, bride of chucky, child's play, Children of the Corn, children of the corn V, danny goldring, edward edwards, eva mendes, Friday the 13th, gary bullock, ghost rider, house of 1000 corpses, kane hodder, Pulp Fiction, robocop, the dark knight, The Devil's Rejects | Comments Off on Corn Connection: Familiar faces in ‘Fields’
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Vince Hall
certified funeral celebrant
Graveside
Q. Why have a funeral?
What's the point. As difficult as it can be to discuss death, grief and funerals, it is ultimately more difficult to avoid the topic. For thousands of years, funerals have been a means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings about the death of someone we love.
The funeral ceremony:
helps us acknowledge that someone we love has died
allows us to say goodbye
helps us remember the person who died and encourages us to share those memories with others
offers a time and place for us to talk about the life and death of the person who dies
provides a social support system for us and other friends and family members
allows us to search for the meaning of life and death
offers continuity and hope for the living
Whether you choose burial or cremation, the major purpose of a funeral or other form of ceremony is to recognize a particular life, and to make real the fact that the life has ended. The remembering, deciding, and reflecting that takes place in the planning of the service are often an important part of the process of grief and mourning. Ultimately, this process of contemplation and discovery creates a memorable and moving funeral experience for all who attend.
We gather together to establish the significance of a life. Instead of dismissing the whole funeral process in an effort to escape the reality of death, we should work to make the funeral as meaningful and healing as possible. It is impossible to progress through grief without first facing the fact of the loss.
It is important to recognize that funerals are for the living ... for those who will suffer the trauma of losing a loved one. It is through the funeral process that a number of emotional needs are met for those who grieve.
A funeral is similar to other ceremonies in our lives. Like a graduation ceremony, a wedding, a baptism, a funeral is a rite of passage by which we recognize an important event that distinguishes our lives. The funeral declares a death has occurred.
The funeral is the first step in healing and has both psychological and social healing aspects.
It is often the initial step toward separation from the deceased to the beginning of the grief process and re-establishing a place in our community without the loved one.
The funeral ritual makes the death a reality for those who are bereaved.
The ritual of viewing the deceased may be seen by some as harsh and unnecessary and they may say "I just want to remember him the way he was ...", however, it is a reality and confirmation for the person grieving as to the finality of the loss, thus allowing them to begin the healing process. Funerals are often a time for remembering the deceased, and telling stories or memories, as well as rituals to help in the psychological healing. The funeral allows for the community to support the mourners, and gives structured time and interaction with members other than the family. Attending the funeral allows us to deal with the loss, say goodbye, and reaffirms the importance of living.
Q. What is a Certified Funeral Celebrant?
A Funeral Celebrant is trained and certified to provide a funeral, memorial or celebration of life service that is highly personalized to reflect the personality, lifestyle and beliefs of the person who died. Celebrants encourage participation by family and friends in helping to create a meaningful ceremony. The Celebrant then writes and facilitates the ceremony for you.
Q. Why Have A Funeral Celebrant?
A growing number of individuals call themselves non-religious and do not participate within a faith community. Also, many people follow a strong 'spiritual' path but are not necessarily 'religious'. For both groups, when someone they love dies, they are often unclear about how to design a tribute that is fitting. Friends and family often want to participate in the creation and presentation of personalized gathering, but may be uncomfortable or unable to speak publicly about death the the loss of a loved one. Funeral Celebrants support the individual or family decision to present a spiritual and/or non-religious gathering.
Q. What is an earth burial?
Earth burial is the practice of placing human remains in the ground. Most people are buried in cemeteries, although some states allow earth burial on residential property. Bodies are usually placed in a casket prior to burial, which can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. The dead can be buried fully clothed or not, and personal items may be placed in the casket as well. In addition to a the ground from shifting and becoming uneven over the years. Many cemeteries allow family and friends to hold ceremonies at the graveside prior to burial.
Q. What is Cremation?
Cremation is a process that uses intense heat to reduce the body to bone fragments. These are usually crushed or ground so that the ashes can be scattered. It takes two to four hours to cremate a body, and the cremated remains (sometimes called cremains) weigh four to eight pounds. Cremains may be stored in a box or urn at home, placed in a columbarium, buried in the earth, or scattered. Most crematories require that the body be cremated in a container. Federal law requires that all funeral homes offer an inexpensive cremation container for this purpose, however, you can choose to be cremated in an expensive casket. The crematory must be told if the body has a pacemaker or other metal implant so they can remove it prior to cremation.
Certified Funeral Celebrant Serving Kitchener/Waterloo/Hamilton Region
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New Releases for May 2018! from Osprey Publishing Ltd
New Releases for May 2018!, we have another fantastic set of new releases
Warship 2018
Warship 2018 is devoted to the design, development and service history of the world's combat ships. Featuring a broad range of articles from a select panel of distinguished international contributors, this latest volume combines original research, new book reviews, warship notes, an image gallery and much more to maintain the impressive standards of scholarship and research from the field of warship history.
This 40th edition features the usual range of diverse articles spanning the subject by an international array of expert authors.
Prior to Phil Stern's death on December 13, 2014, his original, unfinished, tattered wartime memoir was discovered, stashed away in an old folio box in his cluttered Hollywood bungalow. Best remembered for his iconic images of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and JFK's inauguration, his remarkable service during World War II as a combat photographer with Darby's Rangers has remained largely unknown. Until now.
Stern's catchy 1940s lingo, honest and intimate observations, and humor, paired with his striking combat photography, transport the reader 70 years back in time to meet the hardscrabble Rangers and experience some of the key battles of the Mediterranean Theater. Snapdragon is an artifact of that time, told not by a man reminiscing in his twilight years, but by a young soldier fresh from the battlefields.
The Spy Toolkit
Spies claim that theirs is the second oldest profession. Secret agents across time have had the same key tasks: looking and listening, getting the information they need and smuggling it back home. Over the course of human history, some amazingly complex and imaginative tools have been created to help those working under the cloak of supreme secrecy.
During the Second World War, British undercover agents were the heroes behind the scenes, playing a dangerous and sometimes deadly game - risking all to gather intelligence about their enemies. What did these agents have in their toolkits? What ingenious spy gadgets did they have up their sleeves? What devious tricks did they deploy to avoid detection? From the ingenious to the amusing, this highly visual book delves into espionage files that were long held top secret, revealing spycraft in action.
The United States Navy won such overwhelming victories in 1944 that, had the navy faced a different enemy, the war would have been over at the conclusion of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
However, in the moment of victory on 25 October 1944, the US Navy found itself confronting an enemy that had been inconceivable until it appeared. The kamikaze, 'divine wind' in Japanese, was something Americans were totally unprepared for; a violation of every belief held in the West. The attacks were terrifying: regardless of the damage inflicted on an attacking airplane, there was no certainty of safety aboard the ship until that airplane was completely destroyed.
Based on first-person accounts, Tidal Wave is the story of the naval campaigns in the Pacific from the victory at Leyte Gulf to the end of the war, in which the US Navy would fight harder for survival than ever before.
HMS Belfast Pocket Manual
A familiar sight on the Thames at London Bridge, HMS Belfast is a Royal Navy light cruiser, launched in March 1938. Belfast was part of the British naval blockade against Germany and from November 1942 escorted Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union and assisted in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June 1944 Belfast supported the Normandy landings and in 1945 was redeployed to the British Pacific Fleet. After the war she saw action in the Korean War and a number of other overseas actions. She has been part of the Imperial War Museum since 1978, with 250,000 visitors annually.
This fascinating book comprises a series of documents that give information on the building of the ship, her wartime service history and life on board.
American Knights
As the war began to swing in favour of the Allies, it became clear that no final defeat of the Third Reich would be possible until the armoured monsters of the Panzerwaffe were defeated. But who would, or even could, take on the mighty Tigers and Panthers, just a handful of which could stop entire formations in their tracks? The answer lay with the formation of a new type of unit, the Tank Destroyer Battalion.
This is the story of the men and machines that made up the very first Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 601st, from their unique training and formation, to the final, desperate battles in the heart of Nazi Germany. Packed with rare material, letters, diaries and previously unpublished photographs, and now available in paperback, this is an intense and intimate chronicle of the men who fought the Panzers in an astonishing 10 campaigns and 546 days of lethal combat.
Tenochtitlan 1519–21
In 1519, the Conquistador Hernán Cortés landed on the mainland of the Americas. His quest to serve God, win gold, and achieve glory drove him into the heartland of what is now Mexico, where no European had ever set foot before. He marched towards to the majestic city of Tenochtitlan, floating like a jewel in the midst of Lake Texcoco.
This encounter brought together cultures that had hitherto evolved in complete isolation from each other - Catholic Spain and the Aztec Empire. What ensued was the swift escalation from a clash of civilizations to a war of the worlds. At the conclusion of the Conquistador campaign of 1519-21, Tenochtitlan lay in ruins, the last Aztec Emperor was in chains, and Spanish authority over the native peoples had been definitively asserted.
With the colourful personalities - Cortés, Malinche, Pedro Alvarez, Cuitláhuac, Cuauhtémoc - driving the narrative, and the vivid differences in uniforms, weapons, and fighting styles between the rival armies (displayed using stunning specially commissioned artwork), this is the fascinating story of the collapse of the Aztec Empire.
US Marine vs German Soldier
After the US declaration of war on Germany, hundreds of thousands of American troops flooded into France and were thrust into the front line. Among them was the US Marine Corps' 4th Marine Brigade whose first major action was the battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, fighting elements of Germany's 10th, 28th, and 237th Infantry divisions. Volunteers to a man, the newly arrived Marines faced experienced but war-weary German conscripts whose doctrine had been honed by nearly four years of conflict on the Western Front. During the fighting, the Germans are alleged to have given the nickname "Devil Dogs” to the Marines, and Belleau Wood has become enshrined in the Corps' heritage.
Employing first-hand accounts and specially commissioned artwork, this book investigates three different actions that shaped the course of the bitter battle for Belleau Wood, revealing the interplay of doctrine, tactics, technology, leadership, and human endeavour on the brutal battlefields of World War I.
US Navy F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War 1969-73
Although the F-4 Phantom II was the most important fighter-bomber to see action with all three American services during the Vietnam War, it was essentially a U.S. Navy design, and the carrier-borne squadron crews were its main operators in combat.
The aircraft pioneered the use of long-range, radar-guided missiles in combat, although the majority of its Vietnam missions involved ground-attack with a variety of innovative ordnance. From 1968 to 1973 the Phantom II was the standard U.S. Navy fighter in Southeast Asia, having replaced several other types. Its performance and versatility enabled it to perform a variety of different missions, and switch roles as necessary, in the assault on some of the world's most heavily defended territory. Including detailed colour profiles and first-person commentary from active participants in the F-4's naval combat history, this is a detailed study of the U.S. armed services' most famous post-war fighter.
Cromwell vs Jagdpanzer IV
By 1944, the evolution of armoured doctrine had produced very different outcomes in Britain and Germany. Offering a good balance of speed, protection and firepower, the British Cromwell tank was much faster than its German opponent, but the Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer had a high-velocity main gun and a lower profile that made it formidable on the defensive, especially in ambush situations. The two types would fight in a series of bloody encounters, from the initial days of the struggle for Normandy through to its climax as the Allies sought to trap their opponents in the Falaise Pocket.
Using archive photographs, specially commissioned artwork and battle reports, this fascinating study expertly assesses the realities of tactical armoured combat during the desperate battles after D-Day.
Polish Legions 1914–19
Due to its partitions and dissolution in the late eighteenth century, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers enlisted in distinct units in the armies of many countries - primarily those of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, but also that of the German Reich and the French Republic.
All these forces were uniformed and equipped by the parent armies, though often with explicitly Polish features. The collapse of Tsarist Russia in 1917 and of the Central Powers in 1918 allowed these diverse forces to unite in a re-created Polish Army under the new-born Second Polish Republic in November 1918. With full colour illustrations of their unique and colourful uniforms as well as contemporary photographs, this is the fascinating story of the Poles who fought on both sides of the trenches in World War I and then united to fight for their freedom in the Russian Civil War.
Italian Cruisers of World War II
The Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) operated one of largest cruiser forces of World War II. As a signatory to the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, the Regia Marina immediately attempted to reinforce its treaty-limited battleship force by building seven large 10,000-ton heavy cruisers. Italian light cruisers also possessed an interesting design history and were involved in every major fleet engagement in the Mediterranean, as well as several smaller encounters with units of the British Royal Navy.
Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this fascinating volume examines the history of the Regia Marina's cruisers during World War II where they came up against the might of the British Royal Navy.
Labels: Osprey Publishing Ltd
Location: 186 Cumnor Hill, Cumnor, Oxford OX2 9PH, UK
Scots in Great War London: A Community at Home and...
Dambusters: The Forging of a Legend: 617 Squadron ...
ZGZ-108 Zugzwang from Baphominiatures
New Releases for June 2018! from Osprey Publishing...
Sunken Motorway Tiles from Uncertain Scenery
Miniature Wargames 423, July 2018
A-50 Kit In 1/144 from Zvezda
12mm French Giat 155mm GCT AUF self-propelled gun ...
12mm French AMX-30B2 from Butlers Printed Models
Baphominiatures
June 2018 Book Vote
The Swedish Army of the Great Northern War, 1700-1721
Half Hexes Now Available from Kallistra
Project Update #4: 10mm Caesarian Roman Army
Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy, 97, Aug-Sep 2018
Ancient Warfare XII. 2, Jul-Aug 2018
10mm Mexican Line Cavalry from Good Ground LLC
S & M Models
C-5B Galaxy from Roden
Timber Revetment Sections (pack of 2) from Battles...
2018 Top 10 Requests! for Pendraken Miniatures
The most awful situation 1814 in France from The W...
Humber Pig from P.G. Models
FV432 Rarden and CP from Aotrs Shipyards
12mm Dutch YPR-765 (AIFV) from Butlers Printed Models
T-34 Mickey Mouse Again from Pendraken Miniatures
New products in Resin from Pendraken Miniatures
Chinn House from Buildings in Turmoil
The Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21) from 1/144 Tank
10mm Bunker from The Baggagetrain
Mauler pre-order from TTCombat
Daggers pre-order from TTCombat
The Other Side Of The Wire Volume 3: With The XIV ...
TimeCast is Back Up & Running
Some More Vehicles Coming Soon from Pendraken Mini...
Military Miniatures (1966)
1/1200 Naval Range For The Battle of Lissa (1866)
Prebased Sherman Tank from Lancer Miniatures
Vine Sections from Battlescale
News from Lancer Miniatures
Improved Airspeed AS.58 Mk II Horsa II from Comba...
M5 Stuart & M4A3E2 Jumbo from Lancer Miniatures
Medieval Warfare VIII-3, Jul-Aug 2018
Sd Kfz 250 Neu Halftrack & Russian T34 Arrowhead M...
Wargames Illustrated 368, June 2018
10mm Caesarian Roman Army Kickstarter by Lancer Mi...
12mm American M109 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer f...
12mm WOMBAT from Butlers Printed Models
12mm Series 2 Land Rover from Butlers Printed Models
12mm Dutch M113 C&V (Lynx) from Butlers Printed Mo...
12mm Canadian Lynx C&R from Butlers Printed Models
12mm Canadian Air Defense Anti-Tank System (ADATS)...
1849-1866 Italians Now Available from Pendraken Mi...
Hot air balloon Meckatzer from Faller
4 - Piece Timber Framed Buildings Set from Battles...
Warzoom 10mm WW2 - Strategy game with action figur...
“Men who are Determined to be Free”: The American ...
Rifled Empires: Big Battles from 1850 to 1914
Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Budapest
20% off Aircraft of the Aces, Air Campaign, Combat...
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111 Places in Rio de Janeiro That You Must Not Miss
Cidade maravilhosa – a wonderful city. This is the world’s dream of the metropolis by the Sugarloaf Mountain. Truly, its location on Guanabara Bay is breathtaking, the joie de vivre of its people, the Cariocas, infectious, its enthusiasm for football legendary. This book takes you to 111 places that the locals love and find special. Meet an artist who paints like van Gogh and is passionate about showing visitors around his district. Go up to a little church at the summit of the city’s first favela, where a charming woman from northern Brazil keeps watch. See how 200,000 believers honour St George at four o’clock in the morning. Discover the strange, surprising and enchanting aspects of the world’s most beautiful city.
111 Places in Rio de Janeiro
That You Must Not Miss
Beate C. Kirchner
by Jorge Vasconcellos
Beate C. Kirchner
Beate C. Kirchner, born in Munich in 1960, studied political sciences in Florence and Munich and worked for many years as a senior editor on German consumer magazines. Today she works as a freelance journalist and author. She travelled to Brazil for the first time during her student years and lives in her adopted home for several months every year.
Jorge Vasconcellos
Jorge Vasconcellos, a native Carioca, studied at the Associação Brasileira de Artes Fotográfica (Brazilian Association of Photographic Arts), Estácio de Sá University and Cândido Mendes University. He organizes photography courses and tours in Rio de Janeiro and is co-owner of the photography agency ICON Foto Brasil. Expositions at FotoRio in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011, at Biennale of Fotografie of the City of Rio de Janeiro and at the Festival of Fotografie of Juiz de Fora, MG.
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HBO releases 14 photos from Game Of Thrones Season 8!
Rahul Jadhav
We are almost 2 months away from Game Of Thrones Season 8 premiere and it’s been some time since fans have been waiting for for the first trailer but it appears that the wait will be longer. Earlier this week fans were expecting the trailer to released during the Super Bowl but we just got a commercial that was a crossover between Game Of Thrones and Bud Light and now HBO has released 14 photos from Game Of Thrones Season 8.
It appears that we are getting closer to the first (and maybe final) trailer that we have been waiting for a long time but there are also some fans who feel that HBO shouldn’t release a trailer to make sure that they get a pure season 8 experience without having even the slightest information about what might happen but we are sure that a trailer will be released soon and till that time we can enjoy these 14 photos that have been released by HBO.
Let’s first take a quick look at the photos and we will be back with a detailed analysis very soon.
It’s clear that most of the important cast members are back at Winterfell. We already know that the season will begin with Jon and Daenerys arriving at Winterfell and that means other characters will also be present at Winterfell with them.
So Ser Davos is now back at Winterfell.
And we will get to see Lord Varys arrving at Winterfell for the first time.
We don’t know what Arya is looking at but she doesn’t look pleased.
Sansa appears to be sitting in the Great Hall at Winterfell. We never know what’s going on in her mind.
Bran Stark AKA the Three-Eyed Raven is sitting in his chamber and must be thinking how to tell Jon that Daenerys is his Aunt.
Samwell arrived in Winterfell in the 7th season and he must be really pleased to see Jon.
We can see Brienne in the Great Hall, surrounded by the Unsullied who have arrived at Winterfell for the first time.
Queen Daenerys seems to be pleased to be in Winterfell.
And where the Queen goes, the hand follows and Tyrion is finally back at Winterfell after the first season.
Jon is staring at someone at the courtyard in Winterfell or he might be worried thinking whether Sansa accepts Daenerys or not.
It appears that even Jaime Lannister has arrived in Winterfell but I can’t say for sure.
That means Cersei is all alone in King’s Landing with her minions. Her new gown looks stunning though!
She really seems lonely.
Finally, we have a picture of Jon and Daenerys and it feels like they are somewhere beyond the Wall but winter has finally arrived and it’s possible that they might be somewhere near Winterfell, waiting for the White Walkers to arrive.
What are your thoughts after seeing all these photos from Game Of Thrones Season 8?
Top 10 reunions we are excited for in Game of Thrones Season 8
Here are the best reactions to the Game of Thrones – Budweiser Super Bowl crossover
Founder at Wiki of Thrones and a full-time Game of Thrones fan who does other work when he has finished reading and writing about Game of Thrones and also dreams about playing a role in the show.
Sayantan Choudhary
Game of Thrones had plenty of social messages hidden in plain sight. Though it may not be too obvious, it was a representation of our own society. According to recent research, the fantasy show is very similar to real-world human interactions. That’s the reason why the show was such a big hit, people could relate to the characters. The series was a big platform to showcase the Domestic Abuse women face behind closed doors. Mother of Dragons, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), has come forward in support of them.
A post shared by @emilia_clarke
Emilia posted a picture on her Instagram with a heart symbol drawn on her hand. She captioned, “This is something I care deeply about, and a problem that is everywhere, but behind closed doors.
For far too many home isn’t a safe place for those living with domestic abuse. I want to reach out and connect to anyone reading this who may feel scared in their own homes during this time.
At home should not mean at risk – we support you. #YouAreNotAlone.
If you or anyone you know is at risk of, or experiencing domestic abuse, you can leave your home to seek refuge. The police will respond to your calls and support services remain available.
Call 999 if you are in immediate danger. If you can’t speak and are calling from a mobile, listen to the operator and, when prompted, dial 55 to be connected to the police who will help.
If you suspect a neighbour or someone you know is currently experiencing domestic abuse please do call 999 and let them take the situation forward.”
It’s time to raise our voices against the issue. Tell us how we can curb the violence in the comments below!
Even though the year 2020 has ruined so many holidays for us, we can’t let go of the festive mood. Christmas is around the corner, and it’s time for cakes, cookies and presents! Festivals are one of the few occasions that strengthen the bonds of a family. It seems like singer Joe Jonas is already a step ahead, gifting his wife Sophie Turner an early Christmas present. The Game of Thrones star was really happy about it and proudly showed it off on Instagram.
Joe gifted her a T-shirt covered in throwback photos of singer and actress Miley Cyrus. The top is emblazoned with the words ‘Hannah Montana’. It features photos of Cyrus both in character as the Disney icon Hannah, who she played between 2006 and 2011, and as herself after she had shed her Disney image.
“Thanks to the Hubbs of the year for my early Christmas gift,” Turner wrote alongside a photo of herself posing in her new item of clothing.
They welcomed their baby daughter Willa in July this year. Sophie has got a tattoo tribute to her daughter. She has the letter W inked on her wrist below the J she already had for her husband.
Send your best wishes to Sophie and her cute little family in the comments below! Merry Christmas to all of you!
Iain Glenn’s The Racer drops Exclusive Clips and Poster for the cycling drama
Game of Thrones ended more than a year ago. The fans of the fantasy series miss the show dearly. The cast of the show has moved on to newer projects. Kit Harington (Jon Snow) is busy shooting for Modern Love (And preparing for fatherhood as well). Iain Glenn (Ser Jorah Mormont) has completed the shooting of his upcoming movie The Racer.
Directed by Kieron J Walsh, the movie circles around a series of scandals that took place at the 1998 Tour de France. The film was the opening film for the Cork International Film Festival. Though fictional, The Racer shows the dangerous lengths teams will go to for a competitive edge. Iain Glen plays the team’s Mr Fixit with the syringes and vials, Sonny McElhone.
Vertigo Releasing will be releasing The Racer in UK cinemas and on streaming platforms from 18 December. The Racer was due to premiere at SXSW back in March before it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Empire.com has shared an exclusive clip from the movie along with a poster. Below are some snaps from the clip. Let’s check them out!
Are you excited about exploring the dark world of competitive cycling? Talk to us in the comments below!
Game of Thrones was an enchanting journey that lasted for nearly a decade. Some of the show’s cast was very...
Game of Thrones ended more than one and a half years ago. It was a beautiful journey for both the...
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Difference between revisions of "Spanish-Speaking"
Latest revision as of 16:15, 20 April 2012 (view source)
See links to more reading lists online at [http://delicious.com/alalibrary/bundle:Reading%20Lists http://delicious.com/alalibrary/bundle:Reading%20Lists].
See links to more reading lists online at [http://delicious.com/alalibrary/tag_bundle/Reading%20Lists http://delicious.com/alalibrary/tag_bundle/Reading%20Lists].
[[Category:Services to Special Populations]]
[[Category:User Services]]
[[Category:Selection]]
[[Category:Collection Development, Organization, and Services]]
1 Online Resources
4 Book Awards
Essential Guide to Spanish Reading: Librarian's Selections (PDF; 240 pages) Edited by Lluís Agustí; Translated by Eduardo de Lamadrid; Revised by Alina San Juan at America Reads Spanish, 2007
Essential Guide to Spanish Reading for Children and Young Adults (PDF; 221 pages) at America Reads Spanish, 2009
Nielsen US Top 20 Spanish Titles - The updated list (weekly) of Nielsen Top 20 Spanish bestseller titles in the US (as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets) -- for every week since the January 1st, 2010 to today -- at America Reads Spanish: Best Sellers
REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking - Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population in regards to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos. Be sure to see Information for libraries and librarians serving Latinos & Spanish- speaking communities page at the REFORMA website.
See links to more reading lists online at http://delicious.com/alalibrary/tag_bundle/Reading%20Lists.
NOTE: America Reads Spanish -- http://www.americareadsspanish.org -- is the name of the campaign sponsored by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade and the Spanish Association of Publishers Guilds, whose purpose is to increase the reading and use of Spanish through the auspices of thousands of libraries, schools and booksellers in the United States.
"Growing Up Latino in the U.S.A.: A Bibliography." Children & Libraries, vol. 2 no. 3 (Winter 2004) p. 19-20. "Prepared by the 2003/2004 ALSC International Relations Committee. Members included Chair Susan Cooper, Stephanie Bange, Helen Kay Kennedy, Kathy LaRocca, Charlene McKenzie, Gina Moon, Andrea Pavlik, and Carolyn Phelan. The Children's Services Committee of Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) planned the program, which took place June 24, 2004, at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.... This bibliography offers a selection of recommended books related to the program's theme."
Naidoo, Jamie Campbell, ed. Celebrating Cuentos: Promoting Latino Children's Literature and Literacy in Classrooms and Libraries. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2011.
Schon, Isabel. Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults, 2004-2008. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2009. Includes short list of book dealers and publishers.
Previous edition: Schon, Isabel. Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults: 2000 Through 2004. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2004.
Wadham, Tim. Libros Esenciales: Building, Marketing, and Programming a Core Collection of Spanish Language Children's Materials. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2006.
Current Pura Belpré Award Winner - The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA), an ALA affiliate. The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. As a children's librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Puerto Rican children in the U.S.A. through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore. The award is now given annually. It was given as a biennial award from 1996 through 2008. See web page with list of all Past Belpré Medal Winners.
Children's Day/Book Day - El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día) - Children's Day/Book Day, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), is a celebration of children, families, and reading and held annually on April 30.
Retrieved from "https://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php?title=Spanish-Speaking&oldid=9234"
Services to Special Populations
Collection Development, Organization, and Services
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Earth News
Solar System News
Universe News
Space Mission News
NSF News Releases
As can be seen in this sample Landsat image of the area around McMurdo Station, the new mosaic shows much detail of the ice shelves, mountains, glaciers of Antarctica. It is a fascinating and important place to study.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of USGS
News from NSF: Newly Unveiled Satellite Map of Antarctica Is a Unique Tool for Scientists, Educators and the Public (11/27/07)
Earth's Polar Regions
Newly Unveiled Satellite Map of Antarctica Is a Unique Tool for Scientists, Educators and the Public
News story originally written on November 27, 2007
Representatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) worked together to produce a new map of Antarctica that is going to be a very helpful tool for studying that region. It is called a mosaic map because the map combines thousands of scenes into one map that is has a lot of details and accurate information.
The map is called LIMA, which is short for the Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica. Landsat launches satellites that take digital photographs of of the Earth's land masses and coastal regions. Scientists use these images to study global change, natural disasters, and other parts of the Earth's environment.
The LIMA map will be very helpful to scientists and the general public, especially because people today are worried about the polar ice caps and the warming temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. LIMA will be used to answer scientific questions and plan fieldwork in the large unexplored areas of Antarctica. Teachers and students will use LIMA to learn more about Antarctica, and will help students compare features of Antarctice with other parts of the Earth or even other planets. For example, a middle-school student could compare landforms in the glaciated valleys of Antarctic to similar features in the Rocky Mountains or even compare a rock glacier in Antarctica with some of the features scientists are studying in images from Mars.
Robert Bindschadler, a scientist at NASA, said that the new mosaic is the most detailed map of Antarctica and offers the most accurate, true-color views of the continent possible. "This innovation, compared to what we had available most recently, is like watching the most spectacular high-definition TV in living color versus watching the picture on a small black-and-white television," he said.
Last modified May 1, 2008 by Becca Hatheway.
Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit
The Antarctic Region
What Will You Find There? South of the Antarctic Circle (at 66.5°S latitude) you will find the continent of Antarctica surrounded by the Southern Ocean, the geographic South Pole and the magnetic South...more
Frozen water is found in many different places on Earth. Snow blankets the ground at mid and high latitudes during winter. Sea ice and icebergs float in the chilly waters of polar oceans. Ice shelves fringe...more
Triggers of Volcanic Eruptions in Oregon's Mount Hood Investigated
Scientists have learned that Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain, has erupted in the past due to the mixing of two different types of magma. "The data will help give us a better road map to what a future...more
Oldest Earth Mantle Reservoir Discovered
The Earth's mantle is a rocky, solid shell that is between the Earth's crust and the outer core, and makes up about 84 percent of the Earth's volume. The mantle is made up of many distinct portions or...more
It’s Not Your Fault – A Typical Fault, Geologically Speaking, That Is
Some geologic faults that appear strong and stable, slip and slide like weak faults, causing earthquakes. Scientists have been looking at one of these faults in a new way to figure out why. In theory,...more
Lower Solar Activity Linked to Changes in Sun's Conveyor Belt
The sun goes through cycles that last approximately 11 years. These solar cycle include phases with more magnetic activity, sunspots, and solar flares. They also include phases with less activity. The...more
Growth Spurt in Tree Rings Prompts Questions About Climate Change
Studying tree rings doesn't only tell us the age of that tree. Tree rings also show what climate was like for each year of a tree's life, which means they can tell us about climates of the past and about...more
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1433 North Water Street (Laacke & Joys Redevelopment)
April 13, 2016 by Wangard
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Downtown Milwaukee’s renaissance is in full swing and the redevelopment of the former Laacke & Joy building is a testament to the tremendous revitalization. This historic building was mostly reused and transformed into a stunning Class A office that was specifically designed to meet ad agency Bader Rutter’s desired in a new headquarter’s location. The interior monumental repurposed steel staircase serves as a strong, vibrant interconnection between floors and inspires gatherings and meetings. Throughout demolition, Wangard Partners partnered with local companies, such as WasteCap, to recycle and reuse materials. The building also features geothermal HVAC and solar panels.
An important feature of this development is the continued development of the Milwaukee Riverwalk. Wangard Partners worked in partnership with the City of Milwaukee to securing funds for the Riverwalk, which was another important aspect for the main tenant’s culture and brand. Wangard Partners worked on multiple funding incentive packages including TIF, New Market Tax Credits, and PACE for this development.
115,673 RSF Class A office building to be built on the northern portion of the site
570’ of incredible river frontage and views along the new river walk
Bike and kayak accessible. Potential for public boat slips
Ample onsite and offsite parking
Timber beams and exposed brick in the existing building – the “3rd Ward” feel within the CBD
Seven time award-winning development
Smart building features
Interested in leasing office space? Please check our Property Search page for leasing details here.
Filed Under: Office
Veterans Affairs’ Community Resource and Referral Center
November 12, 2014 by Wangard
In support of the Veterans Affairs’ Jobless Initiative, Wangard Partners was selected to preserve and adapt an existing historic space to meet the current and future needs of Veterans in the area.The existing cream-city brick building was built in 1925 giving way to a historic site that was in need of revitalization within the King Drive BID #8 and within the Bronzeville District, which is adjacent to the northwest side of downtown Milwaukee. This area has extreme significance due to the famed civil rights leader as well as the world. In addition, the area has seen significant redevelopment over the last 15 years totaling over $200 million.
The .52-acre property features 25 surface parking spaces and room for a community garden. The project team received LEED Silver certification for this development. The project involved the renovation and adaptive re-use of the historic building, which was originally a cartage company (for horse-drawn carriage delivery services). As a historic building, the project was eligible for tax credits from the State of Wisconsin and from the federal government through the National Park Service.
The exposed brick walls and open steel truss structure was retained as elements in the design of the new space. Three major skylights along the center of the roof line were also retained in the new design.
Carroll University – School of Graduate Studies
April 24, 2013 by Wangard Leave a Comment
An affiliate of Wangard sold a 52,000 SF 2-story office building to Carroll University for the purpose of building and expanding the graduate programs at the University.
Wangard served as owner’s representative to manage design and construction, converting the facility to Caroll’s new school for Graduate Studies. The process required the coordination of staff and the attention of many levels of detail in order to meet the requirements of each of the graduate programs. The result of this substantial building rehabilitation is a world-class facility suited to the unique needs of these graduate level programs.
875 East Wisconsin Avenue
875 East Wisconsin Avenue is the premier office building in the Downtown area. The property was acquired in June of 2006 and completed in 2003. 875 East Wisconsin encompasses great architecture, state-of-the-art construction and an irreplaceable location overlooking the Milwaukee Art Museum and Lake Michigan, all at the heart of the vibrant urban business district. The building attained 100% occupancy shortly after it was acquired in 2006. The tenant roster is indicative of the building’s prestige and includes some of the area’s most respected companies in the Midwest including Roundy’s Inc., Ernst & Young and Artisan Partners. Wangard acquired the property to offer qualified investors a fractional interest in the asset. We identified the asset, completed thorough property due diligence, the operations of the building and its tenants and arranged financing for the acquisition. We continue to manage the asset and ensure that the property remains a true Class “A” building that is fully occupied by quality tenants. Our goal is to provide stable and attractive returns to our investors.
High Pointe Office Centre
Milwaukee County was seeking a high quality development that would generate sale proceeds to the County, but also create long term value, tax revenue, and a solid job base for the area. Wangard met with municipal and county officials, including the City of Wauwatosa planning staff, to design a building that met the City’s and County’s development goals. Wangard worked hard to preserve a majority of the mature trees on the site and develop within the existing topography white maintaining an award winning architectural design. Wangard was the leasing agent for the High Pointe Office Centre and had the building 95% leased within 10 months of the building’s completion. The building is considered the finest in the Mayfair Road corridor. After our repurchase in 2007, many upgrades were completed. It has achieved the reputation as one of the most desirable west suburban office buildings and as the most energy efficient in 2009. In 2011, High Pointe received one of the highest certifications in the U.S. Green Building Council. Taking into account the building’s components and improving water and energy efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environment quality, High Pointe received the LEED- EB Gold certification.
2011 LEED EB-GOLD Certification, for high efficiency and sustainable practices
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 ENERGY STAR Label by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for demonstrating superior energy performance.
The 93 rating ranked High Pointe as the highest rated ENERGY STAR certified office building in Wisconsin in 2009.
Community Award Civic Achievement – Landscape Beautification Award
BOMA 360 Designation (2012 and 2016)
Regal Beloit Corporation
This new 45,000 SF office facility, serves as the International IT Headquarters for Regal Beloit Corporation. Wangard was awarded this assignment over the various alternatives and locations considered and evaluated by Regal Beloit. Through an efficient design and value engineering process the Wangard team was able to design and match the specifications of this facility to meet the specific needs of Regal Beloit. At our encouragement, this facility was designed to achieve LEED certified status from the USGBC.
With an aggressive schedule, construction started in June 2012 and was completed in December 2012. This development in Grafton, Wisconsin, sits on ±6.13 acres of land with easy access to I-43. Regal Beloit has relocated to the new facility from its current location just east of the site. Regal Beloit Corporation is one of the largest global manufacturers of commercial, industrial, and HVAC electric motors, electric generators and controls, and mechanical motion control products. The company sells its products to a diverse global customer base using more than 30 recognized brand names through a multi-channel distribution model across many markets.
In 2011, Regal Beloit ranked as the 815th largest American company by Fortune magazine.
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Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
DestinationUSA
2008-11-12 | Statement on U.S. Beef by AIT Director Stephen M. Young AIT Press Conference November 12, 2008
Statement on U.S. Beef by AIT Director Stephen M. Young AIT Press Conference November 12, 2008
I would like to say a few words about U.S. beef. Authorities in both the U.S. and Taiwan need to protect consumer health, while also making a wide variety of safe, competitively priced products available to consumers. To ensure these priorities are met, food safety decisions must be science-based and based on international standards.
Currently Taiwan only allows the import from the United States of certain U.S. beef products. One of the United States' top priorities - on which we have engaged Taiwan intensively - is resuming trade in all U.S. beef and beef products, consistent with the science and based on international standards.
Taiwan's health authorities are studying our request, and we understand that all of Taiwan's scientific review and technical work is now complete. It is now time for Taiwan's authorities to make a science-based decision.
Resuming imports of all U.S. beef and beef products would further invigorate this important trading relationship and will benefit Taiwan's consumers by providing stable and secure access to high-quality food products, like beef. Taiwan's consumers have already been enjoying high-quality U.S. de-boned beef in their everyday life. The United States currently already supplies 32 percent of Taiwan's beef. It is time for them to enjoy access to the same range of U.S. beef and beef products that U.S. consumers eat and enjoy every day.
In today's world, we all know how important food safety is. We are faced with decisions about what food to buy in our supermarkets every day. The newspaper stories we read about food safety make us all think more carefully.
Taiwan's consumers may feel assured that when the international standards body OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) gave the United States its controlled-risk classification in May 2007, it was after a team of the world's most renowned BSE experts reviewed the preventative and food-safety measures in place in the United States. This classification reaffirmed the strength of the U.S. government's many controls to ensure safe trade in beef.
Director's Speeches
Director Young's Speeches and Remarks
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Founder Greg Abel Becomes CEO, Gina Richmond Named President
By Greg Abel • April 9, 2020
New executive roles and additional agency promotions provide infrastructure for continued success
BALTIMORE, MD – April 9, 2020 — Today, Abel Communications announced promotions of its senior leadership, as founder Greg Abel has taken on the new role of CEO and longtime agency leader Gina Richmond has been named President.
As CEO, Abel will shift his full-time focus to leading the firm’s growth strategy through business development, new partnerships, and special projects, including writing and speaking about business and public relations leadership.
In Richmond’s new role, she will oversee the firm’s day-to-day operations, lead staff, and develop new service lines to drive company growth. A valued member of the Abel team since 2010, Richmond previously held positions including Account Manager, Director of Client Service, and Senior Vice President.
“Gina earned this promotion through a decade of exceptional client service, mentoring of staff and overall leadership,” Abel said. “For myself, it’s also an exciting new chapter and I’m looking forward to leading from a high level while giving Gina the support she needs to maximize the potential of our exceptional team.”
He continued, “Obviously we are all living through challenging times, but with an improved leadership structure, we feel better positioned than ever to support our clients and ensure the long-term success of the firm.”
In addition to his role as CEO, Abel is a member of the Executive Committee of PRSA Counselors Academy, a section of the national organization focused on the success of independent firms, and a member of the GBC Leadership Class of 2019. Richmond was named a Baltimore Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient in 2016, and is former President of the Baltimore Public Relations Council. She also regularly speaks at industry events and, in 2019, launched the firm’s Innovation Lab, a workshop that helps clients uncover unique solutions to their biggest challenges.
“I am energized and motivated to help make Abel Communications the best and most forward-thinking PR firm in the Mid-Atlantic,” Richmond said. “While we continue to look ahead and plan for the future, we remain focused on helping our clients manage through the current crisis today.”
Abel Communications also announced two additional promotions as Jessica Fast has been promoted to Director of Client Services and Amanda Mantiply has been promoted to Senior Account Manager.
Founded in 2005 by Greg Abel, Abel Communications has evolved into one of the top PR firms in the region. The firm was recognized most recently by the Baltimore Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work and by PRSA Maryland, where the team received seven awards for its work in creative tactics, media relations, public service, and events.
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From Dad to Daughter: Thriving Beyond a Brain Tumor Diagnosis
Home / From Dad to Daughter: Thriving Beyond a Brain Tumor Diagnosis
Brain tumor survivor Jenny is lending her voice and her support to others impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis.
Jenny was just 11 years old when she learned what a brain tumor diagnosis meant and how it would affect her and her family.
Her dad was diagnosed with a grade III oligodendroglioma, a fast-growing brain tumor. When she should have been thinking about hanging out with her friends and school, she had to brace herself for the possibility of losing her dad to a brain tumor.
“My dad’s brain tumor journey had a traumatic impact on me as a child,” said Jenny. “As a kid, I’d think about all the normal things you’d do with your parents and how that could be taken for granted. I couldn’t help but be jealous of other kids who had two healthy parents.”
She recalls seeing her once vibrant 38-year-old father thin and immobile on the hospital bed after brain surgery. “It was scary to think that you might lose your parent—we were told he might have just a couple years.”
Jenny’s dad lived a full life for 19 years after his initial diagnosis, Jenny is happy to report. “After the initial scary phase of treating the brain tumor and then seeing my dad was okay and managing things, it changed my perspective on living with cancer. This helped me when I was diagnosed with brain cancer.”
At age 25, Jenny was diagnosed with the same type of brain tumor as her dad—an oligodendroglioma—a rare occurrence in families. After being healthy all her life, Jenny was devastated to learn she had brain cancer. She broke down and let all her emotions—anger, fear, disappointment—run flat out. Her mom found her crying on her bed and offered her the words she needed to keep going.
“My mom said, ‘Jenny, this doesn’t change who you are. You are still the daughter I raised and love. You just have to go to the doctor more often than others.’ She helped me realize that brain cancer doesn’t define who you are, it just makes you stronger.”
The cause of oligodendrogliomas remains unknown, but certain genetic changes passed down through families have been linked to a higher risk of developing oligodendrogliomas. About five percent of brain tumors could be linked to hereditary genetic factors or conditions. Scientists have also found “clusters” of brain tumors within some families without a link to these known hereditary conditions. Studies are underway to try to find a cause for these clusters.
Brain cancer does not define who you are, it just makes you stronger.
With her mom’s support, Jenny has learned to thrive. In fact, she’s become a positive force for others in the brain tumor community. Using her graphic design skills, Jenny won a design contest for the national t-shirt worn by thousands of participants in the 2016 American Brain Tumor Association Breakthrough for Brain Tumors 5K Run & Walk. She found her passion for helping brain tumor patients by volunteering as a mentor and fundraising for brain tumor research, as well as lending her voice to raise awareness of brain tumors.
Each person Jenny’s engaged with has come away with newfound hope. For the last two years, Jenny has been Heeseon’s mentor through the ABTA mentor program.
“I am lucky to have Jenny as my mentor—she had a similar tumor as I did, and we’re about the same age, which helped us to connect on things like how to manage relationships with the condition,” said Heeseon. “Hearing someone else’s story inspired me in a way that I also can thrive after going through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.”
We now know that Jenny and her dad’s similar brain tumor diagnosis is rare, and studies are still being conducted to understand the causes of brain tumors. Since 1976, the ABTA has funded more than $32 million in brain tumor research, of which more than $1 million have focused on low-grade tumors like Jenny’s.
Help ensure the American Brain Tumor Association continues to provide funding for brain tumor research to change the future of a brain tumor diagnosis.
Join Our Family of Heroes.
All We Need is your name and email address.
Support Our Heroes
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Arts Careers
How to Become an Astronaut in Canada or the United States
Those who become astronauts are typically adventurous individuals who are interested in a unique, demanding and highly rewarding career involving exploration and discovery, as well as the application of technical skills, scientific expertise and interpersonal skills.
They are typically individuals who have achieved academic excellence and gained experience in a career related to something an astronaut would have to do, such as commanding a ship, or flying a jet for the Air Force.
Those who enter this field aren’t afraid of hard work and rigorous training, and they are committed to career-long training, education and development. They must also be able to meet physical fitness requirements and be of specified height, which is between 62 and 75 inches.
They are also individuals who welcome a little competition; only a handful of candidates from thousands of applicants are selected every few years for astronaut training programs in Canada and the United States.
Below we've outlined what you'll need to begin a career as an astronaut. We've also included helpful information for this career, such as job description, job duties, salary expectations, a list of possible employers and much more!
Education You'll Need to Become an Astronaut
NASA prefers to hire candidates with at least a bachelor's degree and exceptional grades from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics.
Success Tip: While a bachelor’s degree meets NASA’s formal requirements for becoming an astronaut, they prefer candidates with a graduate degree
What is an Astronaut?
An astronaut (in the United States), cosmonaut (in Russia) or taikonaut (in China) is a person trained for a spaceflight program to either command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft. Each launched NASA spacecraft has a crew of at least five astronauts with designated duties on board.
General Job Description
The job description of an astronaut can vary depending on the requirements of the mission, their role aboard the spacecraft, and many other factors. The crew of each launched spacecraft is made up of astronauts and non-astronauts from the following categories:
• Commander
• Pilot
• Mission Specialist
• Payload Specialist
Commander and Pilot Astronauts: Pilot astronauts serve as both Space Shuttle and International Space Station commanders and pilots. During flight, the commander is responsible for the vehicle, the crew, as well as the overall success of the mission and the safety of the flight. The pilot may assist with other duties, such as the deployment and retrieval of satellites utilizing the remote manipulator system, in extravehicular activities, and in other payload operations.
Mission Specialists: Mission specialists are responsible for working with the commander and pilot, and have the overall responsibility of coordinating and planning crew activities, the usage of consumables, as well as experiment and payload operations. In order to fulfill their duties, they must have a detailed knowledge of Shuttle systems, as well as detailed knowledge of the operational characteristics, mission objectives, requirements and supporting systems.
Payload Specialists: Payload specialists are additional crew members that have specialized onboard duties for a specific mission. A payload specialist may be someone who is not a NASA astronaut (but must undergo the appropriate education and training) that may be added to a shuttle crew if that shuttle’s mission activities that have unique requirements. Their responsibilities typically include handling highly complex or classified equipment carried aboard the shuttle, and to conducting scientific experiments in space.
General Duties Involved
• Operate various space shuttle systems
• Responsible for executing the rules and control directives of missions
• Assess problems and implement deviations from initial flight plan, procedures or personnel assignments
• Operate and reconfigure orbiter systems during flight phases
• Maintain detailed understanding of orbiter systems
• Communicate with mission control to exchange information and direction
• Serve as integral part of onboard flight operations during ascent, on-orbit, and entry flight phases
• Operate remote manipulator systems to deploy payloads
• Perform repairs outside of space shuttle to accomplish the repair or inspection of satellites and other equipment
• Assist in formulating space shuttle operational policies
• Participate in the development of training equipment including simulation facilities
• Provide crew input for developmental engineering and mission planning
Skills, Traits and Qualifications You'll Need
An astronaut must have a wide variety of technical skills and interpersonal skills. These skills are crucial for an astronaut’s and a mission’s success. They also help astronauts and fellow crew members work through unforeseen circumstances while in outer space.
• Ability to pass a NASA space physical (similar to a military or civilian flight physical)
• Distant visual acuity: 20/100 or better uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 each eye
• Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in a sitting position
• Height between 5 and 6 ¼ feet (varies by role: pilot, mission specialist, etc.)
• A bachelor's degree in math, physics, science or engineering from a reputable school
• Be a citizen of the Country in which you are applying
• Able to speak foreign languages, especially Russian (recommended)
• For pilots and commanders: At least 1,000 hours or 3 years of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft (Flight test experience is highly desirable)
Success Tip: Some of these skills and traits may not be formal requirements of becoming an astronaut, but they will be necessary to stand out from thousands of applicants competing for these rare opportunities
Professional Experience Needed
NASA requires its astronauts to have 3 years of progressively responsible professional experience in a field related to their education. Some, or all of the professional experience may be replaced by having a graduate degree in that field. A master’s counts as 1 year, and a Ph.D. counts as 3, regardless of the amount of time it took to complete the degree.
It is also recommended to have experience in the form of a job related to one of an astronaut’s duties. Such jobs include navigating, working with computers, or commanding a ship. Teachers are also encouraged to apply, as teaching is an important part of being an astronaut.
How to Apply for Job Openings
We should warn you, the competition for a job as an astronaut is quite fierce, and the odds of becoming a NASA astronaut are difficult to overcome. For example, between November 2011 and January 2012, NASA received more than 6,300 applications from individuals hoping to become astronauts, and only between 9 and 15 were expected to be selected from the application pool to begin training as astronaut candidates.
If you have excellent grades, an excellent level of physical fitness, and you’re interested in a career that will push you to your physical and psychological limits, then read on.
American Application Process
The application process for American astronaut jobs varies, depending on whether or not the applicant is an active member of the military.
Active Military Duty Applicants: Active duty military personnel must submit applications for the Astronaut Candidate Program through their respective service. After preliminary screening by the service, a small number of applications are submitted to NASA for further consideration.
Non-Military Applicants: Those who are not active members of the military must apply for astronaut jobs by visiting USAJOBS and searching jobs for the Astronaut Candidate position or Vacancy Announcement number.
Canadian Application Process
The only time you can apply to become an astronaut in Canada is when the Canadian Space Agency announces a recruitment campaign, and these campaigns are rare. In fact, there have only ever been 3 astronaut recruitment campaigns in the history of the Canadian Space Agency (1983, 1992, 2008). The most recent campaign lasted approximately 1 year, and only 2 candidates were selected to become Canadian astronauts.
There are typically around 5,000 applications submitted to these campaigns, and only a handful of spots are ever available. To find out when the latest recruitment campaign will be, visit the Canadian Space Agency’s website.
How Much Do They Earn?
According to NASA, salaries for civilian Astronaut Candidates are based upon the Federal Government's General Schedule pay scale for grades GS-11 through GS-14. The grade level is determined in accordance with each individual's academic achievements and experience. Currently, a GS-11 salary grade starts at $64,724 per year, and a GS-14 can earn up to $141,715 per year (2013 figures).
What Countries Produce Astronauts?
The United States and Russia have their own space agencies (NASA and ROSCOSMOS, respectively), and China also has manned space flight capabilities. You do not have to be American, Russian or Chinese to become an Astronaut however, as NASA currently has an international agreement with countries that have their own space agencies, including Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, as well as Europe.
Similar Occupational Profiles in Our Database
Listed below are careers in our database that are similar in nature to 'astronau't, as they involve many of the same skills, competencies and responsibilities.
• Aerospace Engineer
• Air Traffic Controller
• Astronautical Engineer
• Mathematician
• Military Officer
• Physicist
Please consult the references below to find more information on the various aspects of this profession.
Features: “Astronaut Requirements.” Flint Wild (August 6, 2017). NASA website. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
Astronauts: “Frequently Asked Questions.” (n.d.). NASA Human Resources website. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
Features - The Man Who Tweeted Earth: “How to Become an Astronaut.” (December 31, 2016). CBC website. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
About the Job: “Astronauts' Basic Training.” (June 17, 2016). Canadian Space Agency website. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
Scholarships for Becoming an Astronaut
The "Relevant Fields of Study" section below lists university majors that pertain to becoming an astronaut. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our All Scholarships by Major page.
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!
Relevant Fields of Study
Studying one of the university majors listed below is an excellent way to get started in this profession. Click on the links to find out what else you can do with these majors!
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All Career Guides
Career Guides by Major
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Hybrid Moments - Misfits - Guitar Tabs
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About Hybrid Moments : "Hybrid Moments" is a song by the American punk rock band Misfits . The song was written by frontman and vocalist Glenn Danzig . A version of the song also appeared on the compilation album Legacy of Brutality . "Hybrid Moments" was recorded by Misfits in January–February 1978 for their proposed album Static Age . The song was first made available on the compilation album Legacy of Brutality, released in 1985, as a remix by Danzig . James Greene, Jr. writes that the song "owes much of its romantic drama to the touch of Roy Orbison but serves a swinging rock bravado all its own" "Finding a great middle ground between a vintage 1950s melodic approach," he writes . It was released in 1996. It was released as part of album Static Age. The genre is punk rock horror punk. The track was release in 1996. Hybrid Moments has a significant contribution from artist(s) Glenn Danzig. It is related to the album(s) - Static Age,Legacy of Brutality. The track has an affiliation to the band(s) - Misfits.
About Glenn Danzig - Glenn Danzig is founder of Misfits, Samhain and Danzig . He owns the Evilive record label as well as Verotik, an adult book publishing company . Danzig's musical career has encompassed a number of genres through the years . He has also written songs for other musicians, most notably Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison . Danzig is noted for his baritone voice and tenor vocal range . His style has been compared to those of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, and Howlin' Wolf . Glenn Danzig's music is influenced by genre(s) - heavy metal punk rock gothic metal doom metal blues rock gothic rock deathrock horror punk hardcore punk industrial classical.
About Misfits (band) : The Misfits were founded in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey . The group was founded by Glenn Danzig and Manny Martínez . Over the next six years, membership would change frequently . The Misfits disbanded in 1983 and Glenn Danzig went on to form Samhain and then Danzig . After a series of legal battles with Danzig, Only and Doyle regained the rights to record and perform as the band . They formed a new version of the band in 1995 with singer Michale Graves . This lineup released an album of cover songs titled Project 1950 and toured for several years . In 2005, Marky was replaced by Robo, who had played with Black Flag in the early 1980s . Misfits (band) The group has many notable artists like Glenn Danzig,Manny Martínez. Their music is influenced by genres - horror punk hardcore punk.
About Static Age : Static Age was recorded in 1978 by the Misfits . It was not released in its entirety until 1996 . The band's debut album was The Misfits released their debut single "Cough/Cool" on Blank Records . Mercury Records issued a Pere Ubu record on their own label . Danzig held a trademark on the label, unaware of Danzig's trademark . The Misfits released four of the new tracks as the "Bullet" single in June 1978 on Danzig's newly created label Plan 9 Records . The same four tracks were reissued on the Beware EP in January 1980 . It had an affiliation to bands - Static Age,the Misfits. Its music is influenced by genres - horror punk punk rock.
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CT Report Lays Groundwork for Nationwide Psychiatric Surveillance
TOPICS:James Tracy
Image Credit: New York Daily News
Vivien Leigh and James F. Tracy
On November 21, 2014 the State of Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate issued a 114-page report, Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School: Report of the Office of the Child Advocate (PDF), focusing on the ambiguous profile of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza that may become the basis for mental health practices throughout the United States.
With contributors including psychiatrists and academicians from education and social work departments, the publication comes just two months after the US Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education announced over $160 million in funding for widescale research and deployment of mental health initiatives in the nation’s public schools.[1]
“OCA began a comprehensive collection and review of records related to the life of AL,” the document’s preamble reads, “including his medical, mental health and education records, as well as un-redacted state police and law enforcement records.”(p. 6).
Among 37 “key findings,” the statement expresses concern over “siloed systems of education, physical health, and mental health care for children” that “strongly implicate the need to assist parents with understanding and addressing the needs of children with complex developmental and mental health disorders” (p. 9).
Mandatory mental health “screenings” and “evaluations” are recommended to remedy the potential threat of further “Adam Lanzas.”
The following is a summary overview of the OCA report’s key recommendations, many of which will likely be recommended or mandated by federal education and public health authorities for adoption throughout the US.
Universal screening for behavioral health and developmental impairments for children ages birth to 21.
Referral for thorough evaluation and assessment by outside experts for a child “displaying the types of multidisciplinary developmental challenges AL presented…”
Access to “quality care coordination” for children and their families.
Access to training and information concerning mental health issues for teachers, administrators, service personnel, pediatricians, and parents.
Staffing and financial supports for providers.
Effective and sustained family engagement work as part of mental health treatment for children.
Addressing of the “role of denial in illness.”
Access to therapeutic services, psycho-education, and peer support for families.
Readiness of “systems” to respond when a parent appears unwilling or unable to meet the needs of their child [aka refuses to medicate].
Better outreach to parents who have difficulties “reaching out” or feel “mistrust in the medical and educational systems…”
Active participation of schools concerning the mental health and wellness of their students.
Support to schools to enable them to “retain or import therapeutic and other related services…”
Evaluation of children by schools “in all areas of suspected disability, including conducting social-emotional evaluations…”
A more “holistic approach to identification for special education eligibility that encourages attention to multiple aspects of disability…”
State consideration of “an audit of existing homebound practices and procedures…”
More attention paid to “post-secondary readiness for disabled youth and young adults…”
“State and local educational and mental health and developmental services agencies must work together to identify current capacity and service delivery needs, training opportunities, and must create capacity-building services at all levels.”
Increased workforce, technical support and expertise to help meet the needs of “children with complex developmental or mental health disorders, and their families.”
Support for schools to provide and import “comprehensive health or developmental supports” to children with “highly specialized needs.”
In reality, the OCA report lays the groundwork for implementation of a nationwide program similar to the one presently being beta tested in Scotland, “Getting it Right for Every Child,” or GIRFEC. The GIRFEC project mandates assignment of a “Named Person for every child and young person, and a Lead Professional (where necessary) to co-ordinate and monitor multi-agency activity” that renders the traditional family to the role of a distant caretaker.
Using verbiage and notions remarkably similar to the the Harvard-affiliated and Newtown area psychiatrist John Woodall,[2] GIRFEC emphasizes the development of “resilient” young people who are capable of developing emotional detachment from instances of profound loss–such as natural disasters and active shooter events and evident in the recent promotion of slogans such as “Newtown Strong,” “Boston Strong,” and, most recently, “FSU United.”
Indeed, GIRFEC advocates maintain the program “enables children and young people to get the help they need when they need it” and overall “supports a positive shift in culture, systems and practice … to improve life chances for children, young people and families.”
Such a project increasingly lays bare the opportunistic use and perhaps true intent of the Sandy Hook massacre event: dramatically intensified bureaucratic and quasi-scientific control over the everyday lives of children alongside the continued erosion of the family itself.
[Image Credit: New York Daily News]
[1] James F. Tracy, “Protecting Our Children in the Wake of Sandy Hook: Psychiatric Surveillance of US Public School Children,” GlobalResearch.ca, November 4, 2014.
[2] James F. Tracy, “Global Governance and the New World Order Religion,” GlobalResearch.ca, April 14, 2013.
Vivien Leigh is the nom de plume of a tenured professor at a US east coast university.
This article first appeared at MemoryHoleBlog.com, the official blog of Dr. James Tracy.
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Back to: George MacDonald
Sunrise Publishers / Books
George MacDonald A Writer's Life
A comprehensive bibliographic biography of 19th century Scotsman George MacDonald, focusing on the development of his written corpus of works and how they emerged out of the events and circumstances of his life.
In 1879 George MacDonald said that no biography should be written of a man still living. He wrote: “I trust the outer life of one who has written a good many volumes tending to reveal most that is worth knowing of his inner life, will be forgotten in this world, after he has left it…I do not like or approve…of publicizing live people. If anything is left after a hundred years, accompanied by a desire to know, then is soon enough.” This major new work by Michael Phillips thus qualifies as the first biography of MacDonald written, according to that criteria, more than a hundred years after his death.
At over 600 pages, it the longest biography ever written about the Scotsman, focusing on the development and progressive publication of his written works, explaining how the events of his life contributed to the evolution of that legacy. The extensive appendices outline in brief the 19th-century publications of MacDonald's corpus of writings, detailing the most thorough bibliographic comparison of U.K. and U.S. publications ever compiled.
Best selling novelist, editor, and publisher of numerous volumes by and about his mentor, Michael Phillips is recognized as a man with keen insight into George MacDonald’s heart and message. As a best-selling novelist in his own right, he is doubly qualified to reveal the deeper themes of MacDonald’s writing life. He brings his wisdom to bear on the individual volumes of The Cullen Collection of the Fiction of George MacDonald, pointing out each book’s essential themes, and offering insights into how each title in MacDonald’s fictional corpus can most perceptively be read. This latest of Phillips’ many contributions to MacDonald scholarship, what he calls a “bibliographic biography,” will surely take its place among the significant illuminations of MacDonald’s life and work for many years to come.
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Robert Falconer
The Hope of the Gospel
The Cullen Collection of the Fiction of George MacDonald
The Gospel According to George McDonald
George Macdonald’s Transformational Theology Of The Christian Faith
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Why the WHF
Why Delphi
The Echo of Delphi
Role: 2017
Vounatsou, Myrto
Myrto Vounatsou holds a BA(hons) in Media & Communication from U.C.E. Birmingham and an MA in Arts Management & Arts Criticism from City University, London. She has studied classical singing at the Birmingham Conservatoire but also delved into traditional music. She was for many years Senior Press Officer at Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall. She regularly collaborates with cultural institutions in Greece and abroad as project co-ordinator. She has always been fascinated by the relation of the arts, education & technology, and is currently exploring soundscaping and its use for educational purposes.
Sandig, Jochen
Jochen Sandig was born in 1968. The cultural entrepreneur is living in Berlin since 1990 where arts and politics became his main focus as founder and director of several cultural institutions: after the fall of the Wall he founded the legendary Tacheles with artists from all over the world. With the German choreographer Sasha Waltz he founded Sasha Waltz & Guests in 1993 and the independent theatre Sophiensaele in 1996. In 2006 he founded Radialsystem as a space for arts and ideas together with Folkert Uhde. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Parliament of Mayors. In 2020 he will be the new intendant of the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele. Jochen Sandig is a father of two children – László (19) and Sophia (14).
Mitsotaki, Alexandra
Alexandra Mitsotaki holds a degree in Political Studies at the Institute of Political Studies of Paris and a post graduate degree on Development issues.
She worked at OECD where she specialized further in poverty issues in the developing world. She is a profound believer in civil society mobilization and in citizen responsibility and their capacity to hold governments accountable at all of levels of civic engagement.
In 1998 she founded the Greek affiliate of ActionAid, the international organisation against poverty and injustice. ActionAid Hellas, which she still chairs, has become the biggest Greek NGO.
Since 2009 she chairs the Hellenic Cultural Center in Paris, with the aim of establishing a tool of cultural diplomacy for Greece in the Francophone world.
Reacting to the financial crisis in Greece, in 2014 she co founded and chairs, Action Finance Initiative, the first microcredit organization in Greece with partners ActionAid Hellas and Adie France.
She teaches seminars on Political Economy of Development at the Institute of Political Studies of Paris as a guest speaker.
Bataille Papaligouras, Irène
Passionate about human progress, Irène feels extremely concerned with the societal, ethical, environmental, economic and geopolitical issues generated by the actual paradigm shift and has been dedicated in co-building the World Human Forum concept ever since the idea emerged.
After many years spent in big corporations, Irène founded Leaders Excellence Partners in 2010. She works as a catalyst of cultural, behavioral and organizational transformation with multinational firms but also with start-ups, helping young entrepreneurs on innovation, creativity and strategic issues.
Of multicultural origin and education, dual national Greek/French, multilingual, Irène studied science and economics in the USA, Great-Britain and France. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Brown University, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a PhD in Organization Science from Paris-Dauphine.
Often invited by Universities and Companies as a speaker, Irène is also on the board of various non profit organisations such as the Observatoire des Valeurs and the Greek Cultural Center in Paris.
leadex-partners.com
linkedin.com/in/irene-papaligouras-5aab5916
The Convergences Greece Forum
Assisting in the organising of the European Lab, Delphi, Greece
Greece Permaculture Project: Start planting the Garden in Delphi
Greece Permaculture Project: The Thermopylae farm
Initiating & organising a one day event at Victoria square, Athens around the SDG’s in cooperation with 37 different actors
A WordPress Commenter on Creation of Logo, Visual Identity and Website
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Impact Wrestling News Top Story
Impact Wrestling: Johnny Impact Finished With Company
July 8, 2019 July 8, 2019 Brandon Share-Cohen 0 Comments Johnny Impact
According to PWInsider, Johnny Impact (FKA John Morrison during his time with WWE, is finished his run with Impact Wrestling. The former Impact Wrestling Champion worked his last match at Sunday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event against X-Division Champion Rich Swann in a losing effort.
Impact, whose real name is John Hennigan, has worked for various promotions since leaving WWE. Exploring various avenues in and away from the ring, he’s undoubtedly become a more complete package since venturing out away from WWE and he’s made a name for himself as a top star in every company he’s been a part of.
He’s also explored an acting career and has benefited from spreading his wings both as far as working towards his career ambitions and as far as character work is concerned. While he always lacked that element despite being a very athletic performer with the full look to back it up, his character always felt somewhat stale as a single’s star in WWE. That changed when he left.
It’ll be interesting to see where he resurfaces next as there are a plethora of options for him to choose from. Whether it’s a return to WWE, a date with AEW or more time on the independent scene, the 39-year-old Hennigan will almost certainly have options. To be clear, there’s no report stating that WWE or AEW have expressed interest or that Hennigan is even looking to work in either promotion. This is purely speculation.
Impact’s wife, Taya Valkyrie, is also the current Impact Knockouts Champion and as PWInsider reports, her deal is expected to run through the end of 2019.
← 5 Things to Expect on WWE Raw Tonight
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2626 19th Place South Birmingham, AL 35209
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Booksmith Timeless Classics
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Because of the virus, our showroom is closed. However, every book in our store is signed, listed on the website, and available for purchase. We ship worldwide and offer pick up in our parking lot.
They Were Soldiers: The Sacrifices and Contributions of Our Vietnam Veterans
Signed First Edition - Hardback
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THEY WERE SOLDIERS profiles the lives of some of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and their paths after the war had ended, including many who made outstanding contributions in fields like business, science, and others, despite the hate and neglect that faced them when they returned home. Galloway and Wolf have created a magnificent tribute that finally gives respect and notice to the soldiers that make up an oft-forgotten generation of Americans.
THIS COPY was signed by Joseph Galloway and Marvin J. Wolf on the half-title page in their offices. It is a new, unread, first edition, opened only for signing. Published in May, 2020 by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harpercollins.
JOSEPH GALLOWAY (pictured below from our Wall of Fame) served four tours as a war correspondent in Vietnam and twenty years as a senior editor and writer for U.S. News & World Report. He is coauthor, with the late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, of We Were Soldiers Once and Young, a New York Times bestseller and the basis of the film starring Mel Gibson, and of the bestselling sequel, We Are Soldiers Still. Galloway received with a Bronze Star Medal, the only medal of valor the U.S. Army awarded to a civilian in the Vietnam War. Thank you Joseph Galloway for your service and thank you for signing our books.
MARVIN J. WOLF (pictured below from our Wall of Fame) served as an Army combat photographer, reporter, and press chief in Vietnam and was one of only sixty men to receive a battlefield promotion to lieutenant during the conflict. He has written or cowritten nearly twenty books. Thank you Marvin J. Wolf for your service and thank you for signing our books.
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Home » Environmental Services: Can You Afford Not to Outsource?
Environmental Services: Can You Afford Not to Outsource?
What's an environmental, health and safety manager's worst nightmare? Come to think of it, what's the worst nightmare of any plant manager, president or shareholder in an industrial company? Find out why financial liability issues like waste disposal are never far from anyone's mind.
Quick. What's an environmental, health and safety manager's worst nightmare? Or, come to think of it, what's the worst nightmare of any plant manager, president, or shareholder in an industrial company?
"Nobody wants to be part of a Superfund site," says Marshall Seavers, plant manager of W.W. Henry's Arlington, TX, manufacturing facility. "Our mission as a company is not only to introduce new, high-performance products, help our customers grow and, hopefully, make money, but also to minimize our risk in the process."
Sixty-year-old W.W. Henry began as a manufacturer of roofing coatings, mastics and highway sealants, and has evolved - through various company and ownership changes - into the industry leader in flooring adhesives and installation products. Its merchandise is available at big-box retailers as well as through wholesale distribution. It has an enviable market position, which supports three plants and hundreds of employees.
Financial liability issues, however, are never far from anyone's mind. They may not drive the business like sales or marketing, but they can certainly put the brakes on a fast-moving organization.
"Like any adhesives manufacturer, we have to worry about the waste streams we generate, setting up the proper paperwork with the state, transport issues such as compliance with new DOT security standards and, of course, confirming the permit status of waste-management facilities," says Seavers.
For many years, W.W. Henry's strategy was to let each of its plants - located in Bourbonnais, IL, Dallas, GA, and Arlington, TX - manage internal processes such as paperwork and labels, and outsource transport and waste disposal to a local service provider. The service providers, it was later determined, were not well founded or well funded. They tended to be owners of landfills or incinerators with a vested interest in managing waste in a certain way. Certifying and supervising treatment sites was difficult. Issues of environmental responsibility and moving up the regulatory hierarchy to recycling and beneficial reuse were hardly ever discussed.
In late 1996, the company pushed for a review of resources with the goal of standardizing procedures. W.W. Henry looked at several regional environmental services providers as well as two national suppliers. The final decision was influenced by three factors: size/stability, capabilities and additional levels of service offered.
Size was important because W.W. Henry wanted someone who could handle all three plants and was financially strong. "From a risk-management perspective, having a company that's large and well-funded has its advantages," says Seavers. "They're not going to take any shortcuts when they take custody of our waste at the dock door, and they're going to audit all recommended waste-management facilities on a regular basis to protect themselves from liability. Ultimately, that protects us."
Standard capabilities such as expertise in registering waste streams, familiarity with regulatory requirements and processes, competence in preparing the paperwork and container labels, the ability to safely transport wastes and the like are, obviously, mandatory for a provider.
But, Seavers adds, the ability to properly profile and offer advice on handling each type of waste in the best way is something not everyone offers. For W.W. Henry, commitment to regulatory compliance is only the first step. The company also wants to be environmentally responsible. Therefore, an established profiling process was of particular interest.
Seavers and his team finally chose the environmental services business of Columbus, OH-based Ashland Distribution Co. because it met all of the above criteria.
"They're part of a large, financially strong, Fortune 500 company. They have decades of experience as a chemical company managing their own waste streams. And they can provide solutions across the entire spectrum of our waste-management needs," says Seavers.
The partnership is fairly simple.
W.W. Henry produces water- and solventborne adhesives for all types of flooring from vinyl to wood to carpet. No byproducts are generated during the manufacturing process, but off-spec adhesives that can't be reworked back into other adhesives must be managed.
Ashland schedules pick-ups every other month. First, a local Ashland facility e-mails its respective W.W. Henry plant to ascertain the type and amount of waste the facility has. If a new waste stream needs to be registered, Ashland prepares the paperwork for the state ahead of time upon collection of the appropriate information and completion of sampling, if necessary. (Ashland also performs regular audits to identify any discrepancies in the paper trail.) Manifests and labels are provided in advance of Ashland's arrival. A DOT-certified Ashland driver picks up the waste and transports it to the appropriate treatment, storage, disposal or recycling site. The objective is to minimize the energy expenditure required by W.W. Henry employees.
All of this effort is only the start of the relationship. Because Ashland doesn't own landfills or incinerators, it is able to offer objective advice, Seavers says. "In the past, we may have landfilled a lot of waste that could be reclaimed or resold." Ashland's profiling process and extensive contact network ensures that W.W. Henry's wastes will be reclaimed and/or managed in an environmentally responsible way.
Ashland also provides continuous training on new regulatory issues such as DOT security compliance, new regulatory interpretations by federal and state agencies, and timely customer service and technical support. But in the end, it is the financial liability issue that drives Seavers' outsourcing decision.
"Having an environmental services company that surpasses my company in size and financial resources is like a security blanket," he says. "Ashland's experience and expertise is assurance that I shouldn't get into trouble with waste-management issues, and that helps me sleep a little more soundly at night."
For more information on Ashland environmental services, call 800-637-7922 or visit www.ashdist.com. For more information on W.W. Henry, visit www.wwhenry.com.
W.W. Henry
Ashland Distribution Co.
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Dentsu Aegis Network’s CEO is Stepping Down
Executive chairman Tim Andree will take on the role
Tim Andree will take on the CEO role, in addition to his current responsibilities. Dentsu Aegis Network
Dentsu Aegis Network CEO Jerry Buhlmann is stepping down after serving nine years as chief executive, first of Aegis Group and then Dentsu Aegis Network.
“I am very proud of what the organization has achieved in that time,” Buhlman said. “The highlight for me has been working with a group of very talented people and the impact we have been able to make based on strong teamwork, a supportive parent company and a dynamic culture.”
“From the start, Jerry has had a bold vision for Dentsu Aegis Network. His drive and leadership has ensured that Dentsu’s acquisition of Aegis Group plc has been an outstanding success,” Dentsu, Inc. representative director, president and CEO Toshihiro Yamamoto said in a statement. “Since 2013, Dentsu Aegis Network has doubled its revenues … and grown organically at twice the rate of its competitors.”
Tim Andree will take on the CEO role, in addition to his current responsibilities as Dentsu Aegis Network executive chairman, member of the board and evp of Dentsu Inc. Andree formerly served as CEO of Dentsu Network before stepping into the executive chairman position for Dentsu Aegis Network in 2013 following the acquisition of Aegis Group.
“I am delighted to appoint Tim as Jerry’s successor. Ever since joining Dentsu in 2006, Tim has led the globalization of the Dentsu Group,” Yamamoto continued. “As a member of the Dentsu Inc. board and also the executive chairman of Dentsu Aegis Network, Tim has a deep understanding of the business’s market proposition, culture and values.”
“The remarkable growth and momentum of Dentsu Aegis Network is a credit to Jerry and the deep and broadly talented management team that has been cultivated,” Andree added. “I have worked hand in hand with Jerry and the management team over the years, and for this reason, the Dentsu Aegis Network management will move to the next stage with strong continuity and stability.”
Buhlman added that the quality of Dentsu Aegis Network’s executive management team is “exceptional” and “the business has strong momentum,” giving him confidence that it will “continue to thrive and grow strongly at a time of disruptive change in the market.”
“Dentsu Aegis Network is a critical part of the Dentsu Group’s growth story, and with Yamamotosan leading the Group and Tim Andree leading Dentsu Aegis Network, I have no doubt that the future will be very bright as the business moves to the next phase of its development,” he said.
The news follows a pair of new business wins for Dentsu Aegis Network last month, with both Intel and United Airlines handing global media responsibilities to the network. Last month also saw Dentsu Aegis Network acquire B2B International to fold into gyro. Back in August, Dentsu Inc. revealed it was considering a restructuring plan involving splitting into an operating company and a holding company.
Erik Oster
@ErikDOster erik.oster@adweek.com Erik Oster is an agencies reporter for Adweek.
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Tasha Tilberg
Paolo Roversi – the beauty of intimacy
1997. Tasha. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
It’s more than 40 years since Paolo Roversi launched his career as a fashion photographer. He quickly developed a distinctive personal style, which he has continued to evolve gradually and subtly over time.
His images are simultaneously contemporary and timeless. His techniques are arguably anachronistic – he’s best known for his use of large-format polaroid film, the antithesis of the reliance on digital post-production that dominates today’s photography. And his influence has been greater than might be expected for someone who bucks the trend, is defiantly himself and doesn’t seek the limelight.
Some years ago, I was at a panel discussion at London’s National Portrait Gallery. On the panel was Paolo Roversi, who talked eloquently about the early work of Irving Penn, the subject of the session and one clearly close to his heart. In the audience was a large group of art-college students. Their questions and observations pointed to just how highly the upcoming generation of photographers and fashion designers regarded Paolo’s work.
Perhaps that’s because it’s different, perhaps because it has real integrity. Paolo has a clear vision from which he is prepared to diverge only so far in order to accommodate the wishes of art directors and other clients. And over the years he has made time to put together a striking portfolio of personal work alongside the commissions that appear in magazines and elsewhere.
The world of Paolo Roversi
One of the most striking aspects of Paolo’s photographs, perhaps the most striking, is their mood. It’s difficult to put into words but if I were to choose just three adjectives to describe them, they would be intimate, romantic and fantastical.
Those adjectives could suggest images that are soft and pretty but insipid and wishy-washy. That’s not the case. In the best of them there’s a fierce intensity that seems to come from the relationship between photographer and subject. As Galen Schlick observes in a discussion on photo.net:
He is very much interested in creating an atmosphere with his subject and sometimes I have witnessed him unable to achieve this and other times I have witnessed the way he can bring a calm to a model just by a touch. He very much puts his subject first because he believes if he can’t get that atmosphere of peace in his subject then he will definitely be unable to get a photo that expresses his emotions.
2002. Natalia. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
This makes for an interesting comparison with two of the great post-World War II fashion photographers: Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, who might serve as reference points here. Every photographer working with a sitter has to find a way to get them into the right frame of mind for a shoot and there are many ways of doing so.
The relationships Avedon built with his sitters were absolutely crucial to the images he created. He was an arch manipulator, sometimes an unscrupulous one, and came to a shoot with a strong agenda. He could also be very confrontational and take shots at rather than of his subjects. And sessions were typically noisy, energetic and exciting, with the photographer leaping about all over the place.
Penn, by contrast, would create an atmosphere of calm in his studio. His relationships with his sitters were much more formal and detached than Avedon’s, with the photographer instructing his subject exactly how to pose. Although the photographer could be difficult to please, there was no need for the subject to arrive at his studio in a state of trepidation.
The atmosphere that Paolo creates in his studio appears to be much closer to that of Penn than Avedon in its tranquillity. But the importance Paolo attaches to his relationships with his subjects is more akin to Avedon. Plus, he is invariably kind to them – he talks about giving rather than taking a photograph.
Paulo also seems to have a more improvisatory approach than both of his predecessors. While it is he who takes the lead, you sense the shoot is a genuine collaboration, with the photographer giving his subject the confidence to achieve something they will both be happy with. Something, also, that will stir the emotions rather than simply function as a record of a sitting.
Typically, his women – and most of his photos are of women – are graceful, fragile, sometimes almost androgynous. Many of them have a kind of pre-Raphaelite quality. And he has his favourites, among whom are Kirsten Owen, Guinevere Van Seenus and Natalia Vodianova with whom he works again and again over a period of years. Not for Paolo Roversi the Sports Illustrated or Victoria’s Secret type of girl. Nor are his models ever just clothes horses.
Naomi Campbell by Paolo Roversi
1996. You can watch Naomi talking to Nick Knight about being photographed in a Mr Pearl corset by Paolo Roversi for a couture shoot for Vogue...
1996. This photo features in the September 1996 issue of Vogue Italia, (Couture supplement, page 223) as part of an editorial entitled royale: “Fourreau di pizzo oro ricamato di coralli...
1997. Cigarette in hand, chiselled and waiflike, Tasha Tilberg poses as a moody tzarina on a gothic throne. Both the fantasy and the narrow depth of field are quintessential Paolo...
There is no sense that Paolo Roversi’s sitters are trying to act out someone else’s fantasy. They are self-possessed, they are not afraid to look the viewer straight in the eye, and they are themselves – at least a version of themselves they are comfortable with.
With the occasional exception, Paolo Roversi creates his world in the studio. Props are minimal, composition simple and colour palette typically restrained. Within these self-imposed constraints, he conjures up an atmosphere that is delicate, sensuous and dreamy. More often than not there’s a strong focus on the subject’s face, even when the face itself is out of focus. It’s an idiosyncratic, recognizable style that he can flex to embrace both his commercial and his personal work:
My work is a mixture of classical and experimental. Sometimes the classical is more important and sometimes the experimental, but when the balance between these two is good, that’s the most interesting part of my work.
1. Photography is a revelation of reality
Paolo Roversi introduces himself and his approach to photography. It feels quite staged and he does sound as if he’s reading a script, but it’s good to hear his voice in English and the whole thing lasts less than two minutes.
2. Paolo Roversi on Mrs Herbert Duckworth by Julia Margaret Cameron
Paolo Roversi is drawn to the intimacy and truthfulness of Julia Margaret Cameron’s portrait. He admires the way in which she uses natural daylight to sculpt her sitter’s face and evoke a mood. For him, mood is more important than technical perfection.
3. Eugene Souleiman talks to Nick Knight about Paolo Roversi
Hair stylist Eugene Souleiman talks to fashion photographer, filmmaker and Director of SHOWstudio Nick Knight about working with Paolo Roversi. He’s struck by the relaxed mood Paulo creates – it enables the team to give of their best. Around 3:30 he discusses Paolo’s painterly and gestural approach to photography.
4. A Lady in Spring | Vogue Italia, March 2012
For this editorial, Paolo Roversi uses images projected not just onto the background but also the model. The effect is wonderfully dramatic. You can see the results at Vogue Italia’s website.
5. Painting with light | Vogue Italia, March 2013
Featured here are fashion models Mariacarla Boscono, Guinevere Van Seenus and Malgosia Bela. It’s a great insight into how Paolo Roversi uses a flashlight to paint his subject into the image. You can see the results at fashionCow.
6. Looking for Juliet
Looking for Juliet is the concept behind the 2020 calendar Pirelli commissioned from Paolo Roversi. It comprises a short film as well as a printed calendar – a first for the company.
There’s no Romeo here, there are only Juliets who show up for a casting call, respond to questions, and reveal their own version of the character before re-enacting a passage from the tragedy, in costume.
You can see the final images on Vogue’s website and read more about the commission at WWD.
Paolo’s approach to photography
If photographers’ approaches to their work fit along a spectrum from intuitive to calculating, then Paolo Roversi is at the intuitive end. Regardless, he has a clear idea of what he’s about:
I am always in search of beauty. This I know for sure. Beauty is something that attracts me completely all of the time and pushes me far in search of something.
1986. Meg, Paris. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
Closely related but not the same thing is a quest for intimacy and fantasy. For Paolo, “Every photograph is an encounter, an intimate, reciprocal confession.” The encounter is not just about a model turning up in the studio, more importantly it’s about a meeting of minds and the joint exploration of a kind of alternative reality:
I try to look at what’s behind the subject. Photography for me is not representation, but the revelation of another dimension. By using the camera, I touch lightly on another life, opening the door to a different world.
Some of these models are really muses for me. There is an exchange between us. They make all my dreaming about beauty and family and sensuality concrete because the connection is very strong.
It’s this connection between photographer and model that enables them to become collaborators in the creation of portraits:
Portraits are what interest me the most in photography. I am a portrait photographer. I treat fashion photography like a portraitist… It is the atmosphere and the mood of a portrait which brings clothes to life.
And the making of these portraits is demanding of both photographer and subject:
My photography is more subtraction than addition. I always try to take off things. We all have a sort of mask of expression. You say goodbye, you smile, you are scared. I try to take all these masks away and little by little subtract until you have something pure left. A kind of abandon, a kind of absence. It looks like an absence, but in fact when there is this emptiness I think the interior beauty comes out. This is my technique.
While Paolo believes his studio is first and foremost a mindset, which travels with him, his studio in Paris says a lot about his approach. There are many shots of it in his 2005 book, Studio. The studio itself feels cosy and intimate – not grand or high tech:
1997. Alberta Ferretti fashion study. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
My studio is a rectangular room with a high ceiling, old wooden parquet flooring, and a large window facing north. It is like a tiny theatre with an empty stage, a space to be filled, a time yet to be invented, a proscenium where everything is possible, no trick disallowed, where neither seasons, nor days, nor hours exist.
For Paolo, it is a source of mystery and inspiration:
Some days, when I arrive and I find the curtain still drawn, the studio is asleep, swathed in the profound darkness. I abandon myself to this sensation of blindness in a moment of intimate meditation. I feel as I am inside the camera, my eyes the film awaiting light and new images. …
Deep mystery of beauty and darkness … then an idea begins to take shape, a dream coming to life, a memory awakening, and it is then that I open the curtain and prepare a reflector; it just takes a little light and a little courage to make a photograph. Every photograph enters the world as a sign of hope.
The office and the darkroom are both downstairs, and there is a kitchen/living room next door. He likes to get everyone together at the start of a shoot, sitting down for a meal and catching up with their stories. Echoes here of get togethers around the kitchen table recounted by Norma Stevens and Steven Aronson in Avedon: Something Personal.
1998. Audrey. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
What about the shoot itself? It’s not all meticulously pre-planned. Chance and spontaneity are important:
So you never know what you’ll do in the end. And this I like. I like the accidents, the things that happen by chance. I let the life come to the picture and the creativity flow.
Is it too far-fetched to see a connection here with a verse from Leonard Cohen’s song, Anthem?
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
That’s how the light gets in.
One of the things Paolo likes about Polaroids is that they enable him to see immediately how a shot turns out. His way of working is to pin up the prints so that everyone involved in the shoot can take a look and discuss them. He doesn’t edit them until the following day or later – often when he comes back he finds his feelings about the individual images have changed and he ends up making a different selection.
Paolo Roversi’s commercial work is mostly for fashion designers and magazines, so his views on clothes are worth noting:
I always say that the designer is the composer of the music, and the photographer plays the instrument – or is the interpreter of the piece. It’s very important for me to have this music in front of me, playing it the way I like it, and within it, to create a certain kind of woman or man. The dream of couture is very important in what I do.
And that returns us to the flexibility alluded to earlier. Look, for example, at his work for Armani and Comme Des Garçons. In the case of the former, his images are relatively conventional, albeit unmistakeably a Roversi take. In the case of the latter, his images are much freer, more abstract.
Before 1995. Kirsten. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
Paolo’s technique
Although he uses digital when the situation calls for it, Paolo is at heart a passionately analogue photographer:
I don’t care about the millions of pixels of a digital image. I’m interested in the primitive photographic process: the image appearing like a ghost.
He seems to be less reliant than most of his contemporaries on digital post-production. He works his magic in the studio. He uses a variety of techniques to achieve the effects he’s looking for, from coloured gels to double exposures – echoes here of Erwin Blumenfeld.
For decades, now, Paulo has been having a love affair with large-format Polaroids:
The 8×10 Polaroid was launched and they called me one night to do a demonstration in the studio. After 10 seconds I fell in love.
He’s attracted to the qualities of the film, and the fact that it allows him to see the image almost instantly. He describes the sensory pleasure he gets – from the smell of the Polaroid itself to the act of peeling back the layers to reveal the image. For him, digital, shooting just cannot compete.
Working with the large-format film led him to the Deardorff camera that he still likes to use to this day:
It wasn’t like a robust Swiss camera, it was so sensual with its wood and its folds. Then I discovered Penn, Blumenfeld; everyone was working with this camera. I like the slowness of everything, and the fact it needs a lot of light. I’ve always been obliged to work with the lens open, the highest stop, and I like that very much. I never change it.
1994. Kate. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
Slowness brings us to a second characteristic of Paolo Roversi’s technique: long exposures.
I can’t explain it technically, but when the exposure is very long, the picture of the subject is more intense. The presence is much stronger, much deeper – in the aura, in the eyes, there is something. Maybe the soul is coming into the eyes. That’s something I learnt from looking at early photographs. If you take a picture with the flash, for me it’s empty. There’s an emptiness in the presence of the person.
Another reason for liking long exposures is that they allow for an element of chance: “Always, photographs surprise me; they never turn out quite the way I imagine they might.”
Then it’s back to the tactile qualities of the shoot:
Then there is the old worn-out cable release, channelling my thoughts, my emotions, my desires towards the shutter, alive in my hand with all the tension and the pathos of the crucial moment.
His prints come in a variety of formats: silver gelatin, carbon and dye-transfer. The prints available from commercial galleries these days seem mostly to be digital versions of polaroid originals, from which he can’t bear to be parted: “I haven’t got the mentality of painters who are used to doing canvasses, then being separated from them.”
Where does Paulo Roversi fit into the history of photography?
There are echoes of some of the great photographers of the past in Paolo Roversi’s work.
1929. Louise Boulanger evening dress. Photogapher unknown. Read more.
He regularly mentions his admiration of Félix Nadar (1820–1910) – both his “feeling for light” (“le sentiment de la lumière”) and his quest for the “ultime resemblance.” As Anne Lacoste, co-curator of an exhibition dedicated to the Nadars observes:
At the time, most portrait studios were using background and a lot of accessories and focusing on the way people were dressed. Instead, he was focusing on the face, using a neutral background to try and interpret the character of the people.
Two of Nadar’s contemporaries in England also feel as if, in their different ways, they have much in common with Paolo Roversi.
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–79) focused her efforts on portraits that were often intentionally out of focus. Nor did she worry about scratches, smudges and other imperfections – like Nadar, her interest was in capturing a more profound characterization of her subject. Unlike Nadar, Cameron spent much of her time framing her sitters as characters from biblical, historical or allegorical stories. For me, much of Paolo Roversi’s portrait and personal work has an allegorical quality and indeed this is referenced in the title of his first book, Angeli.
Lady Clementina Hawarden (1822–65) is much less well known than Nadar and Cameron. She was an amateur, she didn’t promote herself, and her work was never commercialized. What’s more, pretty much all of her surviving photographs are in the archives of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum so never appear on the market. What’s striking is that she manages to create a mood that’s remarkably similar to Paolo’s – specifically her romantic portraits of her adolescent daughters, whom she was fond of dressing up to create a world of make-believe.
Despite the efforts of such practitioners as Nadar, Cameron and Hawarden, photography increasingly came to be seen and used as a medium for making accurate visual records. Then in the late 19th century the Pictorialist movement emerged to reclaim photography as a medium of fine art the Photo Secessionists in the US were the most significant part of this). Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen were the Secession’s most vocal and visible.advocates. Pictorialist imagery was romantic, with lots of soft focus and references to painting. The finished artefacts often involved complex darkroom processes, unusual papers and elaborate framing. Mood and texture were defining characteristics. It was all very arty.
The First World War knocked the stuffing out of the Pictorialist movement– romanticism no longer seemed appropriate or relevant. Except… in the fields of fashion, film and theatrical revues – havens of escapism.
Billie Dove
Mid-1920s. Billie Dove vamps it up. But is she a vamp or could she be an angel? Note the soft focus and sensuous feel of the image. Photo by Roman Freulich.
1933. Marlene Dietrich publicity still for Song of Songs. The photographer is uncredited but according to IMDb it was one of Don English, Irving Lippman and Eugene Robert Richee. The style of photography is strongly influenced by that of Josef von Sternberg, who by all accounts was totally infatuated by Marlene.
Early-1930s. Myrna Loy, possibly in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). The costume, the lighting and the pose all make for a dramatically atmospheric image in tune with the Pictorialist aesthetic.
Fashion photography was dominated by the work of Baron Adolf de Meyer at Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in the post-War years and through the 1920s and his influence is evident in a photo of an evening dress by Louise Boulanger. It doesn’t seem too far-fetched to see a thread here connecting to the work of Paolo Roversi more than half a century later.
1990s. Untitled. Photo © Deborah Turbeville. Read more.
In the field of entertainment, the closest parallel to Paolo Roversi may be Alfred Cheney Johnston, whose career peaked during the 1920s when he was in great demand for his portraits of movie and theatre actors and actresses. His most famous photos are of the Ziegfeld Follies showgirls, whom he photographed nude as well as costumed. His camera of choice was even bigger than Paolo’s (it produced 11×14-inch glass-plate negatives) and like Paolo his lighting is soft and dreamy.
It doesn’t end there. Take a look, for example, at Ruth Harriet Louise’s portraits for MGM or at the images, moving and still, of Marlene Dietrich masterminded by Josef von Sternberg, such as this example by Eugene Robert Richee for Shanghai Express (1932). Particularly during the silent-movie era, cinematographers were not averse to a bit of back-lighting and Vaseline on the lens to create a soft, romantic atmosphere for their stars.
There’s another characteristic of the golden age of Hollywood that Paolo Roversi’s work recalls. That is the relationships that developed between photographer and sitter. Think Bull and Garbo, Hurrell and Crawford, Coburn and Hayworth. These relationships were fostered by the studio system. Stars were tied to studios, and each studio had no more than handful of portrait photographers. There was a constant demand from the press, particularly fan magazines, for new images of the stars, so the same stars would end up doing sittings for the same photographers time and time again.
But there the thread breaks until the 1970s, when three female fashion photographers, each in their own way, begin to reprise the Pictorialist approach. They are Sarah Moon, Deborah Turbeville and Sheila Metzner.
1979. Fashion shot for Vogue. Photo © Sarah Moon. Read more.
Paolo Roversi in print
Paolo’s earliest work was published in Dépèche Mode, Elle and Marie Claire. I’ve seen a copy of the January 1978 issue of Dépèche Mode, which has a cover and editorial by Paolo. His style at that point is typical of the era and unrecognizable from what it would become by the mid-1980s.
He has worked for Vogue for decades, initially (I think) for the UK edition and subsequently for its Fren ch and Italian counterparts. Some of his most interesting shoots have been for leading fashion houses such as Comme Des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Romeo Gigli, Alberta Ferretti and Giorgio Armani.
He has also published a fair number of books, many of them produced with exquisite attention to detail and in limited editions. Needless to say, those volumes are almost impossible to get hold of now. The following is by no means a comprehensive listing:
Una Donna, Edizione Carla Sozzani, 1989
Angeli, Paris, Camera Obscura, 1993
Nudi, Stromboli, 1999
Images. Cerruti, Steidl, 1999
Libretto, Stromboli, 2000
Studio, Steidl, 2008
Secrets, Stromboli, 2013–2014
Natalia, Rizzoli, 2015
Storie, Skira Editore, 2017
Dior Images, Rizzoli, 2018
Birds, Stromboli, 2020
Studio Luce, Stromboli, 2020
Tris, Stromboli, 2020
Want to know more about Paolo Roversi?
Thames & Hudson have published a small volume comprising an introduction by Gilles de Bure and a series of plates. It provides an available and affordable overview of Paolo’s work.
2001. Tasha reclining. Photo © Paolo Roversi. Read more.
Online, various biographies are available. A good place to start is the one at Hamiltons. There are also lots of articles and interviews. Those I found most useful in preparing this essay include:
Interview with Paolo Roversi by Susan Reich
Light is Life: The Photography of Paolo Roversi by Nadine Farag
Paolo Roversi in Conversation with Grant Scott
Paolo Roversi: “My life is full of pictures I didn’t take” in The Talks
Paolo Roversi: “Photography Is the Revelation of Another Dimension” by Angelo Flaccavento
Paolo Roversi – The Legend by Maria Kruse
Romeo Gigli on Photographic Collaborations
Spontaneity and Obsession: The Motors of Creativity by Alexander Strecker
“The feeling for light” – Paolo Roversi on photography by Diane Smyth
To Master the Shadows by Maria Kruse
At the time of writing this piece, Paolo Roversi’s own website URL points to pages about him and his publications at Editions Stromboli.
Other topics you may be interested in…
Hoyningen-Huene makes a portrait
Norman Parkinson – photographer and fantasist
Richard Avedon – art and commerce
Filed Under: Fashion, Photographers Tagged With: Alfred Cheney Johnston, Baron Adolf de Meyer, Deborah Turbeville, Eugene Robert Richee, Félix Nadar, Guinevere Van Seenus, Irving Penn, Julia Margaret Cameron, Kirsten Owen, Lady Clementina Hawarden, Naomi Campbell, Natalia Vodianova, Paolo Roversi, Pictorialist movement, Richard Avedon, Ruth Harriet Louise, Sarah Moon, Tasha Tilberg
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The undergraduate Engineering Physics curriculum is designed for students who want to pursue careers that lead the advances in applied science, advanced technology, and engineering.
The program's most distinguishing feature is a focus on the fundamentals of physics and mathematics, both experimental and theoretical, which are the foundation of modern engineering and research. By choosing an appropriate concentration, the students may combine this physics base with a solid background in a conventional area of engineering or applied science.
Engineering physics offers you an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of rapidly changing technology through an extensive physics and mathematics program in an engineering context. With electives and laboratory courses, you can easily combine this enhanced knowledge with the practical aspects of conventional engineering disciplines.
Engineering physics emphasizes the basic physics underlying most engineering developments, and mathematical tools vital to all engineers and scientists. The program is challenging, designed to stretch the mind.
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Learn Physics. Speak Engineering.
Engineering physics is for students with a strong aptitude in science and mathematics who wish to apply these fundamental subjects to technical problems without the barriers of the historical divisions among disciplines. Combined with hands-on experience with computers, electronics, and lasers, this is excellent preparation for a broad range of careers.
Learn more about the EP curriculum
Engineering physics students may carry out their own research projects during the junior and senior years. Internationally recognized faculty, coupled with sizable research funding, permits the study (both theoretical and experimental) of many subjects, including integrated-circuit technology, wave-function engineering, electron and ion-beam microfabrication, lasers and optics, superconducting devices, plasma physics, thermonuclear fusion, biological physics, materials physics, and x-ray physics.
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of Engineering Physics graduates take positions in high-technology industries, at starting salaries at the top end of the scale for engineers
Cornell's Engineering Physics program has been ranked number one in the nation multiple times by U.S. News and World Reports
students graduate from the program annually, making EP unique in its low student to faculty ratio
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Autopsy: Migrant child who died in US custody had infection
By Nomaan MerchantAssociated Press
HOUSTON — An autopsy has found that a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of a bacterial infection while detained by the U.S. Border Patrol, in a case that drew worldwide attention to the plight of migrant families detained at the southern U.S. border.
The El Paso County Medical Examiner's office released a report Friday of its findings in the death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin. Jakelin died Dec. 8, just over a day after she was apprehended by Border Patrol agents with her father.
The report says traces of streptococcus bacteria were found in Jakelin's lungs, adrenal gland, liver, and spleen. The autopsy says she faced a "rapidly progressive infection" that led to the failure of multiple organs.
The medical examiner did not determine which form of streptococcus bacteria Jakelin contracted.
Jakelin was one of two children to die in Border Patrol custody in December, raising questions about the agency's medical practices as it faces a surge in migrant families crossing the southern border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said shortly after Jakelin's death that she was apprehended with her father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, in a group of 163 migrants at about 9:15 p.m. Dec. 6 in New Mexico. The father signed an English-language form stating Jakelin was in good health, but it remains unclear whether he understood what the form said.
Jakelin and her father boarded a bus at about 4:30 a.m. Dec. 7 from the Antelope Wells port of entry for the Lordsburg station. According to a CBP statement, Jakelin's father reported just before the bus left at 5 a.m. that she was vomiting.
The bus arrived in Lordsburg about 90 minutes later, CBP said. By then, Jakelin's temperature had reached 105.7 degrees Fahrenheit (40.9 degrees Celsius). An emergency medical technician had to revive her.
She was flown to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, where she died the next day .
CBP says large groups of migrants are increasingly heading to remote areas of the border such as rural New Mexico, where it has very limited facilities or staff to apprehend and care for them. The Border Patrol recently started releasing families immediately instead of referring them to processing, a step the agency said was necessary to relieve overcrowding in its facilities.
CBP declined Friday to comment on the autopsy report. Commissioner Kevin McAleenan previously said in a statement that the agents who were involved "are deeply affected and empathize with the father over the loss of his daughter."
"We cannot stress enough the dangers posed by traveling long distances, in crowded transportation, or in the natural elements through remote desert areas without food, water and other supplies," McAleenan said.
Advocates have criticized CBP for its treatment of migrant families and for portraying their growing numbers as a crisis. They have long warned that immigration facilities are ill-suited to detain families. After Jakelin's death, the U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants urged the U.S. not to detain migrants and called for "a thorough investigation" of her death.
RAICES, a group that provides legal services to detained immigrants, tweeted on Friday: "We will keep fighting for you and the innocent children and their families seeking refuge in this country."
Tekandi Paniagua, the Guatemalan consul based in Del Rio, Texas, said his office had spoken to Nery Caal on Friday and that he would "continue providing the necessary accompaniment and support to the Caal family."
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Archive for: Essay
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19 September 2020 /in Essay /by Robert
Wendy Kennar
Could I?, Should I?, Would I?
‘Can you still teach?’
‘Kind of,’ I answered.
‘You either can or you can’t. We can’t continue with this process if you can still teach.’
It was November 2012, and I didn’t know how to respond to the CalSTRS (California State Teachers’ Retirement System) repre-sentative sitting across from my husband and me.
There was a part of me that could still teach, that still wanted to teach. I’d only been teaching for twelve years. I wasn’t supposed to be looking into retirement this soon.
But this wouldn’t be a traditional retirement. This would be a ‘retirement due to a disability. ’
Could I still teach?
In my mind, the answer was simple. Yes. I still had the passion and the drive to go to school each day and create an environment within room 7 where children felt loved, safe, and empowered to try their best.
Should I continue to teach?
That was a different question. The answer was more complicated, and I was becoming less and less sure. I knew I shouldn’t be spending my lunchtime alone in my classroom, leaving voicemails for doctors, crying and pleading for their soonest possible appointment. I knew I shouldn’t be biting my lip, struggling with pain in my left leg, as I walked around the classroom checking on my students as they worked independently at their desks.
Yet, how could I admit I was no longer able to teach? I had gone to college with one purpose—to become a teacher. Teaching is what I did, and who I was. If I wasn’t a teacher anymore, who would I be?
I continued teaching after I first became ill, and I continued teaching after receiving my diagnosis almost a year-and-a-half later.
I had initially considered my disease as nothing more than a minor inconvenience. It was a chronic condition, but so was my asthma. And fortunately, my asthma didn’t affect me on a daily basis. I assumed my autoimmune disease would work the same way.
I assumed wrong. I learned that my disease wasn’t just a chronic medical condition; it was a chronic medical condition causing chronic pain.
I told doctors that sometimes my legs hurt, as if I had repeatedly bumped into the sharp corners of a coffee table. Sometimes my legs felt heavy, as if someone had placed piles of books on them. Sometimes, it felt as if invisible shackles were attached to my lower legs, making it impossible for me to walk as quickly as I wanted. Sometimes my left calf felt hard and tight as if it was experiencing a never-ending charley horse.
I had always prided myself on being a “tough chick.” I didn’t give up on things just because they were hard or more challenging or less desirable. After all, I was the girl who had gone to college while commuting on city buses. (A commute that required six buses a day and involved a total travel time of between three and-a-half to four hours.)
I was the woman who had taught fourth graders until two days before my son was born. I was the woman who walked into the hospital on a Sunday afternoon, and six hours later, delivered my son through a natural, non-medicated childbirth.
But this situation was different. There was no end in sight. This disease wasn’t temporary. I came home each day with less and less of myself to give my family. My thirty-plus fourth-grade students got the best part of me. I came home, and my toddler son got the rest of my energy. By the time he was in bed, I had almost nothing of myself to offer my husband. I felt increasingly fatigued, unhappy, and uncertain about how I could maintain my current pace.
Working as an elementary school teacher didn’t provide me with a lot of opportunity for special accommodations or modifications. I couldn’t cut back on hours. I couldn’t just take a day off at the last minute. (A teacher’s absence must be called in ahead of time, sub plans must be provided; it is often more work to be absent than it is worth.) My rheumatologist had provided me with a note exempting me from teaching physical education. (I partnered with another teacher who helped during p.e. time.) I used the school elevator when I wasn’t with my students. But other than that, there was no way to lessen the burden, the stress, and the sheer will it took to effectively teach a roomful of children.
I hadn’t even known there was an alternative. I thought I was living the life I was meant to be living. I had everything I had wanted—a healthy son, a loving husband, a fulfilling teaching career. Daily pain was just an unwelcome addition.
My rheumatologist had advised me to explore my retirement options. At each appointment, he’d ask if I was still working. ‘Of course,’ I answered early on.
My answers gradually changed. ‘Yes,’ I’d answer with slightly less enthusiasm.
‘I’m trying,’ I admitted.
My husband and I met with the representative of the teachers’ retirement program to find out how the process worked. After the initial meeting, I spent hours completing pages and pages of forms that also required comprehensive medical documentation. My rheumatologist had his own packet of forms to complete, and I found out later, my school principal was also required to fill out her own set of forms. Upon receipt of my application, it would be reviewed to determine if I qualified for retirement. I was told the review process could take months. I asked my doctor if he thought I’d qualify, and he believed, without a doubt, I would.
If I didn’t qualify, the decision would be made for me. I would continue to teach. This disease affected every aspect of my daily life—my sleep, my mood, my energy. I wanted to feel better for my son, for my husband, for myself. But I didn’t know if giving up teaching was the way to accomplish that.
And, I still didn’t see myself as disabled. In my mind, my late grandmother had been disabled. She was a senior citizen who had suffered several strokes, whose body struggled with rheumatoid arthritis. She relied on a wheelchair on her bad days, and a cane on her better days. That wasn’t me.
But I also knew that physically, I wasn’t the same teacher I had been when I had started teaching. Walking field trips were no longer possible. We used to walk to a neighbourhood park for picnics with our pen pals from another elementary school. We used to walk to the local Apple store for workshops. Those field trips had ceased. And, my leg had “given out” one morning while my class was testing, and I had fallen. (I quickly popped back up and assured my students I was fine though I was quite shaken.)
The final decision came within days, not months. The state of California had approved my request for retirement due to a disability. I didn’t know what to make of the quick acceptance. Had the state of California quickly (and much more readily) acknowledged what I had spent over two years trying to ignore and deny?
The school principal wrote a letter to my students’ families, telling them of my upcoming retirement and reassuring them that a substitute would finish up the school year. My students told me later that they knew something was wrong before I passed out the letters and told them the news. I closed our classroom door, something I usually only did during testing situations. They told me my face turned red. They told me I looked like I wanted to cry.
They cried. I cried. I promised them that they were still stuck with me for about one more month. I told them we still had a lot of work to do. Nothing was changing during our last month together. One of my students told me he would start rubbing his bracelet, the kids called it a “superhero bracelet,” and ask it to fix my leg. And I wondered if I was doing the right thing.
My co-workers wanted to throw me a retirement party. But I didn’t want to celebrate. I regarded retiring as failing. I couldn’t teach any more. My body couldn’t do it. I was disabled. What was there to celebrate?
On the last day of my teaching career, my students came to school in their pyjamas for ‘Read Across America’ day. My students snacked and read with their second-grade reading buddies. And for the first time in my career, I didn’t participate. I couldn’t end my teaching career in flannel pyjamas. I needed my pants.
The school acknowledged me with speeches and flowers at our weekly all-school assembly. And after school, we gathered at a nearby restaurant. Almost our whole staff, former teachers, our former principal. Colleagues who generally didn’t attend anyone’s retirement celebration came to mine.
It was March 1st, 2013, and I was less than a week away from my thirty-seventh birthday.
To a certain extent, I have become a different woman since then. I am a stay-at-home mom. And when asked what I do, I reply: ‘I’m a writer,’ instead of ‘I was a teacher.’
But there are times I desperately miss teaching. I miss bringing my electric grill to school and making quesadillas for Cinco de Mayo. I miss reading Roald Dahl’s Matilda with my class and then showing them the Danny DeVito film, as we compare and contrast the novel and the film (while snacking on honey graham crackers, in honor of the character Miss Honey). I miss our games—vocabulary bingo, multiplication volleyball, MadLibs. I miss taking my kids to sit outside on the front lawn for a social studies lesson, encouraging them to imagine they’re really college students, out on the front lawn of the quad…
Seven years later, and I still don’t have a simple answer to that question.
No, I can’t still teach in a traditional classroom setting. There are days I wake up and slowly shuffle out of bed and am grateful I don’t have to stand in front of a room full of children all day long. There are days I struggle to get out of my desk chair, and I’m thankful that no one is around to see me struggle.
But, yes, I can still teach. I won’t ever stop teaching. I teach my son every day. I teach him values and morals. I use my extra teacher resources to supplement his classroom lessons. I teach him tricks to learn his nine times tables.
And I am a freelance writer. I draw upon the experiences of my teaching career to write about education-related topics such as why we should never stop reading aloud to our children and how to get the most out of a parent/teacher conference. Most importantly, I am teaching through the use of my written words, educating others about my autoimmune disease and invisible disability.
Retiring from teaching was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. And at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it was my decision to make. I used to see my retirement as a sign of failure. As a very public acknowledgement of what had largely remained hidden and invisible.
Now, seven years later, I don’t see my retirement as a sign of failure, but as an act of bravery.
Can I still teach?
I taught myself that bravery takes many forms. And taking a leap of faith, being forced to imagine my life differently, is brave. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2020-09-19 15:36:352020-09-19 15:36:35Wendy Kennar – Could I? Should I? Would I?
Fiona Jones – Twinkling
17 June 2020 /in Essay /by Robert
Fiona Jones
For most of a century, urban legend has held that the Inuit have a hundred words for snow. Whole armfuls of different linguistic units, each with its own fine-lined nuances, distinguishing one snow from another by temperature, thickness, flake size, adhesion, building potential… Because the landscape that shapes our lives should also channel our language, and the weather should feed our wisdom.
I wanted it to be true. It isn’t.
But here I am living in the UK, where rain shapes our experiences as much as snow shapes anyone else’s. We see rain often. Thunderous downpours and grey-clouded drizzle, sleet horizontally driven, large spattering drops that blotch the ground and bubble the water. Alternating sunshine and showers, and that long, dreary, drenching rain that spills autumn over into winter. The very word ‘weather’, untempered by adjective, defaults to mean ‘rain’ for us.
Situated as Britain is—on the boundary between continent and ocean, in the meeting-zone of conflicting air masses—we can receive our weather from Siberia one day and the North Atlantic the next, carrying its Caribbean influence of warmth and humidity. And so we see rain not only frequently but also variously.
Incidentally (or not), we also have armfuls of words for rain—dialect words, slang, euphemisms, onomatopoeia, metaphors, traditions: April showers, a splash or a soak, nice weather for ducks, bucketing, pelting, chucking it down. Scotch mist on a dreich old day, spitting and mizzling, liquid sunshine to wry optimists leaning toward irony. Rainstorms, cloudbursts, deluges, dropping down cats and dogs, the old man’s snoring. A fresh phrase if we need one for every rainy day in the year.
There’s an empty space here for just one more word: a name for that ambiguous, almost imperceptible twinkle of moisture from an open sky—less than drizzle, hardly more than dryness, a half-sensed droplet or two like a sneeze from a butterfly.
Twinkling: brief, negligible rainfall that leaves you never quite sure if you felt it or not. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2020-06-17 13:40:132020-06-17 13:40:13Fiona Jones – Twinkling
Mary B. Kurtz – A Dark and Gnarled Wood
Mary B. Kurtz
A Dark and Gnarled Wood
I want to write about the weather. I mean I want to write about climate change. But finding the words and naming the issue feels fearful to the point of unmentionable, like when we avoid speaking of ‘death’ and instead, say, ‘The deceased. She passed away. He’s at peace. She’s in heaven.’ But never straight ahead—‘She’s dead. She died.’
I’m expecting my first grandchild in several months. In his or her lifetime, will he or she see what I saw today on the ranch where I live? The lone coyote who slunk across the meadow coming up from the riverbank as I sipped my morning coffee. A mallard duck pair searching for nesting ground as they wandered the cottonwoods outside my kitchen window. Three crows harassing one another for a mate and twigs for a nest, their decisions thoughtful but quick. The five, petite, white tail deer who ran across the county road, leapt over the barb wire fence and scampered south into an early spring wind. And the ritual first sighting of the diminutive Rocky Mountain Bluebell and the delicate yellow Glacial Lilly, faithful along my walking trail.
I couldn’t watch Alfred Hitchcock and other scary shows when I was a child. The threat felt all too close and too real in my mind. And now in my sixties, when I lay in bed in the middle of the night thinking about climate change, I feel the same way: it’s too close and too real. When fears overwhelm me: I foresee heat so high life must be lived inside; I imagine drought that threatens food stores and fuels fights over caches of seeds; I draw up floods in my mind more primal in their will each spring as though Noah’s story may become mine.
I am powerless in the inky silence. I grasp for control to protect my children and grandchildren. In the morning, I ask in daylight, how close, how real, how threatening?
When my children were young, the micro-climate of our home was different. The year my daughter, Cassidy, was born, warm weather and shorts for Memorial Day picnics were never a given. The last few years, late May might be rainy, but short-sleeve shirts are hanging in Pete’s closet. For over thirty years, my husband, Pete’s, hay season began in late July and lasted through the county fair in mid-August. This year he the rolled out the mower, rake and baler and made tracks with his John Deere in early July. In the eighties, I expected the tomatoes in the garden to freeze by Labor Day. As the gardening season came to a close last year in mid-September, I gathered green tomatoes from my vines and put them in the windowsill to ripen.
And in 2012, snowfall records were broken. We knew the run-off would be high, but when warm days and moderate temperatures at night collided, the melt accelerated. With my son, Andy, I stood on the county bridge over the waterway. Above the roar, I said, ‘Andy, my mind tells me we’re safe, but I don’t feel like we are. I’ve never seen a river like this. No one could survive in there.’ I failed to find the words for the raw power of the waterway that midnight in the years since. But if there were a nightmare, it was but a few feet below where we stood. The Steamboat Pilot, our local paper, wrote the next day, ‘Elk River sets a record at 8,250 cubic feet per second’. Later, it was declared a 500-hundred-year flood event.
Thoughts and conversations about the weather, once light and inconsequential, a point of easy common ground in social conversation, now carry a heavier weight. Extreme weather events, like the 2012 flood, and the changes in our seasons shadow our thoughts about the future. Several years ago, I felt reassured that mankind could cooperate successfully with the will of the earth when scientists believed the stratospheric ozone layer could right itself if human activity changed: less carbon emissions and less deforestation. Now, new predictions, statistical data, forecasting models, create a new disquiet and questions arise.
What mood are the climatologists in? Like me, do they toss in their fears, too, just as vulnerable in the silence of the night? Is there hope in the models, even those on the fast track? Will spring always erupt in the brilliance of green or will it one day weep?
Michael Mann, a Pennsylvania State University climatologist, reports that changes in parameters like temperature, sea levels and carbon emissions have occurred ahead of the best projections. All time global temperatures have risen for the last three consecutive years. Both the North and South Pacific regions have experienced one of their strongest cyclones in the last year and a half. Tropical cyclone expert Dr Phil Klotzbach reported in Di Liberto on 5 May 2017, that tropical storm, Donna, was the strongest May cyclone on record for the entire Southern Hemisphere.
And the West Antarctic ice sheet is on the brink of collapse, which in turn would destroy the ice shelf, creating a rise in the sea level of ten to twelve feet. This would be catastrophic for coastal life in Australia and New Zealand. When our overheated earth, now a greenhouse with only modest ventilation, threatens all living things with heat waves five times more likely to occur and portions of the Western Antarctica ice sheet due to collapse, what would help create change?
The new Climate Assessment report now predicts, too, that the future of our world is truly threatened by climate change and a shift to extreme weather events. Produced by thirteen federal agencies, the scientific report predicts dire consequences to health, global food stores, economics, damage to infrastructures, and mental health. Of greatest concern, the pace of the changes to our climate that have occurred since the last report in 2014.
I recently discovered the word, krummholz in Barry Lopez’s book, Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape. The crooked, gnarled wood lives in the transition zone between sub-alpine and treeless tundra, pressed by extreme vagaries of weather and physical circumstance. It survives at its environmental limit, its growth slow and irregular, windward branches failing to develop, but it remains a survivor, an elfin tree seeking low lying growth, intertwining, fortifying, and strengthening its hold. I weighed the question: as the extreme vagaries of weather create extreme circumstance for mankind, can we maintain survival at some future environmental limit?
Laurence Gonzales, writing in, Deep Survival: Who Lives, Dies, and Why, explores, with the help of science and story, how and why certain individuals survive, whether in the wilderness or in facing any of life’s challenges. From stories of those who survived, they did so by keeping their wits about them and seeing the world, the situation at hand, as it is. They didn’t protest the situation. They worked with the reality of their condition, their plight, the scene as it was, one in which they needed to survive.
Mann believes there’s hope if we look at history. When we do, science and honesty prevail. When society delayed acting on the issues of tobacco, ozone depletion, and the banning of chlorofluorocarbons, and lives were lost and damaged, we did eventually take appropriate action. So, I look for hope.
After the signing of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2015 by 195 countries, Norway agreed to ban all sales of gas and diesel-powered cars by 2035 and France has pledged to eliminate coal in the production of electricity after 2022. In addition, the Dutch government has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030.
According to recent reporting from National Geographic, China is focusing on renewables: wind, solar, and hydropower; Germany currently generates twenty-seven percent of their electricity from renewables driven by their commitment to reduce nuclear energy use; and with America’s Clean Power Plan, the United States will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by thirty-two percent by 2030 and produce thirty percent more renewable energy.
In the middle of my nights, when I lay awake with restless climatologists, I still wonder, if the largest contributors to carbon emissions do not take effective action, what can I do to tame rowdy rains and winds, and polar bears looking for safe passage over a dwindling ice cap? Will my small efforts to recycle and reduce my carbon footprint, along with larger renewable energy programs and clean air plans worldwide, be part of civilization’s cooperative sculpting of a simplified but survivable existence, just like the intertwining of the crooked and gnarled krummholz wood?
The unanswerable. The unknown.
I’m reminded of the movie, Life is Beautiful. Set during World War II, it tells the story of a father and his young son’s internment in a Nazi concentration camp. As the threat of death hovers each day, the young boy’s father creates an illusion of their life, a slight of hand in the movements of the small freedoms they both have. Guido, the father, tells his son, Giosuè he must perform certain tasks and with each task completed he will earn points towards a tank, a tank that would rescue them. As they lived each day, Guido was a joyful, magical mime for his son in the dysphoric scene.
While I don’t wish to deny the reality of the changes in the climate, I feel the need to live with hope. So, as I place faith in science and technology to create a sustainable and viable transition zone where extreme vagaries of physical circumstance threaten our survival, I will also remember the inspiration of Guido, the joy in daily living, the mime he embraced so his young son would live each day free from worry and fear. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2020-06-17 13:39:312020-06-17 13:39:31Mary B. Kurtz – A Dark and Gnarled Wood
Ivan De Luce – The Strange History of Amsterdam Street Names
The Strange History of Amsterdam Street Names
My old street in Amsterdam, Pierre Lallementstraat, can hardly be called a street. It’s more of an open alleyway that leads to a courtyard. My old apartment building, a modern, pearl-white student housing behemoth, is one of only two addresses there. In fact, my building is so large it needs two separate front entrances.
Pierre Lallementstraat is named after Pierre Lallement, the inventor of the bicycle. This is highly appropriate considering the Netherlands is a land of bikes. But this tiny backstreet didn’t seem to deserve such a fascinating name. Then again, it seems as if every street in Amsterdam is named after someone. Coming from New York, with our numbered grid system, I’m not used to streets being named after anything. But in Amsterdam, there’s no grid. But there is a President Kennedylaan, a Churchill-laan, and even a President Allendelaan, named after the Chilean Marxist who was overthrown in a coup with the help of the CIA on September 11, 1973. As Social Democrats, the Dutch presumably saw him as a victim of injustice when they christened the street five months later.
There are other streets, too — ones named after Beethoven, Hans Holbein, Richard Wagner, Chopin, Rubens, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bach, Jan van Eyck, Titian, and Botticelli. And those are all within blocks of each other. My neighbourhood, in Watergraafsmeer, is composed of streets named after engineers. James Wattstraat runs along the front of my building. At least engineers are more interesting than grids of numbers.
Amsterdam’s street names started out like many old European streets — they were named after things that happened there, or after some unique feature about the location. But after the 1850s, as the city encroached on the countryside, the Dutch decided to come up with seemingly unrelated names. After 1870, cities began commemorating people by naming streets after them, especially in France.
While Holland was late to this practice, it made up for it by giving every conceivable figure a street named after them. There’s even a Lord of the Rings-themed neighbourhood in the town of Geldrop — take a right onto Laan van Tolkien, and soon you’ll walk along Frodo, Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf, and more dwarf streets than you can imagine.
But back to our friend Pierre. He seemed to have nothing to do with Amsterdam or the Netherlands, but they obviously owe a great to deal to him. He was born in France in 1843, and in his hometown of Nancy, in 1862, he saw someone riding a dandyhorse, an early version of the bicycle which had no pedals and required the rider to pedal with their feet, like a bike from The Flintstones. He added the chains and pedals soon after, and so the bike was born. He never received the recognition he deserved, however. A Frenchman named Pierre Michaux became known as the man who invented the velocipede, and he was the first to mass-produce them. Pierre L. was probably dismayed, so in 1865 he moved to Ansonia, Connecticut and filed a patent for his velocipede a year later. When he returned to France two years after that, bikes were all the rage, which must have infuriated him even more. Pierre Lallement died poor and forgotten in 1891 in Boston at age 47. Thanks to an investigation in 1993, Lallement, not Michaux, is known to have created the first modern bicycle. Thankfully, Michaux does not have any streets named after him. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2019-06-17 13:35:052019-06-17 13:35:05Ivan De Luce – The Strange History of Amsterdam Street Names
John Talbird – Rembrandt’s Drawings
14 March 2019 /in Essay /by Robert
John Talbird
Rembrandt’s Drawings
Perhaps more than his paintings which he is more famous for, the drawings show a mind at work and struggling, a mind trying to connect personal thought to objective image, render two dimensions three, bring life to the white void with nothing more than pencil and eye. When you look at the paintings — especially his portraits with their flesh and earth tones, souls radiating from faces — you can see that he was a genius and understand why the world still loves his work, but I love the rough-hewn drawings more anyway. Rembrandt viewed these as the drafts, the practice runs for his real work, but their comparable simplicity has an electric charm. They put me in mind of a kid sketching cartoons on the subway or a bent old man with a floppy hat sitting on an embankment interpreting the creek that runs at his feet.
In Susanna from 1636, the biblical heroine surprised at her bath tries to cover her nakedness as she peers over her shoulder at we who have stumbled upon her privacy. She’s exposed to the elements — no roof over her head — to our eyes — a scrap of clothing clutched desperately at her groin — to two thousand years of fable, faith, and story. I got chills on the back of my neck when I first saw that painting in the Frick, but it wouldn’t be until much later that I found the sketch that led to it in a book and understood the rawness of emotion, the way it can peer out of the page like a creature hungry for flesh and I was glad that Rembrandt had had the time to temper that sharp outline with the colours of the world.
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2019-03-14 13:28:332019-03-14 13:28:33John Talbird – Rembrandt’s Drawings
Bob Ward – Touching the Surface
Touching the Surface
In Felbrigg Hall, a National Trust property in the east of England, there is a statue of an urchin examining the sole of his foot to remove a thorn. As usual in museums, you are not allowed to touch but, if you were, the sensation would be of cold smooth marble unlike that of a real foot roughened by trotting around without shoes.
The way things feel to our hands, feet, or tongue is an important part of human experience. That impulse to reach out and touch whatever seizes our attention is very strong and similarly we speak of ‘being touched’ by poignant events. We stroke friendly dogs; the physical contact creates a bond. When people are buying clothes, they finger the fabrics to judge what they might be like to wear. After all, the word ‘texture’ derives from the Latin ‘textura’ for weaving. A couple of centuries ago an ancestor of mine was apprenticed to a cloth-dresser, a specialist in improving the surface of newly woven bolts of woollen cloth. In the City of Leeds there were fifty tradesmen practising that craft. However, should you ever be wracked with remorse, one garment you won’t find on an outfitter’s rail is a hair shirt. Fashions change, even among penitent sinners.
Upstairs at Felbrigg the four-poster in the master bedroom is adorned with sumptuous hangings. You need to restrain an urge to let your fingers flirt with the tassels that dangle from the fringes. At a humbler level you might recall that Rupert Brooke in his poem The Great Lover celebrated both
. . . the cool kindliness of sheets, that soon
Smooth away trouble; and the rough male kiss / of blankets . . .
These days we have created a culture of tactile keyboards and touch-screens that makes us even more ‘hands on’. Through our finger-tips we enter the world. Just now my right hand rests on a mouse that controls my computer. But as a photographer I have long enjoyed recording the visual quality of different surfaces beyond what textiles offer. In my pocket I carry a small camera capable of taking good close-ups wherever I go. Etched by salt-water the blistering paint on a fisherman’s tractor can be revealed as an abstract masterpiece. Or I might see the spiky hoar-frost edging dead leaves, or a discarded viper’s skin, part of a creature you otherwise would not dare to contact.
Tree trunks bear close study and appreciation for their subtle variations between species. Scots pines have bark that breaks into islands, richly coloured especially when wet, whereas the bark in sweet chestnuts is incised with dramatic swirling ridges. In my garden there is a kind of birch where, as the trunk expands with growth, paper-thin bark peels off in curls tinted green by algae. In the creviced surface of trees lurk spiders and beetles, often the prey of small birds. Springtime snails venture upwards across this rough terrain in a search for the succulent fresh leaves in the woodland canopy. Ivy, of course, constantly exploits trees as a passage-way towards the light. Even when torn away the ivy’s clinging roots get left behind as tracks across the bark.
Walls too are worth inspection. In the area where I live, East Anglia, bricks were in short supply and those made in the region weathered badly as time passed. So many buildings were faced (and still are) with flint cobbles dumped by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age. The resulting walls are full of character, supporting small ferns, moss tufts and colourful crinkly lichens.
Text itself literally acquires ‘texture’ on the spines of leather-bound books, where the lettering may be embossed in gold leaf. However, you could say that a printed page assumes a virtual texture arising from the nature of the typefaces used in all their different forms, serif, non-serif, italic, bold . . . Contrast ‘Impact’ with the refinement of ‘Palatino Linotype’ or the eccentricity of ‘Crazy Loot’. As you read, let your eyes, as it were, caress the words. For the non-sighted, they are trained to feel words through the medium of Braille. But in doing so, I wonder, can they ever hear the surfaces they touch by the process of synaesthesia? That’s an attribute known among small children but mainly lost in adulthood, whereby a stimulus to one sense raise a response in another.
By analogy, music may be described as having texture. Performers touch their instruments with their hands or lips and we talk of being touched. How running your fingers across harp strings evokes the ripples in the surface of a lake. Composers meld complex layers of sound, fabric for the ears. Harmony relates to smoothness, discord to rough edges. The ‘minimalists’ Steve Reich and Philip Glass arouse one’s feelings with repeated phrases in constant variation that manage to haunt the soul.
Human sensations are richly textured. Do keep in touch.
Four-poster bed hangings, Bob Ward, photograph, 2017
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2018-06-18 11:45:472018-06-18 11:45:47Bob Ward – Touching the Surface
Bryan R. Monte – My Calling
by Bryan R. Monte
As a lecturer of English language and culture at a Dutch polytechnic, I watched for years as some of my freshmen struggled to declare a major and choose an eventual profession. For me, however, this important decision came quickly, easily and by accident at the very beginning of my education.
When I was in the first primary school class, I came home every evening and taught my younger sister that day’s reading lesson. I helped her learn how to sound out the words using the examples from my Fun with Phonics book. “Hs,” I told her, “were the sound you made after running hard and had to catch your breath. Ss were the sounds snakes make as they slithered through the grass.” I was so happy to share what I was learning in class that was helping me to start to decode the newsprint my father read every night as he argued with the television news announcers. With my help, my sister was soon reading the simple texts tacked above her kindergarten classroom’s chalkboards and recognising words and phrases from the books her teacher read to the class. So at the age of five, I discovered I could not only learn how to do new things, but I could act as a conduit for this new knowledge. I could pass information onto others and check, whilst I was doing it, if they grasped what I was trying to teach.
Sometimes, though, in later life, I wondered, as some of my undergraduates did, if I had made the right career choice. Even though teaching seemed to be my calling or beroep, the Dutch word for profession, it was also a very labour-intensive, low-paid profession in comparison to other specialist and similarly complex and continuously-certified professions that work with the general public, such as pharmacists, (my father’s and next younger brother’s choice) or audiologists. I wondered if teaching was perhaps the best expenditure of my time and energy and if there was a measurable, social return on my efforts.
In addition, I wasn’t able to teach every year after I left college with my MA in English and writing. I taught for one year in exurban New England where I felt perhaps I’d been chosen for the job because my name, as the other teachers, ended in a vowel. Here, the male and female teachers sat at two, separate tables and I felt I would only be accepted if I married, produced children and lived there for a generation. In addition, every Friday evening that winter it snowed heavily. By midnight, the roads were impassible, making a foray into Cambridge gay society for the weekend impossible.
I knew there was a place in America where you didn’t have to worry about blizzards or being gay so, at the end of that school year, I moved back to California where I had obtained my BA at Berkeley. Here I never had to worry about spending an hour digging my car out of the snow in the winter before I could drive somewhere. I could also chose from scores of gay places and organizations for society. I did, however, discover I had moved back to an area that had a glut of teachers. After applying for dozens of teaching positions, I ended up getting a job in an insurance company because I was literate, organized and could file, retrieve, update and print computer forms with ease. I stayed in insurance because I discovered that most of the teaching jobs available in the Bay Area were free-lance and without benefits, including most importantly, health insurance during the AIDS epidemic. So I held a weekly writers’ workshop in my living room and taught technical writing classes at the UC Berkeley Extension one evening a week every other semester to keep my teaching skills sharp and my CV updated.
I did learn something meaningful, however, when I worked at one of the insurance company’s divisions that had underwritten a lot of “bad business” that year. Due to the losses from these new accounts, which outstripped the earned premiums, the underwriter at the desk next to mine remarked that if the company had shut its doors for a year and we had just sat at our desks and read our continuing education insurance books and not written any new business, then the company would have made a bigger profit.
But insurance as well as education, has a social benefit that is largely discounted these days by companies and governments driven by short-term profits or objectives. And I could enumerate and measure these educational and social benefits as clearly as I could my incoming freshmen’s English fluency seven years later in the Netherlands. At the beginning of the college year, I administered the same standardized tests in writing, listening and reading, whose scores dipped consistently overall by a percentage point (two points for reading) each year for over a decade.
Despite this, though, I could see definite progress in my students’ spoken English once they were in my class. At the end my of my first class of freshmen English, the students left the classroom complaining to each other in fluent Dutch (usually unaware that I could understand their every word) that they had too much homework. After going on their freshmen and sophomore excursions to London and Dublin, visiting museums by day and pubs by night, however, the value of English and my small talk conversation drills became more than apparent as they suddenly discovered they wanted to chat up that handsome or beautiful British or Irish young man or woman at the bar. (My coach drivers for these excursions also complimented my students saying they were the only group who consistently showed up on time and who took their rubbish with them). By their senior year, these same students left my classroom at the end of the first class complaining to me in fluent, polite English, using the persuasive phrases I had taught them, that they had too much homework. Then I knew all my time and energy as head of English had not been wasted, that it wouldn’t have been better if I’d stayed in the teachers’ room and spent most of my time reading books and planning curricula as some of my predecesors had done. I knew that due to my efforts, I had managed to change the world, even if by just a little, for the better. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2017-09-11 13:05:422017-09-11 13:05:42Bryan R. Monte – My Calling
Jim Ross – The Substitute
The Substitute
by Jim Ross
Nearly every country, culture, and school system uses substitute teachers to fill in for occasional teacher absences or for longer time periods while schools seek permanent teachers. Almost universally, substitute teachers are mocked and reviled by students and by schools, which accord them a status equal to a mayfly.
For four years, I eked out a catch-as-catch-can living as a substitute teacher. I knew the priority was keeping students reasonably safe, but I clung to the illusion I might occasionally get to teach.
After being certified in social studies, my first call came from a self-contained, special education school. On arrival, I was told I’d be teaching blind primary schoolers. When I reached the classroom, I found eight smock-clad students spread out on the floor, engrossed in finger painting. The teacher watching over suggested I let them continue for thirty minutes, handed me a lesson plan, and smiled knowingly.
I hadn’t laid eyes or hands on finger paint since I was five. I squatted down as the students smeared colours from their papers to the floor and back.
“What are you making?” I asked.
“Snow man,” one told me.
“Man walks on moon,” said another.
“Big mess,” said a third.
Fearing for the floor, their clothes, and my job, I encouraged staying on the paper. Then, one by one, I ported the children’s masterpieces to safety, walked each artist to the sink, and then situated them at desks.
The teacher’s lesson plan: Review latest Braille lessons. We conducted a round-robin reading from Braille to English. Whenever Stephen read a long word, he said, “Midnight.”
I checked into the office before leaving. The vice-principal asked: “How’d it go?”
“Through a glass darkly,” I said.
“Perfect. You free tomorrow?” he asked.
Next day, I had deaf students. My background with deaf people was seeing deaf students on the subway when I was in high school. How they communicated via sign language, gestures, and facial expressions fascinated. When I reached class, the students were wearing headphones.
“We’re not teaching sign language,” my escort explained. “We’re trying to tap what’s left of their residual hearing. You’ll communicate with them using this microphone. If they don’t hear you, hike up the volume.”
Thirty minutes later, the principal announced over the PA system that the entire school was departing imminently for the White House. I herded my twelve students onto a bus. Once students disembarked, we tried to keep track as they scurried across the White House pasture, blending in with students from other schools. On signal, I drew my deaf students as if with magnets to a row of folding chairs and observed them fidget to the Youth Orchestra’s beat. After the orchestra’s performance, a White House rep invited the assemblage to approach for cookies and punch. Running amok, students crumbled cookies over the lawn. Eventually we coaxed them back onto buses. I’d hardly begun debriefing my class about their field trip when the dismissal bell rang.
Most mornings I’d wait by the phone with my cup of coffee, bowl of hot raisiny oatmeal, and the newspaper, catnapping. More often than not, between 7.00 and 8.00 AM, the phone rang. The waiting game resumed from 3.00 to 5.00 PM. When I answered, I probably sounded like Helene, from Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Who Am I This Time?”
The first two months made me question why more teachers didn’t come unglued.
• I observed eight 4th grade girls shove two scrawny boys into the girls’ room. There they beat up the boys, then called for help claiming the boys had barged in and attacked them. Jumping to the boys’ defence, I said, to the contrary, the girls had forced the boys into the girls’ room. Said the vice principal: “Some of those girls were angels … until today.”
• I’d been told that if 3rd grader Robert cried, I was to send him to the office. Robert’s Valentine to Mike reached the wrong Mike, who tore it up. Heartbroken, Robert cried. Instead of sending him to the office, I let him lead the game at recess.
• Two 6th grade girls fought in the hall, drawing a crowd. The loser’s friends sought asylum in my class, blood streaming from nose and mouth.
• As I was teaching French to attentive high school students, rocks came flying through the windows. Glass shattered; students scattered.
• When a junior high school girl kept disrupting class, I sent her to the office, where she alleged, “That man tried to stick his worm in me.” The office staff’s refusal to take her seriously gave me cold comfort.
• On May Day, I escorted a Russian class onto the school’s front lawn to plant their Russian flag. Thinking I was a student, two passing students offered me drugs.
Almost no teachers left lesson plans. Some left terse notes like: “Have students draw their emotions using charcoal.” At best, they left busywork. Teachers who left scant or no instructions sent an implicit message: ‘Use your creative discretion.’
A 3rd grade teacher left instructions to randomly assign each student a required spelling word. The students’ task was to write a sentence using their assigned word and incorporate the sentence into an Earth Day card. The teacher would forward the cards to the White House. Eduardo drew the word “smother.” I expected a cautionary tale about how to keep a baby warm while avoiding tragic over-diligence but hoped for Maya Angelou’s recipe for smothered chicken. Surprising only me, 8-year-old Eduardo articulated the poetry of protest like a young Langston Hughes:
Do they smother
Our cry?
I often wondered, did the White House write back? Did Eduardo keep asking questions? Did anyone hear him? Or did someone just shut him up?
After four feast-or-famine years, I quit substituting. Believing I might make a difference made quitting hard, but seeing capable, compassionate teachers become worn down and afraid helped set me free. AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2017-09-11 12:59:042017-09-11 12:59:04Jim Ross – The Substitute
Stephen O’Connor – “Lalla Roohk” and the Great Slide
“Lalla Roohk” and the Great Slide
by Stephen O’Connor
My grandfather, John O’Connor, once told me, in definitive tones, that Thomas Moore was the greatest poet in the English language. I was a boy, and when my grandfather made declarations, I set them down in the book and volume of my mind as facts, as infallible to my young Catholic understanding as papal bulls, and I remember many of them to this day. Besides, if anyone knew poetry, it would have been “Papa,” as we called my grandfather, for he was a great lover of verse. He often boasted that he had won an oratorical contest as a lad back in Ireland for a recitation of “Bingen on the Rhine.” The sponsors of the contest were supposed to have sent him a prize—a major award, no doubt. “I’m still waiting,” he would say, leaning toward me as we sat in the wicker chairs on his porch, slapping my knee or pushing my shoulder and laughing.
There was a tremendous thick tome on his bookshelf called The Poetry and Song of Ireland, edited by John Boyle O’Reilly. It was a literary mainstay of Irish American households, and held within its sacred pages the complete poems of Thomas Moore. A frontispiece depicted Cathleen ni Houlihan, the beautiful woman who was the embodiment of Ireland. While her people bore the yoke of foreign bondage, she was the Sean Van Vocht, the poor old woman, but whenever the Irish took up arms and shed their blood in the cause of freedom, she was transformed into the Gile na Gile, the Brightness of Brightness, the lovely Cathleen. Under the depiction of this radiant queen was a line from Thomas Moore, “Rich and rare were the gems she wore.” Papa gave me the book, and it sits in front of me on the desk as I write, one of the granite blocks in the foundation of my identity.
Papa, who was born in Rathkeale, County Limerick, in the late nineteenth century, was not alone among his contemporaries in his estimation of Moore’s greatness, or in his certainty of the genius of his chef d’oeuvre, “Lalla Rookh,” published in 1817. The Norton Anthology of English Literature states that the three thousand pounds that Moore was advanced by his publisher was the largest sum ever offered a poet for a single poem, and this at a time when Byron and Shelley were household names. Before Moore’s death in 1852, “Lalla Roohk” had gone through twenty editions.
I was reminded of all this the other day as I was thumbing through a copy of Huckleberry Finn, and noticed that Huck mentions a Mississippi riverboat which he refers to as “Lally Rook.” The poem is also mentioned in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and Schuman wrote music based on scenes from the work. Moore’s “Lalla Rookh,” it seems, along with Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Les Miserables, was one of the most popular works for soldiers to read “by the bivouac’s fitful flame” during the Civil War.
Papa had declared “Lalla Rookh” a masterpiece, and since the verses he recited from memory had such a rich sound rolling off his Irish tongue, I was eager to read it. I must have been about thirteen, so I hoped that it would be a tale of mighty Irish heroes like Cúchulainn and Conall Cearnach, or The Fighting Prince of Donegal, whose exploits I had seen in the film of that name at the Strand Theater—still the only movie in my life that I sat through for a second showing. When I finally sat down in the rocking chair in my room with the heavy book opened in my lap to “Lalla Roohk,” I was immediately puzzled by the subtitle: “A Persian Tale.” It was a work of what is known today as Romantic Orientalism.
Let me be honest with you, and hope that my grandfather is not listening from a perch in heaven. I never did read the entire poem. In fact, I’ve never read most of the poem. The reason is that no one ever held a gun to my head and forced me to spend the hours that it would take to plough through all the maidens beckoning the brave to their bowers, or the descriptions of “the crimson blossoms of the coral tree in the warm isles of India’s sunny sea.” Three pages of this stuff would cure the most obdurate insomniac. The footnotes alone would keep the Prisoner of Zenda busy for months. On the first page of the poem, there are twelve explanatory footnotes drawn from atlases, treatises, mythologies, Persian miscellanies, and dictionaries.
Now I will not say that none of this is interesting; in fact, in some respects the footnotes are more interesting than the poem. Who knew that a “bulbul” was another name for a nightingale? But what I find truly interesting—fascinating, really, is the simple fact that throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such a dense and verbally ornate poem was enormously popular. It was not read by graduate students, (if graduate students even existed, they must have been rarer than a bulbul in February); it was read by a lot of people like my grandfather, who was a house painter with a grammar school education. Melodrama is out of favour, but beyond that, would anyone today have the attention span required to read a heavily footnoted, book-length poem? Most modern readers, including me, would not get beyond the first sentence of Moore’s introduction, which begins, “In the eleventh year of the reign of Aurungzebe, Abdalla, King of Lesser Bucharia, a lineal descendent from the great Zingis, having abdicated the throne in favor of his son, set out on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Prophet, and, passing into India through the delightful valley of Cashmere…” Is your mind wandering yet?
My point here is not just that such works have gone out of fashion. What strikes me forcefully is that people in the past, those who could read, possessed an extremely high order of focus, comprehension and expression relative to the modern reader and writer. Even the illiterate groundlings relished Shakespeare’s elaborate word play. And we need not go back so far. In the grammar schools and high schools of our grandparents, or in my case even aunts and uncles, American students still committed great swaths of Longfellow to memory, verses from such epic poems as “Evangeline,” (which sold 36,000 copies in the decade after its publication), “The Song of Hiawatha,” (50,000 copies within two years of its publication), and the ever-popular ballad “The Wreck of the Hesperus.”
Memorization of poetry? I’ve been teaching high school for twenty-seven years; when other teachers find out that I’ve had my students memorize “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” they look at me as if I had required the youngsters to put away their pencils in favor of a quill and inkwell. The last professor I had who expected students to commit poems to memory was another Irishman, Augustus Martin at University College, Dublin, who seemed to have the complete poetical works of Yeats at his fingertips, and in 1980, his fingertips were not connected to a hand-held device.
“Mnemosyne—Memory, is the mother of all the Muses,” he would remind us in that sonorous Richard Burton voice of his. “Memorization” in the modern educational lexicon is often coupled with the culpatory adjective “rote.” Why would you want a head full of poetry when you can google whatever you need? But what if knowing things, rather than just knowing where to find things, is a formative experience? What we know, what we memorize, lives in us, becomes part of us. The words return to us as we witness the beauty and tragedy of the world around us; they lend depth to every scene and illuminate every experience. I found strength in the words in my head as I spent time with my terminally ill father. The lines that always came back to me, as his days dwindled, were from Sonnet 73:
This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.
There are no longer popular poems which most Americans can quote. As a child, I used to look at a framed needlepoint my great aunt had done, which hung in the parlour. It depicted a homey cottage above the lines: “Let me live in a house by the side of the road, and be a friend to man.” Many visitors recognized those lines from a poem by Sam Walter Foss, “The House by the Side of the Road.”
Such popular poetry no longer exists in America, and popular reading is synonymous with light reading. It was not always so. While watching a documentary on the Mexican American War recently, I was surprised to hear that many of the American soldiers in that conflict (or invasion) carried Prescott’s 1843 Conquest of Mexico, which they read to pass the tedious hours between marching and fighting. Now I happen to have inherited a copy of Prescott’s Conquest of Mexico, or I should say copies, since the work was published in two volumes. Opening volume two at random, I read, “Cortes reflected on his own impotence to restrain the fury of the Mexicans, and resolved in spite of his late supercilious treatment of Montezuma, to employ his authority to allay the tumult, an authority so successfully exerted on behalf of Alvarado at an earlier stage of the insurrection.”
Whether we can appreciate their tastes or their world view—whether we feel that their histories are slanted, their plots incredible, their scenes sentimental, or their poetry flowery—the sheer literacy of our ancestors astonishes me. Look at the works that they read; in 1842, a year before Prescott published his Conquest of Mexico, Charles Dickens visited my hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, (hardly the Oxford of America), and was the toast of the town as the most celebrated novelist in history. Fans crowded the docks of New York awaiting the next instalment of Martin Chuzzlewit or The Old Curiosity Shop. Yet I suspect that the average modern reader would be flatly incapable of getting through Bleak House, or even David Copperfield. And the difference shows. Read the letters of Civil War soldiers; visit the Nantucket Whaling Museum and read the letters sent home by those rugged men who thrust the cruel harpoon, (one letter I recall recounts that members of the ship’s company were performing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar for the entertainment of the crew); read the prose that was written by young women mill workers here in Lowell, who were largely self-educated and often sent their pay home to put their brothers through school. Yet the discussions and debates conducted through their literary magazine, The Lowell Offering, were carried on at an intellectual level far beyond the capabilities of most of today’s college graduates. The magazine impressed Charles Dickens; in fact, Professor Natalie McKnight of Boston University, and grad student Chelsea Bray, have put forth a convincing theory that Dickens conceived of the idea for A Christmas Carol after reading stories in The Lowell Offering, stories written by “mill girls.”
The evidence of a general decline in literacy may be anecdotal, but it is persistent. New examples present themselves continually. A woman told me recently that she read War and Peace in its entirety with her English class at Lowell High School in the 1950’s. When is the last time you saw a high school student sitting in a coffee shop reading Tolstoy? And you never will. Am I nostalgic? Perhaps, but the incontrovertible fact remains that The Hunger Games is not Wuthering Heights, and that the preponderance of what high school students read today is much closer in style and level of complexity to the former than to the latter. Earlier I mentioned Jane Eyre—a retired librarian informs me that for many years, and again, we’re probably talking about the forties and fifties, and probably into the sixties, it was the most frequently borrowed book from our city library, principally by girls and young women. Try to read the novel with a typical high school class today—I speak from experience—and see how many pages are turned before students are yawning and peeking at their iPhones. A couple of years ago, I asked my daughter, then nineteen, what she and her friends were reading over the summer. She responded that most of them were rereading Fifty Shades of Grey because the film was coming out. In terms of the quality of the prose in that quarter, I can only repeat a question that was posed by a reviewer of the novel on Amazon, “Was this book written by a teenager?”
What happened to us? Shall we blame our schools? Was it TV? Was it the cult of self-esteem and lack of self discipline? The proliferation of excuses and accommodations? The belief that education could be had without a price and it would all be just good fun—a group project with crayons? Flannery O’Connor once responded to the assertion that students should be given what they want to read rather than what they should read. Her response was not ambiguous. “Their tastes should not be consulted,” she declared. “Their tastes are being formed.” Score one for Wuthering Heights. But the brave new world requires us all to change with it, they say, and so we continue, as Neil Postman argued decades ago, to “entertain ourselves to death.”
Politicians talk about the need to get the internet in every classroom across the globe, as if it is a given that this will, that it must improve education—a key component of “21st century learning” as they’ve dubbed it. But what if part of the problem is that we have all slipped into the world of the quick link—of “surfing” the web instead of deep-diving into a book. I know that many of the works I enjoyed easily as a young man strike me as dense and difficult when I reread them today. Maybe it’s true that the internet is changing our brains, as a recent book posits. What this will mean for our future, I don’t know, but I continue to swim against the tide, often repeating to my own high school students the simple admonition that John O’Connor, Papa, once used to chastise me for not having read a book of Irish history that he’d given me: “If you don’t read, you don’t know.” I’ve always remembered those words, but I’m quite sure my students have already forgotten them. For the very young, it is a world of distractions, a world of tweets and texts and sexts and posts and Instagrams and likes and downloaded videos, distractions with which even “high-interest” reading books cannot compete, let alone the interior life of Emily Dickinson’s “landscape of the spirit.”
Clearly, an ignorant populace is not a solid foundation on which to build a democracy. Beyond the political implications, I feel a sense of regret for what we’ve lost, for what people of all cultures are losing, for what we parted with all too easily, for what we are not handing down to our children. “It’s over,” an old book dealer said to me recently. She didn’t need to explain.
I’m sure there will always be a silent student somewhere reading Thoreau in the corner of the library—who knows, maybe even “Lalla Roohk,” but the general decline in the kind of deep literacy of a not so distant past is undeniable. We are approaching a time when, for many educated in American schools, our “native English,” will have become, in Shakespeare’s words, “like a cunning instrument cased up, or, being open, put into his hands that knows no touch to tune the harmony.” AQ
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2017-09-11 12:47:232017-09-11 12:47:23Stephen O’Connor – “Lalla Roohk” and the Great Slide
Grove Koger – Death of a Tortoise
Death of a Tortoise
by Grove Koger
The morning of June 24, 2012, was a somber one at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Located on the island of Santa Cruz in Ecuador’s Galapagos Archipelago, the station had long been the home of what was believed to be the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise. But that morning his caretaker, Fausto Llerena, found him dead in his corral, the apparent victim of nothing more dramatic than old age.
The tortoise had been discovered on Pinta Island in November 1971 and transported to Santa Cruz for his own good, as his subspecies—known to herpetologists as Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni—had been considered extinct since 1906. Dubbed Lonesome George, he had become an icon of efforts to preserve the earth’s endangered species.
Pinta was once home to untold numbers of George’s brethren, but they were hunted down throughout the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by pirates and whalers. Darwin commented on their decimation throughout the islands during his visit aboard the Beagle in 1835, while noting the suggestive differences among the populations as well. Then fishermen dealt another blow to the surviving tortoises by releasing goats on Pinta in 1959, planning to slaughter and eat them as needed during their long fishing expeditions. Within a decade the goat population had grown to an estimated 40,000 individuals, destroying most of the island’s plant life in the process. It was at the height of this devastation that a scientist discovered the lone tortoise, and in 1972 rangers for the Galapagos National Park transported the animal to the research station.
Over the years scientists introduced female tortoises from a closely related Isabela Island subspecies into George’s pen, hoping to produce a population that, although hybrid, would nevertheless preserve George’s DNA. When it was determined that George was actually more closely related to a subspecies on Española, two females from that island were substituted. But while the females laid several clutches of eggs, none hatched.
After George’s death, his body was transported to the American Museum of Natural History for preservation by noted taxidermist George Dante and a short period of display. “This is absolutely the most important project you could ever do in your life,” Dante says of the assignment. Determined to capture the tortoise’s personality as well as preserve his body, he questioned those who had taken care of the animal. “Everyone you talked to had a different story about George,” he recalls. “They knew every wrinkle on this animal.”
Preserved in a suitably regal and lifelike stance, George’s body was scheduled for permanent exhibit at the Santa Cruz research station where he had lived so long. However, Ecuadorian officials insisted that he be displayed in the country’s capital, Quito, where environmental conditions could be controlled more carefully, and a bronze replica shipped to Santa Cruz.
Questions of extinction aside—and they are certainly profound ones—there’s something about tortoises that appeals deeply to us. “Poor, lumbering creatures” we say, admiring their stubborn patience yet thankful not to be in their place. Of course George is far from being the first individual tortoise to have caught the attention of mankind. Think of Aesop’s fable in which the hare, certain of winning the race, settles down for a nap, while the tortoise—stubbornly and patiently—pushes on to the finish line.
Eighteenth-century English naturalist Gilbert White wrote affectionately of a Greek, or spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) named Timothy who had been bought from a sailor in 1740 and was eventually given free range of White’s garden at Selborne in Hampshire. (The designation “Greek” refers to the species of tortoise rather than its original home, which in Timothy’s case was never known.) Upon Timothy’s disappearance from the garden in late spring of 1784, White lamented that he “should be sorry to lose so old a domestic, who has behaved himself in so blameless a manner in the family for near fifty years.” Fortunately the old boy was found ten days later in a nearby field. Timothy died at about the age of 64 in 1794, surviving his famous owner by one year, and was only then identified as being an old girl.
Yet another spur-thighed tortoise named Timothy was a well-known resident of the rose garden of Powderham Castle in Devonshire until 2004. Taken off a Portuguese ship in 1854 during the Crimean War, he lived as a mascot aboard various vessels of the Royal Navy until given a home with the Courtenay family. Apparently perturbed by the vibrations of bombs dropping on nearby Exeter during a much later conflict—World War II—Timothy dug himself a shelter under a set of terrace steps. He was 160 or so at the time of his death. His last owner, Lady Gabrielle Courtenay, who was then 91 herself, remarked that “you could call him, and he would come and say hello and have a strawberry.” In 1926 a scientist had determined that, like White’s beloved reptile, this Timothy was actually a female, but the name stuck.
To this day a genuinely Greek tortoise, but one of undetermined gender, lives in the ancient Agora in Athens, where it has become something of a tourist attraction. My wife and I encountered it one afternoon a few years ago as it trudged through the dry grass for a drink at a shallow basin provided by the Agora’s staff, then retreated to a sheltered corner amidst a tumble of ancient masonry. Its life appears carefree, but in the midst of the economic calamity that has befallen Greece, it’s hard not to view its stubbornness and patience—those qualities again!—in a symbolic light. The animal has appeared in several YouTube videos, and may well be of greater interest to many tourists than the ruins it lives amidst.
Today Pinta is goat-free, thanks to a project in which the island’s feral invaders were hunted down, but no more of its once-plentiful tortoises have been found. So is this the end of the line for Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni? Maybe not. After Lonesome George’s death, it was discovered that seventeen tortoises from the remote Volcano Wolf area of Isabela Island (the home, you’ll remember, of the first of George’s would-be mates) actually carry some of the genes of the Pinta Island tortoise, and that one of them is an eighty percent match. Given that five of the seventeen are juveniles, there’s a distinct possibility that purebred examples may yet live in the same area.
Others tortoises from Volcano Wolf carry the genes of the Floreana Island tortoise, also considered extinct. Authorities suspect that the crews of whaling vessels may have captured the Pinta and Floreana tortoises for food but later threw them overboard when they weren’t needed. Over the subsequent decades the animals would have mated with their distant Isabela relatives—or maybe, just maybe, among themselves.
Now efforts are underway to establish a captive-breeding program for the two subspecies, with plans of eventually reintroducing them to their original homes to help restore the islands’ ecosystems. “The word ‘extinction’ signifies the point of no return,” explains Yale University professor Dr. Adalgisa Caccone, a member of the research team working on Isabela. “Yet new technology can sometimes provide hope in challenging the irrevocable nature of this concept.”
And maybe, just maybe, George’s cousins will win their crucial race after all.
https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png 0 0 Robert https://www.amsterdamquarterly.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/aq.png Robert2017-06-17 12:04:462017-06-17 12:04:46Grove Koger – Death of a Tortoise
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Updated 12 June, 2016 - 14:47 Marilo
The Impressive Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I to Be Reborn in 3D
Seti I, son of Ramses I, was the chief of archers and a vizier. But before being a soldier and Pharaoh, he was a priest of Set, linked with Horus - the god of weapons, war, and the army.
During his rule (1305-1289 BC), Seti I advanced the extraction of gold from the mines, worried over the need to recover lost territories in Asia, and had to deal with a rebellion in Nubia - which he quickly suppressed. He has been considered one of the greatest pharaohs in Egyptian history, however Seti I is often outshined by the enormous fame of his son and successor, Ramses II.
Seti I’s tomb, KV17 of the Egyptian Valley of the Kings , was found in 1817 by the Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni. It is one of the most beautiful and complete tombs in the famous necropolis. In fact, it is the longest and deepest tomb not only in the Valley of the Kings, but in all the Theban necropolis - and even all over Egypt.
Mummy of Pharaoh Seti I. (G. Elliot Smith/ Public Domain )
The tomb’s so complex that its exact length is uncertain, although it is assumed that it may be double the size of the currently known portion. Nonetheless, after three years of study, a team has managed to digitize the part of the tomb that experts have been able to bring to light so far. According to the information published by EfeFuturo, the digitization will allow the use of a facsimile to show the public the tomb while preserving the original.
The stunning temple of Seti I in Abydos, Egypt
Tjayasetimu, the child star of ancient Egypt
About fifteen years ago, the Spanish company Factum Arte digitized their first wall of the tomb of Seti I, but when the team returned to the site in 2009 to continue work, the conditions of the burial (which were recently restored) did not allow them to continue, which led them to start the facsimile of the tomb of Tutankhamen instead.
But now that the Spanish team has completed the project related to the young pharaoh, they have resumed their work in the darkness and high temperatures that are surrounded by the colorful walls of Seti I’s tomb.
The mission will last for at least a year and aims to get an exact facsimile of this historic site, at a 1:1 scale in high resolution. Thus, the human eye will not notice any difference between the replica that can be visited, and the real royal tomb which will be available for archaeologists and scientists to study it more thoroughly - as is already being done with the tomb of Tutankhamen.
“This project to document the graves and make facsimiles serves the purpose of making the monuments visible to the public and helping in their preservation [...] We propose the use of a non-contact technology, in any case we are restaurateurs, but we document the graves in their current state,” explained the project manager, Carlos Bayod to EFE
The Abydos King List is a trove of information, preserving the identities of 76 kings of ancient Egypt
The Discovery of Nedjmet and the Secret Cache of Mummies
The facsimile of Seti I’s tomb will be presented at the entrance of the Valley of the Kings, near the home of British Egyptologist Howard Carter and the replica of the tomb of Tutankhamen . Factum Arte is also restoring a house as a training center in three-dimensional scanning to transfer their knowledge and technology in situ on the ground where the research itself is established.
Inside Seti I’s tomb. ( EFE/Gabriel Scarpa/Factum Arte )
"The goal is to make replicas of tombs, and ideally for the project to be sustainable over time. Hopefully the people of Luxor will be able to take over the documentation and protection of these monuments soon" Carlos Bayod told EFE.
Finally, it is interesting to note that it was precisely the accuracy of the facsimile of the "boy king’s" tomb which allowed the British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves to distinguish slits in the walls and announce his hypothesis about the possible presence of the chamber of Queen Nefertiti in Tutankhamen’s tomb.
Top Image: Photograph of one of the chamber walls of the sarcophagus of Seti I, where you can see hieroglyphics regarding the second hour of the Book of Amduat and the sky and its constellations. Source: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra/ CC BY-SA 2.0
By Mariló T. A.
This article was first published in Spanish at http://www.ancient-origins.es and has been translated with permission.
Tutankamon
Mariló T.A.
Freelance writer, blogger and expert in social networks, Mariló has been working and collaborating with online media for several years. Fond of nature, pets, history, photography, ecology, byodinamics, spirituality, ancient civilizations, travelling and parapsychology, you can contact her via e-mail... Read More
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People on the Move spotlights trailblazers in standardization, highlighting their latest achievements, advancements, and contributions to the standards and conformance community.
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in: Podcast
Brett • June 14, 2018 • Last updated: January 5, 2021
Podcast #414: Theodore Roosevelt, Writer and Reader
If you’ve been following The Art of Manliness for awhile, you know we’re big fans of Theodore Roosevelt. The man embodied the Strenuous Life. He was a rancher, a soldier, a hunter, a statesman, and a practitioner of boxing and judo. But what many people don’t know about Roosevelt was that he was also an accomplished man of letters. He wrote over forty books himself and read thousands of others over the course of his lifetime. And as my guests on the show point out, TR’s literary life was tightly interwoven with his mighty deeds.
Today on the show, historians (and husband and wife team) Thomas Bailey and Katherine Joslin discuss their book Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Life. We discuss how Roosevelt began the writing habit as a 7-year-old boy and how he wrote one of America’s greatest military histories when he was just 24 years old. We then discuss TR’s greatest literary successes, including The Rough Riders, The Winning of the West, and African Game Trails. Thomas and Katherine share how Roosevelt’s penchant for action influenced his writing and how his writing inspired him to take action, and how John Wayne and Western movies wouldn’t exist without TR’s literary work.
We then get into Roosevelt’s reading habits, including his opinion of compiling lists of must-read books.
You’re going to gain new insights about one of America’s larger-than-life characters listening to this show.
Why TR is overlooked as one of the great American writers
When did he start showing a penchant for writing?
How TR’s reading as a child influenced his Romantic outlook
What was his guiding ethos with his writing?
Roosevelt’s relationship with language and his writing process
Did Roosevelt have an influence on the literary scene in America?
Why Roosevelt paved the way for John Wayne
TR’s most famous book and how much he actually made for his writing
Roosevelt’s voracious reading life
A few books Roosevelt didn’t like (which wasn’t many)
What Roosevelt thought about education and autodidactic, lifelong learning
How his reading as an adult influenced his policy ideas and political decisions
Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast
The Field Notes of Theodore Roosevelt
TR’s Rules for Reading
The Library of Theodore Roosevelt
Quentin Durward by Walter Scott
Theodore Roosevelt Center
The Naval War of 1812
The Rough Riders
The Battle of Plattsburgh
How to Speed Read Like TR
21 Western Novels Every Man Should Read
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Why and How to Become a Lifelong Learner
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Strong as a Bull Moose
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Brett McKay: Welcome to another edition of The Art of Manliness Podcast. If you’ve been following The Art of Manliness for a while, you know we’re big fans of Theodore Roosevelt. The man embodied the strenuous life. He was a rancher, a soldier, a hunter, a statesman, and a practitioner of boxing and judo, but what many people don’t know about Roosevelt was that he was also an accomplished man of letters. He wrote over 40 books himself and read thousands of others over the course of his lifetime, and as my guests on the show point out, TR’s literary life was tightly interwoven with his mighty deeds.
Today on the show, historians and husband and wife team, Thomas Bailey and Katherine Joslin discuss their book, Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Life. We discuss how Roosevelt began the writing habit as a seven year old boy and how he wrote one of America’s greatest military histories when he was just 24 years old.
We then discuss TR’s great literary successes, including The Rough Riders, The Winning of the West, and African Game Trails. Thomas and Katherine share how Roosevelt’s pension for action influenced his writing and how his writing inspired him to take action and how John Wayne and western movies wouldn’t exist without TR’s literary work.
We then get into TR’s reading habits, including his opinion on compiling a list of must read books. You’re going to gain new insights about one of America’s larger than life characters listening to the show. After it’s over, check out the show notes at AOM.is/TRwriter.
Tom Bailey, Katherine Joslin, welcome to the show.
Katherine Joslin: Thanks for having us.
Thomas Bailey: Thanks for having us. We’re glad to be here.
Brett McKay: You two collaborated on an intellectual biography of Teddy Roosevelt. There’s been so many biographies written about him. You guys wrote just, it’s a very thorough long biography just about what he wrote and what he read. One of the main takeaways I got from your book is that Roosevelt is often overlooked as one of the great American writers. Why do you think that has happened to him? He’s written over four dozen books, and on top of that, he wrote all these magazine articles. Why has he been overlooked amongst American writers?
Katherine Joslin: I think it’s overwhelmed by his political presence because he is that major figure of that 20th century. I think we’re thrilled and captivated by the myth of him. It’s not that his writing’s been abandoned quite, but I think it’s ripe for the picking now for people to go back and read it, especially people who admire him as much as your listeners do.
Brett McKay: Okay. Let’s talk about when his writing career began. When did Roosevelt start showing a penchant for writing? Was it a very early age?
Katherine Joslin: Oh. He started writing as soon as he could pick up a pencil, and he wrote. He wrote letters. He wrote journals. I worked on the early Ted. He’s such a wonderful character right from the start. When he would write letters, he’d write a different kind of letter to his father, a different one to his mother, a different one to his siblings.
He then wrote these journals about what he was doing and he wrote them almost like plays and his siblings all were characters in it. You don’t even know quite who he was writing for. He was writing at seven and at nine, these very early ages. Maybe he was writing for us.
Thomas Bailey: He was fascinated by reading at the same time. The Roosevelt children were home schooled and they were given free reign of the library and free reign of the New York Public Library, and they simply read and read and read. They read classic novels. They read boy’s stories. They read stories for little girls. They read everything. He was completely fascinated by the world of language and he always was until pretty much the very day he died. He was still writing and reading.
Katherine Joslin: I just want to add that as I was reading through this journals and such, they were reading things as children, like the Mayne Reid or John James Audubon and certainly Longfellow and Sir Walter Scott and Dickens and such, but he was also reading with his sisters books like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Little Pussy Willow where she talks about how we all want to grow up to be good girls, and Louisa May Alcott’s An Old-Fashioned Girl. He grew up without prejudice about writing. He read anything he could get his hands on. He always did all his life.
Brett McKay: I’m curious. Do you think his reading as a young child influenced his, I don’t know, his romantic view towards life later on that we would see in his speeches about … He was a jingoist. He glamorized war. He was all about the outdoors. Did his reading as a child influence that?
Thomas Bailey: Well, I think it probably did. He loved the novels of Sir Walter Scott, which are pretty intensely romantic, and his favorite boy, don’t forget, was named Quentin for Scott’s novel, Quentin Durward, which is one of his most romantic and intensely romantic medieval novels that was written in the middle of Scott’s career. He adored that novel and he adored Quentin. Yes, I suppose that his intense romanticism partly grows out of his reading, but it also grows out of his nationalism and it grows out of his intense love of the outdoors.
Brett McKay: As a child, Tom, going back to your interest in nature writing, as a child, he thought of himself as a natural historian. He felt he was doing good work. He wrote about birds and animals and his area. His career as a naturalist began as an eight year old or a nine year old.
Katherine Joslin: That’s right. I did the early kid, so I can jump in here. He meant to be ornithologist and he was near-sighted and the family didn’t know it until he was 14, so he would go out and listen to birdsong and there are these wonderful descriptions where he’s not very musical, but he tries to get the music right, and then he spends a lot of time.
He’s supposed to be a kind of manic kid, but he spends hours just observing and then writing intricate notes about the bird. Of course, then he’d kill the bird and slit it open and he’d measure everything, but he meant to be a scientist. When he went to Harvard, he had hoped to do that, but didn’t turn out that way.
Thomas Bailey: He found when he got to Harvard that under the influence of Louis Adiziz, the science at Harvard had become science of the laboratory, and he wanted to do science out in the woods. When he was a kid, he was extraordinarily patient along with his hyperactivity, of course, and his sketches of the mice and the birds and the things that he saw in the natural world are really touching in their emotional intensity and their skill. He was quite a wonderful sketcher.
Pretty much, we could say this for sure about Roosevelt in all of his guises, whatever he turned his head to, he did very well. He turned his head to an awful lot of things, not just writing and drawing and reading, but all kinds of other things, as well, as you and your listeners well know.
Brett McKay: Sure. I’m curious, is there someplace people can go online to see his journals from when he was seven or nine years old?
Katherine Joslin: Well, what’s interesting about working with a figure like Theodore Roosevelt is everybody wants to read him. When we started to work, we were working at Harvard and we were working with things that weren’t online, but now there’s a Theodore Roosevelt Center. They’re looking to put all of this stuff that we were looking at in a privileged way is now in a democratic way available to your listeners, that’s right. You can pretty much call up all of this, or not everything, but the childhood material is available. It’s available at Harvard too, but also at the Dickinson State site.
Thomas Bailey: Right. Well, it’s not all digitalized yet because there’s way too much to digitalize very fast, but it’s coming online gradually and it’s coming online steadily and it’s a fully funded research program. Within probably a decade, all of his writings, well, all of them, the letters, the journals, the articles, everything, will be available online and it’ll be a wonderful national treasure.
Brett McKay: As a child, Roosevelt started writing journals, letters, rudimentary scientific papers about natural history or the environment. What was Roosevelt’s first big breakthrough as a professional writer? When did that happen?
Katherine Joslin: The breakthrough, the really breakthrough book is Rough Riders, and that comes later. After he left college, he was studying for law, and he was working on two pieces of writing. One is a hunting story called South South Southerly. That’s the name of the ducks that he was hunting, and they very nearly died in the hunt. If he had developed that part of himself, that more creative part, he probably would be a very different writer today.
You can see elements of that writing as you move through his career, but then he got a hold of his naval war of 1812 and he wanted to be an historian. Remember that after he was president of the United States, he was president of the American Historical Association, so he wanted to be known as an historian.
He worked on this naval war, which was really about the battle between the United States and Britain in the Great Lakes, and then they wind up in Plattsburg in this little arena on Lake Champlain and they just blow the guts out of each other. He tells that story. That’s still an interesting story. In fact, the British liked it so well that they wanted their own story and they wanted him to write the chapters about the Great Lakes. It’s still an interesting book to read.
Thomas Bailey: It was well-reviewed. It was accepted. The reviewers of The New York Times and like newspapers were astonished that this young man, he was 22 years old at the time, had written such a scholarly, mature, thoroughly researched book. Well, there’s Theodore Roosevelt for you, right?
Katherine Joslin: Right. The reason he wrote that book is because as a boy, he had traveled with his daddy, because they had real life experiences and that’s what kids need to have. He went to Plattsburg once and somebody gave him a cannonball from that battle on Lake Champlain and it just sparked his excitement about this military adventure.
His mother was from the south and lived on a plantation, and her brothers were confederate heroes, naval heroes, in the Civil War. He then visited them. After the war, they lived in Liverpool in England, and he would visit them and talk to them about the boats. He was just fascinated. Whatever he picked up fascinated him, but all of that stuff was poured into this book which started his career as an historian.
Brett McKay: I’m curious, throughout all of his work, and even beginning with the naval battles of the war of 1812, what was Roosevelt’s guiding ethos when it came to writing? Did he have an ethic or an aim he was shooting for with his writing?
Katherine Joslin: Yes, yes. He meant to tell the truth, mainly.
Thomas Bailey: He told the truth and he wanted the narrative of American history and American life to be presented as vividly as it could be presented. He wanted that in politics and he wanted that in art and he wanted that in all public life. One of the persons who was maybe most fascinated by him and in that notion of the national ethos was Walt Whitman, who said, “He’s got a little bit of the Dude, but he tells it like it is. It’s good. I like that stuff by Roosevelt.”
Brett McKay: That was another thing I thought was really fascinating about this time period was this sense of nationalism, not just politically, but culturally. Roosevelt and even Whitman, and you see it with Thoreau and Emerson, they were very self-conscious about, “We’re trying to create American literature, American art that rivals European literature or European art.” They had a chip on their shoulder.
Katherine Joslin: That’s right.
Thomas Bailey: There is a kind of national defensiveness. You’re right about that.
Katherine Joslin: What he thought, and he wrote about what the national literature should look like. He wrote an essay like that, and what he said about American writing is it ought to smack of the soil. Edith Wharton’s novel, her first novel was a historical novel about Italy, he wrote to her and said, “No, write about New York. We want to create our own writers here.” He was part of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which is part of that whole movement, as you say, to give ourselves a national art and a national voice.
He was voted into that group, that very intimate group, in the second round in 1905 along with Henry James and Henry Adams. The people who voted for him were people like Mark Twain. He said, “You can study literature and ideas from other places,” he sounds like Emerson in this way, “But that doesn’t mean that we have ideas here.” He was full-throated in his notion that we should have a national literature.
Thomas Bailey: Right, and he wanted to find himself as an American American writer.
Thomas Bailey: He really was intent on the national voice and the national experience.
Brett McKay: Another ethic that you highlight throughout the book, I love this line. I’m going to read it here. It’s from his autobiography about his writing. He said, “I have always have a horror of words that are not translated into deeds, of speech that does not result in action. In other words, I believe in realizable ideals and in realizing them, in preaching what can be practiced and then in practicing it.”
Katherine Joslin: That’s really at the heart of what he thinks about language. I think that’s true. That’s an American ideal. That first book of essays, or second book of essays that he writes when he’s fairly young, and even later in his life, he says, “Go back and read that. Those are the words that matter to me.”
Thomas Bailey: That’s interesting how that goes both ways. You can take language and turn it into action, but then you can take action after you’ve taken the action and go back into language with it and it becomes his books, and then his books become the source for law, which is a different kind of language, and a different kind of bringing action into language, which then shapes subsequent action.
He sees this as an ongoing continuum that moves back and forth, and then you read and you get new ideas and you consult with writers. You consult with John Burroughs. You consult with John Muir, and you come up with the idea for Yellowstone Park and Yosemite Park and the idea of the national preservation and conservation of land, but that starts in language and it starts an idea and then it comes back into law, and then you make it real. He’s always not content just to think about things, but to do things. I’m sure we’re going to get to the man.
Brett McKay: For sure. I was going to say, he did all these larger than life things, big hunts. He fought in Cuba. I was reading. I was like, “I wonder if he did those things so he could have something to write about.”
Katherine Joslin: Well, that is an interesting question. No, I don’t think he got up in the morning and thought, “Well, I’ll go out on a hunt because I can write about it later.” I think that’s the whole point is that action and writing come together. He went on the hunt. All those first hunts he went to in Dakota was because he came home one day and his wife and his mother on a Valentine’s Day died of separate things utterly by surprise, and he had to restore himself, and he went to his ranch in Dakota and started killing animals and trying to deal I think with the specter of death, and from that, he started to write. He said, “Well, I’ll have plenty of time writing out here,” and it was a way of mending himself.
I don’t think he meant to go out there to write, no, but once he got there, he took the pen with him and the pad and he did what he always did as a child. He continued to write about the adventure, and then of course he got better and better at that, so by the time he went to Cuba, he could come back in that very militaristic and full-throated way and become a hero and so overwhelmed people that they make him the governor of New York.
Thomas Bailey: By the time he goes to Africa and then later to Brazil, he’s invented for himself a much more daring kind of literary form, which is to write about it as it’s happening. He’d go out and hunt all day long or work or explore all day long, and when everybody else came home exhausted at night, he’d set up his desk and his lamp and he’d write about what happened that day and send it to the publisher without really any editing. The publisher would strike it into short stories and publish them in Scribner’s. Both books were published in Scribner’s Magazine, and then the chapters were collected into a book, and that’s a very risky kind of literary form. Almost all writers like to look over what they’ve written before they publish it.
Brett McKay: But not when you’re as confident as Roosevelt.
Katherine Joslin: Well, the idea of being confident and confident in the first draft probably comes from the fact that he started writing as a child and he was always comfortable in language, but you can look at manuscripts. They’re wonderful to look at. He would come in and he had pretty much the whole story in his head and he would run down the page very quickly, and then he’d go back and look at it and if he had anything else, if there’s anything he wanted to do, sometimes he would improve on a verb or something, but then he would do these balloons where he’d put more and more information in. He always added what he had to say, but there is a confidence in a writer that maybe you get from having written every day.
Thomas Bailey: I think there’s no doubt about that. He is sure of his own chops. He was sure of his own chops in all aspects of his life. I don’t think he ever thought he was wrong once, ever.
Brett McKay: No, yes, that’s true.
Thomas Bailey: He was self-assured and self-assertive in a way that really smacks of the 19th century. I don’t think males in the 21st century get to have that sense of assurance anymore.
Brett McKay: No, definitely. I’m curious, the way he approached writing, this first person account, mixing observation and history, did Roosevelt in a way fashion a new form of writing that influenced how other Americans wrote? Did he have an influence on the literary scene is I guess what I’m asking?
Katherine Joslin: Well, he knew writers of course and worked with writers all the time, but one of the contributions I think you could talk about, he meant to write an epic of the west. He wanted to do something where he put faunal nature together with hunting and he wanted to tell this story of what was going on in the west, and his friend, really close friend, was Owen Wister, who wrote The Virginian, and another was Frederick Remington.
If you put Frederick Remington’s sculptures together with Owen Wister’s novel, together with those stories about faunal nature and hunting, you could say that in that bundle, you really have the notion of how we talk about the west. The western comes out. I think he’s influential in that way.
Thomas Bailey: Yes, and what you end up with with Louis L’Amour is a kind of washed out western vision, a popularized and really over-romantic. Roosevelt would’ve been bemused, probably amused by the contemporary western novel, a Louis L’Amour kind of thing. No, he was at the heart of the invention of the west, our concept of the west, including the movies I think, probably.
Brett McKay: Without Roosevelt, we wouldn’t have John Wayne, maybe.
Thomas Bailey: You’re right.
Katherine Joslin: My mother would like that line.
Brett McKay: I’m curious what he would think of, my favorite western novel is Lonesome Dove.
Thomas Bailey: I think he and Larry McMurtry would’ve hit it off almost instantly, don’t you? Yes, and that was one of Roosevelt’s most endearing habits. He’d get into a book and he’d say, “I like this book and I like this author,” and he’d sit down and he’d write him and he’d invite him to dinner and then he’d corner him and they would just talk. He’d have had Larry McMurtry to the White House over and over.
Brett McKay: We’ve talked a lot about his writing life. Before we move onto his reading life, what was Roosevelt’s most popular book? A lot of people don’t realize this. That’s how he made his living. That’s how he supported his family. Even though he came from wealth, he lost a lot of it in the Dakotas on the ranch, so he had to write to feed his family and give them a comfortable life.
Katherine Joslin: That’s right, and remember, he’s a writer before he’s a politician. He’s a writer after he’s a politician, and it is his business to be a writer.
Brett McKay: Do we know how much he made as a writer?
Katherine Joslin: It’s really tricky to know. His finances were hidden, almost hidden.
Thomas Bailey: Yes. He wasn’t good with money. He was good negotiating a contract upfront, but he turned all the money over to Edith. She was a Victorian lady, and you can see at Sagamore Hill, you can see the budgets that she kept and they’re all budgets of expenses and not budgets of income. She kept that hidden, and he was quiet about it, too.
Apparently, and this is hard to get at, and you have to get at it indirectly and by implication rather than explicitly, the sales of Rough Riders were so expensive and so successful that it reestablished him and the Roosevelt family as a wealthy family. It was estimated in one article that I found in The Washington Post from 1901 that he had made $400000 of The Rough Riders, which in 1901, which was just a huge sum of money. He restored his fortune and he always was scrupulous about making money. He wanted to be paid for his work.
Katherine Joslin: He wrote three books while he was governor of New York. He said, “Once I get this office in the groove, I’ll give you my other books,” he said to his editors. They were living off the money that he was making as a writer at that time.
Brett McKay: Rough Riders, his story of his charging San Juan Hill in Cuba, that was his most popular book?
Katherine Joslin: Yes.
Thomas Bailey: Very popular, yes. That was a bestseller, for sure.
Katherine Joslin: Still is.
Thomas Bailey: It still is. It’s fun to read.
Brett McKay: No, yes, and then after that, I guess, what would be the second one? Would it be his African hunting book or the story about the River of Doubt?
Thomas Bailey: No, it was the African hunting book. The story of the travels through the Brazilian wilderness didn’t sell nearly as … It wasn’t disappointing exactly, but it didn’t sell as much as he had hoped, because he was out of the public sight and he had disappointed people by running on the Bull Moose ticket. While the sales were robust, they weren’t anything like the sales of the African book. The two bestsellers would have been The Rough Riders and Travels Through Africa.
Katherine Joslin: In terms of the retrieval work that we’re interested in doing, I think going back and reading those ranch stories, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail is rather wonderful from 1888, or if you wanted to know about his politics and really understand him, he would say you should read American Ideals, which comes in 1897, a collection of essays and speeches, and then of course, The Rough Riders.
Many people read his autobiography, and we would say that the place to start in the autobiography, because he was so crabby by that time, is after he had lost at the Bull Moose and as he was angry about the resistance of Americans to be involved in World War I. In his autobiography, there’s a chapter called Indoors and Outdoors, which is just marvelous to read. Of course, we’re literature people. He has a book called History is Literature. It’s that essay about history is literature that I think is also quite good, and then, Tom, you would add, what, you think Through the Brazilian Wilderness, right?
Thomas Bailey: I think maybe Through the Brazilian Wilderness is a compelling read, and then when he was an old man in 1916, he published one last kind of nature book, book of essays, a kind of gathering of writing that he had done before and he had some later. It has a really wonderful title. It’s called A Book Lover’s Holiday in the Open, 1916. His introduction to that collection of essays is one of his really touching late pieces of writing. That’s very much worth going back to read.
Katherine Joslin: He even goes back and judges himself as a young man and trying to be a scientist and such, and he gives him a drubbing for not being any better than he was. You have this strange thing of the old man passing judgment on the young man. It’s wonderful.
Brett McKay: We’ve talked a lot about his writing life, but besides being just a prolific writer, Roosevelt was, as you said, even as a child, a voracious reader. Do we know how many books Roosevelt read in a given week? Did he have any preferences on what he read?
Thomas Bailey: First of all, no preferences. He would read anything. One of the charming things about him when he was in the White House was that he used the librarian of the Library of Congress as his personal librarian, and he would write him a letter and he’d say, “Send me 10 books on Hungarian history and I want to know something about the Irish Celtic myths and I want to know about the Nibelungen. I want to know this. I want to know that. Send me a stack of books.” The guy would send him a stack of books. He’d read them. He’d send them back and say, “Send me another.” He read by some estimates 300 books a year.
Katherine Joslin: What’s interesting I think about Roosevelt’s reading is it’s part of the myth of Roosevelt that he always read fast. He certainly didn’t want to be disturbed when he was reading, but he read, we discovered reading more closely in his letters and such, he read at different speeds. He read some things slowly and savored them.
He would sit with his wife in the evening and they’d read aloud from books that they liked, maybe from Vanity Fair or something like that, and they’d maybe just read the chapters that they liked or just the conversations, the way you might listen to music where you listen to parts of it and things that you enjoy. He liked poems, but he read certain poems over and over again. His reading was much more various and much more like the lives we all lead suppose in that there wasn’t any standard way to talk about him as a reader. He wasn’t picky at all.
Thomas Bailey: No. He loved certain classical writers. He loved Greek myths. He didn’t much like Shakespeare. He didn’t like Hamlet. He thought that Hamlet was kind of a disgusting character. Well, and that makes sense, doesn’t it?
Katherine Joslin: He used to joke that when he finished Jane Austen, he thought he had done something good for his soul.
Brett McKay: The other thing that impressed me about him is he read magazines, like trashy magazines of the time. I loved how you described how he read them, like he would hold them and then he’d just tear the pages out and throw them on the floor when he was done reading it.
Katherine Joslin: While he was waiting for the train, this is what people say about him, he would just go up to the magazine rack and he didn’t look through to see which ones he was going to do and always read the same thing. He bought all of them, and then he’d sit there while he was waiting and he was bored. He would tear the pages out of newspapers, too, because those were ephemeral. If you’re writing within a newspaper or a magazine, it wasn’t meant to last, and so you’d see the pages underneath his feet when he got done.
The reason he wanted his articles to go from magazines to books is that books are then treated in an entirely different way, and so that’s where the permanence in writing comes. He’d get really mad and he’s write to them. He was irritated with a Gibson Girl because what were women doing wanting to ride bicycles and not have babies. He thought they should have five babies. He’d get really concerned about all the aspects of life.
Brett McKay: Going back to this idea that he had no preferences about reading, I think a few times in his career, people would ask him, “Give us a reading list,” and he would basically say, “Just read what you want. I don’t have any preferences.”
Thomas Bailey: The president of Harvard, Charles Elliot Norton, had his five foot bookshelf with the classics and whatnot lined up, and if you read these, you’d be a well-educated man and somebody asked Roosevelt about that and man, did he tee off on that one. He said, “That’s a ridiculous idea. You can’t possibly prescribe to anybody how you read because reading is contingent. You start here and then you think, ‘Oh, that’s an interesting time in history. I want to read more,’ and you go there and then you branch off into the poetry and then you see what was happening in Spain at the same time, and then maybe you skip over to Hungary and try to find that out, too. You just read.
Katherine Joslin: The idea of formula, that you could have an education by formula, Edith Wharton found that just an appalling idea, as well. Education doesn’t come in a course and it doesn’t come in a course pack and it doesn’t come in a reading list. An education comes over the course of your life that you travel and talk with people and you read and you write and you’re engaged with living. That’s what education is.
Thomas Bailey: It’s certainly what education was to Theodore Roosevelt, who was an enormously well-educated man. He could speak in Spanish. He could speak in French. He didn’t think his French was very good. He didn’t have very good Greek, but he had pretty good Latin. He could speak German. He was broadly and deeply educated.
Brett McKay: I’m curious, how did Roosevelt’s reading influence his thinking about, let’s say public policy? Did that have an influence?
Katherine Joslin: Okay. When he’s reading, and this goes back to that whole idea of words into action and actions into deeds and such, but when he was police commissioner in New York, he met Jacob Riis, who had written How the Other Half Lives, and then they traveled through the slums to see what was going on. From that reading and from knowing Jacob Riis, he later thought of him, they thought of each other as almost family. They so adored each other.
When he became governor of New York, he knew about child labor, about the safety of women in the workplace, the safety of the workplace, the limited hours of work. He got interested in the purity in foods. He thought it shouldn’t say something on the label that wasn’t in a food. Later, when he was president and Upton Sinclair had written The Jungle, he worked with the publisher. Everybody was trying to get text into line because there were so many outrageous things that were in the book, but then he worked to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act. When he had these more imaginative pieces that he was reading, he could see the social betterment that could come from that, and then he did work in fact to turn those kinds of ideas into law.
Thomas Bailey: His ideas about government came from his fellow politicians more than they came from his reading, because he had the ideas, but he did consult with his political advisors and his political friends and he’d say, “I’m going to give this speech and I’m going to give it in Pottawatomie, Kansas and I want you to go through”-
Katherine Joslin: Osawatomie.
Thomas Bailey: Osawatomie, I’m sorry.
Katherine Joslin: Pottawatomie is in Kalamazoo.
Thomas Bailey: Yes, those were the Indians we got here. “I’m going to give this. Please take this part of the speech and rewrite it and put the stuff in there. Put the ideas in you think that I’m leaving out or approve them, and then give it back to me,” and then he would take this document and he would very carefully rewrite it, and then hand it over to his secretary and she would, he, whoever it was, would type it up and then he would read it. He pretty much stuck to his texts when he was giving a speech. The Osawatomie speech, it can be read.
Katherine Joslin: It’s a wonderful speech. By the time he collected these ideas together and he ran as the Bull Moose candidate in the progressive candidate third party in 1912, he had this packet, this very large speech that he had all folded up in his pocket and people probably know the story, but his glasses case was also in the pocket, so that when he was shot by a would be assassin in Milwaukee, the bullet lodged in his chest but it didn’t kill him. It could be that that long speech, it may in fact have saved his life.
Thomas Bailey: Of course, your listeners know this, but it’s worth repeating. That speech in Milwaukee is one of the primary examples of manliness on TR’s heart, right? There was the speech. He had folded it. He got up on the podium and he read it for 45 minutes. It was going to last another 45.
Katherine Joslin: Until he fainted.
Thomas Bailey: He was fainting. He was fainting from loss of blood, and they took him and they put him in the hospital very much against his will.
Katherine Joslin: His wife was so angry, yes. He checked his mouth to see if there was blood there and he thought, “If there’s blood there, I’ll die right here,” and he didn’t mind dying in a battle. That was heroic for him, but when he didn’t see the blood, he decided he’d go and give the speech. It was perfect for him. He loved the crowd and here he was with a bullet in his chest.
Brett McKay: Right. No, that’s awesome.
Thomas Bailey: It is awesome, and you know what? Like with so many things with Roosevelt, there’s another side to that, which virtually foolhardy that he didn’t take himself right straight to the doctor and get plugged up or something, but if he had done that, he wouldn’t be nearly as interesting a human being to us as he is.
Katherine Joslin: Even as he was dying in 1919, he was planning to run for president in 1920.
Brett McKay: Yes. He never stopped. He was always trying to turn words into actions.
Katherine Joslin: No, no, he never stopped.
Thomas Bailey: That’s one of the most compelling and astounding things about him is his absolutely insistence on plunging into the future. He just simply goes ahead and he goes ahead at high speed. It’s a remarkable thing about him as you read his life and think about it, how profoundly energetic he was and how profoundly committed to the future of the country and of himself and of his family.
Katherine Joslin: It doesn’t matter where you are on the political spectrum. I read this study recently, that he’s considered the number four president in quality and importance if you’re a republican, if you’re a democrat, or if you’re an independent, across the way.
Brett McKay: Right. He embodied the ideal of America that I think a lot of people have, energetic, forward-thinking, bold, adventurous, et cetera.
Katherine Joslin: I think he’s a figure that I say he’s ripe for a retrieval right now, because I think we live in a world where no matter who we are, we want to find this kind of model in history. What we have for him and we don’t have for other presidents is we have what we count as four dozen books, but 42 that he wrote on his own, and we can go back and have this much closer relationship with him through language.
Brett McKay: Well, this has been a great conversation. I’m curious, is there some place people go to learn more about your work and the book, or should they just go to Amazon or their local bookstore to go pick up a copy?
Katherine Joslin: Well, we are going to make the suggestion that they go to their local library and ask them to order the book if they’ve not done it. We believe very much in the local bookstore. We just had a book launch at a bookstore in Kalamazoo and I think that bookstores are back in fashion again. We’re at Barnes and Noble also and of course, at Amazon. We’re not hard to find. You can Google us.
Thomas Bailey: You can Google us and we pop right up, but if people are interested in buying the book, we really support the burgeoning market at local bookstores.
Brett McKay: No, yes, one just opened up here in Tulsa.
Thomas Bailey: Yes, terrific.
Katherine Joslin: The beauty of going to the local place, the library and the bookstore, of course, is that you can get our book, and then you can look around and you can find so many other things that interest you.
Brett McKay: Right. What’s great about our bookstore, it was started by the nonprofit reading foundation here in Tulsa, Book Smart Tulsa, which is very Roosevelt. Roosevelt would approve, right?
Thomas Bailey: Yes, yes, that’s cool.
Katherine Joslin: Absolutely, yes.
Brett McKay: All right. Well, Tom, Katherine, this has been a great conversation. Thank you so much for your time.
Katherine Joslin: A wonderful conversation. Thank you.
Thomas Bailey: Thank you, Brett. We’ve enjoyed it so much.
Katherine Joslin: This is wonderful. Thank you.
Brett McKay: Our guests were Thomas Bailey and Katherine Joslin. They’re the authors of the book, Theodore Roosevelt: A Literary Life. It’s available on Amazon.com or as they recommended, go check out your public library, recommend they pick it up, or check out your local bookstore. Also, you can find our show notes at AOM.is/TRwriter where you can find links to resources where you can delve deeper into this topic.
Well, that wraps up another edition of The Art of Manliness Podcast. For more manly tips and advice, make sure to check out The Art of Manliness website at ArtOfManliness.com, and if you’re interested in living TR’s strenuous life or at least something like it, check out our program, The Strenuous Life. It’s at StrenuousLife.co. You can sign up for updates when we open up enrollment. It’s pretty cool. We basically try to help you take action on things we’ve been writing about on The Art of Manliness for the past 10 years, so go check it out, StrenuousLife.co. As always, thank you for your continued support. Until next time, this is Brett McKay telling you to stay manly.
Podcast #673: The Complex Coolness of Steve McQueen
Podcast #672: How to Do the Impossible This Year
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Ex-Kyrgyzstan President Charged with Murder, Plotting Coup
Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyzstan's former president, has been charged with plotting to overthrow the government and murder.
Authorities arrested Atambayev during a raid on his house last Thursday after an attempt to take him into custody a day earlier turned violent when his supporters clashed with police, leaving a security officer dead. Atambayev had been wanted for questioning over a corruption case.
Atambayev's arrest could escalate a lingering feud with his hand-picked successor, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, which could plunge the Central Asian country and ex-Soviet republic into a political crisis. Atambayev served as Kyrgyzstan's president between 2011 and 2017.
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Attend Tulsa
Best Guide for Locals and Visitors to the City
Tulsa's Best Events Guide
@AttendTulsaHelp
Biggest Tulsa Concerts for Winter 2017
It is a great time to be a music-lover in Tulsa! There are so many fantastic musical groups coming to town in the last two months of 2017. Whether you are a country fan or a metalhead, there is a concert you will love. Here are the eight of the biggest upcoming Tulsa concerts this winter.
This November 6th, you will not want to miss the country music event: The Spirit Of Crazy Horse: Kris Kristofferson and Friends. This concert brings together some of the biggest names in country music to raise money for Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist. All the proceeds from this event will go directly to the Leonard Peltier International Defense Committee. This event will feature appearances from Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, Rita Coolidge, Arlo Guthrie, Jamey Johnson, and Shooter Jennings. This concert will take place at the BOK Center at 7:30 pm.
BOK CenterNov 6
By now, you have probably heard Bleachers’ most recent hit, “Don’t Take the Money” on the radio more than a few times. On November 7th at Cain’s Ballroom, you can see Bleachers perform live with opening act Bishop Briggs. This indie pop band is fronted by Jack Antonoff, member of Fun and Steel Train. This concert promises to be an upbeat and fun time. Also, $1 from each ticket sale will be donated to The Ally Coalition.
Cain’s BallroomNov 7
Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald
You won’t want to miss this one of a kind concert featuring two veterans of the music industry, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. The concert takes place on November 9th Paradise Cove at the River Spirit Casino Resort. You have likely heard about both of these performers many times before. Kenny Loggins is a Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and guitarist who has an impressive discography, including the soundtrack to the 80’s movie Footloose. Michael McDonald was an original member of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. He has also had a long and successful solo career as a Motown artist. You truly will not want to wish these two musical superstars when they arrive in Tulsa.
River Spirit Casino ResortNov 9
The Guns N’ Roses: Not in This Lifetime Tour hits Tulsa’ BOK Center on November 14th. Fans of the original hard rock group rejoice; this tour marks the first time original members Slash, Axl Rose, and Duff McKagan have performed together since their 1993 tour. Other members of the touring band include Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer, and Melissa Reese. The concert will feature many of the band’s most popular songs including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and so many more. You can purchase your tickets to this concert here.
BOK CenterNov 14
Following the release of their newest album, Concrete and Gold, the rock band Foo Fighters will begin their North American tour in early October. The Foo Fighters is one of the most popular rock bands in the world, having accumulated four Grammy awards for Best Rock Album. The group is led by former Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl. On November 15th at the BOK Center, their tour stops in Tulsa, OK. Listen to them play songs from their new album, as well as some of their popular classics.
Any fans of heavy metal will be happy to hear that GWAR is making a stop in Tulsa on their current tour. The Blood of Gods Tour will be heading to Cain’s Ballroom on November 28th. GWAR is known for their over the top and incredibly entertaining performances, making this a truly must-see heavy metal experience. The tour also features performances from metal bands Ghoul, He Is Legend, U.S. Bastards.
Cain’s BallroomNov 28
Worldwide pop superstar Katy Perry is coming to Tulsa this November. You can see her perform Witness: The Tour live at the BOK Center with opening act Purity Ring. Her current tour began shortly after the release of Perry’s fifth studio album, Witness. The new album brought us recent hits like “Swish Swish” and “Bon appetit,” which she will undoubtedly be performing during her concert. You can also expect to hear some of her other hits from previous albums, too. Make sure you purchase your tickets soon as this concert is likely to sell out.
One the world’s most popular heavy metal rock bands, Seether, is heading to Tulsa this December. Earlier this year, the South African band release their seventh studio album, Poison the Parish. The band is now out on a worldwide tour to promote their new album. Enjoy new hits like “Let You Down” and old favorites like “Fake It.” They will be performing at Cain’s Ballroom with Shaman’s Harvest and The Dead Deads.
Cain’s BallroomDec 10
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Dec 2, 2017 - Politics & Policy
What will have to be sorted out on taxes
Caitlin Owens, author of Vitals
The GOP tax bill now heads to a conference committee. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
The Senate has passed its version of the GOP tax bill, but it still differs in some significant ways from the House version. That means the conference committee — which House aides unanimously insist is happening — will have real problems to resolve.
Be smart: A final tax bill isn't a done deal, but once members have put themselves on the record voting for the bill once, they're going to feel a lot of pressure to get to "yes" again.
What has to be worked out:
The alternative minimum tax. At the last minute, the Senate bill kept the AMT on corporations. It also raised the exemption for the individual AMT, instead of repealing each. The House bill completely repeals both.
The SALT deduction. Both the House and the Senate limited the state and local tax deduction to a $10,000 deduction for property taxes. But some House members are likely to want more.
The pass-through rate. The Senate bill allows pass-through corporations (small businesses that file taxes on their owner's return) to deduct 23 percent of business income, while the House created a 25 percent rate for business income (and a 9 percent rate for lower-income individuals).
ACA individual mandate. The Senate repeals it. The House doesn't, although it has signaled that it'll be kept in the bill in conference.
Estate tax. The House doubles the size of the estate tax exemption, then repeals the tax after 2024. The Senate doubles the exemption until the tax sunsets beginning in 2026.
Individual rates. The House has 4 rates and keeps the current top rate of 39.6 percent. The Senate has 7 rates and a top rate of 38.5 percent. There are also differences in the child tax credit value and the standard deduction, and everything on the individual side in the Senate sunsets beginning in 2026.
Mortgage interest deduction. The House lowers the cap to $500,000 while the Senate keeps it at $1 million.
What is highly unlikely to be in play: The corporate tax rate, which is reduced to 20 percent in each version. This is the centerpiece of the GOP tax plan.
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Ulster Schools’ Swimming Championship Success
Congratulations to Year 8 pupil Thomas Evans, who won the Gold medal in the 12 year old boys 50m free event at the Ulster schools swimming gala, which was held at Bangor Aurora on Saturday.
Thomas had another great personal best time in 50m breaststroke event and has qualified for the Irish Minor school’s final in both these events. The Irish school’s final will be held in the NAC, Dublin in February. We wish Thomas well for the finals in February.
Thomas Evans was back in the pool early on Sunday morning for two more personal best performances in 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle to kick off the second day of competition.
He was joined by fellow Year 8 Molly Liggett who finished 22nd In the junior 100m breaststroke (Year 8-10’s), and narrowly missed 100m fly final. Year 9 Gemma Clyde had two personal best swims in the 100m fly and 200m Individual Medley. As did Year 9’s Samuel Wainwright in the 100m breaststroke and 100m fly. Matthew Laughlin Year 9 had a personal best in the junior 100m back & Year 10’s Oonagh Lamont completed the morning with more great swims, special Congratulations for Oonagh who was 3rd, winning the junior Bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke event.
In the Intermediate category pupils, Jack Adair, Aimee Hill, Sophie Leetch, Keri Hoey brought the long weekend of competition to a good close, with more personal best performances. Jack made the final and finished 8th in the intermediate and senior boys 100m breaststroke, Aimee narrowly missed the finals in the 100m fly. Sophie also had a personal best in 100m breaststroke and Keri Hoey who had a personal best in the 100m backcrawl was 10th overall in 200m Individual Medley.
At the end of last month Keri was selected and represented Ballymena Academy on the Ulster schools senior training camp to the London Aquatic centre. Twenty-four pupils from schools across the province spent the weekend training at the London Aquatic centre, which was home to the 2012 Olympic games. As well as training in the Olympic pool they enjoying some sightseeing in London. Keri was selected based on her results and great performances last season at the Ulster schools swimming competitions. Congratulations Keri on this achievement.
Well done all pupils on a busy weekend of competition in Bangor and a special thanks to Mrs Lamont for her help with our time keeping duties over the weekend.
Sixth Form Interview Skills Day - a Big Success at Ballymena Academy
Pharmacy Careers Events
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Flemish Government Approves Belgium Glyphosate Ban for Individuals
The Flemish government approved a decree to prohibit the individual use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer.
The glyphosate ban decree was agreed to at the end of last week and will now be taken up by the Council of State. As of now, it is unclear when the Belgium glyphosate ban for individuals will take effect.
The government’s move to ban glyphosate did not come as a surprise to many in the country. In 2016, the Belgian cities of Brussels and Wallonia issued their own decrees to prohibit the individual use of glyphosate.
A number of Belgian politicians have also been critical of Monsanto by voicing concerns about the safety of glyphosate. Earlier this year, Flemish Environment Minister Joke Schauvliege suggested that she wanted to ban glyphosate under the precautionary principal after court documents in U.S. Roundup litigation against Monsanto revealed that the agrochemical giant may have ghostwritten scientific studies to avoid the chemical being listed as a potential carcinogen.
The Roundup litigation began in 2015 after the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a report on glyphosate, concluding the chemical is a “probable human carcinogen.” Since the IARC report, over 1,100 people from all across the U.S. have filed lawsuits against Monsanto, alleging exposure to Roundup caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
In addition to the growing number of individual claims in the Roundup litigation, Monsanto is also facing a class-action lawsuit in Wisconsin over the marketing of Roundup. Plaintiffs, in that case, accuse Monsanto of falsely promoting Roundup as interfering with an enzyme found in plants, but not “in people or pets.” According to the allegations, this statement says it is “false, misleading, and deceptive, as the enzyme that glyphosate targets is found in people and pets—specifically, in beneficial gut bacteria…”
Belgium One of a Growing Number of Countries to Issue Glyphosate Ban
Belgium joins a number of other countries in Europe and abroad that have made similar decrees to ban glyphosate. The following countries have issued glyphosate bans:
Sri Lanka – Issued outright ban on glyphosate following a study linking Roundup to Fatal Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), the second-leading cause of death among males in the country.
El Salvador – Citing the same study linking Roundup to Fatal Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), El Salvador passed a law banning glyphosate, though the law has not yet taken effect.
Bermuda – Issued an outright ban on all imports of glyphosate, which will amount to a slow phasing out of use as supplies run down. According to Bermuda’s Environmental Minister, the country’s glyphosate ban will continue.
Netherlands – The government banned glyphosate for home garden use.
France – The government passed legislation to ban glyphosate for home garden use. The law will go into effect in 2022.
Nov 30 Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman Named Law360 Product Liability Practice Group of the Year
Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman is proud to announce that we have won the Law360 Product Liability Practice Group of the Year award ...
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Magazine Online The Authority On African-American Conventions, Incentives, & Leisure Travel
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Visit Milwaukee Website Launches Foreign Language Feature
Willkommen, Bienvenue, Bienvenidos! In an effort to reach out to foreign visitors and increase Milwaukee's international exposure, VISIT Milwaukee has launched a "bucket list" of the area's major attractions in ten languages on its website at http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/international.
The languages - German, Spanish, French, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Polish - were selected based on recent experience with international visitors and foreign press, taking local resident ethnic groups into consideration, and projecting ahead to expanded tourism from countries like China.
"The city's strong ethnic heritage, increased international business, and world famous attractions such as the Harley-Davidson Museum and Milwaukee Art Museum are bringing in growing numbers of people from around the world. In just the last two years, VISIT Milwaukee has hosted 22 foreign travel journalists and recorded 53 stories in international media," said Paul Upchurch, President & CEO of VISIT Milwaukee.
This is just the initial phase of a larger, comprehensive marketing and sales initiative to drive international business and leisure travel to Milwaukee. Future plans include further customization of online information provided to the ten language groups, along with marketing materials and printed collateral, making VISIT Milwaukee a resource of international information for local residents, businesses and organizations.
"Milwaukee's international reputation is growing, both as a leisure destination on beautiful Lake Michigan and as home to major international corporations. Although many visitors have a general knowledge of English, they appreciate a city that goes the extra mile to welcome them in their own language. We want to ensure that their visit is a great one," said Upchurch.
See the new, mobile-friendly website at http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/international.
Leisure Travel
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About BU
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The Bethlehem University Foundation is the U.S. registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation (22-3600739) entrusted with the sole mission of supporting and promoting Bethlehem University. The Bethlehem University Foundation allows a U.S. citizen to make a tax-deductible gift in support of the work of Bethlehem University.
The Foundation makes an annual grant from its endowed funds and provides a monthly grant of donor-specified gifts to Bethlehem University.
Headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, and incorporated in the state of New Jersey, the Foundation is governed by its Board of Directors. The Foundation raises funds for three purposes:
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Building records tumble in Victoria
114,800 permits worth $38.4 billion were issued in 2017-18
Building records tum ...
Victoria recorded its highest ever number of building permits and highest ever value of building work in a year during the 12 months to 30 June 2018.
Victorian Building Authority (VBA) data shows that a record 114,803 building permits, for building work valued at $38.4 billion, were reported across the state in the 2017-18 financial year. At $38.4 billion, the value of building work during the 12 months was 17.3 percent higher than the $32.8 billion recorded in the previous financial year. The previous highest number of building permits in a financial year was 113,669 reported in 2009-10, one percent fewer than this year’s total. The 2017-18 data shows the cost of building work reported in all building use categories was higher than that reported for the categories in 2016-17.
In the Domestic (houses) category, the cost of work reported was a record $19.8 billion, 14.4 percent higher than the previous financial year and the number of permits jumped by 4.7 percent to 94,412. The cost of work reported in the Residential category (including apartments) also rose during the financial year to $6.5 billion, up 22.4 percent on the 2016-17 financial year. The two building use categories with the strongest growth in the cost of works reported were Public Buildings (up 29.7 percent on 2016-17) and Hospital and Healthcare (up 26.9 percent). For the second financial year in a row, percentage growth year-on-year by value of building permits reported in Rural Victoria outstripped that in Metropolitan Melbourne. Gippsland led the growth in the rural region, with the value of building permits reported jumping almost 27.5 percent from the previous year.
The value of building permits by building use category in 2017-18 compared with 2016-17 showed:
Domestic (houses) increased 14.4 percent to $19.8 billion
Residential (including apartments) rose 22.4 percent to $6.5 billion
Commercial increased 13.9 percent to $4.7 billion
Retail rose 17.8 percent to $2.0 billion
Industrial increased 8.8 percent to $668 million
Hospital/Healthcare jumped 26.9 percent to $1.2 billion
Public Buildings increased 29.7 percent to $3.5 billion.
The value of building permits by region in 2017-18 compared with 2016-17 showed:
Inner Melbourne increased 18.0 percent to $17.4 billion
Outer Melbourne increased 15.2 percent to $14.1 billion
Gippsland increased 27.5 percent to $1.1 billion
North Central rose 23.0 percent to $1.2 billion
North East increased 11.4 percent to $933 million
North West increased 17.2 per cent to $1.1 billion
South West increased 20.4 percent to $2.6 billion.
On a municipality basis, the value of building permits reported in the City of Melbourne in 2017-18
Image: 123RF's Claudio Ventrella © 123RF.com
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War and Pearce: Can Knights star overcome inner demons to lead club to glory?
By Sam Phillips
January 9, 2021 — 1.00pm
Almost everyone who has spent a significant amount of time with troubled Newcastle playmaker Mitchell Pearce will tell you he's a "good bloke", a "good man" or a "good fella".
They were the exact words many of his former teammates and coaches used when contacted by The Sun-Herald after his latest off-field scandal.
But there is another side to Pearce.
He hasn't been perfect, but Pearce has handled one of his vices – alcohol – well since trading the rock-star lifestyle that goes hand in hand with Sydney's eastern suburbs, and being a star at the Roosters, for a quieter life in Newcastle.
And until lewd texts sent to a club employee were later uncovered by the staffer's furious partner, and subsequently leaked just after Christmas Day, it appeared as though Pearce had shaken his other vice: the "playboy" approach that was at the centre of most of the trouble he ran into while plying his trade in Bondi.
The overwhelming emotions of many people that agreed to speak to The Sun-Herald, on the condition of anonymity, were a mix of sadness for Pearce and disappointment that the 31-year-old should know better.
"The first thing I thought when someone sent me the story was, 'F---, Pearcey," one former teammate said. "It's just disappointing, because he's a good bloke that we all want to see do well.
"Watching him the night he was called in to do a job for NSW in the Origin decider [in 2019], and knowing what he went through [the pressure to deliver] at the Roosters, I was so happy for him. But he makes life hard for himself."
It doesn't take a psychology degree to see Pearce is barely coping with the pressure caused by the texting saga, which has engulfed the Knights in the past fortnight.
He was emotional as he announced his resignation from the captaincy on Thursday. He struggled to hold back tears. He described the situation – his lavish Byron Bay wedding to Kristin Scott was postponed after the story became public – as "traumatic".
"It’s been a traumatic few weeks for my personal life and those I love," Pearce said. "Unfortunately, my actions have impacted the team and, more importantly, the people I have closest to me, Kristin and my family."
It doesn't take a psychology degree to see Mitchell Pearce is barely coping with the pressure caused by the texting saga. Credit:NRL Photos
Unfortunately for Pearce, those closest to him have heard it all before.
His most infamous off-field incident – when footage of the halfback pretending to have sex with a dog during a drinking session on Australia Day in 2016 was sold to media outlets – was one of those instances. It caused Pearce to seek help at a rehabilitation facility in Thailand.
Upon his return to Australia, Pearce was contrite and emotional, pledging to do, and be, better.
"At this point in time, I am probably the worst role model in sport," Pearce said at the time. "That is something I have come back a lot clearer about. There has never been any intentional disrespect, but I didn't think about that. I was just totally selfish. I need to take responsibility, which is something I have always shied away from.
"People are probably going to be waiting for something else, but it is up to me now. It is my life at the end of the day and I have got to do it for myself and for the people I care about."
Two parts of those comments stand out.
Firstly, that Pearce must take responsibility for his actions – something he admits he lacked prior to the video of his embarrassing drunken antics on Australia Day.
Sources have told The Sun-Herald that was not the case when Pearce heard the texting scandal was about to become public. He was more concerned about the story being leaked, furious someone had betrayed his trust.
'It is up to me now. It is my life at the end of the day and I have got to do it for myself and for the people I care about.'
Mitchell Pearce in 2016
His comments to News Corp were indicative of that.
"It’s COVID mate ... and it’s private,” Pearce said. "We’re sorting things out. It’s a really stressful time for us. It’s our business, no one else’s."
Once again, those close to Pearce have heard that before.
After another major off-field scandal in 2014 – when he was arrested in Kings Cross after refusing to leave popular nightclub Beach Haus – the playmaker was more concerned about the impact the incident would have on his relationship with Phoebe Carpenter, given he was asked to leave after making "advances" to another woman.
Carpenter stuck by Pearce when he was photographed with Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts and welcomed a Playboy model into the Coogee Crowne Plaza prior to the 2012 Origin decider, but they split three years later.
Pearce isn't the first star Newcastle No.7 to have off-field problems. But Andrew Johns thrived when not all was well away from the game.
Pearce is the opposite. He needs to be healthy on the field and happy off the field to produce his best. The fact he has brought so much of the unfortunate spotlight on himself has hindered his undeniable talent.
In a contract year, Pearce will now have to balance the process of mending his relationship with Scott and steering the Knights to a second consecutive finals appearance.
That's a fair bit on his plate, even without the pressure of the captaincy.
One of Pearce's former coaches at the Roosters, Brian Smith, summed up well the battle some players face.
Asked about Todd Carney's stellar performance in his debut season for the glamour club in 2010 after a year spent in NRL exile playing bush footy, Smith didn't miss a beat.
"Now isn't the problem," Smith said. "It's what happens in a few weeks or months, when he has injury or is struggling with form. Or the off-season. That's what matters most."
The same can be said of Pearce.
If he can mend his relationship with Scott and remain on the straight and narrow, the roller coaster that has been his career may reach another high.
The Knights may even win their first play-off game since the preliminary final in 2013. If they do, Pearce will undoubtedly be handsomely rewarded in what could be his final contract. But if all is not well at home, those close to Pearce are concerned.
They've seen this movie before.
Sports, results and expert commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up to the Herald's weekday newsletter here and The Age's weekly newsletter here.
Trent Robinson
Sam is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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BTW21 News
Investigation continues into missing woman last seen in 2018
PATRICK COUNTY, VA – As the investigation of the disappearance of a woman last seen two years ago continues, the Patrick County Sheriff's Office is again asking for help locating her.
Sarah Ashley Hill was last seen at around 1:30 a.m. on June 6, 2018 on Blue Hollow Road in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
According to investigators, Hill called her older sister stating that she was walking near Blue Hollow Road and needed a ride before her cell phone's battery died.
Hill's sister was working and could not come to pick her up. That was the last time she was heard from.
Her white Ford Taurus was found at a store on N.C. 89 near the Blue Hollow Road intersection.
Hill's last known address was in Patrick County, but she often stayed with friends in North Carolina.
Sarah Hill is described as being a Caucasian female, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blue eyes and red/auburn hair that has been long in the past but was short when she went missing.
She has pierced ears, a scorpion tattoo around her belly button, a rose tattoo on the inside of her left thigh and a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder.
If you have any information on Sarah Hill’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact Investigator Linda Martin at 276-692-7138 or Investigator Steve Austin at 276-692-5950.
The sheriff's office says there is a substantial monetary reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
Laminating company to invest $4 million, create 42 jobs in Henry County
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Snakebite: WHO targets 50% reduction in deaths and disabilities
#WHO; #snakebiteEnvenoming; #tropicalDisease; #SDGs; #antivenoms; #ancillarymedicalcare;
Geneva, May 8 (Canadian-Media/WHO): World Health Organization (WHO) released on May 6 further details of its strategy to prevent and control snakebite envenoming, a neglected tropical disease that affects 1.8–2.7 million people each year, claiming 81 000–138 000 lives and causing 400 000 cases of permanent disability, WHO reports said.
WHO/Official Logo
The aim of the strategy is to halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability due to snakebite envenoming over the next 12 years through a programme that targets affected communities and their health systems, and by ensuring access to safe, effective treatment through increased cooperation, collaboration and partnership at all levels.
Snakebite envenoming https://t.co/lTA4M3LAWy
— LSTM_NTDs (@LSTM_NTDs) May 8, 2019
The strategy was developed by a 28-member panel of global experts in consultation with WHO regional offices, the scientific and research community, health foundations, advocacy groups and stakeholders. Given the importance of prevention, improved community education and empowerment and effective first response, the strategy commits to engaging communities to achieve these goals.
In parallel, WHO will work with countries to strengthen health systems towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and its related targets including improving health and well-being and reducing inequity.
A central objective will be the need to ensure access to safe, effective and affordable treatment such as antivenoms and ancillary medical care. Improved and strengthened production, supply and distribution of life-saving antivenoms and other commodities needed to treat snakebites will be prioritized.
WHO will also work to encourage research on new treatments, diagnostics and health device breakthroughs that can improve treatment outcomes for victims and hasten recovery.
The strategy –Snakebite envenoming: a strategy for prevention and control – will be launched at a meeting hosted by the governments of the Republic of Costa Rica and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 23 May 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Snakebite: WHO targets 50% reduction in deaths and disabilities. Read now the executive summary: Snakebite envenoming -- A strategy for prevention and control https://t.co/BQOId5R1eM
— InfoNTD (@InfoNTD) May 8, 2019
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2nd Annual Intra-NCI Global Cancer Research Day: Highlighting Prevention and Screening
November 2, 2016 , by Isabel Otero and Communications Team
Dr. Barry Kramer, Director of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention, gives the keynote address at the 2nd annual Intra-NCI Global Cancer Research Day.
Global Burden of Cancer
As cancer incidence continues to rise around the world, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has taken on a significant role in global cancer control efforts. NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers (DOCs) support global health research across the continuum of cancer and collaborate with many international agencies to translate research results into practice. To celebrate NCI’s increasing international presence, the Center for Global Health (CGH) hosted the 2nd annual Intra-NCI Global Cancer Research Day (GCR2016) on October 6 to highlight NCI’s advances in cancer prevention and screening worldwide. This one-day event was filled with exciting presentations from NCI experts on screening, role of vaccines in prevention, and global tobacco control. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn more about the diverse milestones NCI has reached in global health research through a gallery walk of the GCR2016 poster session.
Cancer Prevention in Global Health
The Symposium commenced with a keynote address from Dr. Barry Kramer, Director of the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention. He spoke about cancer prevention and screening in the context of global health, offering insights into the growing global cancer burden, fundamental principles of cancer prevention and screening, and the latest body of research supported by NIH. Key takeaways for the audience, comprised of NCI researchers and public health professionals working in the area of cancer and global health, included the importance of linking screening programs to treatment strategies when developing a cancer control program. Dr. Kramer also discussed the importance of selecting your endpoint, or health outcome, when developing and evaluating your program. He also underscored the need to be aware of biases when analyzing data; biases like lead time, which show that slow growing cancers are disproportionately detected earlier by screening than the faster growing cancers but the death outcome is the same for both. The need for strong evidence to support screening for cancers in the whole population was also highlighted.
Vaccine-Preventable Cancers
The address was followed by a robust morning session chaired by Dr. Eric Engels from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, titled “Exploring Prevention through Vaccines”, which looked at vaccine-preventable cancers and the research NCI has been doing in this area. Presenters included Dr. John Schiller, NIH Distinguished Investigator, and co-lead investigator to the ground-breaking work that led to the initial development and characterization of the HPV prophylactic vaccine that ultimately became the commercial vaccines Cervarix and Gardasil. He spoke about his work in developing the HPV vaccine and laid out evidence-based strategies for implementation in the United States and abroad to combat cervical cancer. [On a side note, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently published an update to their Secondary Prevention of Cervical Cancer Resource-Stratified Guideline, which has been endorsed by the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP).] Dr. Elizabeth Read-Connole from the Division of Cancer Biology, whose work led to the isolation of the retrovirus that causes AIDS, and the development of the blood test for HIV detection, discussed her involvement in the development of the Hepatitis B vaccine to prevent liver cancer. Dr. Wei Bu, with the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, presented on NIH’s efforts to develop Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) vaccination to prevent EBV-associated diseases to include epithelial cell malignancies (i.e. gastric carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and B cell lymphomas (i.e., Hodgkin lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma).
After lunch, meeting attendees had the opportunity to take a gallery walk of the poster session on NCI initiatives and milestones around cancer prevention and screening. Posters included a comparative analysis of dietary adequacy among smoking and smokeless tobacco users in Bangladesh submitted by the NCI tobacco control branch. A review of a peer-to-peer/south-to-south knowledge exchange program to increase uptake of effective strategies for cancer care and control in Africa submitted by the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice team at the World Bank, a close partner of CGH, was also presented. GCR2016 attracted many people across the NCI DOCs, and presenters from other parts of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were also invited to participate.
Dr. Thomas Novotny, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Science and Medicine), HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, chaired the afternoon session on “Global Tobacco Control at the NCI”. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide and efforts to curb it have prevented nearly 800,000 deaths in the United States. The United States has made many advances to curb tobacco usage; however, tobacco control requires further research investments in other countries, particularly low-and middle-income countries, where policies and programs to curb tobacco use and promote cessation are often weak, not properly implemented, or nonexistent. The session also included Drs. Michele Bloch and Mark Parascandola from the Tobacco Control Research Branch at the NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, who presented an overview of NCI’s global tobacco research portfolio and offered scenarios to end tobacco use globally, such as lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes to reduce chemical dependency. Michele and Mark have partnered with CGH to offer funding opportunities to stimulate new innovations in mhealth; develop and facilitate educational opportunities such as training workshops and technical assistance in tobacco control research; ensure that evidence-based research is translated into policy and programs; and, build further collaborations with other stakeholders working in tobacco control internationally. Dr. Neal Freedman, a scientist with the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, presented on his work with smokeless tobacco, hookah, and e-cigarettes. One point of concern is the rise of e-cigarette usage among high school students in the United States (findings from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2011-2015). Dr. Mirjana Djordjevic with the Tobacco Control Research Branch gave a presentation on her work with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulations (TobReg) and the science behind the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – the first international public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO. She discussed the evidence-based scientific recommendations from the working group, including WHO TobReg Advisory Note on Global Nicotine Strategy, as well as some challenges to the regulation of tobacco products internationally. Dr. Novotny closed the session with a presentation on tobacco use and infectious diseases, particularly HIV and tuberculosis. He spoke about the intervention research needed to reduce impact of global “syndemics,” which he defined as the synergistic interaction of diseases which can possibly worsen outcomes for one, or all of, the diseases in play. He presented on research already underway by the WHO to incorporate brief advice on smoking cessation in TB control programs.
Dr. Ted Trimble, CGH Director, closed the event reminding the audience that a majority of NCI global health research is being supported by a collaboration of various NCI DOCs. The GCR2016 was an opportunity to foster new partnerships between staff and identify and leverage the resources and infrastructures created by existing programs.
You can check out more photos #GCR2016 and listen to our Global Voices #ghvoices on twitter @NCIGlobalHealth. CGH looks forward to hosting GCR2017!
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If you would like to reproduce some or all of this content, see Reuse of NCI Information for guidance about copyright and permissions. In the case of permitted digital reproduction, please credit the National Cancer Institute as the source and link to the original NCI product using the original product's title; e.g., “2nd Annual Intra-NCI Global Cancer Research Day: Highlighting Prevention and Screening was originally published by the National Cancer Institute.”
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Post editor Ben Bradlee's widow writes about his dementia
Sally Quinn Special To The Washington Post
Sep 10, 2017 at 3:00 AM Sep 11, 2017 at 11:41 AM
Ben Bradlee, executive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991, died on Oct. 14, 2014, at the age of 93. Little known outside his closest circles, he had spent his final years grappling with dementia. This is an excerpt from a new memoir by his widow, veteran Post writer Sally Quinn. Her book, "Finding Magic" will be released by next week by HarperCollins.
I always thought that my marriage was perfect, that our love was inviolable and eternal, but on Jan. 8, 2003, Ben and I sat in the waiting room of a highly respected Washington psychiatrist named Steven Wolin. We were miserable. Our once glorious marriage was tense and strained. Neither of us understood what was happening, and it is only now, nearly 15 years later, that I can more fully understand the why of it all.
I was devastated by Ben's change in attitude and behavior toward me. His personality had always been sunny and optimistic. Suddenly he had become moody, downbeat, and in some instances outright hostile. Nobody else saw that side of him. It was only directed at me. I was crushed by the changes in him. They had come on gradually, but now it was clear that this behavior was intensifying and not going away.
He didn't like the idea of being "put on the couch." He also didn't like to be on the defensive, which he definitely was once I described the situation from my point of view. Ben seemed a bit confused when he heard me relate our problems, as though I were talking about somebody else, not him. He kept saying things like, "I can't believe I said that or used that tone. That's not who I am." He would say, "But I love her. Why would I talk to her that way?"
In 2011, a reporter called Ben at The Post, where he maintained an office as a vice president at large, to interview him about something sensitive that had happened at the paper. Ben was very forthcoming – in fact, too forthcoming. He told the reporter much more than he should have, much more than he knew. After the piece came out, I went to Washington Post Company Chairman Don Graham and suggested that it might be time for Ben to stop going to The Post. Don, the kindest human being on the planet, refused to even consider it. However, we did work out a plan. All the secretaries and assistants on the floor were advised never to put a call through to Ben without checking with his secretary Carol or Don or me. Everyone was told to turn down all interview requests. Ben never knew about it.
It had been five years since he had been diagnosed with early-stage dementia, but few outside the family knew it. Almost every day he went down to the Post cafeteria for lunch and would be immediately surrounded by a coterie of reporters and admirers, and that seemed to perk him up. There was always a group conversation and as long as Ben gave somebody the finger or told somebody to "f--- off," people didn't seem to notice the forgetfulness that much.
I organized a lunch group at the Madison hotel across from The Post, where I had a running tab. Carol had a sign-up sheet and up to five people could join. It was always full. We called it "Tuesdays with Ben."
One night we went to George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth's house for a party. We were all standing around having cocktails when Ben, suddenly pale and weak, collapsed on the sofa and proceeded to have what looked like a seizure. His eyes rolled back in his head, his mouth dropped open, and he blacked out. Within minutes, we were speeding to George Washington University Hospital. Within a half hour, Ben was alert and talking, telling anyone who would listen to "get me the hell out of here." He was fine.
It was only a day or two later that I realized he was behaving differently. He wasn't as sharp. He had lost something. I was the only one who noticed.
We continued to live our lives as normally as we could. He continued going to The Post every day.
Between episodes, Ben was alert, insightful, and aware. The awareness made the lapses all the more painful. What was so compelling was that I never knew when I was going to have the real Ben as opposed to some stranger.
By the fall of 2012, though, I knew it was time to come clean. I was going to have to tell people that Ben had dementia.
Ben was in his office and I stopped by. The phone rang and Carol picked it up. It was our old friend, British editor and publisher Harry Evans, the husband of editor Tina Brown. I took the call. "Harry," I said, "Ben can't take calls anymore. He has dementia." There was dead silence on the phone and then Harry plaintively said, "Oh dear, I'm afraid we're all going to end up that way at some point, aren't we?"
It was done. We were heading into a new life, a life I was dreading, and yet a life that would be fulfilling in a way that I never could have imagined.
The A-word is a killer, which is why I always said "dementia," even though it was never clear which he had. Somehow Alzheimer's sounds like something one could catch. Dementia sounds tamer, more like gentle aging. At dinners, I would ask my friends to seat me next to Ben so that I could protect him. I'd make sure the person on his other side was aware of Ben's situation.
I suggested once more that Ben give up his office. Again, Don wouldn't hear of it. He was resolute. Ben's office was there for him until he died.
The geriatric psychiatrist recommended a fabulous support group called "The Friends Club" that met in a church in Bethesda, Maryland. There were 12 men at various stages of dementia who met three days a week. I thought I was in for a big fight with Ben, that he would never agree to go to some "candy ass" program. I never described it as a club for men with dementia. I told him it was a group for old Navy men and foreign service types and journalists (all true). Sandra Day O'Connor's husband, John, had been in the group and so had Sargent Shriver.
For reasons that I will never understand, Ben agreed to go to the support group. On the first day, I sat in on the whole session, next to Ben. One man sat quietly, not participating at all. There were others in the group, the newer ones, who seemed quite normal until, after an hour or so, they began repeating themselves. Every once in a while, one of them would stop in the middle of talking and say, "I can't remember s---!" The others would totally crack up with appreciation. Ben did too. He began to relax.
I found myself holding court, keeping the conversation going around the table, telling stories, basically standing on my head. I was trying so hard to entertain them all so that they would like Ben. It was emotionally exhausting. I had become Ben's protective mom. Ben held my hand during most of the meeting. I could see how dependent he was on me. He was so nervous and looked lost. I had never seen Ben like that. It killed me. Any hostility he had been showing to me simply disappeared. As I drove him home he just put his hand over mine and said, "I love you, babe." I felt in some way that God had given me Ben back.
In August of 2013, Jay Carney, then Barack Obama's White House spokesman, called me to say that the president was going to award Ben the Medal of Freedom but that it was to be kept a secret until it was announced some weeks later. Ben was ecstatic, although I'm not sure at that point that he really understood what was happening. That night we had people for dinner, a number of journalists, and Ben announced to everyone that he was getting the Medal of Freedom. He had forgotten it was a secret.
The ceremony was to be in November, and Ben was obsessed. Night after night he would get up at all hours and try to dress for the ceremony. At that point he had lost track of dates. The night before the awards I invited all his children, his grandchildren, his stepchildren, his step-grandchildren, and his nieces and nephews for a family party. Ben was in his element.
I was surprised at how important this medal was to Ben. Public affirmation of his achievements was something he had never really cared about. Especially in his later years, he was constantly being asked to be celebrated at various events. He almost always declined. Yet, here we were, as Ben was about to receive the highest civilian honor an American can get, and he was beside himself with excitement and anticipation.
He must have known that he was coming to the end of his life. He had been reminiscing more than usual about his past. In some way this medal represented to Ben so much that had given his life meaning. He had served in World War II, defending his country and its values. He had worked as a journalist for nearly 60 years, devoted to finding the facts and exposing the truth, defending the Constitution and the First Amendment and all that it stood for. He had fought the good fight, he had finished the race, he had kept the faith.
The plan was for me to go early to the White House for the rehearsal to stand in for Ben and he would come later. There was no way he could stand around for hours beforehand.
Among those who were being honored that day were Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Gloria Steinem. I had walked through the drill along with the other recipients. They had to walk up the aisle of the East Room to the podium, get up the stairs, wait for their citation to be read, walk up to the president, receive the medal, get back to their chairs, and then get back down the stairs. I was frantic. I knew Ben couldn't do it by himself. He was particularly out of it that morning, probably out of nervousness and excitement and lack of sleep. He had his good days and his bad days. This was a bad day.
In desperation I went to Clinton and asked if he would help Ben get through it. He took Ben by the hand and guided him up the red carpet to the podium and helped him to his seat, signaled him when he was to get up, helped him over to the president, guided him back to his seat, and then took his arm and led him out of the room when it was over. I was so grateful.
At the reception the former president came over to me laughing. "Do you know what Ben asked me? He said, 'Did I ever piss you off?' " Clinton told me he had responded no, "but that's only because by the time I became president you had already stepped down as editor."
Ben went home and slept the rest of the afternoon. Miraculously, when he woke up, he was himself again so we were able to go to the president's dinner for all the honorees, present and past.
President Obama made a point of going around the table and greeting everyone. He spent an especially long time talking to Ben, who held his own in the conversation, laughing and joking. It was as if he had had a giant bolt of energy come down from the sky and infuse his body with his Ben-ness. I couldn't have been more proud or loved him more that night.
It was Thursday, September 11, 2014. Ben would be dead in a little over a month, but I couldn't have predicted that. We were moving forward with life as usual, our new normal. Ben was tired but in a good mood. He was always happy to see his doctor, Michael Newman, and we had a jovial conversation about Ben's overall health. Ben said he was slowing down but felt fine. Michael asked the nurse to take Ben for a blood test, then shut the door and sat down.
"I'm putting Ben in hospice care," he said.
"I'm sorry?" Clearly I hadn't heard him correctly.
"I'm putting him in hospice care."
"What does that mean?" I asked. "He's not dying. He's healthy as a horse. There's nothing medically wrong with him. He sleeps a lot and is confused, but the geriatric psychiatrist said he could live for five more years."
"I know," said Michael quietly. He was always honest with me, and beyond empathetic. He loved Ben too.
"How much time does he have?" I asked finally.
"Maybe four months but I doubt it," he said. "Probably two."
Ben's hospice nurse, Vallerie, began visiting regularly. Ben still had no idea she was a hospice nurse. Or maybe he did. He hadn't asked a single question about his health.
I was moving full steam ahead with funeral planning. It was a strange yet welcome distraction, a way to keep my hands busy and my mind occupied. I had called the National Cathedral to set up an appointment with the staff. I had lined up the choirs, a tenor, a band, the food and a tent for the reception, the programs, the evergreens for the church. I hadn't cried. I had too much to do and not enough time, although I still hadn't accepted it yet. I was planning all this just in case ...
A week or so before Ben died, Vallerie was conducting a "routine" checkup on Ben. Suddenly he turned serious.
"When am I leaving?" he asked.
"What do you mean, Ben?" I responded.
"When do I have to go?" I looked at Vallerie. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?
"Go where, Ben?" I asked.
He appeared frustrated and impatient. "When am I going home?"
"You are home, Ben," I said, taking his hand. "You are home." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the sofa.
Vallerie motioned to me to leave the room with her.
"He's asking when he's going to die, isn't he?" I said, barely able to keep it together.
I knew that "going home" was the closest we were going to get to speaking about his death. His spirit was in me and mine in him. We didn't need to say anything to each other. He knew and I knew. We both knew.
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Anne Arundel County School System salaries for 2019
Severna Park man sentenced to life in prison for 2017 killing of Bowie State student Richard Collins III
Gerald Winegrad: To save the bay, restore the oyster population | COMMENTARY
Navy football co-defensive coordinator Norwood welcomes Nationals player as future son-in-law
Ravens’ Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins test positive for COVID-19, briefly closing team facility
By Jonas Shaffer
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced that running backs Mark Ingram II and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19.
Ravens running backs Mark Ingram II and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19, coach John Harbaugh said Monday, and will miss the team’s Thanksgiving Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was also added to the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list as a “high-risk” close contact and will be unavailable for Thursday’s game, which remains on as scheduled.
The Ravens (6-4) briefly closed their team facility Monday in Owings Mills after they were informed of multiple positive tests in the organization late Sunday night. But with contract tracing completed, the Under Armour Performance Center had reopened by late Monday afternoon, and Harbaugh said the Ravens would hold a masked walk-through after completing virtual meetings.
“We’re just carrying forward with our normal schedule at this point and working hard and getting ready for a big challenge Thursday night,” he said.
On Monday evening, the NFL sent a memo to clubs tightening COVID-19 protocols, including a sideline mask mandate for players not entering the game or wearing a helmet. It also reduces the number of players allowed to travel and the number of people allowed at the team facillity, as well as limits postgame interaction between clubs. Players who fail to wear masks on the sidelines will be subject to discipline.
[More from sports] Northeast student-athletes create initiative to end hate, racism in Pasadena »
The Ravens’ positive tests come as the state reported another 1,658 people have the virus Monday — the 20th consecutive day of 1,000 or more new infections being reported. The number of people hospitalized rose Monday to 1,276, which is quadruple what it was in early October.
Ingram and Dobbins were tested before Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, a 30-24 overtime loss in Baltimore, while Williams was out with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 10 against New England. Dobbins, a second-round pick whose role has grown in recent weeks, led the Ravens with 15 carries for 70 yards and a rushing touchdown. Ingram, a Pro Bowl selection last season and the Ravens’ normal starter, had just two carries for 2 yards.
With both unavailable, Gus Edwards will step in as the team’s primary back in Pittsburgh. Running back Justice Hill, who has one catch and no carries this season, will also likely see his workload grow. Undrafted rookie Ty’Son Williams could be elevated from the practice squad to provide depth.
“The run game is always a group effort,” Harbaugh said. “All 11 guys are involved in that, certainly, and I’m sure we’ll run the ball on Thursday night.”
Because the Ravens’ Week 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys is on Dec. 3 — exactly a week after Thursday’s game — it’s unclear how prepared Dobbins and Ingram would be for a potential return to action. Players who are asymptomatic can return, at the earliest, 10 days after their initial positive test, meaning Dobbins and Ingram couldn’t rejoin team activities until at least Dec. 2, the end of another week of practice.
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Even in good health, the Ravens’ running game has struggled in recent weeks. Hurt by injuries to key blockers, the Ravens’ running game has struggled in recent weeks. They averaged just 4 yards per carry against the Titans and Patriots, two of the NFL’s worst run defenses. Pittsburgh (10-0), which would eliminate the Ravens from the AFC North title race with a win Thursday, entered Week 11 with the NFL’s No. 6 rushing defense and No. 2 defense overall, according to Football Outsiders.
Hours before Dobbins’ positive test was reported, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that it was “obvious that he is their featured runner now.” The Ohio State product had a game-high 113 yards on 15 carries in the Ravens’ Week 8 loss to Pittsburgh, while Edwards added 87 yards on 16 attempts. However, the return of defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, who missed most of the game after an early injury, should bolster the Steelers’ strong interior line.
The Ravens have now had 13 players added to the reserve/COVID-19 list this season, including Williams, who’s twice been designated. He was first placed on the list one day before the team’s Week 6 game against the Philadelphia Eagles after having exposure to an infected person.
More recently, injured cornerback Iman Marshall was added two weeks ago after testing positive, and quarterback Trace McSorley was designated Friday because of exposure.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was also sidelined after testing positive before the Ravens’ first game against the Steelers. (Because of the lag in processing the tests, he played in the loss.) Seven players deemed to be high-risk close contacts with Humphrey were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and later moved to the active roster after completing their self-quarantine. Humphrey missed the Ravens’ Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts but returned the following week.
Aaron Rodgers fuels the Green Bay Packers to a 32-18 playoff victory over the Los Angeles Rams
Navy women’s basketball, playing for the first time in a month, drops Patriot League opener to American
Column: Another slow start from Illinois leads to an 87-81 loss to Ohio State. ‘I’m getting really frustrated,’ coach Brad Underwood says.
“It’s a crazy kind of time that we’re living in,” tight end Mark Andrews said Monday. “It kind of goes with this year. There’s going to be things thrown at you, and you have to adapt.”
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Mini Paceman Concept unveiled at Detroit Auto Show
Mini has unveiled its new premium compact crossover, the Mini Paceman Concept coupe, at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The model is just a concept but plans for a production version are in the pipeline.
Mini plans to expand the range and build upon the success of the new Mini, evident by the number of new Mini models that have hit the showrooms in the past few years. The Mini Paceman will be yet another addition to the fleet. It was designed for the younger generation and will present an entirely new segment to the market: the premium crossover coupe.
Ian Robertson, a member of the board of management of Mini AG, described how keen Mini is on producing a production version during a press conference at the Detroit show,
"I’m thrilled to tell you now, for the very first time, that there will be a seventh member of the Mini family – and we will base it on this concept."
Mr Robertson also said about the car,
"This car captures the typical Mini characteristics – unique design, clever functionality and signature driving fun - with a new level of agility. It combines an athletic, masculine coupe appearance with the dimensions of the Mini Countryman."
As mentioned, the Mini Paceman is based on the current Mini Countryman and uses the John Cooper Works 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that outputs 157kW of power. It also uses the Mini Countryman's ALL4 all-wheel drive system.
The new crossover coupe is set to hit the market some time in 2012.
Video: 2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP review
Video: Mini Cooper S long-termer farewell
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Search NCHS
Search NCHS All CDC
Mortality From Alzheimer's Disease in the United States: Data for 2000 and 2010
Alzheimer's disease mortality increased compared with selected major causes of death.
Alzheimer's disease mortality risk increased most for the oldest age groups.
Alzheimer's disease mortality is highest for the non-Hispanic white population and for women.
Alzheimer's disease death rates varied widely across the states.
Data source and methods
NCHS Data Brief No. 116, March 2013
PDF Versionpdf icon (680 KB)
Betzaida Tejada-Vera, M.S.
Data from the National Vital Statistics System
The age-adjusted death rate from Alzheimer’s disease increased by 39 percent from 2000 through 2010 in the United States.
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and is the fifth leading cause among people aged 65 years and over. People aged 85 years and over have a 5.4 times greater risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease than people aged 75–84 years.
The risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease is 26 percent higher among the non-Hispanic white population than among the non-Hispanic black population, whereas the Hispanic population has a 30 percent lower risk than the non-Hispanic white population.
In 2010, among all states and the District of Columbia, 31 states showed death rates from Alzheimer’s disease that were above the national rate (25.1).
In 2010, Alzheimer’s disease was the underlying cause for a total of 83,494 deaths and was classified as a contributing cause for an additional 26,488 deaths (1). Mortality from Alzheimer’s disease has steadily increased during the last 30 years. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause for people aged 65 years and over (1). An estimated 5.4 million persons in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease (2). The cost of health care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia was estimated to be 200 billion dollars in 2012, including 140 billion dollars in costs to Medicare and Medicaid and is expected to reach 1.1 trillion dollars in 2050 (2).
Alzheimer’s disease mortality varies by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and geographic area. This report presents mortality data on Alzheimer’s disease based on data from the National Vital Statistics System from 2000 through 2010, the most recent year for which detailed data are available.
Keywords: dementia, National Vital Statistics System, death rate, aging
Alzheimer’s disease mortality increased compared with selected major causes of death.
Figure 1. Percent change in age-adjusted death rates for selected causes of death: United States, 2000 and 2010
SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.
Compared with other selected causes, Alzheimer’s disease has been on the rise since the last decade. For 2000 and 2010, the age-adjusted death rate for Alzheimer’s disease increased by 39 percent, whereas death rates for other major causes of death decreased (Figure 1). The largest decreases in death rates among selected major causes of death were observed for Stroke (36 percent), Heart disease (31 percent), and Cancer (32 percent).
Alzheimer’s disease mortality risk increased most for the oldest age groups.
The risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease increases significantly with age. In 2010, the population aged 85 years and over was 50 times more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease than the age group 65–74 years. Similarly, persons aged 85 years and over were 5 times more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease than the age group 75–84 years (Figure 2).
For 2000 and 2010, age-specific death rates from Alzheimer’s disease for the age group 65–74 years increased 6 percent, for the age group 75–84 years the increase was 32 percent, and for the age group 85 years and over the increase was 48 percent.
Figure 2. Age-adjusted death rates for Alzheimer’s disease: United States, 2000 and 2010
Alzheimer’s disease mortality is highest for the non-Hispanic white population and for women.
In 2010, the age-adjusted death rate for Alzheimer’s disease was 26 percent higher for the non-Hispanic white population than for the non-Hispanic black population. Similarly, the age-adjusted death rate is 43 percent higher for the non-Hispanic white population than for the Hispanic origin population (Figure 3).
Overall, women had a 30 percent higher risk of dying (27.3 per 100,000 population) from Alzheimer’s disease than men (21.0). Non-Hispanic white women had the highest mortality rate from Alzheimer’s disease, followed by non-Hispanic black women. Likewise, among men, the highest age-adjusted death rates were for non-Hispanic white men (22.0), followed by non–Hispanic black men (18.2). Hispanic men (16.6) and Hispanic women (19.5) had the lowest death rates for Alzheimer’s disease.
Figure 3. Age-adjusted death rates for Alzheimer’s disease, by Hispanic origin, race for non-Hispanic population, and sex: United States, 2010
NOTE: Death rates for Hispanic origin should be interpreted with caution because of inconsistencies in reporting Hispanic origin on the death certificate as compared with censuses, surveys, and birth certificates.
Alzheimer’s disease death rates varied widely across the states.
The age-adjusted death rates for Alzheimer’s disease do not show a clear geographic pattern across the states (Figure 4). In 2010, the states with the highest age-adjusted death rates were Washington (43.6), Tennessee (38.5), and North Dakota (37.2). The states with the lowest age-adjusted death rates were Hawaii (10.5), New York (11.3), and Nevada (14.2). Overall, 31 states had rates above the U.S. rate (25.1), whereas 19 states and the District of Columbia had rates lower than the U.S. rate.
Figure 4. Age-adjusted death rates for Alzheimer’s disease for the United States and each state, 2010
NOTE: The national rate is 25.1 deaths per 100,000 population.
Mortality from Alzheimer’s disease in 2010 continued to increase among most groups described by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin (1). An estimated 84,691 deaths in 2011 were from Alzheimer’s disease according to preliminary data (3). Alzheimer’s disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. The overall age-adjusted death rate rose 39 percent from 18.1 in 2000 to 25.1 in 2010. The death rate for Alzheimer’s disease is higher for women than for men and higher for the non-Hispanic white population than for the non-Hispanic black population and the Hispanic origin population. Although continuing increases in Alzheimer’s disease mortality were observed for all discussed groups, differences in Alzheimer’s mortality across ethnic and racial groups are notable (1).
Alzheimer’s disease: The most common form of dementia that causes decline in cognitive abilities and gradually worsens (4).
Cause-of-death classification: Medical information—including injury diagnoses and external causes of injury—entered on death certificates filed in the United States, classified and coded in accordance with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD–10) (5).
Death rates: Based on population estimates consistent with the April 1, 2010, census. Death rates for previous years—whenever shown or discussed in this report—are also based on populations revised to be consistent with the 2010 census. These population estimates are available on the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) website at U.S. Census Populations With Bridged Race Categories.
Age-adjusted death rates: Based on the 2000 U.S. standard population, these rates are useful when comparing different populations because they remove the potential bias that can occur when the populations being compared have different age structures. NCHS uses the “direct” method of standardization. See the Technical Notes of “Deaths: Final Data for 2009” (6) for more discussion.
Underlying cause of death: Defined by the World Health Organization as ”the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury” (5). The underlying cause is selected from the conditions entered by the medical certifier in the cause-of-death section of the death certificate.
Leading causes of death: Sorted into rank order according to the number of deaths beginning with the largest number. See the Technical Notes of “Deaths: Final Data for 2009” (6) for more detail.
The figures shown in this report reflect information that is collected on death certificates filed in each of the independent registration areas throughout the United States. Data are from the public-use multiple cause-of-death files from the National Vital Statistics System for years 2000–2010 (1). Death rates are based on the population estimates consistent with the April 2010 census (7). The preliminary mortality data for 2011 are based on a large portion (98.9 percent of the demographic file and 97.3 percent of the medical file) of the statistical records that are continuously received by NCHS from states’ vital registration system. Figures by race and ethnic group are based on the race and ethnic group reported for the decedent. See the Technical Notes of “Deaths: Final Data for 2009” (6) for more discussion of the data.
Betzaida Tejada-Vera is a statistician with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics, Mortality Statistics Branch.
National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System. Multiple cause-of-death files.
Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures, Alzheimer’s & dementia pdf icon[PDF – 1.2 MB]external icon Vol 8, Issue 2. 2012.
Hoyert DL, Xu JQ. Deaths: Preliminary data for 2011 pdf icon[PDF – 891 KB]. National vital statistics reports; vol 61 no 6. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.
Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Centerexternal icon National Institute on Aging. Accessed on Dec 3, 2012.
World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems, tenth revision, 2nd edition. Geneva, Switzerland. 2004.
Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung H. Deaths: Final data for 2009 pdf icon[PDF – 3.1 MB]. National vital statistics reports; vol 60 no 3. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2011.
National Center for Health Statistics. Bridged-race population estimates. April 1, 2010.
Tejada-Vera B. Mortality from Alzheimer’s disease in the United States: Data for 2000 and 2010. NCHS data brief, no 116. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013.
All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.
Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director
Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science
Division of Vital Statistics
Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Director
Content source: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics
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Case Name Hepting v. AT&T NS-CA-0004
Docket / Court 3:06-cv-00672-VRW ( N.D. Cal. )
State/Territory California
Case Type(s) National Security
Special Collection Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- All Matters
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- Internet Metadata
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- Telephony Metadata
On January 31, 2006, AT&T telephone and internet customers filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against AT&T Corp. and AT&T Inc. The plaintiffs, represented by public interest and private counsel, asked the court to declare as unlawful the ... read more >
On January 31, 2006, AT&T telephone and internet customers filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against AT&T Corp. and AT&T Inc. The plaintiffs, represented by public interest and private counsel, asked the court to declare as unlawful the defendants' participation in the federal government's program to monitor and collect Americans' telephone and internet communications and sought an injunction against the defendants' continued or future participation in the program, claiming that the program was operated in violation of federal electronic surveillance and telecommunication statutes, as well as the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
In 2006, the Multi District Litigation (MDL) Panel consolidated the case as the lead case in a multi-district litigation consolidation, In Re National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation, NS-CA-11, in this Clearinghouse. For information about what happened while the case was a part of the consolidation see NS-CA-0004.
On May 13, 2006, the United States moved to intervene as a defendant. The motion was unopposed and the District Court (Judge Vaughn R. Walker) granted the motion at a June 23, 2006 hearing. AT&T and the United States separately moved to dismiss the lawsuit. On July 20, 2006, the Court denied both motions to dismiss. Judge Walker ruled that the government could not rely on the state secrets privilege and that a telecom defendant could not assert immunity. The Court, however, certified the case for immediate appeal. Hepting v. AT & T Corp., 439 F. Supp. 2d 974, 1011 (N.D. Cal. 2006).
The defendants' appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On April 26, 2007, the Ninth Circuit consolidated Al-Haramain v. Bush, No. 06-36083, with this case. However, on November 16, 2007, the Ninth Circuit severed the two cases from each other and ordered that the cases would no longer be consolidated for any purpose. Hepting v. AT & T Corp., 508 F.3d 898, 899 (9th Cir. 2007). Oral argument was heard in August 2007.
Prior to any Ninth Circuit decision, in July 2008, Congress enacted and President George Bush signed, the FISA Amendments Act that granted retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies for past violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA") provided that the Attorney General of the United States certified to the relevant U.S. District Court that the surveillance did not occur, was legal, or was authorized by the president. The case was returned to the District Court in light of the FISA Amendments Act. Hepting v. AT & T Corp., 539 F.3d 1157 (9th Cir. 2008).
Attorney General Michael Mukasey filed the requisite certification in September 2008 and the United States moved to dismiss all claims against telecommunication company defendants in this lawsuit as well as dozens of other lawsuits that were ordered to be consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in a multidistrict litigation proceeding.
On June 3, 2009, the District Court (U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker) granted the United States' motion to dismiss based upon the retroactive immunity provision in the the FISA Amendments Act. Judge Walker dismissed the plaintiffs' claims, but without prejudice, saying that the plaintiffs could re-file if there was evidence of improper surveillance that fell outside the telecoms' immunity period found in the FISA amendments, which extended from Sept. 11, 2001 to Jan. 7, 2007. The plaintiffs appealed the dismissal.
On December 29, 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Judges Harry Pregerson, Michael Daly Hawkins, and M. Margaret McKeown) affirmed the District Court's dismissal. However, Judge McKeown disagreed with the district court's conclusion that the immunity provisions were temporally limited. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on October 9, 2012.
Michael Mirdamadi - 10/25/2013
Jessica Kincaid - 07/01/2014
Freedom of speech/association
Unreasonable search and seizure
Jurisdiction-wide
Records Disclosure
Terrorism/Post 9-11 issues
Causes of Action Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
FISA Title IV order (pen register/trap-and-trace), 50 U.S.C. §§ 1841-1846
FISA Title V order (PATRIOT Act § 215, business records or other tangible things), 50 U.S.C. §§ 1861-1862
Defendant(s) AT&T Inc.
Plaintiff Description Subscribers to or customers of the telephone or internet services provided by AT&T.
Class action status granted No
Prevailing Party Defendant
Nature of Relief None
Source of Relief None
Filed 01/31/2006
Case Listing NS-CA-0006 : Shubert v. Obama (N.D. Cal.)
NS-CA-0008 : Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Bush (N.D. Cal.)
NS-CA-0005 : Center for Constitutional Rights v. Obama (N.D. Cal.)
NS-CA-0011 : In re National Security Agency Telecommunications Records Litigation (N.D. Cal.)
NS-CA-0002 : Jewel v. National Security Agency (N.D. Cal.)
See this case at CourtListener.com (May provide additional documents and, for active cases, real-time alerts)
N.D. Cal.
11/07/2012 06-cv-672
NS-CA-0004-9000.pdf | Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
Complaint [ECF# 1]
Amended Complaint [ECF# 8]
Classified Declaration of John D. Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence [ECF# 222]
Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Classified Declaration of Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, Director, National Security Agency [ECF# 224]
Notice of Motion and Motion to Intervene By The United States of America [ECF# 122]
Order (2006 WL 1581965)
NS-CA-0004-0008.pdf | WESTLAW | Detail
Source: Westlaw
Declaration of Mark Klein in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction
NS-CA-0004-0013.pdf | External Link | Detail
Classified Supplemental Declarations of John D. Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence [ECF# 223]
Classified Declaration of William B. Black, Acting Director, National Security Agency [ECF# 226]
Order [ECF# 282]
Order [Denying Motion to Dismiss] [ECF# 308] (439 F.Supp.2d 974)
NS-CA-0004-0007.pdf | WESTLAW| LEXIS | Detail
Judgment In A Civil Case [ECF# 390]
U.S. Court of Appeals
USCA Opinion [Ct. of App. ECF# 400] (671 F.3d 881)
Judges McKeown, M. Margaret (Ninth Circuit) show/hide docs
NS-CA-0004-0006
Walker, Vaughn R. (N.D. Cal.) show/hide docs
NS-CA-0004-0004 | NS-CA-0004-0005 | NS-CA-0004-0007 | NS-CA-0004-0008 | NS-CA-0004-0011 | NS-CA-0004-0012 | NS-CA-0004-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers Bankston, Kevin Stuart (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
NS-CA-0004-0001 | NS-CA-0004-0002 | NS-CA-0004-9000
Cohn, Cindy A. (California) show/hide docs
DiMuzio, Elena Maria (California) show/hide docs
Friedman, Jeff D. (California) show/hide docs
Himmelstein, Barry R. (California) show/hide docs
Kathrein, Reed R. (California) show/hide docs
NS-CA-0004-0002 | NS-CA-0004-9000
Markman, Michael Myles (California) show/hide docs
McSherry, Corynne (California) show/hide docs
Morris, Maria V. (Alabama) show/hide docs
Opsahl, Kurt Bradford (California) show/hide docs
Scarlett, Shana E. (California) show/hide docs
Tien, Lee (California) show/hide docs
Traber, Theresa M. (California) show/hide docs
Tyre, James Samuel (California) show/hide docs
Voorhees, Bert (California) show/hide docs
Wiebe, Richard R. (California) show/hide docs
Defendant's Lawyers Anderson, David Lloyd (California) show/hide docs
Axelbaum, Marc H. (California) show/hide docs
Berenson, Bradford Allan (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Carpenter, David William (Illinois) show/hide docs
Coppolino, Anthony J. (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Ericson, Bruce A. (California) show/hide docs
Haas, Alexander K (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Keisler, Peter D. (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Lawson, David L. (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
McNicholas, Edward Robert (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Orleans, Renee S. (District of Columbia) show/hide docs
Sorensen, Jacob R. (California) show/hide docs
Other Lawyers Alger, Timothy L. (California) show/hide docs
Brosnahan, James J. (California) show/hide docs
Freiwald, Susan A. (California) show/hide docs
Granick, Jennifer Stisa (California) show/hide docs
Gross, Terry (California) show/hide docs
Martinez, Brian (California) show/hide docs
Myers, Roger R. (California) show/hide docs
Olson, Karl (California) show/hide docs
Pulgram, Laurence F. (California) show/hide docs
VanDerHout, Marc (California) show/hide docs
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Tommy Doyle Rumored to Return For Halloween Kills
Halloween KillsHalloween Kills horror Movie News
By Grant Hermanns
Of all of the side characters remembered throughout the classic slasher franchise, Tommy Doyle is one of the most memorable for the Halloween films. Now rumors have begun to circulate that co-writer/director David Gordon Green is planning to bring the character back into the fold for the recently announced Halloween Kills.
RELATED: Two Halloween Sequels Officially Announced by Blumhouse!
Originally played by Brian Andrews in the 1978 original and more well-known for being played by Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp) in the 1995 sequel Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the character of Tommy is one who survived the face of horror as a young child and as a young adult later in life (despite Part 6 no longer being part of the current timeline).
Reporters Jeff Sneider and Justin Kroll were discussing the news they heard in the podcast The Sneider Cut (via Bloody Disgusting) in which they revealed that there was also talks to try and bring Rudd back for the character, but that due to his busy schedule with filming the upcoming Ghostbusters threequel/reboot, he would not be able to return. They also mentioned they heard a new actor had been cast in the role, but that there was no confirmation as of yet.
Halloween Kills will be released on Friday, October 16, 2020, directed by Directed by David Gordon Green and written by David Gordon Green & Danny McBride & Scott Teems.
Halloween Ends will be released on Friday, October 15, 2021, directed by David Gordon Green and written by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, and Paul Brad Logan and Chris Bernier.
Based on characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the films will be directed by David Gordon Green and produced by Malek Akkad, Jason Blum and Bill Block. John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green and Ryan Freimann are executive producers. Our former Shock Till You Drop managing editor Ryan Turek is overseeing the project for Blumhouse.
RELATED: Cary Elwes Joins Blumhouse’s Black Christmas Remake
Released last October to critical acclaim and huge box office success, 2018’s Halloween brought in over $250 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest grossing slasher film of all time.
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Home › Best Practices
Weight Loss Pill from Orexigen under FDA Scrutiny
Source: Admin
For decades now, doctors and health care providers have been eagerly awaiting safe and efficient weight-loss therapies. Numerous drugs have been launched so far and rejected by the FDA as they failed to meet the agency’s criteria. Qnexa from Vivus Inc., and lorcaserin from Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., are among the list of drugs that failed to gain FDA approval in recent times. Drug trials linked these drugs to potential heart problems, birth defects and cancerous tumors. Earlier this year, Meridia weight loss pill from the Abbott Laboratories stable was also recalled from the market after regulators said it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Contrave
Recently, another drug, Contrave from Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., came under FDA scrutiny. Contrave is a combination of the antidepressant, bupropion and the anti-addiction drug, naltrexone, both of which are associated with side effects like high blood pressure, dizziness and insomnia. Contrave helped patients lose weight, but failed to meet all the criteria set forth by the agency. FDA also raised questions about the pill's effects on the heart. Contrave is the third weight loss pill to be reviewed by the FDA this year. Studies conducted by Orexigen showed that patients taking Contrave lost, on an average, 4.2 percent more weight than patients taking a placebo.
The results did not meet the FDA, 2007 draft Guidelines {Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Guidance for Industry Developing Products for Weight Management, 14th February 2007} which state that there should be at least a 5 percent difference in weight loss between the groups. Further, the drug trial involved a few elderly patients or patients with a history of heart disease, making it difficult to determine the drug's safety in patients at risk for heart attack and stroke. However, the drug did meet the FDA criteria in terms of the number of patients that should lose 5% or more of their weight. FDA has decided to deliberate further, after a panel of experts votes on the drug's efficacy and safety.
The Approval Process for Drugs
American consumers benefit from gaining access to the safest and most advanced pharmaceutical system in the world. The main patrol system regulating the release of drugs into the market is the U.S FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). The center evaluates new drugs before they can be sold. Drug companies send the evidence collected from tests to CDER to prove that their drugs are safe and effective for the intended use. A team of CDER physicians, statisticians, chemists, pharmacologists, and other scientists reviews the company's data and proposed labeling. If this independent and unbiased review establishes that a drug's health benefits outweigh its known risks, the drug is approved for sale.
http://www.pharmpro.com/News/FeedsAP/2010/12/fda-scrutinizes-weight-loss-pill-from-orexigen/
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/default.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/7544dft.pdf
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UK government re-announces £1.9bn cyber security spend
Five-year spending increase - announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond 12 months after George Osborne did so - will support new UK cyber security strategy
The UK government has announced a £1.9bn increase in spending on cyber security for the second time – 12 months after it was first announced.
The government said the funding was part of its new cyber security strategy unveiled today (1 November 2016).
But the money is not new. In a speech at GCHQ on 17 November last year, then Chancellor, George Osborne, said the government was making cyber security a top priority, and announced exactly the same investment.
“In the spending review, I have made a provision to almost double our investment to protect Britain from cyber attack and develop our sovereign capabilities in cyber space, totalling £1.9bn over five years,” said Osborne at the time.
In a statement released today, current Chancellor Philip Hammond said: “Our new strategy, underpinned by £1.9bn of support over five years and excellent partnerships with industry and academia, will allow us to take even greater steps to defend ourselves in cyber space and to strike back when we are attacked.”
According to the government, the funding will support the development of automated defences to safeguard citizens and businesses against growing cyber threats, will support the UK’s growing cyber security industry, help to develop a world-class cyber workforce and deter cyber attacks.
Read more about cyber security
Cyber security must be top of the agenda for business, policy and research, according to a report by The Royal Society.
Government announces a £250,000 programme to increase the rate of cyber security startup development in the UK.
An essential part of information security is identifying and managing the risks, experts tell the European Information Security Summit 2016.
Ben Gummer, minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “No longer the stuff of spy thrillers and action movies, cyber attacks are a reality and they are happening now.
“The first duty of the government is to keep the nation safe. Any modern state cannot remain secure and prosperous without securing itself in cyber space. That is why we are taking the decisive action needed to protect our country, our economy and our citizens.”
The new cyber security strategy builds on the previous plan that started in 2011. The aim of the strategy is to make the UK "secure and resilient to cyber threats; prosperous and confident in the digital world". It contains little in the way of new policies or actions, but defines the key objectives and plans to make the UK the safest place to do business in the world, according to Hammond.
"The cyber threat impacts the whole of our society, so we want to make very clear that everyone has a part to play in our national response. It’s why this strategy is an unprecedented exercise in transparency. We can no longer afford to have this discussion behind closed doors," he said, writing in the foreword to the document.
"Ultimately, this is a threat that cannot be completely eliminated. Digital technology works because it is open, and that openness brings with it risk. What we can do is reduce the threat to a level that ensures we remain at the vanguard of the digital revolution."
Strategic outcomes
The strategy outlines three areas, intended to "defend, deter and develop" UK capabilities. Core to delivering the plan is the recent creation of the National Cyber Security Centre to bring all the country's cyber operations under one organisation.
The strategy document highlights 13 "strategic outcomes" the government expects to deliver in the next five years, which are:
1. The UK has the capability effectively to detect, investigate and counter the threat from the cyber activities of our adversaries.
2. The impact of cybercrime on the UK and its interests is significantly reduced and cyber criminals are deterred from targeting the UK.
3. The UK has the capability to manage and respond effectively to cyber incidents to reduce the harm they cause to the UK and counter cyber adversaries.
4. Our partnerships with industry on active cyber defence mean that large scale phishing and malware attacks are no longer effective.
5. The UK is more secure as a result of technology products and services having cyber security designed into them and activated by default.
6. Government networks and services will be as secure as possible from the moment of their first implementation. The public will be able to use government digital services with confidence and trust that their information is safe.
7. All organisations in the UK, large and small, are effectively managing their cyber risk and are supported by high quality advice designed by the NCSC, underpinned by the right mix of regulation and incentives.
8. There is the right ecosystem in the UK to develop and sustain a cyber security sector that can meet our national security demands.
9. The UK has a sustainable supply of home-grown cyber skilled professionals to meet the growing demands of an increasingly digital economy, in both the public and private sectors, and defence.
10. The UK is universally acknowledged as a global leader in cyber security research and development, underpinned by high levels of expertise in UK industry and academia.
11. The UK government is already planning and preparing for policy implementation in advance of future technologies and threats and is future-proofed.
12. The threat to the UK and our interests overseas is reduced due to increased international consensus and capability towards responsible state behaviour in a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.
13. UK government policies, organisations and structures are simplified to maximise the coherence and effectiveness of the UK’s response to the cyber threat.
Security sector broadly backs Boris Johnson’s Cyber Force
Big tech firms back UK cyber security initiative
By: Warwick Ashford
UK up for cyber challenge but work to be done, says minister
Government to pump £70m into ‘designing out’ cyber threats
By: Lis Evenstad
Government to expand cyber security partnerships – ComputerWeekly.com
East Midlands gets cyber threat sharing node – ComputerWeekly.com
Cyber security a shared responsibility, says Cabinet ... – ComputerWeekly.com
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New York Musicals: On the Town and Hello, Dolly!
On the Town at the Barrington Stage
Though they’re best known for writing Singin’ in the Rain, the funniest movie musical ever made, the book and lyric writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green were the most notable proponents – perhaps even the inventors – of the New York musical. During their long-term and prolific collaboration they worked together on On the Town, Wonderful Town, Bells Are Ringing, Do Re Mi and, on screen, It’s Always Fair Weather, all of which unfold against the backdrop of a bustling Manhattan peopled with colorful caricatures of New York types. There’s an exuberance in the way Comden and Green employ specific New York settings: the Greenwich Village of the 1930s in Wonderful Town, the subway in the “Hello, Hello There” number in Bells are Ringing, Stillman’s Gym in It’s Always Fair Weather. Their first Broadway show, On the Town, which just closed in a marvelous production at Barrington Stage in the Berkshires, begins and ends in the Navy dockyard, and in between takes us to Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History, Coney Island and the interior of a taxi driven by a boisterous female cabbie named Hildy. It’s a valentine to the city, seen through the eyes of three young sailors who encounter it for the first time during a twenty-four-hour furlough.
On the Town, which opened in 1944, evolved from a ballet called Fancy Free that Leonard Bernstein had just written for the choreographer Jerome Robbins. (It’s a charming piece; the Boston Ballet staged a superb revival of it last year.) In the musical, each of the sailors manages to find a romantic partner during their brief leave. Gabey sets out to meet Ivy Smith, “Miss Turnstiles” of the month, whose photo on the wall of a subway platform entrances him; he finds her but circumstances conspire to keep them apart – and then to bring them together. (The idea of New York as both an ally and an adversary to romance pops up again in Vincente Minnelli’s touching 1945 film The Clock, in which Robert Walker is a G.I. on leave in New York and Judy Garland is the girl he meets and falls for when, symbolically, he accidentally trips her at the foot of an escalator in Penn Station.) Gabey and Ivy are, in traditional musical-comedy parlance, the juvenile and the ingénue, while Gabey’s buddies, Chip and Ozzie, and the ladies they wind up with, Hildy and the anthropologist Claire De Loone, are the comic secondary couples, though in fact Bernstein, Comden and Green divide the action pretty much equally among the three pairs. Comden and Green themselves played Claire and Ozzie in the original Broadway production, which generated one of the earliest – and best – cast recordings. (On it, though, presumably for contract reasons, John Reardon subs for the stage Gabey, John Battles. It’s hard to imagine that Battles could have done a better job with Gabey’s two ballads, “Lonely Town” and “Lucky to Be Me.”) Ivy is mostly a dance role (Sono Osato created it), and the musical takes full advantage of Robbins’ presence on the project by including four ballets. The stringent choreographic demands – the score includes nearly an hour of dance music – may explain why it went virtually unrevived for nearly a quarter of a century, though now it occupies a robust role in the musical-theatre repertory. (Boston’s Lyric Stage ran its own version in the spring.)
The Barrington Stage revival was directed by John Rando, who did an excellent version for Encores! in 2008. This fully staged On the Town isn’t extravagant; Beowulf Boritt’s set designs are cleverly pared down to accommodate the company’s main space in Pittsfield, which is ample but not deep. But nothing about the show feels cut-rate – not the orchestra, conducted by Darren R. Cohen, or the twenty-six-member ensemble, or the choreography by Joshua Bergasse (whose most recent previous credit was the TV series Smash), which is, as it should be, the highlight of the evening. The three high-stepping sailors are played by Tony Yazbeck (Gabey), Clyde Alves (Ozzie) and Jay Armstrong Johnson (Chip), all of whom are superlative dancers – especially, I’d say, Johnson, whose movement is dazzlingly – and hilariously – fluid, as if he had electric currents running through him instead of bones. They’re ideally matched by the three principal women. Ivy is played as a glamorous forties-style blonde by Deanna Doyle; the manically enthusiastic Claire is Elizabeth Stanley (her duet with Ozzie is called, appropriately, “Carried Away”); and Hildy is Alysha Umphress, a zaftig belter who keeps threatening to walk away with the musical. Of course, the songwriting trio wrote the two best comic numbers for Hildy, “Come Up to My Place,” which she performs with Chip, and “I Can Cook Too” – and the original Hildy, Nancy Walker, brought the house down with them. (One of the musical’s most enjoyable qualities, I’ve always thought, was the fact that it makes Hildy and Claire such voracious sexual creatures: they really lasso those lucky bastards Chip and Ozzie.) The cast also includes some expert comics in smaller parts. Nancy Opel plays Ivy’s tippling voice teacher, Madame Dilly, as well as both the lugubrious nightclub vocalists, Diana Dream and Dolores Dolores, who sing an uproarious parody of a torch song, “I Wish I Was Dead.” Allison Guinn is Hildy’s nasal roommate Lucy Schmeeler, and Michael Rupert is Claire’s long-suffering fiancé Pitkin Bridgework, whose Zen tolerance finally runs out in the second-act number “I Understand.”
On the Town weighs boisterous humor against pathos. Bernstein wrote, in my estimation, his most lush and heartfelt music for the ballads and the ballets (I’m not a West Side Story fan). Tony Yazbeck played Gabey the romantic dreamer in the Encores! production, and it was wise of Rando to bring him back; until late in the second act, he’s the one who gives the show its core of emotion. But, bucking convention, Bernstein and Comden and Green wrote the most beautiful number as a quartet for the two comic couples. They’re en route to Coney Island in pursuit of Gabey, who has gone after Ivy, but for a few minutes everything winds down as they share a late-night subway car and think, for the first time, about the men’s imminent departure. The song is “Some Other Time,” a wistful reflection on all the things the couples have not yet shared. “Haven’t had time to wake up / Seeing you there without your make-up,” Ozzie sings, and since Rando’s staging has made it clear that both couples have slept together (this is the sexiest On the Town I’ve ever seen), the physical longing in that line isn’t just wish-fulfillment fantasy but an acknowledgement of an already intimate connection that may be lost forever when the men ship off the next morning. For 1944 audiences, the musical was romantic escapism but it brought them back to earth during this number, which would have reminded them of the fragility of romance in wartime. We have to put ourselves back in that era when we hear it now, but Alves and Stanley, Johnson and Umphress make it easy for us. The quartet is vibrant with feeling.
Hello, Dolly! at the Goodspeed Opera House
I saw Hello, Dolly! on Broadway in 1965 with Ginger Rogers in the role of the widowed matchmaker, Dolly Gallagher Levi, who sets her sights on the wealthy Yonkers shopkeeper Horace Vandergelder, whose marriage he’s hired her to broker. Rogers was so glaringly miscast that it was hard to figure out how the show, with its Michael Stewart book and Jerry Herman score, was supposed to work. The fabled David Merrick production, which Gower Champion staged, had been set up as an elaborate vaudeville act – set in a picture-postcard rendition of 1890s New York – built around the aging star in the title role. Carol Channing had originated the role the year before, and I doubt I would have liked her much better; when you listen to her on the cast recording, you want to hide under the table. Eventually Ethel Merman played it, and Mary Martin, Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour and Pearl Bailey, among others. (When Bailey took over Merrick switched over to an entirely African American cast, with Cab Calloway as Horace; that’s the version I wish I’d seen.) Many musicals have been conceived as vehicles for legendary stars, but I don’t think there’s ever been one that passed among so many, each woman reshaping it to fit her trademark style. When Gene Kelly filmed it, Barbra Streisand took over. She was obviously too young for the role – this was her second movie, coming right after she won the Oscar for Funny Girl – but her tour de force performance in an otherwise wan, overproduced spectacle that felt woefully anachronistic in 1969 perpetuated the idea that Hello, Dolly! was a cardboard cut-out that could only be vivified by the right musical-comedy star.
That’s not precisely what Thornton Wilder had in mind when he wrote the source material, The Matchmaker. It didn’t originate with him: it had been a one-act farce called A Day Well Spent by John Oxenford and then a full-length comedy by the Austrian playwright Johann Nestroy (both in the first half of the nineteenth century), and Wilder had tried an earlier adaptation called The Merchant of Yonkers. Perhaps that’s why the play has always felt a little worn and arch, but it was a hit on Broadway in 1955, with Ruth Gordon as Dolly, and Shirley Booth played it in a movie version three years later that featured Paul Ford, Anthony Perkins, Shirley MacLaine and Robert Morse. The Matchmaker is a romantic comedy in which the action is fairly evenly distributed between Dolly’s machinations to win the ornery Vandergelder and the courtship she encourages between his chief clerk, Cornelius Hackl, and Irene Molloy, the milliner Horace himself has been courting. There are additional pairings between the deputy clerk, Barnaby Tucker, and Irene’s assistant, Minnie Fay, and between Horace’s niece and ward, Ermengarde, and the young artist, Ambrose Kemper, of whom her uncle doesn’t approve. The cleverness of the plot is in the doubling of the roles of the chief male and female characters. Dolly is the romantic enabler, the embodiment of the erotic force that in the classical sense always drives the comedy, and Horace is the obstacle – like the old fool in the commedia dell’ arte farces who has to be tricked so that young love can thrive; but the way Dolly subdues him is by getting him to fall in love with her, and his new-found geniality at the end of the play converts him from Cupid’s adversary to Cupid’s ally. Typically in Hello, Dolly!, all of these dramaturgical arrangements are muted because, for good or ill, the musical-comedy star playing Dolly is overemphasized and the rest of the show feels like window dressing.
Klea Blackhurst in Hello, Dolly!
But the vastly enjoyable new production at the Goodspeed Opera House, directed by Daniel Goldstein, restores the balance and reveals Hello, Dolly! as a far better show than I’d ever suspected. Though it has one hell of a Dolly in Klea Blackhurst, her performance is blissfully relaxed; she commands the stage but her combination of supreme confidence and restraint is winning, and in her interaction with the rest of the ensemble it registers as generosity. Blackhurst can belt (among her credits is Everything the Traffic Will Allow, a tribute to Ethel Merman) but she doesn’t use it until the first-act finale, “Before the Parade Passes By,” and when she gets to the beloved title number in the middle of act two, she sings it sweetly (as Streisand did in the film). Her Dolly is a model of musical-comedy finesse; she doesn’t overplay a single number or scene, including the famous vaudevillian bit where Dolly finishes an enormous meal at a downstage table in the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant while upstage, where all the other characters are in court for disturbing the peace, the judge (Jack Doyle) awaits her patiently. Looking spectacular in Wade Laboissonniere’s Gilded Age gowns (all the costumes are splendid), Blackhurst strolls through the production with the kind of assured style that makes devotees out of audiences. (At the performance I attended, the house cheered her during the curtain call.)
The musical is beautifully staged and the choreography by Kelli Barclay is well up to Goodspeed’s usual high standard; of the seven or eight dance numbers, only one, the second-act opener “Elegance,” a quartet for the two clerks and their dates, is rather conventional. (The song is fun, though Herman stole the idea – those without cab fare adopting the idea that walking is chic – from Fred Astaire and Judy Garland’s “A Couple of Swells” duet in Easter Parade.) The dance highlight is the acrobatic “Waiters’ Galop,” which precedes the title number. Dancers must love working at the Goodspeed, where they’re always showcased magnificently. In this production most of the dancers, including Spencer Moses as Cornelius and Charles MacEachern as Ambrose, are unusually tall and slender, and Adrian W. Jones’s delectable double-tiered set accentuates the vertical – Vandergelder’s hay and feed store contains high shuttered windows and high arches – so the whole thing looks a little like pop Modigliani. It’s a great visual joke, and the upper level of the set allows for simultaneous activity in some of the numbers (especially “Put On Your Sunday Clothes”). Plus Goldstein and Barclay use the aisles for the 14th Street parade in “Before the Parade Passes By.” The show seems to have been conceived to make musical-comedy buffs feel like kids in a candy store.
The supporting cast is very strong, especially Ashley Brown as a full-bosomed, full-voiced Irene Molloy, Spencer Moses and Jeremy Morse as the clerks, and Catherine Blades as Minnie Fay. Moses gives Cornelius an odd, tinny voice but when he’s called on to duet with Brown on “It Only Takes a Moment,” they sound lovely together. The coda to this song contains an unexpectedly poignant couple of bars where the melody acquires a Jerome Kern-like melodic richness while Cornelius and Irene sing, “And that is all that love’s about / And we’ll recall when time runs out . . .” Generally I don’t care for Jerry Herman’s scores, but this one contains a lot of really good music: “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Dancing,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “Elegance,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “So Long, Dearie” and of course the title song, the appeal of which can’t be overstated. There aren’t many lemons – maybe just two. I guess there’s no way to cut Irene’s solo, “Ribbons Down My Back,” though it sounds like a discard from some 1923 operetta, but surely we can do without “Motherhood”? Herman didn’t do his best writing for the millinery shop scene.
The only cast member I have qualms about is Tony Sheldon, who plays Horace. It’s a tough role: a misanthrope who turns into a sweetie. Sheldon’s decision is to strive to make the character likable, but it isn’t written that way, so he just seems to be trying too hard. Who would be right for this part? For a few minutes in the movie you think Walter Matthau is going to make it work (I’d say through the first chorus of “It Takes a Woman”), but then he seems to give up, and for the rest of the picture he looks straitjacketed, perhaps because he and Streisand have nothing remotely resembling chemistry. I think you need someone outsize, with his own brand of lovableness, like Jackie Gleason.
Hello, Dolly! appears to be a hit for Goodspeed, which has extended it. It deserves all the love it’s getting from audiences.
– Steve Vineberg is Distinguished Professor of the Arts and Humanities at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he teaches theatre and film. He also writes for The Threepenny Review and is the author of three books: Method Actors: Three Generations of an American Acting Style; No Surprises, Please: Movies in the Reagan Decade; and High Comedy in American Movies.
Labels: Steve Vineberg, Theatre
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Why Sooner Is Better for Patients Needing Hospice
Hospice care delivers many benefits to terminally ill patients and their families, helping people manage the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of end-of-life planning. Unfortunately many patients are referred to hospice service late in the disease process. Some are referred so late they cannot fully realize the full positive impact hospice is known to have on physical and emotional comfort and overall quality of life.
Serving in the role of patient advocate, healthcare providers are encouraged to learn as much as possible about the hospice approach and refer patients as early as possible. When is the right time to refer a patient to hospice? There are telltale signs. “When treatment is no longer as effective as it used to be, when quality of life has diminished, when the patient experiences frequent hospitalization…this is the time to seek hospice care,” explains Maggie Stockton, nurse practitioner at Crossroads Hospice in Kansas City, Missouri.
Alison Taylor, a nurse practitioner at the Crossroads Cincinnati, Ohio office, agrees and advises professionals to engage in the hospice discussion as early as possible. “Sadly hospice is often not brought up as an option until very near the end of life. There is so much to be gained by it; hospice should be discussed openly as soon as it becomes clear the illness is terminal.”
Benefits Present at the Start
Discussing death and making end-of-life plans is not easy for most people. It makes us uncomfortable to think about our own death or the death of loved ones. But for the terminally ill, hospice provides a welcome avenue for helping make informed choices. “The hospice approach encourages and supports families in talking about their wishes. Hospice staff guides the discussions people might never have on their own, or wait until it’s too late to have,” says Taylor.
An important benefit of hospice is that it connects staff such as chaplains and social workers, who are experts in end-of-life conversations, with patients and families as quickly as possible to ensure the maximum benefit. Once the more difficult topics are addressed, patients and families feel freer to focus on the quality of their lives, making the most of the remaining time. And when pain is controlled, patients are better able to manage the emotional tasks that accompany the end-of-life transition.
“A third of patients come onto hospice so late they die within a week or two of admission,” says Stockton. The ideal situation — where patients benefit most — is when they can experience at least three months of hospice care. “If patients are referred to hospice sooner, we can do a great deal more to manage pain and other symptoms and also enhance closure for patients and their loved ones.” Stockton goes on to explain that an early referral to hospice can reduce the risk of complicated grief. “The earlier a patient comes on service, the sooner we can help them deal with unresolved issues, express their feelings, and work through anticipatory grief and feelings of fear and anxiety.”
Making an Early Referral: Breaking Down Barriers
A common barrier to an early referral may be the feeling of “giving up.” “People in the healthcare profession may feel making a referral to hospice is a reflection on their ability to treat or cure a patient,” says Taylor. “To refer hospice may seem like an admission this may be the end for a patient. Also, the healthcare profession in general tends to view death as failure.” The truth is, hospice is moving to a different level of care — one that acknowledges aggressive treatment is no longer working and which enables symptoms to be managed and quality of life to be enhanced.
“Hospice is not necessarily the end either,” Taylor says. “Some people improve and go off hospice.” Her overriding message is the sooner a patient is referred to hospice, the more care and comfort they will receive.
Another roadblock to an early referral may be a feeling that the patient’s care will be removed from the physician’s control. “Physicians often don’t realize the hospice medical director can help them in making the referral and they are also welcome and encouraged to stay involved with the care of the patient following referral,” says Stockton. She suggests viewing hospice referral as one would refer a patient to any other medical specialty. “You would refer a heart patient to a cardiologist. In the same way you should refer a terminally ill patient to receive the advantages afforded by the hospice care specialty.”
Advice for healthcare professionals who see the signs but are apprehensive about making a hospice referral: Keep an open mind. “Don’t be afraid to have the discussion,” encourages Taylor. “Be open and honest. Ask the patient what he or she wants. Allow the patient to lead the discussion.” She also advises physicians to sit in on a hospice conversation started by a peer and his or her own patient. “Watching and listening can be helpful in knowing how to engage in the hospice conversation and, in turn, become more comfortable with the practice.”
Stockton explains hospice should be viewed by physicians as a continuation of “good medical care.” She encourages physicians to ask patients about their goals, their hopes, and their fears and to get them involved in talking about hospice early on in the disease process, and then throughout the disease progression.
“We didn’t realize how helpful hospice is… We wish we would have been told earlier.” These are the sentiments Taylor and Stockton wish they didn’t have to hear from patients and their loved ones. The more awareness the healthcare profession has about hospice, the earlier referrals can be made and the more benefits can be realized by patients and family.
If you have questions about hospice, please call 1-888-564-3405 or visit our website.
Copyright © 2015 Crossroads Hospice. All rights reserved.
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Mrs. Ashley S. Harrison
SR. Beta Sponsor
National Honor Society Sponsor
ashleyharrison@dadcs.org
Master of Business Administration, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Baschelor or Science, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
2019-present, Math Teacher, Dade County High School
2019-present, ESL Teacher, VIPKid
2011-2018, Lecture in Finance and Economics, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
2006-2011, Office Manager and Research Assistant, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
2005-2006, Staff Account, AJC International
2004-2006, Senior Wholesale Accountant, Mapco Express, Inc.
2001-2004, Wholesale Accounting, Mapco Express, Inc.
Articles Published in Refereed Journals:
“Will the Economy Pick the Next President?” Social Education, Vol. 80, No. 2, March/April 2016, pp. 98-100 with M. Scott Niederjohn and J.R. Clark.
“Is Bitcoin the Money of the Future?” Social Education, Vol. 79, No. 2, March/April 2015, pp. 94-97 with M. Scott Niederjohn and J.R. Clark.
“Jack Soper: A Pioneer in Economic Education” The Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2016 pp. 91-100 with Joshua Hall and J. R. Clark.“Battling the Forces of Darkness: How Can Economic Freedom Be Effectively Taught in the Pre-College Curriculum?” The Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 29, No. 1, Fall 2013, pp. 87-100 with Mark C. Schug and J.R. Clark.
“All We Know That May Be So in Economic Education,” Social Studies Research and Practice, Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2012, pp. 1-8 with Mark C. Schug and J.R. Clark.
“The Future of Free Enterprise Leadership in Academe: A Survey,” The Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 27, No. 2, Spring 2012, pp. 121-143 with J.R. Clark and Bradley K. Hobbs.
“The Current Status of Free Enterprise Chairs and Professorships in Academe,” The Journal of Private Enterprise, Vol. 26, No. 2, Spring 2011, pp. 15-46 with J.R. Clark and Bradley K. Hobbs.
“Recent Trends and New Evidence in Economics and Finance Education,” Journal of Economics and Finance Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, Summer 2009, pp. 1-10 with J.R. Clark and Mark C. Schug.
Book Chapters:
“Teaching and Measuring the Economic Way of Thinking” in Innovations in Economic Education: Promising Practices for Teachers and Students K-16, edited by Mary Beth Henning, co-authored with J.R. Clark and Mark C. Schug
“Connecting the Economic Way of Thinking to the Common Core,” in Getting at the Core of the Common Core with Social Studies, edited by Thomas N. Turner, Jeremiah Clabough, and William Cole, co-authored with Mark C. Schug and J.R. Clark.
“Reduce Labor Restrictions: From Right-to-Work to School Choice,” in Freedom and Prosperity in Tennessee, Chapter 7, edited by J.R. Clark, co-authored with Joshua C. Hall, Nathan J. Ashby, and Susan S. Douglass.
“Education Reform in Tennessee: Spending Money on What Matters,” in Freedom and Prosperity in Tennessee, Chapter 9, edited by J.R. Clark, co-authored with Joshua C. Hall.
Contract Research Reports:
“The Economic Impact and Return on Investment of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: What Tennessee Taxpayers Receive for their Money” with J.R. Clark.
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Mexico tells U.S. it's not ready for 'safe third country' deal -ambassador
By Alexandra Alper
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Mexico has told the United States time and again it is not ready to ink a deal forcing asylum seekers heading to the U.S. to first pursue safe haven in a Mexico, the Mexican ambassador to Washington said on Thursday, ahead of a Monday deadline.
Martha Barcena rejected the so-called "safe third country" agreement days before the clock runs out on a deal struck with U.S. President Donald Trump in June. Under that commitment, Mexico averted punitive tariffs by promising to stem the flow of illegal migrants from Central America by July 22. If it failed, Latin America's second largest economy would have to accept safe-third-country status.
"We have said once and again that we are not ready to sign" any such agreement, Barcena said at an event in Washington, D.C.
Her comments come days before Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard is slated to meet his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Mexico City this weekend to discuss migration and trade.
Barcena also urged Washington to speed up its processing of asylum claims. A recent Trump administration policy requires people seeking protection in the United States to wait for their U.S. court dates in Mexican border towns, part of his hard line stance to halt migration. "You cannot leave the people waiting in Mexico for three years," she said.
Trump pledged to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico in his 2016 run for office, and has since fought with Congress and in the courts for funding to pay for the barrier.
On Monday, he touted weekend raids aimed at immigrants who had been ordered deported, as his administration seeks to deter a surge in Central American families seeking asylum in the United States after fleeing poverty and gang violence in their home countries.
The administration also announced sweeping new asylum rules on Monday that bar almost all immigrants from applying for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border by requiring them to first pursue safe haven in a third country through which they had traveled on the way to the United States.
On Thursday, Barcena described the move as "unilateral," noting the Mexican government does not support it and interprets the rules as not sending migrants to Mexico but rather to their countries of origin. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper Writing by Susan Heavey and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Mohammad Zargham, Bill Trott and Marguerita Choy)
Mexico tells U.S. it's not ready for 'safe third...
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