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Dystopia: Bernie Sanders Looks Forward To RUNNING THE SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE
P. Gardner Goldsmith , @gardgoldsmith
November. 22. 2020
Want to have some fun?
Imagine writing a dystopian novel, a story set in the future or an alternate reality where things are ugly, deadly, and destructive of rights.
Now, imagine it’s real, and it’s a few months away.
Because that’s what Bernie Sanders recently suggested during a live group-chat with numerous “reporters” and left-adherent writer John Nichols in conjunction with what The Nation called “NationFestival.”
When presented with the possibility that he, a hero of the underclass who owns three homes and has received a fat paycheck off the taxpayers for decades, could be picked by future Emperor Kamala Biden to be (grab the nausea pills) the Secretary of Labor (and where’s that in the Constitution?), he opined on the possibility of something more… powerful.
He noted that if the Democrats win the two disputed Senate races in Georgia, that would mean that Sanders, the avowed “democratic socialist” (i.e. SOCIALIST), would, as he said, be in line to “be Chairman of the Budget Committee.”
You got that right. Dystopia.
RELATED: WHOA! Sanders: ‘Biden Will Become The Most Progressive President Since FDR’
Oh, and he would also become the Chairman on the Subcommittee on Health.
Because, as we all know, the U.S. Constitution which he swore an oath to protect and defend, includes in its short list of enumerated powers the magic ability to redistribute money from some to others for “health care” and includes telling hospitals and health insurance companies how to run their businesses. Oh, and then there’s the little factor of the U.S. government claiming in its wonderful 1996 HIPAA law that it can collect your medical data at any time, without a warrant.
Surely, Bernie should run a subcommittee that’s helped pile all that on us already. He will undoubtedly deconstruct the torture device so we can live free.
Said Mr. Sanders:
So, uh, yeah! Uh… there’s a lot that we could do in the Senate. There’s a lot that one could do, also, as Secretary of Labor. So we’ll see how things unfold.
"Unravel" might be a more apropos term.
And on the subject of terms, it’s educational for the long term to look at his statement and see the key phrase, “there’s a lot that we could do…”
Because, actually, if one reads the very limited list of so-called “enumerated powers” claimed by the feds in the U.S. Constitution, there really is not a lot that he or anyone in the federal government could do, or is supposed to do, without completely breaking his or her oath to abide by that rule book.
Bernie might not care, or he might claim that the so-called “General Welfare” clause of the Constitution, or the “Necessary and Proper” clause give him and his wealthy pals the power to pass anything they claim promotes the “general welfare”, but the Founders specifically noted that they were including only the enumerated powers to promote the general welfare, and that Congress was only allowed to pass legislation that was necessary and proper to handle its enumerated responsibilities. As David Crockett noted in his famous 1830s “Not Yours To Give” speech, he learned early in his Congressional years that the feds had no enumerated power to give money to people to “help” them battle natural strife or the troubles of life, not to build roads, or pay for food, or drugs, or retirement, or college tuition, or on and on, as one can continue to list federal “programs” that Bernie and others have created for decades.
Besides that, if one logically looks at the term “general welfare,” one sees that welfare is subjective, and can only be measured by each individual. Therefore, the general welfare cannot be objectively defined by a state, but, rather, must be left up to the individuals to decide for themselves and expressed through their choices in the market. In fact, by threatening to make anyone a target of government taxation or regulation, the feds undercut the welfare of all, putting everyone at risk of being a victim. How does living under the threat of being victimized help your welfare or anyone else’s?
And this all comes from the guy who, on his magic “Bernie” website promotes not only insultingly unconstitutional ideas in a manner that reflects his absolute hypocrisy when it comes to his sworn oath, but also programs that would be so destructive as to push the US society and economy closer to that of the Soviet Union he used to love so much.
These include his devotion to the so-called “Green New Deal,” which not only refers to FDR’s “New Deal” – something that prolonged the Great Depression and made it worse – but promotes the delusional idea that the feds should dig the debt pit by another $93 TRILLION to, as Bernie says, “ Transform our energy system to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million jobs needed to solve the climate crisis.”
Because, since it’s such a good idea, it has to be forced on people.
And then there’s his idea to have the feds provide so-called “Medicare to All.”
Create a Medicare for All, single-payer, national health insurance program to provide everyone in America with comprehensive health care coverage, free at the point of service… No networks, no premiums, no deductibles, no copays, no surprise bills.
Yeah, because single-payer is not only right there in the U.S. Constitution, and it’s not just really moral to take cash from some to hand it to others, government payments inspire higher use by the recipients, driving up costs, which inspires the government to put caps on payments to doctors, which, in turn, inspires doctors to restrict their services and cut back on quality. Stories of the UK National Health Service and its abysmal single-payer system are so numerous one could spend days reading separate accounts, and the problems of the Canadian system were so apparent that, when I lived there in 1996, the British Columbia government was going to try to control costs by telling doctors how many people they could see per day, and how long the visits would be. Oh, and the BC government was going to chose which maladies would take precedent for visits.
But what can one expect from Bernie Sanders?
This is a man who has openly praised Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro, who, in 1988, vacationed in the USSR, and, on camera, sat beneath a portrait of Vladimir Lenin (a man responsible for thousands of executions), sang soviet songs and Pete Seeger drivel, and praised the murderous Soviet communist system – mere months before that system would crash and the Berlin Wall (built by the Soviets to prevent Germans from escaping their wonderful collectivism) crashed as well, and who has praised Venezuelan communist/collectivist Hugo Chavez, whose policies of seizing farms, auto plants, oil fields, and accumulating power in central planners’ hands saw his disciple, Nicolas Maduro continue the dumb, evil policies and… create mass starvation such that people have been reduced to eating stray pets in Caracas.
But, hey, why worry? The possible future under a Budget Committee Chairman Sanders has gotta be bright! It’ll be just like a story from a kids’ book!
Like… “The Hunger Games.”
(Cover Photo: Phil Roeder)
Senate Budget Committee
Free-Market Economics
Canadian Health Care
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Book Review: The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church
Authored by Jana Riess
Reviewed by Eric Johnson
Check out the 15 episodes Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series that aired September 30-October 18, 2019: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Jana Riess, 49, is a popular LDS blogger who has degrees from revered school such as Princeton Theological Seminary and Columbia University, where she earned her Ph.D. in religion. She is a senior columnist for Religion News Service. MRM’s Viewpoint on Mormonism has produced shows on more than a half dozen of her articles, as she has an interesting perspective, even when we disagree.
Her newest book is titled The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church. It is a scholarly research book published by Oxford University Press in March 2019. While this book is not as “layperson” oriented as some of her other tomes–including Flunking Sainthood, What Would Buffy Do? and Mormonism For Dummies–Riess has compiled important research that will help the reader better understand the thinking of different age-group Mormons. The survey she helped coordinate is known as “Next Mormons Survey,” abbreviated NMS throughout this article.
With that as a background, I’d like to see how considering her research could help those in apologetics ministries better understand the Mormon mindset.
The Generations Discussed in the Book
Riess lists the five generational categories she uses throughout the book:
Greatest Generation: 1927 and before
Silent Generation: 1928-1944
Baby Boomer Generation: 1945-1964
Generation X: 1965-1979
Millennial Generation: 1980-1998
Although she doesn’t interview anyone after 1998, we can, for the purposes of classification, use “Gen Z” for anyone born 1999 and after.
Mormons’ Certainty about Specific LDS Teachings
A chart is given on page 19 to show the comparison with the Boomer, Gen X, and Millennials on unique LDS teachings. The chart explains what the different generations of Mormons believe, with the numbers indicating the percentages of those who “are confident and knew this is true”:
Boomers Gen X Millennials
Priesthood meant for men, not women 57% 46% 41%
Joseph Smith is a prophet of God 67 54 51
LDS First Presidency are prophets today 67 55 53
God is exalted person of flesh and bone 68 55 55
Book of Mormon is literal/historical 62 53 50
LDS Church is the only true church 56 49 48
Sealing ordinances are the only way for families to be eternal 56 49 49
Priesthood/temple ban on African descent was inspired by God 44 30 37
There seems to be a huge drop off in “true blue” beliefs between Boomers and the Gen Xers, even before the Millennials are considered. Granted, the Gen Xers are considered a little more spiritual (by a percentage or two) when put next to the Millennials, but there is much less of a drop off between the Gen Xers and the Millennials than the Boomers and the Gen Xers. The one exception is with the priesthood/temple ban on those with African heritage, as more than one out of three Millennials believe that this doctrine was inspired by God; I would have thought the Millennial number would have gone further down rather than beat the Gen X position by 7 percentage points!
These statistics are very troubling, as they are core concepts of the LDS Church that are denied by more than half of LDS Millenials. Take, for instance, the historicity of the Book of Mormon. A church manual seems to be very clear that this unique LDS scripture contains true history:
The Book of Mormon is a sacred record of some of the people who lived on the American continents between about 2000 B.C. and A.D. 400. It contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (see D&C 20:9; 42:12; 135:3). The Book of Mormon tells of the visit Jesus Christ made to the people in the Americas soon after His Resurrection” (Gospel Principles, 2009, p. 46).
Van Hale, an LDS apologist, agreed with this assessment, stating in 2005,
More than 20 years ago I concluded that my belief in the Book of Mormon as a divinely inspired book of scripture did not require that it be an accurate, detailed translation of an ancient history (Van Hale, Host of Mormon Miscellaneous, radio broadcast that aired February 6, 2005).
Yet LDS scholars and apologists appear to disagree with Hale. For instance, former BYU professor Robert Millet stated,
The historicity of the Book of Mormon record is crucial. We cannot exercise faith in that which is untrue, nor can “doctrinal fiction’”have normative value in our lives. Too often the undergirding assumption of those who cast doubt on the historicity of the Book of Mormon, in whole or in part, is a denial of the supernatural and a refusal to admit of revelation and predictive prophecy (Selected Writings of Robert L. Millet: Gospel Scholars Series, p. 93).
Mormon apologist Louis Midgley explained,
There is no middle ground on the question of whether the Book of Mormon is an authentic ancient text. On this—but not of course on every issue—we are confronted with an either/or possibility . . . There is nothing in the Book of Mormon (or in Joseph Smith’s account of its coming forth) that suggests that it should be read as anything other than historical fact (Historicity and the Latter-day Saint Scriptures, Paul Y. Hoskisson, ed., pp. 149-150. Ellipsis mine).
Amazingly, only 5 out of 10 Mormon millennials believe in a literal history of the Book of Mormon! Not much better is just 6 out of 10 Mormon Baby Boomers agree. Is it even possible to believe in a fictional Book of Mormon and still be considered a faithful Latter-day Saint? What this says is that nobody can assume that their LDS friends believe in a historical Book of Mormon. It thus behooves the Christian to ask, “Do you believe the Book of Mormon to be a historical book? Or is it possible this is a fictional book with good moral teachings?” The answer that we receive can dictate the direction of our conversation. True history is everything for those who believe the Bible and the events it records. After all, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:13-15:
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God . . .
In my opinion, the Latter-day Saint who sacrifices history is in a very precarious position.
What keeps Latter-day Saints faithful?
Although there are a number of Latter-day Saints who have lost (or are losing) their unique LDS faith, it seems remarkable that so many are staying put in their church. Riess provides several reasons why so many Mormons hold on to their faith:
Something that those of us in the apologetics ministry have known for quite some time is that family attachments help keep many Latter-day Saints in the fold. After all, many Mormons are very careful not to anger or disappoint grandparents, parents, and siblings. Family heritage can take precedence over truth. Riess writes on page 24,
While there is no perfect formula for raising children who remain devout in adulthood—especially given the unprecedented rapid disaffiliation of the Millennial generation as a whole—sticking with the beliefs of the family provides the best chance for a successful transmission of a religious identity from one generation to the next.
A college education
According to Riess,
a college education appears to provide a modest boost toward greater belief and religious activity. . . . For example, nearly two-thirds of Mormons with a college degree are confident that “the LDS First Presidency members and apostles are God’s prophets on the earth today,” but under half of those with a high school education agree (63 vs. 48 percent). . . . An even wider gap separates those groups on the question of whether Jesus Christ was literally resurrected from the dead. Seventy-four percent of Mormons with a college diploma say they know this is true, compared to just 57 percent of those who did not attend college (pp. 24-25. Ellipsis mine).
Riess says she was surprised at this finding, but when we consider how the higher achievers in the family usually go to college and generally are more conforming, it seems sensible. There just seems to be a shut-off valve when faith is concerned, even with well-learned people.
Seminary attendance
Seminary is the 4-year program run by the church to educate high school students. For most Latter-day Saint teens, a one-hour daily class usually held at a local LDS building before the school day is available for interested students throughout the country; in Utah and Idaho, however, “release time” classes are available throughout the school day at a church building located near the high school. Students go off the public school grounds to participate in the approved class. This program has been very successful for the LDS Church, as reported by Riess:
Seminary attendance is positively correlated with a number of outcomes Mormon leaders would consider desirable: people who attend seminary regularly are more likely to later serve a mission, for example, and to get married in the temple. When they reach adulthood, they report higher levels of church activity and stronger levels of belief than Mormons who did not attend seminary. . . . Six in ten Mormon Millennials participated in seminary when they were in high school, compared to just a third of former Mormon respondents of the same generation. . . . Among high school students who are already Sunday worshipers, seminary appears to provide something extra that helps to cement a Mormon identity (p. 26. Ellipsis mine).
Where the Latter-day Saint lives makes a difference to the averages as to whether or not the person is in line with the church and its teachings. Riess explains, “In a nutshell, Mormons are often, but not always, more theologically orthodox” (p. 28). Utah Mormons were about 20% more likely to agree with the statement “I believe wholeheartedly in all of the teachings of the LDS Church” (56 to 46%); attend seminary all four years (67 to 57%); be active in the church (62 to 52%); hold a temple recommend (63% to 47%); and say “families are forever” is one of three favorite parts of being LDS (64% to 47%).
Another interesting statistic is “that 37 percent of non-Utah Mormons chose ‘the strong community I enjoy at church’ as one of their favorite aspects of being Mormon, but only 15 percent of Utah Mormons did” (pp. 28-29).
Doubters
The vast majority of current Latter-day Saints don’t doubt when it comes to their faith, or at least that’s what they say. Riess writes,
Only about 17 percent of respondents who still identify as Mormons express even a moderate degree of doubt in the teachings of the LDS Church . . . while about one in six self-identified Mormons in the United States claims a degree of doubt, only about one in ten active members who attend church weekly and about one in twenty of those with current temple recommends express doubt in some, most, or all of the church’s teachings (pp. 30-31).
Millennials in the Mission Field
Compared to Boomers and Gen Xers, the Millennials are more likely to have served missions. In fact, “more than half of Mormon Millennials have served a full-time mission (55 percent)” compared to Gen Xers (40%) and Boomers/Silent generation (28%). In fact, “two-thirds of LDS young men” in the 1990s did not serve. Perhaps because the age for females was lowered to 19 in 2012, close to half of Millennial females served a mission compared to 13 percent for the Boomers and 28 percent of the Gen Xers. As Riess writes, “Before the age change, about one in six young missionaries was female; today it is closer to one in three” (p. 40).
We have heard many Latter-day Saint young people tell us that they are motivated to go on a mission because of “duty.” This is interesting because “duty” would seem to not be as big of an incentive for Protestant missionaries who are more apt to say, “I want to communicate God’s truth to those who do not have it” or “We should love people with the Gospel.” Serving a mission is directly proportional to a Latter-day Saint remaining faithful, especially if they had a good experience. On page 46 Riess writes,
Among respondents who had less-than-weekly church attendance in childhood, only 19 percent who completed a full-time mission are no longer Mormon. In other words, eight in ten people who had been less active as kids were still Mormons in adulthood if they had served a full-term mission. Retention is even stronger among those who were weekly attenders during childhood. Only 9 percent of those who were active growing up and served a full-term mission are no longer Mormon today, compared to 29 percent who served a partial mission and nearly half, 45 percent, who didn’t serve at all.
The Temple Experience
Fewer Mormon Millennials hold current temple recommends when compared to the older age groups. Less than half (47%) have their recommend, which is fewer than the Boomers (58%) and Gen X generations (52%). Riess explains on pages 54-55:
A related area of concern for church leaders is how few Millennials hold a current temple recommend. In fact, they are the only generation of Mormons for whom fewer than half (47 percent) are fully qualified to enter the temple. It’s not just because they’re young, either, given that four out of five (83 percent) say they’ve held a temple recommend at some point in their lives. That’s actually higher than GenX (79 percent) or the Boomer/Silent group (75 percent). But Millennials are more likely to have allowed that temple credential to lapse.
Mormon Millennials are more likely to have held a temple recommend but no longer have it. She writes on page 54:
Whereas almost nine in ten Boomer/Silent responders (87%) had returned to the temple on behalf of the deceased, just over half of Millennials (56%) had, and six in ten GenXers (59%). For the Boomer/Silent respondents, temple attendance appears to be more of a priority. It seems that a number of Mormons under fifty-two have attended the temple once for their own ordinances, possibly to get married, but have not returned.
Perhaps the reason why so many Millennial Mormons have had a temple recommend at one point in their lives is because more than half went on a mission and a recommend was required. Could this is the reason why church leaders made a decision in April 2019 to no longer deny those who decide to get married outside the temple the ability to get married for eternity right away? Previously there had been a 1-year waiting period for those getting married outside the temple before they could get sealed in the temple. It could be that many LDS couples were too busy a year later and never got around to doing their temple duty. This policy change now erases the excuse that “we want to let everyone experience our wedding” and procrastinate their temple work. We have no statistics to support this theory, but I’m sure there are more couples who participate in an outside ceremony who are now getting sealed inside the temple, probably within the week.
When it comes to marriage, American Mormons are still more likely to be married than the rest of the population. About 65 percent of Mormons are married, compared to 48 percent for the US adults. Riess writes, “Mormons, then, are about a third more likely to be married than members of the general population, which is statistically very significant” (p. 74).
However, the percentage of Mormons who are married has gone down from 71% in 2007 to the mid-60s today. In addition, more Mormons have never married, going from 12 percent in 2007 to 19 percent today. Meanwhile, “the median age for Mormons to marry is holding steady at 22%. In other words, Mormons who do get married waste no time in typing that knot. They are bucking the larger national trend of delayed marriage” (p. 75).
When it comes to traditional complementarian marriage compared to egalitarian marriage set-ups, younger Latter-day Saints are preferring the latter. Riess writes on page 78:
While a majority of Mormons prefer a traditional marriage, it’s more popular among men (65 percent) than among women (58 percent). Generationally, there is change afoot: nearly half (48 percent) of Millennial women want the egalitarian marriage, and we see movement toward the nontraditional even within that generation of women: for younger Millennial women (eighteen to twenty-six), egalitarian marriage carries the majority at 54 percent. But six in ten younger Millennial men prefer the traditional arrangement, creating a gap between what young Mormon women want from their prospective marriage partners and what those men appear willing to offer.
A few paragraphs later, she explains the isolation that some single LDS men may feel. For those who are older single males, this causes problems. One Latter-day Saint man said that he “rarely receives invitations to social events that involve families; some people ‘don’t want you to be around kids because they think you’re a pedophile or something,’ while married women ‘can’t be friends with you because that would be inappropriate.’ This means that overall, ‘if you are an older single man in a family ward, you are likely pretty isolated’” (p. 79).
As Riess reports, “single people are more likely to leave Mormonism or become inactive than married people. Whereas two-thirds of married adult members report having attended church in the last month (64 percent), fewer than half of unmarried Mormons have attended (48 percent)” (p. 81). Meanwhile, “daily scripture reading is claimed by 42 percent of married Mormons but only 31 percent of singles, an eleven-point drop. . . . Married Mormons are sixteen points more likely to believe ‘wholeheartedly in all’ LDS teachings (54 percent, compared to single Mormons at 38 percent) and twenty points more likely to have seen General Conferences in the last six months.”
Could this dissatisfaction with those who are single stem from the fact that Mormon leaders highly stress marriage to their followers? With the temple not being fully accessible until a couple gets married, how many Latter-day Saint singles just “give up” and become less interested with their faith when a suitable partner never makes a grand appearance? We must also wonder if those singles who like being single no longer feel wanted and lose much of their self-esteem.
LDS Women vs. Men
It should not be a surprise that the poll revealed how women are stronger in their Mormon faith than the men. According to the NMS,
LDS women are a bit more likely than LDS men to pray and read their scriptures daily, watch General Conference, steer clear of R-rated movies, see sacrament meetings as “uplifting and interesting,” and hold a current temple recommend. Mormon women are also nine points more likely to strongly agree that being Mormon is an essential part of their core identity, and more likely to feel proud if a fellow Mormon were elected president of the United States. In multiple measures of belief and belonging, then, women appear to be more orthodox than men (pp. 92, 94).
When it came to questions about the authority of women in the church, the Boomer/Silent LDS generations disagree with the Gen Xers and Millennials. Responding to the question that asked, “The fact that women do not hold the priesthood sometimes bothers me,” only a quarter of the older generations (55 or older) strongly or somewhat agreed, while almost half (48%) of the Gex X and more than half (59%) of the Millennials agreed, which is more than double! Responding to the question “Women do not have enough say in the LDS Church,” fewer than a third of the older Mormons agreed but more than half (52% Gen X, 61% Millennial) agreed.
Racial Diversity in the Church
While the LDS Church presents itself as racially diverse, it remains a very white religion in the United States. According to the NMS, 87% of all Latter-day Saints are white, with only 4% who are black and 4% are Hispanic/Latino. However, there is more diversity in the Mormon Millennial generation; while 93% of the Mormon Boomer/Silent generations are white, only 81% of the Mormon Millennials are. However, even that number pales when all Millennials are considered, as four in ten nationwide are nonwhite. Riess explains,
It’s in politics where we see the greatest divergence. Nonwhite Mormons are significantly to the left of white Mormons. Sixth-eight percent voted for or supported Barack Obama in 2012, versus 31 percent of white Latter-day Saints; two-thirds also backed Hillary Clinton in 2016. Consistent with thee election patterns, a majority of nonwhite Mormons say they vote Democratic or lean toward the Democratic Party (58 percent) (p. 116).
When it comes to the pre-June 1978 ban on blacks holding the priesthood, about a third of all Latter-day Saints—regardless of their generation, sex, or skin color—think that this doctrine was not inspired of God or was God’s will for the church before 1978. Riess wrote:
Mormons’ faith in this particular LDS teaching was significantly lower than the credence they attached to every other testimony statement. . . The fact that only 37 percent of current Mormons said they knew it was true is downright lukewarm compared to their certainty on other testimony statements, like the number who know confidently that “God is real” (76 percent) or “Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and died to reconcile humanity to its sins” (74 percent). Compared to that, a far lower number of Mormons are certain that the priesthood/temple ban was inspired (p. 120. Ellipsis mine).
Perhaps one of the most fascinating findings was the breakdown between races. According to the NMS, more black Latter-day Saints are confident that the ban was God’s will compared to the views of whites! Riess explains,
There is a slight difference in certainty when we break the data out by race, but it’s more modest than I was expecting. Whereas 37 percent of white Mormons say they know the ban was God’s will, just under a third (32 percent) of nonwhite Mormons view it this way. When we add together those who know with confidence that the ban was God’s will with those who believe it was, more nonwhite Mormons than white ones actually support the ban: 70 percent of nonwhites, compared to 61 percent of whites. That also remains true when we consider only African American respondents in a group by themselves: 67 percent of African Americans know or believe that priesthood/temple ban was God’s will, which is six points higher than the rate for whites (p. 121).
Homosexuality and Sexuality
Since 2013, Latter-day Saints have become more accepting of homosexuality at an exponentially quick rate. Based on whether “homosexuality should be accepted by society,” Riess explains,
Overall, Mormons’ acceptance of homosexuality grew from 24 percent in 2007 to 36 percent in 2014 and 48 percent in the 2016 NMS. The view of homosexual marriage reached a tipping point between 2015 and 2016. In 2015, two-thirds of Mormons (66 percent) opposed same-sex marriage, and in 2016 barely half did (55 percent). This eleven-point erosion of opposition, and corresponding eleven-point spike in support (from 26 to 37 percent), occurred during the exact period in which the church’s official position against same-sex marriage was made abundantly clear through its November 2015 policy changes. Even as the church stiffened in its posture, the rank and file softened theirs, contributing to a growing disconnect between the leadership and the membership (p. 145).
The trend with Mormon believers is toward more acceptance of homosexual behavior and marriage. As Riess writes,
So while acceptance doesn’t command majority support, that support has doubled in less than a decade. This movement is driven in large part by Millennials, more than half of whom say homosexuality should be accepted. And among younger Millennials like Ellis (those in the eighteen to twenty-six age bracket), six in ten believe it should. By contrast, only 38 percent of the combined Boomer/Silent generation feels homosexuality should be accepted by society—a view that is reinforced by many statements from LDS Church leaders, who are themselves of the Silent Generation or even older (p. 131).
When it comes to sexuality, 95% of all Mormons (ages 18-88) consider themselves heterosexual, with 1% saying they are homosexual and 3% claiming bisexuality. If Millennial Mormons (ages 18-36) are the only group considered, 90% say they are heterosexual, 2% homosexual, and what seems to be a very high 7% who are bisexual. When former Millennial Mormons were polled, 83% are heterosexual, 5.5% are homosexual, and 9% are bisexual. Certainly these higher homosexual/bisexual responses may be primary reasons why these folks left the church. Riess writes that “it proved difficult to find LGBT Millennial Latter-day Saints who remain fully active in the church” (p. 138).
Perhaps most surprising is the current Mormons’ support of the church in its policy concerning the homosexual issue. A total of 71% agreed that members who are involved in same sex-marriages are apostates who should be automatically subjected to a disciplinary council. The number was consistent across the board, for all ages, including Millennials. In November 2015 the LDS Church decided to ban children of LGBTQ parents from being able to get baptized or blessed until they turned 18. This angered many vocal Latter-day Saints, with the church rescinding this policy in April 2019. It turns out that those Latter-day Saints who were angered are not the majority. In fact, 61% of all current Mormons strongly or at least somewhat agreed with the policy, with the average speeding over all the generations (p. 144). For Gex X, it was 62% and for Millennials it was 60%, both of which were consistent with the Boomer/Silent generations (63%).
There seems to be no doubt that the church made changes to that policy in 2019 in hopes of appeasing disgruntled members, but according to this survey, those most unhappy with the policy had already left the church. In fact, of those who remain members, there were a higher number who “strongly agreed” (37% males and 35% females) versus those who “strongly disagreed” (18% males and 28% females). The question is, will this change that was made in 2019 convince those former Mormons to return to the fold? It is highly doubtful.
Spirituality and Evangelism
Mormon Millennials are very spiritual, with 84% praying at least once a week and 70% reading the scriptures at least once a week, both of which were higher than Gen Xers. As far as their beliefs, the Mormon Millennials are surprisingly orthodox in many ways. Riess writes,
Millennials also have the highest rates of literal belief in the scriptures of any generation: 45 percent agree that “the scriptures are the word of God and are to be taken word for word,” almost a ten-point jump over the Boomer/Silent group. This is an interesting and somewhat surprising development, given the clear downward generational trend on this same question in research by Pew and Gallup. In those studies, the oldest respondents profess the most literal belief in the scriptures, and Millennials the least (p. 152).
Both Gen Xers and Millennials say they are evangelistic minded. In fact, 64% of the Mormon Millennials share their faith daily or once a week, compared to 56% of Gen Xers and only 45% of the Boomers/Silent generations. Riess says the high number for Mormon Millennials might be due to the fact that they served their missions in the last two decades. “So for them, sharing their faith may simply feel more natural because doing so all day, every day was a recent experience,” she writes on page 154. However, she did admit that the survey did not ask what it meant in “sharing your faith,” as she theorized that “it’s possible that social media comes into play here; Millennials might consider reposting an inspirational meme to count, for example” (p. 154).
What is very confusing is church attendance. Eight out of ten Millennial Mormons say they “attended religious services at least weekly,” yet only 47% reported that they attended Sunday Mormon church meetings in the last 30 days. Such a discrepancy doesn’t make any sense at all unless they are attending other churches.
The health code as described in the LDS scripture D&C 89 is not something adhered to by many Latter-day Saints, despite the fact that abstaining from tobacco, hot drinks, and alcohol is still demanded by ecclesiastical leaders. For instance, four out of ten temple recommend holders consumed at least one of the Word of Wisdom’s banned substances in the past six months. As Riess writes,
This is especially noteworthy because Mormons are required to report to a church leader that they are faithful keepers of the Word of Wisdom to qualify for a temple recommend. Some people may be less than truthful in the recommend interview, or they are interpreting the Word of Wisdom with a certain amount of flexibility (p. 159).
The stats for those who have partaken of banned substances seem to be very high:
Our survey data shows that about a third of current Mormons report consuming coffee (35 percent), while a quarter (25 percent) have drunk alcohol or nonherbal tea (25 percent). . . . 26 percent of LDS respondents reported that they have not wholly abstained from alcoholic beverages . . . nearly 17 percent of Mormon respondents in the NMS smoked or chewed tobacco, which is slightly higher than the GSS result of 13 percent among Mormons. About one in ten consumed marijuana (p. 159).
Here is a chart published on page 160 that shows the the “Word of Wisdom noncompliance among current Mormons” who partook in the past 6 months:
Generation Caffeinated Coffee Caffeinated tea Alcohol Decaf coffee Marijuana Tobacco
Boomers/Silent 24 24 14 8 4 9
Gen X 40 23 30 14.5 7 18
Millennial 39 27 28 17 16 23
Gex X and Millennials Mormons have the highest usage rates of banned substances, causing Riess to conclude that the younger Latter-day Saints “don’t tie Word of Wisdom observance with their Mormon identity as closely as older Mormons do” (p. 160). Meanwhile, “coffee alternatives such as decaffeinated (14 percent) or Postum (4 percent) have lower rates than regular coffee (35 percent).”
With this information, one could wonder what tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith would have thought at this epidemic of ignoring D&C 89. He once wrote,
SALVATION AND A CUP OF TEA. You cannot neglect little things. ‘Oh, a cup of tea is such a little thing. It is so little; surely it doesn’t amount to much; surely the Lord will forgive me if I drink a cup of tea. Yes, he will forgive you, because he is going to forgive every man who repents; but, my brethren, if you drink coffee or tea, or take tobacco, are you letting a cup of tea or a little tobacco stand in the road and bar you from the celestial kingdom of God, where you might otherwise have received a fulness of glory? (Doctrines of Salvation 2:16).
Over the past few decades especially, the LDS Church has battled popular culture. The ban of activities labeled inappropriate by the church appear to be more ignored by the younger generations. Consider those activities “deemed unacceptable” by the church but heavily participated in by Mormons in the last six months, including:
Generation Violent/graphic video games Profane/sexually explicit music R-rated movies TV with mature rating Soft porn Explicit porn
Boomers/Silent 6 6 28 37 7 5
Gen X 26 25 40 43.5 14 11
Millennial 35 37 42 40 19 18.5
While it is true that a majority of all Latter-day Saints do avoid these types of behaviors, the numbers for the younger generations show a higher propensity for ignoring the guidelines set by the church. Rationale for the higher numbers for Millennials compared to the Boomer and Silent generations is obvious. For example, most Boomers and Silent generations did not grow up with a culture saturated with violent/graphic videos or profane/sexually explicit music–unless “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles would count in that genre! But these things certainly have been prevalent in the 21st century, which is why seven times more Millennial Mormons are likely to have participated in those activities when contrasted to the Boomer/Silent generations.
In addition, pornography for those who are now over 50 years old (with fewer hormones today!) was usually limited to magazines with plastic wrap and kept in full eyesight of the liquor store owner. Or, if one’s parents had money, there may have been access on a risque cable television channel. Today, however, it is possible to find pornography on a home computer or cell phone, giving a person more privacy to indulge in their lusts than ever before. This has to be why Millennial Mormons were almost four times as likely to deal with this temptation than their elders and even 50% more likely than Gen X.
TEMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Meanwhile, when it comes to tattoos, close to a quarter of the Mormon Millennials say they have at least one tattoo. While more than a third of non-LDS Millennials have been inked, this is still “higher than the rate the LDS Church would presumably like to see, which is zero” (p. 162).
Generally, Mormons are more conservative in their political views than the rest of American society, as the majority of Latter-day Saints vote or lean Republican. However, the younger generations are more likely to be more liberal and Democratic. Riess writes, “Mormon Millennials are actually almost as likely to lean or vote Democratic (41 percent) as Republican (46 percent), whereas in Gen X the GOP carries the day by a nearly two-to-one margin (59 to 29% ) and the Boomer/Silent cohort trends even more decisively Republican (68 to 25 percent)” (p. 171).
When it comes to the Mormon views on issues facing Americans, Millennials disagree with their fellow Boomers/Silent/Gen X generations. For example, the combined category “poverty/hunger/homelessness” is the largest concern for Millennials, with 30% saying it is a crucial issue. It is only the sixth most important issue for the Boomer/Silent generations as well as the Gen Xers. Meanwhile, the older generations said the top problems are moral or religious decline (41% and 34%, respectively), whereas it was only the third issue on the table for Millennials at 27%.
Another major difference included healthcare as the second most important issue for the Boomer/Silent generations (31%), while it was only seventh for Millennials (22%) and eighth for Gen X (21%). Healthcare issues are more of a concern for the older respondents, which makes sense since these folks are in the last half of their lives and need affordable medical care to survive.
As far as changing moral and social views, Millennial Mormons are more likely to not think certain behaviors are immoral compared to the older generations. Perhaps their favorite go-to verse is Matthew 7:1, “judging not” whenever possible. This chart shows how many Mormons thought it was morally wrong to do the following things:
Generation Have an abortion Have an affair Have baby outside marriage Have more than one wife Have a sex change
Silent/Boomer 83% 95% 74% 76% 78%
Gen X 75 93 66 68 69
Millennial 65 79 58 63 62
Still, in another survey, “Mormon Millennials proved to be the least accepting of any generation.” Consider the numbers for those who think it is morally wrong to do the following things:
Generation In Vitro Fertilization Wear Fur Stem cell research Get a divorce Have a vasectomy Death penalty
Silent/Boomer 15% 17% 37% 26% 17% 27%
Gen X 25 27 41 41 29 38
Certainly the high Mormon Millennial responses to wearing fur and the death penalty could have been easily predicted, but the other high responses–including stem cell research, having a vasectomy, and getting a divorce–are surprising.
Sources of Authority
LDS leaders are very clear that what they say should be taken seriously. However, when individual Mormons were polled, the general authorities came in fifth on the list of authority. The top five were
Own conscience
Promptings from the Spirit
LDS General Authorities
It would seem that “one’s own conscience” and “promptings from the Spirit” are closely related, with both based on one’s feelings. Yet the Bible says that trusting in feelings should be avoided. Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Proverbs 28:26 says, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” And Proverbs 14:12 adds, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” For more on this, click here.
When it comes to the general authorities finishing in a distant fifth place, Jana Riess explains that “half of the respondents didn’t have LDS general authorities in their top five. As we might expect, highly orthodox Mormons were the most likely to do so, and doubters the least . . .” (p. 194).
Perhaps respondents may have thought, “I’ll accept the brethren whenever my personal conscience and the promptings from the Spirit to my soul agree,” moving themselves (and their opinions) into a higher position than the GAs–these men are apparently not in the position of power that they might think they are in! Even family members landed above both the Standard Works AND the general authorities! Riess agrees how shocking this is:
Given how essential the counsel of LDS general authorities is considered for Mormon life, I was expecting to see church leaders at the top of the list for Mormons in general, with some possible dilution of their importance in the lives of younger respondents. . . . Prophetic counsel is one of several sources they consult when making moral decisions, but it is hardly the only one. In fact, half of the respondents didn’t have LDS general authorities in their top five (p. 194).
When it comes to the General Authorities, the Boomer/Silent generations were much more likely to put LDS General Authorities higher (number 3, behind conscience and prompting of the Spirit), at 17% compared to less than 10 percent for the Millennials.
Regarding watching General Conference, fewer than half of the Millennials tune in to the biannual sessions (44%) compared to Gen X (51%), Boomers (65%), and Silent (78%), even though the wards pretty much shut down those two weekends a year so the congregations can participate. Why are most Millennial Mormons not tuning in while the majority of other ages groups are? Riess gives her analysis,
One possibility is that they don’t see themselves represented. When members of the Silent Generation watch, they are guaranteed to see and hear men from their own generation . . . Baby Boomers too can find kindred spirits of their own age in the members of the Quroum and a majority of the Seventies and auxiliary leaders, who also speak. This is not the case for GenXers and Millennials, who will be hard pressed to find any leaders from their generations (pp. 198-199).
Mormons who leave the church
Perhaps the most interesting part of the survey for me was the former Mormons’ religious beliefs. According to page 215, 42% of those who leave the church still believe in God with no doubts. This seems to be a very encouraging number, especially with the number of former members we meet who no longer believe in God or, at the least, say they are agnostic. Meanwhile, 20% believe in God but sometimes doubt, 18% believe in a higher power, 8% are agnostic, 6% are atheist, and 6% believe sometimes. (How does that work? Things are going well and you believe in God, then things go south and then you deny God’s existence?)
In reality, it has seemed that a higher number of former Mormons have headed to atheistic/agnostic ways. Could that impression come mainly because those types of dissatisfied people are more adamant in stating their opinion? To see that close to half of former Mormons believe in God with no doubts is very encouraging to those of us who want to see Latter-day Saints not only leave their church but also come to a personal relationship with Christ. In effect, we don’t want disgruntled and disaffected Latter-day Saints throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.
While many former members still believe in biblical teachings such as Jesus Christ was literally resurrected (53%), Jesus is the Savior of the world (58%) and God is real (63%), most of them denied essential Mormon teachings. A third did still hold to God being comprised of flesh and bone, but less than a quarter believed other important teachings. Consider the following that is found on page 217:
Doctrine Confident this is true Have faith this is true
God is an exalted person of flesh and bone 16% 17%
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God 8 15
The Book of Mormon is literal 7 13.5
LDS Church only true church 6 10
Temple ordinances unite families for eternity 6 10
Priesthood for men, not women 8 13.5
Again, more than half of all Latter-day Saints seemed to want to include the reality of God and Jesus while rejecting unique essential LDS teachings that have no basis in biblical fact. Perhaps some of this skepticism in LDS teaching should be credited to the Gospel Topics Essays, a series of 13 articles that has been eye-opening to many once-serious Latter-day Saints. Once they began to doubt some of the essentials of the faith, as listed in the chart above, it appears that their doctrinal world crashes down.
Fewer than half of former Mormons have not become involved with another religious tradition since they left their faith. A total of 21% consider themselves “just Christian,” while 10% moved to Evangelical Protestant and 7% Mainline Protestant. Those who have chosen nothing in particular is 27%, with only 18% choosing Agnostic and Atheist.
A list of reasons why Mormons leave the church is given on page 224. Respondents were allowed to provide more than one response. The results were fascinating:
“I could no longer reconcile my personal values and priorities with those of the Church” (38%)
“I stopped believing there was one true church (36.5%)
“I did not trust the Church leadership to tell the truth surrounding controversial or historical issues” (31%)
“I felt judged or misunderstood” (30%)
“I drifted away from Mormonism” (26%)
“I engaged in behaviors that the Church views as sinful” (25%)
“The Church’s positions on LGBT issues” (23%)
“The Church’s emphasis on conformity and obedience” (21%)
“Lack of historical evidence for the Book of Mormon and/or Book of Abraham” (21%)
“The role of women in the Church” (18%)
Based on my personal experience, the two reasons current Mormons often assume for why most people leave the LDS Church is they couldn’t keep the commandments (#6 above) or #11 (“I was hurt by a negative experience at church,” 17%). Neither made the top 5. In his day eleventh President Harold B. Lee as he explained:
PEOPLE APOSTATIZE DUE TO IGNORANCE OR SIN. In nine cases out of ten—I’d say in every case—those who apostatize from this church do it from one of two reasons, either because of their ignorance of the doctrine or because of their sinfulness and falling away from the truth (Remarks made in Paris, France, March 29, 1960. Cited in The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 390).
I’d take exception to the idea, even in his day, that Mormons left the church due to ignorance. Instead, it is knowledge and understanding that causes dissatisfaction and divorce from the church.
Meanwhile, other doctrinal or historical issues included:
Issues with the First Vision
Teachings on the possibility to become gods
Blacks and the priesthood
Seer stones
DNA evidence that Native Americans do not have Middle Eastern ancestry.
Let me return to #2 (“I stopped believing there was one true church”). It appears that many Latter-day Saints are not entirely convinced that there was ever a need for a restoration for biblical Christianity, although the leaders certainly thought there needed to be one due to the corruption of biblical Christianity soon after the death of the apostles. Consider that LDS Seventy and church historian B.H. Roberts explained,
Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (History of the Church 1:XL).
This is because there was no authority after the Great Apostasy, as Joseph Smith himself was supposedly told by God the Father in the First Vision. Thirteenth President Ezra Taft Benson taught,
God the Son told Joseph Smith not to join any of the churches. Joseph was to learn that the Lord’s true church was not on the earth; that living prophets of God, who were the foundation of the church, had not walked the earth for centuries; and that with their deaths, the rock of revelation on which the church was built ceased; and so there was no new scripture” (“Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Ensign (Conference Edition), January 1973, p. 58).
Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith may have assumed too much when he explained,
Every Latter-day Saint knows that following the death of the apostles, Paul’s prophecy was fulfilled, for there were many “grievous wolves” that entered the flock, and men arose “speaking perverse things,’ so that the doctrines were changed and the true Church of Jesus Christ ceased to be on the earth. For this reason there had to come a restoration of the Church and a new revelation and bestowal of divine authority. The Church of Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures are, therefore, not responsible for the changed doctrines and unscientific teachings of those times, when uninspired ecclesiastics controlled the thinking of the people (Joseph
Fielding Smith, Man, His Origin and Destiny, p. 467).
Meanwhile, the third most popular answer was that the former Mormon “did not trust the Church leadership to tell the truth surrounding controversial or historical issues.” Earlier I referenced the Gospel Topics essays. I wonder if ex-Mormons are using this reason more often in recent years because they realize how their leaders had been lying to them about issues such as Joseph Smith’s polygamy, the Book of Mormon’s seer stones, and the Book of Abraham’s illegitimacy, among other topics.
This is an important book, as I think the information will be helpful to Christians’ evangelistic efforts. The survey clearly shows that the Gen X and Millennial generations are much different in a number of ways when compared to the older generations. It will be interesting to watch how the perspectives of the Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z generations affect future decisions of the LDS Church leaders as they try to not allow thorny societal and doctrinal issues alienate many of their core believers.
It is obvious that this church is hemorrhaging, with many members continuing to exit out the back door while having the lowest rates of conversion percentages in modern history. Church leaders in the past have appeared to be reactionary. For instance, it seems apparent that reversing that 2015 restriction to baptism/blessings for children of homosexual parents in 2019 (listen to Viewpoint on Mormonism’s “Reversing a Revelation” Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 that aired April 15-17, 2019) was based on the many complaints the leaders received rather than revelation from God. (Otherwise, how could God have changed His mind so quickly!) Also, policy changes such as turning the three-hour Sunday service to just two hours while allowing young missionaries to call home weekly are nothing more than feeble attempts to appease a fickle membership, especially the younger members of the church. Is this the way the New Testament apostles ran the early church? I hardly think so.
I predict that this pragmatic approach, apparently preferred by the leadership, cannot be successful in the long run. If this church is supposed to be a restoration of original Christianity–as LDS scriputre and countless leaders have taught–then it seems doubtful that God would care about society’s changing ways or the opinions of His followers. If nothing else, this book ought to cause current members to wonder who is running the program, God or the men who claim to be His leaders.
Do Nicknames for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Offend God?
Book Review: The Not Even Once Club
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Obituary for Tony Thiel, former Battle Lake football coach
Posted: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - 7:20 PM
Anthony (Tony/Jack) Thiel of Battle Lake, MN, passed away on November 30, 2020, at the Good Samaritan Society of Battle Lake due to complications caused by the corona virus.
Anthony John Thiel was born on November 9, 1932, in Graceville, Minnesota, the son of Anton & Irene (Meyers) Thiel. He was baptized and confirmed in St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Beardsley, MN. Tony graduated from Beardsley High School in 1950. He entered the U.S. Army serving four years during the Korean War. After his discharge from the military, he attended Moorhead State University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in education.
Tony & Janice Mikkelsen were married on February 8, 1958, in Moorhead, MN. After their marriage they lived in Argyle, MN, for five years. They then moved to Battle Lake, MN, in 1966. Tony taught mathematics, physical education, driver’s training, and coached numerous sports over the years until he retired. His passion was football, and he received many accolades including four Hall of Fame titles: Minnesota Football Coaches Association, Minnesota State Coaches Association, Moorhead State College, and Battle Lake Public School.
Tony retired in 1994 and continued to live along the shores of West Battle Lake. He enjoyed sports, working around the yard, and his family. He especially loved & enjoyed time with his grandchildren and spoiled them immensely. Tony was a member of the American Legion, VFW, Minnesota State Coaches Association, and Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.
Tony is survived by his wife of 62+ years, Janice. His four children: Shari (Tom) Prigge of Battle Lake, Judy (Lee) Backhaus of Alexandria, Tony (Darla) Thiel of Wheaton, and Edie Thiel of Fargo. Grandchildren: Trenton (Genna) Prigge of Duluth, Bria (Korey) Pedraza of Alexandria, Tyler Thiel of Wheation, Beau (Alexis) Backhaus of Alexandria, and Carter (special friend, Kaitlin Rinke) Thiel of Duluth. Great-grandchildren: Gabriella & Beckett Pedraza, and Brecken Backhaus. Numerous nieces & nephews.
Preceded in death by his parents; one brother, William; two sisters, Nancy VanBergen and Marge Boyle.
In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to Battle Lake 542 Education Foundation (542foundation.com) or DAV (Disabled American Veterans).
There will be a Private Graveside Service at Elmwood Cemetery by Sabin, Minnesota and a Public Celebration of Tony’s Life at a later date.
Funeral Home: Glende-Nilson of Battle Lake.
Condolences:GlendeNilson.Com
Board of Directors approves plans for return to winter activities
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27th Nov2020
‘The Christmas Chronicles 2’ Review (Netflix)
by Alain Elliott
Stars: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Darby Camp, Julian Dennison, Jahzir Bruno, Darlene Love, Tyrese Gibson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Sunny Suljic | Written by Matt Lieberman, Chris Columbus | Directed by Chris Columbus The first Christmas Chronicles movie released two years ago was a Netflix Original hit. A fantastic family Christmas movie that made you wonder why […]
Category : Movies, Reviews
Tags : Chris Columbus, Darby Camp, Darlene Love, Goldie Hawn, Jahzir Bruno, Julian Dennison, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Kurt Russell, Netflix, Netflix Original, Sunny Suljic, The Christmas Chronicles 2, Tyrese Gibson
Xmas Review Round-Up: Christmas Chronicles / The Grinch
by Jak-Luke Sharp
The Christmas Chronicles Stars: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, Oliver Hudson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Debra Wilson, Kari Wahlgren, Andrew Morgado, Debi Derryberry, Michael Yurchak, Jessica Lowe | Written by Matt Lieberman | Directed by Clay Kaytis The story of sister and brother, Kate and Teddy Pierce, whose Christmas Eve plan to catch Santa Claus on […]
Tags : Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Clay Kaytis, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, Kurt Russell, Rashida Jones, Review, Review Round-Up, Scott Mosier, The Christmas Chronicles, The Grinch, Yarrow Cheney
23rd Nov2018
‘Escape From New York: Collectors Edition’ Blu-ray Review
by Rupert Harvey
Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Atkins | Written by John Carpenter, Nick Castle | Directed by John Carpenter In the early 1980s, New York was grindhouse heaven: a hell of neon iniquity, with every alleyway harbouring some new nameless vice. Horror had a field day: […]
Tags : Adrienne Barbeau, Blu-ray, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Escape From New York, Escape From New York: Collectors Edition, Isaac Hayes, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Review, Tom Atkins
15th Aug2018
Pop Addled: Episode 143 – Top 5 Kurt Russell Roles
Another week, another episode of the Pop Addled podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly! Pop Addled is a pop culture podcast with nerd tendencies. Join Keenan, Sam and Timmy as they discuss movies, music, video games, sports, TV, comics, and any intersection thereof. Their brains have been thoroughly addled by pop […]
Category : Contributors, Podcasts
Tags : Kurt Russell, Podcast, Pop Addled, Top 5
22nd Mar2017
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ gets a cool IMAX poster!
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and […]
Tags : Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Chris Sullivan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Laura Haddock, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana
15th Mar2017
“It’s Showtime!” for new ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ TV spot
01st Mar2017
New poster for ‘The Fate of the Furious’ aka Fast & Furious 8
Directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), Universal are set to release The Fate of the Furious aka Fast & Furious 8 in the US on April 14th 2017. Starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Eva Mendes, Elsa Pataky, Lucas Black, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Kristofer Hivju, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren […]
Tags : Charlize Theron, Dwayne Johnson, Elsa Pataky, Eva Mendes, Fast & Furious 8, Fast and Furious 8, Fate of the Furious, Helen Mirren, Kristofer Hivju, Kurt Russell, Lucas Black, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Poster, Scott Eastwood, Trailer, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel
12th Feb2017
New TV spot for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’
Tags : Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Chris Sullivan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Laura Haddock, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Poster, Sean Gunn, Teaser, Tommy Flanagan, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’ – Superbowl trailer & new poster
First trailer and poster(s) for ‘Fast & Furious 8’
Directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), Universal are set to release Fast & Furious 8, also known as Fate of the Furious in the US on April 14th 2017. FYI, the US title makes more sense once you’ve watched the trailer, embedded below with the two posters for the film. Now that Dom and […]
19th Oct2016
First poster & sneak peek at ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’
Tags : Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Chris Sullivan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Laura Haddock, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Poster, Sean Gunn, Teaser, Tommy Flanagan, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana
First image from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ – and cast reveal!
Marvel Studios have announced begun principal photography on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is slated to hit UK cinemas on April 28th 2017. Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. […]
Tags : Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Chris Sullivan, Dave Bautista, Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana
‘Bone Tomahawk’ Review
by Stuart Wright
Stars: Matthew Fox, Kurt Russell, Richard Jenkins, Patrick Wilson, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Evan Jonigkeit, Fred Melamed, Sid Haig, Maestro Harrell, James Tolkan, Kathryn Morris | Written and Directed by S. Craig Zahler Shot in just 21 days Bone Tomahawk is a slow burning western/horror hybrid. It stars Lost’s Matthew Fox, Hateful Eight’s man of the […]
Tags : Bone Tomahawk, David Arquette, Evan Jonigkeit, Fred Melamed, James Tolkan, Kathryn Morris, Kurt Russell, Lili Simmons, Maestro Harrell, Matthew Fox, Patrick Wilson, Review, Richard Jenkins, S. Craig Zahler, Sid Haig
‘The Hateful Eight’ Review
by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen, James Parks, Lee Horsley, Zoe Bell, Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern | Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino “You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang.” The Hateful Eight is, as its title suggests, a sort of inverted Magnificent Seven, its […]
Tags : Bruce Dern, Demian Bichir, James Parks, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Lee Horsley, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, Review, Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight, Walton Goggins, Zoe Bell
‘Fast and Furious 7’ Review
by Jack Kirby
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Lucas Black, Nathalie Emmanuel, Gal Gadot | Written by Chris Morgan | Directed by James Wan Not many film series make it to seven parts. Heck, even Star Wars, which is like the most popular thing ever, […]
Tags : Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dwayne Johnson, Fast and Furious 7, Gal Gadot, James Wan, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Lucas Black, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel
‘Fast & Furious 7’ – Teaser Poster
In anticipation of the teaser trailer debuting on November 1st, Universal have reelased the first (teaser) poster for Fast & Furious 7, which continues the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed. James Wan directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that sees Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, […]
Tags : Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Djimon Hounsou, Dwayne Johnson, Elsa Pataky, Fast & Furious 7, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Lucas Black, Michelle Rodriguez, Paul Walker, Ronda Rousey, Tony Jaa, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel
‘The Art of the Steal’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katheryn Winnick, Kenneth Welsh, Jason Jones, Terence Stamp | Written and Directed by Jonathan Sobol [One of my favourite films of the year, so far, is heist movie The Art of the Steal; with the film set for release tomorrow, here’s a reposting of my review from […]
Tags : Chris Diamantopoulos, Jason Jones, Jay Baruchel, Jonathan Sobol, Katheryn Winnick, Kenneth Welsh, Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Review, Terence Stamp, The Art of the Steal
19th Jun2014
‘The Art of the Steal’ Review
Stars: Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Chris Diamantopoulos, Katheryn Winnick, Kenneth Welsh, Jason Jones, Terence Stamp | Written and Directed by Jonathan Sobol I love a good heist (or caper) movie, of course as do many others out there, just look at the success of the “Oceans” franchise and the recent Now You See Me […]
‘Big Trouble in Little China’ Review (Arrow Video)
by Paul Metcalf
Stars: Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, Kim Cattrall, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton, Donald Li, Carter Wong, James Pax | Written by Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein | Directed by John Carpenter When you have favourite movies it always comes as a surprise when you hear that they bombed on original release, even more of a surprise […]
Tags : Arrow Video, Big Trouble in Little China, Blu-ray, Carter Wong, Dennis Dun, Donald Li, James Hong, James Pax, John Carpenter, Kate Burton, Kim Cattrall, Kurt Russell, Review, Victor Wong
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Could U.S. be next to lose measles-free status?
by: Jessi Turnure
Posted: Aug 29, 2019 / 05:52 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 29, 2019 / 07:40 PM EDT
WASHINGTON DC (NEXSTAR) – The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Thursday four European countries have lost their measles-free status.
The U.S. could be next.
“It isn’t as if we don’t have the tools to completely eliminate measles, we do. We’re not utilizing them, and the reason of that varies from region to region and country to country,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “It’s very frustrating for me, as a public health official and a scientist, and for my colleagues who over the years have worked to control this terrible disease.”
More and more Americans are refusing to vaccinate their children for religious, philosophical, even political reasons, leading to measles outbreaks across the country. The first began last September.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 1,200 measles cases so far this year, which is three times more than all of 2018 and the highest number of cases since the WHO declared the U.S. had eliminated the measles nearly 20 years ago.
With many kids heading back to school after Labor Day, infectious disease experts, like Fauci, worry the cases will continue to increase after a somewhat steady summer.
“You’re going to have children come back and congregate in classrooms, so I’m concerned we’re going to see a blip right back up,” said Fauci. “I never imagined that I would be sitting here at this time talking to anybody about the fact that the United States is very close to losing their measles-free status. I think if we continue to have continuous cases over the next several weeks to a month, we might actually lose it.”
That’s why members of Congress are calling on parents to vaccinate their children during this back-to-school time.
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, said in a statement, “After five decades of vaccination implementation and nearly two decades of eradication, misguided anti-vax trends threaten to reverse this progress and put our young ones in danger.”
“To all Tennessee parents – as your children head back to school, please speak with your child’s doctor about implementing a safe and health-conscious vaccination schedule,” Blackburn continued.
Fauci argues not vaccinating students also puts other vulnerable groups at risk, like infants and cancer patients.
“It’s our societal responsibility to protect those people,” he said. “When a parent says, ‘I don’t want my child to be vaccinated, I have no responsibility to anybody, my child will be fine,’ they’re wrong on two accounts. Their child is vulnerable if the child doesn’t get vaccinated, and they’re relinquishing their responsibility to society.”
For more information on the measles, click here.
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Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead’s poetic lyricist, dead at 78
FILE – This June 18, 2015 file photo shows Robert Hunter at the 46th Annual Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction and Awards Gala in New York. Hunter, the man behind the poetic and mystical words for many of the Grateful Dead’s finest songs, died Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, at his Northern California home, according to Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. He was 78. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Hunter, the man behind the poetic and mystical words for many of the Grateful Dead’s finest songs, has died at age 78.
Hunter died Monday at his Northern California home with his wife, Maureen, at his side, former Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The family did not release a cause of death.
“We loved Bob Hunter and will miss him unimaginably,” Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart said, adding the lyricist was “a visionary wordsmith extraordinaire.”
Although proficient on a number of instruments including guitar, violin, cello and trumpet, Hunter never appeared on stage with the Grateful Dead during the group’s 30-year run that ended with the 1995 death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, his principal songwriting partner.
When he did attend the group’s concerts, he was content to either stand to the side of the stage or, better yet, sit anonymously in the audience. It was in the latter location, he told The Associated Press in 2006, that he received his greatest songwriting compliment, from a man who had no idea who he was.
“He turned to me during ‘Cumberland Blues’ and said, ‘I wonder what the guy who wrote that song a hundred years ago would think if he knew the Grateful Dead was doing it,’” he recalled, referencing the colorful tale of hardscrabble American miners.
Other of Hunter’s most memorable Grateful Dead songs include “It Must Have Been the Roses,” ″Terrapin Station,” ″The Days Between,” ″Brown Eyed Women,” ″Jack Straw, “Friend of the Devil,” ″Box of Rain,” ″Uncle John’s Band” and “Black Muddy River.”
Although the man who spoke to him during “Cumberland Blues” couldn’t know it, he had perfectly captured Hunter’s songwriting brilliance contained in all of those songs: the ability to craft lyrics that sounded so timeless that listeners were certain they had heard them before. It was a skill he matched seamlessly with a boundless knowledge of subjects running the gamut from classic literature to street life, which in turn allowed him to write authoritatively about everyone from card sharks and hustlers to poor dirt farmers and free-spirited lovers.
All of those stories he seasoned with a poetic skill some would say rivaled even that of Bob Dylan, with whom he sometimes collaborated.
“He’s got a way with words and I do too,” Dylan told Rolling Stone magazine in 2009. “We both write a different type of song than what passes today for songwriting.”
“There was nobody like Bob Hunter and there never will be,” Hart said Tuesday. “He explained the unexplainable and the words struck deep.”
“Truckin’,” arguably Hunter and the group’s best known song (and the one containing the memorable line, “What a long, strange trip it’s been”) was designated a national treasure in 1997 by the Library of Congress.
In more than a dozen verses it chronicled the travails of a touring band, among them the Grateful Dead’s 1970 drug bust after a show in New Orleans: “Busted, down on Bourbon Street. Set up, like a bowlin’ pin. Knocked down. It gets to wearin’ thin.”
Another song, “Ripple,” which was set to a maddening beautiful melody that Garcia composed on guitar, contains the lines Hunter once said he was most proud of: “Reach out your hand, if your cup be empty. If your cup is full, may it be again. Let it be known there is a fountain. That was not made by the hands of men.”
Once asked by The Associated Press who his influences were, he laughed and replied that, “just to throw people off,” he would often cite both the great 19th century theatrical songwriting team of Gilbert and Sullivan and the American folk music balladeer Woody Guthrie.
After a moment’s reflection, he added more seriously, “Actually, that’s pretty close to the truth.”
Other influencers included novelists James Joyce, John Steinbeck and Hans Christian Andersen, musician Josh White and the traditional European ballads published by American folklorist Francis James Child.
Born Robert Burns on June 23, 1941, Hunter was 7 when his father abandoned him and his mother, resulting in his spending several years in foster homes. It was an experience he said scarred him emotionally and left him feeling forever the outsider.
When he was 11, his mother married McGraw-Hill publishing executive Norman Hunter, who gave the boy a new last name and an appreciation for such peerless writers as William Saroyan and T.S. Elliot.
Hunter toyed with becoming a novelist himself but music called and by his senior year of high school he was playing trumpet in a fusion Dixieland-rock band. He attended the University of Connecticut for one year where he studied drama, became a Pete Seeger fan and turned his interest to folk music.
He met Garcia in 1960 at a production of the musical “Damn Yankees,” introduced by a former girlfriend who by then was Garcia’s first wife. The pair quickly formed a folk music duo called Bob and Jerry.
Both homeless for a time, they lived out of their cars, parking them side-by-side in a Palo Alto, California, vacant lot. They survived those days, both would say later, by eating tins of pineapple Hunter had pilfered from a military installation during his brief time in the National Guard.
Hunter had moved to New Mexico by the time Garcia, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan had formed the Grateful Dead. Hart would join soon after.
When Garcia asked him to send some lyrics along that could be set to music Hunter quickly responded with future Grateful Dead classics “China Cat Sunflower” and “St. Stephen.” Garcia then asked him to return to the San Francisco Bay Area and write for the band.
Eventually Hunter would write for all of the group’s members, and when the Grateful Dead was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 he was included as the lyricist.
He and Garcia were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
Over the years Hunter also released nearly a dozen albums of his own, published several volumes of poetry and co-wrote songs with Dylan. He also published two books translating the works of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
“Bob was an intellectual and I can’t tell you that there are a lot of intellectuals in the rock and roll business. But Bob was an intellectual,” longtime friend Barry “The Fish” Melton of Country Joe and the Fish said by phone from Paris Tuesday.
Hunter’s survivors include his wife and daughter Kate.
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Gerald Herbert And Rebecca Santana
Published: June 12, 2020, 1:21 pm Updated: June 12, 2020, 5:18 pm
Tags: Jimmy Carter
'Denied the truth' says son of black man who died in custody
This 2014 photo provided by Kimberly McGlothlen shows her now deceased husband Tommie McGlothen Jr. The family of McGlothen, who died in police custody in Louisiana after a videotaped altercation that appears to show officers hitting and tasing him, demanded answers Wednesday, June 10, 2020, calling on the officers to be held accountable. (Kimberly McGlothlen via AP)
SHREVEPORT, La. – The son of a black man who died in police custody in Louisiana after a videotaped altercation that appears to show officers hitting and tasing him two months ago said he feels the family has been denied the truth about what happened.
Tommie McGlothen III spoke to The Associated Press days after local station KSLA broadcast the video and a local coroner revealed details about the April 6 death of Tommie McGlothen Jr.
Officers used Tasers, mace and night sticks to control him, and he suffered multiple injuries from police and an earlier altercation, the coroner said, noting that he spent nearly an hour handcuffed inside a police car before anyone noticed he was unresponsive.
“I honestly believe we were denied the truth," said McGlothen. “At the end of the day, it was murder.”
Coroner Todd Thoma described his office's findings in a statement on Tuesday, but didn't release the official autopsy report. He said “excited delirium” and underlying heart disease caused his death, not the injuries, none of which could be considered life-threatening.
He also described his death as possibly preventable, criticizing the fact that he didn't get immediate medical attention. But he concluded McGlothen died of “natural causes,” which could complicate legal challenges.
The Associated Press has asked police for comment and public records in the case, with no response.
The video published Monday lasts 4 1/2 minutes, recorded on the cellphone of a bystander who witnessed it from a distance, the station reported. Officers can be seen wrestling with a man on the ground, one of them punching him repeatedly and another appearing to hit him with a baton.
A voice repeatedly says the officers were using a Taser as the man kicked at them. At one point, they raise him to his feet with his hands apparently handcuffed behind him, and he immediately falls or is pushed backward to the ground. Then they get him up and walking, pushing him against a police vehicle, where his head hits the hood.
Thoma said McGlothen was left on the back seat for 48 minutes after his struggle with officers before it was discovered that he wasn't breathing. He was declared dead at the hospital the next day, the coroner said.
McGlothen questions how his father — the man who took him fishing and camping and who he constantly relied on for advice — could have died in such a way. He said authorities told the family there had been an altercation with a homeowner but that they weren't told he'd been hit by police or that they used Tasers on him.
He questioned how officers could have left him unattended for so long.
“Someone could have stepped up and said, ‘Hey, he needs medical attention.’ It shouldn’t take 48 to 50 minutes to, to realize that he needs the attention that he needed,” he said.
The police have said little publicly about what happened April 5. In a press release Monday, Police Chief Ben Raymond said the police have conducted a thorough investigation, and it's now in the district attorney's hands. He said the four officers have been placed on leave. The district attorney's office declined to comment on the case.
A lawyer for the family, James Carter, said McGlothen suffered from schizophrenia and depression. According to the coroner, McGlothen was “agitated and combative and had fought with a homeowner.” The coroner said police arrived after McGlothen blocked a driveway and followed the homeowner inside his house, and that there'd been an incident earlier in the day where he'd tried to get into someone's car.
Police reported he'd also been mumbling and showing signs of “paranoia and emotional disturbance,” the coroner said. It should have been obvious he needed medical care, said Thoma. His death might possibly have been prevented, the coroner said.
In an interview Friday, Thoma said that delay in getting McGlothen medical attention was a key area of concern. He said the hospital was able to resuscitate him, and he stayed alive for a few hours but eventually died. He said there's no guarantee McGlothen would have survived had he gotten to the hospital immediately but his chances would have been much better with immediate medical attention.
“My question is, why was that not done immediately? Why was he placed in the back of a vehicle? And then that delay happened before he got medical care? I felt like he should have gotten it earlier,” he said.
For McGlothen's son, it's clear what needs to happen to the officers.
“They need to be fired for the murder of my father. And they should be prosecuted, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said McGlothen. “He was a great man. And I just want the world to know that he did not deserve it.”
In a news release in which he quoted from the American Medical Association, Thoma describes excited delirium as the sudden death of individuals “who are combative and in a highly agitated state” and who have exhibited “agitation, excitability, paranoia, aggression and apparent immunity to pain, often associated with stimulant use and certain psychiatric disorders.”
But that determination has been met with skepticism from the McGlothen family. Carter, their lawyer, has called the concept of excited delirium “junk science” that is often used to justify deaths in police custody.
The coroner disputed that, saying it's a widely accepted diagnosis.
Santana reported from New Orleans. Follow Santana on Twitter @ruskygal.
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Climate myths: The lower atmosphere is cooling, not warming
Earth 16 May 2007
By Phil Mckenna
See all climate myths in our special feature.
Increasing levels of greenhouse gases should warm the Earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere, and cool the upper layer. So is this happening as the theory and models predict?
Satellites and weather balloon measurements show that the stratosphere, the layer from 10 to 50 kilometres above the Earth, is indeed cooling (although this is partly due to the depletion of the ozone layer).
In 1992, however, an analysis of satellite data by John Christy at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, US, concluded that the lower part of the troposphere – the first 10 kilometres of atmosphere – had cooled relative to the surface since 1979, when the first satellites capable monitoring temperature measurements were launched. This trend seemed to continue into the late 1990s and also seemed to be supported by balloon measurements.
This was not quite the “nail in the coffin” for global warming that some sceptics claimed. If the satellite data was correct, it meant there was something wrong with the existing models of climate change. But it made little sense for the lower atmosphere to be cooling even as the surface warmed, suggesting the problem lay with the data. The jury was out until the issue could be resolved one way or another.
Slowing satellites
The answer came in a series of studies published in 2005 (see Sceptics forced into climate climbdown).
One study in Science revealed errors in the way satellite data had been collected and interpreted. For instance, the orbit of satellites gradually slows, which has to be taken into account because it affects the time of day at which temperature recording are taken. This problem was always recognised, but the corrections were given the wrong sign (negative instead positive and vice versa).
A second study, also in Science, looked at the weather balloon data. Measurements of the air temperature during the day can be skewed if the instruments are heated by sunlight. Over the years the makers of weather balloons had come up with better methods of preventing or correcting for this effect, but because no one had taken these improvements into account, the more accurate measurements appeared to show daytime temperatures getting cooler.
The corrected temperature records show that tropospheric temperatures are indeed rising at roughly the same rate as surface temperatures. Or, as a 2006 report by the US Climate Change Science Program (pdf) puts it: “For recent decades, all current atmospheric data sets now show global-average warming that is similar to the surface warming.” This one appears settled.
There is still some ambiguity in the tropics, where most measurements show the surface warming faster than the upper troposphere, whereas the models predict faster warming of the atmosphere. However, this is a minor discrepancy compared with cooling of the entire troposphere and could just be due to the errors of margin inherent in both the observations and the models.
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Home Search Centre Point - London WC1
Centre Point - London WC1
One of London's most iconic buildings, this 32 storey serviced office building is in the heart of the West End. The Capital's first landmark serviced office tower, This building has been transformed by a continuous programme of investment and redevelopment into a potent symbol of modern London's business capability. The new refurbished building near Tottenham Court Road Station builds on its undoubted strengths - the views, the location, the recognition factor, the size and flexibility of its floorplate and the quality of its interior finishes - with a rich mix of uses that will make it a destination in its own right.
Charing Cross Road - WC2H
Soho Sqaure
Oxford Street - W1D
London, Soho Square
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Householder Remains on Ballot Despite Federal Charges
Despite facing federal charges of engineering a $61 million racketeering and bribery scheme to bail out Ohio’s two nuclear-power plants, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) did not end his re-election bid for House District 72 before a key deadline earlier this week, preserving his place on the November ballot.
Gongwer News Service reports that with Householder “seemingly intent on running,” local GOP officials were unable to select a new candidate. The former speaker has informed his colleagues he has no intention of resigning. If convicted, he would be forced to leave office, although that is unlikely to occur before Election Day.
“Multiple write-in candidates have thrown their names into contention,” Gongwer reported. 8/12/2020
The U.S., China, and the Contest for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Chinese Communist Party believes the world has entered a period of “great changes unseen in a century,” including a “shift in the balance of power between the U.S. and China” at the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
That assessment came from the Brookings Institute, a centrist think tank, delivered to members of the U.S. Senate during a recent hearing. Here are the Institute’s recommendations to build resiliency and competitiveness against the China challenge — from auditing the supply chain, to mandating a national strategy, to facilitating high-skilled immigration. 8/11/2020
Industry 4.0: Could it Solve Your Problems or Cause More?
Industry 4.0 — also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution — continues to gain momentum. Many small and medium-sized organizations wonder how it can enhance their processes, but haven’t developed a comprehensive strategy to succeed.
OMA Connections Partner CliftonLarsonAllen has published this insight, urging businesses to look at their short- and long-term plans to help inform where Industry 4.0 fits into their overall strategy and vision. 8/13/2020
USMCA Certification and Implementation Workshop
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 9 a.m. (ET), the Ohio-Pennsylvania Stateline Export Initiative will host a two-hour online workshop, providing hands-on training for implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Topics covered will include certification, record-keeping, and supplier relations. Learn more here. 8/13/2020
Cyber Agency Warns of SBA Impersonator
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says it’s tracking an unknown cyber actor sending phishing emails and pretending to be the Small Business Administration’s coronavirus relief loan website. “These emails include a malicious link to the spoofed SBA website that the cyber actor is using for malicious redirects and credential stealing,” the agency said.
The phishing emails consist of the subject line “SBA Application – Review and Proceed,” with [email protected] as the sender. To prevent this scam from impacting businesses, CISA recommends that business system owners and administrators take multiple steps to increase cybersecurity, including enforcing a strong password policy, using up-to-date antivirus software, and scanning for suspicious email attachments. 8/13/2020
Report: Nearly 4 Billion Now Using Social Media
According to a new report by DataPortal.com, more than half of all the people on Earth (3.96 billion) use social media. Facebook remains the world’s most widely used social media platform, but there are now six social media platforms that claim more than one billion monthly active users each. Four of those six platforms are owned by Facebook. 8/13/2020
Second Test Determines Gov. DeWine Does Not Have COVID-19
Late Thursday evening, Aug. 6, it was reported that Gov. Mike DeWine does not have COVID-19 after he was given a second, more sensitive test at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Earlier in the day, the governor had tested positive as part of the testing protocol required to greet President Donald Trump, who was in Ohio to tour Whirlpool Corp.’s plant in Clyde. The earlier test was an antigen test — new technology that delivers quick results, but is viewed as less accurate.
The governor said he has confidence in the results of the second test — called a PCR test — which looks for the genetic material specific to the virus that causes COVID-19. The governor and first lady will take additional PCR tests on Saturday, Aug. 8, and the results will be made public.
The governor said he would work with the manufacturer of the antigen test “to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred.” 8/6/2020
Editorial: Manufacturers Need Protection From Frivolous Lawsuits
One of the biggest uncertainties facing manufacturers — in Ohio and across the country — is the lingering threat of COVID-19-related lawsuits. This week, OMA President Eric Burkland and National Association of Manufacturers Senior Vice President and General Counsel Linda Kelly teamed up in an editorial to address the need for federal and state liability protection.
Burkland and Kelly wrote: “Right now, manufacturers that have been doing the right thing all along to protect their employees and produce needed goods are being targeted by trial lawyers. … Without action by leaders in Washington — including Ohio’s elected representatives — and at the Statehouse in Columbus, frivolous litigation could undermine our manufacturing base and disrupt the production of food, medicine, and other essentials.” 8/5/2020
Broad Coalition Calls on Ohio House to Pass Liability Protection for Businesses
The OMA has joined forces with 50 other state organizations by sending a letter to newly elected Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, urging him to prioritize legislation that would provide legal liability protections for employers and others.
The Ohio Senate completed action on two different legislative vehicles in June. But now the House must act in order for businesses to have targeted protection from frivolous lawsuits. 8/6/2020
Ohio Has Recovered Nearly 60% of Manufacturing Job Losses From April
Ohio’s manufacturing employment has experienced a modest recovery since April, a month in which the Buckeye State lost roughly 95,000 manufacturing jobs. Federal data show Ohio had approximately 658,000 manufacturing positions in June, up from 603,000 in April — but still well short of the 700,000 manufacturing jobs that existed in February. 8/4/2020
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From Zero to Millionaire in Only 2½ Years! Using the principles he teaches, T. Harv Eker went from zero to millionaire in only 2½ years! He combines a unique brand of ‘street smarts with heart.’ T. Harv Eker is the founder and president of Peak Potentials Training, the fastest growing personal development company in North America. He has already touched the lives of over 500,000 people from across the world, helping them move closer to their goal of true financial freedom. Eker’s high-energy, ‘cut-to-the-chase’ style keeps his audience spellbound. T. Harv Eker’s motto is “talk is cheap” and his unique ability is getting people to take “action” in the real world to produce real success. Eker is the author of the best-selling books Secrets of the Millionaire Mind and SpeedWealth. He has also developed several highly acclaimed courses such as The Millionaire Mind Intensive, Life Directions, Wizard Training and Train the Trainer. He is also the producer and trainer of the world-famous Enlightened Warrior Training. Harv has spent years developing and sharing his theories about people’s mental and emotional relationship to money. His most profound discovery was that each of us has our own "inner-money thermostat" and that this money blueprint can be changed. In fact, using the principles and practices found in his book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, Eker reset his own blueprint to not only create success, but to keep it and grow it, and become a multi-millionaire. Long ago Eker vowed that should he ever get rich, he would help others do the same. He has kept his promise. He has already touched the lives of over 1.5 million people, helping them move closer to their goal of true financial freedom.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times
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Bakery Simulator Coming To Nintendo Switch In 2020
Gaming Factory, Ultimate Games, and Live Motion Games have announced that Bakery Simulator will release on Nintendo Switch
Set in a city in a mountainous region, you will first have to select an appropriate location to start your bakery business.
With the game offering “a realistic and specific approach to working in the bakery industry,” you will be challenged to work in your bakery and deliver bread to your customers in a timely manner.
You will have a lot of freedom in how you spend your time though, whether that learning new recipes, buying specialist machines, improving the production process, or the logistics related to delivering bread to your customers.
“Our goal is to provide a high level of realism in Bakery Simulator. This will be the whole production process of bread and other products,” explains Live Motion Games CEO Michał Kaczmarek.
“For example, baking machines and recipes are based on real equivalents. Helping us with the game is a consultant with 10 years of experience in the bakery industry. At the same time, however, some gameplay elements will be simplified to make the gameplay as attractive and rewarding as possible.
“Baking is a specific industry. The finished products do not seem to be too complex but the entire production and logistics process behind baking bread is not at all simple. You must care about very many different elements, including, for example, the right selection and appropriate proportions of ingredients.
“We are creating a comprehensive simulator, which will certainly in this and other respects positively surprise the players. The gameplay will also be enriched by random elements, which of course will additionally increase the replayability of the game.”
Bakery Simulator will release on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide in 2020.
Live Motion Games
Ultimate Games
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Conferenceseries LLC Ltd and its subsidiaries including iMedPub Ltd and Conference Series Organise 3000+ Conferences across USA, Europe & Asia with support from 1000 more scientific societies and Publishes 700+ Open Access Journals which contains over 50000 eminent personalities, reputed scientists as editorial board members.
Conferenceseries LLC Ltd is an amalgamation of Open Access Publications and worldwide international science conferences and events. Established in the year 2007 with the sole aim of making the information on Sciences and technology "Open Access", Conferenceseries LLC Ltd publishes scholarly journals in all aspects of Science, Engineering, Management and Technology journals. Conferenceseries LLC Ltd has been instrumental in taking the knowledge on Science & technology to the doorsteps of ordinary men and women. Research Scholars, Students, Libraries, Educational Institutions, Research centers and the industry are main stakeholders that benefitted greatly from this knowledge dissemination. Conferenceseries LLC Ltd also organizes 3000+ International conferences across the globe, where knowledge transfer takes place through debates, round table discussions, poster presentations, workshops, symposia and exhibitions.
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Company manages to kick on with ambitious growth plans despite Covid-19 pandemic
Solomons Europe manages to kick on with ambitious growth plans despite Covid-19 pandemic
By Joe Fletcher @joefletcher216 Reporter
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Dominic Doig, of Solomons Europe
SOLOMONS Europe has continued to forge ahead with its ambitious growth plans in Cumbria despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The firm of quantity surveyors and procurement and commercial professionals has seen four new recruits join its Cumbria team in the last 12 months to support a number of new contracts it has secured in the county. The latest arrival joined earlier this week, taking its Cumbria team to 13.
Solomons Europe - which has offices near Kendal and Cockermouth - specialises in supporting clients and contractors delivering major power, infrastructure, engineering and utilities developments across the UK. In Cumbria, it is currently supporting two multi-billion-pound frameworks at Sellafield, as well as contractors delivering projects at the BAE Systems site in Barrow.
The company has worked on United Utilities’ £300m West Cumbria Water Supplies Project and a £30m water quality improvement project at Windermere, and provided valuable support at the Gas Terminals, previously owned by Centrica, as well as the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm project located off the coast of Barrow.
Solomons Europe's managing director, Dominic Doig, said: “We’ve been extremely fortunate that - apart from a short period during the first coronavirus lockdown - the construction industry has remained open for business, and in some cases kicked on.
“Our excellent reputation in the marketplace and strong relationships have seen us pick up more work and allowed us to push ahead with our pre-Covid-19 plans to grow the business.
“Our hard-working team has to grow to meet the needs of our clients and we’re constantly on the look-out for highly-skilled and driven people, particularly in Cumbria.
"We’re not just on the hunt for people with the right experience - they also need to share our passion for supporting the communities in which we operate. Giving something back is a core part of the company’s ethos.
“In return we commit to helping them fast-track their careers and provide a whole host of benefits to ensure they feel valued and supported.
"As a small business, we’re acutely aware that it is the quality of our people that is key to our success.”
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Oceania Football Confederation > News > New Caledonia > National pride on the line
National pride on the line
inNew Caledonia, OFC Champions League Preliminary
All eyes will be on Stade Numa Daly this Saturday 11 May when the 2019 OFC Champions League final rolls into town to mark history in the making with one of either two New Caledonian clubs set to take the crown for the first time.
Whether it’s AS Magenta or their domestic rival Hienghéne Sport lifting the coveted trophy, the final will go down in the history-books as the first time two clubs, outside New Zealand, appear in the final of Oceania’s premier international club competition.
Whoever is on the winning side, there are exciting times ahead for the Federation Calédonie de Football according to President Steeve Laigle.
“We’re proud that the work these two clubs have done over the past few years is paying off, and we’re at the point today of having New Caledonian clubs as the best in Oceania,” Laigle said excitedly.
With kick-off locked in for 5pm local time, viewers abroad can join the live coverage on MyCujoo in partnership with Caledonia, New Caledonia’s national broadcaster. Local supporters are expected to pour into Noumea from as far as the Province Nord, where Hienghéne Sport is based.
“New Caledonia is a small country and it’s a first for us, we’re very excited at home to be organising this final, and we’ll try and make sure it’s a beautiful celebration of football,” the Kone-based President added.
Saturday’s match will be the first time these two clubs go head-to-head in this competition since Hienghéne Sport made their debut in 2017. It’s an impressive feat for the club to be featuring in the final on just their second Champions League appearance, however they won’t be expecting any favours from their compatriots from the south.
Magenta have been chasing regional glory for a long time and following their appearance in the final against Sydney FC in the 2004-05 season they’ve only ever made it as far as the semi-finals. Suffice to say, they’ll be hungry to get their hands on the silverware which has eluded them for so long.
Closer to home, the clubs from either end of the “Grande Terre” have been long-time rivals in both the Super Ligue, the national championship, and the Coupe de Calédonie, the domestic cup competition.
Based on previous results alone, Magenta might be considered favourites. However as of today, despite only being five rounds into the season, it’s Hienghéne at the top of the standings.
As the man in charge of all New Caledonian football, Laigle said he wouldn’t like to make a call on the result of Saturday’s match.
“I’m the president of the both clubs, so I can’t have a favourite. If we talk in terms of statistics Magenta has a psychological advantage because these two clubs meet regularly in the Coupe de Calédonie and Magenta has the advantage here. But if we look at the last match of the championship, Hienghéne has an advantage on the field,” Laigle said.
What does this momentous occasion mean for football in New Caledonia?
According to Laigle, it’s immense both in terms of profile and development.
“Having two teams from New Caledonia in the final shows that anything is possible,” he stated.
“It also means in New Caledonia, in our championship, this will certainly help lift the level. Every team, every weekend of the competition, will be trying to beat the champion and runner-up of Oceania.
“It will certainly help lift the level of our championship.”
The winner of the OFC Champions League final on Saturday between Magenta and Hienghéne Sport will nab not only the regional title, but Oceania’s spot in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup.
New Caledonia, OFC Champions League 2019, Steeve Laigle
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The rise of the game in New Caledonia
Exciting historic final
Roy Kayara's second shot at the final
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Chapter: 1 Introduction
« Previous: Summary
Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2009. An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11964.
SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM CREATION AND ASSESSMENT
Created in 1982 by the Small Business Innovation Development Act, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program was designed to stimulate technological innovation among small private-sector businesses while providing the government cost-effective new technical and scientific solutions to challenging mission problems. SBIR was also designed to help to stimulate the U.S. economy by encouraging small businesses to market innovative technologies in the private sector.1
As the SBIR program approached its twentieth year of existence, the U.S. Congress requested that the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies conduct a “comprehensive study of how the SBIR program has stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet Federal research and development needs,” and make recommendations on improvements to the program.2 Mandated as a part of SBIR’s renewal in 2000, the NRC study has assessed the SBIR program as administered at the five federal agencies that together make up 96 percent of SBIR program expenditures. The agencies are, in
The SBIR legislation drew from a growing body of evidence, starting in the late 1970s and accelerating in the 1980s, which indicated that small businesses were assuming an increasingly important role in both innovation and job creation. This evidence gained new credibility with the Phase I empirical analysis by Zoltan Acs and David Audretsch of the U.S. Small Business Innovation Database, which confirmed the increased importance of small firms in generating technological innovations and their growing contribution to the U.S. economy. See Zoltan Acs and David Audretsch, Innovation and Small Firms, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1990.
See Public Law 106-554, Appendix I—H.R. 5667, Section 108.
decreasing order of program size: the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Energy (DoE), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The NRC Committee assessing the SBIR program was not asked to consider if SBIR should exist or not—Congress has affirmatively decided this question on three occasions.3 Rather, the Committee was charged with providing assessment-based findings to improve public understanding of the program as well as recommendations to improve the program’s effectiveness.
SBIR PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Eleven federal agencies are currently required to set aside 2.5 percent of their extramural research and development budget exclusively for SBIR awards. Each year these agencies identify various R&D topics, representing scientific and technical problems requiring innovative solutions, for pursuit by small businesses under the SBIR program. These topics are bundled together into individual agency “solicitations”—publicly announced requests for SBIR proposals from interested small businesses. A small business can identify an appropriate topic it wants to pursue from these solicitations and, in response, propose a project for an SBIR award. The required format for submitting a proposal is different for each agency. Proposal selection also varies, though peer review of proposals on a competitive basis by experts in the field is typical. Each agency then selects the proposals that are found best to meet program selection criteria, and awards contracts or grants to the proposing small businesses.
As conceived in the 1982 Act, SBIR’s award-making process is structured in three phases at all agencies:
Phase I awards essentially fund feasibility studies in which award winners undertake a limited amount of research aimed at establishing an idea’s scientific and commercial promise. Today, the legislation anticipates Phase I awards as high as $100,000.4
Phase II awards are larger—typically about $750,000—and fund more extensive R&D to further develop the scientific and commercial promise of research ideas.
Phase III. During this phase, companies do not receive additional funding from the SBIR program. Instead, award recipients should be obtaining additional funds from a procurement program at the agency that made the
These are the 1982 Small Business Development Act, and the subsequent multi-year reauthorizations of the SBIR program in 1992 and 2000.
With the agreement of the Small Business Administration, which plays an oversight role for the program, this amount can be substantially higher in certain circumstances, e.g., drug development at NIH, and is often lower with smaller SBIR programs, e.g., EPA or the Department of Agriculture.
award, from private investors, or from the capital markets. The objective of this phase is to move the technology from the prototype stage to the marketplace.
Obtaining Phase III support is often the most difficult challenge for new firms to overcome. In practice, agencies have developed different approaches to facilitate SBIR grantees’ transition to commercial viability; not least among them are additional SBIR awards.
Previous NRC research has shown that firms have different objectives in applying to the program. Some want to demonstrate the potential of promising research but may not seek to commercialize it themselves. Others think they can fulfill agency research requirements more cost-effectively through the SBIR program than through the traditional procurement process. Still others seek a certification of quality (and the investments that can come from such recognition) as they push science-based products towards commercialization.5
SBIR REAUTHORIZATIONS
The SBIR program approached reauthorization in 1992 amidst continued concerns about the U.S. economy’s capacity to commercialize inventions. Finding that “U.S. technological performance is challenged less in the creation of new technologies than in their commercialization and adoption,” the National Academy of Sciences at the time recommended an increase in SBIR funding as a means to improve the economy’s ability to adopt and commercialize new technologies.6
Following this report, the Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act (P.L. 102-564), which reauthorized the SBIR program until September 30, 2000, doubled the set-aside rate to 2.5 percent.7 This increase in the percentage of R&D funds allocated to the program was accompanied by a stronger emphasis on encouraging the commercialization of SBIR-funded tech-
See Reid Cramer, “Patterns of Firm Participation in the Small Business Innovation Research Program in Southwestern and Mountain States,” in National Research Council, The Small Business Innovation Research Program: An Assessment of the Department of Defense Fast Track Initiative, Charles W. Wessner, ed., Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000.
See National Research Council, The Government Role in Civilian Technology: Building a New Alliance, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1992, p. 29.
For FY2003, this has resulted in a program budget of approximately $1.6 billion across all federal agencies, with the Department of Defense having the largest SBIR program at $834 million, followed by the National Institutes of Health at $525 million. The DoD SBIR program, is made up of 10 participating components: Army, Navy, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Chemical Biological Defense (CBD), Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), National Imagery and MapPhasing Agency (NIMA), and the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD). NIH counts 23 separate institutes and agencies making SBIR awards, many with multiple programs.
nologies.8 Legislative language explicitly highlighted commercial potential as a criterion for awarding SBIR awards. For Phase I awards, Congress directed program administrators to assess whether projects have “commercial potential,” in addition to scientific and technical merit, when evaluating SBIR applications.
The 1992 legislation mandated that program administrators consider the existence of second-phase funding commitments from the private sector or other non-SBIR sources when judging Phase II applications. Evidence of third-phase follow-on commitments, along with other indicators of commercial potential, was also to be sought. Moreover, the 1992 reauthorization directed that a small business’ record of commercialization be taken into account when evaluating its Phase II application.9
The Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-554) extended SBIR until September 30, 2008. It called for this assessment by the National Research Council of the broader impacts of the program, including those on employment, health, national security, and national competitiveness.10
STRUCTURE OF THE NRC STUDY
This NRC assessment of SBIR has been conducted in two phases. In the first phase, at the request of the agencies, a research methodology was developed by the NRC. This methodology was then reviewed and approved by an independent National Academies panel of experts.11 Information about the program was also gathered through interviews with SBIR program administrators and during two major conferences where SBIR officials were invited to describe program
See Robert Archibald and David Finifter, “Evaluation of the Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Fast Track Initiative: A Balanced Approach,” in National Research Council, The Small Business Innovation Research Program: An Assessment of the Department of Defense Fast Track Initiative, op. cit., pp. 211-250.
A GAO report had found that agencies had not adopted a uniform method for weighing commercial potential in SBIR applications. See U.S. General Accounting Office, Federal Research: Evaluations of Small Business Innovation Research Can Be Strengthened, GAO/RCED-99-114, Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, 1999.
The current assessment is congruent with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, accessed at: <http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/misc/s20.html>. As characterized by the GAO, GPRA seeks to shift the focus of government decisionmaking and accountability away from a preoccupation with the activities that are undertaken—such as grants dispensed or inspections made—to a focus on the results of those activities. See <http://www.gao.gov/new.items/gpra/gpra.htm>.
National Research Council, An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program: Project Methodology, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2004. The methodology report is available on the Web. Access at: <http://www7.nationalacademies.org/sbir/SBIR_Methodology_Report.pdf>.
operations, challenges, and accomplishments.12 These conferences highlighted the important differences in each agency’s SBIR program’s goals, practices, and evaluations. The conferences also explored the challenges of assessing such a diverse range of program objectives and practices using common metrics.
The second phase of the NRC study implemented the approved research methodology. The Committee deployed multiple survey instruments and its researchers conducted case studies of a wide profile of SBIR firms. The Committee then evaluated the results and developed both agency-specific and overall findings and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the SBIR program. The final report includes complete assessments for each of the five agencies and an overview of the program as a whole.
SBIR ASSESSMENT CHALLENGES
At its outset, the NRC’s SBIR study identified a series of assessment challenges that must be addressed. As discussed at the October 2002 conference that launched the study, the administrative flexibility found in the SBIR program makes it difficult to make cross-agency assessments. Although each agency’s SBIR program shares the common three-phase structure, the SBIR concept is interpreted uniquely at each agency. This flexibility is a positive attribute in that it permits each agency to adapt its SBIR program to the agency’s particular mission, scale, and working culture. For example, NSF operates its SBIR program differently than DoD because “research” is often coupled with procurement of goods and services at DoD but rarely at NSF. Programmatic diversity means that each agency’s SBIR activities must be understood in terms of their separate missions and operating procedures. This commendable diversity makes an assessment of the program as a whole more challenging.
A second challenge concerns the linear process of commercialization implied by the design of SBIR’s three-phase structure.13 In the linear model, illustrated in Figure 1-1, innovation begins with basic research supplying a steady stream of fresh and new ideas. Among these ideas, those that show technical feasibility become innovations. Such innovations, when further developed by firms, become marketable products driving economic growth.
As NSF’s Joseph Bordogna observed at the study’s initial conference, innovation almost never takes place through a protracted linear progression from
The opening conference on October 24, 2002, examined the program’s diversity and assessment challenges. For a published report of this conference, see National Research Council, SBIR: Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges, Charles W. Wessner, ed. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2004. The second conference, held on March 28, 2003, was titled, “Identifying Best Practice.” The conference provided a forum for the SBIR Program Managers from each of the five agencies in the study’s purview to describe their administrative innovations and best practices.
This view was echoed by Duncan Moore: “Innovation does not follow a linear model. It stops and starts.” National Research Council, SBIR: Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges, op. cit.
FIGURE 1-1 The linear model of innovation.
research to development to market. Research and development drives technological innovation, which, in turn, opens up new frontiers in R&D. True innovation, Bordogna noted, can spur the search for new knowledge and create the context in which the next generation of research identifies new frontiers. This nonlinearity, illustrated in Figure 1-2, makes it difficult to rate the efficiency of SBIR program. Inputs do not match up with outputs according to a simple function.
A third assessment challenge relates to the measurement of outputs and outcomes. Program realities can and often do complicate the task of data gathering. In some cases, for example, SBIR recipients receive a Phase I award from one agency and a Phase II award from another. In other cases, multiple SBIR awards may have been used to help a particular technology become sufficiently mature to reach the market. Also complicating matters is the possibility that for any particular grantee, an SBIR award may be only one among other federal and nonfederal sources of funding. Causality can thus be difficult, if not impossible, to establish. The task of measuring outcomes is made harder because companies that have garnered SBIR awards can also merge, fail, or change their name before a product reaches the market. In addition, principal investigators or other key individuals can change firms, carrying their knowledge of an SBIR project with them. A technology developed using SBIR funds may eventually achieve
FIGURE 1-2 A feedback model of innovation.
commercial success at an entirely different company than that which received the initial SBIR award.
Complications plague even the apparently straightforward task of assessing commercial success. For example, research enabled by a particular SBIR award may take on commercial relevance in new unanticipated contexts. At the launch conference, Duncan Moore, former Associate Director of Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), cited the case of SBIR-funded research in gradient index optics that was initially considered a commercial failure when an anticipated market for its application did not emerge. Years later, however, products derived from the research turned out to be a major commercial success.14 Today’s apparent dead end can be a lead to a major achievement tomorrow. Lacking clairvoyance, analysts cannot anticipate or measure such potential SBIR benefits.
Gauging commercialization is also difficult when the product in question is destined for public procurement. The challenge is to develop a satisfactory measure of how useful an SBIR-funded innovation has been to an agency mission. A related challenge is determining how central (or even useful) SBIR awards have proved in developing a particular technology or product. In some cases, the Phase I award can meet the agency’s need—completing the research with no further action required. In other cases, surrogate measures are often required. For example, one way of measuring commercialization success is to count the products developed using SBIR funds that are procured by an agency such as DoD. In practice, however, large procurements from major suppliers are typically easier to track than products from small suppliers such as SBIR firms. Moreover, successful development of a technology or product does not always translate into successful “uptake” by the procuring agency. Often, the absence of procurement may have little to do with the product’s quality or the potential contribution of SBIR.
Understanding failure is equally challenging. By its very nature, an early-stage program such as SBIR should anticipate a high failure rate. The causes of failure are many. The most straightforward, of course, is technical failure, where the research objectives of the award are not achieved. In some cases, the project can be technically successful but a commercial failure. This can occur when a procuring agency changes its mission objectives and hence its procurement priorities. NASA’s new Mars Mission is one example of a mission shift that may result in the cancellation of programs involving SBIR awards to make room for new agency priorities. Cancelled weapons system programs at the Department of Defense can have similar effects. Technologies procured through SBIR may also fail in the transition to acquisition. Some technology developments by small businesses do not survive the long lead times created by complex testing and
Duncan Moore, “Turning Failure into Success,” in National Research Council, SBIR: Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges, op. cit., p. 94.
certification procedures required by the Department of Defense. Indeed, small firms encounter considerable difficulty in penetrating the “procurement thicket” that characterizes defense acquisition.15 In addition to complex federal acquisition procedures, there are strong disincentives for high-profile projects to adopt untried technologies. Technology transfer in commercial markets can be equally difficult. A failure to transfer to commercial markets can occur even when a technology is technically successful if the market is smaller than anticipated, competing technologies emerge or are more competitive than expected, or the product is not adequately marketed. Understanding and accepting the varied sources of project failure in the high-risk, high-reward environment of cutting-edge R&D is a challenge for analysts and policy makers alike.
This raises the issue concerning the standard on which SBIR programs should be evaluated. An assessment of SBIR must take into account the expected distribution of successes and failures in early-stage finance. As a point of comparison, Gail Cassell, Vice President for Scientific Affairs at Eli Lilly, has noted that only 1 in 10 innovative products in the biotechnology industry will turn out to be a commercial success.16 Similarly, venture capital funds often achieve considerable commercial success on only two or three out of twenty or more investments.17
In setting metrics for SBIR projects, therefore, it is important to have a realistic expectation of the success rate for competitive awards to small firms investing in promising but unproven technologies. Similarly, it is important to have some understanding of what can be reasonably expected—that is, what constitutes “success” for an SBIR award, and some understanding of the constraints and opportunities successful SBIR awardees face in bringing new products to market.
For a description of the challenges small businesses face in defense procurement, the subject of a June 14, 2005, NRC conference and one element of the congressionally requested assessment of SBIR, see National Research Council, SBIR and the Phase III Challenge of Commercialization, Charles W. Wessner, ed., Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007. Relatedly, see remarks by Kenneth Flamm on procurement barriers, including contracting overhead and small firm disadvantages in lobbying in National Research Council, SBIR: Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges, op. cit., pp. 63-67.
Gail Cassell, “Setting Realistic Expectations for Success,” in National Research Council, SBIR: Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges, op. cit., p. 86.
See John H. Cochrane, “The Risk and Return of Venture Capital,” Journal of Financial Economics, 75(1) 2005:3-52. Drawing on the VentureOne database Cochrane plots a histogram of net venture capital returns on investments that “shows an extraordinary skewness of returns. Most returns are modest, but there is a long right tail of extraordinary good returns. 15% of the firms that go public or are acquired give a return greater than 1,000%! It is also interesting how many modest returns there are. About 15% of returns are less than 0, and 35% are less than 100%. An IPO or acquisition is not a guarantee of a huge return. In fact, the modal or ‘most probable’ outcome is about a 25% return.” See also Paul A. Gompers and Josh Lerner, “Risk and Reward in Private Equity Investments: The Challenge of Performance Assessment,” Journal of Private Equity, 1 (Winter 1977):5-12. Steven D. Carden and Olive Darragh, “A Halo for Angel Investors” The McKinsey Quarterly, 1, 2004 also show a similar skew in the distribution of returns for venture capital portfolios.
From the management perspective, the rate of success also raises the question of appropriate expectations and desired levels of risktaking. A portfolio that always succeeds would not be investing in high-risk, high pay-off projects that push the technology envelope. A very high rate of “success” would, thus, paradoxically suggest an inappropriate use of the program. Understanding the nature of success and the appropriate benchmarks for a program with this focus is therefore important to understanding the SBIR program and the approach of this study.
STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT
This report sets out the Committee’s assessment of the SBIR program at the National Institutes of Health. The Committee’s detailed findings and recommendations are presented in the next chapter. The Committee finds that the NIH SBIR program largely meets it legislative objectives and makes recommendations to improve program outcomes. Chapter 3 reviews awards made by NIH. It analyzes data supplied by NIH, reflecting on both the advantages and disadvantages of NIH data gathering methods. Chapter 4 looks at the outcomes of the NIH SBIR program, including commercial sales and employment effects. Chapter 5 examines how the SBIR program at NIH is managed, including an explanation of the NIH award cycle, outreach efforts to attract the best applicants, and initiatives to support the commercialization of SBIR-funded technologies. Appendix A presents program data collected by NIH, DoD, and the NRC. Appendix B and C provide the template and results of the NRC Firm Survey and surveys of SBIR Phase I and Phase II projects. Appendix D presents illustrative case studies of firms participating in the NIH SBIR program. Finally, Appendix E provides a reference bibliography.
Next: 2 Findings and Recommendations »
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Molly Solomon Promoted to Lead NBC Olympics Coverage
Solomon succeeds Jim Bell, who announced Nov. 4 he was leaving the network
By Joe Reedy • Published November 20, 2019 • Updated on November 20, 2019 at 5:36 pm
Molly Solomon began her career at NBC Sports as a researcher for its Olympics coverage. Nearly 30 years later, she will lead its coverage.
NBC announced Tuesday that it has promoted Solomon to executive producer and president of the network’s Olympics unit, becoming the first woman to be an executive producer for a network sports division.
Solomon succeeds Jim Bell, who announced Nov. 4 he was leaving the network. She will continue to be executive producer at GOLF Channel, a position she has held since 2012.
“I have three loves in my professional life; it’s sports television, the Olympics and golf, so I feel really very fortunate to be able to combine them,” Solomon said during a conference call Tuesday. “I really feel like I’m returning to my roots at NBC Olympics.
“My first job out of college nearly 30 years ago was as an Olympic researcher. So over the next 22 years I really climbed the production ladder at NBC Sports doing every job along the way. That culminated in London, and I really thought that was the apex. I know the requirements of this role. It’s very familiar.”
Solomon has extensive history with the network’s Olympic coverage. She has worked 10 Winter and Summer Games, beginning as a network researcher in 1990 and becoming coordinating producer from 2006-12. She oversaw the network’s production of golf’s return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
She will oversee over 7,000 hours of coverage across broadcast and cable channels as well as online streaming. As was the case for the Seoul and Beijing Games, many of the swimming and track & field finals are expected to happen in the morning in Tokyo so they can air in prime time in most of the U.S.
“We are still roughly nine months away, and there will be plenty of time for Molly to be brought up to speed and to put her fingerprints on what the Olympics will look like in Tokyo,” said NBC Sports Group President Pete Bevacqua.
Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico — who is in Los Angeles doing some pre-games preparation this week — said he couldn’t be more excited for Solomon’s promotion.
“I have great familiarity with her approach to things (from GOLF Channel),” he said. “Her DNA and roots come through every level of the Olympics at the network. There is no getting up to speed for her.”
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympics through 2032. The Tokyo Games next year are the second of three straight Olympics in Asia, which is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time.
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Los AngelesASIAgolfSeoulRio de Janeiro
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Extra armor might have saved lives of troops
Michael Moss, the New York TimesTHE ORLANDO SENTINEL
A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the Marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to their upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor.
Such armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials.
The ceramic plates in vests now worn by the majority of troops in Iraq cover only some of the chest and back. In at least 74 of the 93 fatal wounds that were analyzed in the Pentagon study of Marines from March 2003 through June 2005, bullets and shrapnel struck the Marines' shoulders, sides or areas of the torso where the plates do not reach.
Thirty-one of the deadly wounds struck the chest or back so close to the plates that simply enlarging the existing shields "would have had the potential to alter the fatal outcome," according to the study, which was obtained by The New York Times.
For the first time, the study by the military's medical examiner shows the cost in lost lives from inadequate armor, even as the Pentagon continues to publicly defend its protection of the troops.
Officials have said they are shipping the best armor to Iraq as quickly as possible. At the same time, they have maintained that it is impossible to shield forces from the increasingly powerful improvised explosive devices used by insurgents. Yet the Pentagon's own study reveals the equally lethal threat of bullets.
The vulnerability of the military's body armor has been known since the start of the war and is part of a series of problems that have surrounded the protection of American troops. Still, the Marine Corps did not begin buying additional plates to cover the sides of their troops until last September, when it ordered 28,800 sets, Marine officials acknowledge.
The Army, which has the largest force in Iraq, is still deciding what to purchase, according to Army procurement officials. They said the Army was deciding between various sizes of plates to give its 130,000 soldiers, adding that they hoped to issue contracts this month.
Additional forensic studies by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's unit that were obtained by The Times indicate that about 340 American troops have died solely from torso wounds.
The Pentagon has been collecting the data on wounds since the beginning of the war in March 2003 in part to determine the effectiveness of body armor. The military's medical examiner, Dr. Craig T. Mallak, told a military panel in 2003 that the information "screams to be published." But it would take nearly two years.
The Marine Corps said it asked for the data in August 2004, but it needed to pay the medical examiner $107,000 to have the data analyzed. Marine officials said financing and other delays had resulted in the study not starting until December 2004. It finally began receiving the information by June 2005.
Almost from the beginning, some soldiers asked for additional protection to stop bullets from slicing through their sides. In the fall of 2003, when troops began hanging their crotch protectors under their arms, the Army's Rapid Equipping Force shipped several hundred plates to protect their sides and shoulders. Individual soldiers and units continued to buy their own sets.
The Army's former acting secretary, Les Brownlee, said in a recent interview that he was shown numerous designs for expanded body armor in 2003, and had instructed his staff to weigh their benefits against the perceived threat without losing sight of the main task: eliminating the shortages of plates for the chest and back.
Army procurement officials said their efforts to purchase side ceramic plates had been encumbered by the Army's much larger force in Iraq compared with the Marines' and that they wanted to provide manufacturers with detailed specifications. Also, they said their plates would be made to resist the stronger insurgent attacks.
The Marines said they opted to take the older version of ceramic to speed delivery.
As of early last month, officials said Marines in Iraq had received 2,200 of the more than 28,000 sets of plates that are being bought at a cost of about $260 each.
Marine officials said they had supplied troops with soft shoulder protection that can repel some shrapnel, but remained concerned that ceramic shoulder plates would be too restrictive. Similarly, they said they thought the chest and back plates were as large as they could be without unduly limiting the movement of troops.
The Times obtained the three-page Pentagon report after a military advocacy group, Soldiers for the Truth, learned of its existence.
The group posted an article about the report on its Web site earlier this week. The Times delayed publication of this article for more than a week until the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of its report.
Pentagon officials would not discuss details of the wound data, saying it would aid the enemy.
"Our preliminary research suggests that as many as 42 percent of the Marine casualties who died from isolated torso injuries could have been prevented with improved protection in the areas surrounding the plated areas of the vest," the study concludes.
An additional 23 percent might have been saved with side plates that extend below the arms, while 15 percent more could have benefited from shoulder plates, the report says.
In all, 526 Marines have been killed in combat in Iraq. A total of 1,720 American troops have died in combat there, about 100 of them from Florida.
The Pentagon
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Arroyo Willow
(Salix lasiolepis)
Salix lasiolepis (Arroyo Willow) Will Elder / National Park Service
Latin Derivation
Genus: Salix is the ancient Latin common name of the willow.
Species: lasiolepis, is derived from the two Latin words lasios, meaning shaggy, wooly hair and lepsis, which means scale or shell.
The family Salicaceae comprises two genera and 325 species of shrubs and trees commonly known as willows, cottonwoods (poplars), and aspens. They are all deciduous, fast-growing trees that can be found all over the world, but most abundantly in the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Their flowers have no petals or sepals, and are borne in a compact inflorescence called a catkin. Male and female flowers are produced by separate plants. Aside from two species of cottonwood, all Bay Area representatives are willows (genus Salix). To distinguish a willow from a cottonwood in the wintertime, look closely at the buds: willow buds are covered by a single scale, while the buds of cottonwoods are covered by several overlapping scales.
The arroyo willow is a riparian woodland regular, thriving along the edges of streams where it enjoys the moist soil it requires. This small tree grows to a maximum of about 10 meters in height, and has alternate, hairy, entire leaves that are lanceolate-elliptic to oblanceolate in shape. In the spring, the catkins appear before the leaves do.
Other Wonders of the Willow
As you can surmise from our use of willows in the wattles, stakes and poles that make up much of our biotechnical riparian erosion control, willows have a talent for propagating from vegetative tissue and thus growing from cuttings. They’re so good at it that hormones derived from willows are often used in nurseries to help other plant cuttings take root. Another useful chemical first derived from the willow is Aspirin. Long before that, Native Americans had many uses for this flexible plant. An infusion of willow bark or flowers was used to cure a variety of ailments from fevers to itchiness to diarrhea. The inner bark was made into rope, the shoots used for baskets, and stakes provided structure for thatched houses.
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Amitabh Desai
Foreign Policy Adviser,
Amitabh Desai has been with President Clinton and the Clinton Foundation for more than 11 years. As Foreign Policy Adviser, he guides international strategy and relationships, and plays a central role in shaping and executing President Clinton’s vision. This includes managing relationships with all heads of state, business leaders, philanthropists, and NGOs around the globe; and overseeing international programs, including those on climate, economic development, and resiliency.
He also directs projects of particular interest for President Clinton, including the development of new partnerships Myanmar, Jordan, Greece, Bosnia, and Northern Ireland. He directed the creation of the Haiti Development Fund, established by President Clinton, Carlos Slim, and Frank Giustra in 2010 to invest in small- and medium-sized businesses in Haiti and all preparations for President Clinton’s Future of the Americas summit in December 2014.
Previously, he served as legislative aide to then-US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, with responsibility for foreign affairs including Africa, humanitarian crises, and international trade.
Desai has worked at JP Morgan, on mergers & acquisitions, where he advised on the largest e-commerce merger of the year in 2000 and at the Greater New York Hospital Foundation. He also worked at the United Nations, in Senator Kennedy’s office, and at the International Crisis Group, where he helped draft Nancy Soderberg’s book, “Superpower Myth.”
He received a master’s degree in Foreign Policy from Columbia University in 2005, and graduated early with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. He has been quoted in major media outlets including The New York Times and Miami Herald, and is a member of MENSA. The son of immigrants from India, he grew up in Baltimore and now lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.
2018 Global Philanthropy Forum
Democracy & Governance Health & Nutrition Strategic Philanthropy
Taking on the Hard Cases: Standing up for Rights
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It’s easy to find positives for Norwich City - despite the scorelines
Iwan Roberts
Published: 4:03 PM December 28, 2012 Updated: 10:59 PM October 10, 2020
Two successive defeats in the last week brought Norwich City’s fantastic 10-game unbeaten run to an end – but there were plenty of positives to take from each game, regardless of the results.
Norwich followed the defeat at The Hawthorns last weekend with a tough Boxing Day fixture against European champions Chelsea, fresh from their 8-0 demolition job of Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa.
Hughton recalled the fit-again Grant Holt and kept faith with the majority of the XI who had been integral to the club’s fine form.
It was to be another tight game, decided by a goal of real quality that sent Chelsea back to London with the three points. Juan Mata’s 25-yard strike was all that separated the two sides, and that fact in itself will surely offer encouragement to players, staff and fans alike.
Chelsea’s squad contains an array of attacking talent, from Juan Mata and Oscar to Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres. They are arguably one of the most irresistible attacking forces in Europe, having scored 36 goals in the league this term.
So, in limiting the number of clear-cut chances the Blues had, Norwich deserve real credit, and it proves just how much the boys have improved defensively since the opening months of the season.
There were very few chances that came the way of the lads, as was to be expected, but the industry and spirit shown by Norwich will stand them in good stead for the forthcoming New Year’s fixtures.
The 2-1 defeat at The Hawthorns to Steve Clarke’s West Brom turned out to be a closely-contested affair, with few chances for either side.
For long periods of the game Norwich kept the ball immaculately and controlled proceedings, and their impressive play was rewarded with a deserved lead as Robert Snodgrass scored his third goal of the season with a brilliantly struck free-kick that escaped the grasp of a stretching Ben Foster.
A somewhat more direct Albion began to feel their way into the game and just before the half-time interval they levelled, in undoubtedly frustrating circumstances for Chris Hughton and the players.
The goal came from a Chris Brunt corner, one that should not have been awarded, with Alex Tettey incorrectly being adjudged to have headed the ball out of play. Brunt’s testing delivery was met by Jonas Olsson, his header being excellently tipped onto the bar by Mark Bunn. Unfortunately, though, Zoltan Gera volleyed the ensuing rebound home from close range. To make matters even more disappointing, it looked as if Peter Odemwingie had fouled Bunn as he attempted to save Gera’s goal-bound effort.
The second half was rather more tentative than the first, with fewer chances.
The Baggies secured all three points with eight minutes remaining through a powerful Romelu Lukaku header. The Chelsea loanee was just too strong for Javier Garrido and left Bunn with no chance.
The unbeaten run had come to an end, but it was a strong display from the boys in what was a difficult fixture. After all, West Brom had won six of their nine home games before the visit of the Canaries.
• SIMPLE CALCULATION PROVES HOW FAR CITY HAVE COME
At the halfway mark of the season the Canaries sit 11th in the Barclays Premier League with an impressive haul of 25 points from 19 games.
It’s worth bearing in mind that at the same point last season the Canaries had 22 points, which just goes to show how impressive the lads have been.
After a summer of transition it was expected, from the outside, that Norwich would struggle to capture the form of last season, but all credit to Chris Hughton and his players, they have proved the doubters very wrong indeed.
Next up for Norwich tomorrow is the visit of Premier League champions Manchester City. Roberto Mancini’s men are enduring a tough time at present, coming off the back of a Boxing Day defeat at the hands of Sunderland. City have been far from at their best for the majority of the season, crashing out of the Champions League with a meagre three points and currently trailing their neighbours by seven points in domestic matters.
However, Mancini has a squad that rivals any in the world in terms of quality and depth, and it is surely only a matter of time before the likes of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and David Silva start hitting top form.
Last season’s meeting at Carrow Road was a major disappointment for the lads with the visitors running out resounding 6-1 winners, courtesy of a Carlos Tevez hat-trick on his return from an extended golfing holiday in his native Argentina.
Tevez has proved to be in much better physical condition this season and has weighed in with seven goals and 10 assists.
It will be a tough ask for the Canaries, but if they can keep up their impressive defensive record and keep Tevez and his compatriot Aguero at bay, they will have a strong chance of taking points against the Citizens.
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Supporters urged to arrive early
Published: 9:53 AM October 27, 2009 Updated: 10:54 PM October 10, 2020
Supporters are being advised to turn up early for tonight's FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay at Crown Meadow (7.45pm). A crowd of around 1,500 is expected as the Blues seek the win against Gloucester City which would earn them a trip to Conference outfit Wrexham in the first round proper.
Supporters are being advised to turn up early for tonight's FA Cup fourth qualifying round replay at Crown Meadow (7.45pm).
A crowd of around 1,500 is expected as the Blues seek the win against Gloucester City which would earn them a trip to Conference outfit Wrexham in the first round proper.
Those arriving in good time should find parking easier - and will also get a better view, according to Lowestoft secretary Terry Lynes.
“It's not easy to leave your car close to Crown Meadow because a lot of the roads have residents' only parking,” he said. “There are a number of car parks in the vicinity and the best idea is to arrive early and head for those.
“The earlier you get here the better chance you'll have of getting a place in the stand. We have around 450 seats available and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, at no extra charge.”
Admission prices this evening are �8 for adults, �6 for concessions and �3 for under-16s.
The Blues will pocket �12,500 from the competition's prize fund if they win tonight - while victory would also provide a lucrative trip to Wrexham's Racecourse Ground on Saturday week.
“That would be a great occasion for everyone connected with the club,” said Lynes. “It's a ground that has staged international matches in the past and I'm sure our supporters would travel up to Wales in good numbers if we got through.
“But the only thing on our minds right now is the match against Gloucester - they are a good side and it will be another tough game.”
Tonight's tie will produce a winner whatever happens, with extra-time and penalty kicks if necessary.
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Paul Hackman/guitar
Brent Doerner/guitar replaced by Denny Balicki (1989). Denny later changed his name to Denny Blake.
Leo Niebudek (drums) replaced by Greg “Fritz” Hinz (1982)
Mike Uzilac (bass) replaced by Daryl Gray (1984)
The Eighties started where the seventies ended off for Helix-more touring on the bar circuit from coast to coast in Canada flogging their first indie album Breaking Loose. Towards the end of the seventies Brian Doerner had been replaced by Leo Niebudek and Keith (Bert) Zurbrigg had been replaced by Mike Uzilac.
In 1981 the band released it’s second indie album White Lace & Black Leather. This album was produced by Laclan McFadden, who had produced the Canadian hit makers Harlequin. White Lace & Black Leather was not as well received by the band in Texas, but in England the band scored a Number One Import due to the song Women Whiskey & Sin written by Vollmer. The band played another tour of Texas and then returned home to begin writing their next indie album.
By 1983 the band was starting to develop a “sound” of their own. In Canada they had become one of the highest paid and most sought after bands on the circuit. The band started working with producer Tom Tremouth and the momentum and hype around them started to snowball. Due to the support of magazines such as Music Express and Meat Magazine in Canada and Sounds and Kerrang Magazine in England, the band was developing a following world-wide.
The album, which the band named No Rest for the Wicked, was now finished and the band intended to release it on their own once again. The final mix had been done by none other than Toni Bongiovi at the Power Plant in N.Y.C. William Seip (manager) and Tom Tremouth (producer) decided before the band released it they would shop it around one last time. Maybe the record companies would have a change of heart?
After showcasing for every label and nearly every one dropping out, finally it came down to two labels: Aquarius and Capitol. The band chose Capitol/E.M.I and signed with them. What ultimately changed their minds were two things: The band had changed it’s stage clothes to metal and studs from the colored cloth shirts they had previously worn, and secondly, when the record company came to see the band at the Gasworks they had blown them away with their work ethic. Dean Cameron, who was the president of Capitol Canada at the time went to bat for the band. He got Helix signed to the American label. Record company politics as they were, he thought being signed to the American label would be better for Helix than being signed to the Canadian arm of the company. Read between the lines…
The band’s first tour of the U.S. was with Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot. Eventually Helix ended up on the “Another Perfect Day Tour” with Motorhead. When that tour was finished ICM sent the band out with everyone from Heart to Michael Bolton to Marshall Krenshaw. In Europe Helix was the opening act for KISS on the lick it up tour. In Canada the band toured with The Headpins and played scattered dates with Streetheart & Kickaxe. No Rest for the Wicked was Helix’s first gold album.
Interesting to note here was that the band’s first U.S. release “Heavy Metal Love” went to heavy rotation on the just formed MTV. This had a tremendous impact on exposing the band to an American audience. The song was written about Joan Jett and is a staple of the band’s set to this day. It can also be heard on the sound track of The Trailer Park Boy’s second movie “Countdown to Liquor Day.” The second video for this album was “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even”, a song penned by Lisa DaBello and Tim Thorny.
After the success of No Rest for the Wicked and the instant jump in status from being on a major label, the band was feeling the heat to quickly follow up that record. This album was recorded at Phase I studios in Toronto. It was produced by Tom Tremouth and mixed by Rodney Mills, who was known for his work with 38 Special. Playing bass on this album was Spider Sineuve from Streetheart, who would later go on to play for Tom Cochrane and Loverboy.
The release of Walking the Razor’s Edge a year later in 1984 would catapult the band to world class status with the huge hit Rock You. The band also scored hits with Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ (the old Crazy Elephant song) and Make Me Do (Anything You Want). In the U.S. the band toured with Quiot Riot and Whitesnake, in Europe with Motorhead, and in Canada with Triumph.
Videos for this album include Rock You, Gimme Good Lovin’, and Make Me Do (Anything You Want).
The Rock You video was filmed at the old Toronto Brick Yards in Toronto. There were two versions of the song. One was for Much Music and MTV in the States, the other was for the newly formed Playboy channel. This version had all the girls topless. The record company thought it was such a good idea that they did two versions for the next video (Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’) as well…This vid was shot in Hollywood at Francis Ford Coppola’s old studio Zoetrope. It featured girls from Penthouse, Oui, and Playboy magazines plus some of the Solid Gold Dancers. Also in the video was porn star Traci Lords. During filming, the band is visited on set by Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, and Rip Taylor. They had been filming next door on the set for Pryor’s Place. Richard Pryor asked the band for a signed album to which the band readily agreed. Rip Taylor volunteers to be in the end of the video sitting on a motorcycle surrounded by all the girls.
The third video from the Walking the Razor’s Edge album is for the song Make Me Do (Anything You Want). It was filmed in Toronto and stayed on heavy rotation on Much Music for most of the year.
Long Way to Heaven was released in 1985. The album was produced once again by Tom Tremouth and recorded at Phase 1 Studios in Toronto. The first release was the song “Deep Cuts the Knife” which went to double breaker status on U.S. radio. In Canada the song stayed in Toronto’s Q107’s “Top 7 at 7” list for months. The band kicked off touring in Sweden and the band scored it’s first Number One album there. In Canada the band headlined it’s own tour across the country from coast to coast. In the U.S. the band opened for Accept with Keel also on the bill. This album produced two videos: Deep Cuts the Knife & the Kids are All Shakin’.
Wild in the Streets (1987) was the first album recorded by the band outside of Canada. For this disc the band flew to England and recorded at The Manor Studios, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. (Branson actually came to the studio several times to see how things were going-nice man) The album was produced by world famous producer Mike Stone, known for his previous work with Journey, Queen, and Whitesnake, just to mention a few. The band spent 2 months recording in the countryside recording the tracks. For the mix the band stayed another month at The Townhouse Studios in London’s Shepherd’s Bush. It was on the second last night in England that Brian would meet his future wife-to-be, Lynda Cowgill. They are married to this day.
This album produced two singles and videos for the songs Wild in the Streets and Dream On. Both songs did well for the band but the band by now had dropped back into playing the bars and their popularity was on the down swing. The band toured the U.S. through showcase bars. For the first time since signing with Capitol they did not go to Europe. In Canada they played their last headline tour. To add to the misery, long time band member Brent Doerner decided to pack it in at the end of the Wild in the Streets tour and the band lost it’s deal with Capitol/E.M.I. The album eventually was licensed to Capitol in Canada, Grudge Records in the U.S., and GWR records in Europe.
The band decided to record as a four piece, going into River Studios in Fort Erie to record. Using money they had set aside over the years, they recorded “Back for Another Taste”, their 7th disc. The first release “Running Wild in the 21st Century” went to heavy rotation on Much Music in Canada and at the Much Music video awards won for “Best Metal video of the Year”. For their live show they enlisted the guitar services of Denny Balicki, the first and only American member of the band. (Denny would later change his name to Denny Blake.) The band toured Europe with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple and did headline dates in England. In the U.S. they played small clubs. Towards the end of their tour in Europe the Canadian record company released the Tony Bongiovi re-mix of “Good to the Last Drop” to Canadian radio. It became a huge hit for the band and triggered a trans country tour.
Interesting to note on this album is that when the band toured Europe they played Hungary while it was still communist. They also played in East Berlin.
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New Plymouth Argyle supporters' bars at Home Park set for mid-August opening
The two-storey structure has been funded entirely by the Green Taverners
The new Green Taverners’ Suite and Supporters’ Bar at Home Park should be ready to open in mid-August.
There was a slight hold-up to the £1.4 million project, which is being funded entirely by the Green Taverners, but that has been resolved.
The facility will be operated by the fans’ group on a five-year lease from Plymouth Argyle.
The two-storey structure has been built in the corner of Home Park between the Barn Park End and the Mayflower Grandstand, which is also being redeveloped.
Investors in the project will receive their money back over a five to seven-year period.
The internal fit out of the new Green Taverners Suite and Supporters’ Bar is now being carried out.
This area is where the Green Taverners' FanFests will be held when all the work is finished (Image: Chris Errington)
Argyle’s head of operations Jon Back Back told Plymouth Live: “The Green Taverners have worked with GL Events UK (also the main contractors for the grandstand redevelopment) in providing a lot of it.
“They were hit with a couple of issues. The cladding company that GLE have used to good effect in the past unfortunately suffered problems.
“So that resulted in a bit of a delay and a re-ordering programme.
“There is also a quite state-of-the-art new flat roof that has gone onto it and that needed a bit more TLC than they had anticipated, so that knocked them back a few weeks.
“But I speak with (the Green Taverners’) Gary McGuire all the time and he’s confident that at the speed they are doing their fit out at the moment they are going to be able to row back some of that time.
“At the moment, we are talking about a mid-August opening for the new supporters’ bar.
“But, of course, if we could get it open for that first game of the season everybody would be delighted.”
That first home League Two game of the season is against Colchester United on Saturday, August 10.
Argyle will also host Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup first round on the week commencing August 12.
Initially, the lower floor of the new facility will be used by Argyle for their corporate hospitality until the Mayflower Grandstand is reopened late in 2019.
The upper floor will be the venue for the Green Taverners’ hugely popular FanFests on match-days.
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Innovation in the Age of Pandemics
Written by Elizabeth Larson
Pandemics are devastating. There are losses of loved ones. There are economic and societal losses.
Pandemics disrupt most aspects of our lives. But throughout the ages, pandemics have also ushered in new technology and ways of doing things. From the Plague in Athens (429 BC) to the current Covid-19 coronavirus, innovation has followed.[i] Below are examples of innovations that stemmed from two pandemics--the Black Death and the 1918 Influenza.
The 14th century plague pandemic, known as the Black Death, was actually a combination of 3 pandemics and lasted for over 100 years. It eventually wiped out about 50% of the population in Europe[ii][iii]. As devastating as this pandemic was, it also contributed to many innovations, just a couple of which are listed here.
Clocks and other time pieces. Because so much of the population was killed, manual labor became scarce and those who survived worked more. It became critical for both workers and their bosses to track the longer hours worked. As a result of this need, mechanical clocks and hourglasses, which helped workers and bosses keep better track of time, were invented.
Eyeglasses. Until the invention of eyeglasses in the 14th century (perhaps earlier on a very limited basis), much of the potential workforce could not see well, either because they were near- or far-sighted or because as they approached midlife, their eyesight worsened.[iv] With much of the population reduced by the pandemic, there was an increased need for productivity not just for those performing manual labor and the burgeoning middle classes, but also church-related workers like priests and scholars. Eyeglasses, then, significantly increased productivity by allowing more people to work longer.
1918 Influenza Pandemic
An ad for dixie cups reads: “This is the sanitary age -- the age of dixie cups… touched only by you.”[v] We might think that this ad appeared recently, reflecting our concern about the spread of Covid-19. But dixie cups were introduced in 1907, and these words were from an ad shortly thereafter. At that time, the use of paper cups was limited mainly to railway stations and trains. By the end of the next decade, however, single-use cups were ubiquitous--in theaters, hotels, retail stores, and casual restaurants. What triggered the change? There were many factors, but the 1918 flu pandemic was instrumental. Here’s why. Before paper cups, most people drank water from public water pumps or reusable community cups that were passed from person to person, along with any germs which were also spread. The 1918 pandemic raised the concern about the spread of germs and that in turn, made the need for single-use cups more attractive.
Paper cups weren’t the only innovation accelerated by the pandemic. The 1918 influenza brought many changes particularly in the field of medicine. Blood transfusions were one example. It also introduced innovations related to vaccines, such as the identification of viruses, (“very small agents).” New vaccine tools that were created at this time led to the development of vaccines from fertile chicken eggs, which according to the CDC are used today. [vi]
A discussion of pandemics would be incomplete without discussing the controversy surrounding wearing masks. Take an article, for example, which read: “A draft resolution led to a heated city council debate, with one official declaring the measure ‘autocratic and unconstitutional,’ adding that ‘under no circumstances will I be muzzled like a hydrophobic dog.’ It was voted down.” As with the paper cups, we might think that this quote was recent. Actually, it’s a quote about the “mask slackers” during the 1918 pandemic.[vii] There were, of course, arguments on both sides. On the one side were proponents. There was a massive campaign to convince citizens (mostly men and boys) to wear masks to avoid spreading the flu germs. “Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.” “Wear a mask. Stamp out the Spanish Influenza.” “Wear a mask and save your life.” But as noted above, not everyone was convinced. Some viewed masks as “feminine” or intrusive as this poster read: “The new symbol of tyranny—muzzle.” And then there’s this headline: “Three shot in struggle with mask slacker.” Regardless of the root causes of dissention, convincing populations of the importance of following a new direction has never been easy.
Lessons for business analysts and project managers.
Influencing. It’s always difficult to effectively persuade people who feel strongly about an issue to change their mind, their feelings, or their actions. But as project professionals, we are called upon to do just that. It’s never easy to get resistant stakeholders and project team members on board. Influencing, though, is part of our project life. As BAs and PMs, we need to be able to influence people over whom we have no authority. What we can learn from the mask example is that trying to use rational persuasion, that is, the use of facts, figures, data, and science alone to influence is rarely effective unless we add an emotional component as well.
Innovation. Pandemics, as devastating as they are, can be a time of great innovation. This current corona virus pandemic is a time for reexamining how to best work remotely, how to lead and interact with virtual teams, how to teach and learn effectively and safely, not just in our schools, but also in classes ad at conferences. And now’s a good time to reexamine our work, including our processes, our technology and new ways to influence and build trust.
We are living in “interesting” times, filled with disruption and uncertainty. It is this type of environment, however, that is fertile ground for change. New ideas and processes that will surface as a result of the current pandemic are sure to move us in a new direction. These changes will be more than uncomfortable for most of us. However, as business analysts and project managers we need to lead our stakeholders and project teams through these challenges. That has always been part of our job. And our organizations will look to us to help them take advantage of innovations
[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2020/03/09/why-coronavirus-will-stimulate-innovation/#6826fc7f2283
[ii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexberezow/2014/05/12/black-death-the-upside-to-the-plague-killing-half-of-europe/#35e267fb70d3. The current pandemic has already changed vaccine development, for example.
[iii] https://www.science20.com/science_20/how_bubonic_plague_made_europe_great-29378, Different articles put the number between 25 and 75% and the length of these pandemics from 4 and 120 years. I think the difference is due to the definition of the Black Death. For example, if we include just the bubonic plague, the number of years is much shorter.
[iv] https://benooirj.wixsite.com/thevisionaries/impact-of-eyeglasses
[v] https://sites.lafayette.edu/dixieexhibit/
[vi] https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/medical-innovations-1918-flu
[vii] https://theconversation.com/mask-resistance-during-a-pandemic-isnt-new-in-1918-many-americans-were-slackers-141687
Elizabeth Larson
Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM, PMI-PBA is a consultant and advisor for Watermark Learning/PMA, and has over 35 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth’s speaking history includes keynotes and presentations for national and international conferences on five continents.
Elizabeth has co-authored five books and chapters published in four additional books, as well as articles that appear regularly in BA Times and Project Times. Elizabeth was a lead author/expert reviewer on all editions of the BABOK® Guide , as well as the several of the PMI standards.
Elizabeth enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, theater, and spending time with her 6 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.
Latest from Elizabeth Larson
Failing Fast in the Age of Pandemics
The Virtual Leader Part 3 - The 3 Most Important Qualities for All Virtual Leaders
The Virtual Leader Part 2 - 3 Keys to Effective Communications
AI in the World of Pandemics
The Virtual Leader Part 1 Building Trust
How to Successfully Balance the Project Management Triangle
5 Remote Work Myths to Leave Behind in 2020
More in this category: « From the Sponsor’s Desk – The Power of Perseverance The Power of the Popsicle - Leadership and Team Motivation in Practice »
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Planet 13 Gives Back to Local Non-Profits SafeNest and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission - Donating over 50,000 Toys and Cans of Food
The World’s Largest Cannabis Superstore teams-up with Green Life Productions to provide timely holiday cheer to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and SafeNest, thanks to generous gifts from Planet 13 customers, staff and sponsored vendors
This has been an inspiring example of how the Las Vegas community pulls together in times of need. We are moved by the generosity of those who donated to our holiday toy and food drive.
LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) December 16, 2020
Planet 13, a leading vertically-integrated Nevada cannabis company is famous for doing everything bigger and that also applies to spreading hope and joy this holiday season.
Planet 13 is celebrating the holidays with a major donation of over 50,000 toys and cans of food to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and SafeNest, thanks to the generosity of customers, sponsored vendors, and staff.
Along with Planet 13 and Green Life Productions, sponsored vendors including TRENDI, ROVE, Dreamland Chocolates, Cannabella, Evergreen Organix, MOXIE, OMG THC, MEDIZIN, Nature’s Chemistry, HaHa, and LEAF & VINE gave generously.
“This has been an inspiring example of how the Las Vegas community pulls together in times of need. We are moved by the generosity of those who donated to our holiday toy and food drive,” said David Farris Planet 13 V.P. of Sales and Marketing. “We are honored to be able distribute over 50,000 donations between two remarkable community nonprofits: SafeNest and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission."
“A huge thank you to Planet 13, Green Life Productions and all their partners for including SafeNest in this donation drive,” said Liz Ortenburger, SafeNest CEO. “Special thanks to our amazing community for showing up in support of victims and supporting our mission to end the epidemic of domestic violence.”
The Las Vegas Rescue Mission campus takes up two city blocks in downtown Las Vegas, helping hundreds of men, women and their children daily, and providing approximately 30,000 meals each month. SafeNest is Nevada’s largest, most comprehensive nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic violence.
In 2021, Planet 13 will continue to bring the community together for future charitable initiatives.
About Planet 13
Planet 13 (http://www.planet13holdings.com) is a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Nevada, with award-winning cultivation, production and dispensary operations in Las Vegas - the entertainment capital of the world. Planet 13's mission is to build a recognizable global brand known for world-class dispensary operations and a creator of innovative cannabis products. Planet 13's common shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol PLTH and on the OTCQX under the symbol PLNHF.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking-statements relate to, among other things, future expansion plans.
These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: final regulatory and other approvals or consents; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the Nevada cannabis market and changing consumer habits; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in the State of Nevada; and employee relations. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational and medicinal cannabis marketplace in the United States through its subsidiary MMDC. Local state laws where MMDC operates permit such activities however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. Additional information regarding this and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business are contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated April 30, 2019 filed on its issuer profile on SEDAR at Sedar.com.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
Colin Trethewey
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Home » Blogs » Outdoors » A Tough Call
A Tough Call
Tue, August 18th, 2015
I am driving along I-15, responding to a Utah County Search and Rescue call. The text went out to the team around noon. "S:Nebo Loop Fall. Respond to the Monument on Nebo Loop with ATVs for a male who fell 600 ft." It took me a moment to realize that this isn't going to be a rescue. Every call I've been on so far has been about helping someone who got into a jam, and they've all been treatable. This one is going to be different.
I live near the University of Utah and I know it will take me almost two hours to get there. As I'm driving down, my radio is tuned to KUER. I'm an NPR junkie and To the Best of Our Knowledge is on. Ironically, the topic is, "Being with Death." It is fascinating, but I turn it off. I have a more pressing radio signal to listen to. I crank up the scanner volume to find out what is happening on the call.
It sounds like a Life Flight helicopter is on standby in case once they locate the victim, there's a possibility of hoisting him out. The state helicopter is called. The Utah Department of Public Safety has an Aero Bureau, and they are often active in Search and Rescue operations. They also do one skid hover "landings" — a crazy maneuver where they put one skid of the copter down on a rock ledge, but don't land completely. It's useful in cliff areas, but not all helicopter agencies allow it.
Utah Dept of Public Safety helicopter drops off rescuer Toby Norton. Photo courtesy of Brian Irving.
I hear the Search and Rescue members checking in. Everyone has a specific number. You won't hear someone saying, "John Smith" on the radio, but if you know that 703 is "John," you know who's up there. Toby Norton is up on the mountain, along with Brian Irving; they're with the reporting party. In this case, it's the victim's two friends. The three were hiking Mount Nebo to train for an upcoming Mount Rainier climb, but while crossing a saddle between peaks, one of the men slipped. His friends tried to revive him, but his injuries were too severe. Brian and Toby stay with the friends until the helicopter can get them to safety. Now the mission focuses on retrieving the victim, who is more than 1500 feet down a steep ravine.
Early on, in researching this project, I was shocked by how many body recoveries SAR volunteers have to do. They deal with it by focusing on reuniting a missing person with their loved one, by giving somebody closure, by focusing on the survivors, and providing a service. The victim's name is released later that afternoon. Greg Bronder, 40, of Tooele, Utah. Husband, father, avid climber, and volunteer firefighter.
I wonder how the first year volunteers are handling this death — the first one on their watch. Matt Paskett doesn't make it onto the mountain for the rescue. He ends up on standby at the command post, a small parking spot by the side of the road. Once the helicopter has brought down Greg's body, Matt helps the Medical Examiner do her job, gently maneuvering the body so she can take photographs, a typical procedure for her, but a profound experience for Matt. Later that day I catch up with him; he is still trying to process the whole event. By cradling Greg's head, and helping the examination along, he feels like he was contributing, but is is difficult. He wonders what his dreams will be that evening, if he'll have nightmares. I hope he sleeps soundly, knowing that he helped.
Four and a half hours after the call comes in, Search and Rescue packs up. Toby rushes home to catch his son's football game — wanting to be there for his kid. Other rescuers head back to celebrate birthdays. Family is important. I imagine Greg would have approved. His last Facebook Post is telling:
"I do not post very much, but just wanted to say that I am so thankful to God for my beautiful children, very understanding and patient wife, amazing friends, and great family. I am truly blessed in this life and so thankful. Thank you to all."
Greg Bronder, July 15. Salt Lake City. UT
Photo courtesy of Toby Norton
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Putting Peace First: 7 Commitments to Change the World
Amazon Hot New Release. Order here.
Amazon Hot New Release!
An inspiring and interactive handbook to empower young people to drive change in their communities.
As an 18-year old, Eric Dawson, co-founded Peace First with a simple idea: If we are going to solve the world’s greatest injustices — end violence, protect our environment, raise graduation rates, ensure everyone has food to eat and a place to sleep — the single most powerful thing we must do is prepare a generation of young people with the skills and commitments to solve problems by connecting across lines of difference with compassion, standing up for ideals and others with courage, and creating change through collaborative leadership.
Powerful. Practical. Motivating.
Upcoming Tour Dates
To celebrate the release of Putting Peace First, Eric Dawson is traveling to cities across the country to share the book and his story. See if he’s coming to your city:
August 27, 28……………………………..Columbus, OH
September 11, 12…….……………………....Denver, CO
September 16………..…………………....New York, NY
September 20…….……………………….....Boston, MA
September 23.................................New York, NY
October 2…………………………………………..Austin, TX
October 10…………..……………………...New York, NY
October 11, 12…………………………………..Chicago, IL
October 21.............................................Irvine, CA
October 22..……………………………....Culver City, CA
October 24……………………………San Francisco, CA
October 25, 26….………………............Palo Alto, CA
October 28, 29..……………………….…..Portland, OR
October 30...….…………………………..….Seattle, WA
November 27.......…..……………....Washington, DC
November 29.............................Washington, DC
Don’t see your city? Sign up to host an event for the Putting Peace First book tour in your city, here.
“Every journey begins with the first step. For those of us who are too tired, too busy, too overwhelmed to think we can have any effect on influencing outcomes on achieving peace, Eric Dawson gives us seven steps to begin that hardest journey. Let us try.”
“In a culture where the capacity to integrate social and emotional skills and behaviors to deal with daily challenges is critical, Dawson’s message resonates.”
Karen Niemi
President and CEO of CASEL
“Young people can use the lessons in this important book to better understand how they can stand up for mighty ideas and for others.”
John B. King Jr.
Former US Secretary of Education; president and CEO of The Education Trust
“Putting Peace First is an amazing resource for kids who want to change the world now, and also for parents and educators who feel the imperative to ensure that today’s students are growing as leaders who can share a better future for themselves and all of us.”
Wendy Kopp
Founder of Teach for America and CEO and co-founder of Teach For All
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Medio Oriente > Libano
Nessuna tregua per il Libano
Il primo ministro Ehud Olmert ha dichiarato che malgrado
l'interruzione per quarant'otto ore delle incursioni
dell'aviazione israeliana in Libano "non c'è cessate il fuoco.". La sospensione delle attività aeree è stata annunciata dopo che il bombardamento di un edificio nella città libanese di Cana ha causato la morte di 56 persone tra cui 37 bambini. L'aviazione ha ricevuto l'ordine di continuare le operazioni "contro bersagli che rappresentano una minaccia per Israele e le sue truppe, compresi lanciarazzi, veicoli per il trasporto di munizioni, guerriglieri Hezbollah,
depositi di armi e proprietà di Hezbollah".
Ze'ev Schiff, Amos Harel e Aluf Benn
Fonte: Haaretz
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday evening that there would be no cease-fire in the coming days, despite a 48-hour halt in Israel Air Force activity in Lebanon.
"Israel is continuing to fight," Olmert said in an address to the nation from Tel Aviv. He said the offensive in southern Lebanon would end when the rockets fired by Hezbollah cease and the two Israel Defense Forces soldiers abducted on July 12 are returned.
Israel had had no choice but to begin its attacks on Hezbollah after the guerrillas carried out their cross-border attack, in which eight other soldiers were killed, he said.
He said that Israeli forces continued fighting in the air, from the sea and on the ground in Lebanon.
"We could not let the terror organization on our border get stronger, let them get more missiles," he said. "If we had held off, the day would have arrived soon when they would have caused unprecedented damage."
Israelis would not give up the right to life a quiet simple life like other nations, he said.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset on Monday afternoon that Israel must not agree to an immediate cease-fire, and that the military would expand and strengthen its attacks against Hezbollah.
The suspension of aerial activity was announced in the wake of an IAF strike on a building in southern Lebanon killed 56 people, among them 37 children.
A senior government source said earlier Monday that the IAF had been told to continue acting against "targets that present a threat to Israel and its troops, including rocket launchers, vehicles transporting ammunition, Hezbollah fighters, weapons stores and Hezbollah assets."
The term "Hezbollah assets" refers to people identified with the organization, including those who do not pose an immediate threat. "If they are identified with Hassan Nasrallah, we will hit them," the source said.
Regarding the instructions to the IAF, the source said, however, "there will be no attacks on buildings that had not been identified" as part of efforts to strike Israel, and held, for example, ammunition, Hezbollah fighters or their commanders."
"We cannot agree to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon because then we will find ourselves in a few months in a similar situation," Peretz told a heated parliamentary debate during which four Israeli Arab lawmakers were escorted out for heckling. One Knesset member called Peretz a murderer.
"We have to finish the operation, and I will do it," he said. "The army will expand and deepen its actions against
Hezbollah."
He expressed regret over the deaths of civilians in an IAF strike in Qana on Sunday, and said that the army would investigate.
"When Hezbollah kill civilians in Haifa, they see it as an operational success, but when we harm civilians, it's a failure," he said. "I am sorry for what happened in Qana village, and we won't hesitate to investigate any operation we carry out, [but] we aren't doing it to look good in anyone else's eyes."
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking after the 48-hour suspension took effect earlier Monday, said she believed a cease-fire to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be forged this week.
"This morning, as I head back to Washington, I take with me an emerging consensus on what is necessary for both an urgent cease-fire and lasting settlement. I am convinced we can achieve both this week," she told reporters in Jerusalem.
The Israeli suspension of air strikes in Lebanon began early in the day and covers the entire country, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said.
Nevertheless, IDF ground operations will continue as before, with the intention of completing the demolition of Hezbollah positions along the border by Thursday.
The suspension of IAF activity was first suggested in a meeting Sunday between Rice and Olmert, during which the secretary of state asked that Israel open a 24-hour "corridor" for residents to leave south Lebanon, effective immediately.
After hearing Olmert's explanations for the attack at Qana, Rice asked the prime minister what steps would be taken to prevent such an incident from happening again, in order to avoid having an impact on the war effort. Rice said that when such incidents occurred in Iraq, the operations were suspended until the completion of an investigation.
Following the meeting, the offices of the prime minister and defense minister decided to limit the aerial activity until the completion of the investigation. The announcement was supposed to have been made by the Israeli military, but due to a misunderstanding, it actually came from the American side.
Israel was also to coordinate with the United Nations to allow a 24-hour window for residents of southern Lebanon to leave the area if they wish, U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told a briefing in Jerusalem.
Rice won the 48-hour suspension from Israel following the Qana attack, which sparked an international outcry.
"I have been deeply grieved by the tragic losses we have witnessed, especially the deaths of children, Lebanese and Israelis. Too many families have been displaced from their homes. Too many people urgently need medical care or are living in shelters," she said Sunday.
Israel also agreed to allow a 24-hour window for residents of southern Lebanon to leave the area if they wish. Rice said she hoped this could be extended.
Rice told reporters in Jerusalem that she would call for a UN resolution this week on the cease-fire and also the establishment of an international stabilisation force for Lebanon, which she said she hoped
could be deployed as soon as possible after the UN resolution.
"There is broad agreement that armed groups must be prohibited in areas where the international force is deployed," she said, adding an arms embargo must be enforced.
The pause in overflights began at 2 A.M. Monday (23:00 GMT Sunday) and will last for 48 hours, the IDF spokesman said. An attack on a main highway near Lebanon's border with Syria occurred about two hours before the start of the suspension of air strikes, the IDF said.
Israel reserves the right during the suspension to attack any militants who pose an immediate threat to Israel, like those preparing to launch rockets against Israel or transporting rockets that they are preparing to fire, the IDF said.
Ramon: War is not about to end
Just prior to Rice's press conference, Justice Minister Haim Ramon said the 48-hour suspension of air strikes did not mean the war was about to end but should lift some pressure on Israel.
Ramon told Army Radio: "This [suspension] decision will allow us to continue the war over time and it will take off some of the political pressure, so I am sure this is the right decision for now. It is not stopping the war.
"If it ends today it means a victory for Hezbollah... and for world terror, with far-reaching consequences. Therefore this war is not about to end, not today and not tomorrow," he said.
Parole chiave: libano
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Subscribe to 501(c)(4)
New Jersey Donor Disclosure Rules for 501(c)(4)s and 527s Enjoined
By Lawrence H. Norton, Ronald M. Jacobs, Janice M. Ryan, James E. Tyrrell, III, Lindsay M. Nathan & Ashleigh A. Allione on October 7, 2019
Posted in 501(c)(4), Campaign Finance, Disclosure, State
On October 2, 2019, a federal judge blocked the State of New Jersey from implementing and enforcing new campaign finance reporting and donor disclosure rules for 501(c)(4) and 527 organizations, which were enacted earlier this year as part of a sweeping and controversial campaign finance bill, S. 150. In its ruling, the Court found…
New York Nonprofit Donor Disclosure Rules Struck Down
By Lawrence H. Norton, Ronald M. Jacobs, Janice M. Ryan, Lindsay M. Nathan, James E. Tyrrell, III & Ashleigh A. Allione on October 2, 2019
Posted in 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), Disclosure, State
A federal judge this week struck down on First Amendment grounds two provisions of New York’s lobbying law that would have required nonprofits to disclose their donors.
In 2016, New York state legislators passed legislation changing the state’s lobbying and campaign finance laws. Two important provisions dramatically expanded donor disclosure requirements for 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations engaged in issue advocacy and lobbying in New York:
501(c)(4) Rules: The law required 501(c)(4) organizations to disclose all of their donors in public filings with the state when they spend over $10,000 in a calendar year on communications to at least 500 members of the public concerning the position of any elected official on potential or pending legislation.
501(c)(3) Rules: The law also required 501(c)(3) charitable organizations to disclose donors of $2,500 or more if the charitable organization made an in-kind donation of more than $2,500 to a Section 501(c)(4) organization engaged in lobbying in New York.
Continue Reading New York Nonprofit Donor Disclosure Rules Struck Down
Donor Disclosure Rules for Nonprofit Tax Returns Overturned by Federal Court
By Cynthia (Cindy) M. Lewin & Lawrence H. Norton on August 1, 2019
Posted in 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), Contributions, Disclosure, Nonprofits
A federal judge on July 30, 2019 overturned an IRS ruling, issued almost exactly a year ago, that allowed many nonprofits to stop disclosing their donors on their annual tax returns.
In Revenue Procedure 2018-38 (July 16, 2018), the IRS allowed social welfare organizations under section 501(c)(4), professional and trade associations under section 501(c)(6), and many other types of organizations required to file a Form 990 series return, to cease disclosing their large donors ($5,000 or more) on Schedule B of the Form 990. The major exceptions were section 501(c)(3) organizations and section 527 political organizations, both of which are subject to statutory requirements for donor disclosure that the IRS could not waive. Those IRS rules are described in more detail here.
Even though the names of donors disclosed on Schedule B of the Form 990 were not made available to the public, only to the IRS, many commentators viewed the new rules as facilitating “dark money” in politics. The state of Montana, joined by the state of New Jersey, brought a lawsuit alleging that the IRS could not simply waive the donor disclosure requirements, which were established by IRS regulation, without providing an opportunity for public comment in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
Continue Reading Donor Disclosure Rules for Nonprofit Tax Returns Overturned by Federal Court
U.S. Supreme Court Allows Expanded Donor Disclosure Rules to Take Effect
By Lawrence H. Norton, Janice M. Ryan & Sean Wright on September 20, 2018
Posted in 501(c)(4), Disclosure, FEC, Super PACs
The U.S. Supreme Court this week left in place a lower court ruling that expands donor disclosure for advocacy groups that fund independent expenditures. While the full effect of the ruling may not be known for some time, groups in the throes of an election season suddenly have to reconsider their electoral spending plans and fundraising practices, and donors to politically active 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations or 501(c)(6) business leagues have to account for an increased risk that their donations will be publicly disclosed.
What Does the Ruling Do?
Groups that are not registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as campaign committees, party committees, or PACs are nonetheless required to file reports if they make an expenditure of more than $250 that expressly supports or opposes a federal candidate. These “independent expenditure” reports must itemize disbursements to each vendor involved in the creation and distribution of an ad (or other public communication), and identify the election involved and whether the organization supports or opposes the featured candidate.
In addition, a long-standing FEC rule requires that these reports identify donors who gave more than $200 to the organization in the calendar year for the purpose of funding the particular ad that is being reported. As a practical matter, donors seldom know that their funds will be used to pay for a specific ad, and thus donors have rarely been disclosed.
The district court struck down the FEC donor-disclosure rule, concluding that it applied the statutory disclosure requirement too narrowly. The court concluded that independent expenditure reports filed by groups that are not registered political committees must identify all donors who (1) give to the organization for the purpose of influencing a federal election, or (2) give for the purpose of funding the group’s independent expenditures, whether tied to a specific ad or not. The court stressed, however, that contributors to an organization’s “general programs” need not be identified.
The court deferred the effective date of the ruling for 45 days, giving the FEC time to adopt a new donor disclosure rule. That period came and went with no new rule or interpretive guidance. Crossroads GPS, which intervened in the case, has appealed the ruling to the D.C. Circuit.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Allows Expanded Donor Disclosure Rules to Take Effect
Massachusetts Cracks Down on Dark Money: Obtains Big Penalty from Advocacy Group and Unmasks Donors
By Lawrence H. Norton & Lyndsay E. Steinmetz on September 28, 2017
Posted in 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), Campaign Finance, Compliance, Contributions, Dark Money, State
The rise of politically-active nonprofits – deemed “dark money” groups by their critics – has been a hot-button issue in the last few election cycles. Election laws generally do not require groups operating under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, commonly referred to as social welfare organizations, to register as political committees or disclose their…
Trump Asks IRS to Keep Hands Off Religious Nonprofits: Will It Have Any Effect?
By Lawrence H. Norton, William Powers & Carrie Siegrist on May 9, 2017
Posted in 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), Charities, Electioneering Communications, Nonprofits
At the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year, President Trump vowed: “I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment.” The Johnson Amendment, named after former President Lyndon Johnson, refers to language in the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) that prohibits charities, including religious organizations, from participating in campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate for public office.
The president took official action on May 4 through an Executive Order, titled “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty,” that exhorts federal agencies to respect and protect “religious and political speech.” However, notwithstanding the controversy surrounding the announcement, including one organization’s threat to file a lawsuit the same day, the Order will have little practical effect, and the threat of a lawsuit was withdrawn.
Continue Reading Trump Asks IRS to Keep Hands Off Religious Nonprofits: Will It Have Any Effect?
The FEC Levels Fines on Nonprofits over Donor Disclosure
By Lawrence H. Norton, Ronald M. Jacobs & Cristina I. Vessels on July 19, 2016
Posted in 501(c)(4), Contributions, Disclosure, FEC, Nonprofits
The question of when a politically-active, nonprofit 501(c)(4) group must publicly disclose its donors has been on the front burner in various states—most, like New York and California, have called for greater regulation, while others like Arizona have loosened the reins. At the federal level, silence has been the norm because the statute is generally read as only requiring disclosure by a 501(c)(4) (or other nonprofit such as a 501(c)(6)) if a donor contributes for the purposes of funding a particular ad. The FEC has consistently deadlocked on complaints alleging either that a donor gave for the purpose of supporting an ad or that a 501(c)(4) should be treated as a political committee and disclose all of its donors.
Last week, however, details were released from an FEC enforcement matter that met this stringent test and, as a result, the Commission levied fines totaling $233,000 against three nonprofit groups for failing to identify donors behind specific advertisements. These three settlement agreements, released as a group, provide significant guidance to nonprofit 501(c)(4)s and other actors as to what type of conduct will trigger donor disclosure at the federal level.
Continue Reading The FEC Levels Fines on Nonprofits over Donor Disclosure
New Mandatory IRS Notification Process for 501(c)(4) Nonprofit Organizations Finally Announced
By Lawrence H. Norton, Ronald M. Jacobs, George E. Constantine, Margaret Rohlfing, Lindsey Avedisian & Matthew Journy on July 15, 2016
Posted in 501(c)(4), Nonprofits, Tax-Exempt Status
A substantial number of organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code (Code) § 501(c)(4), and their individual officers and directors, may be subject to financial penalties if they do not file a Form 8976, Notice of Intent to Operate Under Section 501(c)(4), with the Internal Revenue Service (Service or IRS) on or before September 6, 2016.
On July 8, 2016 the IRS released a revenue procedure for implementing new statutory requirements for certain organizations that operate under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. This requirement comes on the heels of the December 2015 enactment of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015.
The recently released Revenue Procedure 2016-41 contains temporary regulations implementing the 501(c)(4) provisions of the PATH Act and describes the new Form 8976 and the related rules for filing it.
Continue Reading New Mandatory IRS Notification Process for 501(c)(4) Nonprofit Organizations Finally Announced
2016 Election: New Rules for Nonprofits in Arizona
By William Powers on June 14, 2016
Posted in 501(c)(4), Campaign Finance, Nonprofits, Tax-Exempt Status
By U.S. Government [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
For the rest of the 2016 election season, nonprofits in Arizona can be politically active without registering as a political committee. As long as they meet basic qualifications, nonprofits can run candidate ads, support ballot measures, and even make contributions, all without the burdens of registration, ongoing reports, and disclosure of donors.
Arizona concluded its 2016 legislative session in May with the passage of an important campaign finance law, House Bill 2296. This bill mirrors one passed earlier in the session, Senate Bill 1516. Both bills exempt certain nonprofit organizations from Arizona’s definition of a political committee, but SB 1516 would have only taken effect starting in 2017. HB 2296, on the other hand, makes these rules effective in time for the 2016 election. As of June 1, 2016, nonprofits active in Arizona elections will not have to register as a political committee and will be free from the regulatory obligations that come with being a political committee.
Continue Reading 2016 Election: New Rules for Nonprofits in Arizona
Too Close for Comfort? The IRS Gives New Guidance on 501(c)(3)s and Working with Candidates
By Margaret Rohlfing on June 22, 2015
Although it appears that rules governing the political activities of 501(c)(4) organizations will be some time in coming, the IRS recently provided some new insights into how 501(c)(3) organizations can – and cannot – interact with the political world. In an adverse determination publicly released earlier this month, the IRS looked closely at how a 501(c)(3) organization can engage in educational activities, like conventions and conferences, that involve candidates who may identify with a particular political party.
In general, organizations recognized as exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code cannot engage in what is called “political campaign intervention.” This requirement is absolute: as a condition of getting (c)(3) status, organizations essentially cannot be too politically partisan in nature. For tax purposes, political campaign intervention includes any communications or activities that support or oppose one or more candidates for public office. This includes the more clear-cut activities, like running an ad opposing a candidate or making endorsements in a particular race. But it also can include other activities where the organization uses its resources to give one candidate an advantage over another.
In this determination, the IRS addressed one of these less obvious situations. Here, the organization applying for recognition as a 501(c)(3) told the IRS it planned to hold symposiums of “thinkers, statesmen and opinion leaders” as its primary activity. The organization anticipated that elected politicians, as well as candidates in the 2012 presidential race about to compete in a key primary, would be in attendance and would be speakers. An agenda for the symposium submitted by the organization to the IRS showed that all political speakers invited were affiliated with one particular party; it also included a “Meet the Candidates” event, for attendees paying an additional fee.
In planning its symposium, the organization also internally discussed using contacts within the political party to get speakers and to increase attendance, targeting county party groups for attendees, coordinating with local college and high school groups associated with the party for events, and keeping the state party chair up to date and involved in decisions. …
Continue Reading Too Close for Comfort? The IRS Gives New Guidance on 501(c)(3)s and Working with Candidates
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Rivonia trial: Nelson Mandela's statement from the dock
Nelson Mandela |
Full court transcript of Accused No. 1's speech on 20th April 1964
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA.
(TRANSVAAL PROVINCIAL DIVISION)
Before: The Honourable Mr, Justice DE WET.
In the matter of THE STATE vs. NELSON MANDELA and OTHERS.
20th APRIL 1964.
ON RESUMING AT 10 a.m.
MR. FISCHER ADDRESSES THE COURT:
May it please your lordship. My lord, your lordship will have realised, from the cross-examination of the State witnesses, that there are certain important parts of the State evidence which will be admitted by some of the accused. Your lordship will also have realised, from the cross-examination, that there are certain equally important parts of that evidence which will be denied, and which we shall maintain are false.
I wish to mention some of the more important issues some of the more important allegations of the State which will be placed in issue, and which I think ought properly to be stated by the defence, before it leak its evidence.
Amongst the matters which will be placed in issue are the following: first, that accused Nos. 1 to 7 were all members of the National High Command of Umkonto we Sizwe, The defence evidence will show that accused Nos. 3, 5 # 6 and 7 were not members of the High Command of Umkonto, or members of Umkonto at all. The defence evidence will also explain what the relationship was between accused Nos.
1, 2 and 4, and Umkonto, and the High Command of Umkonto, It will .also show what the relationship was between accused - 2 - MR. FISCHER’S ADDRESS l\lo. 3 and Umkonto, and between accused No. 9 and Umkonto and accused No, 10 and the African National Congress.
Secondly, my lord, the issue will be the allegation by the crown that Umkonto was a section of the ANC, to use the phrase so frequently used by the State, the military wing of the African National Congress. Here the defence will seek to show that the leaders both of Umkonto and of the African National Congress, for sound valid reasons, which will be explained to your lordship, endeavoured to keep these two organisations entirely distinct. They did not always succeed in this, for reasons which will also be explained but we will suggest that the object of keeping the two organisations separate was always kept in mind, and every effort was made to achieve that object.
Thirdly, my lord, that the A.N.C. was a tool of the Communist Party, and that the aims and objects of the ANC, were the aims and objects of the Communist Party, Your lordship will remember that great point was made of this in the State 's opening. The defence evidence will deny this emphatically, my lord. It will show that the African National Congress is a broad national movement embracing all classes of Africans within its ranks, and having the aim of achieving equal Political rights for all South Africans. The evidence will show further that it welcomes not only the support which it received from the Communist Party, but also the support which it receives from many other quarters. Now on this point the evidence will show how Umkonto we Sizwe was formed, and that it was formed in order to undertake sabotage only when it was considered that no other method remained for the achievement of Political rights.
Finally, on this point, my lord the evidence will deny the allegation made in the State's case that Umkonto,- the African National Congress, relied, in order to obtain support, upon what was referred to as being the alleged' hardships suffered by people. All this will be relevant, particularly, to the fourth point, and that is this, the fourth issue:
That Umkonto had adopted a military plan called Operation Mayibuye and intended to embark upon guerrilla warfare during 1963, or had decided to embark upon guerrilla warfare,
BY THE COURT: Will that be denied?
MR. FISCHER: That will be denied. Here the evidence will show that while preparations for guerrilla warfare were being made from as early as 1962, no plan was ever adopted, and the evidence will show why it was hoped throughout that such a step could be avoided.
In regard particularly to the last issue, the Court will be asked to have regard to the motives, the character and political background of the men in charge of Umkonto we Sizwe and its operations. In other words, to have regard, amongst other things, to the tradition of non-violence of the African National Congress, to have regard to the reasons which led these men to resort to sabotage in an effort to achieve their political objectives and why, in the light of these facts, they are to be believed when they say why Operation Mayibuye had not been adopted, and that they would not have adopted it while there was some chance, however remote of having their objectives achieved by the combination of mass political struggle and sabotage.
MR. FISCHER: The defence case will commence with a statement from the dock by Accused No. 1, who personally took part in the. establishment of Umkonto, and who will be able to inform the Court of the beginnings of that organisation, and of its history up to August, when he was arrested.
(DR, YUTAR points out that the accused should be apprised of the fact that a statement from the dock does not carry the same weight as evidence under oath, although he is sure that he knows this already.)
STATEMENT FROM THE DOCK OF NELSON MANDELA, ACCUSED NO. 1
My lord, I am the first accused, I hold a Bachelors Degree in Arts, and practised as an attorney in Johannesburg for a number of years, in partnership with Mr, Oliver Tambo, a co-conspirator in this case. I am a convicted prisoner, serving five years for leaving the country without a permit, and for inciting people to go on strike at the end of May 1961.
I admit immediately that I was one of the persons who helped to form Umkonto we Sizwe, and that I played a prominent role in its affairs until I was arrested in August 1962. In the statement which I am about to make, I shall correct certain false impressions which have been created by State witnesses - amongst other things I will demonstrate that certain of the acts referred to in the evidence were not, and could not, have been committed by Umkonto. I will also deal with the relationship between the African National Congress and Umkonto and with the part which I personally have played in the affairs of both organisations. I shall deal also with the part played by the Communist Party. In order to explain these matters properly, I will have to explain what Umkonto set out to achieve; what methods it prescribed for the achievement of these objects, and why these methods were chosen. I will also have to explain how Icame involved in the activities of these organisations.
At the outset, I want to say that the suggestion made by the State in its opening that the struggle in South Africa is under the influence of foreigners or communists is wholly incorrect, I have done whatever I did, both as an individual and as a leader of my people, because of my experience in South Africa, and my own proudly-felt African background, and not because of what any outsider might have said.
In my youth in the Transkei I listened to the elders of my tribe telling stories of the old days. Amongst the tales they related to me were those of wars fought by our ancestors in defence of the fatherland. The names of Dingane and Bambata, Hintsa and Makana, Squngathi and Da la sile, Moshoeshoe and Sekukhuni, were praised as the pride and the glory of the entire African nation, I hoped then that life might offer me the opportunity to serve my people and make my own humble contribution to their -freedom struggle. This is what has motivated me in all that I have done in relation to the charges made against me in this case.
Having said this, I must deal immediately and at some length with the question of sabotage. Some of the things so far told to the Court are true and some are untrue, I do not however, deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love for violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation and oppression of my people by the Whites.
I deny that Umkonto was responsible for a number of acts which clearly fell outside the policy of the organisation, but which have been charged in the indictment against us. I do not know what justification there was for these acts, or who committed them, but to demonstrate that 1 they could not have been authorised or committed by Umkonto, I want to refer briefly to the roots and policy of the organisation, I have already mentioned that I was one of the persons who helped to form Umkonto. I, and the others who started the organisation, did so for two reasons.
Firstly, we believed that as a result of Government policy, violence by the African people had become inevitable, and that unless responsible leadership was given to canalise and control the feelings of our people, there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce an intensity of bitterness and hostility between the various races of this country which is not produced even by war. Secondly we felt that without sabotage there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle against the principle of white supremacy. All lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation and we were placed in a position in which we had either to accept a permanent state of inferiority, or to defy the Government. We chose to defy the Government. ;
We first broke the law in a way which avoided any recourse to violence; when this form was legislated against, and when the Government resorted to a show of force to crush opposition to its poliicies, only then did we decide to answer violence with violence.
But the violence which we chose to adopt was not terrorism. We who formed Umkonto were all members of the African National Congress, and had behind us the A.N.C. tradition of non-violence and negotiation as a means of solving political disputes. We believed that South Africa belonged to all the people who lived in it, and not to one group, be it Black or White. We did not want an inter-racial war, and tried to avoid it to the last minute.
If the Court is in doubt about this, it will be seen that the whole history of our organisation bears out what I have said, and what I will subsequently say, when I describe the tactics which Umkonto decided to adopt. I want, therefore, to say something about the African National Congress.
The African National Congress was formed in 1912 to defend the rights of the African people which had been seriously curtailed by the South Africa Act, and which was then being threatened by the Native Land Act. For 37 years - that is until 1949 - it adhered strictly to a constitutional struggle. It put forward demands and resolutions; it sent delegations to the Government in the belief that African grievances could be settled through peaceful discussion and that Africans could advance gradually to full political rights. But white Governments remained unmoved, and the rights of Africans became less instead of becoming greater.
In the words of my leader, Chief Lutuli, who became President of the A.N.C. in 1952, and who was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, (I quote):
"Who will deny that thirty years of my life have been spent knocking in vain, patiently, moderately and modestly at a closed and barred door? What have been the fruits of moderation? The past thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws restricting our rights and progress, until today we have reached a stage where we have almost no rights at all".
Even after 1949 the A.N.C. remained determined to avoid violence. At this time, however, there was a change from the strictly constitutional means of protest which had been employed in the past. The change was embodied in a decision which was taken to protest against apartheid legislation by peaceful, but unlawful, demonstrations against certain laws.
Pursuant to this policy the A.N.C, launched the Defiance Campaign, in which I was placed in charge of volunteers. This campaign was based on the principles of passive resistance. More than 8,500 people defied apartheid laws and went to gaol. Yet there was not a single instance of violence in the course of this campaign on the part of any defier. I, and nineteen colleague were convicted for the role which we played in organizing the campaign, and this conviction was under the Suppression of Communism Act although our campaign had nothing to do with communism, but our sentences were suspended, mainly because the Judge found that discipline and non-violence had been stressed throughout.
This was the time when the volunteer section of the A.N.C. was established, and when the word "Amadelakufa" was first used: this was the time when the volunteers were asked to take a pledge to uphold certain principles. Evidence dealing with volunteers and their pledges has been introduced into this case, but completely out of context.
The volunteers were not, and are not, the soldiers of a Black Army pledged to fight a civil war against the Whites. They were, .and are, the dedicated workers who are prepared to lead campaigns initiated by the A.N.C, to distribute leaflets; to organise strikes, or to do whatever the particular campaign required. They are called volunteers because they volunteer to face the penalties of imprisonment and whipping which are now prescribed by the legislature for such acts.
During the Defiance Campaign, the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed. These statutes provided harsher penalties for offences committed by way of protests against laws. Despite this, the protests continued and the A .N.C. adhered to its policy of non-violence. In 1956, 156 leading members of the Congress Alliance, including myself, were arrested on a charge of High Treason and charges under the Suppression of Communism Act, The non-violent policy of the A.N.C. was put in issue by the State, but when the Court gave judgment some five years later, it found that the A .N.C. did not have a policy of violence.
We were acquitted on all counts, which included a count that the A.N.C. sought to set up a Communist State in place of the existing regime. The Government have always sought to label all its opponents as communists. This allegation has been repeated in the present case, but as I will show, the A.N.C. is not, and never has been, a communist organisation.
In I960 there was the shooting at Sharpville, which resulted in the proclamation of a State of Emergency and the declaration of the A.N.C. as an unlawful organisation.
My colleagues and I, after careful consideration, decided that' we would not obey this decree. The African people were not part of the Government, and did not make the laws by which they were governed. We believed in the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that "the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the Government," and for us to accept the banning was equivalent to accepting the silencing of the Africans for all time.
The A .N.C. refused to dissolve, but instead went underground. We believed it was our duty to preserve this organisation which had been built up with almost fifty years of unremitting toil. I have no doubt that no self-respecting White political organisation would disband itself if declared illegal by a Government in which it had no say.
I now want to deal, my lord, with evidence which misrepresents the true position in this case. In some of the evidence the M. Plan has been completely misrepresented.
It was nothing more than a method of organising planned in 1953, and put into operation with varying degrees of success thereafter. After April 1960, new methods had to be devised, for instance, by relying on smaller Committees. The M. Plan was referred to in evidence at the Treason Trial, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with sabotage or Umkonto We Sizwe, and was never adopted by Umkonto.
The confusion, particularly by certain witnesses from the Eastern Cape is, I think, due to the use of the words or the phrase "High Command," This term was coined in Port Elizabeth during the Emergency, when most of the A.N.C. leaders were gaoled, and a Gaol Committee set up to deal with complaints, was called the High Command. After the Emergency this phrase stuck, and was used to describe certain of the A.N.C. Committees in that area. Thus we have had witnesses talking about the West Bank High Command, and the Port Elizabeth High Command.
These so-called "High Commands" came into existence before Umkonto was formed, and were not concerned in any way with sabotage. In fact, I will subsequently explain, Umkonto, as an organisation, was, as far as possible, kept separate from the A .N.C. This explains, my lord, vfriy persons like Bennet Mashiyane and Reginald Ndube heard nothing about sabotage at the meetings they attended. But, as has been mentioned by Zizi Njikelane, the use of the phrase "High Command" caused some dissension in A.N.C. circles in the Eastern Province. I travelled there in 1961, because it was alleged that some of these so-called High Commands were using duress in order to enforce the new Plan. I did not find evidence of this but nevertheless forbade it, and also insisted that the term "High Command" should not be used to describe any A.N.C. Committee.
My visit and tie discussions which took place have been described by Zizi Njikelane, and I admit his evidence in so far as it relates to me. Although it does not seem to have much relevance, I deny that I was taken to the meeting by the taxi driver John Tshingane, and I also deny that I went to the sea with him.
My lord, I would like now to deal with the immediate causes leading to the formation of Umkonto. In I960 the Government held a Referendum which led to the establishment of a Republic. Africans, who constituted approximately 70% of the population of South Africa, were not entitled to vote, and were not even consulted about the proposed constitutional change. All of us were apprehensive about our future under the proposed White Republic, and a resolution was taken to hold an All-In African Conference to call for a National Convention, and to organize mass demonstrations on the eve of the unwanted Republic, if the Government failed to call the Convention.
The Conference was attended by Africans of various political persuasions. I was the Honorary Secretary of the Conference, and undertook to be responsible for organizing the national stay-at-home which was subsequently called to coincide with the declaration of the Republic.
As all strikes by Africans are illegal, the person organizing such a strike must avoid arrest. I was chosen to be this person, and consequently I had to leave my home and my family and my practice and go into hiding to avoid arrest.
The stay-at-home, in accordance with A.N.C. policy, was to be a peaceful demonstration. Careful instructions were given to organizers and members to avoid any recourse to violence. The Government's answer was to introduce new and harsher laws, to mobilise its armed forces, and to send saracens, armed vehicles and soldiers into the townships in a massive show of force designed to intimidate the people. This was an indication that the Government had decided to rule by force alone, and this decision was a milestone on the road to Umkonto.
Some of this may appear irrelevant to this trial.
In fact I believe none of it is irrelevant because it will, I hope, enable the Court to appreciate the attitude towards Umkonto eventually adopted by the various persons and bodies concerned in the National Liberation Movement.
When I went to gaol in 1962, the dominant idea was that loss of life should be avoided. I now know that this was still so in 1963.
I must return, however, my lord, to June 1961.
What were we, the leaders of our people, to do? Were we to give in to the show of force and the implied threat against future action, or were we to fight it out, and if so, how? We had no doubt that we had to continue the fight.
Anything else would have been abject surrender. Our problem, my lord, was not whether to fight, but was how to continue the fight. We of the A .N.C. had always stood for a non-racial democracy, and we shrank from any action which might drive the races further apart than they already were. But the hard facts were that 50 years of nonviolence had brought the African people nothing but more arid more repressive legis la t ion, and fewer and fewer rights.
It may not be easy for this Court to understand, but it is a fact that for a long time the people had been talking of violence - of the day when they would fight the White man, and win back their country, and we, the leaders of the A.N.C., had nevertheless always prevailed upon them to avoid violence and to pursue peaceful methods. When some of us discussed this in June of 1961, it could not he denied that our policy to achieve a non-racial state by nonviolence, had achieved nothing, and that our followers were beginning to lose confidence in this policy, and were developing disturbing ideas of terrorism.
It must not be forgotten, my lord, that by this time violence had, in fact, become a feature of the South African Political scene. There had been violence in 1957 when the women of Zeerust were ordered to carry passes; there was violence in 1958 with the enforcement of bantu authorities and cattle culling in Sekhukuniland; there was violence in 1959 when the people of Cato Manor protested against Pass raids; there was violence in I960 when the Government attempted to impose Bantu Authorities in Pondoland. Thirty-nine Africans died in these Pondoland disturbances. In 1961 there had been riots in Warmbaths, and all this time my lord the Transkei had been a seething mass of unrest. Each disturbance pointed clearly to tie inevitable growth amongst Africans of the belie f that violence was the only way out - it showed that a Government which uses force to maintain its rule teaches the oppressed to use force to oppose it. Already small groups had arisen in the urban areas and were spontaneously making plans for violent forms of political struggle. There now arose a danger that these groups would adopt terrorism against Africans, as well as Whites, if not properly directed.
Particularly disturbing was the type of violence engendered in places such as Zeerust, Sekhukuniland and Pondoland amongst Africans. It was increasingly taking the form, not of struggle against the Government - though this is what prompted it - but of civil strife between pro-Government chiefs and those opposed to them conducted in such a way that it could not hope to achieve anything other than a loss of life, and bitterness.
At the beginning of June, 1961, after a long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I, and some colleagues, came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable, it would be unrealistic and wrong for African leaders to continue preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the Government met our peaceful demands with force.
This conclusion, my lord, was not easily arrived at. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle and to form Umkonto We Sizwe. We did so not because we desired such a course, but solely because the Government had left us with no other choice.
In the Manifesto of Umkonto published on the 16th December 1961, which is Exhibit AD 11 we said: "The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices - submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defence of our people, our future and our freedom."
This was our feeling in June of 1961, when we decided to press for a change in the policy of the National Liberation Movement. I can only say that I felt morally obliged to do what I did.
We, who had taken this decision, started to consult leaders of various organisations, including the A.N.C.
I will not say whom we spoke to, or what they said, but I wish to deal with the role of the African National Congress in this phase of the struggle, and with the policy and objectives of Umkonto We Sizwe.
As far as the A .N.C. was concerned, it formed a clear view which can be summarized as follows:
(a) It was a mass political organisation with a political function to fulfil. Its members had joined on the express policy of non-violence.
(b) Because of all this, it could not and would not undertake violence. This must be stressed.
One cannot turn such a body into the small, closely knit organisation required for sabotage. Nor would this be politically correct, because it would result in members ceasing to carry out this essential activity: political propaganda and organization.
Nor was it permissible to change the whole nature of the organization.
(c) On the other hand, in view of this situation I have described, the A .N.C, was prepared to depart from its fifty-year-old policy of non-violence to this extent that it would no longer disapprove of properly controlled sabotage, and hence members who undertook such activity would not be subject to disciplinary action by the A.N.C.
I say 'properly controlled sabotage' because I made it clear that if I helped to form the organisation I would at all times subject it to the political guidance of the A.N.C. and would not undertake any different form of activity from that contemplated without the consent of the A.N.C. And I shall now tell the Court how that form of violence came to be determined.
As a result of this decision, Umkonto was formed in November, 1961, when we took this decision, and subsequently formulaled our plans, the A .N.C. heritage of non-violence and racial harmony was very much with us. We felt that the country was drifting towards a civil war in which Blacks and Whites would fight each other. We viewed the situation with alarm. Civil war would mean the destruction of what the A .N.C. stood for; with civil war racial peace would be more difficult than ever to achieve.
We already have examples in South African history of the results of war. It has taken more than fifty years for the scars of the South African War to disappear. How much longer would it take to eradicate the scars of inter-racial civil war, which could not be fought without a great loss of life on both sides? The avoidance of civil war had dominated our thinking for many years, but when we decided to adopt sabotage as part of our policy, we realised that we might one day have to face the prospect of such a war. This had to be taken into account in formulating our plans.
We required a plan which was flexible, and which permitted us to act in accordance with the needs of the times; above all, the plan had to be one which recognised civil war as the last resort, and left the decision on this question to the future. We did not want to be committed to civil war, but we wanted to be ready if it became inevitable.
Four forms of violence are possible. There is sabotage, there is guerrilla warfare, there is terrorism and there is open revolution. We chose to adopt the first method and to test it fully before taking any other decision, In the light of our political background, the choice was a logical one. Sabotage did not involve loss of life, and it offered the best hope for future race relations. Bitterness would be kept to a minimum and, if the policy bore fruit, democratic government could become a reality. This what we felt at the time, and this is what we said in our Manifesto: (Exhibit "AD”) .
”We of Umkonto We Sizwe have always sought to achieve liberation without bloodshed and civil clash. We hope, even at this late hour, that our first actions will awaken everyone to a realisation of the disastrous situation to which Nationalist policy is leading. We hope that we will bring the Government and its supporters to their senses before it is too late, so that both Government and its policies can be changed before matters reach the desperate stage of civil war."
The initial plan was based on a careful analysis of the Political and economic situation of our country.
We believed that South Africa depended to a large extent on foreign capital and foreign trade. We felt that planned destruction of power plants and interference with rail and telephone communications would tend to scare away capital from the country, make it more difficult for goods from the industrial areas to reach the seaports on schedule, and would in the long run be a heavy drain on the economic life of the country, thus compelling the voters of the country to reconsider their position.
Attacks on the economic life lines of the country were to be linked with sabotage on Government buildings and other symbols of apartheid. These attacks would serve as a source of inspiration to our people, and encourage them to participate in non-violent mass action such as strikes and protests. In addition, they would provide an outlet for those people who were urging the adoption of violent methods and would enable us to give concrete proof to our followers that we had adopted a stronger line, and were fighting back against Government violence.
In addition, if mass action were successfully organised, and mass reprisals taken, we felt that sympathy for our cause would be roused in other countries, and that greater pressure would be brought to bear on the South African Government.
This then was the plan. Umkonto was to perform sabotage, and strict instructions wore given to its members right from the start, that on no account were they to injure or kill people in planning or carrying out operations.
These instructions have been referred to in the evidence of "X" and "Z”.
The affairs of Umkonto were controlled and directed by a National High Command, which had powers of co-option, and which could, and did, appoint Regional Commands. The High Command was the body which determined tactics and targets and was in charge of training and finance.
Under the High Command there were Regional Commands which were responsible for the direction of the local sabotage groups. Within the framework of the policy laid down by the National High Command, the Regional Commands had authority to select the targets to be attacked. They had no authority whatsoever to go beyond the prescribed framework, and thus had no authority to embark upon acts which endangered life, or which did not fit in with the over-all plan of sabotage. For instance, Umkonto members were forbidden ever to go armed into operation. Incidentally the terms High Command and Regional Command were an importation from the Jewish National underground organization, the Irgun Zvai Leumi,- which operated in Israel between 1944and 1948.
Umkonto had its first operation on the 16th December 1961, when Government buildings in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Durban were attacked. The selection of targets is proof of the policy to which I have referred.
Had we intended to attack life, we would have selected targets where people congregated, and not empty buildings und power stations. The sabotage which was committed before the 16th December 1961 was the work of isolated groups and had no connection whatsoever with Umkonto.
In fact, my lord, some of these and a number of later acts were claimed by other organisations.
Now my lord, at this stage I would like to refer very briefly to a number of newspaper cuttings.
BY THE COURT:
Before you get there, the Court will take the adjournment.
COURT ADJOURNS.
ON RESUMING AT 1 1.30 a ,m.
ACCU5ED NO, 1 CONTINUES HIS STATEMENT FROM THE DOCK;
My lord, when the Court adjourned, I was just about to refer your lordship to a number of newspaper cuttings. It is not my intention, my lord, to hand them in, but I merely wish to use them to illustrate the point I have made, that before December 1961 it was common knowledge in the townships and throughout the country that there existed a number of bodies other than Umkonto which planned and carried out acts of sabotage, and that some of the acts which took place during the period of the indictment were in fact claimed by some of these organisations.
The first newspaper cutting I wish to refer your lordship to is the Rand Daily Mail of the 22nd December, 1961, an article that appears on the front page. The caption, my lord, reads as follows: "We bombed two pylons" group claims.” And then I just wish to refer your lordship to two passages:
"The bombing of two power pylons at Rembrandt Park, Johannesburg, on Wednesday night was claimed as the work of the National Committee for Liberation in a typewritten document on a sheet of common writing paper put into the Rand Daily Mail's Christmas Jackpot box during Wednesday night or early yesterday." And then the penultimate paragraph in the article reads as follows: "The statement said that the N .C .L. was not allied with "The Assegai of the Nation, " (I presume, my lord, that is the Spear of the Nation, which is a translation of Umkonto We Sizwe), "The group which claims responsibility for the bomb outrages during the weekend, although both supported the liberatory movement, the N .C .L. was non-racial, it was stated. " That is the first cutting I wish to refer to, my lord.
Then the second one is also a copy of the Rand Daily Mail of the 15th April 1963, and the article I wish to refer to is on page 2. It is a very short article, my lord. I will read it .
The caption is "Forty-three held in Petrol Bomb Incident." "Forty-three Africans are now being held by Johannesburg Police in connection with the petrol bomb attack last week on a store in Pritchard Street, Johannesburg Most of the Africans were arrested in Johannesburg’s South-Western townships. They were alleged to have threatened a watchman, after telling him they wanted to steal garments from the shop. Police said that five more Africans had been arrested in the vicinity of King Williamstown after last week’s attack on the town's police station. This brings the total number of arrests to 41. Africans arrested after the two incidents are alleged members of the Poqo organisation.
Although it is believed that a number of other Poqo members were arrested on the Reef and in other areas, no figures were available last night. The Police are still continuing their investigations and a final figure of the total number of Poqo suspects arrested so far cannot yet be given." Then the third one, my lord, is again a copy of the Rand Daily Mail of the 9th November 1963. The particular article appears on page 10. Your lordship will probably remember this matter. It was referred to during the argument on the second application to quash the indictment.
Reference was made, both by the State and the defence, to the judgment of Mr. Justice van Heerden of the Cape Provincial Division. The accused in this case, my lord, were arrested on the 12th July 1963, according to the report, and presumably for acts which were alleged to have been committed during the period prior to the 1st July 1963, and I assume that that will cover the period of the indictment.
This relates to what is known as the Yu Chee Chen Guerrilla warfare club (? ). According to this report (I will not read it, my lord) but will just mention that they were preparing a revolution, and guerrilla warfare.
Then finally, my lord, I wish to refer to a photostatic copy of the Rand Daily Mail of the 29th November 1962. We could not get a copy of the Mail tself.
The article which I want to refer to appears on the first page, I just want to refer, again, to two passages:
The caption reads "Police Put on Strick Guard After Rand Blast", "Security Police yesterday threw a tight cordon around an Escom power pylon which was dynamited in the early hours of the morning disrupting train services between Germiston and Pretoria. A senior Police spokesman said 'There is no doubt it was sabotage.'" Then the last paragraph:
"A woman telephoned the Rand Daily Mail last night and said 'The explosion last night was the work of the National Committee of Liberation ', then she put down the telephone." In other words, my lord, there were a number of bodies which during the period of the indictment, planned and carried out acts of sabotage.
Now my lord the Manifesto of Umkonto was issued on the day that operations commenced. The response to our actions and Manifesto among the White population was characteristically violent. The Government threatened to take strong action, and called upon its supporters to stand firm and ignore the demands of the Africans. The Whites failed to respond by suggesting change; they responded to our call by retreating behind the laager.
In contrast, the response of the Africans was one of encouragement. Suddenly there was hope again. Things were happening. People in the townships became eager for political news. A great deal of enthusiasm was generated by the initial successes, and people began to speculate on how soon freedom would be obtained.
But we in Umkonto weighed up the White response with anxiety. The lines were being drawn. The Whites and Blacks were moving into separate camps, and the prospects of avoiding a civil war were diminishing. The White newspapers carried reports that sabotage would be punished by death.
If this was so, how could we continue to keep the Africans away from terrorism? I now wish to turn, my lord, to the question of guerrilla warfare, and how it came to be considered. By 1961 scores of Africans had died as a result of racial friction. In 1920, when the famous leader Masabalala was held in Port Elizabeth gaol, 24 of a group of .Africans who had gathered to demand his release, were killed by the Police and white civilians.
In 1921 more than 100 Africans died in the Bulhoek affair. In 1924 over 200 Africans were killed when the Administrator of South West Africa led a force against a group which had rebelled against the imposition of dog tax. On the 1st May 1950 18 Africans died as a result of police shootings during the strike. On the 21st March I960 69 unarmed Africans died at Sharpeville.
How many more Sharpevilles would there be in the history of our country? And how many more Sharpevilles could the country stand without violence and terror becoming the order of the day? And what would happen to our people when that stage was reached? In the long run we felt certain we must succeed but at what cost to ourselves and the rest of the country? And if this happened, how could Black and White ever live together again in peace and harmony? These were the problems that faced us, and these were our decisions.
Experience convinced us that rebellion would offer the Government limitless opportunities for the indiscriminate slaughter of our people. But it was precisely because the soil of South Africa is already drenched with the blood of innocent Africans that we felt it our duty to make preparations as a long-term undertaking, to use force in order to defend ourselves against force.
If war became inevitable, we wanted to be ready when the time came, and for the fight to be conducted on terms most favourable to our people. The fight which held out the best prospects to us and the least risk of life to both parties was guerrilla warfare. We decided, therefore, in our preparations for the future, to make provision for the possibility of guerilla warfare.
All Whites undergo compulsory military training, but no such training is given to Africans. It was in our view essential to build up a nucleus of trained men who would be able to provide the leadership which would be required if guerilla warfare started. We had to prepare for such a situation before it became too late to make proper preparations. It was also necessary to build up a nucleus of men trained in civil administration and other professions, so that Africans would be equipped to participate in the Government of this country as soon as they were allowed to do so.
At this stage, my lord, the A .N.C. decided that I should attend the Conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement for Central, East and Southern Africa, which was to be held early in 1962 in Addis Ababa, and it was also decided that, after the Conference, I would undertake a tour of the African States with a view to soliciting support for our cause, and obtaining scholarships for the higher education of matriculated Africans. At the same time the M.K. decided I should investigate whether facilities were available for the training of soldiers which was the first stage in the preparation for guerrilla warfare. Training in both fields would be necessary, even if changes in South Africa came about by peaceful means.
As I have just explained, administrators would be necessary who would be willing and able and able to administer a non-racial State, and so men would be necessary to control the army and police force of such a State.
It was on this note that I left South Africa to proceed to Addis Ababa as a delegate of the A .N.C. My tour was successful beyond all our hopes. Wherever I went, I met sympathy for our cause and promises of help. All Africa was united against the stand of White South Africa, and even in London I was received with great sympathy by Political leaders such as the late Mr. Hugh Gaitskell and Mr. Grimond.
In Africa I was promised support by such men as Julius Nyerere, now President of Tanganyika, Mr, Kawawa, then Prime Minister of Tanganyika, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, General Aboud, President of the Sudan, Habib Bourgiba, President of Tunisia, Ben Bella, now President of Algeria, Modiko Keita, President of Mali; Leophold Senghor, President of Ssi egaJ ; Sekou Toure, President of Guinea, President Tubman of Liberia, Milton Oboto, Prime Minister of Uganda and Kenneth Kaunda, now Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia. It was Ben Bella who invited me to visit Oujda, the Headquarters of the Algerian Army of National Liberation, the visit which is described in my diary, one of the exhibits.
I had already started to make a study of the art of war and revolution and whilst abroad underwent a course in military training. If there was to be guerrilla warfare I wanted to be able to stand and fight with my people and to share the hazards of war with them. Notes of lectures I received in Ethiopia and Algeria are contained in Exhibits produced in evidence. Summaries of books on guerrilla warfare and military strategy have also been produced. I have already admitted that these documents are in my writing, and I acknowledge that I made these studies to equip myself for the role which I might have to play if the struggle drifted into guerrilla warfare.
I approached this question as every African Nationalist should do. I was completely objective. The Court will see that I attempted to examine all types of authority on the subject, from the East and from tie West, going back to the classic works of Clausewitz, and covering such a variety as Mao Tee Tung and Che Guevara on the one hand, and the writings on the Anglo-Boer War on the other. Of course, these notes my lord are merely summaries of the books I read and do not contain my personal views.
I also made arrangements for our recruits to undergo military training, but here, my lord, it was impossible to organise any scheme without the co-operation of the A.N.C. offices in Africa. I consequently obtained the permission of the A.N.C. in South Africa to do this to this extent that there was a departure from the original decision of the A.N.C. that it would not take part in violent methods of struggle, but it applied outside South Africa only. The first batch of recruits actually arrived in Tanganyika when I was passing through that country on my way back to South Africa.
I returned to South Africa and reported to my colleagues on the results of my trip. On my return I found that there had been little alteration in the political scene, save that the threat of a death penalty for sabotage had now become a fact. The attitude of my colleagues in Umkonto was much the same as it had been before I left. They were feeling their way cautiously, and felt that it would be a long time before the possibilities of sabotage were exhausted.
The A.N.C. had also not changed its attitude. In fact the view was expressed by some that the training of recruits was premature. This is recorded by me in the document, which is Exhibit R. 14, which are very rough notes of comments made by others on my report back to the National Executive Committee. After a full discussion, however, it was decided to go ahead with the plans for military training, because of the fact that it would take many years to build up a sufficient nucleus of trained soldiers to start a guerrilla campaign, and whatever happened the training would be of value.
I want to deal now with some of the evidence of the witness “X". Immediately before my arrest in August, 1962, I met members of the Regional Command in Durban. This meeting has been referred to in X's evidence.
Much of his account is substantially correct, but much of it is slanted and is distorted and in some important respects untruthful. I want to deal with the evidence as briefly as possible:
(a) I did say that I had left the country early in the year to attend the Pafmecsa Conference, that the Conference was opened by the Emperor Haile Selassie, who attacked the racial policies of the South African Government, and who pledged support to the African people in this country. I also informed them of the unanimous resolution condemning the ill-treatment of the African people here, and promising support.
I did tell them that the Emperor sent his warmest felicitations to my leader, Chief Lutuli.
But I never told them of any comparison made between Ghanaians and South African recruits, and could not have done so for very simple reasons. By the time I left Ethiopia, the first South African recruits had not yet reached that country, and Ghanaian soldiers as far as I am aware, receive training in | the United Kingdom. This being the fact and my understanding, I could not possible have thought of telling the Regional Command that the Emperor of Ethiopia thought our trainees were better than the Ghanaians.
(c) These statements, therefore, are sheer invention unless they were suggested to "X" by someone wishing to create a false picture.
(d) I did tell them of financial support received in Ethiopia and in other parts of Africa. I certainly did not tell him that certain African States had promised us 1% of their Budget. This suggestion of donating 1% never arose during my visit. It arose for the first time, as far as I am aware, at the Conference in May 1963, by which time I had been in gaol for 10 months.
Despite X’s alleged failure to remember this, I did speak of scholarships promised in Ethiopia. Such general education of our people has always, as I have pointed out, been an important aspect of our Plan. I did tell them I had travelled through Africa and had been received by a number of heads of States, mentioning them all by name. I also told them of President Ben Bella's invitation to me to go to Oujda, where I met officers of the Algerian Army, including their Commander-in-Chief, Colonel Bommediene.
I also said that the Algerians had promised assistance with training and arms. But I certainly did not say they must hide the fact that they were Communists, because I did not know whether were communists or not. What I did say was that no Communist should use his position in Umkonto for communist propaganda, neither in South Africa nor beyond the borders, because unity of purpose was essential for achieving freedom. What we aimed at was the vote for all and on this basis we could appeal to all social group in South Africa and expect the maximum support from the African States. X denies this, but I could not have suggested any other than the true objective, nor could there have been any possible reason for hiding it.
It was in this context that I discussed "New Age” and its criticisms of the Egyptian Government.
In speaking of my visit to Eqypt, I said that my visit had coincided with that of Marshall Tito, and that I had not been able to wait until General Nasser was free to interview me. I said that the officials whom I had seen had expressed criticism of articles appearing in "New Age" which had dealt with General Nasser's attacks on communism, but that I had told them that "New Age" did not necessarily express the policy of our Movement, and that I would take up this complaint with "New Age" and try and use my influence to change their line, because it was not our duty to say in what manner any State should achieve its freedom.
I told the Regional. Committee that I had not visited Cuba, but that I had met that country's ambassadors in Egypt, Morocco and Ghana. I spoke of the warm affection with which I was received at these embassies, and that we were offered all forms of assistance, including scholarships for our youth.
In dealing with the question of White and Asian recruits, I did say that as Cuba was a multi-racial country, it would be logical to send such persons to this country as these recruits would fit in more easily there than with Black soldiers in African states. But I never discussed Eric Mtshali at this meeting, for the simple reason that I did not know him until I heard his name mentioned by X in this case.
On my return to Tanganyika, after touring the African Continent, I met about 30 South African young, men, who were on their way to Ethiopia for training.
I addressed them on discipline and good behaviour while abroad. Eric Mtshali may have been amongst these young men, but in any event, if he was, this must have been before he visited any African State other than Tanganyika, and in Tanganyika he would not have starved or been in difficulties since our office there would have looked after him.
It would be absurd to suggest that the South African office in Dar-Es-Salaam would discriminate against him on the ground that he was a Communist.
Of course, I referred to Umkonto we 5izwe, but it cannot be true to say that they heard from me for the first time that this was the name or that it was the "military wing" of the A.N.C. - a phrase much used by the State in this trial. A proclamation had been issued by Umkonto on the 16th December 1961, announcing the existence of the body and its name had been known for seven months before the time of this meeting. And I had certainly never referred to it as a military wing of the A .N.C. I always regarded it as a separate organisation, and endeavoured to keep it as such.
I did tell them that the activities of Umkonto might go through two phases, namely acts of sabotage and possibly guerrilla warfare, if that became necessary.
I dealt with the problems relating to each phase.
But I did not say that people were scouting out areas suitable for guerrilla warfare because no such thing was being done at the time. I stressed, just as he said, that the most important thing was to study our own history and our own situation. We must, of course, study the experiences of other countries also, and in so doing we must study not only the cases where revolutions were victorious, but also cases where revolutions were defeated.
But I did not discuss the training of people in East Germany as testified to by X.
I did not produce any photograph in "Spark" or "New Age" as testified to by "X". These photos were only published on the 21st February 1963, after I was in gaol.
Whilst referring to "X’s " evidence, there is one other fact that I want to mention, Mr. "X" said that the sabotage which was committed on the 15th October 1962 was in protest against my conviction, and that the decision to commit such sabotage had been taken between the date of conviction and the date of sentence.
He also said that the sabotage was held over for a few days because it was thought that the police would be on their tetch on the day that I was sentenced. All this must be untrue. I was convicted, my lord, on the 7th November 1962, and was sentenced on the same day to five years imprisonment with hard labour.
The sabotage in October 1962 could therefore not have had anything to do with my conviction and sentence.
I wish to turn now to certain general allegations made in this case by the State. But before doing so I wish to revert to certain occurrences said by witnesses to have happened in Port Elizabeth and East London, I am referring to the bombing of private houses of pro-Government persons during September, October and November 1962.
I do not know what justification there was for these acts, not what provocation had been given, but if what I have said already is accepted, then it is clear that these acts had nothing to do with the carrying out of the policy of Umkonto.
One of the chief allegations in the Indictment is that the A.N.C. was a party to a general conspiracy to commit sabotage. I have already explained why this is incorrect, but how, externally, there was a departure from the original principle laid down by the A .N.C. There have, of course, my lord, been overlapping of functions internally as well, because there is a difference between a resolution adopted in the atmosphere of a committee room and the concrete difficulties that arise in the field of practical activity.
At a later stage the position was further affected by bannings and house arrests, and by persons leaving the country to take up Political work abroad. This led to individuals having to do work in different capacities. But though this may have blurred the distinction between Umkonto and the A .N.C. it by no means aolished that distinction. Great care was taken to keep the activities of the two organizations in South Africa distinct.
The A.N.C. remained a mass political body of Africans only carrying on the type of political work they conducted prior to 1961. Umkonto remained a small organisation, recruiting its members from different races and organisations, and trying to achieve its own particular object. The fact that members of Umkonto were recruited from the A.N.C, and the fact that persons served both organisations, like Solomon Mbanjwa, did not, in our view, change the nature of the A.N.C. or give it a policy of violence. This overlapping of officers, however, was more the exception than the rule. This is why, my lord, persons such as "X" and "Z” who were on the Regional Command of their respective areas did not participate in any of the A.N.C. Committees or activities, and why people such as Bennett Mashiyana and Reginald Ndubi did not hear of sabotage at their A.N.C. meetings.
Another of the allegations in the indictment is that Rivonia was the headquarters of Umkonto. This is not true of the time when I was there, I was told, of course, and knew that certain of the activities of the Communist Party were carried on there, but this was no reason, as I shall presently explain, why I should not use the place.
I came there in the following manner:
(a) As already indicated, early in April, 1961, I went underground to organize the May general strike. My work entailed travelling through-out the country, living now in African townships, then in country villages and again in cities.
During the second half of the year I started visiting the Parktown home of Mr. Arthur Goldreich, where I used to meet my family privately. Although I had no direct political association with him, I had known Mr. Goldreich socially since 1958. In October Mr, Goldreich informed me that he was moving out of town, and offered me a hiding place there. A few days thereafter, he arranged for Mr, Michael Harmel, another co-conspirator in this case, to take me to Rivonia. I naturally found Rivonia an ideal place for the man who lived the life of an outlaw.
Up to that time I had been compelled to live indoors during the day time and could only venture out undercover of darkness. But at Lilliesleaf I could live differently, and work far more efficiently.
For obvious reasons, I had to disguise myself and I assumed the fictitious name of David. In December Mr Arthur Goldreich and his family also moved in. I stayed there, my lord, until I went abroad on the 11th January 1962. As already indicated, I returned in July 1962 and was arrested in Natal on the 5th August.
Up to the time of my arrest, Lilliesleaf farm was the headquarters of neither the African National Congress nor Umkonto. With the exception of myself, none of the officials or members of these bodies lived there, no meetings of the governing bodies were ever held there, and no activities connected with them were either organised or directed from there. On numerous occasions during my stay at Lilliesleaf farm I met both the Executive Committee of the A.N.C, as well as the National High Command, but such meetings were held elsewhere, and not on the farm.
While staying at Lilliesleaf Farm, I frequently visited Mr, Goldreich in the main house and he also paid me visits in my room. We had numerous political discussions covering a variety of subjects. We discussed ideological and practical questions, the Congress Alliance, Umkonto and its activities generally, and his experiences as a soldier in the Palmach, the military wing of Haganah. Haganah was the political authority of the Jewish National Movement in Palestine.
Because of what I had got to know of Mr. Goldreich, I recommended on my return to South Africa that he should be recruited to Umkonto. I do not know of my personal knowledge whether this was done.
Before I went on my tour of Africa, I lived in the room marked 12 on Exhibit "A ". On my return in July 1962 I lived in the thatched cottage. The evidence of Joseph Mashefane that I lived in room No 12 during the period that he was there at the Farm is incorrect. Another of the allegations made by the State is that the aims and objects of the A .N.C, and the Communist Party are the same.
I wish to deal with this, and with my own political position. The allegation as to the A.N.C .is false. This is an old allegation which was disproved at the Treason Trial, and which has again reared its head.
But since the allegation has been made again, I shall deal with it as well as with the relationship between the A.N.C. and the Communist Party and Umkonto and that party.
The ideological creed of the A .N.C. is, and always has been, the creed of African Nationalism. It is not the concept of African Nationalism expressed in the cry "Drive the White man into the sea." The African Nationalism for which the A.N.C. stands is the concept of freedom and fulfilment for the African people in their own land.
The most important political document ever adopted by the A.N.C. is the "Freedom Charter.” It is by no means a blueprint for a socialist State. It calls for redistribution, but not nationalisation, of land; it provides for nationalisation of mines, Banks and monopoly industry, because big monopolies are owned by one race only, and without such nationalisation racial domination would be perpetuated despite the spread of political power.
It would be a hollow gesture to repeal the Gold Law prohibitions against Africans when all gold mines are owned by European companies. In this respect the A .N .C. policy corresponds with the old policy of the present Nationalist Party which, for many years, had as part of its programme the nationalisation of the Gold Mines which, at that time, were controlled by foreign capital. Under the Freedom Charter, nationalisation would take place in on economy based on private enterprise.
The realisation of the Freedom Charter would open up fresh fields for a prosperous African population of all classes, including the middle class. The A.N.C. has never at any period of its history advocated a revolutionary change in the economic structure of the country, nor has it, to the best of my recollection, ever condemned capitalist society.
As far as the Communist Party is concerned, and if I understand its policy correctly, it stands for the establishment of a State based on the principles of Marxism, Although it is prepared to work for the Freedom Charter, as a short-term solution to the problems created by White supremacy, it regards the Freedom Charter as the beginning, and not the end, of its programme.
The A.N.C ., unlike the Communist Party, admitted Africans only as members. Its chief goal was, and is, for the African people to win unity and full political rights.
The Communists Party's main aim, on the other hand, was to remove the capitalists and to replace them with a working class Government. The Communist Party sought to emphasise class distinctions, whilst the A.N.C. seeks to harmonise them. This is a vital distinction, my lord, It is true that there has often been close cooperation between the A.N.C. and the Communist Party. But co-operation is merely proof of a common goal - in this case the removal of White supremacy - and is not proof of a complete community of interests.
My lord, the history of the world is full of similar examples. Perhaps the most striking illustration is to be found in the co-operation between Great Britain, the United States of America and the Soviet Union in the fight against Hitler. Nobody but Hitler would have dared to suggest that such co-operation turned Churchill or Roosevelt into communists or communist tools, or that Britain and America were working to bring about a communist world.
My lord, I give these illustrations because they are relevant to the allegation that our sabotage was a Communist plot or to work of so-called agitators. Because, my lord, another instance of such co-operation is to be found precisely in Umkonto. Shortly after Umkonto was constituted I was informed by some of its members that the Communist Party would support Umkonto, and this then occurred. At a later stage the support was made openly.
I believe that Communists have always played an active role in the fight by colonial countries for their freedom, because the short-, term objects of Communism would always correspond with the long-term objects of freedom movements. Thus Communists, my lord, have played an important role in the freedom struggles fought in countries such as Malaya, Algeria, and Indonesia, yet none of these States today are Communist countries.
Similarly, in the underground resistance movement which sprung up in Europe during the last World War, Communists played an important role. Even General Chiang Kai Shek, today one of the bitterest enemies of Communism, fought together with the Communists against the ruling class in the struggle which led to his assumption of power in China in the 1930’s. This pattern of co-operation between Communists and non-Communists has been repeated in the National Liberation Movement of South Africa. Prior to the banning of the Communist Party, joint campaigns involving the Communist Party and the Congress Movement were accepted practice.
African Communists could, and did, become members of the A.N.C. and some served on the National, Provincial and local committees. Amongst those who served on the National Executive are Albert Nzula, a former Secretary of the Communist Party, Moses Kotane, another former Secretary, Edwin Mofosanya (?) and J .B. Marks, former members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.
I joined the A.N.C. in 1944 and in 1952 I became Transvaal President and Deputy National President. In my younger days I held the view that the policy of admitting Communists to the A .N.C. and the close co-operation which existed at times on specific issues between the A.N.C. and the Communist Party would lead to a watering down of the concept of African nationalism. At that stage I was a member of the African National Congress Youth League, and was one of a group which moved for the expulsion of Communists from the A.N.C. This proposal was heavily defeated.
And amongst those who voted against the proposal were some of the most conservative sections of African political opinion. They defended the policy on the ground that from its inception the A.N.C. was formed and built up, not as a political party with one school of political thought, but as a Parliament of the African people, accommodating people of various political convictions, all united by the common goal of national liberation. I was eventually won over to this point of view and I have upheld it ever since.
It is perhaps difficult for White South Africans with an ingrained prejudice against Communism, to understand why experienced African politicians so readily accept Communists as their friends. But to us the reason is obvious.
Theoretical differences amorist those fighting against oppression are a luxury which cannot be afforded. What is more, for many decades Communists were the only political group in South Africa who were prepared to treat Africans as human beings and as their equals; who were prepared to talk with us, eat with us, live with us and work with us. They were the only Political group which was prepared to work with the Africans for the attainment of political rights and a stake in society.
Because of this there are many Africans who, today, tend to equate freedom with Communism. They are supported in this belief by a legislature which brands all exponents of democratic government and African freedom as Communists, and bans of them, who are not Communists, under the Suppression of Communism Act.
Although my lord I am not a Communist, and I have never been a member of the Communist Party, I myself have been named under that pernicious Act because of the role I played in the Defiance Campaign. I have also been banned and convicted under that Act.
It is not only in internal politics that we count Communists as amongst these who support our cause. In the international field, Communist countries have always come to our aid. In the United Nations and other Councils of the world, the Communist bloc has supported the Afro-Asian struggle against colonialism and often seems to be more sympathetic to our plight than some of the Western powers.
Although there is a universal condemnation of apartheid, the Communist bloc speaks out against it with a louder voice than most of the Western world. In these circumstances it would take a brash young politician, such as I was in 1949, to proclaim that the Communists are our enemies.
AT THIS STAGE THE COURT ADJOURNS UNTIL 2 p.m.
ON RESUMING AT 2. p.m.
ACCUSED NO. 1 CONTINUES HIS STATEMENT FROM THE DOCK:
My lord, I wish now to turn to my own position. I have denied that I am a Communist,, and I think in the circumstances I am obliged to state exactly what my Political beliefs are in order to explain what my position in Umkonto was, and what my attitude towards the use of force is .
I have always regarded myself, in the f rst place, as an African patriot. After all, I was born in Umtata 46 years ago. My guardian was my cousin, who was the acting paramount chief of Tembuland, and I am related both to the present paramount chief of Tembuland, Sabata Dalinyebo, and to Kaizer Matanzima, the Chief Minister of the Transkei.
Today I am attracted by the idea of a classless society, an attraction which springs in part from Marxist reading and, in part, from my admiration of the structure and organization of early African societies in this country.
The land, then the main means of production, belonged to the tribe. There were no rich or poor, and there was no exploitation.
It is true, as I have already stated, that I have been influenced by Marxist thought, but this is also true of many of the leaders of the new independent States. Such widely different persons as Gandhi, Nehru, Nkrumah and Nasser all acknowledge this fact. We all accept the need for some form of Socialism to enable our people to catch up with the advanced countries of the world and to overcome their legacy of extreme poverty. But this does not mean we are Marxists.
Indeed, my lord, for my own part I believe that it is open to debate whether the Communist Party has any specific role to play at this particular stage of our political struggle. The basic task at the present moment, is the removal of race discrimination and the attainment of democratic rights on the basis of the Freedom Charter and the struggle which can best be led by a strong A.N.C. In so far as that Party furthers this task, I welcome its assistance. I realise that it is one of the main means by which people of all races can be drawn into our struggle.
But from my reading of Marxist literature and from conversation with Marxists, I have gained the impression that Communists regard the parliamentary system of the West as undemocratic and reactionary. But, on the contrary, I am an admirer of such a system.
The Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights and the Bill of Rights, are documents which are held in veneration by democrats throughout the world.
I have great respect for British political institutions, and for the country's system of justice. I regard the British Parliament as the most democratic institution in the world, and the independence and impartiality of its judiciary never fail to arouse my admiration.
The American Congress, that country's doctrine of separation of powers, as well as the independence of its judiciary arouse in me similar sentiments.
I have been influenced in my thinking by both West and East. All this has led me to feel that in my search for a political formula, I should be absolutely impartial and objective. I should tie myself to no particular system of society, other than that of socialism. I must leave myself free to borrow the best from the West and from the East.
I wish now to deal with some of the Exhibits, Many of the exhibits are in my handwriting. It has always been my custom to reduce to writing the material which I have been studying.
Exhibits R. 20[Part One (How to be a Good Communist)] 21 [Chapter Two (Dialectical Materialism)] and 22 [Political economy] are lectures drafted in my own hand, but they are not my original work. They came to be written in the following circumstances:
(a) For several years an old friend with whom I worked very closely on A.N.C. matters and who occupied senior positions both in the A.N.C. and the Communist Party, had been trying to get me to join the Communist Party [In Long Walk to Freedom, 1993, Mandela claims this was Moses Kotane - PW].
I had had many debates with him on the role which the Communist Party can play at this stage of our struggle, and I advanced to him the same views in regard to my Political beliefs which I have described earlier in my statement.
In order to convince me that I should join the Communist Party he, from time to time, gave me Marxist literature to read, though I did not always find time to do this.
Each of us always stuck to our guns in our argument as to whether I should join the Communist Party. He maintained that on achieving freedom we would be unable to solve our problems of poverty and inequality without establishing a Communist State, and we would require trained Marxists to do this.
I maintained my attitude that no ideological differences should be introduced until freedom had been achieved,
(b) I saw him on several occasions at Lilliesleaf Farm, and on one of the last of these occasions he was busy writing with books around him. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that he was busy writing lectures for use in the Communist Party, and suggested that I should read them. There were several lectures in draft form.
(c) After I had done so, I told him that they seemed far too complicated for the ordinary reader.
BY THE COURT: I did not catch the name - who do you say this man is you were talking to? -- My lord, as a matter of principle. .
No, I thought you had mentioned his name.-- No I did not mention his name.
Well go on then.-- And that was done deliberately.
ACCUSED NO. 1's STATEMENT (CONTINUED):
I was saying, my lord, after I had read them, I told him that they seemed far too complicated for the ordinary reader in that the language was obtuse and they were full of the usual Communistic clichés and jargon.
If the Court will look at some of the standard works of Marxism, my point will be demonstrated. He said it was impossible to simplify the language, without losing the effect of what the author was trying to stress. I disagreed with him, and then he asked me to see whether I could re- draft the lectures in the simplified form suggested by me.
(d) I agreed to help him, and set to work in an endeavour to do this, but I never finished the task as I later became occupied with other practical work which was more important. I never again saw the unfinished manuscript until it was produced at the trial.
(e) I wish to state that it is not my handwriting which appears on Exhibit R.23. which was obviously drafted by the person who prepared the lectures, My lord, there are certain Exhibits which suggest - that we received financial support from abroad, and I wish now to deal with this question.
Our Political struggle has always been financed from internal sources - from funds raised by our own people and by our own supporters. Whenever we had a special campaign, or an important Political case - for example, the Treason Trial - we received financial assistance from sympathetic individuals and organizations in the Western countries.
We have never felt it necessary to go beyond these sources.
But when in 1961 the Umkonto was farmed, and a new phase of struggle was introduced, we realised that these events would make a heavy call on our slender resources, / and that the scale of our activities would be hampered by lack of funds. One of my instructions, as I went abroad in January 1962, was to raise funds from the African States.
I must add that, whilst abroad, I had discussions with leaders of Political movements in Africa and discovered that almost every single one of them in areas which had still not attained independence, had received all forms of assistance from the socialist countries, as well as from the West including that of financial support. I also discovered that some well-known African states, all of them non- Communists, and even anti-Communists, had received similar assistance, &n my return to the Republic, I made a strong recommendation to the A .N.C. that we should not confine ourselves to Africa and the Western countries, but that we should also send a mission to the socialist countries to raise the funds which we so urgently needed, after I have been told that/ I was convicted such a mission was sent.
As I understand the State case, and in particular the evidence of "X ", Umkonto was the inspiration of the Communist Party which sought, by playing upon imaginary grievances to enrol the African people into an army which ostensibly was to fight for African freedom, but in reality was fighting for a Communist State. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the suggestion is preposterous.
Umkonto was formed by Africans to further their struggle for freedom in their own land. Communists and others supported the movement, and we only wish that more sections of this community would join us.
Our fight is against real, and not imaginary, hardships, or to use the language of the State Prosecutor, "so-called hardships." Basically, my lord, we fight against two features which are the hallmarks of African life in South Africa, and which are entrenched by legislation which we seek to have repealed. These features are poverty and lack of human dignity, and we do not need Communists, or so-called 'agitators’ to teach us about these things.
South Africa is the richest country in Africa, and could be one of the richest countries in the world.
But it is a land of extremes and remarkable contrasts. The Whites enjoy what may well be the highest standard of living in the world, whilst Africans live in poverty and misery.
Forty percent, of the Africans live in hopelessly overcrowded and in some cases, drought-stricken reserves, where soil erosion and the overworking of the soil make it impossible for them to live properly off the land. Thirty per cent, are labourers, labour tenants, and squatters on white farms and work and live under conditions similar to those of the serfs of the Middle Ages. The other thirty percent, live in towns where they have developed economic and social habits which bring them closer, in many respects, to White standards, Yet most Africans, even in this group, are impoverished by low incomes and the high cost of living.
The highest paid and the most prosperous section of urban African life is in Johannesburg. Yet their actual position is desperate. The latest figures were given on 25th March, 1964, by Mr. Carr, Manager of the Johannesburg Non-European Affairs Department. The poverty datum line for the average African family in Johannesburg, according to Mr. Carr's department, is R42. 84 per month. He showed that the average monthly wage is R32.24 and that 46% of all African families in Johannesburg do not earn enough to keep them going.
Poverty goes hand in hand with malnutrition and disease. The incidence of malnutrition and deficiency diseases is very high amongst Africans, Tuberculosis, pellagra, Kwashiorkor, gastro-enteritis, and scurvy bring death and destruction of health. The incidence of infant mortality is one of the highest in the world. According to the Medical Officer of Health for Pretoria, it is estimated that tuberculosis kills 40 people a day (almost all Africans) and in 1961 there were 58,491 new cases reported. These diseases, my lord, not only destroy the vital organs of the body, but they result in retarded mental conditions and lack of initiative and reduce powers of concentration. The secondary results of such conditions affect the whole community and the standard of work performed by Africans.
The complaint of Africans, however, is not only that they are poor, and Whites are rich, but that the laws which are made by the Whites are designed to preserve this situation. There are two ways to break out of poverty.
The first is by formal education, and the second is by the worker acquiring a greater skill at his work and thus higher wages. As far as Africans are concerned, both these avenues of advancement are deliberately curtailed by legislation, I ask the Court to remember that the present Government has always sought to hamper Africans in their search for education. One of their early acts, after coming into power, was to stop subsidies for African school feeding. Many African children who attended schools depended on this supplement to their diet. This was a cruel act.
There is compulsory education for all White, children at virtually no cost to their parents, be they rich or poor. Similar facilities are not provided for the African children, though there are some who receive such assistance. African children, however, generally have to pay more for their schooling than Whites.
According to figures quoted by the South African Institute of Race Relations, in its 1963 journal, approximately 40% of African children in the age group between 7 and 14, do not attend school. For those who do attend school, the standards are vastly different from those afforded to White children.
In 1 960/1 the per capita Government spending on African students at State-aided schools was estimated at R12.46. In the same year the per capita spending on White children in the Cape Province (which are the only figures available to me) was R144.57. Although there are no figures available to me, it can be stated, without doubt, that the White children on whom R144.57 per head was being spent all came from wealthier homes than African children, on whom R12.46 per head was being spent.
The quality of education is also different. According to the Bantu Education Journal, only 5,660 children in the whole of South Africa passed their Junior Certificate in 1962, and in that year only 362 passed matric. This is presumably consistent with the policy of Bantu education about which the present Prime Minister said, during the debate on the Bantu Education Bin in 1953 (when he was Minister of Native Affairs)
"When I have control of Native education, I will reform it so that Natives will be taught from childhood to realise that equality with Europeans is not for them.. . People who believe in equality are not desirable teachers for natives. When my Department controls Native education, it will know for what class of higher education a native is fitted, and whether he will have a chance in life to use his knowledge."
The other main obstacle to the economic advancement of the African is the industrial colour bar under which all the better jobs of industry are reserved for Whites only. Moreover, Africans who do obtain employment in the unskilled and semi-skilled occupations which are open to them, are not allowed to form Trade Unions which have recognition under the Industrial Conciliation Act.
This means that strikes of African workers are illegal, and that they are denied the right of collective bargaining which is permitted to the better-paid White workers. The discrimination in the policy of successive South African Governments towards African workers is demonstrated by the so-called "civilized labour policy" under which sheltered unskilled Government jobs are found for those White workers who cannot make the grade in industry, at wages which far exceeded the earnings of the average African employee in industry.
The Government often answers its critics by saying that Africans in South Africa are economically better off than the inhabitants of the other countries in Africa.
I do not know whether this statement is true and doubt whether any comparison can be made without having regard to the cost of living index in such countries. But even if it is true, as far as the African people are concerned, it is irrelevant. Our complaint is not that we are poor by comparison with people in other countries, but that we are poor by comparison with White people in our own country, and that we are prevented by legislation from altering this imbalance.
The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of White supremacy.
White supremacy implies Black inferiority. Legislation designed to preserve White supremacy entrenches this notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably performed by Africans. When anything has to be carried or cleaned the White man will look around for an African to do it for him, whether the African is employed by him or not. Because of this sort of attitude, Whites tend to regard Africans as a separate breed. They do not look upon them as people with families of their own; they do not realise that we have emotions - that we fall in love like White people do; that we want to be with our wives and children like White people want to be with theirs, that we want to earn enough money to support our families properly, to feed and clothe them and send them to school.
And what "house-boy" or "gardenboy" or "labourer" can ever hope to do this? Pass Laws, which to the Africans are among the most hated piece of legislation in South Africa, render any African liable to police surveillance at any time. I doubt whether there is a single African male in South Africa who has not at some stage had a brush with the police over his pass. Hundreds and thousands of Africans are thrown into 'gaol each year under pass laws. Even worse than this is the fact that pass laws keep husband and wife apart and lead to the breakdown of family life.
Poverty and the breakdown of family life have secondary effects. Children wander about the streets of the Townships because they have no schools to go to, or no money to enable than to go to school, or no parents at home to see that they go to school because both parents, if there be two, have to work to keep the family alive.
This leads to a breakdown in moral standards to an alarming rise in illegitimacy and to growing violence which erupts, not only politically, but everywhere. Life in the townships is dangerous; there is not a day that goes by without somebody being stabbed or assaulted. And violence is carried out of the townships into the White living areas. People are afraid to walk alone in the streets after dark. Housebreakings and robberies are increasing, despite the fact that the death sentence can now be imposed for such offences.
Death sentences cannot cure the festering sore. The only cure is to alter the conditions under which Africans are forced to live, and to meet their legitimate grievances, Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to perform work which they are capable of doing, and not work which the Government declares them to be capable of.
We want to be allowed to live where we obtain work, and not be endorsed out of an area because we were not born there.
We want to be allowed on own land in places where we work, and not to be obliged to live in rented houses which we can never call our own. We want to be part of the general population, and not confined to living in our ghettos.
African men want to have their wives and children to live with them where they work, and not to be forced into an unnatural existence in men's hostels. Our women want to be with their men folk, and not to be left permanently widowed in the Reserves. We want to be allowed out after 11 O’clock at night and not to be confined to our rooms like little children. We want to be allowed to travel in our own country, and to seek work where we want to, and not where the Labour Bureau tells us to. We want a just share in the whole of South Africa; we want security and a stake in society. Above all, my lord, we want equal political rights - because without them our disabilities will be permanent.
I know this sounds revolutionary to the Whites in this country, because of the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all.
It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial, and when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The A.N.C, has spent half a century fighting against racial ism. When it triumphs, as it certainly must, it will not change that policy.
This then is what the A.N.C, is fighting. Our struggle is a truly nation alone. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.
During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against White domination, and I have fought against Black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons; live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
Mr, Fischer calls Accused No, 2.
The original PDF of this document can be found here.
Mandela and the Communist Party
The ANC and SACP: In search of a new legend
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A Code Red at the hands of Eskom
Crypto assets: Next steps as South Africa prepares for regulation of Bitcoin, other currencies – FSCA exec
This content can be edited under Website Copy - Metered Paywall
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Why It Matters To Keep Your Statutory Agent Current
Is the registered statutory agent for your company accurate and up-to-date? A recent appellate decision confirms why it’s a good idea to do so. In S & S Quality Remodeling v. Phoenix Remediation, 2014-Ohio-4609, the Second District Court of Appeals affirmed a default judgment in a breach of contract claim by a subcontractor against a general contractor. The general contractor’s statutory agent of record with the Ohio Secretary of State had passed away three weeks before the suit was filed against the general. The summons was returned claimed, with an illegible signature (as is often the case). The sub-contractor moved for default judgment a month later, and the general filed an answer (out of rule) and an opposition brief to the default motion, arguing that the summons was sent to the wrong address. The trial court granted the default judgment, and the general contractor appealed.
In affirming the default judgment, the appellate court cited the duty imposed by R.C. 1705.06(D) to “appoint forthwith another agent and file with the secretary of state” upon the death of a statutory agent. The ruling suggests a very prompt time frame in which to replace a statutory agent upon death -- as short as three weeks. To avoid getting caught up in a default scenario, corporations and LLCs should regularly review their statutory agent filings with counsel, to ensure they are current.
Related Attorney
Peter N. Lavalette
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By Thomas Sowell - June 28, 2011
The Fourth of July may be just a holiday for fireworks to some people. But it was a momentous day for the history of this country and the history of the world.
Not only did July 4, 1776 mark American independence from England, it marked a radically different kind of government from the governments that prevailed around the world at the time -- and the kinds of governments that had prevailed for thousands of years before.
The American Revolution was not simply a rebellion against the King of England, it was a rebellion against being ruled by kings in general. That is why the opening salvo of the American Revolution was called "the shot heard round the world."
Autocratic rulers and their subjects heard that shot -- and things that had not been questioned for millennia were now open to challenge. As the generations went by, more and more autocratic governments around the world proved unable to meet that challenge.
Some clever people today ask whether the United States has really been "exceptional." You couldn't be more exceptional in the 18th century than to create your fundamental document -- the Constitution of the United States -- by opening with the momentous words, "We the people..."
Those three words were a slap in the face to those who thought themselves entitled to rule, and who regarded the people as if they were simply human livestock, destined to be herded and shepherded by their betters. Indeed, to this very day, elites who think that way -- and that includes many among the intelligentsia, as well as political messiahs -- find the Constitution of the United States a real pain because it stands in the way of their imposing their will and their presumptions on the rest of us.
More than a hundred years ago, so-called "Progressives" began a campaign to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven't really changed much in a hundred years.
The cover story in the July 4th issue of Time magazine is a classic example of this arrogance. It asks of the Constitution: "Does it still matter?"
A long and rambling essay by Time magazine's managing editor, Richard Stengel, manages to create a toxic blend of the irrelevant and the erroneous.
The irrelevant comes first, pointing out in big letters that those who wrote the Constitution "did not know about" all sorts of things in the world today, including airplanes, television, computers and DNA.
This may seem like a clever new gambit but, like many clever new gambits, it is a rehash of arguments made long ago. Back in 1908, Woodrow Wilson said, "When the Constitution was framed there were no railways, there was no telegraph, there was no telephone,"
In Mr. Stengel's rehash of this argument, he declares: "People on the right and left constantly ask what the framers would say about some event that is happening today."
Maybe that kind of talk goes on where he hangs out. But most people have enough common sense to know that a constitution does not exist to micro-manage particular "events" or express opinions about the passing scene.
A constitution exists to create a framework for government -- and the Constitution of the United States tries to keep the government inside that framework.
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Copyright 2011, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Related Topics: 4th Of July
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Business briefs, Aug. 16, 2020
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A relaxing, eclectic lounge for grownups to open in Winsted
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Applications available for small business grants
Aug. 14, 2020 Updated: Aug. 14, 2020 2:50 p.m.
Community Health & Wellness Center held a celebration Aug. 12 at its Torrington location.
Contributed photoShow MoreShow Less
Community Health & Wellness Center held a celebration Aug. 12 at its Torrington location. Above, Friendly Hands Food Bank participated in the event.
Contributed photo /Show MoreShow Less
TORRINGTON — Community Health & Wellness Center celebrated National Health Center Week Aug. 12 with a community event at the center’s Torrington location on Migeon Avenue.
The center’s health care team provided 58 COVID-19 tests and handed out prizes, gave a NARCAN demonstration and provided information on the center’s services. State Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, was one of the special guests.
Among the participating organizations was Friendly Hands Food Bank, led by executive director Karen Thomas, which has served the community for nearly 30 years; New Opportunities, which met with attendees to determine if they are eligible for a $200 or $400 gift card; the Susan B. Anthony Project, and Apex Community Care.
According to a statement, CHWC provides medical, dental, behavioral health and addiction services to over 7,000 patients who otherwise might not have access to healthcare. The Health Center is dedicated to improving the physical and mental health of individuals as well as the overall health of the broader community. The center has continued to provide services during the coronavirus pandemic via in-person appointments, as well as via telemedicine visits, and has been offering free weekly “pop up” COVID-19 testing at locations in Torrington and Winsted, accoding to the statement.
CHWC is located at 469 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, and 10 Center St., Winsted, with the following satellite locations: FISH of Torrington, 332 South Main St., Torrington; Sullivan Senior Center, 88 East Albert St., Torrington; The Open Door Soup Kitchen, 160 Main St., Winsted; YMCA Emergency Shelter, 480 Main St., Winsted; Torrington Soup Kitchen, 220 Prospect St., Torrington; and Oliver Wolcott Technical School, 75 Oliver St., Torrington.
For information go to www.chwctorr.org or call 860-489-0931.
William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty launches virtual selling tool
STAMFORD - William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty recently launched a new program for sellers branded the Virtual Selling Blueprint, developed to provide a comprehensive path for selling property remotely. The blueprint offers sellers and agents a system for completing all phases of the real estate transaction in a virtual world, from listing to showing to closing, according to a statement.
“We are fully equipped with the tools and support to sell any home virtually,” said William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty Litchfield County brokerage manager Kristine Newell, who spearheaded the project, in a statement. “Utilizing our technology, the blueprint not only outlines the entire selling process with step by step instructions and templates, but ensures the seller has full control over how their property is viewed. From the moment the seller contacts us, we work with them to determine how to sell their property in the manner that best fits their needs.”
Beginning with an intake form to gather information on a seller’s preferences, the blueprint then connects that seller with a technically skilled agent via video chat to tour the property and discuss market value. The agent can be available either through video conferencing or in person with social distancing throughout the selling process, depending on the seller’s wishes, officials said in the statement . The blueprint also addresses marketing aspects such as virtual home staging and professional photography services including virtual tours and videos. Sellers decide how buyers see their home, whether virtually or in person in accordance with the seller’s needs and local guidelines. Offers and contracts can be reviewed and signed electronically.
The blueprint is one of several new initiatives the company has undertaken recently to adapt to a virtual selling environment. In May, the company launched a new digital marketing suite branded Listing 360°, designed to drive consumers to interactive property brochures capable of highlighting any listing-related element from photos to embedded 3D tours and videos, floor plans, property disclosures and more. Most recently, the company created its “A Market Unrivaled” marketing campaign to inform those potentially thinking of listing of the current unprecedented seller’s market in the areas the company serves.
For more information, visit williampitt.com.
Nuvance Health hospitals earn AHA awards
DANBURY — Nuvance Health hospitals Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Danbury Hospital have earned the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks, according to a statement.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication, according to the statement.
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 911 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.
According to the statement, Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Danbury Hospital earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility. Danbury Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus award for its continued success in using the Get with the Guidelines® - Heart Failure and Target: Type 2 Diabetes programs.
In addition, Nuvance Health’s Putnam Hospital in Carmel, NY, earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, according to the statement.
For more information about the heart and vascular services at Nuvance Health, visit https://patients.healthquest.org/services/heart-and-vascular/. For more information about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org.
CJR receives grant to enhance services
LITCHFIELD —A grant from the Robert G. and Marguerite M. Derx Foundation has enabled the Connecticut Junior Republic (CJR) to expand behavioral and mental health services for children and young people in northwest Connecticut during a time when the need for such assistance has increased significantly, according to a statement. Specifically awarded to help meet the growing demand for services among students attending The Gilbert School in Winsted, the Derx Foundation’s $15,000 grant has enabled CJR to increase the hours of a part time clinician seeing 40 to 50 students annually to full time. It was anticipated that the Derx Foundation’s grant would enable CJR to serve 75 students, ages 12 to 18, by the end of the summer, according to the statement.
“We have already exceeded the number of young people we expected to help through the program expansion made possible by the Derx Foundation,” said Jennifer Grant, Director of CJR’s Wellness Center and Behavioral and Mental Health Services. “As of the end of June, we had worked with 76 Gilbert School students, with an additional 13 young people referred for services,” she stated.
According to Gilbert School principal Susan Sojka, the prevalence of mental health issues in adolescents is high and can pose serious barriers to their social and educational development.
“Through our partnership with CJR, we have been able to provide ongoing support for our students and their families, and to provide a higher level of care,” she said, “including crisis intervention, assessment, short term and long term counseling, and support in the community.”
Sojka noted that the collaboration allows for Gilbert students to be seen year-round, during the day and after school. “As the Principal of The Gilbert School, I have seen our students have academic success, remain in school and show improvement in their social/emotional well-being as a result of the support given by CJR staff. Through the collaboration with CJR and our school faculty and staff, students of The Gilbert School have been given the appropriate services, support and resources, and lives continue to be saved and enhanced through this partnership,” she said.
“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a very high demand for behavioral health services,” reported CJR President & CEO, Daniel Rezende. “Thanks to the expertise and dedication of our staff, CJR was able to pivot very quickly to ensure continuity of care for the children, youth and families we help. Our Wellness Center and its behavioral and mental health programs were on the cutting edge of these changes,” he added. “We have been providing care through telemedicine and Zoom, and have supplemented services by adding virtual group meetings for youth enrolled in our programs as well as support groups for parents. The students and families we serve at The Gilbert School have also had access to these services,” he said.
According to Grant, many public schools have found that it is increasingly expensive to address the behavioral health needs of students. Funding salaries and benefits to maintain staff to work with these students can be prohibitively expensive. As a result, only those students with the most severe learning disabilities and behavioral issues are seen by behavioral health professionals retained by the schools. “This is one of many reasons the CJR Wellness Center has seen a surge in interest and referrals,” she said.
Ms. Grant noted that telemedicine has actually made many services more accessible as transportation barriers are removed and youth and families actually find it easier to make appointment schedules. “This has been an unexpected benefit of the program adaptations we made to ensure delivery of services during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
For further information on the Connecticut Junior Republic, contact Hedy Barton, Director of Development and Public Relations, at 860-567-9423, extension 252; or by email: hbarton@cjryouth.org.
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Data Center REIT Executive Says Rise of Cyber Attacks Globally a Major Concern
Kurt Manske, vice president of compliance and corporate IT at QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS), joined REIT.com for a video interview during REITWise 2015: NAREIT’s Law, Accounting and Finance Conference held in Phoenix.
QTS Realty owns, operates and manages facilities nationwide, encompassing approximately 4.7 million square feet of data center infrastructure and supporting more than 850 customers. Manske said the biggest change in cybersecurity during the past year has been “the rise of the cyber state from an attacker perspective.”
He pointed to the growing worldwide presence of ISIS as an example, as well as the group known as Anonymous that has been countering the ISIS threat and carrying out attacks of its own.
“It’s really strange when you have a terrorist organization that is actively looking for someone to be head of their cybersecurity division,” Manske noted.
In addition, there have been many well-publicized cybersecurity incidents that have come to light, he said. President Barack Obama has gone as far as to issue an executive order focusing on cybersecurity involving national critical infrastructure, Manske noted.
Meanwhile, Manske underscored the need to remain vigilant.
“We’re at the frontline of the war on cyber terror and we need to make sure we’re constantly watching inbound and outbound traffic, whether directed towards us or our clients,” he remarked. “Most people outside of IT would be astonished to know the number of attacks that happen. Unless you have the right protective mechanisms in place, those particular vulnerabilities will actualize and cause a lot of problems.”
Manske also stressed the need for internal education.
“Internal education is absolutely essential . If you look at some of the high profile incidents of the past year, they largely have happened because someone on the inside was taken advantage of via social engineering,” he said.
Manske added that the people who make cybersecurity effective on a daily basis are a company’s employees: “They are the ones who stop the attacks.”
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Africa, Planet, Climate Change
African city heat is set to grow intolerably
Tim Radford | Jun 21, 2019
Up to a third of urban dwellers could soon face extreme African city heat and humidity. Risks could at worst multiply 50-fold.
LONDON, 11 June, 2019 – An entire continent faces lethal conditions for many of its people: by 2090, one person in three can expect African city heat in the great conurbations severe enough to expose them to potentially deadly temperatures.
That is: the number of days in which the apparent temperature – a notional balance of thermometer-measured heat and maximum humidity – could reach or surpass 40.6°C will increase dramatically, and the days when individuals could be at risk could in some scenarios multiply 50-fold.
The scientists selected this “apparent” temperature of 40.6°C because it is significantly beyond the natural temperature of the human body, which must then be kept cool by perspiration. This is possible in arid climates.
But as humidity goes up – and with each 1°C rise in temperature, the capacity of the air to hold moisture rises by 7% – cooling by perspiration becomes less efficient.
So at this notionally-defined apparent temperature, people who cannot retreat to air-conditioned or cooler, shadier places could die. Heat kills: researchers recently counted 27 ways in which extreme temperatures could claim lives.
“If we follow the Paris Agreement, we’ll halve the number of people at risk in 2090, which is encouraging”
And more, and more intense and prolonged heat waves are on the way, and with them episodes of potentially extreme humidity. By 2100, according to some studies, certain regions of the planet could become dangerous habitat.
European scientists report in the journal Earth’s Future that they considered the hazard for just one, rapidly-growing continent: Africa. They selected 173 cities of more than 300,000 people in 43 nations across a range of climates, from Algiers on the Mediterranean to the burgeoning monsoon cities of the equatorial west coast, such as Lagos and Kinshasa, the drier east African states, and the relatively mild townships of Southern Africa.
They then considered how much cities might grow, by migration or birth-rate increases, and how they might develop. Then they factored in a range of climate scenarios and looked at possible forecasts for the years 2030, 2060 and 2090.
They found that because of population growth, the numbers of days on which people could be at risk – measured in person-days (one person working for one full day) – would in any case increase.
Sharper rise
“In the best case, 20 billion person-days will be affected by 2030, compared with 4.2bn in 2010 – a jump, in other words, of 376%” said Guillaume Rohat, of the University of Geneva, who led the study. “This figure climbs to 45bn in 2060 (up 971%) and reaches 86bn in 2090 (up 1947%).
And that is the best-case scenario. When the researchers factored in the steepest population increases, the most rapid growth of the cities and the worst disturbances in climate, the figures rose more sharply. By 2030, 26 billion, a fivefold increase, could be at risk, 95bn in 2060 and 217 bn in 2090. This is an increase of 4967%, or nearly 50-fold.
The researchers assumed that not everybody in their 173 cities would be exposed to dangerous levels of heat. Were that to happen, the number of person-days could hit 647 billion. But the researchers made a conservative estimate of one in three people who would be exposed to a minimum temperature of 40.6°C.
Research of this kind makes assumptions about how the climate is going to change, and separately about how nations are going to develop, how populations are going to grow and change, and how governments are going to respond to the climate emergency, and the authors recognise the problems.
Conservative conclusions
The sample is biased towards the larger cities. Their calculations don’t include predictions for capital investment. But the researchers say their conclusions are if anything conservative. They do not, for instance, factor in the notorious urban heat island effect that tends to make cities 3°C or more hotter than the surrounding countryside, and therefore even more dangerous.
The good news to emerge from the study is that concerted action, by governments and civic authorities, can reduce the risk. Were nations to stick to an agreement made by 195 of them in Paris in 2015, and keep global temperature rise to “well below” 2°C, the final exposure hazard would be reduced by 48%.
“This proves that if we follow the Paris Agreement, we’ll halve the number of people at risk in 2090, which is encouraging,” said Rohat.
“We can see the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: access to education, a drop in the number of children per woman, developments in the standard of living and so on.”
Africa, Prosperity
Top 6 fastest growing cities in Africa
sustainable , wildlife conservation
Articles , News
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Canada Sports News
World’s oldest Ironman plans to keep competing into his 90s
By Jack Tarrant, Hideto Sakai
CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) - Hiromu Inada, 87, already has a certificate on his wall that confirms his status as the world’s oldest Ironman, but the Japanese man is still pounding away on his training bike and hopes to continue competing into his 90s.
In 2018 at the age of 85 years and 328 days, Inada went to Kailua-Kona in Hawaii and set a new mark for the oldest person to complete the world championship Ironman - a feat beyond most people decades younger than him.
The cancellation of this October’s Ironman because of the coronavirus pandemic has not dulled his ambition, and Inada is maintaining his gruelling training schedule for a return to Hawaii next year.
“My goal is next year’s world championship in Hawaii,” he told Reuters at his training facility in Chiba, east of Tokyo.
“I will absolutely participate in it, and I absolutely want to break the world record of completing the race at the oldest age again. This is my current and biggest goal.”
An Ironman race is widely considered one of the toughest endurance events in sport, requiring athletes to swim 3.86 km, bike 180.25 km and fun a full 42.19 km marathon.
Slender and tanned from hours training outside, Inada looks like a man who has been competing in endurance tests all his life, but he only took up the sport in retirement.
After working for public broadcaster NHK, Inada began swimming and running, and bought a bike age 69. He competed in his first triathlon a year later.
After the death of his wife soon afterwards, Ironman competitions became an obsession for Inada.
In 2015, at age 82, he took part in the Hawaii Ironman, bidding to become the oldest finisher on record, but he fell just short: his time was 5 seconds too slow to be officially registered.
Inspired by support from the Hawaiian public, Inada returned the next year and completed the race in a qualifying time, earning his Guinness World Records certificate.
“Until then, I had thought I would give up if I felt I had enough of it,” Inada said.
“But since then, I have in my mind that I absolutely cannot give up, and I absolutely must complete (Ironman races), otherwise I feel sorry for those who support me.”
Inada trains every day, waking up at 4:30 a.m. and hitting the swimming pool by 6:00 a.m.
Inada sees the extended lead-in to his next trip to Hawaii as on opportunity to rest a sore knee and tweak his preparation technique.
“I hope I can try new things to build my fitness,” he said.
“I hope I can adjust my physical peak to the postponed race. So, I would rather think it was good that it was delayed.”
Reporting by Jack Tarrant and Hideto Sakai; editing by Nick Mulvenney and Gerry Doyle
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Home > Back to Search Results > Much on the War of 1812... The census report of 1810...
Much on the War of 1812... The census report of 1810...
NILES' WEEKLY REGISTER, Baltimore, May 21, 1814 Most of the front page is taken up with a detailed chart headed: "Census of the White Population of the United States for 1810", by state & territory (see photos). Much more detail on the census is presented in the next 5 pages including some account of the slaves.
About 3 pages of war-related reports are under the heading: "Events of the War" and include subheads: "Dishonorable Warfare" "The Creek War" "Negociations with America"; two letters from Comm. Chauncey to the Sec. of War; and much more.
Also in the issue are: "Mississippi Steam Boat" "Gas Lights" "Culture of the Sugar Cane" and more.
Sixteen pages, 6 1/4 by 9 3/4 inches, in generally very good condition.
As noted in Wikipedia, this title: "...(was) one of the most widely-circulated magazines in the United States...Devoted primarily to politics...considered an important source for the history of the period."
Many reports from the War of 1812...
Much reporting on the War of 1812...
Printed exclusively to report the War...
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Keith and Kristyn Getty: “Consider the Stars”
By Kimberly C.
The Gettys have just released the official music video for the upcoming film Against the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science.
Featuring veteran Hollywood actor and director Kevin Sorbo, and University of Oxford mathematician and philosopher Dr. John Lennox (who also happens to be Kristyn’s uncle), the film explores “the compelling evidence of the harmony between science and Christianity.”
Check out the Gettys’ music video below!
Michael W. Smith: “You Won’t Let Go” LIVE
Owl City: “You’re Not Alone” (ft. Britt Nicole)
Matt Maher: “Lord, I Need You” (feat. Audrey Assad)
Jon Guerra: “I Will Follow”
Passion: “My Victory” (Live) – ft. Crowder
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BoxId: 1008443 – Skeena Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer
Press release BoxID: 1008443 (Swiss Resource Capital AG)
Poststrasse 1
9100 Herisau, ch
http://www.resource-capital.ch
Skeena Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer
(PresseBox) ( Vancouver, BC, 20-06-01 )
Skeena Resources Limited (TSX.V: SKE, OTCQX: SKREF) (“Skeena” or the “Company” - https://www.rohstoffnacht-tv.de/mediathek/play/skeena-resources-neustart-von-eskay-creek-mine-in-kanada-laeuft-nach-plan/ ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Shane Williams as Skeena’s new Chief Operating Officer effective June 2, 2020.
Mr. Williams has over 20 years of experience in the mining/oil and gas industry specifically related to the development, construction, and operations of large-scale resource projects. He has a history of leading teams to successfully bring projects into commercial operation safely, under budget and ahead of schedule. His extensive and international project development experience has been gathered through his active involvement in all stages of the mine project development life cycle.
Prior to joining Skeena, Mr. Williams was the Vice President of Operations and Capital Projects at Eldorado Gold for six years where he led the team that successfully brought the Lamaque gold project from Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) to commercial operation in just 18-months. He also served as Project Director for Eldorado Gold for their Greek assets and was responsible for the development of both the Skouries and Olympias projects which together had a capex of over US$1B. Mr. Williams has extensive open-pit development experience from his time working with Rio Tinto at the Iron Ore Company of Canada and at Kaunis Iron in Northern Sweden where he, as Project Director, was responsible for the successful staged development of this large, open-pit iron ore operation from early exploration into commercial operation over a rapid 3.5 year period.
Mr. Williams has a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland and an M.Sc. in Project Management from the University of Limerick Ireland and recently completed a Senior Executive Leadership Programme from the London Business School.
Skeena’s CEO, Walter Coles Jr. commented, “We’re excited to welcome Shane to the Skeena management team. His engineering and project development experience will be key, as Skeena moves into the next phase of development at Eskay Creek. Shane has led the development of several major open-pit mining projects from concept through to production. We look forward to Shane’s leadership as we aggressively advance Eskay Creek.”
About Skeena
Skeena Resources Limited is a junior Canadian mining exploration company focused on developing prospective precious metal properties in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The Company’s primary activities are the exploration and development of the past-producing Eskay Creek gold-silver mine. The Company released a robust Preliminary Economic Assessment in late 2019 and is currently focused on infill and exploration drilling at Eskay Creek to advance the project to Pre-feasibility. Skeena is also exploring the past-producing Snip gold mine.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Skeena Resources Limited,
Walter Coles Jr.
Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute “forward looking information” and “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as “future”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “targets”, “estimates”, “plans”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “could” or “would”. Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
In Europe:
Aurania to attend and present at NobleCon 17 conference
Aurania nimmt an der NobleCon17 Konferenz teil und präsentiert das Unternehmen
Adventus Mining Announces Board Adjustments and Increased Insider Ownership
Poststrasse 1 9100 Herisau, ch
[PDF] Press Release: Skeena Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer
SwissResourceAG
Commodity-TV
Jochen Staiger - Chief Editor - Commodity-TV & Rohstoff-TV
jochen-staiger-71b29744?trk=hp-identity-name
ResourceCapitalAG
Recommend Skeena Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer press release
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New Media, Underground
‘LUCKY 13’ WEB SERIES- A FITTING BEGINNING
There’s no manual out there for creating a fledgling passion project web series on a frayed shoestring budget. This was the plight of Lucky 13 creators Sam Rowley, Stephanie Dulewicz, and Meagan Monahan. But the former American Academy of Dramatic Arts (section 13) alums made it happen, the hard way.
Making your break is not easy in this town. No one is going to do it for you, and you will inevitably need help, luck, and plenty of both. Sam, Stephanie, and Meagan decided that creating a 30-minute television series based very loosely on their own experiences at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts would be their passion project. They wrote the script, got the actors, all the trimmings and last week held the premiere episode of their pilot, Lucky 13 fittingly at the very site they met and their collaboration first began. The show chronicles the trials and tribulations of eight strangers who have made their way to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of ‘making it big.’
Despite the obvious limitations in budget, the trio managed to get themselves off to a great start even before filming began by writing an intelligent, amorous, and character-driven script. These characters may be familiar, but in a more intimate way, they are far more real then the single dimensional bold-type players usually found. The wonderful acting all around which includes the aforementioned creators who also star in the series enhances this.
I imagined it as a sort of more sober Party Down, with the same forced comradeship of the characters creating awkward, funny, and emotional moments. After the screening they held a Q & A with the creators and I was astonished to find out that another obstacle in the spawning of this show is the fact that Meagan lives in Chicago. Despite this, they already have the entire first season already written. They are raring to go, just as soon as they get financing.
Later I managed to talk with Stephanie and she said that, “No one can really tell how long a series lasts, but ideally this was meant to be three, maybe four seasons…as it stands right now.” She wouldn’t give any story away, despite my obvious prodding and intrigue given the events of the pilot episode but did say, “We’re going to see them progress…and some people, as they said in the trailer, some people make it and some people don’t.”
To keep up with this project and to find out more about its creators (as well as how to help keep it going) visit their Facebook page, Lucky 13 Series.
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Award Shows, Festivals
Saoirse Ronan Honored at The International Santa Barbara Film Festival
As the Santa Barbara International Film Festival crossed the midway point last night, Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet outside the Arlington Theatre to receive the Santa Barbara Award presented by UGG. Saoirse looked stunning in Chanel as she signed autographs and took photos with screaming fans.
(Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF)
SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling greeted the audience and remarked that this is Saoirse’s third time being honored by the festival (first in 2008 for the Virtuosos Award for ATONEMENT and again in 2016 for the Outstanding Performers of the Year Award for BROOKLYN). Roger then introduced the moderator for the evening, Anne Thompson, editor at large for IndieWire.
After playing a montage of Saoirse’s work, which included HANNA, THE LOVELY BONES, and LADY BIRD, Anne welcomed Saoirse to the stage. Saoirse explained that she was born in Brooklyn, which surprises audiences because of her Irish accent. Saoirse described her reaction to her first Oscar nomination, and that she was most excited that she would get to attend an event that would air on TV. She also explained that Peter Jackson cast her in THE LOVELY BONES without meeting her, and that being the lead for the first time wasn’t stressful because “as a child, responsibility is nonexistent.”
She touched on HANNA, and that her character throughout the film was going through an “extreme version of puberty”. Saoirse also mentioned that she turned down THE HOBBIT series because of the timing during her career. Anne asked Saoirse about being dubbed “the queen of accents”, and how she is able to perfectly hide her Irish accent for film roles. She remarked that the San Francisco accent for LADY BIRD was especially difficult because Greta Gerwig grew up in the Bay Area and was very particular about it being authentic.
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SBIFF)
Saoirse also touched on hosting Saturday Night Live and that for her it was “a total dream come true.” She remarked on being able to make fun of her own name, and facetiously that “no one else has done it.” Anne then switched the conversation to LADY BIRD. Saoirse explained that finding roles like hers in LADY BIRD are difficult because “when you hit 18…people don’t know what to do with you. You’re not able to do coming of age and you’re not able to be a woman in charge either.”
Presenter and LADY BIRD co-star Timothée Chalamet then took the stage for the second time in two days after being presented the Virtuosos Award the prior evening. Timothée shared his fond memories of meeting Saoirse for the first time and that he instantly wanted to make her think that he was “cool”. He also discussed her instant likeability and that what makes her “so true to life on screen is she makes it so natural and effortless”.
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About Rodgers Reidy
Rodgers Reidy
Risk Watch Essentials - April 2020
The tables below summarise data essentials captured from our daily Risk Watch publication, which provides a synopsis of the insolvency market for April 2020.
No. of Registered Liquidators in Australia as at April 2020
Registered Liquidators Australia NSW VIC QLD WA ACT SA NT TAS
TOTAL 636 243 (38%) 156 (25%) 105 (16%) 66 (10%) 10 (2%) 46 (7%) 2 (<1%) 8 (1%)
Winding Up applications filed with the Court in April 2020
Wind Up applications Australia NSW VIC QLD WA ACT SA NT TAS
TOTAL 174 48 (28%) 78 (45%) 34 (20%) 4 (2%) 1 (1%) 7 (4%) 0 (0%) 2 (14%)
A total of 174 Winding Up applications were filed throughout Australia in April 2020, the majority of which were in Victoria (78 or 45%), New South Wales (48 or 28%), and Queensland (34 or 20%).
Formal Appointments in April 2020
Formal Appointments Australia NSW VIC QLD WA ACT SA NT TAS
TOTAL 634 229 (36%) 164 (26%) 132 (21%) 33 (5%) 31 (5%) 41 (6%) 2 (0%) 2 (0%)
Creditors'/Members' Voluntary Liquidation 377 154 (41%) 88 (23%) 60 (16%) 19 (5%) 29 (8%) 24 (6%) 2 (1%) 1 (0%)
Court Liquidation 140 42 (30%) 56 (40%) 22 (16%) 10 (7%) 1 (1%) 9 (6%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
Voluntary Administration 117 33 (28%) 20 (17%) 50 (43%) 4 (3%) 1 (1%) 8 (7%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%)
There were a total of 634 formal appointments throughout Australia in April 2020, the majority of which were in New South Wales (229 or 36%), Victoria (164 or 26%) and Queensland (132 or 21%).
© 2021 Rodgers Reidy (International) Pty Ltd - ACN: 124 647 696 - Incorporated and registered in Australia - Level 12, The University Centre, 210 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
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Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: November 5, 2015
Brian Tallerico November 05, 2015
The Blu-ray market is really heating up as the holidays approach and shelves are dominated by great special releases, Summer 2015's biggest blockbusters, and more. Netflix has been a little quiet lately, although recent additions include two films that played at Ebertfest 2015, one of which we're also covering in the DVD section (and there's a third Ebertfest movie in this week's column in that section too).
10 NEW TO NETFLIX
"Amour Fou"
"Angel Heart"
"The Devil's Advocate"
"Full Frontal"
"Last Days in Vietnam"
"A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence"
"The Professional"
"Rain Man"
"Seymour: An Introduction"
"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
9 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD
"Inside Out"
The best animated film in five years is finally out on Blu-ray and seems likely to be the best-selling Blu-ray and DVD of the season. Much has been written about how deeply "Inside Out" speaks to adults, who perhaps not that long ago learned the tough lesson that sadness and joy need each other. At its core, that's what "Inside Out" is about, the incredibly complex fact that sadness is healthy. Depression for young Riley in the film isn't control by Sadness, it's a lack of emotion. The message that we don't always need to be joyful to be content or even happy is an amazing one. But what really strikes me about "Inside Out," watching it at home again with my three boys, is how much the kids get it. My toddlers really understand "Inside Out" on a level I'm not sure we can even appreciate. This is a fantastic film. I'd even say it's an important one. And one of the best of 2015. The Blu-ray is strong. Expectedly striking colors in HD, supplemented by interesting material that can sometimes be a bit too Disney in its editing but is also informative. Kids will like the two short films, including "Riley's First Date?" and "Lava," which played before the film in theaters (and I find kind of annoying). "Date" is a fun little piece, and further proof that we probably haven't seen the last of the world of "Inside Out."
All-New Short: Riley's First Date?
Lava, Short Film
Story of the Story
Paths to Pixar: The Women of "Inside Out"
Mapping the Mind
Our Dads, The Filmmakers
Into the Unknown: The Sound of "Inside Out"
The Misunderstood Art of Animation Film Editing
"Kwaidan" (Criterion)
Only in the HECG could we shift gears from a 2015 Pixar film to a Japanese horror beauty made a half-century earlier. I should have gotten to this before Halloween, but sometimes things get delayed, and this is a horror movie that holds up any month of the year. Based on Lafcadio Hearn's turn-of-the-century book of ghost stories, this three-hour epic is one of the most gorgeously staged and executed films of its era. And the number of films that have cribbed from Masaki Kobayashi's masterpiece is too plentiful to count: basically most ghost stories of the last 50 years. As is often the case, Criterion presents a history lesson with the film. I wish there were alternate cuts, but it's interesting to hear film historian Stephen Prince discuss them, including the fact that American audiences didn't see the ENTIRETY of the amazing second segment in this four-story anthology (a true sin since I think it's the best). Prince's commentary is excellent, but it's the 2K restoration that's the real draw. This is a truly beautiful movie given the Criterion restoration treatment. What more do you need to know?
New 2K digital restoration of director Masaki Kobayashi's original cut, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
New audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince
Interview with Kobayashi form 1993, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda
New interview with assistant director Kiyoshi Ogasawara
New piece about author Lafcadio Hearn, on whose versions of Japanese folktales "Kwaidan" is based
New English subtitle translation
Plus: An essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien
"The End of the Tour"
Can distributor A24 keep Jason Segel's performance and Donald Margulies' script in the awards season conversation? I truly hope they can. This Sundance and Ebertfest hit proved somewhat divisive when it was released, but I still adore Margulies' ear for the way writers talk to each other, James Ponsoldt's grounded direction and the two performances at the core of this excellent drama. Segel plays David Foster Wallace not as caricature but as remembered by Jesse Eisenberg's David Lipsky. And this tightened approach, both in perspective and time period, allows "End of the Tour" to not be a definitive biopic but a study of intellectualism and writers. It's funny, smart and incredibly well-made. It's a movie that will continue to find an audience through word-of-mouth. And maybe even an award or two.
Audio Commentary with Director James Ponsoldt, Writer Donald Margulies & Actor Jason Segal
A Conversation with Composer Danny Elfman
Behind the Tour
"Army of Darkness"
Scream Factory is at it again with a glorious Collector's Edition for one of Sam Raimi's most beloved films, "Army of Darkness." With Starz's "Ash vs. Evil Dead" getting good reviews and even a second season already, it's time for the Ash-aissance. The movie itself has held up well (better than I expected), but this is all about special features, including three discs with three different versions of the third "Evil Dead" film, lovingly referred to and almost called "Medieval Dead" (it really should have been). Bruce Campbell and a number of the other key players (although not Raimi) show up on a new documentary about the film's production, some of which will feel a bit repetitive if you listen to the excellent commentary track on the second disc with Campbell and Raimi. Deleted scenes, alternate endings, and more featurettes than you could ever possibly need—Scream Factory is killing it when it comes to excess, and "Army of Darkness" is a movie for which excess is key.
Disc One - Theatrical Version:
New Medieval Times: The Making of ""Army of Darkness""
Feature-length documentary with over 20 interviewees including Star & Co-Producer Bruce Campbell, Actors Ted Raimi, Bill Moseley, Patricia Tallman and many more
Original Ending
Original Opening
Theeatrical Trailer (U.S.)
U.S. Video Promo
Disc Two - Director's Cut:
Audio Commentary with Director Sam Raimi, Actor Bruce Campbell and Co-Writer Ivan Raimi
Creating the Deadites Featurette
Behind-The-Scenes Footage from KNB Effects, Inc
Vintage "Making Of" Featurette
Extended Interview Clips
Disc Three - International Cut
New 4K scan from the Inter-positive
Television Version (In Standard Definition Fullscreen 1.33.1)
Theatrical Trailer (International)
Still Galleries with Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos
Ethan Hawke quietly made his directorial debut with this excellent documentary about Seymour Bernstein, an accomplished pianist who also happens to be a pretty deep thinker. In fact, Hawke made the film after having a conversation with Bernstein at a dinner party. Try and remember the last time you met someone so interesting you thought they could carry a documentary. In many ways, "Seymour" is just a replication of that meeting. It's a series of conversations, some of them fascinatingly biographical, but many of them simply about the nature of art, philosophy, and what's important in life. "Seymour" is a delicate, gentle, excellent film. In fact, the biggest problem with its home release is it's yet another case in which IFC/Sundance has chosen not to go with Blu-ray, opting for DVD-only. In 2015, everything should get an HD option. Yes, even a documentary about a retired piano player. Everything.
Seymour Bernstein in Concert
"Toy Story That Time Forgot"
Here's one you can get in HD, and it's a 22-minute TV special. Why include it here in a column designed to highlight only the most exciting new releases? Because it's "Toy Story," and there will always be a place in my heart for Woody and Buzz. I prefer the Halloween-themed "Toy Story of Terror" to this bit about a group of Battlesaurs who don't realize they're toys (clearly repeating the beats of the first film in minor fashion) but this is still a cute holiday gift idea. It's not that expensive, and you can never have too much Woody and Buzz.
Battlesaurs: Animated Opening for the Fictional TV Series
Reptillus: Origins of the Battlesaurs World
"The Gift"
Joel Edgerton's thriller is one of those few films that we can honestly call a sleeper hit (an over-used phrase). When I saw it, I thought it might catch on a bit but coming out in a crowded summer would hurt it. I don't think even Edgerton knew how big it would get (I talked to him just before it opened and he was understandably nervous). "The Gift" cost $5 million and has made almost $60 million to date. That's 12-times the budget. And it's the kind of film that will find an even bigger audience on the home market, which has always been dominated by action and thrillers. Why did "The Gift" work? Counter-programming is part of it (you couldn't get much further from something like "Ant-Man" or "Pixels") but it's also just a tight, well-made piece of work, with three strong performances and a real eye by Edgerton, proving he studied cinema, mostly of the '70s, before he made it. I kind of can't wait to see what he does next, especially with the creative control he'll have after this hit.
Alternate Ending
Karma for Bullies
The Darker Side of Jason Bateman
Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Joel Edgerton
"Southpaw"
I'm one of the few defenders of Kurt Sutter and Antoine Fuqua's defiantly old-fashioned drama, but I stand by it. Is it a great movie? No. It's too broad and self-indulgent when it comes to its cliches. But there's something in the way Jake Gyllenhaal and Forest Whitaker commit to those cliches that's engaging. There's nothing lazy about "Southpaw," and the films that turn me off are the ones that feel like cheap, lazy products. In terms of its home release, the film has some solid featurettes and deleted scenes. This is also the kind of movie that usually kills on home video.
Southpaw: Inside the Ring
Q&A with Cast
Extended Training Montage
"John Carpenter's Vampires" (Twilight Time)
Ah, "Vampires." Getting the Twilight Time release in the mail this week, I held out hope that John Carpenter's 1998 flick was better than I remembered, and that TT's brilliance with transfers (they all look amazing) would allow its strengths to shine through. I was both right and wrong. Carpenter's direction is better than I remembered. Look at his use of space. And I choose to believe the macho misogyny at work in "Vampires" is a commentary on that kind of dude-bro behavior and not an approval of it (someday I'll list the evidence to support that theory). The problem with "Vampires" is the casting. James Woods is no Kurt Russell. Daniel Baldwin is no, well, anything. He's SO boring. In fact, when Mark Boone Junior gets cut in half during the film's early hotel massacre (arguably the best scene in the flick), "Vampires" might lose its best actor. Ah well. I still love John Carpenter. And this flick looks great after the Twilight Time treatment. It's just that its weaknesses have been as amplified as its strengths.
Isolated Score Track
Audio Commentary with Writer-Director John Carpenter
The Making of John Carpenter's Vampires
3 NEW TO VOD
"The Hallow"
"I Smile Back"
"Nasty Baby"
NEXT GUIDE: "The Apu Trilogy," "Code Unknown," "Mr. Holmes," "Trainwreck," "Better Call Saul" and more!
Brian Tallerico is the Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
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History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) by Livy
Translated by Rev. Canon Roberts
Book IV Chapter 29: War with Aequi and Sabines. (Cont.)[431 BC]
Messius with a body of their bravest troops charged through heaps of slain and was carried on to the Volscian camp, which was not yet taken; the entire army followed. The consul [Note 1] followed them up in their disordered flight as far as the stockade and began to attack the camp, whilst the dictator [Note 2] brought up his troops to the other side of it. The storming of the camp was just as furious as the battle had been. It is recorded that the consul actually threw a standard inside the stockade to make the soldiers more eager to assault it, and in endeavouring to recover it the first breach was made. When the stockade was torn down and the dictator had now carried the fighting into the camp, the enemy began everywhere to throw away their arms and surrender. After the capture of this camp, the enemy, with the exception of the senators, were all sold as slaves. A part of the booty comprised the plundered property of the Latins and Hernicans, and after being identified, was restored to them, the rest the dictator sold " Under the spear". After placing the consul in command of the camp, he entered the City in triumph and then laid down his dictatorship. Some writers have cast a gloom over the memory of this glorious dictatorship by handing down a tradition that the dictator's son, who, seeing an opportunity for fighting to advantage, had left his post against orders, was beheaded by his father, though victorious. I prefer to disbelieve the story, and am at liberty to do so, as opinions differ. An argument against it is that such cruel displays of authority are called Manlian" not Postumian," for it is the first man who practiced such severity to whom the stigma would have been affixed. Moreover, Manlius received the soubriquet of "Imperiosus"; Postumius was not distinguished by any invidious epithet.[Note 3]
The other consul, Gaius Julius, dedicated the temple of Apollo in his colleague's absence, without waiting to draw lots with him as to who should do it. Quinctius was very angry at this, and after he had disbanded his army and returned to the City, he laid a protest before the senate, but nothing came of it.
In this year so memorable for great achievements an incident occurred which at the time seemed to have little to do with Rome. Owing to disturbances amongst the Sicilians, the Carthaginians, who were one day to be such powerful enemies, transported an army into Sicily for the first time to assist one of the contending parties.
Note 1: consul = Quinctius
Note 2: dictator = Postumius
Note 3: Manlius. The incident alluded to is recorded by Livy in his eighth book. Titus Manlius, in his war with the Latins, gave strict injunctions that none should leave his station or fight without orders. His son, who was also called Titus Manlius, provoked by the challenge of a Tusculan officer engaged him in single combat and slew him. In spite of this brilliant display of courage his father ordered him, as a punishment for his disobedience, to be beheaded. "Manlian orders" became subsequently a proverbial expression for intolerably harsh military discipline.
Events: War with Volscians and Aqui, Carthago sends an army to Sicily
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Rainham’s Better Bread bakery fined after severe mouse infestation
A Rainham bakery and its director have been ordered to pay �12,000 after Havering Council’s environmental health inspectors found its premises infested with mice.
Better Bread Bakeries Ltd and Gary Hales, managing director of the company, both pleaded guilty to four food hygiene offences after a severe mouse infestation found during a routine inspection in November 2010.
The bakery, in Manor Way Business Centre, Fairview Industrial Estate, Marsh Way, was initially closed by Havering Council and it was kept shut until the bakery was satisfactorily cleaned and the infestation controlled.
The condition of the premises was so serious that it was also considered in the public interest to prosecute and the case was heard on Friday (February 10) at Havering Magistrates’ Court.
Hales admitted to the council that there was a problem and they had not been able to clean the bakery for the three or four months because of staff shortages but that he was “fully aware of what it was like,” a release from the authority said.
The council’s Environmental Health Team found large quantities of mouse droppings on the floor and on machinery and equipment used to produce food, it added.
Some of the equipment had recently been used.
Inspectors also found dead and decomposing mice and live mice running through the bakery, on equipment and in food ingredients.
There was also evidence of mice gnawing through food packaging.
Magistrates said that the premises had been found in a “disgusting state”, and that the company and Hales had failed in their duty of care to maintain the business in a hygienic manner.
Better Bakeries Ltd and Hales were fined on four counts - a failure to ensure food was protected against the risk of contamination, a failure to have adequate procedures in place to control pests, a failure to ensure equipment was cleaned to avoid a risk of contamination and, finally, a failure to ensure food premises were kept cleaned and maintained in good repair and condition.
Cllr Lesley Kelly, cabinet member for housing and public protection, said: “Thanks to the swift action by Havering Council in temporarily shutting down Better Bread Bakeries, we were able to protect residents’ health and prevent further food contamination.”
Hales was fined �1,250 for each offence and ordered to pay �1,000 towards prosecution costs plus a �15 victim’s surcharge.
The same fines and costs were awarded against Better Bread Bakeries Ltd - a total of �12,030.
Better Bread Bakeries re-opened after the clean-up in November 2010.
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Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film by Carl R. Plantinga
This book was originally published in hardcover by Cambridge University Press.
Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film provides a clear and compelling introduction to the basic theoretical issues that ground any in-depth study of documentary film and video. Exploring the legitimacy of the distinction between fiction and nonfiction, Carl Plantinga characterizes the documentary in a new way. He examines the uses of moving photographic images and recorded sounds in documentary communication, and describes the implications of various structural and stylistic choices. He explores the notion of voice, the overall nature and functions of objectivity, reflexivity and truth-telling. Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film offers a "critical realist" perspective on these issues and thus offers an alternative to post-modernist and post-structuralist theories of the documentary.
Also available as an eBook here.
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Today Is the 30th Anniversary of Steve Jobs & John Sculley First Meeting
November 20th, 2012 | Global Business, Technology
Steve Jobs and I met for the first time in Cupertino, CA on November 20, 1982. Apple had been searching for a permanent CEO to succeed interim CEO Mike Markkula.
The Apple board gave Steve Jobs veto rights over who was to be selected. I officially joined Apple as CEO four months later on April 6, 1983. Why did Steve Jobs pursue me, who had no previous computer technology experience to join him as Apple CEO?
Sitting for decades in a leased storeroom gathering dust is a diorama telling the story of Steve’s and my first year together at Apple. Steve had it made as a surprise for me, which he presented to me at the April, 1984 Apple board meeting. Our first year working together was an amazing experience for both of us. Steve bounced every idea off me, seeking my reaction; I was his close friend and we spent hours together walking the Apple campus and Stanford University hills; he loved learning about Big Brand marketing, as it was an unknown art in Silicon Valley back in those days.
The back story is, Apple was on the defensive. In 1982 Apple was outsold 2:1 by both Atari and Commodore. The Apple III had been introduced months earlier and it failed. IBM had introduced the IBM-PC in 1981 and by 1983 it was equal in revenue to Apple’s. The company’s only source of positive cash flow, the Apple II, was aging. Its 6502 processor was 8 bits while IBM was promoting its more powerful 16 bit processor, which was much faster for running spread sheets. Steve Jobs was completely focused on creating the Macintosh, which was still more than a year away from launch when Steve and I met for the first time.
Steve needed the cash to keep flowing from Apple II to fund the Mac development and fund the Mac’s expected launch in 1984. Yet Steve went out of his way to dismiss the Personal Computer Systems Division (Apple II) as “Bozos” while bragging about his elite Mac team as “Pirates.” What amazed me was that the Apple II group had been pushed off the Apple campus to a totally separate building miles away at the junction of Stevens Creek Rd and Route 280 in a place called the Triangle building because of its odd shape.
Paul Dali was a really fine manager running the Apple II division day-to-day. I appointed myself as overall head of the Apple II Group with Paul reporting directly to me and I moved my office to the off-campus Triangle building. I wanted everyone at Apple to know that my most important role was to help Apple II continue to flow cash.
Paul Dali had created a really great follow-on product to the Apple II+, which we launched in 1983 as the Apple IIe. Apple’s previous marketing campaign had been “Look at all the things you can do with an Apple II.” We completely revamped our marketing with the Apple IIe launch to focus on the fastest growing sector, “spread sheets.” Most heavy users of spread sheet on the Apple II+ actually didn’t use the aging Apple DOS operating system, choosing instead the much faster Apple II CPM plug-in board. So we built our marketing story around the CPM card and the fact that Apple could do something that the IBM-PC couldn’t: We could display spread sheets as charts in color on our display. The Apple IIe was a huge success! The cash flowed in.
When Paul Dali left Apple to become CEO of Regis McKenna Marketing Services, I assigned one of Apple’s most talented executives, Del Yocam to head the Apple II Group. Del created as much excitement inside the company around Apple II as Steve Jobs did around the Mac. Months after joining Apple, I made my best outside hire when Bill Campbell, previously Columbia University’s football coach and an advertising executive, agreed to join Apple as CMO and later head of sales. Bill loves people; he builds great teams; and people loved working for him. Bill’s job was to update our computer dealer network and turn our sales channel into a major competitive advantage over much larger Atari and Commodore. We wanted our dealer channel as strong as possible in anticipation of the Mac’s introduction in 1984.
Back in 1982, I wanted to meet Steve Jobs because I was curious about who he was, what drove him, and this place called Silicon Valley, which was largely unknown outside the tech world. I had little interest in leaving my job at Pepsi. I have never met anyone more persistent at getting what he wants than Steve Jobs. In the four months Steve pursued me to come to Apple he was most interested in what we called at Pepsi “experience marketing.” We created this version of marketing because, back in 1970 when I was first appointed Pepsi Marketing VP, Coca-Cola was much larger than Pepsi and we had a much smaller marketing budget. Coke’s marketing was all about the product (e.g., “It’s the Real Thing”), so we decided to focus on the consumer experience of Pepsi drinkers, not the product (e.g., Pepsi Generation and later, Pepsi Challenge).
Steve Jobs was fascinated by “experience marketing” and we would talk about it for hours. He wanted to learn everything he could about how and what made it such a powerful marketing differentiator (Pepsi passed Coca-Cola, becoming the largest selling consumer packaged goods product in America in 1978). There were two reasons for Steve’s curiosity: First, Steve had conceived the Mac as an “experience product system” (e.g., WYSIWYG – what-you-see-is-what-you-get). Second, Steve truly believed that the Mac was a “consumer appliance,” not a personal computer, and we would be able to change the world if we marketed it with the skill of “experience marketing.”
I’m a Big Brand marketing guy who was always more interested in disruptive innovation than being in charge. I just happened to end up being CEO of Pepsi-Cola Company and Apple. Neither job was my end goal aspiration. I was totally happy being Steve Jobs marketing partner.
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Westneat
Ishisaka
School nurses key to reopening schools, but new research shows equity gaps in Washington
Hannah Furfaro
Seattle Times staff reporter
Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to persistent challenges in public education. The Seattle Foundation serves as fiscal sponsor for Education Lab, which is supported by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Amazon and City University of Seattle. Learn more about Ed Lab.
Just as a slew of Washington school districts are planning to bring more students back into buildings this year, a new study from University of Washington researchers suggests that many districts are short of school nurses, who will play a critical role in developing pandemic-related health and safety plans and will care for sick students.
Statewide, schools employed an estimated 978 full-time equivalent nurses in 2019-20, up from 625 two years ago, the researchers found. But Washington has more than 2,000 public schools, suggesting that many buildings still don’t employ a nurse full time.
The findings also suggest vast gaps, like in the health care system at large, in who has access to medical care at school.
Districts in rural corners of the state, and those with more low-income children, have fewer school nurses per student, the researchers found. Conversely, districts with more Black, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander or multiracial students have more nurses per capita. This might be because students of color have a higher prevalence of certain chronic illnesses, according to some research, and districts choose to hire more nurses to meet this need.
School nurses and other school-based medical staff constitute what many researchers call a “hidden health care system.” Students don’t need appointments, insurance or transportation. The result: School nurses help ease racial and income-based disparities common in other health care settings by providing basic care to students who might not otherwise receive it.
In pandemic times, on top of their regular duties, these critical medical staff members are charged with screening or testing staff and students for COVID-19 symptoms, contact tracing when cases crop up and tending to students who fall ill at school.
“There’s going to be a lot more COVID-related stuff that schools are going to have to do, right? And who is going to do that?” said Mayumi Willgerodt, who was involved in the research and is associate professor of child, family and population health nursing at UW. School nurses “are trained to do the assessments and make those judgments that I’m not so sure others can do.”
The new research, which is unpublished and hasn’t been reviewed by peer researchers, is the most recent look at Washington’s school nurse workforce — the last review was in 1997 — and one of the first comprehensive reviews of the distribution of the health workforce in schools nationwide. Other states could use it as a blueprint for their own local studies, said Laurie Combe, president of the National Association of School Nurses.
“We can see that there are disparities in the way schools are staffed,” she said. “We know that many students don’t have access to a usual source of care and the school nurse can fill that gap.”
The researchers also found that in many rural places in Washington, the school nursing shortfall overlaps with areas that are poorly supplied with primary medical care for the community at large.
Serving students
In Moses Lake, a rural district where about 67% of students come from low-income families, eight nurses serve 15 schools; the researchers calculated that each full-time equivalent nurse there serves about 1,632 students. The district has held classes in person for many students since September, offering a window into the pivotal role school nurses play during the pandemic.
“Oh, my gosh — this school year looks totally different than any school year I have been a part of in the past,” said Liz Pray, a Moses Lake school nurse and president of the School Nurse Organization of Washington.
Any time the district learns of a coronavirus case, Pray and her colleagues team up to call families, staff and other contacts. At least 181 Moses Lake educators or students have become ill so far, including Superintendent Joshua Meek. At one point in the fall, Pray helped make the decision to shut down a school for two weeks because of an outbreak.
She hears from colleagues across the state who are responsible for other important tasks, such as taking student and staff temperatures at the door, following up with those who fail a screening and isolating folks who are symptomatic at school.
“I’ve taken food to a single mom with four kids at home who tested positive and had no family in town,” she said. “Yes, we’re stretched thin. You can ask any school nurse across the state and every single one of them will tell you we’re exhausted.”
According to the UW research, on average, each Washington school nurse serves 1,173 students. That ratio has declined from 1,605-to-1 in the 2000-01 school year. For comparison, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one nurse per school. In Washington, that would work out to a ratio of one full-time nurse per 482 students, the researchers say.
The researchers calculated nurse-to-student ratios using 20 years of data from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state Department of Health.
Distribution disparities
The role of the school nurses has expanded over the past 20 years, the researchers say. The percentage of children with chronic health conditions is rising, and state and federal laws have increasingly reinforced the role of schools in keeping children healthy.
Nurses play a particularly important role for students of color, who are, on average, less likely than their white peers to have health insurance or consistent access to medical care, according to previous studies. The new work suggests that school nurses are helping close that gap.
Seattle Public Schools, where about one-third of students are from low-income families and more than half are students of color, has 1 nurse for every 774 students, the researchers found.
Highline, where 71% come from low-income families and 80% are students of color, has one nurse for every 736 students. The ratio is 1,211-to-1 in Bellevue and 1,173-to-1 in Kent.
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It’s possible that some districts hire more nurses because they serve a greater proportion of students with serious health needs, but the study didn’t look at this question. The researchers also didn’t analyze whether nurses are distributed evenly across schools in a given district.
“It’s a really good place to start, and gives us a broad snapshot,” Willgerodt said. “But we need to remember this is district-level data and there’s a lot of variability within schools and among the students themselves.”
In towns and rural communities, each full-time equivalent school nurse serves between 1,293 and 1,327 students — or about 250 more students than nurses who work in urban areas. Nurses in less populated regions may be more likely than those in urban districts to split their time at several schools, which may be located many miles from one another.
Districts are also likely to have fewer nurses if they serve more low-income students: for every 1% increase in students from low-income homes, the researchers found, the ratio of students to nurses rises by 1.1%.
These disparities illustrate shortcomings in the way Washington funds school nurses. The funding formula provides money for one full-time nurse for every 5,263 elementary students, 7,200 middle school students or 6,250 high school students; the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is asking lawmakers to reduce those ratios during the upcoming legislative session.
In most areas the ratios aren’t as drastic as what state money would fund: The researchers say they suspect that state or federal dollars cover a third of the costs of school nurses here, while local levy dollars or other funding streams make up the difference. But districts in lower-income communities don’t have the same fundraising power as wealthier areas, leaving them without the same resources to fill in gaps in state funding, said Trevor Gratz, who led the study and is a research associate at the UW’s Center for Education Data & Research.
“It’s encouraging to see students of color have at least some better measures to access, but then a little bit discouraging that there’s an overreliance on local dollars to fund school services that seems to be driving a compounding access gap,” he said.
Hannah Furfaro: hfurfaro@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @HannahFurfaro.
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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only, and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.
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Senate race thrusts ‘Black America’s church’ into spotlight
Jan. 3, 2021 at 4:55 am Updated Jan. 3, 2021 at 10:05 pm
AARON MORRISON
ATLANTA (AP) — For decades, the red-bricked Gothic Revival church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached has been a monument to the history of Black Americans’ fight for civil rights and the legacy of an activist icon.
It took a high-stakes Senate race and a Trump-era cultural debate to thrust Ebenezer Baptist Church into the center of the current political debate.
Its senior pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, is running for the Senate in one of two runoff elections that could decide which party ultimately controls Congress in the first years of the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden. But Warnock’s preaching has become a focal point in the debate about race and justice in the election.
His opponent, Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, has run attack ads using snippets of sermons Warnock preached from Ebenezer’s pulpit to accuse him of being a far left, radical socialist who doesn’t support police officers or military service members.
For King’s former church, the intense spotlight isn’t new. Its 6,000 members are accustomed to standing-room only Sunday services, due in large part to the out-of-town visitors who flocked to the church. Still, Loeffler’s criticisms have renewed attention on a pillar of Black life in Atlanta and a tradition of political activism it represents.
“The Republican attack is not just against Warnock, it’s against the Black church and the Black religious experience,” said the Rev. Timothy McDonald III, pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta who served as assistant pastor of Ebenezer from 1978 to 1984.
McDonald describes Warnock’s views as consistent with the church’s opposition to racism, police brutality, poverty and militarism. Loeffler’s attacks include selectively edited portions of Warnock’s sermon in which he decries “police power showing up in a kind of gangster and thug mentality,” as a criticism of law enforcement practices that have historically driven a wedge between departments and Black residents.
“I don’t care what you think about Warnock,” he said. “We’ve got to defend our church, our preaching, or prophetic tradition, our community involvement and engagement. We’re going to defend that.”
Ebenezer is “Black America’s church,” McDonald added. ”It’s bigger than any individual.”
Loeffler has responded, saying in a tweet last month that she isn’t attacking the Black church. “We simply exposed your record in your own words,” she wrote in a reply to Warnock.
Commonly referred to as “Martin Luther King’s church,” Ebenezer sits in the middle of a national park dedicated to the civil rights icon’s life and legacy, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourists annually. Warnock’s leadership at the church is his chief credential, a position so prestigious some note the U.S. Senate is a step down.
Warnock has continued to preach as he campaigns for office — albeit pre-recorded in an empty sanctuary, due to the pandemic. In a message delivered Sunday, Warnock seemed to allude to the runoff, telling viewers that they are “on the verge of victory” in their lives, if they accept that God has already equipped them with the ability to win against their adversaries.
“When God is with you, you can defeat giants,” said Warnock, who ended the early morning service by also encouraging Georgians to vote on Tuesday.
“It’s so very important that your voice be heard in this defining moment in our country,” he said. “I would not be so presumptuous as to tell you who to vote for.”
The church has kept some distance from Warnock’s bid. Ebenezer declined interview requests for members of the pastoral staff. Instead, it issued a statement detailing its public ministry, including social services for the poor, elderly and formerly incarcerated people and more recently, free COVID-19 testing and flu shots.
“Ebenezer Baptist Church embodies the mission of Jesus Christ, through acts of service that strive to feed the poor, liberate the oppressed, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick or imprisoned,” the church said in a statement emailed to the AP.
Since before the abolition of slavery, the Black church has played a role in brokering congregants’ relationship to political power. It’s not uncommon for politicians, most often Democrats, to campaign from Black church pulpits. But it’s still relatively rare for church leaders to cross over into public office.
If he were elected, Warnock would be sworn into a small group of other ministers who have served in Congress, including at least one other Black pastor, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.
Within the last year, Ebenezer has been part of a few major national news events.
It hosted the funeral of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man fatally shot in the back by Atlanta police in June, amid nationwide protests over George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May.
Warnock was an officiant for that service, and for the late July funeral of civil rights icon and Atlanta congressman John Lewis, who was an Ebenezer member.
“This church is situated at the heart of Atlanta and it’s leadership has always opened its doors to the community,” said Daunta Long, pastor of Seed Planters Church of God In Christ in McDonough, about 40 miles southeast of the city.
Balancing pastoral duties and a national public profile is a common source of tension, noted McDonald, the former assistant pastor. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was not present for the voting rights march now known as Bloody Sunday because he was expected to preach at Ebenezer for communion Sunday, the first sabbath of the month, according to Clayborne Carson, the historian who maintains King’s papers at Stanford University.
Ebenezer was founded in 1886. Its second pastor, the Rev. Adam Daniel Williams, brought on his son-in-law, Martin Luther King. Sr., as assistant pastor in 1927. His son, King Jr., co-pastored from 1960 to 1968.
The elder King, who served as pastor of Ebenezer for more than 40 years, continued in leadership after his son’s assassination in Memphis in 1968. The Rev. Joseph Roberts, Jr. became Ebenezer’s fourth pastor after King. Sr.’s retirement in 1975.
Warnock, who is Ebenezer’s fifth pastor in more than 130 years, was selected as Roberts’s successor in 2005.
Ebenezer’s members, many who support Warnock’s candidacy, say they worry about losing his leadership.
“People love him as their pastor,” said Xernona Clayton, 90, a King family confidante and member of the church since 1963. “I think selfishly they don’t want to lose him. They want the best of two areas: good representation in the political arena and a pastor in the pulpit.”
“I’d imagine both of those jobs would be full-time,” she added.
Morrison is a member of The Associated Press’ Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaronlmorrison.
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Bengals beat Texans 37-31 for first road win since 2018
Dec. 27, 2020 at 1:35 pm Updated Dec. 27, 2020 at 4:00 pm
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Photos: Seahawks take on Rams in wild-card weekend
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KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) — Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor didn’t hear a single complaint when he made his team practice in 10-degree weather on Christmas Day because the Bengals knew the preparation was important if they hoped to finally win a road game.
That preparation paid off on Sunday when Samaje Perine scored a 3-yard touchdown late to give the Bengals their first road win in more than two years with a 37-31 victory over the Houston Texans.
“It just tells you all you’ve got to know about the character and the resolve of this football team… I just couldn’t be prouder of the work that they put in here in Week 16,” Taylor said. “We’re out of the playoff hunt. It’s easy for guys to check out right now and we haven’t had a single player do it.”
It’s the first road win for Taylor, who is in his second season, and the first time the Bengals (4-10-1) won away from Cincinnati since a 37-36 victory at Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2018.
“It’s a big deal,” defensive end Sam Hubbard said. “Like I said earlier in the week, we put an emphasis on it and to actually follow up and do it is huge for us.”
The Bengals have won two games in a row for the first time this season after upsetting the Steelers 27-17 on Monday night.
The Texans were driving after Perine’s second score when Deshaun Watson was sacked by Hubbard, who forced a fumble that Margus Hunt recovered. The Bengals added a field goal after that to seal the victory.
It’s the third time in the past four games that the Texans have had a chance to win or tie a game late but lost a fumble instead.
“Fumbles that occur at any point in the game, you don’t like them,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “But when they occur in situations where you have a chance to win, I think that’s a double whammy in that case.”
The Texans led 31-27 after Darren Fells carried two defenders into the end zone at the end of a 22-yard reception with about six minutes to go.
Perine, who had a season-high 95 yards rushing, gave Cincinnati the lead when he bulled into the end zone for the go-ahead score with less than two minutes to go.
Brandon Allen returned after missing last week’s game with a knee injury and threw for a career-high 371 yards with two touchdowns for the Bengals.
“You can just see in these last two weeks that this team knows how close it can be and we’ve finally been able to have two real close games and we put them together to get wins,” he said. “And we can just take that momentum and move it forward.”
Watson threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns and David Johnson ran for a season-high 128 yards and had a rushing touchdown and a TD reception as the Texans (4-11) tied a season high with their fourth straight loss.
An irate J.J. Watt went on a long rant detailing the frustrations of the season after the game, but first he summed up the play of Houston’s defense on Sunday.
“We played horrendously,” he said. “That’s harsh, but it’s a fact of what we did today.”
Cincinnati took a 27-24 lead on a 48-yard field goal by Austin Seibert early in the fourth quarter.
Perine put the Bengals up 17-10 when he ran 46 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. It looked as if he would be stopped early in the run, but he spun away from a defender and cruised into the end zone.
The Texans tied it on a 4-yard touchdown run by Johnson on their next possession.
Cincinnati regained the lead when rookie Tee Higgins grabbed a 20-yard reception in the corner of the end zone and managed to keep both feet inbounds for the touchdown with about six minutes left in the third.
Their lead was brief as the Texans tied it again on a 2-yard scoring run by Johnson late in the third quarter.
The Seahawks’ early playoff exits are starting to take a toll on Pete Carroll’s reputation
The Bengals took an early lead when Allen found Drew Sample wide open for an 8-yard touchdown on their first drive.
Watson threw a 50-yard pass to Brandin Cooks on Houston’s next possession to give the team a first down at the 7. But the offense stalled after that and the Texans settled for a 21-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
The Bengals had a chance to add to their lead in the second quarter, but Seibert’s 49-yard field-goal attempt was wide left. He got another chance later in the second and his attempt from 35 was good to give Cincinnati a 10-3 lead.
A 25-yard TD reception by Cooks with two minutes left in the first half tied it at 10 at halftime.
Bengals: CB William Jackson sustained a concussion in the second quarter.
Texans: RG Brent Qvale sustained a concussion second quarter. LT Laremy Tunsil injured his foot in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Bengals: Host Baltimore next Sunday.
Texans: Host Tennessee next Sunday.
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By Anita Heiss
A story about what it means to be a friend …
Five women, best friends for decades, meet once a month to talk about books … and life, love and the jagged bits in between. Dissecting each other’s lives seems the most natural thing in the world – and honesty, no matter how brutal, is something they treasure. Best friends tell each other everything, don’t they? But each woman harbours a complex secret and one weekend, without warning, everything comes unstuck.
Izzy, soon to be the first Black woman with her own television show, has to make a decision that will change everything.
Veronica, recently divorced and dedicated to raising the best sons in the world, has forgotten who she is.
Xanthe, desperate for a baby, can think of nothing else, even at the expense of her marriage.
Nadine, so successful at writing other people’s stories, is determined to blot out her own.
Ellen, footloose by choice, begins to question all that she’s fought for.
When their circle begins to fracture and the old childhood ways don’t work anymore, is their sense of sistahood enough to keep it intact? How well do these tiddas really know each other?
‘Generous and witty: only Anita Heiss is writing this new, contemporary women’s story.’ - Susan Johnson
(c) Kate Bryan, Ruby Olive
Anita Heiss
Dr Anita Heiss is an award-winning author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, children’s novels and blogs. She is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the GO Foundation and Worawa Aboriginal College. Anita is a board member of University of Queensland Press and Circa Contemporary Circus, and is a Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. As artist in residence at La Boite Theatre in 2020, Anita began adapting her novel Tiddas (S&S, 2014) for the stage. Her novel Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms (S&S 2016) set in Cowra during World War II, was the 2020 University of Canberra Book of the Year. Anita enjoys eating chocolate, running and being a 'creative disruptor'.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (March 1, 2015)
Book Cover Image (jpg): Tiddas
Author Photo (jpg): Anita Heiss
More books from this author: Anita Heiss
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TONY HSIEH
CEO of Zappos.com Bestselling Author: "Delivering Happiness". In 1999, at the age of 24, Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million.
BOOK TONY
Meet Tony Hsieh
Business speaker Tony Hsieh is an entrepreneur, author and one of the most well respected businessmen in the world of the internet. A graduate of Harvard University in the mid-nineties, Tony Hsieh started his first post-graduation project called LinkExchange, an online advertising network which allowed members to display banner ads on other websites. The first idea of its kind in an internet that was still very young, LinkExchange had attracted over 400,000 members and 5 million banner ads rotated daily after only two and a half years. In 1999, at the age of 24, sold LinkExchange, the company he co-founded, to Microsoft for $265 million.
He then joined Zappos as an advisor and investor, and eventually became CEO, where he helped Zappos grow from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune Magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work For” list. In November 2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing. Throughout his career, Tony has won countless awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Tony’s first book, Delivering Happiness, was published in June 2010, and outlines his path from starting a worm farm to life at Zappos. Tony shows how a very different kind of corporate culture is a powerful model for achieving success and happiness. “Delivering Happiness”, debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list.
Tony was interviewed by Barbara Walters when she interviewed self-made entrepreneurs. The piece included a visit to the headquarters of Zappos.com that was dubbed what “might just be the wackiest workplace in America.”
In addition to his responsibilities as CEO of Zappos.com, Tony is leading the “Downtown Project,” a group committed to transforming downtown Las Vegas into the most community-focused large city in the world. This transformation includes the relocation of the Zappos.com offices from Henderson, Nevada to what was the old City Hall in downtown Las Vegas.
Suggested Speaking Topics
Zappos / Delivering Happiness
Culture is to a company as community is to a city: it's about values, innovation, serendipity, participation, upward mobility, and attraction of smart startups and the creative class. Tony is applying his very successful Zappos corporate culture model (recognized multiple times by FORTUNE as one of the top 100 best places to work) to help build the most community-focused large city in the world in the place you would least expect it: Downtown Las Vegas. Research has shown that every time the size of a city doubles, productivity and innovation per resident increases by 15%, but when companies get bigger, productivity per employee generally goes down. With his new $350 million Downtown Project, Tony is creating a unique hybrid of corporation, community, and city to drive productivity and innovation both for Zappos as well as the city itself.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose
Tony Hsieh will discuss the different ingredients used by Zappos.com to build a long-lasting enduring brand, including the importance of customer service and company culture. Tony will talk about how focusing on delivering happiness to customers and employees has enabled the company to expand beyond selling shoes to clothing, bags, and other product categories.
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South Dakota Bill to Allow Single License Plate for Special Interest Vehicles Approved by Senate; Moves to Governor
DON’T DELAY! Please request support for H.B. 1164 immediately from Governor Dennis Daugaard now:
H.B. 1164 defines a special interest motor vehicle as “a vehicle that is collected, preserved, restored, or maintained by the owner as a leisure pursuit and is not used for general or commercial transportation.”
H.B. 1164 requires that the special plate be distinct from regular plates, fastened to the rear of the vehicle and that the regular plates are kept in the vehicle.
H.B. 1164 provides for a $25 annual fee.
H.B. 1164 provides that the vehicle owner must sign an affidavit attesting that the vehicle is driven less than six thousand miles per year; is not used for general or commercial transportation, but only for occasional transportation, public displays, parades, and related pleasure or hobby activities; and the current reading on the odometer. The odometer reading would be submitted annually upon registration renewal.
H.B. 1164 would save money, conserve resources and bring South Dakota in line with other states that have moved to a single plate requirement.
H.B. 1164 would protect the aesthetic contours of special interest motor vehicles and relieve vehicle owners of the burden of having to create mounting holes on some original bumpers.
Overview: Legislation (H.B. 1164) to allow the issuance of a single license plate for special interest motor vehicles was approved by the South Dakota Legislature. The bill will now be sent to the governor for his signature and enactment into law. The bill, favored by state hobbyists, requires that the single registration plate be attached to the rear of the special interest motor vehicle.
South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard
Electronic Message:
http://sd.gov/governor/contact.aspx
500 E Capitol Ave
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Police kill Indian...
Police kill Indian during Nepal protest
| 3 Nov 2015 12:00 AM GMT
Kathmandu, November 2: Police in Nepal on Monday shot dead an Indian tiol during protests in the the country’s Birgunj city close to the Indian border, officials said. The deceased was identified as Asish Kumar Ram, 24. He belonged to Raxaul in Bihar. Nepal’s Home Secretary Surya Silwal confirmed that a protester had been killed in a clash with police. The man died after being caught in police firing near the Shankaracharya Gate, the main gateway to Nepal from India. He sustained bullet injuries on the head and was declared dead at the rayani Hospital. Its medical director Imamul Haq said Ram was dead even before reaching the hospital.
The police reportedly fired dozens of bullets and tear gas after being heavily pelted with stones by protesters near the Indian border. Several protesters were injured by rubber bullets fired by the security forces, a police official said. The Birgunj-Raxaul border point has come under the control of protesters, one account said.
Later, when the police chased them away, they reached the bridge that links Nepal and India. They again stoned Nepal’s security forces from Indian territory, witnesses said. All the major Nepal-India entry points have been tense for the past one and a half months after the promulgation of a new constitution in the Himalayan tion triggered protests in areas close to the Indian border. The Madhesh-based political parties in Nepal are unhappy over the new constitution and the concept of federalism. They have been demonstrating at the border points, choking the supply of essential supplies from India and causing widespread shortages. Birgunj is a key point from where essential commodities and fuel from India enter Nepal. Around 50 people have been killed in Nepal since the agitation began in Nepal’s southern plains. (IANS)
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Machine to Machine (MTM) is a technology able to put different devices (machines in fact) in communication with each other, to allow machines to exchange data and information acquired in order to improve the processes performed by the machines themselves.
In the context of technological evolution, the relationship between the various actors (man, devices and software) until recently had a common denominator: man; in fact, the man who governed, directed, controlled if what the machines were doing was exactly what they were programmed for.
For some years, however, our (as a human kind) figure in many areas has increasingly less impact on the work cycle that machines perform. With the development of machines that are more and more sensitive to what is happening around them, a technological branch has developed that groups together the set of integrated system solutions that make it possible to exchange information and analyze it in a totally automatic way. part of devices that are physically interconnected with each other or within a data network: the Machine to Machine (MTM).
But what exactly does M2M mean in the real world? Although there is not yet an exact definition of the Machine to Machine, we can safely say that the M2M can be described as "the set of algorithms and procedures that allow integrated systems to perform autonomously the operations according to the automatic transfer. data from another device without any human intervention or that this may be a low or negligible percentage. "
History and origins of the machine to machine:
In the early 50s Isaac Asimov wrote and imagined in his collection 'I Robot' a world where automation was in name and in fact and the machines could talk to each other and adapt to the circumstances without there being the human intervention but Theodore Paraskevakos had to wait for the first patent of data communication over telephone lines (today's ID).
In the industrial field, an early example of MTMs took place in the automotive industry within the assembly line of cars where parts of the same section communicated the conclusion of an operation and the subsequent arrival of the piece to the next machinery. This type of communication was however monodirectional and we had to wait for the standardization of RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) technology or radio-frequency identification that occurred at the turn of the eighties and nineties of last century when Nokia first used the acronym MTM , in order to have some concrete examples of communication between devices.
The real breakthrough, however, took place through three main factors: the miniaturization of components, the development of common communication protocols and the data network (wireless and telephone) but above all the definition of the standards and the areas in which the M2M2 ie remote monitoring, RFID, sensor network control, intelligent services and telematics and telemetry.
How machine-to-machine technology works :
Machine-to-machine technology allows the integration and dialogue of equipment (even of different types) installed at any distance between them through sensors that send (or acquire) data that are then transmitted to a central server through a network; in most cases MTM systems use wireless networks (public or private) and in more complex cases public networks with diversified access methods, such as mobile phones, ethernet or web within a closed system.
An MTM system must have at least two devices equipped with sensors, RFID, a communication link through common and shared protocols in Wi-Fi or cellular mode and an autonomous calculation software. This software is specifically programmed so that a network device can interpret the data and then make the appropriate decisions.
MTM applications acquire data, which can trigger automated embedded actions; this is particularly important in the industrial sector where remote communication between machinery and devices can operate in a coordinated way to achieve a specific goal in order to make production and the entire operating cycle more efficient.
Differences between IoT and MTM :
There are substantial differences between the Machine to Machine and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology even if the terms are improperly used interchangeably; Internet of Thing is in fact considered the evolution of the Machine to Machine, but it is substantially and formally wrong; the main difference is that while IoT needs MTM technology, MTM does not need IoT.
Formally MTM and IoT do the same thing (communication between connected devices) but while in the first one we find the single devices connected on the network in a closed system, the IoT allows to connect more M2M subsystems in a system that interacts with the environment physical (connected objects, Smart Objects) and with people.
MTM-based systems use point-to-point transmissions between devices, with sensors and dedicated hardware traveling on cellular networks or closed systems (wireless or wired), while IoT systems operate on protocol-based networks IP to send and manage data collected to specific network devices such as gateways, middleware or cloud platforms.
MTM determines how the companies (or devices) operate on a single aspect, the IoT does improve performance across multiple groups and see final results; an example of a domestic type can be that of the remote oven ignition: the MTM carries out the operation of physical ignition of the oven while the IoT system manages the phases of acceptance of the request, timing and ignition.
The IoT can therefore be composed of many MTM systems and can be defined as an evolution of the MTM where all the subjects (machines, links, man) operate to create a network for collecting and exchanging information through a set of devices equipped with sensors, Smart Objects, which communicate with each other and with human beings.
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Asphalt specialist Kopecký aims to continue winning sequence for ŠKODA on Corsica
› Czech champions Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler competing for ŠKODA Motorsport at the Rally France
› A total of six ŠKODA FABIA R5s at the “Rally of 10,000 Corners” on Corsica
› Seven consecutive ŠKODA wins in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2)
› Michal Hrabánek: “This unique asphalt rally will be a challenge for the drivers and for our FABIA R5”
Mladá Boleslav, 26 September 2016 – ŠKODA Motorsport’s hopes are resting on asphalt specialist Jan Kopecký (CZ) at the Rally France on Corsica. Together with his co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZ), the experienced Czech is aiming to continue the sequence of successes for ŠKODA in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2) at the “Rally of 10,000 Corners”. The ŠKODA FABIA R5 has now recorded seven consecutive wins. A month ago at the Rally Germany, Kopecký claimed second place behind his team-mate Esapekka Lappi (FIN)
“After our success at the Rally Germany, Corsica will provide a unique challenge on asphalt,” says ŠKODA Motorsport director Michal Hrabánek. “The Rally France has not been dubbed the ‘Rally of 10,000 Corners’ for no reason. It is characterised by a small number of very long special stages with many bends. You can only challenge for the win if you strike the perfect balance between taking risks and protecting your tyres. We are keeping our fingers crossed for our experienced duo of Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler.”
The Rally France on Corsica is a special test of man and material. No-one has any time to get used to it: The drivers have to tackle 49.72 kilometres on the very first stage, “Acqua Doria–Albitreccia”. The remaining 341.20 kilometres on the Mediterranean island consist of further special stages of similar length, which challenge the drivers mentally and physically.
“The Rally Corsica is one of the greatest challenges in the world championship season,” says Jan Kopecký. “Drivers have to be very gentle with their tyres and brakes. The very long special stages are extremely unforgiving and you cannot lose concentration. I am feeling as fit as a fiddle. Our ŠKODA FABIA R5 is a car that can enable me to record outstanding results. Of course, my goal is to claim that first win on Corsica at long last,” continues Kopecký. The Czech driver finished in second place three times between 2011 and 2013 at the “Tour de Corse”. In 2011 and 2012, the rally was part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and in 2013 it was part of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). The historic rally returned to the world championship schedule last year.
At the Rally France, Kopecký will be aiming to more points to his total in the drivers’ standings and retain his theoretical chance of claiming the WRC 2 World Championship title. The 34-year-old Czech driver is currently in eighth place with 37 points, having competed in just three races thus far. WRC 2 championship leader Elfyn Evans (GB/M-Sport Ford/95 points) is likely to pose the biggest threat to the asphalt specialist on Corsica, as the Rally France is his last chance to score points this year. Each WRC 2 driver can score points in seven races, and the best six results decide who is crowned champion. The remaining four rallies in France, Spain, Great Britain and Australia will be decisive.
The FABIA R5 of ŠKODA customers Ghislain de Mevius (B) and Julien Maurin (F) is also likely to do well at the “Rally of 10,000 Corners”. A total of six high-tech four-wheel drive cars from the Czech Republic will be competing. Teemu Suninen (FIN, 93 points) is in second place in the WRC 2 championship but, like French rally legend François Delecour and Sylvain Michel (F), he is not registered for the WRC 2 standings and cannot score any world championship points in the ŠKODA.
The last seven WRC 2 races have seen a ŠKODA FABIA R5 driver winning. Works driver Lappi won his home rally in Finland and triumphed again in Germany, while team-mate Pontus Tidemand (S) celebrated a win at the Rally Portugal. Victory in Mexico, on Sardinia and at the Rally Poland went to Suninen, while Nicolás Fuchs (PE) triumphed for ŠKODA at the Rally Argentina.
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2)
Rally Monte Carlo 21.01.–24.01.2016
Rally Sweden 11.02.–14.02.2016
Rally Mexico 03.03.–06.03.2016
Rally Argentina 21.04.–24.04.2016
Rally Portugal 19.05.–22.05.2016
Rally Italy 09.06.–12.06.2016
Rally Poland 30.06.–03.07.2016
Rally Finland 28.07.–31.07.2016
Rally Germany 18.08.–21.08.2016
Rally China 08.09.–11.09.2016 (cancelled)
Rally France 29.09.–02.10.2016
Rally Spain 13.10.–16.10.2016
Rally Great Britain 27.10.–30.10.2016
Rally Australia 17.11.–20.11.2016
… Gilberte Thirion/Nadège Ferrier (B/CH) were the first winners of the “Tour de Corse”? The first rally on Corsica was held in 1956 and was one of the most important national rallies.
… the Rally France has been won by a local driver 29 times in the past. The event has featured on the world championship calendar 40 times in total.
… the drivers only score points towards the world championship if they have registered for the WRC 2 class? Each driver can pick up points towards the WRC 2 standings in seven selected rallies. The six best results count towards the overall standings. ŠKODA customer driver Suninen, currently second in the world championship (93 points), has so far registered for the WRC 2 class at five world championship rallies, winning three times and finishing runner-up on one occasion. Works driver Lappi is third in the world championship (82 points) after starting five WRC 2 races (two wins). His team-mate Kopecký is eighth, having only contested three rounds in the WRC 2 class.
… ŠKODA boasts six drivers in the top eight of the overall standings in WRC 2? Britain’s Elfyn Evans (95 points from six starts) leads the way after ten of the season’s 14 races. However, he is followed in places two to seven by six drivers in the ŠKODA FABIA R5: Teemu Suninen (93/five starts), works driver Esapekka Lappi (82/five starts), Nicolás Fuchs (59/five starts), Armin Kremer (D/55/five starts), works driver Pontus Tidemand (49/four starts) and Jan Kopecký (37/three starts).
… Corsica’s capital, Ajaccio, is the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte? The former French emperor was born in what is now the capital in 1769. Today, it is still possible to visit the house in which the French general was born, including the trapdoor, through which Napoléon escaped from his house when he fled Corsica in 1793.
… Corsica, with an area of 8,680 km², is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus? For comparison: the popular tourist island of Mallorca, at 3,640 km², is not half as large as Corsica.
… a poisonous spider is widespread on Corsica? The poison of the European Black Widow may not be as strong as the closely-related Southern Black Widow, but it is still a dangerous species. The effect of a bite is comparable to being stung by a wasp. Cases ending in fatalities are extremely rare.
… France is not only an important motorsport venue for ŠKODA? ŠKODA has been a partner of the iconic “Tour de France” cycle race since 2004. This year’s three-week race saw the 250-strong fleet of ŠKODA cars cover approximately 2.8 million kilometres. It was through the manufacture of bicycles that ŠKODA’s founding fathers Laurin and Klement laid the foundations for the brand’s success story in 1895.
Rally France
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Telephone: 01344 868 668 | Email: info@sashwindow.com
Replacement Sash Windows
New Sashes
Bi-Fold/Sliding Doors
Out & About: Lamb House
Lamb House sits proudly at the top of West Street in Rye, Sussex. Built in 1723 by prominent local citizen, James Lamb, it’s a rather lovely example of a Georgian house with strong literary associations.
Lamb House – Front. Source: Original Picture
With its generous proportions, pleasing symmetry and large sash windows, Lamb House is the epitome of Georgian architecture – it’s certainly not difficult to see how American writer Henry James fell in love with it. Whilst visiting friends in the town, Henry James stumbled across Lamb House and later wrote that he was ‘doomed to live there’.
When (quite by chance) the house became available in 1897, he successfully negotiated the lease (he acquired the freehold later) and moved in to what was to be his home until shortly before his death in 1916.
Lamb House provided the tranquillity and inspiration that Henry James needed to write his important later works, including the novels The Wings of a Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl.
During this time, Henry James made a number of alterations to the house, including the addition of French windows and a round, feature window (very typical of the period) in one of the ground floor rooms:
Lamb House – Round Window Added by Henry James
In the summer months, James’ favourite place to work was the Garden Room – a wonderful pavilion that was sadly destroyed by a German bomb in August 1940 (together with many of the original sash windows).
Shortly after Henry James died, the writer E.F Benson rented Lamb house, sharing the tenancy with his brother, A.C. Benson, who was also a writer (most notably, he wrote the words to Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory). E.F Benson lived at Lamb House until 1940 and used it as the setting for his well-known Mapp and Lucia novels.
The house remained in Henry James’ family until 1948, when the widow of Henry James III (the author’s nephew) handed it over to current owners, The National Trust.
When the BBC adapted the Mapp and Lucia novels for their recent series, filming took place in and around Rye, with Lamb House at the heart of the production. The Garden Room was recreated for filming, but alas it was largely smoke and mirrors, to be removed along with the film crew when the production was complete.
However, there is no doubt that the television series has brought about a spike in visitor numbers to Lamb House and there is still hope that the Garden Room will be reinstated (for real) at some point in the future.
Lamb House (the ground floor rooms and lovely garden) is open to the public and is certainly worth a visit if you find yourself in Rye. Naturally, we’d recommend that you keep a keen eye out for the windows, which are a key feature and rather wonderful!
Lamb House – Rear.
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Home Tech News Warning of an asteroid approaching Earth dangerously
Warning of an asteroid approaching Earth dangerously
We show you our visitors the most important and latest news in the following article:
A warning of a dangerous asteroid approaching Earth, today, Thursday, November 19, 2020 11:14 pm
Astronomers confirmed that early warning devices issued a warning after an asteroid approached a very close distance to Earth, last Friday, but scientists detected it only one day after its departure.
The scientists explained that the asteroid was the size of a “bus” or slightly larger, and approached the planet for a distance of 240 miles (386 km) only, on Friday the 13th of this month, but it was not discovered until the next day.
The rock, called “2020”, was spotted 15 hours after it approached the closest point of the last early warning system for planets collision with Earth, in the “Mauna” area of Hawaii, which issued a warning of a dangerous approaching planet, according to the British “Daily Mail”.
According to experts, the object, which ranges from 16 to 33 feet, approached a very close distance, and penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean.
This asteroid is considered the closest ever recorded until today, as it approached nearly equal to the distance between the International Space Station and the planet.
Important notice: The site is not responsible for the authenticity and reliability of the news. It is published by quoting other press sources, and therefore does not bear any legal or literary responsibility, but rather the main source of the news. The site only transmits what is circulated in the Egyptian and international media circles to provide an integrated news service.
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US: Hundreds of thousands march in Washington anti-war ally
September 29, 2005 senan US
Anger at Iraqi occupation and New Orleans disaster
The anti-war movement in the US has been reborn. On September 24th, there was a massive demonstration in Washington DC that demanded, "Bring the Troops Home Now."
The crowd was also clearly angered by the criminal negligence of the Bush regime in relation to the events on the US Gulf Coast, which saw catastrophe for New Orleans. Hundreds of billions have been spent on war, but they didn’t have a few million to reinforce levees to prevent this disaster?
In recent polls, over half of US citizens say they want an immediate withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq. This is the first time that polls have indicated this sentiment.
There have been various estimates of the size of the demonstration. Most of the media says there were about 100,000 demonstrators, but they give more attention and coverage to the couple of hundred counter-demonstrators. Yahoo, the internet company, had an overhead helicopter camera that estimated about 500,000 demonstrators in DC.
Still, the potential for the demonstration was much greater. Hundreds of millions of Americans want to see an end to the occupation. The US labor leaders have a position on paper that they want the troops to come home. However, the heads of the labor movement once again failed to respond to events (just like on the Gulf Coast); they didn’t mobilise for or endorse the rally.
Also, most local anti-war coalitions did not build the rally in working class and African American communities, where anger over the issues of the war and New Orleans is at its highest. Instead, they kept to their activist networks, which rarely reach out in a systematic way to working class areas.
Still, even with limited organising and the difficulties people faced in trying to get to Washington DC (Amtrak, the rail system, shut down service to DC on the 24th), the turnout was incredible, and it indicates a willingness to struggle against the establishment.
US workers have been hit with massive budget cuts, de-industrialisation and the predominance of "Mc Jobs." We live in a society where tens of millions have no access to healthcare, and tens of millions more are in debt. The war and occupation of Iraq are making matters worse. New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are faced with unimaginable conditions, and people are angry.
"Dump the Elephant. Dump the Ass. Build a Party of the Working Class!"
Socialist Alternative participated at the Washington rally. We had nearly 40 members in DC, who came from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Madison. Our organisation pointed out in conversations with protesters, that the problem isn’t just Bush; it’s both corporate controlled parties and the system that they represent.
We sold well over 300 copies of our newspaper, Justice. Also, we sold over 40 copies of our new pamphlet about Hurricane Katrina entitled, "Poor, Black, and Left to Die" along with a lot of other socialist literature.
We marched as a contingent behind a banner that read, "Make War and Poverty History. Fight for a Socialist World." We had over 20 placards with slogans about rebuilding the Gulf Coast, based on workers’ needs, ending low pay, extending reproductive rights (which are under attack in the US), building a workers’ party, and demanding free healthcare.
Our contingent was lively and our chants were original and political. We really stood out in the crowd and gained support for, and curiosity about, Socialist Alternative when we chanted, "Dump the Elephant. Dump the Ass. Build a Party of the Working Class!"
[The Elephant and Ass are animal symbols for the Republicans and Democrats].
Britain: Thousands march in London against occupation of Iraq
France: Trade unions call day of national action and strikes
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poverty eradication and gender justice
The structure
National coalitions
Watchers publications
Echoes in the press
Monitoring Commitments
Millennium Declaration
World Summit for Social Development
World Conference on Women
SW in the World
Global Interactive Map
‘Narrative power’ and the UN business and human rights treaty
Published on Tue, 2015-09-01 11:32
As the dust settles on the recent July meetings in Geneva of the new UN Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on transnational corporations and other business enterprises, which kicked off negotiations towards a treaty on this topic, there are some interesting developments to consider. These developments concern how the human rights narrative at the UN related to business activities might finally be shifting toward recognition and interaction with important traditional human rights principles.
Within human rights law and in the practice of human rights advocates, much is made of the primacy of human rights over all other legal obligations states have. In particular, article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and various articles of the UN Charter, have created a solid international legal foundation for understanding this norm, although so far not much has been made of emphasizing the primacy of human rights in the context of the UN’s debate around ‘business and human rights.’
SDGs: The disappearing act of the "inequality" goal
Published on Fri, 2014-06-27 09:53
A stand-alone goal on addressing inequality continues to see a serious divide between developing and developed countries.
Member States in the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that met at its 12th session on 16-20 June in New York are negotiating a set of goals and targets based on a "zero draft" prepared by the OWG Co-Chairs Ambassadors Macharia Kamau (Kenya) and Csaba Korosi (Hungary).
They met in "informal-informals" mode on 9-11 June with intense work on the first seven proposed goals as the July deadline for the OWG's work draws closer and continued in this mode into the week that was originally scheduled to be in a formal mode.
Smuggling corporations in...
Popular story has it that a custom officer was obsessed with finding out what the old man was hiding, as he crossed the border every day with a donkey loaded with hay. Never able to discover anything unusual in the forage, one day he announces:
- I have just retired and I have no authority any more, but I will not die in peace if I do not get to know what your business really is.
- It's easy, -replies the old man- I smuggle donkeys.
Tax justice and social justice in Uruguay
Photo: Ministry of Labor and
Social Security (Uruguay).
The open panel on "Progress and Challenges on Tax Justice and Social Justice in Uruguay", put together by Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Center of Concern, Social Watch and the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) - all members of the Righting Finance Initiative - together with the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) took place on Friday, August 16, 2013.
Eduardo Brenta, Labour and Social Security Minister and Pablo Ferreri, Director of the Directorate-General for Taxation (DGI) discussed the impact of Uruguay tax and labor polices in terms of redistribution and the future challenges together with academics, feminist and human rights activists.
Post-2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development
Published on Sun, 2013-07-14 00:00
Yilmaz Aykuz. (Photo: UN)
The United Nations’ Post-2015 Development Agenda should not simply extend MDGs, or reformulate the goals, but focus instead on global systemic reforms to remove main impediments to development and secure an accommodating international environment for sustainable development. This is a big, ambitious agenda which cannot be acted on overnight. An action plan for systemic reforms could be supplemented, but not substituted, by specific goals in some areas of economic and social development.
Hungary: Facing the Abyss
Published on Thu, 2013-06-06 00:00
Roma in Hungary. (Photo: OHCHR).
In Hungary a system has developed that is disrespectful to both the rule of law and constitutionalism. Hungary has turned against the democratic ideals of the world, civil liberties are restricted and today it is on a declining economic path. Political life is characterized by a murderous policy divergence, confrontation and a dangerous ideology-based polarization. The majority of the society is struggling with unjust and unequal relationships without even the hope offered by mutual solidarity. Hungary's international prestige, integrity and credibility are now at its lowest point.
Africa: Raising resources to finance the post-2015 development agenda
Published on Wed, 2013-03-27 15:01
The scale of resource needs for the post-2015 and sustainable development agendas, although yet to be fully quantified, provides a serious challenge for aligning expectations of an ambitious post-2015 agenda with the implementation of that agenda. To bridge this gap, it is crucial that Africa, hitherto considered to be significantly dependent on external resources for financing its development, puts forward its vision of how the financing issue should be addressed.
Structural transformation in the African context: reflections on priorities for the post-2015 development agenda
African thinkers, parliamentarians and civil society organisations who gathered in Midrand, South Africa, hosted by the Pan African Parliament, articulated what is emerging as a growing consensus in various fora taking place on the continent: ‘the building blocks of development’ have to be front and centre in the post-2015 discussions; and the imperative to underpin a developmental/structural transformation has to inform the approach taken to governance (developmental governance), financing and the global developmental partnerships, as well as the socio-economic development goals and targets.
Equality or poverty?
For over a decade the debate, research and practice focused on extreme poverty. However, the key to the new development agenda could be somewhere else, much less illuminated by the political debate: inequality. This is what emerges from several months of consultations with academics and civil society organizations performed by the specialized agencies of the United Nations on women and children, UN Women and UNICEF.
Honduras: Feminist organizations lobby for the typification of femicide at the Congress
Feministas en el Congreso Nacional.
(Foto: CEM-H).
The Center for Women's Studies-Honduras (CEM-H), the Center for Women's Rights, the Women's Network of Colonia Ramón Amaya Amador, the Women's Network of Manzanal, the Women's Network of the Red Cross Col were present on February 22 before Congress in order to lobby and monitor that the proposal for a typification of femicide coordinated with the Ministry of Human Rights and Justice is in line with the work performed for more than ten years by feminist organizations for the construction of an offense that punishes men who kill women because they are women.
The typification of femicide means to improve the registration systems of the judiciary, as well as to review and elaborate necessary, relevant and timely legislation for the recognition and punishment of other forms of violence against women.
SPOTLIGHT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2020 IS AVAILABLE IN:
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SEAN CARNES/U.S. AIR FORCE
US, Afghan special operations target ISIS foreign fighters in northwest Afghanistan | Stars and Stripes
About one in 10 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan are foreign fighters, the top U.S. general in the country said Thursday, in a statement touting recent U.S. and Afghan operations targeting the group.
Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K, has now spread from eastern Afghanistan to the country’s northwest, where fighters were believed to be receiving foreign fighters and weapons. Most of its foreign fighters are from within the region.
The foreign IS-K fighters “are primarily Pakistani Pashtun,” said Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, in a statement. “They have another segment of Islamic Movement Uzbekistan. And then there’s probably ten percent that’s from a variety of sources around the world.”
Source: US, Afghan special operations target ISIS foreign fighters in northwest Afghanistan | Stars and Stripes
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Somerset residents react to Boris Johnson's decision to tighten Christmas lockdown restrictions
The PM made the announcement yesterday afternoon
Jessica MercerDigital Journalist
Somerset residents have reacted to the government's decision to scrap loosening Christmas coronavirus restrictions and impose harsh tier 4 restrictions in London.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a briefing at Downing Street yesterday (Saturday, December 20) in which he confirmed a number of new restrictions for the Christmas period.
It had previously been announced that the current restrictions would be relaxed during a five-day period between December 23 and December 27, during which time members from three separate households would be allowed to be in the same house.
However, this has now been reduced to just Christmas Day, with mixing between households no longer permitted under the restrictions on any other days.
There have also been tier 4 restrictions imposed in London and areas of the South East and eastern England, which are comparable to the national lockdown seen throughout November.
These rules will see people advised against travelling to those areas and residents told to remain in their area, meaning many will not be able to meet family members for Christmas.
People commenting on a post about the new restrictions on Somerset Live's Facebook page have made their feelings known about the new restrictions, with many agreeing that the new rules were the right move by the Prime Minister.
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Others said the change to the easing of restrictions at Christmas did not affect their plans.
"Boris Johnson has done the right thing he is keeping us all safe" said resident Ali Mackey, with another commenter saying: "Everyone should be in tier 4".
Other commenters agreed, adding: "Total country lockdown airports and ports".
"We have done all lockdown and everything else and it clearly is not working is it really worth risking our business and jobs over it all l really don't think so."
"It seems we can't control it anymore".
Dani Wood said: "It doesn't change my plans.... we have a cosy family christmas day every year... and we were not planning on seeing family on boxing day this year... we didn't think it was worth the risk."
Coronavirus: Nearly 200 more Covid cases reported in Somerset after government announces new Christmas rules
Coronavirus: What new Christmas restrictions mean for Somerset following tier 4 announcement
Thomas Chettoe said: "To anyone who would have been approaching Christmas realistically given a year of pandemic this should not be at all surprising and should have been the approach from the start."
Margaret Stevens said: "It doesn’t change my plans. It’s common sense to keep a distance away from family. But we will have a big party when this is all over."
Vanessa Southgate said: "I fully support this decision, everyone knows it was going to be a dreadful risk mixing for 5 days, better to slow down this pandemic again. I do feel for Boris as prime minister there is not one person in Government or public would know how to deal with this situation, he is doing his best for our country and people should be backing his decision and accept what is happening."
Kimberley Barrett said: "I was going away to stay with my children and grandchildren. I wont be going as they are in tier 4. I would rather stay safe than spread the virus around."
Patricia Churchill said: "Doesn't affect me as planning a quiet Christmas seeing only my sister who is in my bubble., but feeling sorry for my brother in London who will be unable to see his son and will be all alone."
Michele Ambrose said: "We planned to keep our circle small anyway as I'm pregnant so it's not worth the risk. Sacrificing one day of the year to secure future ones isn't really a big ask!"
Chris Barnes said: "If everyone actually stuck to the rules, this may not have happened. I’ve said right from the start Christmas wasn’t going to be normal, my wife’s a nurse and has to work Christmas day."
Oliver James said: "Relaxing restrictions over Christmas was always a stupid idea. Even though I was allowed to travel I decided NOT to see my vulnerable parents over Christmas.But it sure as hell makes me angry that this gov refused to listen to those calling for a different approach to winter."
What do you think about the latest announcement? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.
Take a look inside maisonette for sale at The Circus
Somerset NewsAll images credit to Hamptons/Rightmove
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Home Soccer Slovakia look for play-off to be postponed
Slovakia look for play-off to be postponed
Slovakia have looked for the upcoming Euro 2020 with Ireland to be postponed. This is of course due to the coronavirus.
Mick McCarthy’s side are due to travel to Bratislava on March 26th. The winners of this tie will play either Bosnia or Northern Ireland in the final. This will be for a right to play at Euro 2020. However, Slovakian government officials have now announced a closing of the countries borders expect to those from Poland to try and limit the spread of the virus.
In a statement, Peter Lazarov, a ministry spokesperson said, “No foreign citizens will be allowed to enter Slovakia”. He continued, “At the border crossings with Poland, only Polish citizens will be allowed to enter the country,”. Schools and airports will also be shut.
The Slovakian Football Association released a statement on their official website stating, “The SFZ respects all measures already taken by state authorities and institutions in relation to the spread of Covid-19”. It continued, “As the situation surrounding the spread of coronavirus and the number of infections with this virus is increasing in Slovakia and also in neighbouring European countries. The SFZ has decided along with the Central Crisis Staff in line with measures published by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic on social events to send a letter to UEFA”.
They said the Slovak Football Association takes full responsibility for all decisions relating to the Ireland v Slovakia game. It said it not want to risk the health of all concerned. It is obviously now looking increasingly likely that this game will not go ahead in my opinion. If it does go ahead it will be behind closed doors. But even at that I can’t see it going ahead unless there a significant improvement in the next weeks. Personally, I feel it is going to get worse before it gets better.
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Baseball to host Arizona in weekend series
Cardinal enter the series on a five-game win streak
Senior Brandon Wulff (above) is sixteenth in the nation with 13 home runs, and his slugging percentage is 29th in the nation at .678 (JOHN LOZANO/isiphotos.com).
By Daniel Martinez-Krams on April 26, 2019
Although the highlight of the upcoming weekend may be senior outfielder Brandon Wulff playing the national anthem on the piano before Saturday’s game, there will be plenty of fireworks when No. 3 Stanford (29-6, 13-2 Pac-12) hosts Arizona (18-20, 6-12 Pac-12).
Despite a higher conference standing, Stanford remains behind No. 1 UCLA (31-7, 11-4 Pac-12) and No. 2 Oregon State (28-10-1, 14-4 Pac-12) in the national poll.
Arizona is riding a four-game losing streak after suffering a sweep at the hands of the Beavers and a midweek loss to Grand Canyon University (21-18, 8-7 WAC), who Stanford beat in the fourth game of the season. The Cardinal are 112-74 all time against the Wildcats and have won the last seven matchups.
The team leader in home runs, Wulff ranks sixteenth in the nation with thirteen, and his 0.678 slugging percentage is 29th. Wulff has hit six home runs in as many games while the Stanford offense heats up with the weather.
Over the past 15 games, Stanford’s offense has produced 126 runs while slashing .312/.580/.396. In the last 11 games, the Cardinal have cleared the fences on 29 occasions. With the recent surge, Stanford’s 1.29 home runs per game is fifteenth in the sport, while its 0.469 slugging percentage is 21st.
In Arizona, where temperatures have been high all season, the Wildcats have remained hot. They rank second in the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, and hits behind their in-state rivals, Arizona State (31-8, 12-6 Pac-12).
Arizona’s strength is clearly in the batter’s box, where they are slashing .301/.484/.416. The team’s offense comes from Nick Quintana’s nine home runs and 43 RBIs. Matthew Dyer leads the team in hits, and his 0.396 batting average is nineteenth in the country, while Cameron Cannon paces the team in runs, doubles and total bases. The Wildcats’ pitching, on the other hand, is weighed down by a 6.37 ERA, with no pitcher falling under 3.00.
Stanford will hope to tame the Wildcats with a pitching staff whose 0.829 WHIP ranks second nationally, and ERA of 3.05 and 2.85 BB/9 both rank eighth. Friday night’s starter, sophomore RHP Brendan Beck (3-2, 2.29 ERA), holds a 1.15 BB/9 that is tenth in the country. A season ago, he earned the only save of his career against Arizona. Entering with runners on first and second and no outs, Beck shut the door on the Wildcats after Stanford had rallied with a five-run inning in the top of the frame.
Normally, Stanford head coach David Esquer turns to All-American junior RHP Jack Little (3-1, 1.80 ERA) in save situations. Little has eight saves on the season, and with a career total of 24, he is just three away from claiming the Cardinal’s all-time record for career saves (26, Steve Chitren, 1986-89).
Junior RHP Will Matthiessen (3-1, 3.62 ERA) will pitch on Saturday after throwing a career-high 5.0 innings his last outing. On Sunday, junior LHP Erik Miller (5-0, 2.12 ERA) will start as he comes off a career-high 11 strikeouts in 6.0 shutout innings in his last performance.
The series commences Friday at 6:05 p.m. PST, followed by Saturday’s 5:05 p.m PT opening pitch and Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. PST finale.
Contact Daniel Martinez-Krams at danielmk ‘at’ stanford.edu.
Daniel Martinez-Krams
Daniel Martinez-Krams '22 is a staff writer in the sports section and a Biology major from Berkeley, California. He is believed to be the only Stanford undergraduate not on the football team to attend a home game in 2020. His work can also be found at Just Women's Sports, DashSportsTV, and SportsPac12. Contact him at danielmk ‘at’ stanford.edu.
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This week on Meet the Printmaker, we meet the printmaker behind Inky Dog Studio, Jane Constable.
Please introduce yourself and what kind of prints you create...
My name is Jane and I'm the "flesh and blood" artist behind Inky Dog Studio! Although I'm fascinated by all methods of creating prints, working in lino currently dominates my practise. The subject matter of my prints tends to gravitate towards nature - living creatures - particularly birds, for which I've had a passion since early childhood. Up until now, the scale of my work has been mostly quite small, but that's something I'm working on...
How long have you been a printmaker? Is it a full-time career for you or a lovely hobby? If you are a full-time printmaker, what does a typical day for you look like?
This question raises the horrible realisation that I'll be 60 this year!! But to re-frame that thought more positively, every day I feel so happy and thankful that I finally appear to be working in a job I've always dreamed of! To return to your question though - I've been working "seriously" with printmaking since 2018, although I've "dabbled" in it on and off since I did my foundation course in Art & Design in 1980! I'm happy to say that printmaking feels like a full-time job at the moment (although I don't like to take anything for granted!). A typical day for me? Well I tend to get up about 7, mug of tea and toast, shower and dog walk, before going up to my top floor home studio by 9-ish to start work. I usually start off by processing/packing any orders (always a priority with me), then I'll work on current projects whilst the light is at its best, which is when I'm at my most productive. If I'm starting to flag around 5pm, I'll break off for a post office run and then a cuppa to re-fuel. I may then spend some time on boring but necessary book-keeping and similar soul destroying tasks that it's fatal for me to put off... I'm the type of person who finds it hard to relax and have to sit there with my sketchbook in the evening to scribble down any ideas that happen to fly into my head - although I've been consciously trying to wind down and chill lately, otherwise the old anxiety tends to kick in...
What was the spark that first got you hooked on printmaking? What is it about your medium that draws you in each day?
Well, most of us have had a little play with lino when we were kids at school, right? But my first "proper" introduction to printmaking was when I did my foundation course back in 1980. Apart from relief printing, I encountered etching, lithography, and silkscreen - all fascinating mysteries which I had frustratingly little time to get into on a 1 year foundation course. After foundation, I went on to study for a degree in Textile Design at Central Saint Martin's School of Art (1981-84). Although I specialised in printed textile design, most of my time was spent with gouache, working out repeats - and I also digressed into constructed textiles - in particular, knitted fabrics. Fast forward 20-odd years, I took a PGCE to teach Art in schools and it was during the next 16 years that my love of all things printmaking was firmly re-established - so much so, that in 2018 I decided to "retire" from teaching to become a full-time printmaker! I think the thing I love most about creating a print is the process. I find it comforting, reassuring. I never tire of it...
What inspires you? What or who would you say your biggest influences are?
I find that the most unexpected things inspire me. Because I don't happen to live in one of the "prettiest" parts of the UK, I look for things that interest me in my daily comings and goings - the beautiful colours in the pigeons that pick around on the pavements in the town centre; the hundreds of pied wagtails that congregate noisily in the trees alongside the busiest of roads; tiny plants that manage to grow in the most unlikely places. I love the drawings of Henry Moore, and my art books (mainly early 20th Century art and design) are always a source of inspiration. And of course, since joining Instagram I have found a whole wealth of inspiration in the printmaking community :-)
If you could give some advice to new printmakers, what would be your most useful tips for beginners?
I would say, take your time to find what works for you. Explore different ideas, materials and ways of working. Discover the things that make you "tick" creatively. If you're on social media, try not to get bogged down with "likes" and "follows", which can be discouraging and totally misses the creative point of what printmaking is all about. Take time to develop in your own unique way, be prepared to adapt and change - and don't expect things to happen overnight!
What do your prints say about you? How do you want people to feel when they look at your prints?
"What do my prints say about me?" - that's a difficult one... on occasions I feel I have a bit of an "identity crisis" with my art, as I have tried out a number of ideas over the past 2 1/2 years without developing a distinctive "style" as I've noticed other printmakers seem to have. I went through a phase of working in more of a "vintage" style, influenced by 1920s imagery and textile motifs, including my "stylised cat" designs which have become popular art prints on the home/decor online store iamfy.com. Most of what I do now though is representative of British wildlife, with a strong emphasis on birds. Birds are a lifelong love of mine. Birds take me back from being a 60 year old woman to a 6 year old girl, who screamed with joy when a Heron flew over her garden one day; to a painfully shy 16 year old who used to get up at 5am on a Sunday to go bird-ringing with a group of fellow geeks on Pitsea Marshes. Of course, I want people to *like* my prints and feel happy when they look at them, but some of the reactions I've had, messages I've received from people who've either bought my work or just seen it in my posts - have moved me in so many ways, more than I can say...
Are your prints influenced by external events (social, political) or do you prefer your work to remain neutral?
My personal political beliefs are firmly to the left, but I don't consciously bring these beliefs into my artwork. There have been a couple of pieces: my postcard print I made for #oneofmanypostcard, a charity art initiative from brilliant printmaker John Pedder @johnapedder which I named "Have a Nice Life". The print showed a group of swallows fleeing the UK after "The British People" (or 52% of them anyway) voted to leave the EU. This was probably as political as I get in my art. As far as social issues go, I have strong feelings about mental health and the weeping woman in my mini print "Golden Frame of Hope" is a biographical representation of myself in a way, for so many different reasons.
Do you have a favourite part of the printmaking process? What brings you the most joy?
I think for me its the "peel and reveal" of a new print for the first time, as this is the culmination of all my hard work and the realisation of my creation - I find it really exciting. It can be disappointing though. The artist Grayson Perry once spoke of his experiences with his pottery and said: "When I go to open the kiln, I think to myself - this is going to be the best pot I've ever made. But when I actually do open the kiln, it might be the second best, or maybe the fifth, or eighth best pot I've ever made..." Sometimes this reflects my own experience when I peel a print off the block for the first time - but it's always exciting.
How do you print? Do you have access to a studio or are you a home printmaker?
I started off in 2018 with the dining table as my workspace and a wooden spoon as my press. That Christmas, Santa Claus brought me my first little press, an Xcut Xpress which came highly recommended by the wonderful printmaker, Kat Flint @flintkat - wonderful little piece of kit! Now in 2021, I have moved to a new-build townhouse and I'm lucky enough to have a lovely room on the top floor which has huge windows and overlooks a windmill - the light is wonderful. I also invested in an A2 press made in the Netherlands by a very clever man called Jan (also known as @wood_zilla on insta), which I now use to make all my prints on. To answer your question in a less long-winded way, I'm a home printmaker who's been lucky enough to upgrade from a kitchen table workspace to having a room to myself!
Every day feels like a school day when you're a printmaker and failure is not talked about too much online.. what would you say is the most challenging part of printmaking?
Yes - you're right when you say failure is not talked about a lot online, and I'd say that is a pretty big downside of social media. For me, the most challenging part of printmaking is... carving!! Contrary to what a lot of printmakers say, I find carving my design, so it turns out just how I want it to, very challenging indeed! I'm actually pretty envious of people who find it the most relaxing part. I set myself very high standards and often fall short, which sometimes stresses me. I'm a pretty chaotic worker and would probably benefit from having a more organised workspace!!
What is your next big printmaking challenge? Do you have a plan for the next 12 months or do you take each day as it comes?
When I bought my A2 press last year, I had in mind that I wanted to start creating larger scale prints - which didn't quite happen in 2020 - so I guess that is a challenge to carry over to 2021! I would also like to make some more illustrative work. I've always loved Aesop's Fables and have just bought myself a book which is wonderfully illustrated with stunning wood engravings by artist and printmaker Agnes Miller Parker - hugely inspiring. So yes - I can definitely feel a series of larger scale prints inspired by Aesop's Fables coming on for 2021...
Where can people find out more about you and your prints?
I have a website, www.inkydogstudio.com which is actually in the process of receiving a total facelift. You can follow me on @inkydogstudio and I shall bore you with updates on said facelift! My designs are also available as giclee art prints on https://www.iamfy.co/shop/inky-dog-studio.
Little questions..
What is your favourite print (of your own)?
Strawberry Thieves by Karin Rytter @karin_rytter_studio
Music/podcasts when you're creating or silence?
Rarely silence! my favourite music artist is Maya Jane Coles
Printing press or by hand?
Press - every time! Wooden spoon is history!!
One word to sum up your style?
A big thank you to Jane for this wonderful interview. You can view her website here and follow her adventures on Instagram here.
Meet the printmaker - Evelien van de Laar
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Sterling Logo
Investor Log In
Sterling Organization Acquires Two-Property Shopping Center Portfolio in Chicago MSA
September 24, 2018 – PALM BEACH, FL – Sterling Organization, a vertically integrated private equity real estate investment firm, has announced the acquisition of a two-property portfolio of shopping centers totaling 266,303 square feet of gross leasable area in the Chicago MSA. The portfolio — which consists of Hillside Town Center in Hillside, IL, and Prairie Market in Oswego, IL — was purchased on behalf of Sterling Organization’s institutional fund, Sterling Value Add Partners III, LP (“SVAP III”), for an undisclosed amount.
Hillside Town Center is located along Interstate 290 just south of the S. Mannheim Road interchange at Harrison Street in Hillside, IL, a Chicago suburb situated 12 miles west of the city’s CBD. The 164,837-square-foot Power Center is shadow anchored by an unowned 185,000-square-foot Super Target. The acquired portion is anchored by Ross Dress for Less, HomeGoods, Michaels and Petco. Other national tenants include Skechers, Chase Bank, T-Mobile, Visionworks, GNC, GameStop, Sally Beauty, Panda Express and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. The property was developed in 2009.
Prairie Market is a 101,466-square-foot shopping center located along U.S. Route 34 and bifurcated by Fifth Street in Oswego, IL, a far west Chicago suburb. It is anchored by Aldi and PetSmart and includes 10 outparcels. The owned property is part of a larger regional power center that includes Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Burlington, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Best Buy. The outparcel tenants at the property include Chase Bank, Burger King, Olive Garden, Fifth Third Bank, Firestone and Panda Express. Prairie Market was developed between 2007 and 2009.
“Hillside Town Center and Prairie Market — the second and third properties acquired via SVAP III, our latest value-add private equity fund — each exhibit excellent real estate fundamentals and are located in vibrant trade areas. We see potential to add value at both properties by pulling a myriad of levers. As always, our team will do everything in its power to execute on behalf of our investor partners,” said Brian Kosoy, Managing Principal, President and CEO of Sterling Organization.
With this acquisition, Palm Beach, FL-based Sterling Organization currently owns eight properties totaling 1.9 million square feet in the Chicago MSA. From coast to coast, Sterling and its principals own more than 10 million square feet of primarily retail real estate approaching $2 billion in value.
About Sterling Organization
Sterling Organization is a vertically integrated private equity real estate firm that has an established track record of providing risk-adjusted returns to its partners, in both relative and absolute terms. The company’s national platform is focused on investing in retail real estate assets across the risk spectrum in major markets within the United States on behalf of Sterling’s principals in partnership with the highest quality institutional investors. Sterling Organization is headquartered in Palm Beach, FL.
Lauren Perry, (561) 623-5936 or lperry@sterlingorganization.com
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Whole church walks out in gay marriage row
About 90 per cent of the members of the St George Uniting Church, including the minister, have deserted the congregation over the past 12 months to start their own conservative sect in response to the church's decision to allow individual ministers and celebrants the option to marry same-sex couples.
Ellen Ransley
29th Nov 2019 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:38 AM
AN ENTIRE congregation has abandoned its church after the country voted to legalise same-sex marriage and the Uniting Church followed suit.
Uniting Church's head reverend David Baker said an attempt was made to keep the small southwest congregation, mostly made of families and farmers, together before they split off to form their own church.
"They had started talking among themselves about what they would do, together. As a group, about 90 per cent of them decided that they would leave and form a new Christian community," Rev Baker said.
"We tried to open up the doors of conversation with them, and seek to help them find a way to stay but that hasn't worked, so they made that decision.
"I know the decision they made to leave the church is because the Uniting Church have decided to respond to same-sex orientated people."
The federal electorate of the Maranoa, in which St George is part of, has long been a stronghold of conservative values.
In the 2017 same sex marriage plebiscite, Maranoa recorded a no vote of 56.1 per cent. Across the nation's 150 electorates, only 17 recorded a no majority.
The Australian Uniting Church formed in 1977, absorbing most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, two thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and almost all churches of the Congregational Union of Australia.
The division the same-sex marriage debate has caused within the Methodist-turned-Uniting faith has resulted in the upheaval of families who have attended the St George church for generations.
"I'd say we have some third-generation people in our congregation," he said.
The Uniting Church is yet to decide on how they will continue serving the remaining parishioners.
However, Rev Baker is determined to keep the ministry going.
Rev Baker said he had spent a lot of 2019 engaging with believers across Queensland, helping them work through the national assembly's same-sex marriage decision.
"Most people can see that this is a way of letting people live in a way that is true to themselves, and share their life with someone," he said.
He reinforced the Uniting Church's definition of marriage, and that it was open to same-sex couples.
"Our view of marriage says it's between two people who promise, in covenant, to love each other for the whole of their lives," he said.
"Some people go good, this is common sense, and this has allowed us to have a sense of being able to recognise same sex orientated people as members of the life of the church, loved by God, like all the rest of us.
"A lot of people share in that, but we're still a church that has a traditional view on marriage, and there have been some concerned with the decision our Church made."
Despite the decimation of the St George congregation, Rev Baker is committed to continue serving the parishioners who stayed.
"We honour their decision to recognise that they want to stay a part of the life of the Uniting Church, one who seeks to live the way of Jesus and show his love to all," he said.
"We're going to work to support them."
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Discovering Carl
Shawn Pitts
This essay is excerpted from the Winter 2017 issue (vol. 23, no. 4). To read the essay in full, access via Project Muse (link at bottom).
Nothing much would have been stirring in the sleepy little hamlet of Bethel Springs as Carl Perkins passed through. The bustling McNairy County seat, five miles farther south, was another story. He would have slowed down to observe the posted speed limit signs approaching the courthouse in Selmer. Entering the square, it’s likely he shot a quick glance left to see if anything was happening at the Latta Ford Motor Company. He had been there often. The owner, Earl Latta, staged one of the best music jams for miles around right there in the spacious garage of his Ford dealership. A good picker could just show up on a Saturday night and count on playing with some of the best musicians anywhere, always in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. The kid had learned a good lick or two from some of those old timers. South of town, the road rose slightly and flattened out, running straight on into Eastview, Tennessee, near the Mississippi state line, the young guitarist’s final destination.1
An affable fiddler by the name of Stanton Littlejohn was a regular at the Latta jams. Littlejohn was an astute and knowledgeable observer of the local music scene who had a little family band that played the occasional dance or picnic. He knew all the players on the local music circuit and everybody loved Stanton. Those connections came in handy when he picked up a secondhand recording console around 1947 and started one-offing acetate discs in the front parlor of his Eastview, Tennessee home. Almost immediately, musicians and vocalists started showing up at his doorstep, most often unannounced. For the few cents it took to buy the blank discs used in the process, artists could walk away with their very own records. Stanton never charged for his services, but rather insisted on keeping the alternate recordings as payment, or sometimes requested a second recording for his collection when he took a liking to a particular artist or song, which he often did.2
Publicity photo of Carl Perkins for Flame Theatre Café, undated, courtesy of the Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Stanton Littlejohn self-portrait, ca. 1948, at his home recording console with a commercial record, courtesy of Marjorie Littlejohn Richard.
Perkins’s nerves were probably a little threadbare when he turned onto Littlejohn’s muddy gravel driveway and snaked his way down to the modest, white timber frame house. When things got underway, Charlie launched into one of his old favorites, “Devil’s Dream.” Whether it was nerves or just the rare gaffe from the virtuoso fiddler, Charlie fumbled the intro so bad the band didn’t know where to come in. He nailed it the second time. Stanton lifted the record and scrawled the date onto the label and added Devil Dream, and the band’s name, Southern Playboys. At the bottom he wrote Charley Cox / Violin. He flipped the acetate over and reseated it on the turntable.3
The confident retooling of a country classic by a novice guitarist from Jackson, Tennessee, must have impressed Littlejohn. He marked the label: Carl Perkins & Southern Playboys.
On the B-side, they recorded “There’s Been a Change in Me,” a tune that was just then making its way onto the playlists of mid-South radio. Eddy Arnold’s dulcet ode to the transformative power of romantic love would top the country charts later that year, but this version was different. It had all the elements of the hit single but with a confident electric guitar intro instead of the requisite hillbilly pedal steel. And it was rawer, much rawer, in a way that seemed to punch holes in the sentimentality of the original. The short novelty quips between each verse also followed Arnold’s lead but seemed, somehow, more salacious. Near the end of the tune, the vocalist whistled to emphasize the lyric about his growing popularity with the neighborhood girls. Where Arnold’s version suggested something like a playful, knowing wink, this one was all honky-tonk catcall. It was the kid from Jackson who had stepped to the mic and confidently delivered that memorable vocal and instrumental performance. Littlejohn held onto it for the rest of his life. The confident retooling of a country classic by a novice guitarist from Jackson, Tennessee, must have impressed Littlejohn. He marked the label: Carl Perkins & Southern Playboys.4
“Carl, There’s Been a Change in You”
It was Littlejohn’s second session with Carl Perkins that best illuminated the sustained cross-pollination between the region’s black and white musical traditions.5
From the first pickup notes into two songs from this session, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” it is evident that this is something far different from anything Eddy Arnold or any of the white old-time players might have done—far different, in fact, from any other recording yet discovered from the Littlejohn archive. This is unmistakably rock ’n’ roll. Some point to “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” as a portent of the rock ’n’ roll revolution. Trifling speculations about what might be the first rock ’n’ roll recording aside, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” is certainly numbered among the most influential tunes that seemed to presage the seismic cultural shifts of the rock ’n’ roll era. A vulgar jump blues number performed by Granville Henry “Stick” McGhee to entertain his army buddies, and later toned down for the commercial market, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” is an exuberant testimonial to the New Orleans party spirit and one libation that fueled it.6
A single with a similar history, “Good Rockin’ Tonight” entered the charts twice in 1947 as an R&B sensation, recorded first by its composer Roy Brown and later by blues shouter Wynonie Harris. Harris’s single would top the charts and remain in the number one slot for six months. The lasting popularity of the tune is demonstrated by a rare second appearance on the R&B charts in 1949, this time with Brown’s original recording. Like “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight” heralded a sea change in popular music and seems to make everyone’s top ten list of prototypical rock ’n’ roll singles. Those inclined to make such lists sometimes go so far as to suggest that Brown’s composition was the first to use “rock” or “rockin’” to describe music rather than high-spirited fornication, though that is far from clear to the casual listener. “I’m gonna hold my baby as tight as I can, tonight she’ll know I’m a mighty, mighty man.” You be the judge.7
"There's Been a Change in Me," clip by Carl Perkins, via the Stanton Littlejohn Archives.
Photo of Carl Perkins by Michael Ochs, ca. 1957, courtesy of Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images.
Perkins’s versions of “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight” are virile cuts that give the listener some sense of what it must have been like to hear the Perkins brothers live at the Cotton Boll, El Rancho, or the other West Tennessee honky-tonks where the band hammered out its signature sound between brawls. The tracks are manifestly drawn from the recordings of McGhee and Harris. Both bristle with the same raw sexuality and intemperance that characterize the earlier recordings and utilize nearly identical call and response motifs in the chorus. “Elderberry Wine!” Perkins shouts and the chorus answers, “Wine! Wine! Wine!” or “Hey buddy, let it rock!” he calls, and the band responds, “Rock! Rock! Rock!” Perkins even stamped his own moniker on “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” with the exultant shout, “better pass that bottle to Perk!” (He had used a similar device in the earlier recording of “There’s Been a Change in Me” by inserting the lyric “Carl, there’s been a change in you.”) In the last chorus of “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee,” Perkins spurs the backup singers on with, “You’re singing mighty pretty, boys,” and the track concludes with a withering solo that leaves little doubt as to how the young man first established his reputation as a top-notch guitar picker. “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” which Perkins lyrically rebrands “everybody’s rockin’ tonight,” is rendered in an almost identical style: same key, same stop section in the verse, same call and response in the chorus, and an equally impressive guitar solo.
Perkins’s versions of “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight” are virile cuts that give the listener some sense of what it must have been like to hear the Perkins brothers live at the Cotton Boll, El Rancho, or the other West Tennessee honky-tonks where the band hammered out its signature sound between brawls.
"Drinkin' Wine," clip by Carl Perkins, via the Stanton Littlejohn Archives.
These tracks unquestionably demonstrate that Perkins had a penchant for merging blues and country at an early age. By the time Littlejohn’s informal recording sessions were underway, the arbitrary, catchall designation “race music,” for any release by a black artist (as compared to hillbilly and country western, which had become, what else?—white music) was already deeply ingrained in the commercial recording industry. Taken together, the racial stratification of the commercial recording industry and growing racial tensions of the postwar period may account, in part, for the absence of African American voices in the Littlejohn archive. But if Littlejohn’s collection is missing black artists, it is not without their influence. Elvis Black and Waldo Davis, two of the area’s most renowned and often emulated elder statesmen of old-time music, were favorite subjects for Littlejohn. Both fiddlers incorporated elements of jug band and blues music into their repertoires with popular regional success from the early twentieth century onward. Black’s most striking recording with Littlejohn was an energetic fiddle rendition of the old Gus Cannon jug band classic “Pig Ankle Strut,” while Davis recorded at least two smoldering versions of James “Kokomo” Arnold’s “Milk Cow Blues,” a tune which also found its way into the canons of western swing, country, and rockabilly. Like other old-time musicians across the South, they unabashedly adapted and appropriated black identified music into what we now think of as white styles with alacrity, well before the rock ’n’ roll revolution fixed such a notion in the popular imagination.8
Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry both drew from R&B and country music traditions. Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry, ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo.
Stanton Littlejohn’s recordings of artists like Davis and Black, who came of age in the first half of the twentieth century, are clear evidence that the white old-time musicians of the region had already begun to incorporate styles and tunes that drew liberally from the repertoires of black artists into their own music. Perkins’s rural, West Tennessee ranging had put him in contact with musicians, both black and white, who covered one another’s songs and drew from a well of common experiences. Similar—though more subtle—strains had already been heard in the music of well-known white, southern artists from Jimmie Rodgers (Mississippi) to Hank Williams (Alabama), but what set Perkins apart was the unvarnished African American influence evidenced in his earliest creative choices. His recordings of two popular R&B tunes must have seemed more like a natural evolution than a revolution to everyone involved, but make no mistake: it was one thing for a white fiddler to adapt melody or structure from a traditionally black tune, and quite another to sing and perform in the style of black artists. Where the older generation’s relationships to black culture had been more “imitative,” Perkins’s sound was clearly “assimilative.” There was potential danger in the difference. Had his honky-tonk following felt like protesting, however, there was just enough twang to win over white audiences.9
"Everybody's Rockin' Tonight," clip by Carl Perkins, via the Stanton Littlejohn Archives.
If rock ’n’ roll is, as some suggest, the illegitimate offspring of hillbilly and R&B, Stanton Littlejohn’s recordings demonstrate that Perkins was well ahead of the commercial curve. These tunes are probably better known now as standards from Sun Records’s grittiest early rockabilly recordings. Sun had taken root in the fertile soil of Memphis, Tennessee, where the company’s founder and producer Sam Phillips recorded an incredible roster of regional blues artists. The immediate success of Elvis Presley—a white country performer with a blues-inflected sound—drastically altered the company’s course. “Good Rockin’ Tonight” was, of course, Elvis Presley’s second Sun single. “Wine” is probably most identified with Jerry Lee Lewis as a mainstay of his live shows dating back to his earliest days as a performer. Both tunes remain stock selections for many contemporary rockabilly and other roots music artists.10
The music was alive and well long before there was a Sun Records or a national appetite for rock ’n’ roll. Rock ’n’ roll was alive in the blues. It was alive in country. It was alive in men like Carl Perkins who didn’t care much about making such distinctions.
If the rooster on Sun’s now familiar yellow label was meant to evoke authentic rustic origins, what Littlejohn captured feels like the unadulterated item. And it was much more than that. The ease with which rural artists blended black and white styles was no revelation in itself—certainly not to southern musicians and audiences who were accustomed to such practices. But Perkins’s unapologetic, driving delivery of R&B tunes in a hillbilly style evinced a greater degree of black influence in the postwar generation than his elders might have imagined. The list of Sun artists and the astonishing sonic legacy Sam Phillips bequeathed to posterity speak for themselves, but narratives that cast him and Elvis Presley in the role of rock’s progenitors are not only reductive; they fail to recognize something vital about the musical milieu in which they did their best work. The music was alive and well long before there was a Sun Records or a national appetite for rock ’n’ roll. Rock ’n’ roll was alive in the blues. It was alive in country. It was alive in men like Carl Perkins who didn’t care much about making such distinctions.11
https://www.southerncultures.org/issues/winter-2017/
This essay was excerpted from the Winter 2017 issue (vol. 23, no. 4).
This essay appears in the Winter 2017 issue (vol. 23, no. 4). To read the full essay, vist Project Muse.
I am deeply indebted to Martin Fisher, Greg Reish and the staff at The Center for Popular Music—both past and present—for their encouragement and technical assistance with this project. The many fine people of West Tennessee, especially the leadership of Arts in McNairy, deserve special recognition for aiding and abetting my protracted digging in their history and cultural affairs. I am particularly grateful for the enthusiastic support and affirmation of the Stanton Littlejohn and Carl Perkins families. —Shawn Pitts
Shawn Pitts is a former president of the Tennessee Folklore Society and serves on the boards of Humanities Tennessee and the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 2012 he was awarded by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress for documentation and preservation of the Stanton Littlejohn recordings.
Peck Boggs, interview by Shawn Pitts, October 2012.
Marjorie Littlejohn Richard, interview by Shawn Pitts, October 2012; Boggs, interview; Kay Bain, interview by Shawn Pitts, May 2013; Don Rayburn Richard, interview by Shawn Pitts, October 2012.
Traditional, “Devil’s Dream,” performed by Charlie Cox, January 1, 1951. Acetate disc. The Littlejohn Sessions, Vol. 1, produced by Arts in McNairy, 2012, from recordings in the Stanton Littlejohn Archive, private collection of acetate discs held by Marjorie and Don Rayburn Richard, Jackson, Tennessee. Compact disc. Subsequent references to The Littlejohn Sessions, Vol. 1 are abbreviated as Littlejohn Sessions. Subsequent references to the Richards’ archival holdings are abbreviated as Stanton Littlejohn Archive.
Cy Coben, “There’s Been a Change in Me,” performed by Carl Perkins, January 1, 1951. Acetate disc. Stanton Littlejohn Archive; Cy Coben, “There’s Been a Change in Me,” performed by Eddy Arnold, RCA Victor 48-0412-A, 1950. 45 rpm record.
Tracey E. W. Laird, Louisiana Hayride: Radio & Roots Music along the Red River (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 37–39.
Stick McGhee, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee,” performed by Perkins, date unknown. Acetate disc. Stanton Littlejohn Archive. Stick McGhee is also sometimes referred to as “Sticks” McGhee; Roy Brown, “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” performed by Perkins, date unknown. Acetate disc. Stanton Littlejohn Archive; Laird, Louisiana Hayride (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 37–39.
Roy Brown, “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” performed by Roy Brown, DeLuxe 1093, 1947. 45 rpm record; Roy Brown, “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” performed by Wynonie Harris, King 4210, 1947. 45 rpm record; Bill Dahl, “Wynonie Harris.” AllMusic. Accessed January 2016. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/wynonie-harris-mn0000960674/biography; Bill Dahl, “Roy Brown.” AllMusic. Accessed January 2016. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/roy-brown-mn0000343396/biography; Dawson and Propes, What Was the First Rock ’n’ Roll Record?
Noah Lewis, “Pig Ankle Strut,” performed by Elvis Black, April 27, 1950. Acetate disc. Littlejohn Sessions; Noah Lewis, “Pig Ankle Strut,” performed by Gus Cannon and the Jug Stompers, Victor V38006, 1928. 78 rpm record; James “Kokomo” Arnold, “Milk Cow Blues,” performed by Waldo Davis, ca. 1950. Acetate disc. Littlejohn Sessions; Kokomo Arnold, “Milk Cow Blues,” performed by Kokomo Arnold, Decca 7026, 1934. 78 rpm record; Jean A. Boyd and Patrick Kelly, “The Many Faces of ‘Milk Cow Blues’: A Case Study,” Journal of Texas Music History Volume 12 (December 2012): 16–35. Artists as diverse as Aerosmith, George Strait, Elvis Costello, Bob Wills, and Elvis Presley would later record “Milk Cow Blues.” A song of the same title was first recorded by West Tennessee country-blues great Sleepy John Estes in 1940, but it bears only slight resemblance to the tune that Arnold popularized.
Norman Cohen, “Folk Music Discography,” Western Folklore 30, no. 3 (July 1971): 244.
Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records, directed by Bruce Sinofsky (Chatsworth, CA: Image Entertainment, 2001), aired 28 November, 2001, on PBS and accessed on DVD; Colin Escott and Martin Hawkins, Good Rockin’ Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll (New York: St Martin’s Press, 1991); Peter Guralnick, Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ’n’ Roll (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2015), 239–241. “Movie Magg” (b/w “Turn Around”) was actually released on Flip instead of Sun. Phillips initially intended to use the Flip label to test market his experimental country recordings on a regional scale; Perkins and McGee, Go, Cat, Go, 96. Perkins’s biographer, David McGee, insightfully characterized “Turn Around” as “unadulterated country soul.”
W. S. Holland, interview by Shawn Pitts, March 2009.
Helping Pave the Road to FAME
Jackie Shane
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Atlas V 552 – United Launch Alliance
Family: Atlas
Launch Mass:
Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 20520
The Atlas V 552 was manufactured by United Launch Alliance with the first launch on . Atlas V 552 has 0 successful launches and 0 failed launches with a total of 0 launches. Atlas V is an expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. It was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin and is now operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture with Boeing. Each Atlas V rocket uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen to power its first stage and an American-built RL10 engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to power its Centaur upper stage. The RD-180 engines are provided by RD Amross, while Aerojet Rocketdyne provides both the RL10 engines and the strap-on boosters used in some configurations. The 552 version uses a 5m wide fairing, 5 solid rocket boosters and two engines on the Centaur stage.
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg. United Launch Alliance is a Commercial USA entity that was founded in 2006 and is administered by CEO: Tory Bruno.
United Launch Alliance has 142 successful launches and 1 failed launches with a total of 143 launches.
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Supermarket Shoppers Respond Big to DVD Kiosk Promotion
Demonstrating the power of in-store marketing, a number of supermarkets participated in a consumer promotion in partnership with DVD rental kiosk vendor The New Release, which had 43,000 consumer entries in 1,600 locations over a six-week period.
HOUSTON — Demonstrating the power of in-store marketing, a number of supermarkets participated in a consumer promotion in partnership with DVD rental kiosk vendor The New Release, which had 43,000 consumer entries in 1,600 locations over a six-week period. The final winners were announced this week. “The unprecedented response to our promotion is even more remarkable since marketing efforts were principally driven through in-store signage, posters and flyers and on the company’s website,” said Tracy Walker, executive director of sales and marketing for TNR. The high number of entrants vied to win free DVDs every day for a year and received a New Release-branded Visa check card with $365, plus tax, preloaded. Supermarkets with TNR kiosks include Dillon’s, Food 4 Less, Food Lion, Fry’s, H-E-B, Kroger, King Soopers, Publix, Quality Food Centers, Ralph’s, Roundy’s/Pick ’N Save and Spartan/Family Fare.
Read More of Today's Headlines
TAGS: News Marketing
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Apple News reportedly going premium, expect a subscription
Justin Herrick
As hardware sales across the board continue slowing, Apple is looking to online content and services to increase revenue. Its next boost could come from Apple News. The service that collects stories from around the world will soon have a subscription for premium content, according to Bloomberg.
Texture, which was bought by Apple last month for an undisclosed amount, would be the backbone of the new service. The company will bundle magazines (and possibly newspapers) on iOS devices for one price. Texture has offered hundreds of magazines for $10 per month. Apple probably won’t alter the price, but its leverage could bring in more publishers.
After the acquisition, Apple laid off nearly two dozen Texture employees. That makes it clear Apple was more interested in the technology than anything else.
Apple News would become similar to Apple Music, the music streaming service that’s been on the rise for several years. Payouts would be similar, too, with Apple collecting a monthly fee and distributing a set percentage to publishers.
This wouldn’t be the first time Apple got involved in premium content relating to news. More than seven years ago, Apple and News Corporation joined together to create The Daily. It was a new organization available exclusively through the iPad. When both sides realized how narrow the audience was for premium content on a single device, The Daily was killed off in 2012.
Of course, the differences between Texture’s business and The Daily are big. Rather than being its own content creator, Texture merely takes what publishers already make and stores items in a hub. Apple would do the same, funneling various sources into a section of Apple News behind a paywall.
Apple might not announce the subscription service at WWDC 2018, though. While there’s a chance it could debut at the company’s annual developer conference in June, the report says the launch is happening within the next year.
Maximize the battery life of your iPhone X with these battery cases
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Meet Danielle Williams, the Designer Behind 11 Honoré’s New In-House Collection
She talks about being black in fashion and the importance of getting the right fit for plus-size women.
By Jess Sims
Where do Black women fit into the fashion world? We have a hard time as models, in leadership roles we are almost mythological creatures, and even on the creative side, it is a rarity to see a Black woman designer. (Quick, name another Black woman head designer who isn’t Carly Cushnie.) When you add in the words “plus size” and “luxury,” the options are nearly nonexistent.
Enter Danielle Williams, the design director at luxury plus-size e-tailer 11 Honoré, and the creative director of the company's new in-house collection, which launched last month. The collection of luxurious basics and timeless pieces is available in sizes 12-26 and emphasizes the beauty in fit and function, giving plus-size women luxe, wearable pieces in which to lounge, work and play. The collection ranges in price from $98-$598, which makes it below the luxury designer price point, but still an investment.
The pieces are definitely worth it. Even among the turbulent backdrop of Covid-19 and social unrest, Williams and 11 Honoré have managed to create an ode to the modern woman in the form of neutral-colored staples she’ll be sure to reach for, far past the end of quarantine. We chatted with Williams via phone about the collection, the changing tides of diversity in fashion, and why fit is...ahem, queen for plus-size fashion lovers.
Designs for the Hectic Lives of Modern Women
Courtesy of 11 Honoré
The 11 Honoré collection, 24 pieces to be released over three “drops” that build on top of one another for a full wardrobe, is the lovechild of Williams, who began working on the collection right after her first meeting with Patrick Herning, 11 Honoré’s CEO.
“After my very first meeting with Patrick, I had ideas. I took those ideas and created a mood board,” Williams says. From there, she worked with her team to analyze the current plus-size retail space and looked at straight-size brands she admired. “I was really inspired by Donna Karan’s seven-easy-pieces capsule wardrobe [launched by Karan as her first solo collection in 1985].”
What emerged from that is a collection featuring easy but luxe fabrics, like stretch satin and linen, that busy women can easily incorporate into their busy lives. “My inspiration is women,” says Williams thoughtfully. “Our lives are so diverse; you are a mother, a daughter, a friend, a wife. Our lives are ever changing; it evolves day-to-day.”
That evolution has never been so apparent than during the past few months as we have adjusted to living in a pandemic. The multifunctional nature of the 11 Honoré collection fits in perfectly with our multifunctional lives. Working, taking care of children, looking for work, protesting: We have all seemingly taken on at least two more hats. And with Williams’s debut collection, women have a uniform to match those hats.
Plus-Size Women Deserve Beautiful Clothing That Fits
Speaking of a pandemic, one has to wonder: Is this collection necessary right now? Williams says yes, pointing to the issues she sees with plus-size retailers as evidence. “To retailers, plus[-size fashion] is one ‘look,’ as opposed to an entire market. We are a range of women, like straight-size women,” she explains. “We have different looks and different price points.”
Launched in 2017 with just a handful of designers, 11 Honoré has grown to be the number one destination for the plus-size luxury-fashion lover, offering luxury and contemporary brands in sizes 12-26, which other retailers just do not have. By all accounts, tapping into this market has proven to be extremely profitable: Last year, the company raised $10 million in funding; however, in spite of its great success, a competitor has yet to emerge.
Williams shrugs off the lack of plus-size options in the contemporary and plus-size range. “A lot of these legacy brands, they have their woman and their aesthetic set in mind, and there’s nothing that can change that," she says. "What we can do is build our own table. You don’t want me at your table? We can just go and build our own.”
The table that Williams has built stands not just because of beautiful fabrics, but because of fit. A major passion point for Williams with the collection was getting the fit right, since so many retailers (both straight- and plus-size) neglect this important aspect of plus-size design. “The hesitancy [for plus-size women investing in luxury clothing] comes when you are spending money on clothes that don’t fit well, or the quality just isn’t there,” Williams says. For her, the process of using the correct fit model, incremental design steps to adjust for different sizes, and doing a constant feedback loop was necessary for this collection.
On Being Black and in Charge
Unless you’re living under a rock, it is clear that diversity across all industries is a conversation we are having now. And fashion is not exempt. As 11 Honore’s creative director, Williams joins the ranks as one of the few Black women luxury designers, which is not lost on her. “I know my ancestors are proud," she says. "This is a special moment. But there is a sadness because it shouldn’t be this way in 2020.”
Williams further expands on her thoughts about diversity in fashion: “Hiring Black and Brown creatives is the first step. It’s about the opportunity.” But there has to be more as well. “The second and most important step," she says, "is listening to the people you hire and letting them have a voice; letting them have a say.”
We also discuss how Williams navigated fashion before it’s recent “wokeness,” and the advice she can give to other women of color who want to work in fashion. “I didn’t see a lot of women who looked like me, so I found [designer] Tracey Reese,” she says. Williams looked to Reese as “her person,” someone to latch onto for inspiration to keep going in fashion.
Williams certainly did keep going: After a decade in the plus-size fashion world, she joined 11 Honoré in 2019, merging her love of plus-size and contemporary fashion, and perhaps becoming a Tracey Reese for someone else.
Is Change on the Horizon?
The topic of diversity isn't just relegated to ethnicity and race; there’s also the issue of size and body diversity, and fashion simply is not keeping up. Most contemporary and luxury designers are not offering anything above a size 12, or some a size 10, despite the business potential. The plus-size market is worth billions, according to retail analysts, and to Williams it just makes sense to expand there. “To me, from a business standpoint, if you are looking at increasing sales year-over-year, that will undoubtedly mean that you need to dress more women," she explains. "So you should want to dress plus-size women, I think.”
So when will fashion finally open its doors for women of all sizes? It depends on who you talk to. But for Williams, the time may be now, and that “first person” may just be you. “If you can’t find that person or that company, that’s okay," she says, "you might have to be the first. Just get your foot in the door, and shake shit up once you do.”
KeywordsPlus Sizefashioninclusivity
Barbie Ferreira Said She Rejects Labeling Models as Straight- or Plus-Size
6 Latinx Innovators Changing the Plus Size Fashion Industry
By Tess Garcia
16 of the Most Inclusive Fashion and Beauty Moments of the Decade
By Gianluca Russo
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Mike Wallace, Steelers receiver, finally reports
With less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Wallace reported to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wallace was at the team’s practice site yesterday morning.
With less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Wallace reported to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wallace was at the team’s practice site yesterday morning. A restricted free agent, he had yet to sign his one-year contract tender worth approximately $2.7 million. He also will undergo routine medical exams, but will not practice with his teammates until next week. The Steelers conclude their preseason at home against the Carolina Panthers tomorrow and open their regular season Sept. 9 at the Denver Broncos. Last season, Wallace had 72 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. He has 24 receiving touchdowns in his three-season career.
The Tennessee Titans have removed receiver Kenny Britt from the physically unable to perform list, though he will not play tomorrow night in the team’s preseason finale against New Orleans. Coach Mike Munchak said after practice yesterday that the Titans were close to activating Britt, and the team announced the move three hours later. Britt will join the active roster today. The receiver has been recovering from his third knee surgery since tearing his right ACL last September. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late June. Both Britt and the Titans are waiting to hear from the NFL if he faces punishment for a driving-under-the-influence arrest in July.
The Washington Redskins have released tight end Chris Cooley. The 30-year-old Cooley has spent his entire eight-season NFL career with Washington. He has 428 career receptions, including three seasons of at least 70. Injuries limited him to five games and eight receptions last season. The Redskins plan to use Fred Davis as their starting tight end. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says parting with the two-time Pro Bowl selection was “as tough as it gets.” Also, one day after he appeared to win the Redskins kicking job, Graham Gano is out of work. His replacement is Billy Cundiff, who spent two days unemployed after getting cut by the Baltimore Ravens.
A person with knowledge of the decision says the 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis. The person spoke to The Associated Press yesterday on condition of anonymity because the news has not yet been announced by the Twins or Major League Baseball. The news was first reported by the Star Tribune. The Twins scheduled a news conference for this afternoon to make an unspecified “major announcement regarding an upcoming event to be hosted at Target Field,” which opened in 2010. Minnesota last hosted the All-Star game in 1985, at the Metrodome. The 2013 All-Star game is set for Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
Major League Baseball and ESPN extended their television contract through 2021, a deal that almost doubles the amount of money the network will pay annually for baseball content while also all but eliminating blackouts of local broadcasts of ESPN games on Monday and Wednesday nights. It combines rights for TV, radio, digital and international that had been separate. The new single contract adds new rights to air a wild-card game, along with additional rights to highlights and digital content. It also gives the network more flexibility to show games involving popular teams.
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista will have season-ending surgery to stabilize a tendon in his left wrist. Bautista said before last night’s game against the New York Yankees that he would be ready to play long before the start of spring training next year. The two-time defending AL home run champion was put on the disabled list Saturday, two games into his return from a 5-1/2-week stint on the DL for the same injury.
The Chicago Cubs and shortstop Starlin Castro have agreed to a seven-year contract with a club option for 2020. The 22-year-old Castro is a two-time All-Star in just his second full major league season. He led the National League in hits with 207 last season. Since making his major league debut on May 7, 2010, Castro has more hits than any player in the NL, with 486.
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T‑Mobile Launches 5G in Folly Beach
T-Mobile has officially lit up 5G in Folly Beach and the surrounding area. Residents and businesses with 5G-capable smartphones can now get faster data speeds and better wireless coverage, especially indoors.
T-Mobile’s 5G network is ready for primetime in Folly Beach, adds three new 5G-capable Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones for customers to choose from
It's official – T-Mobile's 5G network is live in Folly Beach.
5G has been all the talk in wireless and now it’s a reality in Folly Beach. Faster speeds in the near-term and significant economic opportunities down the road.
Technology enthusiasts, business owners, farmers, first responders, innovators, early adopters… really, anyone who has or wants a smartphone.
Folly Beach, South Carolina — March 6, 2020 — T-Mobile's making another big step in its nationwide 5G rollout, officially lighting up Folly Beach and the surrounding area. Residents and businesses in the greater Folly Beach area with 5G-capable smartphones can now get faster data speeds and better wireless coverage, especially indoors. Starting today, T-Mobile's also bringing three more 5G-capable devices to our portfolio that take advantage of our nationwide 5G network – the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G.
"We've been building toward this day for a really long time. Professionally, it’s incredibly rewarding to bring the community a technology that has the potential to close the Digital Divide and level the playing field for rural America," said Luis Eyes, senior director of network technology for T-Mobile. "Today marks the beginning, not the end. As we add more cell sites and continue to build out our 5G network in Folly Beach, the wireless experience is only going to get better.”
The very heart of wireless service is based on spectrum, invisible highways in the atmosphere that transport voice and data from a phone to a cell site. This first nationwide 5G rollout from T-Mobile, and the network in Folly Beach, is based on a spectrum band called 600 MHz, also referred to as low-band spectrum. It provides the foundational layer for T-Mobile’s 5G network. Download speeds on T-Mobile’s 5G on 600 MHz will be around 20% faster than LTE on average to start and that experience will improve exponentially over time, just like with 4G.
If the pending merger with Sprint closes, in the coming months and years New T-Mobile will build upon this foundational 5G layer with mid-band and high-band spectrum that will add capacity, or more “lanes” using the invisible highway analogy, for greater speeds and better coverage. And, the new Samsung Galaxy S20 devices are future-proofed to access that spectrum for 5G as well. Only this combination of T-Mobile and Sprint will deliver a 5G network with both breadth and depth, something the other carriers simply cannot do as quickly. The stakes are high for the U.S. as billions in economic growth and jobs are expected to come from 5G and the innovations it will unleash.
For more information, customers can view T-Mobile’s zoomable 5G coverage map.
In addition to the new Samsung Galaxy S20 family, T-Mobile offers two other 5G-capable smartphones, the exclusive OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G. Customers interested in purchasing the latest 5G devices can visit the following local T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile stores, or check out our device offerings online at T-Mobile.com.
For more information on the latest 5G devices at T-Mobile, visit t-mobile.com/devices/5g-phones. For more information and offer details for the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G at Metro by T-Mobile, visit metrobyt-mobile.com/shop/phones. For more information on T-Mobile 5G, visit t-mobile.com/coverage. And for more information on the New T-Mobile, please visit NewTMobile.com.
Customers with a 600 MHz 5G capable device will be able to access T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network. 5G is still developing, not all devices & signals are compatible. Coverage not available in some areas. While 5G access won’t require a certain plan or feature, some uses/services might. See Coverage details, Terms & Conditions, and Open Internet information for network management details (like video optimization) at T-Mobile.com. Limited time offers; subject to change.
As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. Our advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 86 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. For more information, please visit https://www.t-mobile.com.
Important Additional Information
In connection with the proposed transaction, T-Mobile US, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-226435),which was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 29, 2018, and which contains a joint consent solicitation statement of T-Mobile and Sprint Corporation (“Sprint”), that also constitutes a prospectus of T-Mobile (the “joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus”), and each party will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. The documents filed by T-Mobile may be obtained free of charge at T-Mobile’s website, at www.t-mobile.com, or at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov, or from T-Mobile by requesting them by mail at T-Mobile US, Inc., Investor Relations, 1 Park Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or by telephone at 212-358-3210. The documents filed by Sprint may be obtained free of charge at Sprint’s website, at www.sprint.com, or at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov, or from Sprint by requesting them by mail at Sprint Corporation, Shareholder Relations, 6200 Sprint Parkway, Mailstop KSOPHF0302-3B679, Overland Park, Kansas 66251, or by telephone at 913-794-1091.
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning T-Mobile, Sprint and the proposed transaction between T-Mobile and Sprint. All statements other than statements of fact, including information concerning future results, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “could” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the proposed transaction, including anticipated future financial and operating results, synergies, accretion and growth rates, T-Mobile’s, Sprint’s and the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, and the expected timing of completion of the proposed transaction. There are several factors which could cause actual plans and results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions to the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; the occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of the parties to terminate the business combination agreement; adverse effects on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results because of a failure to complete the proposed transaction in the anticipated timeframe or at all; inability to obtain the financing contemplated to be obtained in connection with the proposed transaction on the expected terms or timing or at all; the ability of T-Mobile, Sprint and the combined company to make payments on debt or to repay existing or future indebtedness when due or to comply with the covenants contained therein; adverse changes in the ratings of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s debt securities or adverse conditions in the credit markets; negative effects of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the transaction on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results, including as a result of changes in key customer, supplier, employee or other business relationships; significant transaction costs, including financing costs, and unknown liabilities; failure to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction in the expected timeframes or at all; costs or difficulties related to the integration of Sprint’s network and operations into T-Mobile; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions, including the antitrust litigation brought by the attorneys general of certain states and the District of Columbia; the inability of T-Mobile, Sprint or the combined company to retain and hire key personnel; the risk that certain contractual restrictions contained in the business combination agreement during the pendency of the proposed transaction could adversely affect T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s ability to pursue business opportunities or strategic transactions; effects of changes in the regulatory environment in which T-Mobile and Sprint operate; changes in global, political, economic, business, competitive and market conditions; changes in tax and other laws and regulations; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Form S-4, as well as in T-Mobile’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov and www.t-mobile.com. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, persons reading this communication are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. T-Mobile assumes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this communication (whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise), except as required by applicable law.
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Experts warn China-India standoff risks unintentional war
Aijaz Hussain
SRINAGAR, India — As a monthslong military standoff between India and China along their disputed mountain border protracts, experts warn that the nuclear-armed countries — which already have engaged in their bloodiest clash in decades — could unintentionally slide into war.
For 45 years, a series of agreements, written and unwritten, maintained an uneasy truce along the border on the eastern edge of the Himalayan region of Kashmir. But moves and clashes over the past few months have made the situation unpredictable, raising the risk that a miscalculation from either side could have serious consequences that resonate beyond the cold-desert region.
"The situation is very dangerous on the ground and can spiral out of control," said Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who was head of the Indian military's Northern Command from 2014 to 2016. "A lot will depend on whether the two sides are able to control the volatile situation and make sure it doesn't spread to other areas."
The two Asian giants have held several rounds of talks, mainly involving military commanders, without success. In a sign that the talks are now shifting to the political level, their defense ministers met in the Russian capital on Friday to try end the impasse. It was the first high-level direct contact between the sides since the standoff erupted in the Ladakh region four months ago.
Last week, the world's two most populous nations, which share thousands of kilometers (miles) of disputed border, accused each another of fresh provocations, including allegations of soldiers crossing into each other's territory.
India said its soldiers thwarted "provocative" movements by China's military twice last week. In turn, China's Defense Ministry accused Indian troops of crossing established lines of control and creating provocations along the border.
Tensions first erupted in early May with a brawl between soldiers from the two sides.
The situation escalated dramatically in June when they fought with clubs, stones and fists, leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead and dozens wounded. China did not report any casualties.
The standoff is over disputed portions of a pristine landscape in a region that boasts the world's highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.
Hooda said that while he doesn't think either side is looking for full-scale war, the "real calamity" is the breakdown of existing agreements and protocols.
Wang Lian, a professor of international relations at Peking University in Beijing, said the possibility of open warfare is unlikely because both sides have shown restraint in recent encounters. But he also said that New Delhi is under pressure from domestic anti-China sentiment and has been emboldened by tougher U.S. measures against Beijing.
"I don't think (India) would go so far as to escalate military conflict of a larger scale, but I believe both sides are making some preparations," Wang said.
India and China share a disputed and undemarcated 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile) border, known as the Line of Actual Control, that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim.
The two nations fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in a fragile truce. Since then, troops from both sides have patrolled and guarded the undefined border area, according to protocols worked out by the two countries that included not using firearms against each other.
But defense analyst Rahul Bedi said that India changed the rules of engagement along the border following the deadly June clash. He said local commanders have been given "freedom to initiate adequate and proportionate responses to any hostile acts" by Chinese troops.
Members of India's strategic community, including defense analysts and retired generals, say China's army is opening new fronts, deepening mistrust and delaying immediate disengagement before winter, when temperatures in the region can fall to minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 Fahrenheit). They argue that the cost of deployments through the winter would be punishing for an Indian economy already decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Another area of concern for India's military is the country's decades-old territorial dispute over Kashmir with archrival Pakistan, a key ally of China. Indian military policymakers say that if a full-scale conflict erupts between India and China, Islamabad could throw its support behind Beijing, creating an even more dangerous situation for New Delhi.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan. Its eastern edge, the cold, high-altitude desert region of Ladakh, borders China on one side and Pakistan on the other, and is home to the world's only three-way nuclear-armed junction. Most Kashmiri Muslims on the Indian side support an armed movement that demands the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
Gen. Bipin Rawat, India's chief of Defense Staff, warned Pakistan last week not to exploit the crisis with China.
"Pakistan could take advantage of any threat developing along northern borders (from China) and create trouble for us," Rawat said, warning that Islamabad "may suffer heavy losses should they attempt any misadventure."
India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from Kashmir in August 2019, ending its semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council.
According to some Indian and Chinese strategic experts, India's move exacerbated existing tensions with China, leading to the June border clash.
"We are entering into a very difficult phase," said Pravin Sawhney, a defense analyst and China expert. "Disengagement is a criticality to avoid war, which the two nations don't want. But if any war breaks out, Pakistan will pitch in, and so would Kashmiris. It will be a three-front conflict."
Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
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Spring Operetta Lets Students Shine
Posted on March 09, 2016 by Mark Muehl - News and Events
Central Lutheran shares God’s Love Through Musical ProductionCentral Lutheran School students are taking the stage this week in a production that spans centuries, from Biblical times to the 1980’s, thanks to an abandoned time machine and some curious kids.Central Lutheran’s production of Back to the Cross, performed by the second and third graders, transports audiences to the 1920’s, 60’s, 80’s and the time of Christ, where students sing about Jesus’ love while enjoying cultural nods to various eras. The performances are held March 11 at 7:00 and March 13 at 2:00 in Central Lutheran’s gym.Central Lutheran School has a long tradition with their spring operetta, which started in 1978. This full musical production includes singing, acting, choreography and a full set. It’s an equal partnership between the second and third grade teachers who include Mary Potter, Anne Hess, James Aumick, and Phyllis Hockemeyer. While the operetta provides a valuable immersive arts experience, it also “teaches [students] to serve the Lord at a very young age,” says teacher, Mary Potter.But they couldn’t do it without the generous help of volunteers and parents, who provide the behind-the-scenes help for the production.“It’s a way of getting parents involved, [whether it’s] donating a prop, helping with cookies, painting the sets,” says Phyllis Hockemeyer. “One [volunteer] is a dance instructor who doesn’t have a child [at Central] and another has grown children. It makes it a community thing.”Back to the Cross opens in CW Worthington Park and Prayer Garden with Norman, his sister Ava, and her friend, Morgan.The kids stumble upon a time machine, which suddenly comes to life and transports them to a new decade in the same park. The time travelers jump through various eras, meeting the original C.W. Worthington, who donated the land for the prayer garden.But time travel has its downside when Morgan changes history and C.W. doesn't donate the land. Back in the future, they realize they need to return to the 1920's to fix history, but instead land in the 1960's, 1870's, and the Garden of Gethsemane.Seeing Jesus, Morgan realizes Christ's sacrifice was for her. Back to the Cross shows how Jesus’ death and resurrection are for everybody throughout history. With catchy music and lyrics, every student in the second and third grade participates in a role, whether it’s singing in the choir, acting on stage or performing choreography. The musical gives students confidence in front of an audience while immersing them in a full stage production.“One of the most fun things is that the fourth through eighth graders know how it feels and they wear their t-shirts from their show,” says Phyllis Hockemeyer. “[Because] the students are all given a part they can step into, they remember the history of being in the operetta.”While last year’s operetta focused on the theme of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, this year’s musical takes cultural references and popular eras to make a point about how Christ changed history.“Maybe [the message] will get through to one family,” Anne Hess says. “It’s a lot of fun and the core of everything we do. It’s about our salvation and sharing it with others.” Though the play is a fun musical experience for the students, the real point of Central’s spring operetta is teaching families about Christ’s sacrifice for us. Because of its message, the operetta has become a valuable school tradition for Central, impacting students and teachers alike.“By the time we’ve worked through this for six to seven weeks, you’re at your weakest moment,” adds Phyllis. “You’re tired. Then God’s Word hits you on your head. That’s what you want for the audience. All glory goes to God.”
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Russia's Debt Collectors Bring Back Brutality of the 1990s
By Peter Hobson
In the dead of a cold January night in Ulyanovsk, a Molotov cocktail smashed through a ground floor window of a wooden house. Within seconds, the room was ablaze: curtains, blankets, and a bed containing a two-year-old baby. The child would survive — miraculously — thanks to doctors and quick actions by his grandfather, Ismail Guseinov, but was badly burned.
The bomb had been thrown by a debt collector seeking repayment of a loan. A few months earlier, Guseinov had needed cash for medicine to help a bad back. To get it quickly, he turned to a pay-day lender, and agreed to a high interest loan of 4,000 rubles ($50).
By January, however, he had fallen behind on payments and a local collection agency became involved. They demanded immediate repayment of a sum ten times larger than the original loan — 40,000 rubles.
The collectors did not immediately reach for their Molotov cocktails. The first warning, a few weeks prior, was a brick thrown through the window. The message on the brick left no doubt as to their further intentions: "We'll burn your house down," it said. The collectors began calling Guseinov's children.
Guseinov was alarmed and reported the matter to the police several times, but they failed to react adequately.
The violence was shocking, and left the Russian public looking for answers. But the family's predicament was unexceptional. Incomes have been falling during Russia's economic slump, and more people than ever are struggling to repay loans. During 2015 the value of overdue loans increased by almost 50 percent to 1.15 trillion rubles ($15 billion).
According to Alexander Akhlomov, an executive at the United Credit Bureau, which monitors credit history, 11.5 million Russians held overdue debts by the end of December. Seven million people were more than 90 days in arrears. And an under-regulated, sometimes predatory collection industry is capitalizing on their predicament.
Debt Bubble
At the start of the decade, consumption was wild. "Time to have it all," said the credit companies in advertising campaigns. "Take it, you can return it later," the slogans crooned. And, as borrowing peaked and the economy stalled, a parallel collection industry grew up for those who couldn't pay.
Some banks began in-house debt recovery, but many began selling overdue loans to specialized agencies. These firms often operate on the edge of the law. "In most cases the activity of collectors is directly connected to criminality," the Prosecutor General's office said in a statement earlier this year. These agencies process more than 40 percent of bad debts, says Akhlomov — meaning that at least 3 million Russians are targeted.
Professional bodies representing debt collectors are keen to point out that many of these people are fraudsters who took the money without intending to repay. They also say their members don't use Molotov cocktails. Banks and respectable collectors stopped using rough methods "long ago," said the president of the Association of Corporate Collectors, Dmitry Zhdanukhin. But even if open violence is relatively uncommon, intimidation appears to be widespread.
Danila Mikhalishchev might be described as a veteran of the industry, having worked in debt collection during the early 2010s, first at a major Russian bank and then at a collectors agency called Sequoia Credit Consolidation. He described the three stages of collection: "Light" collection, which means polite phone calls reminding people to pay, lasts for a couple months. Then it switches to "medium," when calls become more insistent. At three months, "hard" collection begins, and collectors start visiting.
Even large, respectable lenders use intimidation tactics. Mikhalishchev said the bank had trained him to use psychological pressure: "People pay up because they don't know their rights and because they are afraid." Threats work in a country where memories of lawlessness and gang violence in the chaotic 1990s are still fresh, former collectors said.
Officially, bank employees weren't allowed to threaten people. Instead, they would harangue borrowers with a call every two minutes and say: "If you don't pay, your credit history will be ruined."
But employees found that the more menacing they were, the better their results, says Mikhalishchev. The bank had a bonus-driven culture, and "supervisors turned a blind eye" to rule-bending. Call center staff came up with various ways to turn up the heat: "They bought SIM cards on the black market registered to other people and rang from them, because landlines were recorded and monitored."
From untraced lines, they could plug into the darkest side of the business — mobile collector squads. Their methods include setting fire to doors, injecting glue into locks, scrawling insults on entrances to apartment blocks, threatening family and friends, trashing property and scratching cars. According to former collectors, they rarely supply documents to back their claims.
The Moscow Times obtained a recording of a call from a collection agency. It was taped by a borrower in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk who collected evidence against the people threatening him.
In the recording, two people from a collectors call center play bad cop and even-badder cop. A woman, who does not introduce herself, ridicules the borrower for the small, "unmanly" size of his 10,000-ruble ($130) debt and asks if his parents have had heart trouble. "You believe you won't be punished. Collectors will beat that out of you," she says, adding: "Get your hankies ready."
Suddenly, she passes the line to a male colleague. "You didn't forget me did you?" he asks, and threatens to hand his debt over to thugs. "Tomorrow or the next day you'll be seeing people like Solnyshko Vladimir," he says, referring to a local gang leader. "I think that'll be jolly … We're washing our hands of any responsibility."
The debtor objects: "You said you were an organization that works with borrowers before cases go to trial. If so, let's go straight to court."
"'Before trial' means 'without a trial,'" he is told.
Bad loans rising: Annual consumer debt in Russia from December 2012
Source: United Credit Bureau
Making things worse is a distrust of the police. "Of course there is no point hoping in law enforcement," said Mikhalishchev. There's rarely any reaction, he adds — they're just as likely to ask: "They didn't kill you, what are you bothering us for?"
Collectors usually commit petty crimes that are difficult to prove, and high staff turnover makes it even harder to find suspects, said Mikhalishchev: "Collection agencies and banks work with hundreds of people. Staff changes every three months, so try finding someone."
The man who threw the Molotov cocktail in Ulyanovsk was a 44-year-old former policeman named Dmitry Yermilov. According to media reports, he had a rich history of threatening residents and vandalizing properties. Following that incident, the heads of the country's two most powerful law enforcement bodies, the Prosecutor General's office and the Investigative Committee, announced they would personally look into the collecting business.
Predatory Lenders
Meanwhile, the problem grows. Russians' incomes declined last year for the first time since the 1990s, and an economic slowdown is likely to continue through 2016. The value of overdue loans "could certainly reach 1.5 trillion rubles this year," said the United Credit Bureau's Akhlomov. That would be a rise of one-third from the end of December.
As more people fall into arrears and spoil their credit history, more will be turned away by banks. This could force them to turn to more predatory lenders — so-called micro-lenders who deal in pay-day loans at interest rates that reach several percent per day.
These are already popular. Twenty-five years after communism, many people in remote regions remain wary of banks. Credit card infrastructure is patchy, and major lenders don't deal in the small loans needed by poorer people. In larger cities, many migrants don't have access to legal banking services.
"The micro-finance industry is developing rapidly and replacing some of the banking industry in some localities," says Alexander Morozov, deputy head of the National Association of Professional Collection Agencies. They are aggressively marketing themselves and their collectors are the ones who hit the headlines, he said.
Officially, these micro-lenders have handed out loans worth about 150 billion rubles ($1.9 billion), and two-thirds of borrowers are overdue, according to Akhlomov. But many operate outside the system. These lenders aren't interested in things like regulation and a client's credit history, said Mikhalishchev. "They want your passport data. Then they find you. Then they apply interest rates that turn the 10,000 rubles you took into 110,000."
"They make money on fear. They throttle you. That's all."
On the back of the Ulyanovsk scandal, legislators have demanded new regulation that could restrict or outlaw collection agencies. Officials are keen to be seen doing something ahead of parliamentary elections in the fall. A law to control debt collection is likely to be drafted in the near future. Morozov says this will help "the professional guys" by removing "grey parts of the market."
But the danger is that the new measures will have the opposite effect. Collectors will either redouble their savagery to collect as much cash as possible while there is still time or move further underground to escape new rules, former collectors said.
In the absence of effective policing, victims are organizing their own defense. Lawyers and former collectors have formed advice groups and consultancies. They usually tell people to either simply ignore demands for debt repayment or seek a court settlement. If you pay a collector, "You'll just bring down an even greater cabal [of collectors] on your head," said Mikhalishchev, who now works with OFIR, an anti-collection agency that offers legal advice.
Alexander Naryshkin is the administrator of Stop Collector, an online forum for victims of collectors that offers support and advice and receives 90-120 pleas for help every day. He plans to meet force with force.
"This year we're going to launch mobile anti-collector squads," he said. For a small fee, muscular men will arrive on the scene and make their presence known to collectors. "If they don't get it the first time, the second time we apply physical force. After the second time, I think they'll understand."
Vigilante justice is not new for Russia, having been a feature of the dog-eat-dog 1990s. Collectors like Yermilov in Ulyanovsk are still living in those times, says Yevgeny Romanov, a former collector: "They are men who never made it but still think they are the heroes of some Tarantino film."
Another version is that they, like everyone else, are trying to feed themselves and their families during the downturn. Only they have no scruples, says Naryshkin: "These people couldn't give a damn about anyone else."
Contact the author at p.hobson@imedia.ru. Follow the author on Twitter: @peterhobson15
Number of Russians Facing Travel Ban Over Unpaid Debt Up 40%
The number of Russians banned from leaving the country due to unpaid debt has increased by 41 percent in the past year, the Izvestia newspaper reported...
Russian Toddler Burnt by Molotov Cocktail Allegedly Thrown by Debt Collector
A Molotov cocktail thrown into a private home has injured a toddler and his grandfather in central Russia's Ulyanovsk region, the local Investigative Committee...
Personal Debt in Russia Up 30% in 2015
The amount of personal debt in Russia rose by about 30 percent, last year according to deputy director of the National Bureau of Credit Histories...
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SIERRA LEONE TELEGRAPH
Sierra Leone News
Sierra Leone Telegraph: Established 2009 – Serving the Diaspora – Rebranding Sierra Leone
[ January 17, 2021 ] Museveni invites Donald Trump to run for President in Africa Abdulai Mansaray
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[ January 15, 2021 ] TV host Vickie Remoe is the author of a new book for children Education and Health
[ January 13, 2021 ] Government of Sierra Leone will confiscate assets of COI persons of interest Politics
[ January 13, 2021 ] Ministry of planning and economic development and world vision visit water projects Economy & Business
[ January 13, 2021 ] Sierra Leone’s ailing economy – overcoming the challenges – Part 1 Economy & Business
[ January 13, 2021 ] What can American multi-racial democracy learn from Africa? Politics
HomePoliticsDrama in Sierra Leone’s parliament as APC and SLPP locked horns
Drama in Sierra Leone’s parliament as APC and SLPP locked horns
April 24, 2018 Abdul Rashid Thomas Politics 6
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 24 April 2018:
The parliament of Sierra Leone was to have been opened with pomp and pageantry today Tuesday, 24 April 2018, for the swearing of newly elected MPs and the election of a new Speaker of the House.
http://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Parliamentary-chaos-1.mp4
Instead, there were dramatic scenes of chaos, as both the ruling SLPP party and the main opposition APC brought parliament to a standstill, after much confusion and suspense about whether parliament was indeed going to be opened today.
http://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Parliament-chaos-3.mp4
Today’s chaos, which marked the beginning of a bitter political struggle for the control of Sierra Leone’s affairs – despite the SLPP winning the presidential election last month, started last night when the current speaker of Parliament – Sheku S.B. Dumbuya, an APC party grandee, issued a public statement postponing today’s opening of parliament until further notice.
This statement was quickly followed by a contradictory public statement – this time issued by the new Clerk of Parliament – Paran Tarawally, who was last week appointed by the SLPP president Maada Bio. He informed MPs and the public that the current speaker of parliament’s statement postponing the opening of parliament was of no effect and must be ignored.
What is at stake is the decision as to who will become the new speaker of parliament. This is important because according to the Constitution of Sierra Leone, the Speaker of Parliament will act in the absence of both the president and the vice president.
The possibility of having a Speaker of Parliament belonging to the opposition APC deputising as president for the ruling SLPP is anathema to the principles of good governance and constitutional stewardship. It simply does not make sense.
According to the Constitution, the election of Speaker of Parliament is by a two-thirds majority of members of parliament, which currently is made up of APC 68, SLPP 49, C4C 8, NGC 4, Paramount Chiefs 14, and Independents 3.
In this political game of numbers to control the affairs of parliament – the legislature, the ruling SLPP is going to find it very difficult, as it failed to secure a parliamentary majority at last month’s elections.
The SLPP are now relying on the High Court petitions that they won yesterday, which debars fourteen MPs belonging to the main opposition APC from taking their seats in parliament, effectively reducing the APC majority to 54.
In response to the High Court petitions, the opposition APC Secretary General – Osman F. Yansaneh said: “The All Peoples Congress hereby informs the General Public and APC Supporters in Particular of the dangerous attempt by the SLPP and certain state functionaries to thwart the will of the people through frivolous injunctions against APC Members of Parliament.
“These are actions stage-managed to prevent our Members of Parliament from participating in the election of the Speaker of Parliament, and by default make way for a pliant SLPP Speaker to be imposed on the country and a parliament where the SLPP has only 49 of the 146 MPs.
“This means that 97 members of parliament do not belong to the SLPP. The SLPP applied for injunctions against 16 of our duly elected MPs in the Western Area and five in the North…….”
It was the High Court injunction against the opposition APC that triggered the indefinite postponement of today’s parliamentary opening ceremony by the current APC elected Speaker, and the counter statement by the SLPP appointed Clerk of Parliament – calling on all MPs to ignore the Speaker’s order and to report to parliament this morning.
Reporting to parliament his morning they did. Many MPs arrived as early as 9am, though the opening ceremony was not due until 10.30am as ordered by the SLPP appointed Clerk of Parliament – Paran Tarawally.
But after waiting for over four hours for the outgoing Speaker Dumbuya and the Clerk – Paran Tarawally to arrive amidst chaos and dramatic scenes of abuse being yelled across the aisle by some of the opposition APC and SLPP MPs, the head of the government business in parliament – Sidi Tunis, unofficially called on all the MPs present to go home as the opening ceremony will now take place tomorrow, 25 April 2018.
So, was the current outgoing Speaker constitutionally right to postpone today’s opening of parliament? And does president Maada Bio have the power to authorise his newly appointed Clerk of Parliament to order the opening of parliament today against the wishes of the outgoing Speaker?
The answers to these burning questions are open to interpretation of the relevant sections of the Constitution of Sierra Leone. And the interpretations depend on who you ask and their political colour.
This is what Francis Ben Kaifala – a legal luminary of the ruling SLPP says: “Section 84 (1) of the Constitution states who summons the first session of Parliament. It states as follows: ‘Each session in parliament shall be held in such place within Sierra Leone and shall commence at such time as THE PRESIDENT may by Proclamation appoint’.
“IT is the PRESIDENT and NOT the SPEAKER who can summon Parliament. Similarly, notices ought to be done by the CLERK OF PARLIAMENT who by Section 82(1) is the administrative Head of Parliament. The Speaker Presides in Parliament but cannot sign or circulate public notices.
“The Speaker of the Dissolved Parliament remains Speaker UNTIL the first sitting of Parliament is called to session by Section 79 (1)(c) of the Constitution. His role ends upon the start of that first meeting. He cannot even preside over the installation of new MP’s which is within the purview of the Clerk of Parliament.”
This is what the presidential running mate of Sam Sumana’s C4C – David B. Conteh says about the crisis: : “The speaker of parliament the S.B.B. Dumbuya has postponed until further notice the commencement of the first meeting of the 5th Parliament of the 2nd Republic, citing the current confused situation which has resulted in a state of uncertainty and unrest among many unsworn members of parliament scheduled to take place on Tuesday the 24th April 2018.
“The new Clerk of Parliament Paran Umar Tarawally has countered in a press release that he’ll go by the earlier instruction by the president to convene the parliament, pursuant to Section 86 (1) of the Constitution which reads:…’the president may at any time summon a meeting of parliament’.
“While it is partially true in what has been quoted as the relevant section of the constitution by the new Clerk of Parliament, it should be noted it applies only in a state of emergency which allows the president to summon a meeting of parliament and in this case that parliament will be the one preceding this one.
“As at now, until the current members are sworn in, the president can only summon the old or former parliament if a state of emergency exists. Since a state of emergency has not been declared, neither the president nor the clerk can summon a parliament that has not been properly constituted or sworn in to office, if the speaker who is the head of the legislature does not see it fit to do so.
“The president is also a member of parliament, but not one that sits in sessions of parliament. He is the head of the executive branch. The chief justice is the head of the judiciary. All three branches are separate but equal in the eyes of the law.
“The clerk of parliament assumes the role of a permanent secretary as it obtains in any ministry. Only in a military rule or dictatorship do you have orders coming from the executive, ruling by decree or fiat.
“It’s going to be an interesting 5 years of constitutional crisis of a magnitude that voters never envisioned; and are seeing the beginning of what might be the norm, especially in the absence of a coalition government .
“We are heading for a standstill and a war of nerves in protecting one’s turf as prescribed by the constitution. We are waiting for service to the nation.
“This is my two cents worth of contribution and I think the speaker of parliament as head of parliament and being third in command in the governing structure, in the absence of the president and vice president is right on this one. You be the judge.”
What do you think, as we wait to see whether parliament will be opened tomorrow for business? You can send your comments to the Sierra Leone Telegraph.
Growing calls for ministers in the Koroma government to face prosecution
Disruption of the reopening of Parliament – a cause for concern
Benzema says:
Where were they When the same petition was brought up in 2012 and the rule of law took its course? If you prepare your bed very well, you will have a good sleep. I wish them good sleep in their beds. Una osh oo.
Victor k says:
I think this must be a lesson to all Sierra Leoneans that it is time we sit back and look at the messy things put in the 1991 constitution. This constitution can be manipulated. Its time for the constitutional review committee to resurface all the changes and recommendations.
Ultimate says:
This is indeed a lesson for us all. As Justice Cowan of blessed memory said in his last interview with radio D. “The rule of Law is the best Legacy to leave for the People of Sierra Leone”. Unfortunately, outgone President Koroma never listened; his focus was to do everything to keep him and his APC in Power, more powerful to an extent usurping the rule of Law and the principles of separation of powers.
But Allah being the Supreme Authority has showed him that power belongs to Him, and now he is reaping what he sow. As Yvonne Chachaka said in one of her famous songs “when you dig a pit for someone to fall in, never you forget that you might be the one to fall in”. Let the APC go and hold their chairman and Leader responsible for what is happening.
The Law is the Law. It is clear that if you receive salary from the consolidation funds, you have to resign a year ahead should you want to run for political appointment. APC petitioned seats in Kenema and Kailahun in 2012. Didn’t Ambassador Yansaneh know then, that they were denying the peoples’ vote?
Call the spade the spade and detect the log in your own eyes before you detect the specs in another man’s eyes. Professionalism and integrity must not be compromised at all cost. Your sycophancy is going to pay you, you just started crying. Baboo eye oo.
From: Evangelist: Edward says:
Look at the foolishness coming out of the Sierra Leone Parliament. And also look at the useless judiciary of Sierra
Leone today. Look at their useless and bogus injunctions. Why should the judiciary be a party to gimmicks and fraud? You are trying to take away the “ will and vote” of the Sierra Leoneon people.
WILL DEMOCRACY REALLY SURVIVE IN SIERRA LEONE?? I am afraid that I do not think democracy should continue in this type of brouhaha. Some people needed to be kicked out of the equation. From national betrayal, intrigue, to election results theft, to international conspiracy and meddling. So where are we as Sierra Leoneans? Small country.
Emmanuel L. Johnson, MS/IA, CISSP, Ph.D. says:
Constitutional rot is what happens. The constitutional scholar John Finn argues, that faith in the key commitments of the Constitution gradually erode, even when the legal structures remain in place.
Constitutional rot is what happens when decision-makers abide by the empty text of the Constitution, without fidelity to its underlying principles. It is also what happens when all this takes place and the public either does not realize it or does not care.
Keni Ak says:
What Goes Around Must Come Around. I Believe The Same Judges Were All Appointed By The Then APC. Why Must They Cry Foul? That Is Just A Lesson, Don’t Give Power To People You Don’t Trust.
WITH CORRUPTION EVERYONE PAYS
Ebola featured President Bai Koroma Sierra Leone Sierra Leone News
The Sierra Leone Telegraph Reserves Copyright
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UFC 249 BACK ON after Dana White secures private habitable planet
UFC president Dana White has confirmed UFC 249 is back on, claiming he has secured a nearby habitable planet to host all events for the foreseeable future.
White had been hoping to secure a private island to host UFC 249 and other weekly events while the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep the rest of the world on lockdown, but his unique idea was dead in the water after ESPN and Disney told him it was impossible.
But determined to get his pay-per-view money, White has concocted another "out there" plan. Speaking with ESPN, White claimed:
"We're back in business. UFC 249 will still happen this weekend, because I have managed to secure the perfect location: it's a small planet, pretty close to earth, no deadly viruses to interrupt my business, and I've just bought it.
"I've got a spaceship I've been holding onto for a while now, and it shouldn't be too difficult to build an arena with some sort of protective dome around it within the next couple of days just in case there are any sandstorms or whatever.
"I'll arrange for the fighters to be picked up and brought to the secret location of my ship, then we'll shoot off together and put on the best show this universe has ever seen.
"The best thing is there aren't any laws there because I own the planet, so I can pretty much do what I want with the fighters, pay them pennies, have them kill each other, fight gorillas or tigers or whatever otherworldly beasts we find when we get there; hell, I can kill them myself if they piss me off. It's what the UFC's been missing. We're back!"
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Home Business Lori, e-Logistics Company Expands to Nigeria
Lori, e-Logistics Company Expands to Nigeria
Obinna Chima
Kenyan e-Logistics company, Lori, has officially announced its expansion to Nigeria in a bid to cement its footprint across Africa.
The company, which is the largest e-Logistics service provider in East Africa, was launched in Kenya in 2016, to seamlessly connect cargo owners to transport in frontier markets.
Speaking during an interview with journalists in Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer, Uche Ogboi, said: “Our mission in Nigeria is to create a more efficient logistics experience for cargo owners who are burdened with the task of moving their goods across the country.
“We have successfully created a digital platform to enable the movement of goods through a transparent supply chain management system that is affordable, reliable and flexible.”
According to her, over the past 10 months, Lori had completed a successful pilot in Nigeria with some of the country’s top cargo companies including Olam, Honeywell Flour Mills and Flour Mills Nigeria.
Ogboi, pointed out that the expansion to Nigeria presents a massive opportunity for Lori, as the company seeks to facilitate and connect technology innovation, smart policy and government partnership, and seamless operations to continue to lower the cost of goods.
“As Africa’s largest single market, Nigeria faces challenges with a congested port and a shortage of transport options,” she noted.
In July, Lori announced the appointment of new global leadership to drive the company’s expansion efforts across Africa.
“Lori is at the forefront of revolutionizing cargo transport across Africa from the ground up.
“As a digital marketplace and e-Logistics service provider, Lori provides value to clients in three key areas: technology, operational excellence, and customer service.
“For cargo owners, Lori offers reliability by working with high quality transporters who have been vetted, verified, successfully on-boarded, and constantly rated on performance.
“Lori is developing the most sophisticated technology tools available in market to package and deliver meaningful data to provide management teams with insights for better control.
“These tech tools also allow for better tracking with greater context for goods on journey. Ultimately, cost savings is achieved directly and indirectly with better end-to-end coordination with transporters,” Ogboi added.
According to her, for transporter partners, Lori optimises truck and asset utilisation for on-boarded trucks by up to five times through access to its pool of cargo owners and with quicker turn-around times and through our proactive loading and off-loading activities.
Furthermore, she pointed out that Lori also offers access to working capital in the form of fuel financing and insurance, with better payment terms, so that there is no delay in getting trucks on the road.
“Lori has also developed proprietary systems and software for automatic invoicing to relieve administrative burden.
“Lori’s mission is to solve the problem of high cost of goods across Africa where in certain countries, up to 75 per cent of the cost of a product on the continent is attributed to logistics, compared to only six per cent in the United State.
“The company aims to achieve this by eliminating customer pain points along the cargo journey with new technologies and superior user experience,” she added.
Anambra Woos Foreign Direct Investments
Dike Onwuamaeze
The Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) is wooing investors to tap into the state’s rich opportunities in tourism, hospitality, real estate, agriculture, power and creative sectors.
The agency recently took its investment drive to the United States where it hosted two successful business summits in New York, on the sidelines of the recently concluded 2019 United Nations General Assembly meeting, and Washington DC.
The theme of the summit was “Finding Diamonds in the Rough.” It was meant for investors who have appetite for investment in Africa, Nigeria and Anambra State in particular, and have a preference for investing in the state.
The Managing Director of ANSIPPA, Mr. Jide Ikeako, in a report obtained by THISDAY, noted that the primary goal of the meetings was to showcase investment opportunities in Anambra State to global investors.
Ikeako, said ANSIPPA was seeking for domestic and foreign direct investment estimated at N2 billion for the development of Anambra Film Village (AFV), which is expected to generate an estimated N1.4 billion per annum in revenue.
Investment in the AFV would enable the growth of the domestic (local) film industry – Nollywood in Anambra and enhance an affordable for domestic Nollywood production International Standard (Cost efficient size and structure) with capacity to handle International movie production Site scalable for Expansion and Upgrade.
Ikeako, stated that ANSIPPA’s mission “is to create an incentive-focused investment climate for investors interested in different economic sectors in Anambra State.”
The business summits were a follow-up to the visit of Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, to the City of Orange in New Jersey, United States, where he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mayor of the City of Orange in New Jersey, for mutual assistance in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, power in various forms and firefighting.
“The investment drive of ANSIPPA has attracted global leading brands in the hospitality industry like the Radison Hospitality and Golden Tulip which are managing the Onitsha Hotel and Agulu Lake Hotel respectively.
“In addition, the Century Power Generation Limited (CPG) Onitsha Transmission Line proposes to develop, build and operate a 50- 100MW gas-fired emergency power plant CPG will execute a long-term Power Purchase Agreement with Anambra State, backed by a state guarantee that the African Development Bank (AfDB) can support with a liquidity instrument,” he added.
Obaseki Earmarks N2bn for Single-digit Lending to MSMEs
James Emejo in Abuja
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said his administration has provided the sum of N2 billion as credit facility at single digit interest rate to micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the state.
He said the move became necessary in order to drive the state’s economy through the contributions of small businesses.
Speaking at the Edo State Special Day at the on-going 2019 Abuja International Trade Fair (2019AITF) organised by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the governor also said his administration had achieved 75 per cent job creation out of the 200,000 jobs that it had promised to create for its citizens.
Represented at the trade fair by the State Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, Obaseki said the administration was creating an enabling environment which is driven by the private sector to identify as well as build on talents among the youths.
He said: “It has been one of our cardinal pillars to develop our youths and we have arranged to give our young ones skills and these skills are not just for the artisans but also for graduates because you know they said some of our youths are not employable even when they have the certificates.
“So, we have created a skills acquisition programme both for artisans and graduate and we have created an artisan hub, what we call the industrial hub where you can come and establish your small businesses and there’s 24 hours power for you to optimise the benefits of creating something.”
He said: “For us in Edo State, you must earn a living and the only way we can earn a living is when you are skilled. Skilled labour is what we emphasise in Edo and we are not only emphasising it, we are creating it.”
Also, speaking at the exhibition, Edo State Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Mr. Felix Akhabue, told THISDAY that government was further making inroad into agriculture as well as teaching the youths new skills to make them successful in the sector.
He said:”We also have an agency called Edojobs, training our young ones on skills and we are also taking our people back to the farm because in the past, agriculture used to be that sector of the economy which used to engage majority but for a very long time, we have left that sector when we discovered crude oil.”
According to him: “As you know, the government of Edo State is doing a lot in the area of creation of jobs because if we don’t actively and consciously do things that will create jobs in our various states today in Nigeria, I may sure tomorrow we will not be able to close our eyes and sleep because there is so much unemployment.
“But the most unfortunate thing is that most of our young ones were trained as if white-collar jobs were going to be available for them when they leave school.
But the truth is that white-collar jobs are not available and they can’t be available.
“And you will find that like what is happening in the developed world today, it is the private sector that engage over 70 per cent of the population that are being employed.
Therefore, Nigeria must go that way and Edo State has started.
“We are looking at the private sector. We are already collaborating with the private sector, Edo state governments is creating the enabling environment for business to thrive: we are encouraging the SMEs in the state to the extent that.”
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A Signature of the Times
Nigeria’s Daily COVID-19 Cases Rise to 1,398
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Alan Lee – The PAN Connection
Good news this week in that I’ve had confirmation, via Virginia Lee who contacted her husband Alan Lee in New Zealand on my behalf, that the artwork I have for a PAN book cover is by him. The next task is now to see if I can get him to sign it when he returns later in the year.
The book is ‘Devil Country’ by Donald G. Payne writing as Ian Cameron and is the sequel to ‘The Lost Ones’ ‘The Lost Ones’ is probably better know as Disney’s ‘The Island At The Top Of The World’
Interestingly ‘Devil Country’ was originally called ‘The Mountains At The Bottom Of The World’ but was renamed in the PAN edition, did Disney have anything to do with this I wonder?
I couldn’t see an artists name on the cover of ‘The Island At The Top Of The World’ but then realised that it was the same as the film poster by Brian Bysouth. I’m trying to contact him to ask him a couple of questions about this.
I shall be adding an Alan Lee page shortly as he produced several covers for PAN.
“The Young ….” Series
While sorting out some artwork I came across the original covers for “The Young Mary” and “The Young Elizabeth” both by Jean Plaidy and published by Piccolo in 1972. There was a third title “Meg Roper” but this was not published by Piccolo and I wondered why? On investigation I found that the first two titles had been used by Macdonald Roy for their series “The Young ……” and as well as including Mary and Elizabeth they also featured John Milton, the Brontes, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Alexander the Great , James Barrie, Marie Curie, Sir Francis Drake, Thomas Edison, Louis Braille, Helen Keller and others.
I have not discovered who painted the covers for the two Piccolo Plaidy titles but the inside illustrations are the ones that Macdonald Roy used in their 1968/69 editions and are by William Randel.
Original Cover Artwork
Now I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned here how a few years back crime fighting superhero ‘PAN MAN’ managed to thwart a dastardly crime which enabled the recovery of stolen artwork for many original PAN covers but if not I’ll tell you all about how I did it another time.
One outcome of this was that I received a DVD with scans of the artwork to over 500 original PAN covers. I was hoping for the artwork but it was not to be, honesty overcame avarice.
I have been looking at it again and will include in future blogs some more examples of covers not used such as the Sax one for “Sorrell and Son”, covers with subtle changes like G375 “Claudelle” and some of the examples of how the artwork developed for example number 14 “The Thirty-Nine Steps”
‘Hotel’ by Arthur Hailey
PAN published ‘Hotel’ by Arthur Hailey in 1966 using the same cover as the hardback edition published in 1965 in the UK by Michael Joseph in conjunction with Souvenir Press and in the States by Doubleday.
PAN’s 1st printing edition already has the “Now filmed in Technicolor ….” blurb so I’m wondering why they felt the need to change the cover a year later (3rd printing which I’d not seen before and have just got from Australia) as this was usually the reason for a new edition? The 1970 edition was the 8th printing so does anyone know if there are other different versions in between?
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
It was one of those strange coincidences that I mentioned ‘Bestsellers of Literature’ last week, 20 of the 24 covers being painted by John Raynes, when I got an email from the man himself. John had been contacted by one of the boys who had modelled for the cover of ‘Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn’ asking if he still had a copy of the cover which he didn’t. I helped out by forwarding a scan of my copy but in return I have the names of the two boys and where the painting was done.
It was in 1968 that John took Tim Wilcocks and Simon Games-Thomas to Stogumber Church in Somerset where he photographed them. Tim was the one standing and played Tom while the one sitting was Simon as Huck. They were both 15 years old and pupils at Taunton Prep School.
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Harbhajan Singh reveals how Shoaib Akhtar received 2011 India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal tickets
In the 2011 World Cup semifinals, India and Pakistan locked horns at Mohali wherein the hosts had won the clash by 29 runs.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar (L) and India's Harbhajan Singh |  Photo Credit: PTI
The India-Pakistan clash is always an encounter to watch out for. Over the years, it has not only given the cricketing fraternity some really close encounters but also led to some memorable rivalries between players from both the camps. One such rivalry on the field was between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar. The Asia Cup 2010 face-off between both sides was a classic example of tempers flying between both the veteran players. However, in a recent development, Harbhajan stated that the Pakistani speedster had requested for tickets for the second semifinal, between both Asian giants, and the final of the 2011 World Cup.
In an interaction with India Today, at a star-studded programme in England, Harbhajan said, "In 2011, I met Shoaib before the match and Shoaib Akhtar’s family had come and he asked me tickets for the semi-final. So I gave him 4 tickets. He didn’t play the semi-final. Then he asked me for the final tickets too. I said ‘what will you do with this?’ India will win and if you want to come and watch I will give you 2-4 tickets."
Interestingly, Akhtar was part of Pakistan's squad in 2011 World Cup. In fact, it was the same tournament wherein he played his last international game for the Men in Green. However, he didn't feature in the playing XI for the semifinal between India and Pakistan at Mohali. Thus, he requested for tickets for him and his family to watch the proceedings from the stands at IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
Talking about the clash, MS Dhoni-led Indian cricket team won the encounter by 29 runs. Batting first, India posted a competitive 260 for 9 in 50 overs riding on Sachin Tendulkar's 85. In reply, Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan cricket team were in the chase but a combined bowling effort from the Indian camp took the game away from the opposition eventually. Harbhajan led the charge with figures of 2 for 43; removing Umar Akmal and skipper Afridi. Later, India went onto lift the coveted title for the second time; beating Sri Lanka in the tournament finale.
India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 edition on June 16 at Old Trafford, Manchester. So far, in 6 World Cup meets, India have never lost a match versus the arch-rivals. Harbhajan, the veteran off-spinner, backs Virat Kohli and Co. to maintain their 100 per cent record in the upcoming clash as well.
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What Makes Someone Beautiful? Lizzie Velasquez Says ‘You Don’t Have to Look Like Everybody Else’
“But at the end of the day, I’m just a normal 26-year-old girl who just wants to have a normal life.”
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By Laura RiceJanuary 6, 2016 11:02 amArts & Culture
Image via imwithlizzie.com
Lizzie Velasquez shares about getting a diagnosis and what her definition of beauty is.
As the new year gets off to a start, many folks are looking for that “new year new you” combination of resolutions.
What about you? Will you lose weight? Cut back on the beverages? Get fit? A lot of us spend a lot of time – wasting it really – thinking about how we look. But 26-year-old Lizzie Velasquez doesn’t worry about that. She’s a motivational speaker, author and documentary star.
Velasquez loves clothes and her fluffy little white dog. She lives on her own in an apartment in Austin. But she also has her own YouTube channel, with more than 500, 000 subscribers, which is probably the first sign that she’s a little more than typical.
Velasquez is 5-foot-2. She weighs less than 65 pounds. She looks a little delicate, and she is. She’s unable to gain weight. In her lifetime, a lot of people have said hurtful things about her looks. In 2013 she gave a Ted Talk and called them all out.
“When I was in high school, I found a video of me, unfortunately, labeling me the world’s ugliest woman,” she says.
Velasquez decided to channel all that hate and show people how small they were – by showing them how successful she could be. The Ted Talk was followed by a documentary last year – called “A Brave Heart.” These days, people react to her a little differently.
“It’s been a very surreal year to be able to have the film out now and to have the DVD on sale,” she says. “I think the people who have seen the film feel like they know me and my family and so there’s sort of a different connection.”
Velasquez is very open about her life in some ways, she shares her travels and some of her personal struggles with friends on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
“A lot of my life is very public – especially with the movie coming out,” she says. “But at the end of the day, I’m just a normal 26-year-old girl who just wants to have a normal life.”
One way she’s tried to make life more normal, for herself and for anyone who has struggled with being labeled or insulted or belittled online or off, is by launching a campaign against bullying. With some help from big names, like Chris Hemsworth, for example.
At Lizzie Velasquez’s next public speaking event at Prevention Magazine’s R3 Summit in Austin next weekend she’ll be talking about something she’s never talked about before.
“I was diagnosed a year and a half ago and this past year I was just processing it on a personal level,” she says. “Now I’m at a point where I understand it and I’m ready to talk about it. So I’ll be talking about what it’s like just living with a diagnosis and having a name to something that’s been a mystery for 25 years.”
The diagnosis is neonatal progeroid syndrome. There are likely only a handful of people in the world like her. It may prevent Velasquez from meeting some people’s definition of beautiful, but not her own.
“I think it’s important for women to be reminded that you don’t have to look like everybody else. It’s important to look like what your version of beautiful is,” Velasquez says. “To me, what makes someone beautiful is their character and their personality and how they treat other people and what their values are.”
So what’s her New Year’s resolution?
“I don’t know. It’s hard because I feel like last year all of my dreams came true and this year I think I’m just wanting to live life day by day,” she says.
Velasquez says that may mean disconnecting from Instagram and YouTube and the public speaking circuit a little to take some time for herself.
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The Netherlands (I): A Curious Orange
by The Anfield Wrap | Jun 10, 2014 | Footie | 0 comments
By Dave Downie
I COULDN’T THINK of a more colourful team to be given in this World Cup preview thing.
I didn’t know who to write about – the Netherlands, Holland or the Dutch. Greedy bastards seem to have everything in abundance that anyone from anywhere could want in life, not least footballing talent. But sometimes like true genius, somewhere in that gene pool is the tendency to go absolutely mental and seemingly pursue the will to cock everything up.
For every Bergkamp there’s a Van Hooijdonk, every Van Nistelrooy, a Davids, and, just for us, for every Kuyt, there’s a Heitinga. You get the idea.
Anyway, the fact is, the Dutch have largely always been gifted with world class talent, yet rarely seem to get things right when it comes to major tournaments. The reason for this is something that has become a common trait within the modern game: ego undoes unity.
There’s plenty of evidence to prove this theory that will have probably sprung to your mind in the few words you’ve read so far. Arguments among players at training camps, last-minute withdrawals and mutinous coups against coaches have all contributed to their downfall at major tournaments.
But perhaps their greatest weakness is the most important reason they’re so brilliant to watch. It’s also one of many excellent arguments put forward by David Winner in his book: Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football.
“The Dutch seem to be downright allergic to any form of authority, leadership and collective discipline,” says Winner. But the reasons for this are ingrained within the psyche of a country where historically, teamwork has never been anywhere near it’s strongest attribute.
“Holland’s famous “Total Football,” a fluid and creative approach to the game, is deeply steeped in democratic impulses,” says Winner.
“The Dutch system allows every player to express and distinguish himself by moving in and out of positions on the field. But the flipside of this system is that discipline and inner cohesion were always fragile.”
In other words, individuals and their mercurial talent are encouraged to be just that – individuals. That in itself is often enough to win football matches, but when the time comes where unity and team spirit is required, the Dutch fall desperately short.
In an article by German writer Markus Feldenkirchen written during Euro 2012, the Dutch philosophy is fascinatingly contrasted with that of Germany – a side almost militant in its approach to teamwork. In a pre-tournament friendly in 2012, Holland were defeated 3-2 by Bayern Munich with Arjen Robben lining up against his club side. Throughout the game, the former Chelsea winger was booed and jeered by his home crowd before being whisked away with his family in a limousine while his countrymen sat on the team bus.
Feldenkirchen writes: “In Germany, he is seen as the quintessential egoist, a man who seems to forget about his teammates whenever he sees an opportunity to score a goal. And when he is occasionally forced to sit on the bench, he sulks for weeks. That, at least, is how the Germans view Robben.”
An interview with skipper Mark van Bommel the day after, who is five years a servant to German club football himself, is probably the most damning portrayal of how his side perceive teamwork. When asked if he understands the Bayern crowd’s resentment of Robben, he replied: “Absolutely not. After all, he was personally responsible for shooting Bayern into the final in 2010. And this time he was very important again. You have to appreciate him, and you ought to be happy he’s playing for Bayern. He’s one of the 10 best players in the world.
“In Germany, they want all the players to do the same, and to be well-behaved. But someone like Robben is an exceptional player, a real character. You have to look after someone like that.”
According to Feldenkirchen, although he is talking about Robben, van Bommel might as well be referring to Dutch football in general, and about the fact that Dutch players don’t want to be either equal or well-behaved. In the Netherlands, at any rate, no one thinks Robben is a diva. There’s too much competition for that. The Germans are obedient, but they certainly aren’t genuine characters.
Robben may well have been singled out here, but the madness of Dutch football also means he’ll probably be the key to any success they have in Brazil. This isn’t a squad bursting with the household names of previous years, hence the bookies offering around 28/1 for them to go one better than their runner-up finish four years ago.
But Louis Van Gaal has restored at least some of the attacking impetus the Dutch are renowned for having converted to a more robust and resolute outfit under his predecessor van Marwijk in South Africa. Their goal scoring ability still relies on an ageing trio of van Persie, Robben and Sneijder, but each of those will be desperate to shine in what will probably be their World Cup swan songs.
Van Gaal has been pragmatic in his selection and approach, accepting that his forward players and their prowess are also his best defence. By his own admission, the soon to be Man United boss says there are as many as ten teams who are better than his own in the tournament.
Having only picked six genuine midfielders including Norwich flop Leroy Fer, sadly the Dutch probably won’t be many people’s choices to do much this time. They open their tournament with a repeat of the final they lost in 2010 against Spain before facing Chile and concluding Group B against Australia. Looking at squad lists alone, a runner-up spot looks a quite formidable challenge and even if they manage that, it’s likely that Brazil will be waiting in the first knockout stage.
Sadly it doesn’t look like those crazy Dutch will have much of an impact on the World Cup this year, but it’s difficult to predict how this one will play out for them. With Robben, van Persie and Sneijder, they will always have a goalscoring threat. But an inexperienced midfield and defence could be their undoing.
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VICTOR OULTON: Nova Scotia farmers working hard to maintain safe food supply
Published: Apr 23, 2020 at 11:26 a.m.
Updated: Apr 25, 2020 at 6 a.m.
The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture is assuring Nova Scotians they're working tirelessly to maintain a safe, reliable local food supply. - Contributed
VICTOR OULTON
Nova Scotia has joined the rest of Canada, and indeed the world, in facing a global pandemic and navigating a period of uncertainty that most of us have never before experienced, and will likely never again experience in our lifetime.
Nova Scotians are worried, they are feeling anxious, and they are looking to rely on the people and things that they have learned to trust. In many cases, this hard-earned trust extends to Nova Scotia’s farmers.
Now, more than ever, families want to know where their food comes from, the way it is made, and how it is delivered to their tables. Our farming community knows that we have an important role to play in providing the comfort that our friends and neighbours need at this time.
Maintaining Nova Scotia’s food supply and security is paramount at all times, but especially now because of the current public health crisis. Across Canada, provinces and territories are all repeating the same refrain: domestic food supply is a critical priority.
To address one of the challenges facing Canadian farmers’ productivity, the federal government has made arrangements with strict protocols to allow temporary foreign workers to continue to come into Canada to provide valuable labour support.
Many of the workers arriving from other countries have been supporting our Nova Scotia farming community for many years. They represent a highly skilled, fully trained workforce that is essential for our farms to be able to continue to provide a safe, secure and reliable source of produce and food products for Nova Scotians.
There is a strong bond between farmers and their workers, who return year after year. These workers have also created strong connections with the communities they work in. While global circumstances have changed, we don’t expect our temporary workers to be received in any different manner than they are accustomed to by the kind and compassionate people of Nova Scotia.
Yet, we understand there might be concerns around how we will be balancing the need to maintain our food supply with the help of visiting workers, while also prioritizing public health and avoiding the spread of COVID-19.
The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, along with its partners Perennia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, will be working with our farmers closely to make sure they have the resources and information they require to properly inform all of their employees, including temporary foreign workers, of the public health measures in place.
Government protocols include a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for all workers immediately upon arrival in Nova Scotia. In order to assist both farm owners and workers throughout this isolation period, the federal government has announced a $50 million investment that will provide employers, or those working with them, $1,500 for each foreign worker arriving in Canada to help provide appropriate accommodations and supports.
The rules for this program are clear. The consequences for breaking these rules are severe. We take our responsibility for ensuring a strong food supply and protecting Nova Scotians very seriously, and we appreciate the weight of the trust that is being placed on us to make sure these protocols are respected and followed.
We also want to take this opportunity to speak to Nova Scotians who have had their income or jobs affected due to COVID-19. The economic impact has been felt among our families, our friends and our neighbours. While the success of our farming season will absolutely require the support of temporary foreign workers, we are also promoting local employment opportunities available now on our farms across the province.
For Nova Scotians looking for work, we have recently launched a new job portal on our website that outlines available positions across the province. Farming is one of the province’s oldest professions and one that brings Nova Scotians a great deal of pride. We would happily embrace anyone looking to transition into agriculture for employment. Help fill a vital role in getting food from farm to fork. These job opportunities can be found at nsagjobs.ca.
We, your local farmers, are working overtime to keep up with the increased demand for community-grown food, drink and agriculture products. In addition to still having products available at local grocery outlets, many farmers are also creating innovative ways for customers, both new and old, to access products online — providing a number of delivery and pick-up options, all adhering to public health regulations.
Catherine Manning, of Manning Farms in Falmouth, recently expressed a sentiment that we believe is shared by all Nova Scotians: “When we sit down for a meal, we know where everything comes from. We hope that our community is able to do that too.”
In this difficult time, the farm members and staff of Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture want to assure Nova Scotians that we are working tirelessly on your behalf to keep you nourished, safe and secure.
Victor Oulton is president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.
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Hochtief to rebuild Warsaw airport terminal
1 Oct 12 A consortium of Hochtief Polska and Hochtief Solutions has won a €77.7m (£61.8m) contract to rebuild the T1 passenger terminal at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport.
Client for the scheme is PP Porty Lotnicze, Poland’s state-owned airport operator.
The scope of the contract covers partial demolition of the T1 Terminal together with its reconstruction and modernisation as well as integration with the T2 Terminal. The project includes also the rebuilding of airport office space.
The consortium will also deliver a baggage handling system and construct a 60m-long tunnel linking the terminal and railway station. The completion date of the project is set for the end of 2014.
Between 1990 and 1992, Hochtief had built the terminal that is now being modernised and also worked on the T2 Terminal as well as expansion works completed last year.
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Investors may shun UK finds EC Harris
10 Dec 12 The UK is in danger of missing out on significant investment in its national infrastructure as funds increasingly view markets in the Gulf region and Asia as safer bets, according to research published today by EC Harris.
The firm’s Infrastructure Investment Index ranked 40 countries according to how attractive they are to infrastructure funds. In order to gauge their appeal the study looked at various issues including the ease of doing business in each market, tax rates, GDP per capita, government policy, the quality of the existing infrastructure and the availability of debt finance. Combining all of these factors provided an overview of the risk profile for each market and how attractive each one is likely to be to potential investors.
The report found that whilst the UK would always remain of interest, political dithering, high levels of regulation, and convoluted planning and approval processes, meant that it was now deemed a less attractive place to invest in infrastructure schemes than markets such as Qatar, Malaysia and Chile.
The UK finished in 13th position overall in the final rankings, just behind the United States in 12th and slightly ahead of Germany in 14th place. Of the 12 European markets included in the study, eight finished within the middle band with Scandinavian markets Sweden (5th) and Norway (6th) deemed to be the safest bets, whilst Italy emerged as the riskiest market ending up in 33rd position.
The gloomy picture for the UK and Western Europe was in stark contrast to the Middle East and Asia, with the report suggesting several markets had strong conditions in place to attract investment. Singapore emerged as the world’s safest market to invest in infrastructure schemes whilst APAC neighbours Malaysia and Australia were also in the top ten, finishing in 7th and 9th place respectively. In the GCC, Qatar and UAE finished in second and fourth place overall whilst Saudi Arabia was just outside the top ten in 11th position.
Matthew Cutts, head of lenders and investors at EC Harris said:“Much has been made of the need to attract private finance to help address the UK’s infrastructure deficit however there’s still a significant gap between the political intent and the economic reality. Unless concerted steps are taken to provide greater policy certainty, loosen regulation, and speed up the approval process, investors will continue to look at other markets with fewer barriers to enter and where they can see a much clearer exit strategy.”
At the inception of the first National Infrastructure Plan, the government set a target of investing £400bn into the UK’s infrastructure by 2020. An additional campaign specifically targeting Chinese pension funds was also launched as part of last year’s Autumn Statement, however beyond China Investment Corporation’s move to acquire a stake in both Thames Water and BAA, the UK has until now had limited success in securing private finance.
“The main attraction with infrastructure is the long-term, predictable, inflation-linked return it can offer investors,” added Cutts. “However, to secure the upfront capital there must be a commitment to sustaining long-term policy levers that will make these schemes bankable. Sadly this type of consensus is all too lacking in the UK, with the public squabbling over the recent Energy Bill and the on-going paralysis around expanding Heathrow, two examples of how weak leadership is threatening to undermine the UK’s future competitiveness.”
With all of the UK’s regulated industries due to enter their new review periods within the same two year window (2014-15), the report also raises concerns around whether strict regulatory parameters are potentially deterring investment in these key sectors.
Cutts said: “Regulation can constrain an organisation’s ability to adapt to market forces which impacts on the potential return that can be secured here. In such an instance investors and operators need to be more creative in how they manage an asset and focus on solutions that help to unlock additional revenue streams or reduce overall operating costs”.
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Walmart Changes the Debate on Minimum Wage
Policy + Politics
By Rob Garver
Walmart’s announcement Thursday that it would raise its lowest-paid workers’ wages to $10 an hour by next year provoked a wide range of reactions in the public policy community, where a fight over President Obama’s call to raise the minimum to $10.10 has been raging for more than a year.
The retail behemoth said that it was raising wages in order to attract and retain good workers, despite the fact that it would take a short-term hit to its financial bottom line. But some in the policy community wondered if there might be a little more to it — and suggested that, whatever Walmart’s motives may be, the company’s move could sway the national debate.
Related: The Real Reason Walmart Is Raising Worker Pay
Daniel Mitchell, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who has argued against increases in the minimum wage in the past, said that in general, a company’s decisions about what to pay its workers ought to be made without government interference. In this case, he said, the company’s decision may be based on more than just business factors: “Normally I would say that what private companies are paying their workers should be totally irrelevant to the public policy process, but I suppose in this case it may be there is some PR-type benefit that Walmart expects to get.”
Another possibility, Mitchell added, is that the company believes it is in a better position than its competitors to absorb a wage increase, and will become a public advocate for a federally mandated increase. “One would hope they wouldn’t do that,” he said. “But private companies have in the past used government coercion to screw over their competitors.”
Related: Walmart Pay Raise – A Fix for Past Mistakes
Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, noted that the economic argument for the move isn’t completely clear. “I know people are viewing it as signal of tightening job market but I’m not sure that’s quite right,” he said. “If that’s the motivator, why commit to wage increases years down the road as opposed to just bumping up current wage offers?” Walmart executives said the hike, which will cost $1 billion a year, would boost worker morale and improve customers’ shopping experience, translating to long-term gains for the company.
Advocates of raising the minimum wage, who might have been expected to cheer the announcement, were underwhelmed. “Wal-Mart’s statement that it will be raising wages for many of its workers is obviously welcome on its face,” said Economic Policy Institute Research Director Josh Bivens in a statement. “Yet the excitement generated by this announcement really just highlights how beaten down expectations about wage-growth in the U.S. economy have become.
“Let’s be clear about this: wages rising should be the norm in the American economy and should happen all the time without fanfare. The fact that an announcement that some workers in one company might get a raise is treated as a newsworthy blockbuster shows just how far we have to go before we have an economy that is genuinely working for most Americans.”
Related: Obama’s Economic Forecast Relies on Rosy Assumptions
Bivens also said that until there is evidence that Walmart workers’ wages will continue to at least keep pace with inflation, there is little reason to celebrate.
Others, like Bernstein, pointed out that the move will likely have important implications for the ongoing debate about the federal minimum wage.
“Given Congressional gridlock, we’ve already seen states take matters into their own hands,” he said. “Now we have a large, low-wage employer raising their own minimum wage. While I still think the federal increase is important, especially in the South where fewer states have acted, it will be less so if other states and firms continue to take such actions on their own.”
The Cato Institute’s Mitchell said the move could wind up blunting calls for the federally mandated increase, and pointed out that the vast majority of workers already earn more than the minimum and that employers will raise wages when business conditions merit such a move. “I believe the market works,” he said.
Related: 5 Government Reforms that Could Save Billions
One way or another, workers across America hope Walmart’s move signals the start of a trend that will see others get raises soon, too.
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Rob Garver
A longtime reporter on the intersection of the federal government and the private sector, Rob Garver served as a National Correspondent, based in Washington, D.C., for four years. He has written for ProPublica, The New York Times and other publications.
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According to the most recent ZIP code 30537 Georgia demographics data available from the United States Census Bureau released in the American Community Survey in December of 2020, Figure 1 ZIP code 30537 depicts it has a Population 2019 of 1,552 which is in the mid range of other zip codes in the surrounding region. The zip code with the highest population in the area is 30525 which depicts a population of 7,730 (approximately 5.0 times bigger). Figure 3 uses the ZIP code 30537 population data for a comparison of the population growth/population change estimates from the years 2010 to 2019 and 30537 Georgia depicts an increase of 303 (24%).
The total ZIP code 30537 Georgia greater area population percent change for all areas for the years from 2010 to 2019 is shown in Figure 4 and for 30537 depicts it has a Population Change of 24.3% which is the most of all zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region.
Looking at the ZIP code 30537 population density (measured as people per square mile) and providing comparisons to both the national and state average population density in Figure 5, 30537 Georgia shows it has 77 people per square mile which is the second most people per square mile of all the zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. The next lower population density is 30568 approximately three-fourths the size with population density of 47. The zip code with the highest population density in the area is 30562 which shows a people per square mile of 446 ( considerably bigger). Figure 6 provides ZIP code 30537 demographics for the overall median age for all people in the region and 30537 shows it has a Median Age of 48.4 which is the third most median age of all other zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. The zip code with the highest overall median age of all people in the area is 28741 which depicts an age of 61.0 (26.0% larger). The ZIP code 30537 Georgia population data for median age broken out by gender for both men versus the median age of women is shown in Figure 7. 30537 Georgia depicts a median age of men about 6.0% smaller as the median age of women.
The next demographic analysis (Figure 8) looks at large generational ZIP code 30537 population groups (and can be useful internet research for employment related research or identifying areas with retirees). Key findings in this chart includes that 30537 Georgia has the percentage of people less than 20 years of age less than most other zip codes in the area at 8.2% of the total. Second, it has the second smallest as measured by people less than 20 years of age of all the other zip codes in the metro area in terms of people between 20 and 29 years old at 5.0% of the total. Third, it has the second smallest when sorted by people less than 20 years of age of all the other zip codes in the local area in order of people between 40 and 49 years old at 4.1% of the total. Also, it has one of the largest proportions of people between 60 and 69 years old at 28.9% of the total and is ranked #3. Only #2 28775 (32.2%), and #1 28741 (33.0%) are larger.
Figure 9 illustrates the overall diversity breakdown for ZIP code 30537 population and ethnicity groups in the area. (note: Hispanic/Latino is broken out separately in the next diagram and also the group denoted as Native ethnicity includes Native American, and Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.) 30537 Georgia has the smallest proportion of Native population at 0.1% of the total. Figure 10 shows the ZIP code 30537 Georgia Hispanic (including non Hispanic whites) population household ethnicity in the region and 30537 depicts it has a Hispanic or Latino of 0.6% which is the smallest when sorted by people who are Hispanic or Latino of all the other zip codes in the local area. Figure 11 compares the ratio of the amount of men to the amount of women and shows total male population about 12.6% smaller as the total female population.
Figure 12 shows the detailed marriage characteristics broken down by %residents who are married, never married, single, divorced, and widowed. ZIP code 30537 has the percentage of never married percent less than most other zip codes in the metropolitan area at 9% of the total. Second, it has in the middle range of other zip codes in the metro area when ranked by percent divorced at 10% of the total. Figure 14 compares the average household size using the average number of people in a family for ZIP code 30537 households. 30537 depicts it has a Family Size of 3.1 which is the third most average family size of all other zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. The zip code with the highest average family size in the area is 30562 which shows an average family size of 3.7 (19.9% larger).
Figure 15 shows the overall ratio of ZIP code 30537 households for families to the total number of ZIP code 30537 households and that 30537 shows it has a Families of 67% which is the third most families percent of all other zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. The zip code with the highest percent of people who are in a family in the area is 28775 which depicts a families percent of 85% (27.7% larger).
Looking at ZIP code 30537 households that are headed by a husband and wife as a percent of all families in Figure 16, 30537 depicts it has a Married-couple family of 95% which is at the top of all other zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. Figure 17 shows ZIP code 30537 demographics for the head of household for each place using a breakdown of married-couple, male-headed alone, and female-headed alone. 30537 Georgia has the smallest proportion of households at 2.9% of the total.
The next section of charts provide a detailed look at mothers and baby births that occurred over the past 12 months. Figure 18 shows the rate of women aged 15 to 50 years old who have given birth. 30537 depicts it has a Birth Rate of 0.8% which is less than most other zip codes in the area. The zip code with the highest percent of women who gave birth in the area is 30525 which depicts a birth rate of 4.5% ( considerably bigger). Figure 19 shows the breakdown of the mother's age for all baby births that occurred in the last 12 months and it has the largest proportion of percent of births to mothers aged 15 to 19 at 100% of the total and is ranked #1.
In Figure 21, the percentage of all births in the last 12 months to mothers that were unmarried is shown (unwed mothers.) 30537 shows it has a Unwed Births of 100% which is more than all other zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region.
Unwed mothers who have given birth in the last 12 months are also shown broken down by age group in Figure 24. 30537 Georgia has the largest proportion of unwed mothers aged 15 to 19 at 100.0% of the total and is ranked #1.
Figure 26 shows unwed mothers in poverty (based on median household income definition) who have given birth in the last 12 months. 30537 Georgia has the largest proportion of unwed births and living below poverty level at 100.0% of the total and is ranked #1.
The next set of demographic data looks at the marital status for ZIP code 30537 households which is useful for internet research. Figure 28 compares the total number of single people in each area. 30537 depicts it has a Total Single People of 34% which is the second smallest when ranked by percent of people who are single for any reason of all the other zip codes in the local area. The zip code with the highest percent of people who are single for any reason in the area is 30568 which shows a percent single of 59% (73.3% larger). Comparing percent of people who are single for any reason to the United States average of 50%, ZIP code 30537 is approximately three-fourths the size. Also, measured against the state of Georgia, percent of people who are single for any reason of 51%, ZIP code 30537 is approximately three-fourths the size.
Figure 30 compares the single people in each area broken down by never married, divorced, and widowed. 30537 Georgia has the percentage of percent never married less than most other zip codes in the metro area at 9% of the total. Second, it has in the mid range of other zip codes in the local area in order of percent divorced at 10% of the total. Figure 31 shows the demographics for the number of single men adults in each area broken out by never married, divorced and widowed. 30537 Georgia has the smallest proportion of men who have never been married at 4% of the total. Second, it has the largest proportion of men who are divorced at 8% of the total and is ranked #1. Figure 32 shows the number of single women adults in each area broken out by never married, divorced and widowed. 30537 Georgia has one of the largest proportions of women who have never been married at 14% of the total and is ranked #3. Only #2 28741 (15%), and #1 30525 (16%) are larger. Second, it has less than most other zip codes in the local area when ranked by women who are divorced at 12% of the total.
Figure 33 shows the ZIP code 30537 demographics for the ratio of the number of single men between the age of 18 and 65, in each area, broken down by age group for the ZIP code 30537 metro area. 30537 Georgia has the percentage of single men 18 to 24 less than most other zip codes in the greater region at 2% of the total. Second, it has in the mid point range of other zip codes in the local area when ranked by single men 25 to 29 at 1% of the total. Third, it has the largest proportion of single men 30 to 34 at 40% of the total and is ranked #1. Also, it has less than most other zip codes in the greater region when ranked by single men 45 to 49 at 9% of the total.
Figure 34 shows the ZIP code 30537 population data for the ratio of the number of single women between the age of 18 and 65, in each area, broken down by age group for the ZIP code 30537 metro area. 30537 Georgia has one of the largest proportions of single women 18 to 24 at 25% of the total and is ranked #3. Only #2 30562 (27%), and #1 28763 (58%) are larger. Second, it has one of the largest proportions of single women 35 to 39 at 9% of the total and is ranked #2. The only larger zip code being 30562 with 22%. Third, it has the largest proportion of single women 40 to 44 at 34% of the total and is ranked #1.
The next section of demographic information provides detailed data ZIP code 30537 residents including: immigrants, citizenship, immigration, country of origin, non citizens and more. To start, Figure 35 shows a high level view of citizenship. 30537 Georgia has the percentage of citizens by naturalization the second smallest when sorted by percent of citizens born In US of all the other zip codes in the local area at 3% of the total. The next chart (Figure 36) shows for all citizens what the original place of birth was for people who were born in a foreign country and it has one of the largest proportions of birthplace in the Midwest at 46% of the total and is ranked #2. The only larger zip code being 28775 with 55%.
In Figure 37, the demographic percentage of ZIP code 30537 residents who were not born in the United States is shown (i.e. percent foreign born.) 30537 depicts it has a Percent Foreign Born of 5.5% which is less than most other zip codes in the surrounding region. The zip code with the highest percent of population who was born in another country in the area is 28775 which shows a percent born outside United States of 12.5% (approximately 2.3 times bigger). Comparing percent of population who was born in another country to the United States average of 13.6%, ZIP code 30537 is approximately half the size. Also, compared to the state of Georgia, percent of population who was born in another country of 10.1%, ZIP code 30537 is approximately half the size.
Figure 40 provides further information for non citizen age by showing a comparison of the median age for all non citizens immigrants. it has a Non Citizen Median Age of 42.1 which is the second most median age of non citizens of all the zip codes in the greater ZIP code 30537 region. The zip code with the highest median age of non citizens in the area is 28741 which shows a median age of 46.8 (11.2% larger). The next diagram (Figure 41) shows the year of entry that non citizens entered the United States. The year of entry can show the rate of flow at various points of time in the past for when they entered the U.S. it has one of the largest proportions of non citizens who entered the US between 1990 to 1999 at 10% of the total and is ranked #3. Only #2 30525 (75%), and #1 30562 (100%) are larger. Second, it has one of the largest proportions of non citizens who entered the US before 1990 at 27% of the total and is ranked #2. The only larger zip code being 28763 with 35%.
For all foreign born people who have gone through naturalization (the process of becoming a legal U.S. resident citizen), Figure 42 shows the year when they became fully naturalized U.S. citizens. it has the largest proportion of people naturalized 2005 to 2009 at 30% of the total and is ranked #1. Second, it has one of the largest proportions of people naturalized 1990 to 1994 at 5% of the total and is ranked #3. Only #2 28741 (9%), and #1 28763 (42%) are larger. Third, it has the largest proportion of people naturalized before 1990 at 66% of the total and is ranked #1.
Figure 43 displays a map of the globe and shows ZIP code 30537 demographic information for large regions of the world that people from this place originally came from. 30537 Georgia has the largest proportion of from Asia at 69% of the total and is ranked #1. Second, it has the largest proportion of from Africa at 1% of the total and is ranked #1. Third, it has the smallest proportion of from the Americas at 15% of the total.
Figure 44 categorizes the location for where foreign born people originally come from based on very large continental geographic areas. 30537 Georgia has the largest proportion of from Europe at 69% of the total and is ranked #1. Second, it has the largest proportion of from Asia at 1% of the total and is ranked #1. Third, it has the smallest proportion of from Oceania at 15% of the total.
Figure 45 is a table that breaks out all the people who were foreign born by which large geographic region where they were born. 30537 Georgia has the largest proportion of people who were born in South East Asia at 56.5% of the total and is ranked #1. Second, it has the largest proportion of people who were born in the Middle African Region at 1.2% of the total and is ranked #1. Third, it has the smallest proportion of people who were born in Central America at 14.1% of the total.
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Toyota C-HR News
2017+ Toyota C-HR News
Toyota Admits The C-HR Could Be Faster
What if we were to tell you, Toyota has a more powerful version of the C-HR, but it’s not going to be on sale anytime soon?
Currently, the United States will only be getting the 144-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
Europe on the other hand will have a choice of two more powertrains on top of the 2.0L, a 1.2L turbo engine and a gas-electric hybrid. The turbo may have less ponies at 144-hp, but its 137 lb-ft of torque kicks in at just 1500 rpm compared to the 2.0L ‘s 3800 rpm. As to why Toyota won’t bring the hybrid variant across the pond, Chief engineer Hiroyuki Koba told Car And Driver that they just don’t think there’s a demand for it in the U.S.
No matter which powertrain a customer choses, they all have nearly identical zero-to-62-mph times of 11.0 seconds. But Toyota could do better.
There are no plans for a more powerful engine release yet, but it is possible. According to Koda, he test drove a C-HR prototype at the Nürburgring this year and it was equipped with a 1.2L turbo that’s tuned to produce 160-hp, so the possibility is there.
Maybe we’ll see it released as a performance trim in the future.
CityWok
yea, but we won't see it for a long while. Toyota would want to sell the 2.0L, 1.2L. and hybrid models first before announcing anything concrete. If they were to say a more powerful C-HR is on the way, people would just wait for the preferable engine choice and that'll take sales away from the other 3.
CityWok Dec 5, 2016
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Informal Cross Border Trade in Africa in a Time of Pandemic
Sam Smith Blog 07 April 2020
07 Apr 2020 ~ John Stuart
Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) forms a significant part of intra Sub-Saharan African (SSA) trade. It contributes income, provides jobs and empowers women in some of the most fragile and impoverished communities on the continent. For this reason, any threat to ICBT in SSA is a threat to the most vulnerable and needs to be taken very seriously. Such a threat has now arisen in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic: a global economic retreat of nations and shutting of borders and social contact.
The table lists some of the measures adopted by a selection of SSA countries at time of writing (5 April 2020), according to the Al-Jazeera news agency. This is not an exhaustive list and does not take into account restrictive measures that may be adopted over the coming months and weeks, as nations assess the threat from the pandemic on an ongoing basis. Of the countries listed, nine of them have closed land borders, most of them as blanket closures. This situation, and the potential development of increasing restrictiveness over the next months, forms the backdrop of this blog.
No visa on arrival and no non-resident arrivals from certain countries allowed
International airports closed
Land air and sea borders closed indefinitely
Borders and airports closed
The country’s borders have been closed since March 25
On March 15, Djibouti said it was suspending all international flights
Land borders shut to nearly all human traffic
Entry banned for non-residents for list of countries
Border with Senegal closed for 21 days
Closed all borders from March 22
Closed borders on March 22, except for cargo and returning citizens
Closed all airports, ports and land crossings on March 16
All borders closed on March 22, except for returning residents
The definition of ICBT is rather loose, due essentially to the nature of the practice itself. The definition is intended to capture trade that happens outside of the formal channels, which would be those of customs authorities. This could be trade in raw or processed goods, and entry, exit or both could be illegal. In other words, the goods could exit the source country legally and enter the target country illegally, or vice versa, or both border crossings could be illegal.
There have been several attempts by researches to estimate the magnitude of ICBT flows. One study[1] estimated that ICBT amounted to 30-40% of total intra-regional trade in the SADC region and 40% in the COMESA region. The volume of ICBT flows vary by country. In Uganda, informal exports flowing to its five regional neighbours were estimated at 86% of its official exports to these countries in 2006[2]. There are however, countries where this proportion is markedly higher and exceeds 100 % of formal exports. In Rwanda, for example, the Ministry of Trade and Development estimated that informal exports to neighbouring countries were more than 50% higher than formal exports in 2011[3]. It has also been argued that ICBT is especially important to fragile and conflict-affected states (FCS)[4], for example the Central African Republic. This is as a result of the ability of ICBT to offer traders a market outside of the fractured and possibly failed domestic market.
Those individuals and firms that make up the market for ICBT are divided into individuals, informal businesses and formal businesses. The most vulnerable are the individuals and informal businesses. Of these, as has already been pointed out, the majority of traders are women (60-70% as estimated by the African Development Bank[5], although other sources estimate this at an even higher level[3]). In addition, women are especially vulnerable as traders since they are exposed to gender-specific risks and headwinds. In general, ICBT traders lack formal education as well as capital, and have to fund their trading activities from their own capital.
The types of goods that are traded in ICBT are varied. Across Africa, low quality locally manufactured and re-exported goods from Asia, with values not greater than US $1000, are commonly traded in ICBT. Among the items that are re-exported are contraband items such as counterfeit goods, fuels and pharmaceuticals.
There is some variation in locally traded non-processed goods, with agricultural goods and foodstuffs being prominent in all regions. In central Africa, jewellery and minerals are also traded; and in Southern Africa – handicrafts.
Why is ICBT so predominant in many SSA countries? A parallel tralac blog will explain the economic rationale behind this trade, based on the existence of optimal market sheds and ‘time to market’ considerations[6]. However, even where these aren’t a consideration, the costs of formal clearance for informal traders can be prohibitive, due to regressive duties structures and complex clearance procedures. In addition, a particular problem faced by small-scale traders, as a consequence of their relative disempowerment, lack of education and lack of political power, is their vulnerability to exploitation by corrupt officialdom[3].
The drivers of IBCT are varied, and policy makers have of late begun to respond to the needs of small scale cross border traders by implementing simplified trade regimes[7]. However, the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent closure of borders in SSA threatens to throttle these informal markets at a time of general global economic malaise.
One of the countries that has closed its borders – Cameroon – has communities that are heavily reliant on ICBT. Bouët cites an estimate for ICBT in 2008 which puts its value at about 96% of official trade[8]. The main destinations for these exports are Equatorial Guinea, Chad and Gabon. However, whilst the communities bordering Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are not predominantly impoverished, the communities bordering Chad have 60-80% of the population living below the poverty line[9].
Data for Rwanda estimates that ICBT to its four neighbours (Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi) is about 59% of total exports to these countries, while informal imports total to a much lower figure – just 4% of the total.[8] This underscores the relative reliance of Rwandan small scale cross border traders relative to their neighbours. Yet now Rwanda has closed all its land borders. In addition, unlike with Cameroon, all of the communities on Rwanda’s borders live on the 60-80% or worse poverty threshold. In particular, communities bordering DRC and Burundi have 80-100% living below the poverty threshold.
The countries cited above are just two examples of fragile and vulnerable communities now facing existential threats due to the measures taken to combat the spread of Covid-19. Although the pandemic itself is a cause for serious concern, policy action needs to be nuanced to take into account the very strait conditions under which many rural and informal SSA communities live. To fail to do this will ensure that the economic impacts of the response to Covid-19 threaten to far outweigh the direct threats of the disease.
[1] Nshimbe, C. and I. Moyo (eds.), 2017. Migration, Cross-Border Trade and Development in Africa: Exploring the Role on Non-State Actors in the SADC Region. Cham: Palgrave MacMillan
[2] Lesser, C. and E. Moise-Leeman. 2009. Informal Cross Border-Trade and Trade Facilitation Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa. OECD Trade Working Paper No. 86
[3] Bugingo, E. 2018. Empowering Women by Supporting Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade. ICTSD Bridges Africa
[4] Brenton, E. and C. Soprano. 2018. Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade in Africa Why It Matters and How It Should Be Supported. ICTSD Bridges Africa
[5] Guy, J. and G. Ajumbo. 2012. Informal Cross Border Trade in Africa: Implications and Policy Recommendations. Africa Economic Brief: African Development Bank
[6] This blog, which is part of the same series as the current blog, is entitled ‘Hitting where it hurts – pandemic border closures and SSA’s most vulnerable informal cross-border traders’.
[7] Fundira, T. 2018. Informal Cross-Border Trading – Review of the Simplified Trade Regimes in East and Southern Africa. tralac Trade Brief No. US18TB03/2018. Stellenbosch: tralac
[8] Bouët, A. et al. 2018. Informal Cross-Border Trade in Africa – How Much? Why? What Impact? Washington: IFPRI
[9] The World Bank’s poverty headcount includes all population living on or below US$ 1.9 per day. These figures for Cameroon were drawn from Signorelli, S. and C. Azzarri. 2016. Poverty and Climate in Africa South of the Sahara: an Empirical Analysis. Washington: IFPRI
Tags Trade regulationWomen in TradeInformal economy
By John Stuart
John Stuart
John Stuart is an economist and policy analyst with special interests in trade, economic integration, data visualisation and economic modelling. He began his career in academia at Rhodes University and later the University of Cape Town, after which he entered private consulting first with AFReC (Pty) Ltd and subsequently with PBS (Pty) Ltd. Besides economics research and teaching, he has experience in project management, general management, public sector performance management, systems analysis and entrepreneurship. He holds an M. Com degree in Economics from the University of Natal (Durban).
National and regional perspectives and responses on the impact of COVID-19 on cross-border trade and Customs border management – what are we learning?
Industrial development – the importance of services, regulation and good governance
Dealing with Non-Tariff Barriers under the AfCFTA: What are the Prospects?
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Laurie Carrillo
Junior Michael Rodriguez plays the sousaphone at marching band practice after school.
Veronika Boyrie, Staff Writer
The red flashing light blinked on his camera watching him as he played the last few notes of the piece he’d been working on for months. He listened to his recordings and anxiously clicked the submission button.
By the time he received the results, it was clear he’d achieved an unprecedented feat.
Junior Michael Rodriguez auditioned and made the Jazz All-Region Band in October, becoming the first Roarin’ Blue Band member to achieve this in the school’s ten year history. Rodriguez was recently named an All-Region tuba player and at the moment is auditioning for phase 2 of the region process on tuba.
His primary instrument since beginner band is the tuba, but he began learning trombone his freshman year when he joined the Jazz Ensemble class.
“I started playing trombone when I decided to join jazz band and at the beginning of this year, I finally got my hands on a bass trombone,” Rodriguez said.
Once he realized his passion for music and wanted to pursue more, Rodriguez joined the Jazz Ensemble taught by head band director Andrew Easton.
“I grew up listening to classic rock and jazz music with my dad and when I decided that music was very important to me I thought the best way to learn more about it was by joining the jazz band class,” Rodriguez said. “I get to have fun in band but I also get to learn more about music which I’m very passionate about.”
Due to the pandemic, the audition process was drastically different and the two jazz region bands were combined into one. Under normal circumstances, students would go to an assigned school and audition in front of judges but due to safety precautions, everything was set up virtually.
I grew up listening to classic rock and jazz music with my dad and when I decided that music was very important to me I thought the best way to learn more about it was by joining the jazz band class.”
“There were four different recordings on a virtual platform, three jazz etudes, and one improvised solo,” Easton said. “Once submitted, it took around a week to get the results back.”
For his audition, Rodriguez went into a spare room after school with his own camera and recording equipment and Easton helped him record.
“Mr. Easton was definitely a big help with both recording and learning the music, and he was the one to tell me about my results,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez had many music-related plans for this year, though the current pandemic took a hit on several.
“I was actually looking forward to sophomore year and junior year a lot and I was supposed to be in a lot of ensembles but once covid hit essentially everything went away from me,” Rodriguez said. “Now the only musical thing I have is marching band which is very restricted and jazz region band which will be in March.”
As of right now, scheduled rehearsals after or during March have not been canceled, and Texas Music Educators Association stated that there will be no in-person practices until March 2021.
“The clinic and concert are in March this year in person and I’m pretty excited and looking forward to playing some jazz music with great musicians,” Rodriguez said.
Fellow jazz band member senior Aidan Hegener admires Rodriguez’s work ethic and how much it paid off for him.
“I follow Michael on Instagram and he always posts himself practicing trombone and he gets better and better every time,” Hegener said. “He was always ambitious in jazz band and I think it is great that his ambition is finally paying off.”
Rodriguez’s tight schedule made it difficult to rehearse, and he would come to school around 6:30 in the morning to practice and run through his music as much as he could. He spent a lot of time adding his own personal touches and style to his pieces and mastering techniques.
Jazz music requires a lot of solos and may be out of the comfort zone of many musicians when they first began to play it. The style of music is relatively simple and the musician adds their own ideas and expressions to it.
“A lot of musicians getting into jazz at first are completely terrified of soloing, and honestly I was too,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t be afraid of solos, you are always performing way better than you think you are.”
Rodriguez’s hard work led him to accomplish his goal and allowed him to become the first band member at TMHS to succeed in making the jazz region band.
“I am very proud of him, he worked very hard and put a lot of effort into his audition and it paid off,” Easton said. “Michael is the first student in the school’s ten year history to make the jazz region band and he made it on bass trombone, which is not even his primary instrument.”
His fellow classmates are proud of him as well and happy to see him succeed.
“I think that he is a really astounding player, especially playing more than one instrument,” Hegener said. “His work ethic is shocking and it is incredible.”
Music is Rodriguez’s passion and he is very glad he decided to take the jazz ensemble class freshman year.
“Jazz music is not meant to be difficult, “Rodriguez said. “It is up to the musicians to interpret it any way they please and shape into their own piece of music. A jazz player takes something simple and embellishes it and that’s what makes them such great musicians.”
Band members prepare to reveal new uniforms
Band takes on a more serious show theme
Behind the scenes: Loading up a halftime show
Hi! My name is Veronika and I am a sophomore. This is my first year in journalism and I am really excited to write for the newspaper. I spend a lot of...
Silver Stars compete at Clear Lake high school
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Luke Willian wins the battle in New Plymouth
by Courtney Akrigg on 31 Mar, 2019 06:42 • Español
New Plymouth welcomed a strong field onto the start line at Ngamotu Beach, stacked with Olympians, Commonwealth Games representatives, sprint specialists and triathlon royalty Javier Gomez from Spain. Luke Willian from Australia won the battle in New Plymouth. Germany’s Nieschlag crossed the finish line to earn the silver medal and New Zealand's Sam Ward was presented with bronze.
The coastal city of New Plymouth welcomed a field of 67 elite men onto the start line at Ngamotu Beach. The field was stacked with Olympians, Commonwealth Games representatives, sprint specialists and triathlon royalty, Javier Gomez from Spain. The five-time world champion made his comeback to the ITU circuit, with the race here in New Plymouth today.
The water was whipped with a slight chop for the 750m ocean swim which was followed by a 20km technical bike course and 5km run, taking in the scenic roads of Taranaki. The non-wetsuit rule favoured the swimmers and it was no surprise to see Slovakia’s Richard Varga establish an early lead in the choppy conditions. New Zealand’s Sam Ward set his race up with a fantastic swim, to follow Varga into the first transition of the day. Russell White from Ireland and New Zealand’s Tayler Reid were quick into transition with the front group, to make their way onto the bike course.
The famous Spaniard, Gomez, came out of the swim just off the back of the leaders and exited transition with the chase group with some work to do.
The lead group of four men, including Varga, Ward, Italy’s Gianluca Pozzatti and Reid, established themselves early out on the bike course with a gap of 7-seconds on the chase group.
The chase group, including Gomez and New Zealand’s Ryan Sissons, were extremely motivated to close the gap on the leaders. A group of 20 athletes were riding a further 10-seconds down behind.
As the athletes rode their way across the course, the two lead groups formed into one to settle in across the technical and hilly bike sections. Gomez safely made his way across to the main group with his bike strength, proving his experience in the field. As he established himself in the group, the Spaniard attempted to break away from the field and charged up the steep hill. This move put notice on the field, the battle was on and the pace increased hard off the hill.
The event hub welcomed a freight train of chaos as the elite men entered their second transition before making their way out onto the 5km run. Australia’s Luke Willian pushed the pace early on the run with New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde and Germany’s Valentin Wernz trying to hold on to the renowned Australian’s stride.
Wernz, bronze medallist in the 2019 Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup, didn’t quite have the leg power and came unstuck from the front runners. Germany’s Justus Nieschlag and Ward moved through into the leading charge. With Gomez hot on their heels in fifth spot on course, the men were running scared.
On the final lap of the run the Australian was out on his own and as he hit the blue carpet he began to celebrate the success of victory. Willian executed the perfect race and was awarded with the gold medal in a classy field of men.
“Had a good swim today, we rode really well and made sure I was at the front into transition. We know it’s a technical course so it was really important to get out in front. I started out in front and kept going and didn’t look back. I saw on the first lap that I had a bit of a gap and it kept getting bit bigger every time I checked so there was a lot of confidence there. I saw at the top of the hill that I had it and could really enjoy it and soak it up,” said Willian.
Germany’s Nieschlag crossed the finish line to earn the silver medal.
“It was amazing. After fifth place in Cape Town, I am really happy. It was a good fight. Running with Javier (Gomez), always a pleasure,” said Nieschlag
New Zealand’s Ward, raced proudly with a home crowd advantage, produced a strong race result to earn the bronze medal and was welcomed onto the podium for the second consecutive year.
“It’s amazing. Two years in a row, I was really going for that top step today. I am really happy to be on the podium today. The swim was so choppy, positioning was so important. The bike was a really honest bike course, it showed the pace was on. I knew (Javier) Gomez was close. I was prepared to go with him as long as I could and I managed to do that. The home town support was absolutely amazing, probably the best I have had,” Ward said.
The Spanish Olympian, Javier Gomez, showcased a strong result across the sprint distant format in New Plymouth and is motivated for the season ahead. There is no doubt that his sights are fixed on earning a spot on the Spanish triathlon team to represent at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“It was fun, it was a really good course, especially on the bike. I really enjoyed it. I made a few mistakes. I went too far in T2 and had to turn around and had to put my bike in and lose a few seconds, which made me start a little too hard on the run. I just didn’t have much left on the last lap. It’s ok, it’s quite early for me in the season. It was a good racing experience again and hopefully I get better for the next ones. I love this race, the crowd is always spectacular. This course is even better than the old one,” said Gomez.
Results: 2019 New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup: Elite Men
Article tags javier gomez new plymouth new plymouth world cup luke willian
Related Event: 2019 New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup
31 Mar, 2019 • event page • all results
Results: Elite Men
1. Luke Willian AUS 00:56:04
2. Justus Nieschlag GER 00:56:10
3. Sam Ward NZL 00:56:10
4. Hayden Wilde NZL 00:56:15
5. Javier Gomez Noya ESP 00:56:17
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Posts in Leisure
Urban Edge completes new Travelodge at Stockley Park
November 2nd, 2020 Posted by Urban Edge All, Leisure
Urban Edge has recently completed its first hotel project, a c£8million Travelodge Plus at Stockley Park in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Working for client Orchard Street, we designed and delivered the 81-bed, 2,481 sq.m GIA hotel with bar/restaurant facilities on underutilised leisure space adjacent to one of the UK’s premier business parks in outer London; home to internationally renowned companies such as Marks & Spencer, GlaxoSmithKline and Apple.
From concept to delivery, we brought our extensive experience working on both retail and leisure schemes to add additional value to the already well-populated site without losing excessive parking. Working closely with planners from the London Borough of Hillingdon, the team worked on a design for the brownfield site that would embody a definite architectural character, respectful to the Arena, the leisure hub of the Stockley Park business park and a building listed as being of significant interest within the local borough, and the wider landscape.
Explains Josh Rowley, Associate Director: “This is our first project for Travelodge and we were delighted to be novated to the contractor, so we saw it through from concept to delivery. Our design had to be distinctive yet sensitive to its surroundings whilst creating the space required for accommodation, public areas and back of house services needed in a modern hotel. The Travelodge is situated on a currently underused section of the Arena, Stockley Park’s leisure hub, so will not only enhance the existing leisure environment within the local area but revitalise a currently underused area within the park.”
The development proposals for the Travelodge were carefully considered to provide the optimal layout while working with the existing Arena building. In order to maximise the efficiency of the site’s current car parking, the decision was taken to provide the majority of the accommodation at first and second floor level. The structural grid has been designed to allow the retention a large area of parking as undercroft parking. The southern portion of the car park has also been reconfigured to make it more efficient and suitable for the parking requirements that a hotel of this size will bring.
The elevational treatment has been a key element in the success of the scheme. We decided to use the existing site topography to create a compact three-storey building stepping down to the existing Arena and below the height of its central rotunda. A step back of the main façade makes the hotel less imposing, whilst a glazed feature relates to the Arena’s existing conservatory which was important to the Local Planning Authority. The new Travelodge uses natural stone effect panels at the first floor level and timber cladding to the bedrooms, a similar pallet of materials to the Arena but interpreted and applied in ways that clearly define the old from the new.
During the design, construction and planned operation of the Travelodge at Stockley Park sustainability was high on the agenda. The scheme has gained BREEAM Very Good and incorporates a number of strategies, systems and products to achieve its sustainability aspirations. A high-efficiency envelope was devised and has seen low U-values achieved using insulation over and above Building Control notional values – for example the roof achieved a U-value of 0.13W/m2K when the minimum limiting parameter is 0.25W/m2K, helping reduce the hotel’s heating needs. Meanwhile, roof-mounted PV panels generate an estimated output of 6773.8Kwh/pa, further contributing towards the building’s energy demands.
To future proof the hotel, EV charging points have been installed for customer use, whilst additional timber-clad cycle parking has been added to promote the use of greener transport.
“Despite the coronavirus-related site restrictions that occurred in the latter stages of this project, the team worked hard to ensure the project was delivered smoothly onsite and we’re pleased to report that the Travelodge London Stockley Park is now open and welcoming its guests,” concludes Josh. “The finished scheme blends well with the existing site building and setting, whilst providing a new service to complement an already world-class and internationally connected business park.”
New units improve offer at Retail World
August 23rd, 2019 Posted by Urban Edge All, Leisure, Retail
We have recently delivered five new retail units, totalling 12,223 sq.ft at the popular Retail World near Gateshead. The project contains a mix of retail and food and drink units with external seating areas, alterations to existing car parking and landscaping.
Our design reflects the area’s strong mining and manufacturing heritage. Powder-coated composite panels, resembling the rusted steel of the nearby Angel of the North. The intention is to create an aged industrial feel to contrast the extensive modern glazing and aluminium framed glazed shopfronts. A glazed canopy projects slightly from the units fronting the pedestrian link, providing both an elegant and unifying finish to the units and offers a partial shelter to pedestrians and users of the external seating area.
The new terrace is situated in a prominent location, directly on the site entrance, the design fits coherently within site as a whole. Its frontages establish a relationship with the units already within the retail park, giving a sense of enclosure and cohesiveness to the space generally. The distances within the retail park are quite vast in pedestrian terms and the new units create a ‘respite island’, reducing the perceived distances and adding more interest and variety for the public.
Josh Rowley, Associate Director says: “The withdrawal of one of the previous anchor tenants from the original line-up, gave us the opportunity to redesign the terrace, increasing the number of proposed units and enhance the park’s retail offer without impacting the existing tenants.”
Creating a pedestrian-friendly space where people would be happy to spend quality time, was an important factor in our design. Around the new terrace, a number of fixed benches are set between ‘rain gardens’ and trees in tree grills which together will partially screen and give a softer edge to the development. The rain gardens contain wetland grasses and perennials beds which will contribute towards surface water attenuation.
In addition to reconfiguring the existing car parking to maintain the overall number of parking spaces, a key pedestrian route was developed to improve links across the site. This pedestrian pathway is a bold and highly legible feature, lined by columnar Hornbeam trees. A row of lower flowering Dogwood trees provide a splash of colour and a more intimate scale, creating a physical barrier but allowing views through to the retail park beyond. Careful siting of this route will make it possible, in the future, to link through to the Minories site, part of a wider masterplan.
Concludes Josh Rowley: “Our client, Gateshead Retail World, Team Valley, handed the units over to the tenants in February and they are already home to recognisable names such as Card Factory, O2, Bells Fish & Chips and Costa, plus another planned fast food operator. The modern aesthetic of the terrace, plus the pedestrian friendly landscaping and the strong mix of retailers will add significantly to the park’s offer and improve dwell times.”
You can read more about this project in our portfolio.
Urban Edge celebrates double opening at Highcross shopping centre in Leicester
August 14th, 2019 Posted by Urban Edge All, Leisure
A new 18,000 sq.ft Treetop Adventure Golf, complementing the existing retail offer at Highcross with more family orientated activities, launched in June, with the independent Indian street food brand Tamatanga opening its doors in July.
Our design for the £10 million refurbishment has previously attracted such high street big hitters as Zara and JD Sports. Already existing tenants at the centre, Zara have moved into a 30,000 sq.ft flagship store and a full-line JD Sports have doubled the size of their space by taking an extended 20,000 sq.ft unit.
Darren Hodgson, Associate Director says: “With such challenging times on the UK high street, retailers are extremely exacting in the location and configuration of the units they rent. We were able to apply our expertise in retail developments to reconfigure an old-fashioned, department store-centric layout into new units suitable for modern retailers. Lower and upper ground floors are now the key retail areas, with other spaces attracting alternative tenants, such as indoor golf, or even being converted into car parking; all to make the whole visitor experience more attractive to customers.”
We developed and delivered a scheme which subdivided and reconfigured the three storeys that made up the former House of Fraser department store within the Highcross shopping centre. Our design created new retail, leisure and food and beverage offers for the centre, in addition to converting part of the upper retail levels into additional car parking, extending the existing roof top car park and providing an extra 130 spaces.
Darren concludes: “This is our first delivered scheme to date for Hammerson, and it gave the Highcross centre a renewed presence on Leicester’s high street and strengthened the developing human connectivity of the city centre. Our design re-imagined the internal layout to not only maximise the useable floorspace but create units that appealed to the changing needs of the hard-pressed high street retailer.”
The Clubhouse serves thirsty adventure golfers
The immersive interiors transport you to the heart of the jungle
The re-development works have revitalised this once inactive frontage
Customers can expect a colourful and unique dining experience at Tamatanga
Bespoke Costa completes at Heanor
July 30th, 2019 Posted by Urban Edge All, Leisure, Retail
In our first project delivered for client CBRE Global Investors, we were tasked with selecting a site and developing a bespoke design for a new c£600k Costa pod at the popular Heanor Retail Park in Derbyshire.
The team’s first task was to carefully select the site to give the 1,840 sq.ft unit prominence, but without negatively impacting the sight lines to the existing retail terrace. Having chosen a plot situated on the A6007, one of the main arterial routes through the centre of town, our design had to create an individual contemporary drive-to unit that fitted in with the feel of the Costa brand but was bespoke to the site.
We worked beyond the standard Costa design, with its mono-pitch roof and white render/timber façades, and created a modern minimalist design to give the unit its own identity. The quality of the materials used were a key aspect of the finished unit, with the external façade being a mixture of reconstituted stone cladding, cedar cladding and aluminium cladding in dark red to tie in with the Costa brand identity. The addition of an extended canopy along the front elevation offers a semi-covered area for the external seating.
Director, Tom McNamara said: “We think our Costa pod is a real asset to the park, serving the existing customers well and hopefully increasing dwell time. Feedback from the Costa staff is that the unit is trading better than expected, and the reviews on the coffee shop’s Facebook page have been very complimentary.”
Reflections on 2020 – Lessons learned and looking forward
Retirement living during a pandemic
Urban Edge at the House of Commons
Later living isn’t just about residents… It’s much more complex than that
The expert view on senior living
A brighter future for retail parks
The expert view on the retail sector
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U.S. Track & Field Coach, Raymond Stewart, Receives Lifetime Suspension
Sanction, Track & Field / June 28, 2010 December 3, 2019
USADA announced today that Raymond Stewart, a coach in the sport of track and field, and four-time Olympic sprinter who competed for the country of Jamaica, has received a lifetime suspension in a decision by an independent American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitrator. The suspension was imposed for Stewart’s participation in trafficking in prohibited substances, as well as administration and attempted administration of prohibited substances, in violation of applicable sport anti-doping rules, including International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Rules and the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). Mr. Stewart’s sanction resulted from information recently received by USADA during separate investigations arising from information obtained during the BALCO conspiracy.
The panel, in its decision, indicated that the facts plus Stewart’s position as coach – which presents him as trusted advisor and confidant – places an inviolable responsibility on him to be a role model and leader.
Stewart is the third coach to receive a lifetime period of ineligibility for involvement in assisting drug use by athletes, in a case brought by USADA. “As necessary as appropriate sanctions are in cases of athletes using performance-enhancing substances, it is important that the most stringent penalties be applied when coaches participate in assisting and encouraging athletes to dope,” said Travis T. Tygart, USADA CEO. “Violating the sacred responsibility and standards of a coach by aiding athletes with doping is truly reprehensible.
View The Decision PDF
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Guide to Prohibited Substances and Methods, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference documentation.
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The University of Vermont Medical Center > News > UVM Medical Center and Vaccine Testing Center Complete COVID-19 Vaccine Study Enrollment
UVM Medical Center and Vaccine Testing Center Complete COVID-19 Vaccine Study Enrollment
More Than 3,100 People Volunteer For Vaccine Study
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont Medical Center and the Vaccine Testing Center at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine have successfully reached and surpassed the targeted number of enrollees for an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The goal of 250 enrolled and dosed volunteers was met in just four weeks – with more than 3,100 people registering to take part. The local vaccine trial was able to enroll nearly 65 percent of volunteers who are over the age of 65 – a critically important demographic for testing efficacy and safety and a unique, local contribution to the nation-wide study. Additionally, more than 12 percent of participants identify as black, indigenous or persons of color.
Enrollment in the study was completed just before the end of the year on Dec. 22. The UVM Medical Center site dosed 284 individuals with vaccine or placebo, evenly split between men and women.
“We owe a large debt of gratitude to our community volunteers who participated in this important final stage of evaluation of this COVID vaccine with our research team at UVM Medical Center. No COVID vaccine reaches final FDA approval without the incredible dedication and willingness of these many volunteers. We have enjoyed meeting some of the amazing people of Vermont and the region over the past several weeks and we are grateful and very proud of them,” said Dr. Beth Kirkpatrick, MD, an infectious disease expert at UVM Medical Center, director of the Vaccine Testing Center, and trial principle investigator.
"We would also like to thank the tremendous efforts of the whole research team, all of the many individuals that help us set up the nuts and bolts of this research site, as well as the support of the leadership of UVM Medical Center and the Larner College of Medicine,” said Dr. Kristen Pierce, an infectious disease expert at UVM Medical Center, co-director of the Vaccine Testing Center and study investigator.
Participants in the study will continue to be monitored for about two years. The AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been approved for use in the United States. It was recently approved for use in the United Kingdom by the U.K. regulatory authorities, based on other, smaller studies performed in the U.K. and Brazil. The U.S.-based trial will be the largest and most uniformly-designed trial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Data from this trial is hoped to be ready for FDA review in the coming weeks or months. AstraZeneca is thought to have the largest manufacturing capacity for a COVID-19 vaccine, and has created a vaccine that is less expensive and easier to store than other COVID-19 vaccines. The company plans to make 3 billion doses in 2021 for distribution globally.
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.
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UCLan research highlights benefits of independent advocacy for children in care
Study aims to improve the quality of advocacy services available to children in the UK
Research by UCLan’s Centre for Children and Young People’s Participation, carried out for the Children’s Commissioner for England, has now been published as part of a report into child advocacy services.
The research, which was done in partnership with the National Children’s Bureau Research Centre, shows the value of independent advocacy for children and young people in care and protection, mental health and youth justice provision. It found that outcomes were complex and varied, including increased confidence among young people and positive changes in the way services were provided. As part of this, UCLan academics also suggested some ways in which these different outcomes could be understood and recorded, enabling the quality of services to be improved.
UCLan’s Professor Nigel Thomas, who led the research, commented: “Our findings showed the immense value of independent advocacy in producing a wide range of short and long term outcomes, empowering young people and leading to improvements in services. We hope that providers will be able to use our work to increase the quality and consistency of independent advocacy for all children, and to evaluate and demonstrate the outcomes and impact of their work.”
"I felt like a little person…. so she showed me how to stand out and really they listened to me more."
The team surveyed advocacy providers across England and conducted in-depth case studies with a sample of six advocacy services in local authorities, mental health facilities and a young offender institution. Some services were provided by large national organisations, others more locally. The research showed how advocacy was valued by professionals, and especially by children and young people. It found wide variation in how outcomes were recorded and measured.
Based on their research, the team analysed the outcomes and impact of advocacy in terms of:
• Issues being resolved for young people
• Young people being listened to, contributing to decision-making, having a better understanding of their rights
• Young people feeling better about themselves, more confident in speaking up, developing new skills and self-esteem
The team also found evidence of wider impacts from advocacy:
• Improvements in service provision
• Changes in local and national policy
• Greater attention to children and young people’s participation
"The main thing is you go to an advocate for a reason and want a good outcome, but they can also teach you ways to deal with your problems. So you feel more confident not just in care but as you grow up in life."
The UCLan research is published alongside Helping children get the care experience they need, the Children’s Commissioner’s own research. This shows that the majority of children in care are unaware of their entitlement to an advocate and so may be left to fend for themselves in meetings with professionals, and that there are significant variations in the budgets local authorities allocate to advocacy.
Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield OBE, whose staff produced the report, said: “Children in care need to understand the decisions being made about them and be able to express their own views, so they can be involved in them. If they can’t – perhaps because they can’t articulate their views or if they lack confidence – an advocate should be on hand to help.
“Advocacy gives vulnerable children a voice. That is why I think there is a strong case for a review of advocacy standards and guidance and why my report recommends the Government acknowledges the importance of advocacy particularly in the care system,” added Anne Longfield.
The University of Central Lancashire
Lancashire, UK
PR1 2HE
Campuses and Partners
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Rock’n’Roll Is Here To Stay: How Rock Has Always Rolled Us
Rock’n’roll defined freedom for a new generation of youths in the 50s, spawning icons such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry, and going on to inspire The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
Martin Chilton
Rock’n’roll defined a generation’s dreams, emotions and way of life, supplying popular culture all over the globe with iconic heroes such as Elvis Presley and Mick Jagger. Though the golden age of rock may be long gone, there is still “good rockin’ tonight” in ever-evolving forms.
Rock’n’roll had solid roots in previous genres, and it could even be said to be nearly 100 years young, because it was back in September 1922 that the first mention of “rock” occurred, in a song that made clear the pulsating link between music and sex. Trixie Smith, then 27, cut a track with The Jazz Masters (a band that included jazz legend Fletcher Henderson) called ‘My Daddy Rocks Me’, in which she sang, “My daddy rocks me with a steady roll/There’s no slippin’ when he once takes hold.”
By the early 30s, folklorists John Lomax and his son Alan were capturing some of the songs mentioning “rock” – such as ‘Run Old Jeremiah’, with its chorus “I’ve gotta rock” – for the Library Of Congress. ‘Run Old Jeremiah’ was based on American rural South “rocking and reeling” spirituals, which had originated, as so much of popular music did, in churches. That tradition later found expression in Rock’n’roll, from Ray Charles’s ‘What’d I Say’ to The Isley Brothers’ ‘Shout’.
The rise of the record industry in that decade accelerated the way different musical styles were spread and synthesised, at a time when the foundations of the sound of later rock records were being laid. Examples of this include Big Bill Broonzy’s work in Chicago, after he switched from singing acoustically to working with horns, piano, bass and drums. In Broonzy’s case this was to satisfy an urban audience that wanted to drink and dance to loud rhythmic music in crowded clubs. But the myriad influences included the close-harmony work of the Boswell Sisters from New Orleans.
Rock also had its origins in the jazz jump music and R&B of the 40s. Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards even went as far as to say that “rock’n’roll ain’t nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat”.
It wasn’t only black musicians who were laying the ground for rock’s arrival. In the Deep South, large white western bands such as Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys were blending blues, big-band jazz and rural country music into a potent mix that foreshadowed the sound of Carl Perkins’ ‘Blue Suede Shoes’.
The key moment for the identifiable birthdate of rock came in the early 50s, when Jackie Brenston And His Delta Cats (who included Ike Turner on guitar), released the single ‘Rocket 88’ in 1951. By the middle of the decade, T Bone Walker had already pioneered the electric guitar, with shuffles that influenced guitarists from Chuck Berry to Eric Clapton. The rocking rhythm of boogie-woogie provided another form to be digested and imitated by musicians such as Jerry Lee Lewis.
These elements came together in the celebrated Elvis Presley Sun Sessions, and even with the benefit of hindsight, it’s still hard not to be impressed by his spectacular arrival in July 1954. “Nothing really affected me until Elvis,” said John Lennon.
The sessions that produced ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ and its B-side, ‘That’s All Right’, were a turning point in American music. Once Presley was seen live or on television, there was no forgetting him; his youthfulness and vibrancy; the powerhouse singing; the James Dean-era look to which he added the sexy swivel of the hips. Presley heralded a new era, something admitted by Bruce Springsteen, who watched in awe as a young boy when The King Of Rock appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Within two years, rock was an unstoppable mystery train. Presley, Berry and Fats Domino, along with a newcomer called Little Richard, had cut memorable records and sales began to take off as rock began to attract praise from influential disciples. And no one was more significant than Alan Freed, a man who popularised the term “rock’n’roll”, though there is no definitive evidence that he actually coined the phrase.
Freed’s career started as a DJ playing records for WJW in Cleveland, when he would often thump the table with his hand to keep rhythm with the beat of the song. His radio shows were followed by live concerts called The Moondog Rock’n’Roll Party, events which broke new social ground. In these shows, artists such as Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams performed in front of a mixed-race audience in an era of segregation.
Freed’s radio shows were also heard in Europe, where, by the end of the 50s, rock was beginning to be imitated. Only Billy Fury had the popular appeal to merit being dubbed the “English Elvis”. In April 1960, Decca sent the 20-year-old into the studio and he recorded a fine debut album, with many self-penned songs. Rock was starting to become its own influence and Jo Brown, the young guitarist on the record, was told by producer Jack Good to “do a Scotty Moore” and copy Presley’s celebrated guitarist.
Even though they were both imitating and paying homage to the Americans, Fury and his band, who went on to have 18 UK chart hits, forged their own distinctive style. His rise came when jukeboxes were a feature of the 2,000 Italian-style coffee bars that had opened in the UK in the two years previous to Fury’s debut.
Presley wasn’t the only American superstar taking rock’n’roll global. “If you tried to give rock’n’roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry,” said Lennon. Berry, with his distinctive style of alternating chords, had a huge influence on the guitar styles of George Harrison and Keith Richards.
The St Louis-born musician was working as a beautician and singing in his spare time when he was sent to Chess Records on the recommendation of Muddy Waters. It was the shrewdness of Leonard Chess that helped Berry turn a country blues song called ‘Ida Red’ into the rock classic ‘Maybellene’. Freed, meanwhile, took a third share of the writing credit for the song and put his full weight behind plugging it on radio.
Berry was a gifted songwriter and smart enough to realise that songs aimed at the teenage audience – who were the core of the record-buying market – were a smart way to land a hit, hence songs such as ‘School Days’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ (a tale, in its way, of fanhood) and ‘Johnny B Goode’ all had adolescent themes.
This was also a time when Little Richard made such a splash with his full-throttle singing on ‘Tutti Frutti’ (“A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom”), a song that provided a sense of sexual excitement for an audience used to the staid ways of the 50s. In a short spell, Little Richard, noted for his loud suits of gold lamé and even for wearing mascara on a movie called Mister Rock And Roll, recorded some of the seminal songs of the era, including ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’.
Jerry Lee Lewis was another titan of the golden era of rock’n’roll. There was a swagger and self-abandon to his performing style – he was even known to set pianos on fire with lighter fluid and use his feet to play some chords. He had three massive hits in the 50s, including ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ and ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On’. Like Little Richard (who withdrew at the height of his fame to pursue religious studies in Alabama), Lewis also dropped rapidly from the height of exposure following the scandal of his marriage to a 14-year-old cousin. The man known as “The Killer” eventually bounced back and was still performing into his 80s.
Fat Domino showed that you didn’t have to be a youthful sex symbol, or outlandish on stage, to be a rock giant. Domino, who sold more than 70 million records, drew on a New Orleans heritage of music, garnered from his violin-playing father, the blues, superb ensemble jazz groups and the second-line syncopations of the Mardi Gras parade bands. He alchemised these with his own stylish piano playing and sweet voice to produce wonderful hits such as ‘The Fat Man’ and ‘Blueberry Hill’.
Another key figure in rock history is Buddy Holly, who died at 22 in 1959 – in a plane crash that also took the life of Ritchie Valens. Holly was never filmed playing music, so what remains is just the sumptuous music (he created rock’s first heroine in Peggy Sue) and the poignant black-and-white photographs. Holly inspired a host of teen idols who followed, including Bobby Vee. “Buddy Holly was the music I grew up with,” said 2016 Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, “and he transcends nostalgia.”
Carl Perkins, one of the quartet from Sam Phillips’s iconic Union Studio session that included Lewis, Presley and Johnny Cash, was a key part of the rockabilly craze that included notable acts such as Eddie Cochran and even such lesser luminaries as Sonny Burgess, who had a spell in the limelight and then ended up as a travelling salesman. Many were influenced by Bill Haley, the man whose B-side track ‘Rock Around The Clock’ had been such a sensation.
The fusion of rock and hillbilly was fun (Perkins called it “blues with a country beat… cat music”) and produced some great songs such as Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ and Roy Orbison’s ‘Ooby Dooby’. Rockabilly was something of direct homage to Presley and it’s no coincidence that Vincent so resembled the young Presley in singing style and looks.
As we’ve seen, rock has always been a kaleidoscope of different music, evident in the way The Everly Brothers brought white country harmony to rock music. Orbison, who started off writing rock songs for other musicians (including ‘Down The Line’ for Jerry Lee Lewis) eventually made his own mark with an attractive sound that melded electric guitars, Latin rhythms and shades of classical music. It was this mix which provided the backdrop to his rich falsetto voice on classics such as ‘Only The Lonely’ or ‘Pretty Woman’.
By the early 60s there were scores of interesting off-shoots of rock’n’roll, including the doo-wop of bands such as The Platters and The Coasters. In addition, there was a distinguished roster of instrumental rock bands and soloists, stretching back to The Ventures and to Duane Eddy and his style of “twangy” guitar. The formula was remarkably successful for Phoenix-born Eddy and had a far-reaching effect in the UK, inspiring The Shadows, featuring Hank Marvin playing his brand-new Fender Stratocaster.
The instrumental era reached its peak in the early 60s, but after the British invasion of The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, vocals once again assumed primacy in rock music.
The Beatles had been raised on American rock. Paul McCartney apparently won over Lennon’s band The Quarrymen with his unnervingly realistic Little Richard impersonation. The Beatles were steeped in rock in the way the early rockers were steeped in blues. Their dramatic 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show seemed to be another landmark in the history of rock. The Liverpudlians simply captivated America.
Like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones wrote their own tunes almost from the start and, though they shared some of the same rock influences (the Stones even numbered a Buddy Holly cover among their early recordings), they also took inspiration from blues pioneers such as Bo Diddley. Lead singer Jagger was always accomplished in customising blues singing into a rock style; the Stones expressed the sheer excitement of rock’n’roll in songs such as ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and had an element of danger. A 1963 article in Melody Maker asked: “Would you let your sister go with a Rolling Stone?”
Potent imagery and advertising has always been part of rock – the slick marketing of The Monkees was probably matched by the way New Kids On The Block were marketed decades later – and The Beach Boys were sold as encapsulating the ideals of optimism, fun and independence. They were also perfect for the adolescent market of the mid-60s: for Brian Wilson, surf boards were as iconic lyrically as Chuck Berry’s automobiles.
The US response to the British rock invasion and Swinging 60s London included Lovin’ Spoonful, the folk-rock of LA band The Byrds, and even Dylan’s conversion to rock, when the man who had been at the centre of the folk music revival caused a sensation by switching to electric.
The psychedelic rock age was not far behind this, and bands such as The Jefferson Airplane became one of the voices of the San Francisco love generation. It was also a time of excess (with musicians such as Jim Morrison of The Doors, and Janis Joplin living dangerously and dying young) and of musical ambition, with everything from The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ to The Who and Pete Townshend’s 1969 spiritual, allegorical “rock opera” Tommy.
As the 1960s ended, rock audiences began to fragment into different factions (hard rock fans eventually gravitating to heavy metal) but one band who maintained a considerable mainstream appeal were Creedence Clearwater Revival. From 1969 to 1971, they were the most popular rock band in America.
Creedence created hit singles galore, but the music industry realised that the big money was now to be found via album sales, heralding the era of concept rock albums from bands such as Led Zeppelin, whose first six albums sold more than 15 million copies. Guitarist Jimmy Page did much to establish the unique sound of the band with his brooding solos, and ‘Stairway To Heaven’ remains a seminal song in rock history.
The 70s was also a time when the notion of the singer-songwriter took hold and enabled rock (taking in country, folk and blues influences) to move into more creative lyrical areas too, with artists such as Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell making a series of lastingly good albums.
One of the key figures to emerge in this period was Bruce Springsteen, who had to cope with the label given to him by Rolling Stone magazine in 1974, when writer Jon Landau declared: “I saw rock’n’roll’s future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Springsteen, who turned 67 in 2016, is still a major figure and it’s interesting to note that when he does impromptu medleys at concerts, he still covers songs by Little Richard, Presley and Berry.
The man nicknamed “The Boss” rose at a time when rock offshoots were appearing in so many different and interesting formats. There was a stream of good progressive rock, with bands such as Procol Harem, Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake And Palmer, Yes and Rick Wakeman establishing deep fan bases. When decadence was once again in fashion, the avant-garde music of the likes of David Bowie, Roxy Music and Lou Reed came to the fore.
Also popular was southern boogie (Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers); country-rock (Gram Parsons, Eagles); LA pop-rock (Fleetwood Mac), leading to the punk rock and new wave explosions of the late 70s. And talent continued to emerge with terrific bands such as Canned Heat, Steely Dan and Free creating music that continues to be popular.
Even with all this multiplicity, traditional rock was not forgotten in the 70s. One of the great tribute albums came in October 1973, with The Band’s Moondog Matinee. Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson and co recreated songs they had played in the 60s and paid tribute to some of rock’s founding fathers, including Junior Parker and Sam Phillips (who wrote ‘Mystery Train’). They even recorded a lesser-known Chuck Berry song called ‘What Am I Living For?’, which was released in a 2001 outtakes edition.
Although they lacked the immediacy of the forces that first drove the original rockers, bands such as Sha Na Na created a rock’n’roll revival some 20 years after ‘Maybellene’. Led by founding member Frederick “Dennis” Greene, Sha Na Na started life in the 60s as an a cappella group at Columbia University, singing doo-wop classics of the 50s. The band, who played before Jimi Hendrix’s legendary set at Woodstock in 1969, found themselves back in demand in the late 70s, particularly when rock nostalgia spawned the TV show Happy Days and the movie Grease.
In the UK, a band from Leicester called Showaddywaddy (who are still touring after four decades) had chart success reviving old rock songs, especially their version of ‘Three Steps To Heaven’, a song with poignant memories for older music fans, as it was originally released in the aftermath of the death of Eddie Cochran, who died from head injuries sustained in a 1960 car crash when he was only 21.
Another British act that caused a stir in the 80s was Michael Barratt, the son of a Welsh miner. After taking the stage name Shakin’ Stevens, he became the biggest-selling UK artist of the decade with a string of rockabilly hits including ‘This Ol’ House’ and ‘Green Door’. In September 2016, Stevens released his 12th studio album, called Echoes Of Our Old Times. Stevens was also astute in recognising the value of video, in an era when MTV made the visual presentation of music so important.
In the past two decades, bands have continued to fly the flag for rock music, including American rockabilly band The Stray Cats. Their influence can be seen in musicians who have kept classic rock alive in the 21st Century, including Imelda May, whose 2010 album Mayhem revived some of the original 50s twang, while, the following year, she sang on Jeff Beck’s 2011 album Rock’n’Roll Party, a tribute album to 50s rocker Les Paul. May was originally in the band Kat Men, which was formed by Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom.
In 1990, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne declared, “As I define it, rock’n’roll is dead. The attitude isn’t dead but the music is no longer vital. It doesn’t have the same meaning. The attitude, though, is still very much alive – and it still informs other kinds of music.”
Rock does, indeed, survive, and as something more than black-and-white YouTube footage, or memorabilia in halls of fame all over the globe. Rock is an inspiration, a living and adapting form of music, played by professional bands and children all over the world.
For a form of music seen as so disposable and in-the-moment, rock’n’roll has had an inestimable lasting cultural influence. As The Rolling Stones, going strong after six decades, might say: it’s only rock’n’ roll, but we still like it.
Related Topics:Bo DiddleyChuck BerryCreedence Clearwater RevivalDeep PurpleEddie CochranEric ClaptonFats DominoGeorge HarrisonIn-Depth FeaturesJohn LennonJohnny CashKeith RichardsLittle RichardLynyrd SkynyrdMuddy WatersPaul McCartneyPete TownshendRay CharlesRick WakemanRockRock n RollRoxy MusicThe Allman BrothersThe Beach BoysThe BeatlesThe Isley BrothersThe Rolling StonesThe Who
There’s Life After The Band: How Going Solo Can Make A Number One
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