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Chapter: 2 Findings and Recommendations
« Previous: 1 Introduction
Suggested Citation:"2 Findings and Recommendations." 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.
NRC STUDY FINDINGS
The NIH SBIR program is making significant progress in achieving the congressional goals for the program. The SBIR program is sound in concept and effective in practice at NIH. With the programmatic changes recommended here, the SBIR program should be even more effective in achieving its legislative goals.1
Overall, the program has made significant progress in achieving its congressional objectives by:
Stimulating technological innovation;
Using small business to meet federal research and development needs;
Fostering and encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation; and
Increasing private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development.
The NIH SBIR program is focused on commercialization and has seen
Small Business Innovation Development Act (PL 97-219). In reauthorizing the program in 1992, (PL 102-564) Congress expanded the purposes to “emphasize the program’s goal of increasing private sector commercialization developed through Federal research and development and to improve the Federal government’s dissemination of information concerning small business innovation, particularly with regard to woman-owned business concerns and by socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns.”
meaningful achievement. There are, nonetheless, opportunities for improvement in commercialization.
A significant percentage of SBIR projects are commercialized to some degree.
Reaching the market. NRC Phase II Survey data suggest that 40 percent2 of SBIR-funded projects reach the marketplace.3 Over time, NIH data suggests that this figure will rise significantly; subsequent assessment is required to capture this trend.
Revenue skew. The survey data also show that a much smaller number (7.9 percent of NRC Phase II Survey respondents) of projects generate more than $5 million in revenues.4 This type of “skew” or concentration—in which a majority of projects are at least modestly successful while a small proportion earns large revenues—is typical of early-stage finance.5
Licensing revenue. In some cases, substantial licensing revenues have been generated on the basis of SBIR-funded projects.6
Additional private investment. Some companies have received substantial additional investment from the private sector, or have been
Forty point seven percent of NRC Phase II Survey respondents reported sales. The NIH Survey found that 30.3 percent of the projects surveyed reached the marketplace. National Institutes of Health, National Survey to Evaluate the NIH SBIR Program: Final Report, July 2003.
See Figure 4-1.
See Figure 4-2. One of the 496 projects recently surveyed by the NRC generated revenues of more than $50 million. Case studies identified other projects not included in the survey with similar results (e.g., Optiva, Martek).
As with investments by angel investors or venture capitalists, SBIR awards result in highly concentrated sales, with a few awards accounting for a very large share of the overall sales generated by the program. These are appropriate referent groups, though not an appropriate group for direct comparison, not least because SBIR awards often occur earlier in the technology development cycle than where venture funds normally invest. Nonetheless, returns on venture funding tend to show the same high skew that characterizes commercial returns on the SBIR awards. See John H. Cochrane, “The Risk and Return of Venture Capital,” Journal of Financial Economics, 75(1):3-52, 2005. 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 percent of the firms that go public or are acquired give a return greater than 1,000 percent! It is also interesting how many modest returns there are. About 15 percent of returns are less than 0, and 35 percent are less than 100 percent. An IPO or acquisition is not a guarantee of a huge return. In fact, the modal or ‘most probable’ outcome is about a 25 percent 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.
See Table 4-7.
bought by other companies, both of which indicate that the company has developed something of value.7
NIH has increased the significance of the commercialization component of applications over time.
More efforts are now made to ensure that commercialization criteria are applied during Phase II selection.
NIH has developed several programs under the Technology Assistance Program aimed at helping awardees develop and implement effective commercialization plans. Outside contractors have been hired to implement these programs.8
However, because the focus on commercialization and the deployment of assistance programs are recent, the impact of these efforts on commercialization is not yet clear, although initial results are encouraging, as participant firms have attracted $68 million in third party funding.9
SBIR-funded research projects enable small businesses to attract third-party interest.
Venture funding. Third parties that identify substantial value in SBIR projects sometimes provided additional funding for the grantee company. At least 50 of the 200 most frequent winners of NIH SBIR awards have received venture funding, and those investments totaled more than $1.5 billion (1992-2005).10
Acquisition. In other cases, the technology developed had sufficient commercial potential that investors bought the grantee company outright. For example, in 2000, Philips bought out SBIR recipient Optiva for a reported sum of more than $1 billion.11
Multiple other sources. Many grantees have found additional funds from a wide range of sources, including angel funding. Fifty-eight percent of NRC Phase II Survey respondents attracted some additional investment (excluding further SBIR awards).12
See Table 4-11.
See Section 5.8.5.2—Commercialization Assistance Program.
See Section 5.8.5.2.
See Figure 4-7. Other analyses have put the number much higher. See U.S. General Accountability Office, Small Business Innovation Research: Information on Awards Made by NIH and DoD in Fiscal Years 2002 through 2004, GAO 06-565, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2006.
See Box 4-3 in Chapter 4.
The NIH SBIR program is operated in alignment with the agency’s mission13: awards are made for research that supports improved health within the United States.
SBIR funds projects that have a positive impact on public health.
Effective mission alignment. All NIH awards appear to be selected primarily on the basis of their potential to advance knowledge and provide solutions in the field of health care and biomedicine. There is no evidence that NIH awards are made in fields outside those linked to the agency’s mission.
Positive impact on healthcare. SBIR awards have had a substantial impact on many aspects of health care. For example, SBIR awards played an important role in the development of a retractable non-stick needle that makes immunization safer, labor saving advances in the monitoring of epileptics, communication technologies for the disabled, disease specific tests, and improved infant formulas that are sold worldwide. SBIR awards have also helped develop tools that are used by researchers such as an SNP genotyping system, educational CDs and videos, as well as devices with large impacts on small populations—such as the SBIR-supported heart stent—SBIR awards have also helped develop devices with smaller impacts on very large populations, such as the Sonicare electric toothbrush, along with many other improvements in medical technology and practice.
The impact of an SBIR project on public health is carefully considered during the selection process. Grantees and NIH staff note that impact effects are an important component in every application. In all the cases examined, NIH SBIR funded projects related to public health and biomedical science and technology.
The SBIR program at NIH has provided significant support for small business, frequently acting as the impetus for projects and firm creation.
The NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey show that the SBIR program has provided substantial benefits for participating small businesses in a number of different ways. Responses indicate that these benefits include:
Company creation. Just over 25 percent of companies indicated that they were founded entirely or partly because of an SBIR award;14
NIH’s mission “is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.” Access at <http://www.nih.gov/about/>.
The project initiation decision. More than 50 percent of SBIR-funded projects reportedly would not have taken place without SBIR funding;
Alternative path development. Companies often use SBIR to fund alternative development strategies, exploring technological options in parallel with other activities;
Partnering and networking. SBIR funding pays for outside resources, especially academic consultants and partners, thereby contributing to networking effects and facilitating the transfer of university knowledge to the private sector;
Commercializing academic research. The partnering between academic institutions and private firms (noted above) and the role of academics in founding firms contribute to the commercialization of university research.15
Support for minority- and woman-owned firms. Data from NIH raise concerns about the shares of awards being made to woman- and minority-owned firms.
Awards, applications, and success rates have all declined for minorities, for both Phase I and Phase II (see Figures 2-1 and 2-2), while awards for woman-owned firms have not kept pace with the growth in female Ph.D. recipients in the life scientists.
Further research is required to determine whether the pool of potential applicants is not growing fast enough to keep pace with expanded SBIR funding, or whether there are other explanations for these trends.
From 2003-2006, average Phase II success rates (awards as a percentage of applications) for minority-owned businesses are almost 10 percentage points lower than those of firms that are neither woman- or minority-owned.
NIH SBIR awards are open to new entrants.
High proportion of new entrants. The Phase I share of previous non-winners is quite large, ranging between just under 50 percent in 2000 and just above 35 percent in 2005.16 As the number of successful participants in the program rises, the proportion of new entrants may be diminishing. Still, the awards are widely distributed, with more than 1,300 companies receiving at least one Phase II award from 1992 to 2002.
Few frequent award winners. Another measure of openness is the rela-
FIGURE 2-1 Share of Phase II awards to woman- and minority-owned firms, 1992-2006.
NOTE: Following discussions with the NRC staff, the NIH made an effort to recalculate the data for woman and minority owners’ participation in the SBIR program. In September 2007, the NIH provided corrected data, which is shown in Appendix A and in several figures in this report. However, apparent anomalies in the NIH data on the participation of women and minorities in 2001-2002 could not be resolved by the time of publication of this report.
FIGURE 2-2 Success rates for Phase II applications and awards to woman- and minority-owned firms, 1992-2006.
tively low number of frequent award winners at NIH. Only five companies have been identified as receiving more than 20 Phase II awards between FY1992 and FY2005, and only three received 30 or more, with the maximum being 34.17,18,19
Improving access. The SBIR program at NIH has also made efforts to improve access to the program for researchers outside the “high-award” states. The number of states receiving one or zero Phase II awards declined from 28 in 1995 to 16 in 2003. Similarly, the percentage of Phase II awards going to California fell from 22.8 percent to 13.6 percent in that time period (though the actual number of awards increased in light of the substantial increase in NIH funding during the period).
Venture funding and SBIR.
Synergies. There can often be useful synergies between angel and venture capital investments and SBIR funding; each of these funding sources tends to select highly promising companies.
Angel investment. Angel investors often find SBIR awards to be an effective mechanism to bring a company forward in its development to the point where risk is sufficiently diminished to justify investment.20
Venture investment. Reflecting this synergy, initial NRC review indicates about 25 percent of the top 200 NIH Phase II award winners
NIH has declined to provide company identification data on privacy grounds, so multiple winners are calculated by matching company names. This approach may understate the full distribution of multiple-award winners, even though additional cross-checks of the data were made to reduce the impact of these inaccuracies. The accuracy of these data could be improved by using EINs if they became available.
The top 20 percent of winning companies together received 11.1 percent of awards. This is significantly lower than the Department of Defense.
See Figure 4-7. See the presentation “The Private Equity Continuum” by Steve Weiss, Executive Committee Chair of Coachella Valley Angel Network, at the Executive Seminar on Angel Funding, University of California at Riverside, December 8-9, 2006, Palm Springs, CA. In a personal communication, Weiss points out the critical contributions of SBIR to the development of companies such as CardioPulmonics. The initial Phase I and II SBIR grants allowed the company to demonstrate the potential of their products in animal models of an intravascular oxygenator to treat acute lung infections and thus attract angel investment and subsequently venture funding. Weiss cites this case as an example of how the public and private sectors can collaborate in bringing new technology to markets. Steve Weiss, Personal Communication, December 12, 2006.
(1992-2005) have acquired some venture funding in addition to the SBIR awards.21
Program change. During the first two decades of the program, some venture-backed companies participated in the program, receiving SBIR awards in conjunction with outside equity investments. During this lengthy period, the participation of venture funded firms was not an issue.
In a 2002 directive, the Small Business Administration said that to be eligible for SBIR the small business concern should be “at least 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States, except in the case of a joint venture, where each entity to the venture must be 51 percent owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States.”22 The effect of this directive has been to exclude companies in which VC firms have a controlling interest.23
It is important to keep in mind that the innovation process often does not follow a crisp, linear path. Venture capital funds normally (but not always) seek to invest when a firm is sufficiently developed in terms of products to offer an attractive risk-reward ratio.24 Yet even firms benefiting from venture funding may well seek SBIR awards
The GAO report on venture funding within the NIH and DoD SBIR programs used a somewhat different methodology to identify firms with VC funding. As a result of the approach adopted, no conclusions can be drawn from the study as to whether firms identified as VC-funded are in fact excluded from the SBIR program on ownership grounds. In addition, the number of VC-funded firms—reportedly 18 percent of all NIH firms receiving Phase II awards from 2001-2004—is considerably higher than suggested by preliminary NRC analysis. U.S. General Accountability Office, Small Business Innovation Research: Information on Awards made by NIH and DoD in Fiscal years 2001-2004, op. cit.
Access the SBA’s 2002 SBIR Policy Directive, Section 3(y)(3) at <http://www.zyn.com/sbir/sbres/sba-pd/pd02-S3.htm>.
This new interpretation of “individuals” resulted in the denial by the SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals of an SBIR grant in 2003 to Cognetix, a Utah biotech company, because the company was backed by private investment firms in excess of 50 percent in the aggregate. Access this decision at <http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/oha/allcases/sizecases/siz4560.txt>. The ruling by the Administrative Law Judge stated that VC firms were not “individuals,” i.e., “natural persons,” and therefore SBIR agencies could not give SBIR grants to companies in which VC firms had a controlling interest. The biotechnology and VC industries have been dismayed by this ruling, seeing it as a new interpretation of the VC-small business relationship by SBA. See, for example, testimony by Thomas Bigger of Paratek Pharmaceuticals before the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee, July 12, 2006.
The last 10 years has seen a decline in venture investments in seed and early stage and a concomitant shift away from higher-risk early-stage funding. See National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators 2006, Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation, 2006. This decline is reportedly particularly acute in early-stage technology phases of biotechnology where the investment community has moved toward later-stage projects, with the consequence that early-stage projects have greater difficulty raising funds. See the testimony by Jonathan Cohen, founder and CEO of 20/20
as a means of exploring a new concept, or simply as a means of capitalizing on existing research expertise and facilities to address a health-related need or, as one participant firm explained, to explore product-oriented processes not “amenable to review” by academics who review the NIH RO1 grants.25
Some of the most successful NIH SBIR award winning firms—such as Martek—have, according to senior management, been successful only because they were able to attract substantial amounts of venture funding as well as SBIR awards.26
Other participants in the program believe that companies benefiting from venture capital ownership are essentially not small businesses and should therefore not be entitled to access the small percentage of funds set aside for small businesses, i.e., the SBIR Program. They believe further that including venture-backed firms would decrease support for high-risk innovative research in favor of low-risk product development often favored by venture funds.27
Limits on venture funding. The ultimate impact of the 2004 SBA ruling remains uncertain. What is certain is that no empirical assessment of its impact was made before the ruling was implemented. At the same time, the claims made by proponents and opponents of the change appear overstated.
Preliminary research indicates that approximately 25 percent of the NIH SBIR Phase II winners have received VC funding; that some of these are now graduates of the program (having grown too large or left for other reasons), and some are also not excluded by the ruling because they are still less than 50 percent VC owned. Yet it is important to recognize that these companies may be disproportionately among
GeneSystems, at the House Science Committee Hearing on “Small Business Innovation Research: What is the Optimal Role of Venture Capital,” July 28, 2005.
See the statements by Ron Cohen, CEO of Acorda Technologies, and Carol Nacy, CEO of Sequella Inc, at the House Science Committee Hearing on “Small Business Innovation Research: What is the Optimal Role of Venture Capital,” July 28, 2005. Squella’s Dr. Nacy’s testimony captures the multiple sources of finance for the 17-person company (June 2005). They included—founder equity investments; angel investments; and multiple, competitive scientific research grants, including SBIR funding for diagnostics devices, vaccines, and drugs. SBIR funding was some $6.5 million out of a total of $18 million in company funding. Dr. Nacy argues that SBIR funding focuses on research to identify new products while venture funding is employed for product development.
See the testimony by Jonathan Cohen, founder and CEO of 20/20 GeneSystems, at the House Science Committee Hearing on “Small Business Innovation Research: What is the Optimal Role of Venture Capital,” op. cit. In the same hearing Mr. Fredric Abramson, President and CEO of Alpha-Genics, Inc., argues that “any change that permits venture owned small business to compete for SBIR will jeopardize biotechnology innovation as we know it today.”
the companies—such as previous highly successful SBIR companies that were also VC funding recipients Invitrogen, MedImmune, and Martek—most likely to generate significant commercial returns.28 What is not known is how many companies are failing to apply to the program as a result of the ruling.
For firms seeking to capitalize on the progress made with SBIR awards, venture funding may be the only plausible source of funding at the levels required to take a product into the commercial marketplace. Neither SBIR nor other programs at NIH are available to provide the average of $8 million per deal currently characterizing venture funding agreements.29
For firms with venture funding, SBIR may allow the pursuit of high risk research or alternative path development that is not in the primary commercialization path, and hence is not budgeted for within the primary development path of the company.30
An empirical assessment. As noted above, the SBA ruling concerning eligibility alters the way the program operated during the period of this review (1992-2002), as it has, presumably, from the program’s origin. Anecdotal evidence and initial analysis indicate that a limited number of venture-backed companies have been participating in the program. To better understand the impact of the SBA exclusion of firms receiving venture funding (resulting in majority ownership), the NIH recently commissioned an empirical analysis by the National Academies. This is a further positive step towards an assessment culture and should provide data necessary to illuminate the ramifications of this ruling.31
For discussion of the factors affecting the returns to venture capital organizations, including incentive and information problems and the role venture funds have played in supporting a limited number of highly successful firms, see P. Gompers and J. Lerner, The Venture Capital Cycle, Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2000, Ch. 1.
See National Venture Capital Association, Money Tree Report, November, 2006. The mean venture capital deal size for the first three quarters of 2006 was $8.03 million. This trend has been accelerated by the growth of larger venture firms. See P. Gompers and J. Lerner, The Venture Capital Cycle, op. cit., Ch 1.
Firms that have used SBIR in this manner include Neurocrine and Illumina. The latter indicated in interviews that these alternative paths later become critical products that underpinned the success of the company.
This research will address questions such as: which NIH SBIR participating companies have been or are likely to be excluded from the program as a result of the 2002 rule change on Venture Capital Company ownership?; and what is the likely impact of the 2002 ruling had it been applied during the 1992-2006 timeframe and what is its probable current impact? Key variables will include the presence and amount of SBIR support, the receipt of venture capital funding or other outside funding, and output measures including those related to commercialization and knowledge generation.
Stimulating technological innovation. The SBIR program at NIH is fulfilling its mission to support the transfer of knowledge into the marketplace. In the process, it is encouraging the general expansion of medical knowledge. The program supports innovation and knowledge transfer in several ways:
Patents and publications. SBIR companies have generated numerous patents and publications, the traditional measures of knowledge transfer activity. Thirty-four percent of projects surveyed by NRC generated at least one patent, and just over half resulted in at least one peer-reviewed article.32
Knowledge transfer from universities. The NRC Phase II Survey and NRC Firm Survey also suggest that SBIR awards are supporting the transfer of knowledge, firm creation, and partnerships between universities and the private sector:
In more than 80 percent of responding companies with projects at NIH, at least one founder was previously an academic.33
About 33 percent of founders were most recently employed as academics before the creation of their company.
About 34 percent of NIH projects had university faculty as contractors on the project, 24 percent used universities as subcontractors, and 15 percent employed graduate students.34
Indirect paths. There is strong anecdotal evidence concerning beneficial “indirect path” effects—that projects provide investigators and research staff with knowledge that may later become relevant in a different context—often in another project or even another company. While these effects are not directly measurable, discussion during interviews and case studies suggest they exist.35
The NIH SBIR program has not benefited from regular evaluation.
Prior to the congressional legislation authorizing this study, no systematic, external program assessment had been undertaken at NIH.
A culture of assessment is now developing. Significant progress has
See Table 4-23. Without detailed identifying data on these patents and publications, it is not feasible to apply bibliometric and patent analysis techniques to assess the relative importance of these patents and publications.
For a discussion of the “indirect path” phenomenon with regard to the results of innovation awards, see Rosalie Ruegg, “Taking a Step Back: An Early Results Overview of Fifty ATP Awards,” in National Research Council, The Advanced Technology Program: Assessing Outcomes, Charles W. Wessner, ed., Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
already been made in this area. Following the congressional initiative requesting this assessment, NIH commissioned its first large-scale survey of the impact of the SBIR program.36 The 2003 award recipient survey represents a positive step towards an assessment culture, but a range of issues still need to be addressed and a more systematic approach to evaluation adopted.
In the absence of regular internal and external assessment efforts, the NIH SBIR program is at present not sufficiently evidence based.
Partly as a result of insufficient resources, data collection, reporting, and analytic capabilities are insufficient, limiting the program’s capacity for self-assessment.
This lack of assessment, together with the decentralized character of the program, means that program management does not have adequate information about how their actions affect outcomes such as commercialization, knowledge generation, and networking.
The SBIR Coordinator’s office lacks the funds to manage the program effectively. The lack of resources makes it challenging to manage, monitor, and evaluate the program’s performance.
Management resources. If NIH is to take an empirical approach to important program management decisions, sufficient resources are required to collect program data and to analyze it effectively. More resources are required to conduct regular internal and external evaluations of program outcomes.
Limited monitoring. Only limited program monitoring is undertaken. For example, there appears to be no mechanism through which an underperforming firm could be excluded from the program, nor is there a formal mechanism through which past performance is integrated into either project review or further selection.37 Weaknesses in the support of minority- and to a lesser extent woman-owned businesses were not effectively identified and monitored. No site visits to awardees are currently funded.
National Institutes of Health, “National Survey to Evaluate the NIH SBIR Program: Final Report,” July 2003. Available online at: <http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir_report_2003_07.pdf>.
For example, it appears that no single staff member is individually responsible to monitor multiple-award winners across ICs, or indeed to consistently track program metrics. Thus the company winning the most Phase I awards at NIH (78) has received only 11 Phase II awards, and has generated no known products and few patents in the course of 10 years of effort. It may be that this firm is working effectively in ways not captured by these data, but the firm has apparently not received a site visit in 10 years, and no one at NIH appears to be charged with assessing whether these funds are being used effectively.
Modest management engagement. In many cases, SBIR responsibilities are a small part of an Institute and Center (IC) manager’s much larger portfolio of projects, and reportedly Institute and Center senior management interest in SBIR is often modest. An absence of management engagement with the program can negatively impact perceptions of the program as well as the resources and staff devoted to its operation.
Limited benchmarking for success. The SBIR Program Coordinator’s office appears to have few formal operational benchmarks for program success, other than compliance—i.e., the full annual disbursement of award funding. This is also true for individual Institutes and Centers that disburse funds and operate the program.
Limited analytic capacity and utilization. Decisions that affect the character of the program are made and implemented in the absence of data-based analysis, and without clear benchmarks for assessing the success or failure of a given initiative. The recent increase in the mean and median size of Phase I and Phase II awards provides a good example. NIH staff have offered a number of different justifications for the change, but no systematic analysis or review appears to have been made beforehand, and no post hoc assessment of the impact is currently underway.
Selection concerns. While some interviewees and staff believed that the NIH peer-based selection process is generally equitable and procedurally fair, the selection process generated the most criticisms both internally and externally. Verifying the accuracy of these criticisms is inherently difficult. They are cited here because they were repeatedly raised in interviews and should be reviewed in turn by the management. Key criticisms included:
Limited commercial review. The commercial potential of projects is often assessed by academic scientists who may have little knowledge of the marketplace.
Conflicts of interest. Some applicants fear that both academic and nonacademic reviewers may have conflicts of interest with proposals. The challenge, of course, is to find reviewers who are knowledgeable but do not have competing interests.
Timeliness. Some believe that insufficient effort is made to ensure that the review process is completed as rapidly as possible. This is especially important for small business applicants that need to move forward expeditiously to take advantage of a time-sensitive opportunity.
Resubmission. The opportunity to resubmit proposals is a major advantage of the NIH program, because it allows applicants to fix minor problems with their proposals and resubmit the applications. It is often cited by NIH staff in response to criticisms of the selection
process. While a very positive mechanism, it should be understood that resubmission can impose real costs on small firms in a commercial environment where delayed funding brings about inefficiencies and lost opportunities. A more timely, targeted response to review mechanism may be required.
The recommendations in this section are designed to improve the operation of the NIH SBIR program.38 It is important to keep in mind that the program is achieving its legislative goals. Meaningful commercialization is occurring and the awards made under the program are making valuable additions to biomedical knowledge and developing products to apply that knowledge to the nation’s health. With the programmatic changes recommended here, the NIH SBIR program should be even more effective in achieving its legislative goals.
The NIH should increase commercialization and evaluation efforts, improve data collection, expand outreach, especially for minorities and women, develop a culture of critical evaluation, obtain additional management resources for these tasks, and encourage upper management attention to better exploit the program’s potential.
Flexibility. It is most important that the program retain the flexibility and experimentation that have characterized its recent management. The SBIR program is effective across the agencies because a “one-size fits all” approach has not been imposed.
Evaluation. Much greater effort is required to evaluate current outcomes, collect relevant data, including with regard to participation of minority-and woman-owned firms, and document the impact of changes to the program.
Significant improvement in data collection and assessment is needed.
Efforts to identify outcomes across a variety of metrics should be improved.
Regular internal and external evaluations should be undertaken to enable managers to assess program performance and the results of management initiatives.
Innovation. Efforts to initiate program innovation by NIH should be substantially strengthened and encouraged with due regard for best prac-
The Committee’s recommendations below are drawn from analysis of the NRC survey data, review of program operations, and discussions with program participants.
tice lessons from other programs. Pilot programs, possibly for individual Institutes and Centers are one mechanism that allow for the efficient implementation and subsequent assessment of new initiatives.
These recommended improvements should enable the NIH SBIR managers to address the four mandated congressional objectives in a more efficient and effective manner.
The NIH SBIR program is focused on commercialization and has seen significant achievement. Nonetheless, there are also clear opportunities for further improvement. Continued management attention and additional efforts and resources to facilitate commercialization are needed.
Commercialization programs. NIH should continue to experiment with commercialization programs, encouraging general application when they show signs of measurable success. Current data indicate that of the 114 companies participating in the Technology Assistance Program in 2004-2005, 23 had received a total of $22 million in additional funding. Other milestone indicators were also positive.
Funding for commercialization programs. Congress should consider updating the current limits on spending for this purpose. The current limit of $4,000 per year per awardee imposes considerable constraints on innovative programming in this area. Consideration should be given to substantially increasing this amount, and the flexibility of its use.
NIH should adopt a more data-driven culture for its SBIR program, with regular assessment driving policy and program management. The current evaluation efforts at NIH are a good start. Given sufficient additional funding, the Committee recommends:
Annual SBIR Program Report. The NIH SBIR Program Coordinator should be tasked with preparing a much expanded annual SBIR Program Report for submission to a new Advisory Board (see E, below). The report should summarize all relevant data about awards, outcomes, and program initiatives and activities.
Assessment plan. The program should review its data collection program, identify improvements and develop a formal plan for evaluation and assessment. The internal assessment program should be supported by systematic, objective outside review and evaluation of the NIH program.
NIH should focus greater attention on participation by minority- and woman-owned firms in the program.
Encourage participation. NIH should encourage woman- and minority-owned businesses to submit SBIR proposals and track their successes in winning Phase I and Phase II awards.
Improve data collection and analysis. Data collection efforts, as noted above, need to be substantially improved, particularly with regard to women and minorities.
The absence of effective, timely monitoring of minority and woman participation is troubling. This should be corrected on an urgent basis.
Further analysis of the data, backed by case interviews, should be undertaken to determine the sources of recent trends and the steps that might be taken to address them.
Extend outreach to younger woman and minority students. NIH should encourage and solicit women and underrepresented minorities working at small firms to apply as Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators for SBIR awards and track their success rates.
Encourage emerging talent. The number of women and, to a lesser extent, minorities graduating with advanced scientific and engineering degrees has been increasing significantly over the past decade, especially in the biomedical sciences. This means that many of the woman and minority scientists and engineers with the advanced degrees usually necessary to compete effectively in the SBIR program are relatively young and may not yet have arrived at the point in their careers where they own their own companies. They should be encouraged to serve as principal investigators (PIs) and/or senior co-investigators (Co-Is) on SBIR projects.
Track success rates. The Committee also strongly encourages NIH to gather and publish the data that would track woman and minority principal investigators (PIs), and to ensure that SBIR is an effective road to opportunity for these PIs as well as for woman- and minority-owned firms. The success rates of woman and minority PIs and Co-Is are a traditional measure of their participation in the non-SBIR research grants funded by nonmission research agencies like NIH and NSF, and should be an appropriate measure of woman and minority participation in the SBIR program. After all, experience as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on a successful SBIR program may well give a woman or minority scientist or engineer the personal confidence and standing with agency program officers that encourage them to apply for SBIR awards and found their own firms.
The NIH should consider creating an independent Advisory Board that draws together senior agency managers, outside experts, and other stakeholders to review current operations and recommend changes to the program.
An annual Program Report could be presented to the Board on an annual basis. The Board would review the report, including program progress, management practices, and make recommendations to senior NIH officials in charge.
The Board might be assembled on the model of the Defense Science Board. It could include senior NIH staff from the ICs and the Director’s Office, on an ex officio basis, and bring together, inter alia, representatives from industry (including award recipients), academics, and other experts in early-stage finance and program management.
NIH should support and encourage the use of better tools for quality control and evaluation of the SBIR program.
Monitor outcomes. As part of the proposed annual Program Report, the Coordinator should monitor SBIR awards and outcomes across the NIH and each institute should develop a similar and compatible capacity.
Suggestions from surveys. As part of future surveys, a particular effort should be made to gather suggestions for future program improvement from survey recipients.
Benchmarks. Operational program benchmarks for both process and outcomes should be developed and used to assess program effectiveness at every IC as well as for the program as a whole.
Public information. NIH should considerably improve the public distribution of information about the program, including recent data on awards and on outcomes.
Clear responsibilities. As noted above, the IC management, at the senior level should be responsible for the effective management of each IC-based program and, in cooperation with the SBIR Program Coordinator, share responsibility for serving the needs of both the NIH and the applicants and recipients of SBIR awards.
NIH should consider ways in which the current approach to SBIR award selection might benefit from more program-specific adaptations. Specifically, there appears to be room for improvements in the following areas:
Conflict of interest. NIH should explore means of addressing perceived conflicts of interest within the SBIR selection process. While there are inevitable tensions between the need for expertise on selection panels and the interests of those experts, some applicants have expressed concern that the current honor system may not work effectively to deal with those tensions in all cases.
Disclosure. While disclosure of conflicts is mandatory, NIH could con-
sider mechanisms for ensuring that such disclosure is as effective as possible. NIH might consider spot-checking disclosure statements to improve compliance and to signal that NIH views compliance as important.
Voting. NIH might consider adjusting the voting mechanism, to help ensure that individual panel members do not exert undue influence on award decisions. Currently, all scores from review panelists are counted; excluding outlier scores might be considered.
Oversight. The proposed SBIR Advisory Board should be responsible for addressing these and other issues related to award selection, in conjunction with relevant staff at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR—the NIH Center that manages the selection process for the other IC’s).
Commercial review. While the NIH SBIR program has registered substantial commercial success, awardees and agency staff have suggested that there is room for considerable improvement, not least in the way in which selection processes assess commercial potential. The difficulties involved in balancing the need for effective commercial review with the risk of conflicts of interest have not been adequately addressed by NIH. The agency should consider adopting pilot programs that could improve the quality and fairness of commercial reviews.39 Possible options include:
Hiring professional commercialization consultants and attaching them to specific study sections. This option could provide significant additional expertise as a resource for the study sections, without fundamentally changing the review process. It should be evaluated on a test basis and reviewed for enhanced commercialization outcomes.
Adding staff with industry experience. Adding new staff members with significant industry experience in the development and commercialization of new products could bring a new dimension to the review and assessment experience.
Separating commercial and scientific review processes, with commercial review considered by a separate, possibly semi-permanent, panel of commercial experts appointed (or hired) specifically for this purpose.
Follow-up assessment. Best practices might be better identified in the selection process by closer analysis of the connection between award outcomes and selection processes.
NIH is to be commended for its flexible, industry-driven approach to the
Improving the commercial review process, which this recommendation addresses, is not the same as enhancing commercial potential as a criterion for successful review.
SBIR award process. To improve the program’s operation further, NIH should consider mechanisms for substantially shortening the average time between initial application and cash-in-hand for award winners.40
Strengths of the NIH SBIR award process include:
Multiple opportunities. In particular, NIH should be commended for providing three application deadlines, rather than the annual deadline used at some other agencies, encourages timeliness, reduces delay, and therefore facilitates participation by microfirms.
Resubmission. The availability of resubmission is another important and positive aspect of the NIH program, allowing companies to fix problems with their applications rather than simply rejecting them, as is the practice at other SBIR programs.
Investigator-driven applications. NIH’s investigator-driven approach to topics also makes it unnecessary for applicants to wait for the “right” topic to be part of a solicitation. This program flexibility is a major advantage of the NIH program.
Notwithstanding these strengths, the NIH SBIR program still faces challenges: Even with these advantages, delays still occur. For example, companies sometimes cannot afford to accept the delays involved in resubmission, and, in some cases, they cannot afford the overall time lags inherent in the full cycle from initial application to cash-in-hand. These delays and uncertainties tend to reduce the effectiveness of the program and should be reduced where possible.
Suggested mechanisms for improving the decision cycle include:
NIH should develop a selection process that is tuned as much as possible to the specific needs of small business. The current award process is tightly intertwined with the selection process for other NIH programs, notably R01. This approach may be entirely appropriate for awards to academic institutions and university faculty, but it is often less appropriate for an award program for small business, where delays can in many cases lead firms to abandon promising research.
The recent NIH shift to electronic submission is an encouraging development, one that was identified early on in this study. It should help to reduce cycle delays, especially if NIH uses the new system as an opportunity to improve the process as a whole. The
Eighty percent of NIH respondents to the NRC Phase II Survey indicated that they had experienced a gap between Phase I and Phase II.
NASA model and DoE’s recent conversion are potential guides to best practice.
Quick rebuttal. Numerous winners and applicants stated in interviews that review panels simply did not understand their applications, or rejected them on questionable grounds.
NIH should seek ways to use new technology as the basis for new procedures that would allow a more iterative approach within a single review cycle.
Resubmission is not in itself an adequate response to this problem, in light of the substantial delays it imposes on applicants.41 One approach would be to have NIH change its selection process to make a short written summary from the lead reviewer available electronically to the applicant before the study section meeting. The applicant could then provide a one-page commentary or rebuttal, to be distributed immediately before the meeting. This process might have multiple positive benefits, including improving perceptions of fairness and adding quality control to the selection process.
The Committee strongly encourages NIH to experiment with different approaches to selection using the pilot program approach described below.
NIH should develop a formal mechanism for designing, implementing, and evaluating pilot programs.
Need for experimentation. Addressing these concerns will require resources and time for experimentation.
Preserving flexibility. Making changes initially through pilot programs allows NIH to alter selected areas on a provisional basis. A single approach may not work for a program that funds such highly diverse projects with very different capital requirements and very different product development cycles.
Lowering cost. Pilot programs allow Institutes to investigate program improvements at lower risk and lower cost than through changes to the program as a whole. However, effective pilot programs require rigorous design and evaluation.
Program changes need follow-up assessment. Some of the most significant changes to the SBIR program at NIH—notably changes in award size—have apparently occurred without any evaluation or a clearly articu-
Because rejections are received too late for applicants to resubmit during the next submission cycle, an additional delay of 4 months is widely experienced in addition to the actual time needed to review the proposal again.
lated rationale. Other changes, such as the recent NCI-led commercialization assistance pilot, lack a formal evaluation and assessment component. Performance benchmarks, metrics, and timely evaluation, internal and external, should be included in program modifications.
Improving perceptions of fairness. Additional improvements to the program to address perceptions of unfairness should be considered. These could include more commercial expertise, the right of rebuttal, enhanced use of resubmission, and measures to address perceptions of conflict of interest.
Suggested pilot programs. NIH should consider pilot programs designed to shorten the program’s award cycle time to be more commercially relevant, refine certain selection processes, and better assess the impact of the trend toward increased award sizes:
Larger awards. NIH is unique in the extent to which funding has been made available beyond the standard limits set by SBA. This flexibility is both appropriate and valuable.
The use of large awards at NIH raises some important questions. NIH staff has offered several different justifications for larger awards.42 None of these rationales has been based on research and assessment of the program, notwithstanding the possible impact of larger awards on the program.
At a minimum, NIH should develop a clear justification for these larger awards, based primarily on data drawn from the program or elsewhere, which addresses the range of program risks identified in the program management chapter of this report.
NIH should also develop a formal program to review the impact of the larger awards that are already being made. This should include developing a clear rationale, identifying selection criteria for larger awards, and a robust assessment component, including third-party review to monitor outcomes. Because the additional resources used to fund these awards are substantial, the awards need to achieve a specific objective and/or yield significantly different or better outcomes than multiple standard-sized awards using equivalent funding.
Direct to Phase II. Some agency staff and recipient companies have suggested that research that is otherwise promising has been excluded
These include the need to focus resources on the best applications, the high cost of drug development, the high cost of biomedical research, and the lack of inflation adjustments to the standard award size over the last 10 years.
from receiving adequate Phase II level funding because all award recipients have to garner a Phase I first.43 As well, some program participants have suggested that consideration be given to changing the requirement that SBIR recipients apply for and receive a Phase I award before applying for Phase II. They suggest the rigid application of this requirement has the potential to exclude promising research that could help agencies meet their congressionally mandated goals.
However, permitting companies to apply directly to Phase II has the potential to change the program significantly. In particular it could shift the balance of both awards and funding significantly away from Phase I toward Phase II. Every additional Phase II award represents approximately 7.5 Phase I awards. If “direct to Phase II” were as attractive to applicants as proponents suggest, it might became a significant component of the program. This in turn could make a very substantial difference to funding patterns in SBIR to the detriment of Phase I.44 Moreover, expanded Phase I awards, such as those now used at NIH, can meet the same need without affecting the structure of the program.
Accordingly, this fundamental change to the program structure should not be made.
Drug discovery. Given the large size of the sums required, it would be appropriate for NIH to consider a number of possible approaches to the needs of small companies in this area. Some of these approaches may be appropriately housed within the SBIR program. For example, NIH has already experimented with the Competing Continuation Awards program designed to provide funding during the regulatory review process. However, NIH should also ensure that efforts to address drug development issues do not negatively affect the SBIR program outside drug discovery. Further review of the program’s role in drug discovery, and its limitations, should be undertaken.
Additional management resources. To carry out the measures recommended above to improve program utilization, management, and evaluation, the program will require additional funds for management and evaluation.
Discussions with NIH SBIR program managers, June 13, 2006.
Phase I awards may have particular importance in meeting noncommercial objectives of the program, for example, helping academics to transition technologies out of the lab into startup companies.
Effective oversight relies on appropriate funding.45 An evidence-based program requires high quality data and systematic assessment. Sufficient resources are not currently available for these functions.
Increased funding is needed to provide effective oversight, including site visits, program review, systematic third-party assessments, and other necessary management activities.
To achieve the goal of providing modest amounts of additional funding for management and evaluation, there are three options that might be considered:
Additional funds might be allocated internally, within the existing budgets of NIH, as the Navy has done at DoD.
Funds might be drawn from the existing set-aside for the program to carry out these activities.
The set-aside for the program, currently at 2.5 percent of external research budgets, might be marginally increased, with the goal of providing management resources necessary to maximize the program’s return to the nation.46
The key point is that additional resources for program management and evaluation are necessary to optimize the nation’s return on the substantial annual investment in the SBIR program.
According to recent OECD analysis, the International Benchmark for program evaluation of large SME and Entrepreneurship Programs is between 3 percent (for small programs) and 1 percent for large-scale programs. See Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, “Evaluation of SME Policies and Programs: Draft OECD Handbook,” OECD Handbook CFE/SME(2006)17, Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2006.
Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. For the most part, the Departments, Institutes, and Agencies responsible for the SBIR program have not proved willing or able to make additional management funds available. Without direction from Congress, they are unlikely to do so. With regard to drawing funds from the program for evaluation and management, current legislation does not permit this and would have to be modified, therefore the Congress has clearly intended program funds to be for awards only. The third option, involving a modest increase to the program, would also require legislative action and would perhaps be more easily achievable in the event of an overall increase in the program. In any case, the Committee envisages an increase of the “set-aside” of perhaps 0.03 percent to 0.05 percent on the order of $35 million to $40 million per year or, roughly, double what the Navy currently makes available to manage and augment its program. In the latter case (0.05 percent), this would bring the program “set-aside” to 2.55 percent, providing modest resources to assess and manage a program that is approaching an annual spend of some $2 billion. Whatever modality adopted by the Congress, without additional resources the Committee’s call for improved management, data collection, experimentation, and evaluation may prove moot.
Next: 3 SBIR Awards at NIH »
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Judge throws out class action suit against supplement maker
TAGS: Ingredients Litigation
A federal judge dismissed a putative class action suit after agreeing with Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals that warning letters do not constitute final agency action.
Josh Long | Aug 13, 2020
A federal judge in Santa Ana, California, recently dismissed a lawsuit against a manufacturer of dietary supplements whose ingredients were flagged by FDA in warning letters.
The March 3 suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of three individuals who purchased products containing three ingredients allegedly not safe for human consumption: 1-3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), DMHA (1,5-Dimethylhexylamine) and methylsynephrine. In the complaint against Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Inc., the plaintiffs alleged negligent and intentional misrepresentations, as well as violations of California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law.
U.S. District Judge David Carter dismissed the complaint after agreeing with Norcross, Georgia-based Hi-Tech that warning letters do not constitute final agency action. The judge warned if he moved forward with an analysis of whether the ingredients constitute dietary supplements, another court considering the legal status of DMHA, for example, could reach a different conclusion than him.
Carter found FDA was in the best position to determine whether the ingredients constituted dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).
“Accordingly, the Court finds that the determination of DMAA, DMHA and methylsynephrine as dietary supplements under DSHEA requires both the expertise of the FDA and uniformity in administration,” Carter concluded in his July 29 order, which granted Hi-Tech’s motion to dismiss the complaint based on the doctrine known as primary jurisdiction.
Jack Wenik, an attorney in Newark, New Jersey, defending Hi-Tech, had no comment about the decision. Abbas Kazerounian, a lawyer in Costa Mesa, California, representing the plaintiffs, said, “We have deep respect for Judge Carter and [are] studying his order in detail while discussing all options with our client.”
All three ingredients highlighted in the complaint have garnered the attention of FDA in warning letters, and two of them have been the subject of litigation in recent years between Hi-Tech and FDA.
DMAA
FDA has described DMAA as an “amphetamine derivative” that can raise blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular problems such as shortness of breath, tightening in the chest and heart attack.
Last year, in a 2-to-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 2017 district court summary judgment order, which held DMAA is not a dietary ingredient under DSHEA.
“DMAA is not an ‘herb or other botanical,’” District Judge Robert Hinkle wrote in the 11th Circuit’s decision. “It is not a ‘constituent’ of an herb or other botanical. And it is not generally recognized by qualified experts, as adequately shown through scientific procedures, to be safe under the conditions of its intended use.”
The appeals court on April 8 denied Hi-Tech’s request for a rehearing before the entire panel. Jared Wheat, CEO of Norcross, Georgia-based Hi-Tech, said the company “absolutely” plans to file a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. According to Wenik, a member of the law firm Epstein Becker & Green P.C., the petition is not due until Sept. 8.
On April 10, 2019, FDA sent a warning letter to Hi-Tech and several others over the sale of DMHA. On a webpage linking to the warning letters, FDA alleged DMHA is “adulterated” because it’s a new dietary ingredient (NDI) that has not met requirements to be lawfully marketed in supplements.
DMHA may also be an unapproved food additive if it does not qualify as a dietary ingredient, according to the warning letters.
“DMHA it is not generally recognized as safe [GRAS] under its conditions of use in your dietary supplement products,” an FDA official, William Correll, wrote to Wheat in the letter. “If DMHA is not a dietary ingredient under section 201(ff)(1) of the [Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic] Act, dietary supplements containing DMHA would be adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C)(i) of the Act because they would contain an unsafe food additive.”
In a May 1, 2019 letter to Correll, Wheat attached a copy of a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., that same day against FDA, which alleged the agency was responsible for an “arbitrary and capricious” enforcement action against DMHA.
Referencing an expert report he enclosed, Wheat stated in his letter, “DMHA is a dietary ingredient as defined by DSHEA because it is a constituent of several plants, each of which have long been part of the human diet.”
The expert’s report further concluded “DMHA is safe as its effects have been studied and are well-known, and it does not have a history of AERs [adverse event reports] resulting from its use,” Wheat wrote.
Recently, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton dismissed the lawsuit against FDA. In a June 29 order, he found he lacked “subject matter jurisdiction over the plaintiffs’ claims” since FDA’s “warning letter is not a final agency action subject to judicial review.”
In an interview, Wheat said he hasn’t heard from FDA regarding DMHA since the warning letter was sent to him.
Methylsynephrine
FDA in 2016 wrote seven warning letters regarding methylsynephrine, also known as oxilofrine. According to FDA, methylsynephrine does not qualify as a dietary ingredient, and labeling it as such causes products marketed as dietary supplements to be misbranded.
“Additionally, methylsynephrine is not approved as a food additive or prior sanctioned for use in dietary supplements,” Correll wrote in the letters. “Further, FDA's review of this substance does not identify a basis to conclude that the substance is GRAS for use in food. If you contend that this substance is GRAS for use in food, please provide your basis for concluding that methylsynephrine is GRAS for use in dietary supplements, including supporting data or other documentation.”
FDA verified in an email that its positions have not changed regarding DMAA, DMHA and methylsynephrine.
Hi-Tech did not receive a warning letter regarding methylsynephrine. Wheat said in an email he “strongly disagree[s] with FDA’s position” because the ingredient “is in various plants.”
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4 Kids Hurt in Horse-&-Buggy Crash
Published July 1, 2013 • Updated on July 1, 2013 at 8:45 am
Four young kids and an adult were hurt when their horse-and-buggy was destroyed during a crash this weekend.
An adult and four young children are hurt after their horse-and-buggy collided with a sport-utility vehicle in Lancaster County, Pa.
The accident happened around 8:20 p.m. Friday in Salisbury Township – about 45 miles west of Philadelphia. Gap Fire Chief Troy Wenger says the buggy was pulling out of a driveway when it was struck by the eastbound SUV.
All of the occupants of the buggy were ejected upon impact, including an infant and three other children. They were taken to a hospital along with the buggy's driver, 27-year-old Samuel Stoltzfoos.
Police say the infant and a 3-year-old suffered moderate injuries. A 2-year-old and another 3-year-old suffered minor injuries. The driver also suffered moderate injuries.
The buggy was destroyed. The driver of the SUV wasn't hurt.
Click here for more news from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
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Dig Diary — Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Contemplating an earlier site . . .
Natasha removes floor deposits in Structure One.
Today was one of those quiet, rather contemplative days, which often characterise the second-last week of an excavation.
The last week is, of course, taken up with frantic last-minute planning, site covering and the inevitable discovery of something really, really important, usually on the very last day of digging.
It was also wet, in part, today. All this put us in mind of the brilliant title for a friend’s PhD thesis on the Bronze Age which runs…”It rained a lot and not much happened.”
Tongue in cheek, of course, and not true of the Bronze Age. Neither is it true of the Neolithic and especially that big chunk of the Neolithic which is the Ness of Brodgar.
The morning rain failed to deter a German television crew, who arrived to interview site director, Nick. He is thoroughly used to this sort of thing by now, and another film crew is due tomorrow.
They may well be interested in the central midden, where a remarkably mud-spattered Owain, and a remarkably clean Chris, have been toiling in the area around the broken, potential standing stone.
Today, however, they uncovered undoubted structural material, which points to an early building potentially predating Structures Eleven, Twelve and One.
So many hints of earlier structures have now been found that it is interesting to contemplate the possibility of an earlier Ness, just as big and under our current site. Time will tell.
Not far away, the world’s fourth luckiest digger, Jenny, found yet another example of a very curious little artefact.
It is a tiny strip of ceramic material, with a rounded bottom and two parallel indentations on the top surface – almost like two eyes. This is the third to emerge, with one coming just last week from Trench T. Frankly, we have no idea as to its purpose.
The baulk in Structure Twelve being removed — hurrah!!
In Structure Twelve, and at long, long last, the work has begun on removing the midden baulk which runs right across the building.
The new sense of space and scale which this is already bringing to the structure is noticeable and there is no doubt that this will transform our experience of this enigmatic structure when the last remnants of baulk have gone.
In Structure One, work continues on selecting and removing floor deposits, aided by our latest volunteer, Natasha, who is head of osteology and research co-ordinator MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology).
Over in Trench T, scene of yesterday’s confusion, problems continued to prevail. The uncertainty as to what is happening in the steeply sloping trench was compounded today by the rain which turned it into a large, muddy helter-skelter. This became so dangerous that work had to stop for a while.
So, all-in-all, not much has happened today (relatively!!).
This will give you all the more time to enjoy Antonia’s illustrated blog (below) on her work with incised and decorated stone at the Ness.
Rock art on the Ness
Antonia is interviewed for German Television.
There has been hardly a day gone by since this season’s excavation started which hasn’t seen the discovery of another beautiful carved, or pecked, stone, and so I thought it was high time I wrote something about what I am doing here at the Ness of Brodgar.
My name is Antonia Thomas and I am currently in my second year of an AHRC-funded PhD (at Orkney College UHI) researching rock art and graffiti at Neolithic sites in Orkney.
Although I am looking at some other sites as well, such as Maeshowe and Skara Brae, my research focusses upon the wonderful assemblage of carved, incised and pecked architectural stones from the Ness of Brodgar.
I feel privileged to be able to work with such an important collection, and I believe that the evidence from the Ness will continue to rewrite what we thought we knew about the Neolithic for many years to come.
I have worked on the site since 2006, and have seen the site develop from its infancy to its current international fame.
It was while working as a supervisor on the site that I became intrigued by the numbers of carved, incised and pecked stones that we were finding, and I started to research parallels in Orkney and further afield.
An extremely fine example of peck dressing which has left two raised triangles.
Although there are a handful of examples of carved and pecked stones from tombs in Orkney (including the magnificent Pierowall and Eday Manse stones, both now in the NMS in Edinburgh) the main bulk of comparable examples have until now, come from a domestic context – Skara Brae.
The trouble is, the buildings at the Ness of Brodgar aren’t tombs, so can’t be understood in the same terms as funerary architecture and megalithic art. But nor are they houses in the ordinary sense either, as they are of a scale and complexity that goes far beyond the everyday domestic sphere of life.
To illustrate the size of our assemblage, it is worth pointing out that while there are around 70 examples known from Skara Brae, I have now recorded nearly 500 examples of dressed or decorated architectural stone from the site. And there are more appearing every day!
They range from small fragments with lightly scratched random lines, to elaborately and deeply carved or pecked stones. The range of contexts that the decorated stones are found in is incredible and they are remarkable for their ubiquity as much as anything else. They are literally everywhere across the site, in every structural element of every building, in floor deposits and demolition debris.
What is amazing – and indeed unique – about the Ness assemblage is that the structures are being excavated under modern, scientific conditions.
This allows us to examine the chronology of the buildings in parallel with the biographies of stonecarving, to see how the decorated stones relate to different phases of construction and inhabitation on the site.
Another deeply incised example of art from the Ness.
We have stones placed in foundation deposits and incorporated into decommissioning events.
Some of the stones have incised designs which have subsequently been obscured by pecking, and it seems that some of them may have been revisited and added to on several occasions.
I am finding that some of the stones have been reused, perhaps bringing with them the memory from a previous site or place to bear on their current location.
For other examples, the practice or performance of working the stone may have been more important than their finished appearance and these may have been carved or pecked as part of a rite or ceremony. Some pieces are built into walls or floors and hidden from view, while the position of other stones indicates that they served to mark important thresholds or flows of movement.
Some of the larger, more elaborate, pieces were clearly meant to dominate one’s attention during the occupation of the buildings, and we can only imagine the sense of wonder they produced when seen in the Neolithic – the complexity of some of them is truly awe-inspiring today.
I am recording each stone by written descriptions, photographs and sketches, and have created a large database which will hopefully be a useful tool for other researchers in years to come. This contains information on different aspects of contextual information about each stone, the type of rock used, the technique of carving etc.
Once I have completed this, I will be able to interrogate the data to look for any subtle patterns across the site and perhaps even come close to understanding how these beautiful stones were meaningful in the Neolithic.
Next story Dig Diary — Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Previous story Dig Diary — Monday, August 12, 2013
Video Diary – Day Seven
Time is running out for free tours of the Ness dig
Dig Diary – Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Tuesday, August, 2, 2016
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Impact Investing Moves Front and Center Amid Global Demand for Social and Environmental Change
By Barney Beal
, Content Director
More than a decade after it first emerged, the private equity strategy known as “impact investing” has suddenly taken on new importance.
With the world navigating a pandemic and the U.S. and others confronting social upheaval, ensuring that investment dollars back companies that not only seek to earn profits but are also making the world a better place have taken on newfound importance.
With that backdrop, Oracle NetSuite hosted an Open for Business event designed to highlight impact investing. Whether it’s working on COVID-19 treatments, tackling key environmental challenges or providing opportunities to women and people of color, there are opportunities for impact investors today to generate healthy returns while supporting our society and planet.
And when it comes specifically to women- and minority-owned businesses, the opportunities have always been there, but so too have the prejudices, according to panelists.
Eric Bahn, co-founder and general partner of pre-seed venture capital firm Hustle Fund, believes that the practice of applying pattern matching to investment decisions has left many behind. Especially in Silicon Valley, Bahn said during the Open for Business event, the bulk of investment dollars have gone to companies run by white or Asian men who are usually graduates of prestigious schools.
Hustle Fund boasts a portfolio that’s 50% women-owned companies, with another 30% owned by “underrepresented groups.”
Bahn decided to take a closer look at why white and Asian men were getting capital. He looked for evidence that companies with these demographics performed better than those run by women or African-Americans. But his findings were inconclusive, which told him that pattern matching was a flawed approach for making investment decisions. Which is why his company chooses investments based on the equalizer of “hustle,” which Bahn defines as an optimal combination of execution and velocity.
“What is really the joy of this work is how consistently wrong I am,” Bahn said. “The right phenotype isn’t always the hustler that we’re trying to back.”
Helping Enlightened Investors Sleep Well
Kristin Hull, founder and CEO of Nia Impact Capital, which was named after the Swahili word for purpose, said enlightened investors eventually realize that they can use their money to create the world in which they want to live. Hull said one of Nia’s goals is for investors to sleep well at night knowing that their money is helping to create positive impact.
And the way she sees it, the “who” of impact investing has become more important than the “what.” She cited a study that found that women and minorities manage just 1.3% of the global investment industry’s $69 trillion in assets.
“If we’re not thinking about moving money with a racial or gender lens at this time, can we call that an impact investment?” Hull asked. “I’m not sure.”
Reforesting by Selling Apparel
Tentree is a Saskatchewan, Canada-based company that sells sustainable apparel with a very specific environmental goal: It plants 10 trees for every product sold. So far, the company has planted nearly 50 million trees, with a goal of planting a billion trees by 2030.
CEO Derrick Emsley said that when the company was founded in 2012, the founders (who were all students at the time) knew nothing about making or selling apparel, or even running a business. They started in high school by selling carbon offsets, and they wanted to transition into planting trees. Eventually they settled on apparel as a way to fund their goal while also helping to transform an industry that often has come under fire for its use of natural resources.
Along the way, the company became a Certified B Corporation, a designation that indicates a balance of purpose and profit, which has enabled it to compare itself with other conscious companies and keep the company on the cutting edge of purpose-driven business.
And here’s the thing: its focus on tree planting has actually proven to be a competitive advantage.
“Building a social and environmentally-focused business allowed us to scale in ways that others couldn’t,” said Emsley.
It didn’t matter to the founders what the company sold—Emsley said they were “product-agnostic.” But apparel has been the perfect product to help deliver environmental and industry-reform messages. (Tentree has also created technology tools designed to reinforce global reforesting efforts.)
The company would fit right into the investing sweet spot of Impact Engine, a venture firm that seeks a combination of financial and social returns. The company makes investments in four areas: education, health, environmental sustainability and economic development.
Senior Associate Chris Wu said company filters potential investments based on three qualities: skills and competencies, large market opportunities and compelling opportunities to have an impact. Applying those objective factors, the firm has amassed a portfolio that’s 70% owned by women and minorities.
One of the goals of Impact Engine’s approach is to ensure that consumer spending is routed toward products that yield a positive impact whenever possible. After all, if a purchase isn’t having a positive impact, it’s probably achieving the opposite.
“Each dollar that you spend as a consumer has an impact,” said Wu.
Opening Doors to Conscious Investing
Simply doing business with women- and minority-owned companies can help to open doors that will lead to more conscious investment decisions, panelists said.
Bahn stressed this point by pointing out his own privilege as an Asian-American man who grew up in a wealthy Michigan neighborhood and had college and his first vehicle paid for. Bahn said it was relatively easy for him to access capital in comparison to someone who came from a poor neighborhood and graduated from college with debt. That latter may take a lot longer to gain access to investment dollars, which may mean they’re further along in life and thus less positioned to take risks.
“It’s disturbing,” Bahn said of this unfair reality.
Bahn envisions a future in which small investment funds aren’t set up specifically to meet the needs of women and minorities, but rather anyone can get access to pools of private equity based on merit.
“Inclusivity is actually the way you make the most money,” said Bahn. “Why not have the ability to view talent wherever it comes from?”
Watch the full streaming event on impact investing.
How OpenView is helping SaaS Companies Scale with Certainty
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10 Tips for Raising Pre-Seed Funding Amid COVID-19
Businesses pursuing early-stage venture capital likely found their efforts waylaid, at least in part, by COVID-19. Angel investors, a main source for...
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What Our Democracy Needs to Know
Lewis Tse Pui Lung / Shutterstock.com
740 15th St NW #900 Washington, D.C. 20005
Forget about Silicon Valley, Big Pharma, and our nation’s fabled industrial conglomerates—the most formidable science and tech incubator in the history of the world is the U.S. government. But maintaining, nurturing, and continuing to develop our public “knowledge infrastructure” in and around government has become increasingly challenging. In a time of crippling political divisiveness, when the very notion of expertise has come under siege, how can we ensure that our lawmakers and citizens can continue to rely on the robust research, knowledge, and expertise-enhancing infrastructure built over the past two centuries?
Join Future Tense and TechCongress to consider whether our democracy will have the capacity in the future to address such complex issues as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and climate change adaptation, and whether our quest for technological and scientific advancement continues to be subjected to sound democratic governance.
Lunch will be provided.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
This event will be livestreamed on this page. Follow the conversation online with #FTDemocracy and @FutureTenseNow.
12:00-12:15: The Crisis of Expertise
Sheila Jasanoff
Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
Founder and Director, Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
12:15-12:45: Our Democracy’s Knowledge Infrastructure
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, @SylviaBurwell
President, American University
Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget
22nd Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Cecilia Muñoz, @cecmunoz
Vice President of Policy and Technology, New America
Director, New America National Network
Former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council
David Leonhardt, @DLeonhardt
Op-Ed Columnist and Associate Editorial Page Editor, The New York Times
12:45-1:15: Can Government Keep up with Technology?
Ari Ratner, @amratner
Founder and CEO, Inside Revolution
New America fellow, class of 2014
Lorelei Kelly, @loreleikelly
Senior Fellow, Georgetown University Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
Former "Smart Congress" Research Fellow, Open Technology Institute at New America
Kenneth Prewitt
Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs and Vice President for Global Centers, Columbia University
Former Director of the U.S. Census Bureau
Travis Moore, @travismoore
Founder and Director, TechCongress, Open Technology Institute
1:15-1:45: The Challenge of Democratizing Expertise
Arthur Daemmrich
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Director of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution
David Guston
Founding Director and Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
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Matt Ryan explains Falcons' protection issues in loss to Saints
Kelsey Conway
As the Atlanta Falcons (3-7) fell to the New Orleans Saints (8-2) on Sunday, Matt Ryan was sacked eight times. All-Pro defensive end Cam Jordan led the way with three of the Saints' eight total sacks.
Ryan and coach Raheem Morris explained the protection issues weren't just a result of one thing, multiple factors contributed to performance.
Tabeek: Loss to Saints stirs up forgettable flashbacks
They did a good job of rushing different packages the entire day," Ryan said. "They did a good job of covering on the back end. Tip your hat to them, they played well."
Morris said the Falcons' inability to get open down the field and Ryan not being able to get rid of the ball quickly played in why New Orleans was able to get home so often. The Falcons were without wide receiver Julio Jones' services for most of the game as he dealt with a hamstring injury.
Prior to the loss to the Saints, the Falcons hadn't had many games where protection was an issue. Atlanta's offensive line has been one of the most improved position groups and that's why the amount of hits Ryan took came as a surprise.
Ryan completed 19 of 37 passes for 232 yards and was hit 11 times. The Falcons were held out of the end zone with all nine points coming for field goals from Younghoe Koo.
"It was one of those days, we have to find a way to be better as we move forward," Ryan said. "We didn't do a good enough job today."
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Updated on Monday 23rd March 2020
Corporate governance in Singapore
Singapore has based its corporate governance system on the Anglo-American pattern. Corporate governance in Singapore is based on capital market control and managerial behavior. The main regulatory framework companies rely on when conducting business operation, naming managers, shareholders and their rights is the Singapore Companies Act adopted in 1990. According to the Companies Law, all shareholders rights must be specified in the Memorandum or Articles of Association of a company. The Articles of Association must be drafted according to the Fourth Schedule in the Companies Act.
The board of Singapore companies - duties and functions presented by our team who can help you open a company in Singapore
As stated in the Corporate Governance Code, Singapore companies should have a board that will control the company. The board must co-operate with the management of the company and together achieve all goals that will lead to the enterprise’s success. The board must establish the company’s aims, it must lead the company and assure the company has all necessary resources to meet those expectations. The board must also draw the code of conduct and assess the management’s performance. The board must also make sure the shareholders and third parties’ rights are respected. According to the Articles of Association of a company, the board should hold regular meetings. Our experts in company formation in Singapore can tell you more details about the responsibilities of the board of directors. Our team of incorporation agents can also help you in a wide range of corporate matters, including company liquidation in Singapore.
The chairman and chief executive officer of a Singapore company
The management of a Singapore company must also have a chairman and a chief executive officer (CEO). They will be in charge with the executive responsibility in the company’s activities. According to the Corporate Governance Code in Singapore, the chairman and CEO functions cannot be occupied by the same individual. The responsibilities of the chairman and CEO of a company must be clearly delimited and approved by the board. The chairman must act as a leader of the board and make sure all important information reaches the directors in an accurate and timely manner.
The management board of a Singapore company
The management board of Singapore companies should be appointed by the board. According to the Corporate Governance Code each company should have a nominating committee that would make pertinent recommendations to the board. The committee should have at least three independent members. The committee should also have clear guidelines that will describe their responsibilities.
Our company formation staff will provide useful information about corporate governance and will help clients in drafting the Articles of Association of companies. You can contact us if you require help with the process of opening a company in Singapore.
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Bayer Leverkusen in Florida Cup as part of German Bundesliga's push to reach American market
By Paul Tenorio
Bayer Leverkusen star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez signs autographs for fans after training at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando. (Courtesy of Florida Cup)
A few dozen fans gathered behind the goal at the ChampionsGate soccer fields early last week to catch a glimpse of Bayer Leverkusen players, namely Mexican soccer star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
Talk was of Chicharito's goal-scoring feats, a hot streak as easily watched in Florida over the past few months as in Munich thanks to global television deals. Behind the chattering fans, a United World Soccer truck sold the now-familiar red-and-black striped jerseys of a team whose factory-town history was forged some 4,600 miles away.
Bayer Leverkusen is in town to take part in this year's Florida Cup. The German team will be featured in the opening match against Colombia's Santa Fe on Sunday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and tickets are available at FloridaCup.com.
In the last decade, European soccer has become an increasingly fashionable and profitable part of the modern American soccer landscape. No league has capitalized more on the growing popularity of the sport in the U.S. than the English Premier League, which inked a six-year TV deal with NBC estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion.
That kind of cash has not gone unnoticed by the other leagues in Europe, and the German Bundesliga has made an aggressive push to jump into the American market.
Fox Sports reached a five-year deal to broadcast all Bundesliga matches, mostly on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, giving a bigger platform to some of the world's top teams – including German powerhouse Bayern Munich and 2013 Champions League runner-up Borussia Dortmund.
It has also provided a new window for some of the country's bigger clubs like Leverkusen and Schalke 04, both of whom are in Orlando for preseason training and the Florida Cup. Schalke will play the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday night.
"The United States is a very good market, an interesting market for soccer," Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade said. "I think soccer is still under development here, but you have to show up if you want to get some interest in the Bundesliga and in Bayer Leverkusen, as well. This is a famous club … but nevertheless you have to show up in order to get more fans."
Schade pointed to the ideal weather in Florida and the high competition level of the Florida Cup as the main reasons for his team traveling to Orlando for a second consecutive year, but the North American trip clearly lines up with Leverkusen's push to integrate the U.S. market.
Leverkusen recently launched an English-language Twitter feed, as well as a Spanish-language account upon signing Chicharito. The efforts to reach an audience on this side of the Atlantic have been boosted by the presence of Chicharito, one of the most famous soccer figures in Mexico and the U.S.
Yet while there is a greater appreciation for the increasing fanbase in the U.S. — and the dollar signs that come with it — there still seems to be less understanding for how far Major League Soccer has grown along with that support. That could be changed by the TV deals MLS has signed overseas with Eurosport and Sky Sports to broadcast games in Europe.
Schade said he had great hopes for soccer in America in the 1970s with the NASL, only to see the league fail and interest in the sport wane. He saw interest peak around the 1994 World Cup but saw MLS struggle in its early years, too, he said.
Now, he hopes the sport has a stronghold — and that Leverkusen can find a place in that popularity.
"I think [soccer] is coming up for a third time, and maybe for all time now," Schade said. "I know it's not in the ranking comparable with baseball and American football or hockey, but I think soccer has a great chance."
ptenorio@orlandosentinel.com
The Florida Cup will feature 10 matches, including one All-Star game. They will be played at ESPN Wide World of Sports, Lockhart Stadium and FAU Stadium.
2020-21 High school wrestling dual meet schedule
Los Angeles Chargers hire Brandon Staley, the Rams defensive coordinator, as their new head coach
Sunday's games: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Santa Fe, 5 p.m.; Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. Schalke 04, 7:30 p.m.
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando
Tickets: Start at $52 for doubleheaders and $25 for single games. They can be purchased at FloridaCup.com or at the field.
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Gualtiero Dazzi
Gualtiero Dazzi was born in Milan in 1960. Cosmopolitan, polyglot and tireless traveller, he moved in several countries since very early in his life. A lot of cultural and artistic influences are very presents in his fundamental curiosity, and in his works. This dynamic is reflected in his musical production that includes more then 70 works such as orchestral works, chamber music, vocal music, operas, electronic music, interdisciplinary works, crossover with other musical traditions, experimental music, improvisation, etc.
His first opera “La rosa de Ariadna” a tragedy inspired from the mythology and based on a libretto by a Mexican poet Francisco Serrano, was first performed in Musica Festival in Strasbourg in 1995, staged by Stéphane Braunschweig. This production was considered from the critics as one of the best complete works of the contemporary operatic scene of the last years.
It is this deep attention to the dramaturgy that gives to Gualtiero Dazzi the will he has to put the musical works in a very large cultural perspective. The relation between text and music give to his music all its expressivity, and a clear theatrical dimension.
His fourth opera “Le luthier de Venise”, commissioned by Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, was staged by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti in 2004. The challenge, for the composer and the librettist, was to compose a new work that can be easily include a normal operatic public, and young children from the age of 8, without any compromise in musical language. All the critics were eulogistic: they say that this opera gives the possibility that a non-specialist public can become reconciled with the contemporary lyric operas.
In 2009 Gualtiero Dazzi received the Florent Schmitt price for musical composition, discerned by the Fine Arts Academy of the Institut de France, as an acknowledgement for his work in that country.
His next composition “Am Saum des Gedankens”, for soprano, double choir and orchestra, is conceived to answer and to be interpreted in same concert of Mozart’s Requiem.
Recently, “Le jeu de la feuille et du vent”, for large orchestra, was created as part of the Festival Attendance March 8, 2009 at Radio France in Paris with the Rai “Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale” with conductor Daniel Kawka ; rescheduled as part of symphonic season 09/10 of Rai orchestra and presented in the international forum of UNESCO Radio classical music in Lisbon, this work was selected to be played on radio stations in 40 countries.
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Brent Davis writes – music flows through trees to the creek from Mom playing piano
December 3, 2020 By Shelli Poole Leave a Comment
BRENT DAVIS is a life-long resident of Benton. He is proud of his hometown and the good people in it. He served as editor of the Saline Courier from 2011 to 2014. He’s also the author of “As I See It – Memories & Musings of a Middle Aged Southern Man.” See the archive of his columns at www.mysaline.com/brent.
I was raised in a home filled with music. My mother played piano on one of those giant uprights that I sure wish I had back. So many memories attached to that piece of wood, wire and ivory. My sister had a record player. Eventually, Santa brought my brother and me a phonograph/8-track cassette combo on wheels. But, to this day, I have a soft spot in my heart for music played on a piano.
I remember being outside every chance I could as a youngster in the 1960s. Mid-spring temperatures invited my young soul to spend the afternoon hours doing anything outdoors. Riding my bicycle. Digging holes in the yard for no reason at all. Climbing trees. Building dirt dams across the ditch beside the house. Searching for crawdads under rocks in the creek behind our small, white framed house on Gibson Street. Not a single, solitary worry in the world.
We didn’t have air conditioning. A powerful attic fan did the trick. Mom would leave the front door open with only a screen door separating inside versus outside. Eventually, she would settle down to play and as she did, the notes would drift out, carried on the gentle breeze like a siren’s song to bewitch all who heard the enchanting sound. It wound through fences and swaying tree limbs, traveling up the street and even to the creek, reaching my ear like a hummingbird to nectar. The sound was familiar and reassuring.
In my head, I sang along with what I was hearing, because putting my voice to the tune would scare away any signs of wildlife within a three block perimeter. Even the crawdads.
I heard hymns that I had learned from several years each Sunday at Parkview Methodist Church. Songs from the old Cokesbury hymnal and Old Folks Singing at Tull. Everything from the doxology to “This is My Father’s World” to “Amazing Grace” to “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” I was as familiar with them as I was my own face.
Later in life my love for these old hymns and my mother’s playing grew when I found how she learned the piano in the first place. Once, as a young girl in Tull, she accompanied her father to the bottom lands where he would plow. While there, he placed a row of rocks on the ground and told her to imagine them to be a piano keyboard. My grandfather, or PawPaw, loved music and especially singing. I believe he passed that love to his eager daughter. He told her which notes went with each rock. He taught her about chords. But most of all, he taught her how to listen. How to hear the notes. How to feel the rhythm. That music was more than scratches on paper. It was an expression of emotion that should be played with feeling.
As that youngster back in the ’60s, the sound from that old piano was pleasant, most of the time. At others, it was my mother’s version of an alarm clock. It would go off in the morning before school at a time 15 minutes earlier than her answer to the question that my brother and I yelled to her, “What time is it?”
Her fingers would glide across the keys with extra gusto to her special rendition of “Reveille,” accompanied with vocals of “It’s time to get up, It’s time to get up, It’s time to get up in the morning!” I guess in all things there must be balance, good offset by bad.
As I have aged more than a half-century since that simpler time, I have come to realize that the whole balance thing has disappeared. Now, it’s all good.
I know that a piano is an inanimate object. After all, I am a rational grown-up on the precipice of senior citizenship. But the argument can be made that, through my mother, that mass of wood, string and ivory came to life, and through it, a love of music was passed to me through my ears, just as it had been to my mother through rocks at the river bottoms in Tull.
It’s no wonder I have a soft spot in my heart for music played on the piano.
Filed Under: Benton, Columns, Haskell, History Tagged With: brent davis, columns, common man, coronavirus, covid-19, faith, health, mental health
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Home / Games Xbox 360 / IGN Games PC / IGN News / IGN PS3 / IGN PS4 / IGN Xbox One / Life is Strange: Every choice is a double edged blade
Life is Strange: Every choice is a double edged blade
PoGo February 03, 2015 0
Episodic gaming is not a format of release commonly associated with major publishers or triple A titles. While it has actually been around in some form or another for a couple of decades, it wasn’t until the advent of Telltale Games, with the likes of Back to the Future, Walking Dead and Tales of Monkey Island, that the concept truly began to stake its claim as a viable means of development. It is however one thing to experiment with development for games that are based on existing popular media, and quite another to implement the idea for original IP, which is exactly what Square Enix and Dontnod Entertainment are planning to do with Life is Strange.
Split across five episodes with a planned delay of six weeks between instalments, Life is Strange will be a point-and-click adventure title that will see gamers play as Maxine Caufield, a high school photography senior who has returned to her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Oregon only to discover she has unlocked the power to rewind time. Initially used to save her estranged friend Chloe, soon both girls will “find themselves exposed to the darker side of Arcadia Bay” as they seek to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of another student.
While the plot may sound slightly generic at first, Dontnod are promising “a beautifully written modern adventure game” where the focus will be as much on the friendship between Chloe and Maxine as the mystery itself. Supernatural elements aside, Dontnod are hoping the settings, visuals and music (which will include a “distinct, licensed indie soundtrack”) will combine to create a story centred on the coming-of-age of the two girls, and how our choices affect who we are.
Of course the ability to manipulate time will have a drastic influence on each decision, with players having the option to rewind even while engaged in dialogue, allowing past errors to be erased and the optimal solution to be found. That’s the idea at least. The studio has stressed that even small changes can lead to significant differences, and a guiding theme behind the writing has been that every positive can have an unforeseen negative consequence, be it in the immediate or distant future. To that end, expect past decisions to haunt you across all the episodes, along with multiple endings that will depend on the choices you have made.
Life is Strange appears to be a game that draws heavily from other titles, especially Telltale Games’ past works and even Dontnod’s last release, Remember Me. While its inspirations may be clear though this is a game that appears to have plenty of promise on its own, with a clear identity and a very intriguing mechanic, if it is done right. By the time you read this the first episode will have hit the digital shelves, and adventure games would do well to keep this game in mind.
Games Xbox 360 IGN Games PC IGN News IGN PS3 IGN PS4 IGN Xbox One
IGN Xbox One
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Brexit: Wheels Coming Off - 01/15/2021 - Yves Smith
Guest Post: A New Civil Rights Movement is Afoot for the Middle Class
By John Bougearel, Director of Futures and Equity Research at Structural Logic.
The core of America is the middle class. And Harvard Law Professor and chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel COP ( the COP is to oversee TARP, the Troubled Assets Relief Program) Elizabeth Warren tells us that the core of America is being carved up, hollowed out. In her words, “I Believe Middle Class is Under Terrific Assault…Middle class became the turkey at the Thanksgiving dinner” of the financial elite. Elizabeth Warren is more than just right.
Call it for what it is. It has more names than Satan. Call it plundering. Call it pillaging. Call it extortion, Call it fraud. Call it racketeering. Call it the financial raping of the middle class. Call it criminal. Consider the following. Middle class never consented to this financial rape. They vehemently protested it when the gov’t first proposed a $700 bailout of the financial system called TARP in Septermber 2008. Yet what did Congress and our government do? They went ahead and did it anyway. This boils down to one thing, taxation without representation. Our votes do not matter anymore.
This is happening because the US government is allowing it to happen. It is one thing for the government to raise the social safety nets for the poor, elderly and such. It is entirely another to raise the social safety nets for the financial elitists at taxpayer expense. But that is exactly what the government has done in the past year. They have rescued a financial system at the expense of everyone else. Mythical constructs and messages that financial companies are Too Big to Fail, systemic risk is too great, No More Lehman Brothers have been created by the powers that be. And it is in the name of No More Lehman Brothers and Too Big to Fail that Middle Class America is being carved up and hollowed out.
Appearing in Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore asks Elizabeth Warren (regarding the $700 billion dollar taxpayer funded bailout of the financial elite) “Where’s are money? And Warren takes a deep breath, looks briefly over her left shoulder (as if she might find it there), and exhales “I don’t know.”
Washington Post’s Lois Romano asked Elizabeth Warren, “Why don’t you know?”
WARREN: We don’t know where the $700 billion dollars is because the system was initially designed to make sure that we didn’t know. When Secretary Paulson first put this money out into the banks, he didn’t ask for ‘what are you going to do with it.’ He didn’t put any restrictions on it. He didn’t put any tabs on where it was going to go. In other words, he didn’t ask…
US Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson did not ask the banks what they were going to do with our taxpayer money. The US treasury, given Congressional blessing, simply gave the banksters hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars with no questions asked. This is wholesale taxation without representation.
So Romano asks Warren, “Are we, as an [economy] are we better off systemically now? Have we put things in place to prevent this from happening?” Warren replies “This really has me worried.” And it should have Warren worried because our Humpty Dumpty financial system had a great fall, and Humpty was put together again by all the King’s horses (read the US Treasury and Congress) and all the King’s men (read Uncle Sam’s taxpayers), Yet, Humpty Dumpty is still the same old fragile egg he was when he sat on a wall right before he had his great fall.
WARREN: A year ago the big concern was systemic risk and how to deal with ‘too big to fail’ firms…the big are bigger, we wiped out a lot of small folks and there’s more concentration” in the banking system.
And it is not just the Humpty Dumpty financial system that is so fragile.
WARREN: The way I see it is that the financial system itself is quite fragile, and that the underlying economy, the real economy, jobs, housing, household wealth, is still in a very perilous state.
So Lois Romano asks Warren, “Are we going to look back in two or three years at this TARP expenditure and say well, it worked.”
WARREN: “What is so astonishing about the first expenditures under TARP was that taxpayer dollars were put into financial institutions that were still, um, left all of their shareholders intact, that were still paying dividends, that paid their creditors 100 cents on the dollar. We put taxpayer money in without saying ‘you’ve got to use up everyone else’s money first.’ And once that’s the case, I don’t know how you ever put the genie back in the bottle. I don’t know how you ever persuade either a large corporation or the wider marketplace that if you can just get big enough and tie yourself to enough other important people, institutions, that if something goes wrong, the taxpayer will be behind you
That’s a game-changer. That is a whole different approach than any we’ve ever used before.
ROMANO: What more can we be doing to protect the middle class, to protect what Michael Moore refers to as the American Dream?
WARREN: “You know, the answer is we’re in trouble on so many fronts. In the 1950s and the 1960s, coming out of World War II, we said as a government and as a people, ‘what can we do to support the middle class?’ That’s what, FHA was to help people get into homes, right? VA, uh, G.I. loans on education. We looked at policies by whether they strengthened and support the middle class. Somewhere that began to change in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the middle class instead became like a resource to be pulled from. They became the turkey at the Thanksgiving dinner. Who could carve off a piece, who could get this little piece, who could make a profit from this piece and that piece or squeeze down on the wages? And, the middle class has gotten shakier and shakier, hollowed out.
The consequences of that are far more than economic. The middle class is what makes us who we are. It affects the poor. A strong and vital middle class is a middle class that can offer a helping hand to the poor. A strong and vital middle class is a middle class that has room, is creating new jobs to, basically to suck the poor up out of poverty and into middle class positions. The middle class is what gives us political stability. It’s what gives us an America that’s all bought in to the whole process. That what we do is not just about a handful of folks at the top who profit from it. We all profit from it. And that’s why we work, and that’s why we vote, and that’s why we accept the outcome of elections, and, that’s why we’re safe to walk our streets, because we have a middle class for which this ultimately works, this country.
And every time we hollow that out. Every time we take away a little piece of that. We run the risk that some of what we understood as America, some of what we know as America, begins to die.
That’s what scares me.
Aaron Task interviewed Elizabeth Warren at The Economist’s Oct 15-16 “Buttonwood Gathering“ In that interview, Warren says,
The big banks always get what they want. They have all the money, all the lobbyists. And boy is that true on this one. There’s just not a lobby on the other side.
This is a moment when all around the country people are saying we’ve had it about up to here with these large financial institutions that want to write the rule then take our money. I find it astonishing that they have the nerve to show up and say, ‘I’m a big financial institution. I took your money. And now I’m going to lobby against anything that might offer some protection to ordinary families in this marketplace.
“This might be the time that the rules change.
The Buttonwood Gathering event took place over the weekend following Q3 earnings announcements from the big banks. Because of the taxpayer bailout of these big banks, some of them, namely JPM and GS are now enjoying record profits and will enjoy record bonuses this season. The irony is overwhelming that this is happening in 2009. Because of the failure of the financial system, more than 7 million middle class jobs have been lost, and the US economy is confronting double digit unemployment for the first time since 1982. Without taxpayer dollars, these record profits and record bonuses in 2009 would not even be possible for the big banks. Hell, without taxpayer dollars zombifying them with congressional and White House sanctioning, they’d have gone the way of the dinosaurs, the way of the buggy whips. That is the way history should have gone. But no, that is counterfactual now. There is something very wrong in America, the very way it is being run by government, and run over by the big banks. It is high time for middle class America to push back, precisely because our elected officials have not only failed to do so, but have legislated all of this to make it happen. Our government has become an active agent in the gutting of the middle class.
Commenting on Wall Street’ record 2009 bonuses Elizabeth Warren says she is
Wordless, Speechless. I do not understand how financial institutions could think they could take taxpayer money and turn around and act like it’s business as usual…I don’t understand how they can’t see that the world has changed in a fundamental way – it’s not business as usual.
While these critical interviews with Elizabeth Warren have been taking place in recent days, Naked Capitalism’s Yves Smith has been picking up threads of some push-back and and within Wall Street itself and amongst professionals on the periphery of WS, regarding the abuses of the financial elite awarding themselves record bonuses while the rest of the country goes to hell in a handbasket. From Yves,
There is a group of varying sizes, depending on the topic, that e-mails among itself, mainly professional investors, analysts, economists (I’m usually on the periphery but sometimes chime in). I never saw such an angry, active, and large thread about the Goldman BS fest today. Now if people who have not suffered much, and are presumably benefiting from the market recovery are furious, it isn’t hard to imagine that what looks like complacency in the heartlands may simply be contained rage looking for an outlet.
But per the social psychology research, this “you are in a minority, you are wrong” message DOES dissuade a lot of people. It is remarkably poisonous. And it discourages people from taking concrete action. I was surprised that some people bothered to comment on a post I put up yesterday, calling on people in the Chicago area to attend some peaceful demonstrations against the banking industry during the American Bankers Association national meeting, October 25 through 27. Some people weighed in, saying (basically) “don’t bother”.
I suppose it makes a difference whether one is old enough to remember the 1960s. Because people in large numbers got out and protested, two sets of changes that seemed impossible came about: civil rights for blacks and an end to the US involvement in Vietnam (if you read the histories, the military and intelligence experts were on the whole persuaded it was an unwinnable war, but it was seen as too costly to US prestige for America to withdraw).
And even if the effort you make narrowly is not successful (does any one person’s effort have much impact?) it breeds apathy and cynicism to suggest that doing nothing is the best course of action. If nothing else, it is better for one’s psyche to do what one can, however small, to make a difference.
Now America does not have a tradition of taking to the streets; demonstrations and rallies historically are working class affairs. But the middle class is on a path of downward mobility while the elites continue to take the cream. The widening gap might waken some impulses that have been dormant in the American psyche.
I happened to grow up in the sixties, on Sheridan Avenue in Chicago, and watched the protests march right past our homes. We stood on the street corner as kids and watched. We were too young to understand fully what was going on, but these were civil rights protests led by Martin Luther King. From Wikipedia:
The Chicago Freedom Movement, the most ambitious civil rights campaign in the North, lasted from mid-1965 to early 1967. It represented the alliance of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO). In 1965, SCLC, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., was looking for a site to prove that nonviolent direct action could bring about social change outside of the South. Since 1962, the CCCO, a coalition of local civil rights and community groups, had responded to rising anger over racial inequality, especially in the public schools, in the city of Chicago to build the most sustained local civil rights movement in the North. The activism of the CCCO pulled SCLC to Chicago as did the work of Bernard LaFayette and James Bevel, two veterans of the southern civil rights movement, on the city’s west side.
In the early summer of 1966, it focused its attention on housing discrimination. By late July it was staging regular marches into all-white neighborhoods on the city’s southwest and northwest sides. The hostile response of white residents and the determination of civil rights activists to continue to crusade for open housing alarmed City Hall and attracted the attention of the national press. In mid-August, high-level negotiations began between city leaders, movement activists, and representatives of the Chicago Real Estate Board. On August 26, after the Chicago Freedom Movement had declared that it would march into Cicero , site of a fierce race riot in 1951, an agreement, consisting of positive steps to open up housing opportunities in metropolitan Chicago , was reached.
The Summit Agreement was the culmination of months of organizing and direct action. It did not, however, satisfy all activists, some of whom, in early September 1966, marched on Cicero . Furthermore, after the open-housing marches, the Chicago Freedom Movement lost its focus and momentum. By early 1967, Martin Luther King and SCLC had decided to train their energies on other targets, thus marking the end of this striking campaign.
The Chicago Freedom Movement helped train a spotlight on housing discrimination and thus shaped national debate that led to the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. And a number of new organizations-such as the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, Operation Breadbasket (later Rainbow/PUSH Coalition), and the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities)-continued to fight against racial injustice.
Yves post on the anger within the financial industry this week sparked a lot of comment from her readership.
K Ackermann says:
“The public is not powerless. It is just unwilling. There is a huge difference, and I hope people like yourself start taking up the meme.”
K’s comment is interesting because he or she acknowledges in one sentence that the middle class is not powerless, just unwilling, and then in the next sentence hopes that someone else will take up the “meme.” First off this is not a “meme.” This is a cause, and clearly Ackermann is unwilling to partake in the cause.
Another commenter supports old-fashioned activism but fears “activism now is like shouting into the storm.” This is a good analogy of futility. But guess what, did MLK consider his cause futile, did not he have a raging storm against which he had to make his voice heard? Do we not have the same responsibility as middle class Americans to make our voices heard above the raging storm? Do we not have a Dylan Thomas onus of responsibility to not go gently into the night and rage against the dying of the light (read middle class America)?
Francois T says ”Why no mass protests? It’ll come; but only when the threats to survival become much more immediate, like barely any food on the table for entire tranches of citizens.
And even then; look at Mexico. The amount of poverty down there is pretty staggering by our own standards. See any mass protests?
Ironically, I believe only a dedicated group of powerful renegades* could change something, like financing and make legit a 3rd party.
Now, THAT would be some change.
*I’m willing to bet my last n’gwee that there are quite a few very wealthy/powerful Americans that looks at the actual socio-economic landscape with a bewildered “WTF is going on here?” amazement mixed with deep disquiet. Whether they’re willing to do anything about it is another matter, but the first step to action is to become conscious of your surroundings.
Daniel de Paris wrote,
As a reader of Tocqueville and a complete parochial Frenchy, I believe that the effective American way – politically speaking – is local and grass-root.
There is practically no political action possible at Washington-level except for external affairs. Wars started in Washington can and have to be stopped in Washington.
The chances of the US are at grass-root level. Grass-root movements à la sixties to stop these crazy military budgets and grass-roots justice action for financial crime.
Skippy chimed in on Yves comments to juxtapose the difference between protest and pseudo-protest, , and to juxtapose the non-violent protest advocated by MLK vs the violent protest advocated by Malcolm X in the 1960s.
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=62478301&blogId=364528702
“As you know, the non-violent protests MLK organized were starkly different from the riots celebrated and encouraged by Malcolm X. And there was also a huge difference in effectiveness. MLK’s civil rights movement changed the face of America, whereas the riots left in their wake bitterness and destruction and no concrete improvement. As MLK wrote in Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community: “If a method is not effective, no matter how much steam it releases, it is an expression of weakness, not of strength.”
On pseudo-protests Skippy quotes from Richard Bernstein’s Dictatorship of Virtue
The fact is that assaulting the establishment, declaiming against the racism and sexism of society, reiterating the approved phrases about oppression and exclusion, promising to uncover previously neglected worlds, these require not a jot of courage these days. These are the sanctioned activities of the counterestablishment, the gestures and idioms that gain approval and lead to good opportunities, to jobs, to prizes, to book contracts, to prominence in American life… There is no risk in smashing the icons. There are millions of dollars in foundation grants available for people who claim they are doing so.
Skippy continues:
“All of this government and private largess lavished on protesters and protest groups remained somewhat of a quandary for me until I moved to Mexico, where political theater has evolved into a most highly refined art form. Here the plutocrats fund the unions, the protesters, the press and the putative opposition party. You name it, they pay for it all. So I began to put two and two together about how that might work in the US as well.
But on the US scene, perhaps it was Hannah Arendt who was quickest to grasp what was going on:
No doubt, “violence pays,” but the trouble it pays indiscriminately, for “soul courses” and instruction in Swahili as well as for real reforms. And since the tactics of violence and disruption make sense only for short-term goals, it is even more likely, as was recently the case in the United States, that the established power will yield to nonsensical and obviously damaging demands—such as admitting students without the necessary qualifications and instructing them in non-existent subjects—if only such “reforms” can be made with comparative ease, than that violence will be effective with respect to the relatively long-term objective of structural change.
–Hannah Arendt, Crises of the Republic
We were all quick to pick up on the fact that the tea partiers and healthcare protesters were not protesters but pseudo-protesters. According to James Q. Wilson, writing in Political Organizations, pseudo-protest concerns itself not so much with concrete objectives as it does with venting frustrations and moral outrage. Pseudo-protest has as its goal the articulation of a broader cause, vision of the world, or ideology; whereas protest seeks more palpable rewards such as jobs, decent living wages, the end of segregation or the right to vote.
Protest is a moral act and an extremely effective agent of change. Pseudo-protest is therapy for persons with a chip on their shoulders or a job for the growing ranks of professional protesters. It is impotent or even an impediment to change.”
Skippy makes an important distinction, up until now, most of the protest with regard to the abuses heaped upon the middle class by Wall Street and the US government has mostly been of the “therapeutic-pseudo” kind. But real protest is, as Skippy says and MLK (and Ghandi and others) have proved, a moral act and an extremely effective agent of change. The 1960s was a civil rights movement for blacks and it worked for effective lasting change. A new civil rights movement is afoot today, but today its a civil rights movement for the middle class.
If we are to take up a civil rights movement for the middle class Richard Kline points out that we must dispel the illusions, deception, and lies from MSM and that one of “the function[s] of a citizen is first, to understand that the official view is certain to be a spun-sugar bouffant of lies, and then second, to gather information which tests its accuracy. This is not, actually, that hard to do, because real information about the world and its venal, sad, hilarious ways lies everywhere by the roadside for the taking. —But even that is too much of an effort for homo Americanus. The fact that most Americans get their ‘news’ from television, a substantiall fact-free action video, tells the story in words few enough to fit on a postcard. “La-La Land, wish you were here. XOXOXO, the Family.” *hmmphh*
Craazyman noted that the middle class crisis and issues that we are confronting today is very difficult to get our arms around, and so it leads to resignation amongst the middle class.
“The primary problem, I think, is a lack of a clear and convincing alternative economic approach to the one we now have.
The issues of central banking, credit, regulation and capital ratios are so esoteric and so remote that few Americans can really build a world view around them. Not out of lack of intelligence but simply because it’s a completely foreign language.
In Vietnam the body bags and grainy video from the jungle were so emotionally brutal that they had the force needed for change. Waterhosing the children of Alabama, the ugly angry mobs of hatefilled faces, they shocked anyone of good conscience. And the ideological foundation of the American political system was the rocket fuel for social equality.
But when it comes to money and wealth, there’s a strong historical sense that “our system” — loosely defined as government-supported and managed free market free trade capitalism — has proven itself better than all the alternatives. This is quite subjective in the particulars and details, but the big picture — compared to communist Russia, China, the third world, Africa and even the slightly sclerotic “old Europe” or the sort of strange and rough post-communist Europe. None compete in the popular mind as an attractive alternative.
“If a few executives in New York make millions pulling the levers of our way of life, then, well, it’s a shame and they’re a bunch of assholes, but at the end of the day, what can we do about it?” This, I think, is sort of a distillation of the communal mind’s point of view at a subliminal level.
There is nothing in this crisis to grab on to — intellectually and ideologically — for most people. Just a stewing frustrated rage that something isn’t right with the big picture. And so we have a bewildering range of targets for rage including too much government, too little government, taxes too low, taxes too high, not enough bank lending, too much bank lending.
There’s no center, no point of communal traction that could be sloganeered into a reference point to rally around.
And so people acquiesce to a state of affairs that they know is messed up, but they don’t know quite why or what to do about it– other than tune out the morons on TV and try to survive the night in the jungle. And they don’t want to risk a wholesale upheaval that might make things worse.
It’s truly a policy wonk’s crisis. A crisis that requires some real statesmen and women who have political power, to step up and steer. Sadly, they seem few and far between.”
Picking up on Craazyman’s thread, Downsouth said,
“Ah, the sewing of hoplessness and disillusionment so thte people turn to defeatism or nihilism: It’s a method of social control as old as the hills, the ruling classes having deployed some of their finest thinkers to its engenderment and perpetuation.
It is a testament to the intelligence and thoroughness of the ruling elite that the ancient tactics of social control, long used in religion, have now been extended to the world of “science,” infusing the academe with pseudo-scientific dogmas such as the “finding” that nothing possibly can be done to correct the problem of free-riding in society.
“Rage is by no means an automatic reaction to misery and suffering as such;” Arendt observes in Crises of the Republic, “no one reacts with rage to an incurable disease or to an earthquake or, for that matter, to social conditions that seem to be unchangeable.”
Arendt thus gives us the reason why, first through religion and then later through “science,” the ruling elite hoped to persuade us that the city of this world is a “compact of injustice,” that “society is consigned to the devil” and that the social problem is “insoluble on any ethical basis”.
To reiterate what Yves said in her post
“I suppose it makes a difference whether one is old enough to remember the 1960s. Because people in large numbers got out and protested, two sets of changes that seemed impossible came about: civil rights for blacks and an end to the US involvement in Vietnam…”
Cullpepper wrote: Ho, ho, ho, Look out Yves, you just became the new face of the neo-populist movement.” I would not go so far as to say Yves is the face of the populist movement. There many faces on the populist movement to effect change. Elizabeth Warren is a far more visible persona and champion of the middle class. In fact, Warren has written two books on why the middle class never had it so bad!
And then there is the documentarist Michael Moore and journalists Lois Romano, Aaron Task, and so many countless others. Many folks are simply beginning to act in concert and at the same time. The catalyst for a middle class civil rights movement has arrived.
To that end, economists William Black and Dean Baker are hosting a demonstration in Chicago to remonstrate against Wall Street on Oct 25-27 in Chicago at the American Bankers Association annual meeting.
The sessions are organized by a coalition of community, consumer and labor organizations and are called “Showdown in Chicago“.
A number of commentators are planning a series of related posts and hopefully op-ed and news articles around this time. I will be attending, too and I look forward to seeing everyone there who can attend.
The Forgotten Man
This is the time to stand up for ourselves and be heard. Who are we? We are the Forgotten Man that Yale professor and sociologist William Graham Sumner wrote about at the end of the nineteenth century:
“The type and formula of most schemes of philanthropy or humanitarianism is this: A and B put their heads together to decide what C shall be made to do for D. The radical vice of all these schemes, from a sociological point of view, is that C is not allowed a voice in the matter, and his position, character, and interests, as well as the ultimate effects on society through C’s interests, are entirely overlooked. I call C the Forgotten Man.”
“As soon as A observes something which seems to him to be wrong, from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B, and A and B then propose to get a law passed to remedy the evil and help X. Their law always proposes to determine what C shall do for X, or in the better case, what A, B, and C shall do for X…. [W]hat I want to do is to look up C…. He is the man who never is thought of.”
“He works, he votes, generally he prays–but he always pays. . . .”
In closing, I leave you with a quote from Michael Moore’s documentary to ponder:
“There has got to be some kind of rebellion between the people who have nothing and the people who have got it all.” Think about that and come on out this weekend!
Go to The Showdown website subtitled, “The American People vs Wall Street Banks.” , it is very cool. Clipped from their website:
This entry was posted in Banking industry, Guest Post, Politics, The destruction of the middle class on October 21, 2009 by Yves Smith.
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Tim October 21, 2009 at 3:40 am
Street protests were only the tool for the Civil Rights movement to place pressure on centers of power. But it wasn’t just the fact that people marched, that applied the pressure. Birmingham and Montgomery are good examples here.
Jesse October 21, 2009 at 3:44 am
This is interesting to me, because I was there. As a student I took the summer off and spent it in Chicago with Operation Breadbasket, and also joined in the protests at the time.
I don’t have a feel for what is going on in the campuses now anymore in the US. I am sure a great deal of it was sparked by the idealism of the time, the post Kennedy disillusioment and trauma that wracked the nation, the momentum of the Civil Rights movemet, and of course the draft for a highly unpopular war.
I hope Washington and the Corporations do not keep pushing this, but I fear that they will. Some would like a confrontation, which justifies a reaction and a further infringement and assault on the Constitution.
There are already rumblings about the need to be watchful for ‘domestic terrorism.’
Bring on the November 2010 elections, and perhaps a summer of peaceful demonstrations, and hopefully genuine change will come. I have no desire to see the riots and mass demonstartions again, no matter how worthwhile their objective might have been.
IF October 21, 2009 at 3:49 am
I like the first third of this article, but then it gets really confusing. Too many mirrors reflecting off each other.
attempter October 21, 2009 at 4:03 am
If so, perhaps that’s fitting, since at the moment precisely What Is To Be Done? is unclear.
But the first critical step is for a committed core of people to agree on action in principle, that this fraudulent “center” cannot hold and must not hold.
The best thing about such a panorama is how it counteracts the intention of the MSM (mentioned in the post) to convince any budding activist that he is in fact alone and disenfranchised. The goal of the corporate media is to keep the people atomized.
So the goal of alternative media must be to generate the sense of vast unity, community, good will, resolution, and fusion, and then help take that sense and organize it into reality.
Toby October 21, 2009 at 6:26 am
Globally, in my opinion. This is a global problem, not a middle class US problem. The US middle class represents about 1-2% of global population (I think) — there are more sociopaths out there! This crisis is NOT about that tiny a percentage of the world’s peoples.
We operate a system which distributes planetary resources in a profoundly inefficient and unbalanced way, and which also seems incapable of taking the single most important element of all this into account: the environment. I’m not talking about global climate change per se (I don’t know enough about it) but about the ecosystem generally, and the way (e.g. built-in obsolscence) its resources are so unevenly distributed, and our terrible attitude to waste. On these points “free” market economics scores very poorly indeed.
The radical alternative would be a resource-based economy, which can ONLY be implemented globally. This would be a multi-generational transition, and from where I sit would only have a slim chance of success, but the idea, by my lights, is strong enough to at least begin testing it. Persisting in applying those solutions and methodologies which created the very problems we’re trying to fix, is insanity. New ways of thinking about, and seeing the problem must be established as a matter of urgency.
Don Marti October 21, 2009 at 9:40 am
The US middle class does _own_ a huge percentage of the world’s wealth. Problem is that we’ve just signed control of it over to mutual fund managers, through 401(k) programs. If we figured out how to get our own property away from the kleptocrats and manage it ourselves, we’d keep more of our retirements savings and have more local jobs. (Unless your local job is at a BMW dealership in Westchester County, NY, in which case, sorry.)
catkiller October 21, 2009 at 4:18 am
these people are hard-wired to do what they do.
from their perspective, they own the empire, and are renting you space.
are you really prepared to take on the banks?
are you ready to take your money out?
if so, set a date, and take it out in binary increments every month, $1k, then 2K, etc.
a rally is a good start, but, ultimately, you have to take that gun out of their hand.
the informed money has already started the run.
Peter T October 21, 2009 at 4:20 am
It is still unclear to me what should be demanded concretely to limit the evil that the banks are doing. With diffuse opposition to banks in general (which I do not share), the protest might end like the regular protest against the G7 or G20 – regular demonstrations with small effect.
One problem is the diffuse definition of middle class: everybody seem to want to be part of it, but what is it exactly and where does middle class end?
bob October 21, 2009 at 4:45 am
…and some prefer cucumbers better pickled.
Worry about getting their attention first. Defining the rules of engagement only strengthens their positions, they don’t dare let you know what they are fighting for and how they are going to accomplish it.
Excellent post. More doing, less talking.
Skippy October 21, 2009 at 4:41 am
The Quotes were provided by DownSouth, you’ll need to amend that.
SKippy…the only credit I wish laid at my feet, would be that my children gave back more than they used in their lifetimes.
Patrick Neid October 21, 2009 at 6:44 am
I love it when the wannabe elites label people, whom they did not organize, “pseudo protesters”. The only push back against the machinations of the politicians/bankers is coming from the derided tea baggers.
Everyone else is wasting ink pretending they have a clue while mocking the folks, who for whatever reasons, have gotten off their asses and stepped outside. But get a bunch of socialist community organizers together in Chicago and now you have an official “protest”. LOL. Trust me, the middle class wants nothing to do with these folks.
bd October 21, 2009 at 2:07 pm
It’s only a protest if the “liberals” say it is? All other protests are simply “orchestrated”? What exactly would you call this call to action? Spontaneous?
I despise the blatant theft that continues unabated as much as anyone. But why is there such animosity towards the “tea parties”? I would venture to say that the tea party protesters have caught more flack from the progressives than their beloved Obama and the democratically controlled congress. Remind me again who is calling the shots here? Wall Street and the tea parties?
I am no conservative. As I stated in the comments section of Ives original post regarding the protests, I protested several times in the lead up to the Iraq Invasion and after we attacked. However, the minute you begin to disparage citizens you believe might be “conservatives” for their protests and then look to Michael Moore to help carry the torch, you immediately turnoff the other 50% of potential allies in your cause (i.e. independents, conservatives, non-socialist liberals). We are all enraged at this point. Why all the pot shots and the idolizing of polarizing individuals to support your cause? They only serve to divide rather than unite.
DownSouth October 21, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Patrick and bd,
Your comments are misinformed and misguided on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin.
The issues are more complicated than your Manichean left-right, conservative-liberal worldview can accommodate. If you had been following the discussions here on NC for the past few months, you would be aware of that. The criticism of the liberal-left on this blog has been fierce, so your comments are not based on any factual reality.
The “tea baggers” were indeed pseudo-protesters, for a number of reasons. I won’t go into the full litany of those reasons, other than to provide the two following videos from the recent G-20 in Pittsburgh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etv8YEqaWgA&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74jD1sgfMuo
These videos depict the way protesters who don’t have the imprimatur of the plutocracy are treated. They certainly got “off their asses and stepped outside,” and did they ever pay a price for it. Please note the way they were treated vs. the way your hallowed “tea baggers” were treated.
These videos are pretty weak. The students were not protesting a thing. They were out having a good time and the police told hem to leave. They did not and the rest is pretty standard. Everyone is trying to recreate the 60’s. LOL.
DownSouth October 21, 2009 at 6:47 am
Joining the chorus is Neil Barofsky.
The cost of the TARP program, he contends, goes far beyond the monetary cost:
One is the hard cost of borrowing money to fund the rescues of banks and other companies. The others are, according to Barofsky, less tangible but no less important: The danger that comes with rewarding companies that took excessive risk, and the loss of the government’s credibility with taxpayers.
“You can’t just think of this program in terms of dollars and cents,” Barofsky told CNNMoney. “We try to bring attention to these other costs, which have the potential to dwarf the monetary loss in dollars.”
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/21/news/economy/sigtarp_bailout_report/index.htm?postversion=2009102103
Make sure to not miss the video of CNN’s live interview with Barofsky.
Barofsky pulls no punches, and one gets a true sense of the magnitude of the arrogance and perfidy exuded by the Obama administration.
NS October 21, 2009 at 8:05 am
Excellent analysis. The complexity of the problems makes it difficult to wage effective protests. Like with terrorists who are without a country, so too are the financial terrorists who hijacked the government and made everyone, all aspects of living; except their families, commodities for profit.
We are all held hostage, as hostages our MSM sees us in the same light. Independent journalism died long ago as gigantic corporate/financial and by extension-government hijacked it too. Nothing, no part of our lives is untouched by the most massive robbery in the history of man. This is a sickness which justifies any means to turn a profit, including starvation of masses off our shores through opaque commodity plays as just one very small example.
Divide and conquer in our living rooms, we are led to believe we are solitary in our beliefs, our situations, our abilities. Using 30 second spots to prove the population is as deaf, dumb and blind as our politicians. It is a pathological contempt of those who provided endless profits, endless liquidity for Wall Street via 401Ks as the only means to save and keep the value of earned dollars.
This not so, once an apolitical venue is created for the disenfranchised that includes what was the middle class, what is a larger and larger base of those in poverty or skating on its edge despite decades of production, education, etc. the game will change. This is the unrecognized and potential giant unpredictable hazard.
I cannot help but believe that, if Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be one of President Obama’s leading critics.
There is a dire need today for a liberalism which is truly liberal. What we are witnessing today in so many northern communities is a sort of quasi liberalism which is based on the principle of looking sympathetically at all sides. It is a liberalism so bent on seeing all sides that it fails to become committed to either side. It is a liberalism that is so objectively analytical that it is not subjectively committed. It is a liberalism which is neither hot or cold, but lukewarm.
These words come from King’s speech “Give us the ballot—we will transform the South.” Is not the “quasi liberalism” King speaks of not a perfect match for the brand of liberalism practiced by Obama?
King was quick to distinguish those of Obama’s ilk from the “closed-minded reactionaries” who “gain prominence and power by the dissemination of false ideas, and by deliberately appealing to the deepest hate responses within the human mind.”
But King’s theology required him to judge those who “cooperated with evil” no less harshly than those who were evil. “It may be that our generation will have to repent not only for the diabolical actions and vitriolic words of the children of darkness,” he wrote in “The Current Crisis in Race Relations”, “but also for the crippling fears and tragic apathy of the children of light.”
As King went on to conclude in his “Give us the ballot” speech:
I cannot close without stressing the urgent need for strong, courageous and intelligent leadership from the Negro community. We need leadership that is calm and yet positive. This is no day for the rabble-rouser, whether Negro or white. We must realize that we are grappling with such a complex problem there is no place for misguided emotionalism. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for the goal of freedom, but we must be sure that our hands are clean in the struggle. We must never struggle with falsehood, hate or malice. Let us never become bitter.
King also issued a call for leadership in his speech “Facing the challenge of a new age:”
Another thing that we must do in speeding up the coming of the new age is to develop intelligent, courageous and dedicated leadership. This is one of the pressing needs of the hour. In this period of transition and growing social change, there is a dire need for leaders who are calm and yet positive, leaders who avoid the extremes of “hot-headedness” and “Uncle Tomism.” The urgency of the hour calls for leaders of wise judgment and sound integrity—leaders not in love with money, but in love with justice; leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with humanity; leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause. To paraphrase Holland’s words:
God give us leaders!
A time like this demands strong minds, great hearts,
True faith and ready hands;
Leaders whom the lust for office does not kill;
Leaders whom the spoils of life cannot buy;
Leaders who possess opinions and a will;
Leaders who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall leaders, sun crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and private thinking.
And in “The burning truth in the South,” King imbued the Civil Rights Movement with the spirit of the American Revolution:
It would be futile to deplore, as many do, the tensions accompanying the social changes. Tension and conflict are not alien nor abnormal to growth but are the natural results of the process of changes. A revolution is occurring in both the social order and the human mind. One hundred eighty-four years ago a bold group of men signed the Declaration of Independence. If their struggle had been lost they had signed their own death warrant. Nevertheless, though explicitly regretting that King George had forced them to this extreme by a long “train of abuses,” they resolutely acted and a great new society was born. The Negro students, their parents and their allies are acting today in that imperishable tradition.
s.tristero October 21, 2009 at 3:07 pm
as a person who has read much of MLK’s writings and listened to almost every one of his recorded speeches, i absolutely wholeheartedly agree.
if this burgeoning movement really wishes for deep fundamental change without the escalation into violence, it would be wise for every single person involved to read the passages that you have provided.
let them sink in, and then read them again. and then speak them aloud for everyone to hear. it’s hard to label people preaching the words of Dr. King as ‘domestic terrorists’.
thank you very much for sharing.
Maggie October 21, 2009 at 9:03 am
They just never stop…
Note: Americans are living in a real life Gosford Park, an upstairs, downstairs economy where most of us will spend our lives “in service”.
What is going to be the seminal work that makes this fact transparent to us?
At any rate, from bloomberg this morning:
Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) — A Goldman Sachs International adviser defended compensation in the finance industry as his company plans a near-record year for pay, saying the spending will help boost the economy.
“We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieve greater prosperity and opportunity for all,” Brian Griffiths, who was a special adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said yesterday at a panel discussion hosted by St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The panel’s discussion topic was, “What is the price of morality in the marketplace?”
cswake October 21, 2009 at 9:26 am
“It is one thing for the government to raise the social safety nets for the poor, elderly and such. It is entirely another to raise the social safety nets for the financial elitists at taxpayer expense.”
The principal is the same – Government bureaucrats pandering to a minority to fulfill their self-serving interest at taxpayer expense. The initial act of sacrificing the principal guaranteed the outcome.
zephyrum October 21, 2009 at 9:34 am
In any group it takes a relatively small minority, for certain behaviors, to steer everyone else. 10% of bar patrons in a fight is a full-blown riot.
We’ve had more than a sufficient number of greedy people to steer us into our current financial morass, and our government and corporate leadership has acted to accelerate the decline. Now we need an equal number acting in remedy and some leadership to fall in line. This may take time to assemble, but the trends are certainly making the necessary number of people available through unemployment.
(And @Maggie, that’s appalling, but just as Orwell predicted.)
Mike Lieber October 21, 2009 at 9:38 am
The national government in the U.S.A. is broken. Protests, tea parties, letters to the editor, etc. aimed at the political elite will fail, because they have neither the will nor the means to repair it.
There is one — and only one — solution available to us: a constitutional convention. If we do not soon acknowledge that the problems afflicting our government are systemic and require reforms at the most fundamental, structural level of our political system, everything we cherish about our country will soon dissolve in the cesspool of corrosive sludge that is currently eating away at the foundations of our society.
The Founding Fathers recognized the eventuality that we now find ourselves confronted with, which is why they vested ultimate power, or “sovereignty,” in the people. Their framework was brilliant, but they knew that any government, no matter how well conceived, was vulnerable to the imperfections of the human condition. They also recognized that no constitution could be perpetual, which is why in Article V, they provided the mechanisms for changing it – one of which is a convention. This safety valve has never been used, but the time has now come for us to exercise our sovereignty to preserve for ourselves and our posterity the many blessings purchased for us with their blood sacrifice.
We have been conditioned to revere our constitution, and rightly so, I believe, but our collective worship of a document written 222 years ago must end if we are to salvage the republic it created.
We cannot accomplish this without the participation of the masses of the public who, for numerous reasons, are not actively engaged in our political system. My novel, “Ops Populi: Inception” was written with them in mind: To engage them through what I hope is an entertaining story in the cause of their country. Other writers and artists are trying to take the message beyond the relatively small segment of our society that is attentive to political affairs, most of whom know all too well that our country is in serious jeopardy. If we succeed, perhaps we will be able to resolve the crucial problems that plague us in a peaceful fashion, for the alternative will, I’m afraid, be a very unhappy ending for the “Great Experiment.”
catkiller October 21, 2009 at 10:24 pm
ding, ding, ding.
we have a winner.
whispering:
yes. we need a new constitution for the new economy, but first we need full disclosure of the errors in the old economy. everyone needs to understand that capital must chase talent, or capital becomes inert. This will allow all individuals to directly participate in the process.
the pipelines to the new economy will be too small for sometime to handle middlmen, or women, and we need to move a lot of volume.
Jack October 21, 2009 at 9:46 am
I find it interesting that there is no mention of the “Tea Parties” in either your original article or any of the comments. While the Tea Parties may lack the focus of specific practices of the “financial industry,” one significant frustration expressed at the gatherings is the bailouts of the financials. The theme of taxation without representation that is interwoven throughout your article is, again, a common theme for these folks.
Clearly, many of the paticipants in these rallies (the majority of whom are not right-wing extremists but rather the same middle class folks to whom you refer) lack the sophistication and knowledge to understand the past and current abuses in the financial system, but they certainly share the same frustrations that you express.
Just as the protests of the 60’s gained momentum and acheived results when they became more mainstream, I think it is possible that we boomers could be convinced to become directly involved again. It will probably never happen, but I believe that if people such as Yves and many of the readers of her blog were to join forces with the Tea Party folks and provide some focus and inside knowledge, we would have a true opportunity to make these efforts more successful.
TimOfEngland October 21, 2009 at 9:47 am
To several commenters here. There is a lot of uneasiness in the UK as well, our small country has also spent 1 Trillion GBP on the banking crisis. We (the taxpayers) own between 46% and 76% of two them. One of these now represents the accounts, mortgages, Loans and Credit Cards of nearly 30% of the account-holding population.
These banks have made very unpopular moves recently, for example when base rate has dropped by 4% Credit card rates have increased by 4% – 8%. Not clever. They are currently about to take that trip down Bonus Lane and it will be unpopular.
In my view there is only one protest or organised action that can have any effect on the behaviour of the banks involved and persuade our Government(s) to legislate for fair treatment and fair contracts.
@Toby – This is a Global Problem – I agree, and it needs a global protest. The Internet is our only readily available Global Connector – so that is how it must be organised.
What to organise?
We need to organise what SHOULD have happened last year:
The re-organisation of the banks to fairer and smaller institutions (Small enough to fail).
The bankruptcy of the institutions that are not (after trillions of investment) solvent.
An absolute limit to credit card and Loan interest rates relative to base rates.
First you need enough supporters for the following to be so big that the legal systems can’t cope with it ( an unenforceable law ceases to be a law at all).
Then layout the following agenda:
Publish a timetable for withdrawal by the people from the current banking system and more importantly the people’s OBLIGATIONS to it.
It might run something like:
Jan ’10 – Every supporter withdraws 1000$/£. and stores it in cash EVERY week (there’s no interest to speak of anyway)
If nothing is done or achieved:
Feb ’10 – Every supporter notifies their bank of cancellation every Direct Debit or Standing Order to every credit card company.
Nothing happens?
Mar ’10 Ditto for banks loans
then Mortgages
You would need quite a few million supporters or we would all get taken out individually.
The banks can’t last long if we ALL refuse to play the game. The banking system brought on a crisis by their unwillingness to pay and unwillingness to trust each other – then (almost it seems) walked away from their debts and obligations. We just do the same thing, walk away and induce another crisis.
As catkiller said – we need to take the gun out of their hands.
In the UK just targeting the two biggest (almost Government owned) banks would (after some chaos and struggle) do it I’m pretty sure.
In the UK the bank with 30% of our accounts is spectacularly vulnerable, because because it is weak and just because it has so many accounts.
Someone needs to organise the people’s side of this game of monopoly. Question is who?
Kelli K October 21, 2009 at 10:05 am
I like the thinking outside the box aspect to your idea but IMO it is way too radical to start calling for a constitutional convention. Radical scares the masses and discredits those who call for change. Hence radical is the wrong approach.
Also, it is far from clear that we, as a people, have used the levers that are available to us. We readers of Naked C, zero hedge, CR, Mish, etc are the intellectual cream of the masses–we aren’t the elite with a stake in the status quo. We are well-educated, generally well paid, but still “wage slaves” without real power. We should be leading the people, but we carp amongst ourselves instead.
What is needed are simple ideas that can be conveyed to the angry but confused masses. Michael Moore has the idea, but his obnoxious ways have turned off have the population to him. He is a flawed messenger with a good message. So we who do not share his socialist ideas stand with him this time. We march in Chicago with his beloved unions (who most of us actually believe are responsible for a lot of the problems in this country) because they can still organize and are effective and, just this once, they are right philosophically as well.
So, what do we do? We focus all eyes and ears on Elizabeth Warren because she is the only person in DC right now telling the truth and because she is so likeable. Strengthen HER hand, shut up HER enemies with our show of populist, righteous anger.
The rallying cry: SAVE THE MIDDLE CLASS. Here we want the broadest definition of middle class possible, the classic Marxian bourgeoisie: those who lack direct access to the means of production (by which we mean big capital and big government).
How to save the middle class: time for OUR bailout. What does it look like? JUBILEE. We are crushed by debt, the debt burden must be lifted. It was lifted at the top but not for any of us (ANY of us–there have been NO principal reductions, no debt relief except through bankruptcy and ad hoc forgiveness).
Second rallying cry: NO more bonuses for bailed out banks. Goldman have a good quarter? Got a lot of extra cash lying around? Good. Lend it out to businesses and individuals. You get free money from the FED because you are a “bank” so act like one. All banks must loan money. Get congress to write a law. You don’t lend, you lose access to the freebie window. What’s so hard?
Third rallying cry: We want a NEW PECORA Commission. Someone with real power and real knowledge gets to parade the WS and DC powerbrokers through a courtroom telling EVERYONE what they did and how it screwed the country. Hundreds go to jail. New laws emerge, rather than a cobbled together rehash of Glass Steagal.
Sorry to go on so long. Anyone else want to pick up the ball?
Siggy October 21, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I like your style!
Dan Duncan October 21, 2009 at 10:10 am
What a muddled mess of a post.
Naked Cap has always been one big echo chamber…and now we have a guest post…about a prior post…with comment quotes from the prior post???
Too damn funny. funny. funny.
And the best best part is that we have The Community at Naked Capitalism aligning itself with the US Middle Class…
Seriously, this has to be a joke.
Pick any random topic from NC’s topic Board to the right and read the post through the comments…
Naked Capitalism has nothing but contempt for the rest of the US Middle Class…read any post and chances are you’ll find some reference to “over fed, under educated, mall shopping, SUV driving, uber consuming, debt laden, sit-com watching lump of humanity in a declining empire.”
As Patrick Neid pointed out at 6:44 about Tea Bag Parties–according to the Naked Cap Community, these protests don’t represent the Middle Class…they are simply partisan demonstrations. And for good measure, they’re racist too!
The fact is, unless one defines Middle Class as consisting of college-educated, urban sophisticates who drive hybrids, this Naked Cap Community has nothing to do with the rest of the Middle Class. In fact, many of the NC posters are still working off their frustrations with the rest of the Middle Class because it was the rest of the Middle Class that brought us The George Bush Redux.
Yes, I know there will be many riveting testimonials from NC readers about their middle class income and sensibilities. While doing so, you can also tell me that NC is not a place where Middle Class Elites go to rail about the rest of the “dumb” US middle class that just doesn’t “get it”. Yeah, OK.
Now, if this post was about the European Middle Class…well then we’d be onto something…
We’d have Naked Cappers, galvanizing into a bloc of like-minded individuals representing the sensibilities of Western Europe to go protest…
In Chicago.
[Incidentally, I would argue that much of what I’ve written should be an exhibit for why our country is perilously close a death spiral. I know that the wild-eyed radical on this blog who goes by “I on the Ball Patriot” sees things with much more clarity than I do and rises above the petty bullshit; especially with this conclusion to his posts: Deception is the strongest political force on the planet.
What once constituted “The US Middle Class” is nothing but fractured halves of a Left-Middle/Right-Middle Divide. The Middle Class…whatever we once were…will continue to be systematically exploited as long as we allow the media and politicians to control the narrative that it’s the Tea Bag Protesters or Health Care Reform Advocates who are the source of all our problems.
Gimme a break.
Please, then, allow me to break form, step outside reflexive-programming that results from allowing others to push my buttons and with all sincerity state: Best of luck with the protest. We need more of them…be them Tea Bag Protests OR Coalition of Community Protests.]
giggity October 21, 2009 at 10:50 am
You nailed it.
I’m in the south. I see and deal with a lot of the “right-wing” middle class. They don’t always understand the issues in the way those of us on NC/Mish/ZH, etc. do. But they do see the injustice, and many of them have just been born, bred, and raised to hold up this false left/right paradigm, and blindly accept the arbitrary dividing issues spouted by MSM dividers like Limbaugh or Beck.
On the flip side, I’ve spent plenty of time in “liberal” urban areas, and all too often, it’s more of the same, just on the “other side” of the rainbow… Same MSM memes and dividing non-issues, to pit the left middle-class against the right.
In the end, most of these folks don’t know what they’re talking about, and constantly present small-potatoes issues as the most important stuff. They are too busy arguing over gay marriage, abortions, racism, vegetarianism, creationism, and other left/right divisions than keeping their eyes on the ball–MIC, mass environmental extermination, mass social engineering deception, and mass looting of the wealth of the poor and middle-class. They don’t see their invisible bonds and that they are all linked together in a chain gang, overseen by lifetime politicians, militarists, false priests, and bankers.
The first step is to realize you’re being lied to every day, in every way, on the TV and the mainstream rags you read. It’s one thing to “consume” this “content” in a fashion to understand the enemy, but it’s another to passively consume because it somehow allows you to be informed and get your daily dose of worthwhile “news.”
Feh. Balloon boy for 24 hours straight, with round tables of pundits discussing a non-issue for days on end. All the while, the city burns. That’s news?
rd October 21, 2009 at 10:20 am
I started executing a personal action of my own last November. I voted against incumbents or the candidate with the biggest campaign chest where there was no incumbent on every national and state line.
I live in NYS, so at the moment all of the state and federal politicians are effectively bought, or at least resnted, by well-financed special interest groups ranging from finance to labor regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat.
I think the best way for a politician to be forced to change is for them to realize that their actions matter and just having a big campaign chest won’t save their next re-election. However, to do that the citizenry has to be aware that their individual vote will actually play a role and that they are being screwed by the status quo.
The local politiicans here tend to be closer to the population with better linkage to local issues. Last election theere were some surprising elections where long-term pols were tossed out of office and replaced by relative nobodies. Hopefully we can do that at the state and federal level.
Markel October 21, 2009 at 10:27 am
This is simply what a society in decline looks like–a vicious, self-reinforcing circle in which corrective action is impossible. If we had what we need to stop the outrages, like effective social institutions, a middle class aware of its own interests, positive social mores, and a stronger sense of ethics at every stratum, we wouldn’t be in decline in the first place.
Most of the old tools of dissent no longer work. The media doesn’t even cover most protests; in fact, the first sign that the teabaggers were sponsored by the plutocracy was the simple fact that they actually got air time.
There is still one weapon, a doomsday weapon, that the middle class holds in its arsenal, but it will never, ever use it: Refusing to participate. A general strike. You can’t fire on a crowd that isn’t gathered. You can’t spin away the economic impact with a lobbyist spokesman on Fox. CEOs would be throwing themselves from the windows.
However, while such things happen regularly in other countries, the idea of it occurring here is laughable. You can just hear the mincing office workers furiously backstabbing their coworkers for not showing up, snapping at each other to be the first to squat for the alpha boss like bitches in heat.
i October 21, 2009 at 10:44 am
>“…The public is not powerless. It is just unwilling.”
No. The public is paralyzed by fear, tranquilized and anesthetized by easily available and legal antidepressants, tranquilizers and alcohol, and hypnotized by television which is controlled by the wealthy.
While it’s true that the people in Mexico, North Korea, Haiti, et. al. are not revolting, they will once the oligarchs can no longer provide cheap food, fuel, drugs and television. They can’t magic away the consequences of oil shortages to come. It will probably take that to finally get people to realize that the world can no longer afford the very wealthy.
L'Emmerdeur October 21, 2009 at 11:09 am
I love how Americans flaunt their vaunted democracy, and then when their elected representatives mess things up, they default to “it’s not our fault, it’s the government”.
You voted for the congressmen who take lobbyist payoffs. Some of these scoundrels have been in their seats for DECADES. When you elect and re-elect them to power, their actions ARE YOUR ACTIONS. Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is complicity.
So when these villains steal from you, lie to you, and hand over your wealth to their cronies, and you don’t start forming firing squads in response… well, then you are getting exactly what you deserve.
You are correct!
Mike Lieber October 21, 2009 at 11:19 am
Kelli,
Yes, Elizabeth Warren is telling the truth, and I, too, admire her. Alas, she has no power to change anything. You say that what I propose is radical, yet it is precisely what the Framers of our republic envisioned and provided for in an explicit recognition of the tendency for government to run amok. It is delusional to believe that systemic flaws can be corrected by any other means than addressing them at their source. Wallpaper may temporarily hide the underlying rot, but when the structure collapses it will then be too late for repair.
No, what was truly radical was the boldness of the colonists who committed treason and took up arms against the world’s most powerful empire, willing to sacrifice their all for the ideals of freedom, justice, and equality for all. What we must do is indeed difficult, but certainly not radical.
mike, it might help your cause if you can simply and clearly explain to all of us what is needed to call a constitutional convention.
if for nothing else, many of us can put it in our memory banks just in case…it’s good to know all the options available, yes?
Lighthouse October 21, 2009 at 11:30 am
Mass demonstrations are relics of an earlier era. It was the process of organizing the demonstrations that built the movements. Call a protest, every one that shows up is a potential member of a new movement. Get together afterwards with a small number of attendees, organize another protest, bigger crowd turns out, wash, rinse, repeat.
It took years for the movements to grow.
It is very wrong to think that there were a few protests and then civil rights were passed or the Vietnam war ended. Very Wrong. A focused legal strategy for passing Civil rights was initiated after WWII. Brown vs Topeka was 1954. The big TV protests came later, using the momentum of the court wins to push politicians to enforce the laws. And that was a movement that had been inexistent for over 100 years, since before the end of slavery.
Vietnam protests went on for years as did the war. It is not clear that the protests helped that much. Sometimes polls showed support for the war actually increased after big protests. Burning American flags can have that effect on the American public.
Today we have a much more efficient mechanism for organizing protest, the internet. And with that mechanism we can launch very specific attacks on targets.
It simple people, you want to protest the big banks? Pull you money out of them. Even a small number could kick off a run and the banks will not be able to take it.
There is no reason to wait around till someone organizes a protest so you can waste a Saturday carrying a sign. The banks dont give a damn how you spend your Saturdays as long as you keep your money with them.
Close. Your. Bank. Accounts. Move the money to a savings and loan. Make sure you tell the bank why you did this. This is real action with real consequences that you can take TODAY.
JUST.DO.IT.
Agreed. The only way to really get their attention is to
“Close. Your. Bank. Accounts”, pay off your debts (credit cards, car payments, etc) if you can, walk away from all the debts that you can’t pay off, if you’ve lost your job and can’t afford to feed the family then stop paying your debts and declare BK, take the credit hit (who cares at this point, since it’ll take years for the banks to start lending again anyway, and, if NC, ZH, CR, et al. are correct, we’ll be taking another economic plunge anyway soon enough).
Last year I would never have made any of the comments in the paragraph above. Way back then, I felt people should be responsible for their actions, honor their contracts, pay what they owed. After this past year of “change” I have, in fact, changed…my opinion. Our govt has sold us, our children, and our grandchildren, out to the banksters. Time to end it. Debt Jubilee. Let the cards fall where they may.
deepsouthdoug October 21, 2009 at 11:47 am
In terms of rage against the banksters turning into a movement, Steinbeck said it best. He called the people ‘The Armies of Bitternes’ in the Grapes of Wrath.
“…someday – the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they’ll all walk together, and there’ll be a dead terror from it.”
Jim in MN October 21, 2009 at 11:54 am
The whole spectrum of nonviolent action was brilliantly cataloged in 1973 by Gene Sharp in “The Politics of Nonviolent Action”. The table of contents gives us (you?) all the tools we need.
The table of contents is reproduced here:
http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations103a.html
Just remember: the revolution has to be more fun than the status quo if you want anyone to show up.
Maybe the Chicago protests can get Cirque du Soleil or giant Simpsons puppets. Or U2….use your imaginations.
Jim, agreed in principle, but disagree with you on specifics.
a true revolution evolution will not be sponsored by U2 sponsored by Apple sponsored by Blackberry sponsored by Google sponsored by Twitter sponsored by MSNBC sponsored by FOX….you get the idea.
you want entertainment? go to the thrift store, pick the most colorful clothes you can find, buy some makeup and do a clown street theater version of Atlas Shrugged for the crowd.
quit accepting your role as spectator/consumer and start PARTICIPATING.
(and leave no trace)
JTFaraday October 21, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Well now, hold on a minute. I’m inclined to disparage the whole puppet show thing myself, but it does strike me that a political movement with a sense of humour could have some legs that a political movement without a sense of humour might not.
We’ve already conceded that a lot of young people became involved in politics due to things like “The Daily Show.” YouTube is a veritable cornucopia of political artistic production of a sort. Frequently not all that sophisticated, much skewering of partisan personalities, there are the conspiracy videos, but some of this stuff can be informative.
No doubt there are a lot of ostensibly “more serious” out of work artists out there who are probably missing an opportunity to document and participate in what *should be* (should have been?) a big historical moment. To miss this strikes me as a sign of a decline in culture.
So, I’m going to hold off on my natural inclination to scoff.
s.tristero October 22, 2009 at 8:28 am
don’t like clowns much myself either, but it was the only thing i could think of at the time. guess i just had U2 in my head.
thanks for clarifying the point to be made.
no need to scoff brother.
one man’s clown is another man’s curse.
Chocko October 21, 2009 at 12:21 pm
What heroic courage do you expect from chino-clad functionaries whose sole goal in life is to avoid conflict? A couple of mysterious retributive firings, a truncheon in a couple of formerly perfect sets of teeth, and it’s all over.
giggity October 21, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Exactly. I look around at the people I work with in my cubicle farm, and I know one, out of hundreds, that might decide to sacrifice it all. But probably not.
Hell, when you’re stuck in this abomination, it’s hard to get out, especially when you have so much personally at stake, and no one else is willing to sacrifice what they have.
I’ve got very little debt, except for my modest home and some student loans. But I also have a relatively peaceful and productive life. I see all the injustices, and I speak up, and take political action when I can, but time and time again, it hurts me socially, or just blows up in my face.
But I still chug along, rocking the boat when I can, trying to make a difference in a few peoples’ minds. And it’s worked, one at a time, more become aware. But it’s a slow process, and not nearly in line with the epicness of mass demonstrations.
It’s hard to be brave, when they’ve made it so easy to stay silent, unfortunately.
tompain October 21, 2009 at 2:23 pm
at least you can tell yourself that you are more noble and smarter than all those dumb sheep. At least we have you, giggity, to speak out against injustice. Giggity the brave, we salute you.
JTFaraday October 21, 2009 at 12:33 pm
“There is nothing in this crisis to grab on to — intellectually and ideologically — for most people. Just a stewing frustrated rage that something isn’t right with the big picture.”
I very much disagree with this.
At the heart of “the financial crisis” itself are bad loans and mis-marked AAA rated securities. Mortgage and securities fraud is something that the vast, vast majority of Americans can understand. The question is, how many of them have actually been exposed to an explanation that is both comprehensive and “translated” into more everyday language?
They also basically understand other economic forces, as related to globalization of the labor force, for example. They seem to “understand” this far better than the political establishment and academic institutions. You can’t swing a dead cat without encountering people who have intimate inside details. But, they have “their stories” they don’t necessarily have larger frameworks. Nor would they.
It’s also true that most educated observers of US society, economics, and politics have not been equipped to understand the financial sector and how relates to the the larger economy– but that doesn’t mean they *can’t* learn, provided they have to will to do so, and I concede not all do. We have to start making it harder for such people to be taken seriously.
It should be the role of a political party of some sort to make some of these connections for citizens. THAT’S the piece that we definitely don’t have, in the US.
During the 2008 presidential election, the Democratic Party primary was little more than a competition between identity based groups from the *last* social movement. Given that the most relevent matters in 2008 were clearly larger structural economic issues, I found this deeply frustrating–almost like dealing with members of a mind control cult.
But this internecine battle really wasn’t what most *voters* wanted. Voters were somewhere else entirely.
It’s also pretty clear that when finance sector employees are running the Treasury, and that most of them come from the same investment bank, and when politicians and government officials have revolving door networks, and when a sitting President is off fundraising at $30,000 a plate in the middle of a financial crisis, that you have a irredeemably corrupted government:
“Mr. Obama will fly to New York on Tuesday for a lavish Democratic Party fund-raising dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for about 200 big donors. Each donor is paying the legal maximum of $30,400 and is allowed to take a date.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/us/politics/20donate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Just because we have evolved a system of organized bribery, doesn’t mean we have to permit it to continue.
This may rather overwhelming, the dire need to fundamentally reform the entire government, but it is nothing if not clear.
chad October 21, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I think the middle class can get their heads around income tax as a protest mechanism. A movement started to get everyone to file for an extension and then file late would be a serious demonstration of power and organization.
You’re not asking the middle class to do anything illegal and it is a simple process that anyone can do from their home. It’s a protest that can spread through the internet and blogs easily and produces a real measurable effect (number of late filings and the sum).
The objective of the protest would be to send a message to Washington that the American people do, in fact, still pay the bills and therefore, the power still rests with the people.
catkiller October 21, 2009 at 3:05 pm
if you look, I think you will find that this has already begun.
mittelwerk October 21, 2009 at 1:13 pm
so what, exactly, was the upshot of the civil-rights movement? is there a less politically or econmically viable ethnic group in the US today than blacks? the election of barack obama — a post-ethnic liberal — is almost the tomsbtone on the civil-rights movement…. btw, he may be the LAST black president, in any case.
and as lighthouse said above, the “end” of the vietnam war had to do with military defeat pure and simple, little to do with the socially desiriable middle-class protest culture.
the problem with the US is always that people want political results without risk or courage. the denigration of the tea partiers is bullshit. at least they’re out there — and i see absolutely nothing wrong with broad-based rage at the moment. the emphasis on civility, in the face of open kleptocracy by an integrated elite, is repulsive. violence is and will be the only way to move forward. the future of american resistance is domestic terrorism, and this will only happen when liberal behavioral modes — the pathos of reasoned discussion and nonviolent protest — recede in the face of collapse, that is, gross decline in the living standard.
it’s not that liberal will change, but that they will die out.
the French Revolution was won with violence and who did it give them?
the Russian Revolution was won with violence and where did it get them?
the American Revolution was won with violence and where did it get us?
Seal October 21, 2009 at 1:28 pm
“As the supply of money (of claims) increases relative to the supply of tangible assets in the economy, prices must eventually rise. Thus the earnings saved by the productive members of the society lose value in terms of goods. When the economy’s books are finally balanced, one finds that this loss in value represents the goods purchased by the government for welfare or other purposes with the money proceeds of the government bonds financed by bank credit expansion.” Gold and Economic Freedom
by Alan Greenspan – [written in 1966]
LeeAnne October 21, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Destruction of the financial sovereignty of the American people is well underway. Consolidation of capital in the finance sector is being reinforced by consolidation of political power. Its like watching a nazi cult take over the country. Another Goldman Sachs appointment -this time a 29-year-old to head the SEC. Is that conceivably for securities law enforcement?
Notice how Representative Grayson in his congressional questioning of Bernanke emphasizes giving taxpayer money to ‘foreign’ entitities. I’ve transcribed the testimony for a close look below. I think its important to see Bernanke’s BIG LIE in context; I think Grayson worked admirably; very hard and skillfully to get that information out.
Representative Grayson at Congressional hearing –questioning FED chairman Bernanke on swaps with foreign central banks:
Grayson: One of the entries under Assets is Central Bank Liquidity Swaps which shows an increase at the end of 2007 from $23 Billion to $553 Billion and change at the end of 2008. What’s that?
Bernanke: Those are swaps that were done with foreign central banks. Many um foreign banks are short dollars, so they come into our markets looking for dollars and drive up interest rates and create volatility in our markets. What we’ve done is -with a number of major central banks like European Central Bank for example -we swap our currency dollars for their currency Euros. They take the dollars, lend it out to the banks in their jurisdiction. That helps bring down interest rates in the global market for dollars. And meanwhile we’re not lending to those banks; we’re lending to the central bank. The central bank is responsible for repaying us.
Grayson: So, who got the money?
Bernanke: To -financial institutions in Europe and other countries.
Grayson: Which ones?
Bernanke: I don’t know.
Grayson: Half a trillion dollars and you don’t know who got the money?
Bernanke: ah -the loan went to the -the loans go to the central banks and they -they then (arm wave) put them out to their um -to their institutions to try to bring down short term interest rates in dollar markets throughout the world.
Grayson: Well, let’s start with which central banks got the money.
Bernanke: There are 14 of them which are listed um in our – (lifting open document he’s leaning on toward the camera) I’m sure they’re listed in here somewhere.
Grayson: awright –so who actually made that decision to hand out a trillion dollars that way -half a trillion dollars? Who made that decision?
Bernanke: The Federal Open Market Committee.
Grayson: ok. And was it done at one time or in a series of meetings?
Bernanke: a series of meetings.
Grayson: and under what legal authority?
Bernanke: We have a long standing legal authority to do swaps with other central banks –its not an emergency authority of any kind.
Grayson: Any thing specific about it?
Bernanke: turning to back from consultation:
My counsel says section 14 of the Federal Reserve Act.
Grayson: awright –we actually looked at one of the arrangements and one of the arrangements is $9 Billion for New Zealand. That works out to $3,000 for every single person who lives in New Zealand. Seriously wouldn’t it be better to extend that kind of credit to Americans rather than to New Zealanders?
Bernanke: It’s not costing Americans anything; we’re getting interest back and it comes back –its not at the cost of any American credit –we are extending credit to Americans.
Grayson: Well, couldn’t -wouldn’t it necessarily affect the credit markets if you extend half a trillion dollars in credit to anybody?
Bernanke: We are lending to all US financial institutions in exactly the same way.
Grayson: Well, look at the next page. The very next page has the US dollar nominal exchange rate which shows a 20% increase in the US dollar nominal exchange rate at exactly the same time that you were handing out a half a trillion dollars to foreigners. Do you think that’s a coincidence?
Bernanke: Yes.
Grayson: (ha ha ha) awright. well, the Constitution says ‘no money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by law.’ Do you think –
Bernanke: It’s not drawn from the Treasury.
Grayson: Well, let’s talk about that. Do you think its consistent with the spirit of that provision of the Constitution for a group like the FOMC to hand out a half a trillion dollars to –foreigners? –without any action by this Congress?
Bernanke: Congress approved it in the Federal Reserve Act.
Grayson: When was that?
Bernanke: Quite a long time ago. I don’t know the exact date.
Barney Frank: The Act was in 1914, I believe.
Bernanke: I don’t know if the provision was in 1914 or not, but the Federal Reserve Act was in 1913.
Grayson: awright -And at that time the entire GNP of this country was well under half a trillion dollars-wasn’t it?
Grayson: Is it safe to say that nobody in 1913 contemplated that your small little group of people would hand out foreigners?
Bernanke: This particular authority’s been used numerous times over the years.
Grayson: well -actually, according to the chart on page 28 virtually the entire amount that’s reflected in your current balance sheet went out starting in the last quarter or 2007, and before that going back to the beginning of this chart the amount of lending was zero 0 to foreigners.
Bernanke: It was zero before the crises. Yeh. This was part of the process working with other central banks to –again –to try to get dollar money markets working normally in the global economy.
*The 14 central banks referred to are:
European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Banco Central do Brasil, the Bank of Canada, Denmarks National bank, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Korea, the Banco de Mexico, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Norges Bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Sveriges Riksbank.
LeeAnne: Apologies for this comment on another post by mistake
Grayson: Well, let’s talk about that. Do you think its consistent with the spirit of that provision of the Constitution for a group like the FOMC to hand out a half a trillion dollars to –foreigners? –without any action by this Congress?
Richard October 21, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I find the claims that the tea-party protesters were launched by the “plutocrats” laughable. As for the claim that the media coverage proves it, that’s really a howler!
Considering the size of the march it recieved less coverage than many other rallies. The million man march, the million mom march and even the ANSWER rally were all covered start to finish on C-SPAN and were convered incessently on CNN, NBC, ABC et. al. Only FOX covered the Tea Party as real and important. The other networks spent time calling the protesters names, mischaracterizing the event, and being snide.
The protesters for their part are protesting the elites. Many of the signs pointedly called out the networks and news organizations. (“Can you hear us now?”)
It’s sad that the same people looking for a middle class uprising, such as the author, are unwilling to see the one brewing in front of their faces because of ideological blinders and cultural prejudices.
Guess what: if the middle class does revolt in larger numbers it’s not going to be to support gay marraige, or the rights of transvestites, or to support UN environmental mandates.
Lighthouse is correct: successful protests in the civil rights era took decades. The ground is being laid now for an uprising from the middle. Hopefully a few more of you can step outside the room full of mirrors you inhabit and see it before it is here.
Anonymous Jones October 21, 2009 at 3:37 pm
“Laughable” seems a little extreme to me. Although I can see why no one should reflexively just ignore the Tea Party protests because of the association with Fox News, it is not entirely irrational to be leery of the Tea Party protests as a true “middle class” movement. It is inherent in the name Tea Party that the protesters have at least some anti-tax leanings, and there seems to be a long history in this country of the elite fooling the middle class by fomenting their rage with anti-tax messages and then only cutting the wealthy’s taxes to any material extent.
For instance, I am confused as to why any middle class person should vote for a politician who expends effort trying to completely repeal the estate tax. Yes, maybe the voter is terribly sad for the unfair taxes placed upon the inheritance of wealth (in excess of the huge exemption amounts), but honestly, this seems ridiculous with all the other priorities and unfair abuses on which politicians could focus their time.
I will try not to be unfairly prejudicial against any one individual at the Tea Party protests, but at the same time, I will continue to have my doubts that as a group they will not be duped by the elites once again and trade $1 in tax savings for $1000 less in government services, leaving us a world with even more wealth disparity, even more political power concentrated in the few, and and even more problems of relative consumption, crime and decay. If the Tea Party protests are the real middle class movement, then I fear we’ve already lost.
[Of course, I’m an elite so I’m probably just saying all this because I’m trying to fool you. My liberal desire for checks on power and a healthy, targeted amount of wealth redistribution (through taxation and utilitarian collective spending) from myself and my friends in the top 1% is a secret Trojan Horse meant to introduce socialism that will further subjugate you and the rest of the middle class and somehow leave me more wealthy on a relative basis. You really shouldn’t dismiss this possibility.]
Finally, with all due respect, google “straw man argument” and then reconsider the line about transvestites.
Jim October 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Some of the comments above have begun to grapple with the issue of the “left/right” divide in the middle class as being an important barrier to the building of a cohesive movemnt against the gov./finance oligarchy.
The quotations which Down South and others have presented from Martin Luther King begin to get at this issue in a positive way. It was always clear from King’s spiritual language that an experiential reality for him was that there were transcendent forces in his life which were superior to self.
This perspective united people politically. It also provided the necessary internal discipline for non-violence. It said to people, sometimes implicitly, sometimes more explicitly, that our goal is to change the social structure but we are going to do it in such a way that will try to minimize the inevitable cruelty of the conflict–because in some way we are all sinners.
“A revolution is coming in both the social order and the human mind.” One without the other will not work and if both are operable we may be able to overcome the “left/right” middle class divide.
I get what you’re saying, but I think it will be hard to build any kind of mass movement that crosses the “partisan” divide by coming through almost anything at all involving the 1960s, as those movements do seem to have had much to do with the cultural pre-occupations of both Parties, as well as their capacity–nay, eagerness!– to build whole election campaigns around them, thereby enabling them to avoid all of the issues that have prompted us to have this very conversation.
As a result, all too many people today think that politics consists in nothing more than bashing demographic stick figures that barely exist in reality, but with which people identify nevertheless.
Which is why–as it’s come up on this site more than once–I don’t bash the teabaggers. I believe people participating in that exceed their organizers. Why would I want to alienate them? And as far as taxes are concerned–h*** no, I’m not a fool. I don’t want to pay them right now either!
EAnderson October 21, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I took the first step towards closing my BOA business and personal accounts today by opening accounts at a small local savings bank within biking distance of my house. Starve the beast!
I am going to close my accounts that I have with one of the majors this week. I just paid off a credit card balance last week. Fortunately, I didn’t buy a home within the last 10 years, so no p&i, taxes and insurance on that. I’m paying everything in cash or debit card.
more winners.
now if they can just convert non-performing assets from the old economy into performing assets in the new economy.
bobn October 21, 2009 at 3:40 pm
It’s really a mish-mash. Michael Moore interviewing Elisabeth Warren may produce good results, but in “Bowling for Columbine”, Moore produces lies repeatedly about guns and gunowners.
And Dean Baker is the kind of idiot who writes as though he believes the Social Security Trust Fund contains real assets – not just IOUs of the government, to the governement, the government put there in place of the money they instead spent.
W. M. Hevr October 22, 2009 at 7:16 pm
We do not need a Constitutional convention, radical or otherwise. However, we need to re-read the one we have and abide by it!
Our Judges should stop the interpretation of our Constitution and enforce what is so plainly writen!
Frank Wilson November 6, 2009 at 10:38 am
Obama The Betrayer. Slayer of Constitutional Rights. Oppressor of the Oppressed.
Forced Payments for anything is EXTORTION plain and simple.
Health/ Auto/ Now forced payments to exercise the 2/cd amendment rights. What does the I.R.S. have to do with gun ownership? What’s next, Where we go to church or work.
It is time for the Citizens the United States of America to take back the control of the United States. It’s time to give the United States an Enema from the white house down to the local council person.To do this you must take control of what gives the U.S. it’s power.YOUR MONEY. Simplify your life. Don’t spend more than you can pay cash for, close your credit cards, bank accounts, pay CASH for everything possible.If you cant pay cash for it, it is very likely you don’t need it.
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Dependency Defense
Modifications & Enforcements
Same-Sex Family Law
Paternity Suits
Robert Orshan
Steven Spann
Aileen Fernandez Mesa
Jamie Segal Davis
Lisa S. Bour
Deborah Ross-Ocariz
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Schedule A Consultation 305-853-9161
Robert D. Orshan
Founder, Managing Partner
Robert D. Orshan, Esquire is founder and managing partner of Orshan, Spann & Fernandez-Mesa.
Mr. Orshan focuses his practice on complex family and matrimonial law litigation, including, but not limited to:
Move-away cases
Modification and enforcement proceedings
Mr. Orshan has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” by the South Florida Legal Guide, “Top Attorney In Florida” by the Miami Herald, “AV Preeminent Rated” by Martindale-Hubbell and as a “Super Lawyer”. He has extensive experience in the practice and litigation of marital and family law before state courts and in resolving cases through mediation.
“I have been where you are now. I understand the complexities of divorce first-hand and empathize with the feelings and difficulties you are experiencing. I was also a client, so I have a unique perspective as a family law attorney.”
His involvement in numerous civic and legal organizations include: KidSide (a non- profit organization devoted to supporting Family Court Services), Cuban American Bar Association (CABA), Temple Beth Am, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center, Florida International University’s Law Center Dean’s Counsel and various other institutions. He has also lectured at the “Nuts & Bolts of Family Law Seminar” by Dade Legal Aid; the “Do’s and Don’ts in Expert Testimony” for the Greater Miami Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers; on “Pre-Nuptial Agreements” to the Florida Board of Accountancy; and he has been a guest lecturer on Family Law at Florida International University’s College of Law. He previously served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Miami Springs, City of Golden Beach, Opa-Locka, and Hialeah Gardens. Born and raised in Miami, Mr. Orshan is the proud father of four children and one step-son and four grandchildren. He currently lives in South Miami with his wife, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and former Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge, Ariana Fajardo Orshan.
Mr. Orshan was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1980, and was admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 1981. He is a member of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar, Florida First Family Law American Inn of Court, Dade County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and the Collaborative Family Law Institute. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University in 1977 and cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami in 1980.
20th Year Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
40th Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
Super Lawyer; SuperLawyers, 2010-2020
AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated; Martindale-Hubbell, 2011, 2020
AV Preeminent Attorney; Martindale-Hubbell, 2013, 2015-2020
AV Preeminent Attorney - Judicial Edition; Martindale-Hubbell, 2011, 2017-2019
America's Most Honored Professionals - Top 1%; The American Registry, 2016-2019
Lawyers.com AV Preeminent; Lawyers.com, 2018-2019
Top Attorneys in Florida; Miami Herald, 2013-2015, 2017-2019
35th Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell; 2015
Top Rated Lawyer in Family Law; Martindale-Hubbell; 2015
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Every individual and family has a unique set of circumstances requiring a tailored approach. We treat each client as if they were our only client. Each case is treated with the utmost care and attention.
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We will get you through every step and be fully transparent of the process and what you can expect. We take a collaborative approach with our clients - we want to know what you think.
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Our team is well-respected and recognized throughout the Miami-Dade area. We're known for our precise, in-depth knowledge of the law and versatile, strategic approach to each client's case.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation
150 Alhambra Circle
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United Sign Man City's Ashley Smith-Brown
Defender joins the U's on loan
Sign in to iFollow Oxford
Oxford United have completed the signing of Ashley Smith-Brown on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old has played most of his games at left-back but is also versatile enough to play at right-back or in central midfield and has had loan spells at NAC Breda and Heart of Midlothian to help his development. Smith-Brown has been capped by England at every level from under 16 through to under 20 and United’s Caretaker Manager Derek Fazackerley was delighted to welcome him to the club
“He’s a good player who has been on our radar for a while now and when he became available in this window we moved quickly to bring him here. Having played for England through the age groups he fits the bill technically and athletically and to have played over 30 games in senior men’s football will only have helped him physically and in terms of regular competitive games.
“He is a natural left-back, a position where we have had to play a right footed player a number of times this season, so that will help us with balance, provides excellent competition for places, and also leaves us less vulnerable elsewhere because of his versatility.”
Ashley told us
“I’m looking forward to it. Oxford has a good reputation for helping young players like me learn and develop so it is a fantastic opportunity. There are a lot of really good players here and I can’t wait to train for the first time and hopefully be involved at Charlton on Saturday.”
See a first interview in iFollow
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Survivor Gives Search and Rescue $1.5M
Aspen team saved woman's life in '77
A woman who survived a 1977 plane crash in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado recently donated $1.5 million to Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA) as thanks for the two-day search-and-rescue operation that saved her life. In a ceremony on November 29th, the 34th anniversary of the crash, Lynda Cameron dedicated the gift in memory of her father, who was killed on impact when the plane struck a ridge in a snow storm. Cameron, her mother, brother, and three other survivors spent two nights in freezing temperatures before they were spotted by an MRA helicopter. “I wish to be an ambassador for all those who did not have the chance to thank Mountain Rescue Aspen themselves,” said Cameron. The gift will be used to build new headquarters for organization, which is funded through donations and staffed largely by volunteers.
Read more at The Aspen Times
Our mission to inspire readers to get outside has never been more critical. In recent years, Outside Online has reported on groundbreaking research linking time in nature to improved mental and physical health, and we’ve kept you informed about the unprecedented threats to America’s public lands. Our rigorous coverage helps spark important debates about wellness and travel and adventure, and it provides readers an accessible gateway to new outdoor passions. Time outside is essential—and we can help you make the most of it. Making a financial contribution to Outside Online only takes a few minutes and will ensure we can continue supplying the trailblazing, informative journalism that readers like you depend on. We hope you’ll support us. Thank you.
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Filed To: News
How to Cook with Plant-Based Beef
By: Christine Byrne
A Beginner's Guide to Backcountry Ski Gear
The Pandemic Bike Boom Is Here to Stay
By: Joe Lindsey
A Nepali Team Just Made the First Winter Ascent on K2
By: Alan Arnette
More Adventure
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Worthy Us - Rachana's Story
Rachana grew up in Gulmi, Nepal, where she attended primary school. Unlike most students her age, school wasn’t a place for learning, fun and friends. It was a place of fear and pain. Rachana was sexually abused by her teacher at the age of eight. Her teacher would tell her this was her punishment for misbehaving in class. Back then, Rachana did not really understand what was happening to her. She just knew it felt horrible but she couldn’t get herself to tell anyone about it. That feeling stayed with her through her adolescent years. It was only after she moved to Kathmandu as an adult that she started questioning what had happened. She started thinking about what eight year old Rachana could have done differently.
This year, Rachana felt a renewed urgency when the Nepal, like many countries, went into a COVID-19 lockdown and reports of sexual abuse and violence grew alarmingly. She realized that she’s up against cultural and institutional barriers that stigmatize victims and discourage reporting sexual violence to the authorities.
Only the most severe cases, often involving rape or serious physical and life-threatening injuries, are reported to the authorities, according to reports. Even when the police and hospitals are involved, families and victims often prefer to drop charges or conceal what has happened to avoid shame and stigma.
Rachana realized that there are many others who shared her experience but were never able to share their stories. She wanted to start a project to spread awareness and create a safe space for others to share their experience, so she signed up to the Peace First digital platform and submitted an application for a mini grant. Peace First provided Rachana with a $250 grant to start her project, one on one coaching to help her plan and execute it and a community of global changemakers to connect her with tools and resources to support her journey.
Rachana was then able to partner with local youth organizations to launch Worthy Us, a virtual series of workshops to build community awareness and provide a safe space for victims to share their stories and learn about their legal rights. Worthy Us has hosted a total of five workshops since its inception and will now expand its outreach to schools and universities.
When we asked Rachana about the feedback she received, she said: “Participants felt like they have a safe space, free of shame or stigma, to share and understand their experiences.” But perhaps the biggest impact was that “participants understood that they are worthy, that their story matters and that we believe them,” Rachana said.
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Alan Irvine turned down five jobs between leaving Norwich City and becoming assistant at West Ham
Published: 9:29 AM November 13, 2017 Updated: 11:02 PM October 10, 2020
Former Norwich interim head coach Alan Irvine has joined West Ham. Picture by Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
West Ham have confirmed former Norwich City coach Alan Irvine as one of three assistants to new manager David Moyes.
The Scot has been out of work since leaving City in June, having overseen the final 10 matches of last season as interim head coach following Alex Neil’s sacking.
“I’m delighted to be given this opportunity and am really looking forward to the challenge ahead,” Irvine told West Ham’s website, as he was confirmed as an assistant alongside Stuart Pearce, with Billy McKinlay set to join them.
“I obviously know David well from our time together at Preston and Everton, and it was certainly a big attraction to work with him again, as was the thought of coming to a club like West Ham.
“This is the sixth job I have been offered since leaving Norwich at the end of last season – some of which were very attractive – but it’s the first one that has persuaded me to accept, so I hope that says a lot about how excited I am to be here.
“The prospect of working in the Premier League, at a great club, and alongside David, meant that it was an opportunity I couldn’t resist, and I hope that I can now make a positive contribution.”
The 59-year-old took over at Norwich on an interim basis in March and led the Canaries to five wins and two draws during his time in charge, including a notable 7-1 thrashing of Reading at Carrow Road to guide City to eighth in the final Championship standings.
He left his role as first team coach a couple of weeks after the arrival of head coach Daniel Farke and his backroom team from Germany in May.
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Steven Whittaker joins Scottish Premiership side Hibernian on three-year deal after being released by Norwich City
Published: 10:00 AM July 16, 2017 Updated: 10:59 PM October 10, 2020
Steven Whittaker celebrates at Wembley after setting up Nathan Redmond to put Norwich 2-0 up against Middlesbrough in City's Championship play-off final success of May 2015. The defender has joined Hibs after being released by the Canaries. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images - Credit: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd
Hibs have handed Steven Whittaker a three-year deal following his release by Norwich City.
The Scotland international right-back made 15 appearances in all competitions for City last season after having the one-year option in his contract triggered last summer.
The 33-year-old joined the Canaries after leaving Rangers amid the Glasgow giants’ financial meltdown in 2012 and went on to score seven goals in 106 games.
Whittaker watched his new team-mates beat Montrose 3-0 in the first competitive game of their season, in the Betfred Cup, with Hibs boss Neil Lennon saying afterwards: “Steven is a great signing for us.
“He’s a model pro and brings quality and experience. He’s had a fantastic career up until now and there’s no question he’ll make us better.
“He’s 33 and players play longer now. He looks after himself and is in great condition and in pre-season he’s looked fine running-wise so three years is no problem.”
Whittaker started his career with the Edinburgh club, making 173 appearances between 2002 and 2007, joining Rangers after helping the club win the League Cup.
Lennon is preparing his team for top-flight football after winning the Scottish Championship title last season, with Canaries legend Grant Holt having been a regular of that team before being released at the end of his contract.
Whittaker, speaking to Hibs’ website, said: “I am delighted to be back at Hibernian. When I decided to return to Scotland, Hibernian was the club I hoped to come to.
“While the discussions have taken a while, they have always been positive and I am very pleased to be back playing at Easter Road for the Hibernian fans, and I hope I can play my part in ensuring a successful return to the top flight.”
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Google says it’s achieved quantum supremacy
Google is standing by its claim that it’s achieved quantum supremacy — marking a major milestone in computing research. The company first made the claim back in September, and while disputed by competitors, Google’s research paper has now been published in the scientific journal Nature.
Quantum supremacy is a big deal, because it encapsulates the ability of quantum computers to solve problems that current technology couldn’t even begin to attempt. Google’s paper explains how its 53-bit quantum computer — named Sycamore — took just 200 seconds to perform a calculation that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years.
In theory, this capability opens a lot of doors to future technologies, such as designing better batteries and medicine, or minimizing emissions from farming chemicals. It could also help to advance existing technologies such as machine learning. However, Sycamore’s feat has almost no practical use at this stage — it was designed simply to show that a quantum computer could perform as expected.
CategoriesAndroid, Microsoft, Uncategorized Tagscomputer, quantum
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Microdermabrasion Suffusion: the New Kid on the Block
Posted by Plastic Surgery Practice | Sep 4, 2008 | Acne, Collagen, Trauma | 0 |
Physicians who perform skin rejuvenation are constantly inundated with information about new devices that offer photodamage reduction and elasticity restoration—but without the recovery or risks inherent with ablative lasers or aggressive chemical peels.
Many of these devices are truly novel, whereas others are simpler, older technologies that have been applied in new ways.
The claims made by device manufacturers, some practitioners, and the media have made it extremely difficult for the clinician to adequately judge efficacy and to discern purported differences among devices.
Moreover, obtained clinical results, although often leading to patient satisfaction, are often not clinically significant in the mind of the treating physician.
With age, there is a loss of a person’s normal elastic fibers and function, as well as changes in collagen and collagenase activity. However, solar exposure and resultant photodamage appear to be more significant than chronological aging in producing the typical changes associated with “aged” skin.
Microdermabrasion has long been the gold standard among approaches used for mechanical exfoliation of the stratum corneum.
Chronic ultraviolet exposure produces histologic evidence of solar elastosis, an accumulation of abnormally oriented elastic material in the superficial to mid dermis. This replaces the normally arranged collagen and elastic fibers.
In addition, chronic sun exposure causes both a decrease in collagen and a disruption of normal morphology and fiber organization. The resultant clinical effects of altered collagen and elastic fibers are sagging, wrinkling, furrows, and pigmentary and texture changes.
Currently, you can use myriad methods to treat photodamaged skin. These include topical agents such as retinoic acid, various peels, dermabrasion, and laser resurfacing.
These treatments correct chronic photodamage through somewhat similar—albeit different—mechanisms, which all lead to some form of trauma to the dermis. The biological response to this trauma leads to deposition of a new extracellular matrix.
In addition, the healing process leads to more normally oriented collagen and elastic fibers, and a thickened grenz zone separating the dermis and epidermis.
Topical agents, such as retinoic acid, are somewhat effective but are not able to elicit enough of a response to correct deep furrows and wrinkles.
Since its introduction in the United States in the mid 1990s, microdermabrasion has played an integral role in the creation of today’s aesthetics industry. Holding its popularity among the top five nonsurgical, cosmetic procedures, more than 850,000 patient treatments were done in 2007.
Stand-alone microdermabrasion has proved to be extremely effective in treating a variety of conditions, including acne, superficial epidermal pigmentary changes, and photoaged skin.
The technique is an integral part of an overall healthy skin care regimen for sun-damaged skin, fine lines, wrinkles, solar lentigines, enlarged or oily pores, comedonal acne, mild acne scars, and melasma.
Microdermabrasion is also indicated as a pretreatment for many light- and laser-based treatments. In fact, pretreatment with microdermabrasion used as an adjunct to photodynamic therapy has shown to increase permeation of 5-aminolevulinic acid up to 15 times.
The continued popularity of the microdermabrasion procedure has led investigators to look for ways to enhance treatments.
With the idea that the microdermabrasion-treated stratum corneum can be altered to reduce its ability to perform as a barrier, physicians grew interested in the ability to propel topical products into the skin during or following a microdermabrasion treatment.
Figures 1 and 2. Treatment was tolerated well by all patients, with only mild erythema observed in the immediate postprocedure period.
New Suffusion Research
One of my research programs recently completed a study using ultrasound phonophoresis to infuse a topical solution immediately following a microdermabrasion treatment.
The objective was to bring about microdermabrasion-induced changes in the skin by creating cytokine pathways through which cosmeceutical ingredients can pass, allowing them to bring about change in the subepidermal layers.
With that in mind, the following protocol was undertaken: Seven patients underwent eight weekly treatments of microdermabrasion, with each treatment followed by ultrasound phonophoresis administration of a hyaluronic acid, retinol, and peptide-containing complex.
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant. For years, humectants have been used in cosmetic products. Humectants pull water from the deeper epidermal and dermal tissues to rehydrate the stratum corneum.
Humectants may allow the skin to feel smoother by filling holes in the stratum corneum via hydration. This hydration may allow other associated cosmeceutical agents to better penetrate the skin.
Retinol is the naturally occurring vitamin A form found in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables. It can be oxidized to retinaldehyde and then oxidized to retinoic acid, also known as prescription tretinoin.
This cutaneous conversion of retinol to retinoic acid is responsible for the biologic activity of some of the new, stabilized over-the-counter vitamin A preparations designed to improve the appearance of benign photodamaged skin. Unfortunately, only small amounts of retinyl palmitate and retinol can be converted by standard topically applied retinol.
Cell-permeable synthetic peptide-containing complexes have been shown to control subcellular traffic of transcription factors that can mediate cellular responses to different agonists.
Any method that helps to propel retinol and peptide-containing complexes into the skin, in theory, may lead to increased dermal collagen production.
In the research program, all subjects were assessed at baseline and at 3 months following the last treatment. Clinical evaluation included pretreatment and post-treatment high-quality digital photography, as well as subject and investigator assessment of changes in skin dryness, texture, hue/brightness, tone, and rhytids.
Improvement was graded on a zero- to nine-point scale, using the following criteria:
Dryness (zero was very dry; nine was very moist);
Texture (zero was very rough; nine was very smooth);
Hue/brightness (zero was a dull, matte finish; nine was a bright, radiant finish);
Tone (zero was a very blotchy, uneven finish; nine equaled no blotchiness, and an even color); and
Rhytids (zero equaled none; nine was numerous).
Three months following the last treatment, the subjects were asked to rate their improvement in the same categories using the same scale.
Data was analyzed and assessed as the percentage of patients with a certain point improvement. Histologic evaluation consisted of pretreatment and post-treatment 3-mm punch biopsies of preauricular skin evaluated for microscopic and ultrastructural changes.
Treatment was tolerated well by all patients, with only mild erythema observed in the immediate postprocedure period. No edema or purpura was observed.
Throughout the follow-up period, no persistent erythema, edema, postinflammatory pigment alteration, purpura, or scarring was noted in any of the treated individuals.
Clinical improvement was seen in the various signs of photodamage, assessed as a percentage of patients showing a particular point improvement in the various signs of photodamage, evaluated by either the subjects themselves or by investigators.
Light microscopic findings demonstrated by methylene blue stain showed increased vascularity within the papillary dermis in the post-treatment biopsies compared with pretreatment specimens, indicating zones of injury and repair.
Increased reticulin staining of Type-III collagen within the papillary dermis provided further evidence of injury and subsequent new collagen deposition (Figures 1 and 2).
Ultrastructural evidence of dermal remodeling was provided by electron microscopic findings of increased collagen fiber diameter, indicating mature Type-I collagen deposition.
See also “What’s the Skinny on Plasma Resurfacing?” by Dan Yamini, MD, FACS, in the December 2007 issue of PSP.
The combined microdermabrasion- and ultrasound-propelled product approach (which is termed suffusion) was painless and can be used for all skin types.
Transdermal Delivery
The idea of transdermal delivery of cosmeceuticals is not new.
Countless recent cosmeceutical products contain new and promising active ingredients.
The challenge to physicians is how best to deliver these products below the epidermal barrier, where they will be most effective.
David J. Goldberg, MD, JD, is a board-certified dermatologist and director of Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of New York & New Jersey, headquartered in New York City. He also is a clinical professor of dermatology and director of laser research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School, both in New York City. He can be reached at .
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The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 (the code) came into effect on 1 April 2015. The code is issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in exercise of powers under section 2 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, and replaces any previous codes issued in relation to authorities in England under those powers.
The code does not replace or supersede the existing framework for access to and re-use of public sector information provided by the:
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community regulations 2009
Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 which provides rights for persons to inspect a local authority’s accounting records and supporting documentation, and to make copies of them.
The code requires local authorities in England to publish the following information quarterly:
Additionally, local authorities are required to publish the following information annually:
Grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations
Senior salaries
Plumpton Parish Council complies with the requirements of the code by publishing the information on this website. Hard copies are available on request from the Parish Clerk.
Full details of the code can be found here Local Government Transparency Code 2015
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Thomas Hardy was born June 2, 1840, in the village of Upper Bockhampton, located in Southwestern England. His father was a stone mason and a violinist. His mother enjoyed reading and relating all the folk songs and legends of the region. Between his parents, Hardy gained all the interests that would appear in his novels and his own life: his love for architecture and music, his interest in the lifestyles of the country folk, and his passion for all sorts of literature.
At the age of eight, Hardy began to attend Julia Martin's school in Bockhampton. However, most of his education came from the books he found in Dorchester, the nearby town. He learned French, German, and Latin by teaching himself through these books. At sixteen, Hardy's father apprenticed his son to a local architect, John Hicks. Under Hicks' tutelage, Hardy learned much about architectural drawing and restoring old houses and churches. Hardy loved the apprenticeship because it allowed him to learn the histories of the houses and the families that lived there. Despite his work, Hardy did not forget his academics: in the evenings, Hardy would study with the Greek scholar Horace Moule.
In 1862, Hardy was sent to London to work with the architect Arthur Blomfield. During his five years in London, Hardy immersed himself in the cultural scene by visiting the museums and theaters and studying classic literature. He even began to write his own poetry. Although he did not stay in London, choosing to return to Dorchester as a church restorer, he took his newfound talent for writing to Dorchester as well.
From 1867, Hardy wrote poetry and novels, though the first part of his career was devoted to the novel. At first he published anonymously, but when people became interested in his works, he began to use his own name. Like Dickens, Hardy's novels were published in serial forms in magazines that were popular in both England and America. His first popular novel was Under the Greenwood Tree, published in 1872. The next great novel, Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) was so popular that with the profits, Hardy was able to give up architecture and marry Emma Gifford. Other popular novels followed in quick succession: The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), The Woodlanders (1887), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). In addition to these larger works, Hardy published three collections of short stories and five smaller novels, all moderately successful. However, despite the praise Hardy's fiction received, many critics also found his works to be too shocking, especially Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The outcry against Jude was so great that Hardy decided to stop writing novels and return to his first great love, poetry.
Over the years, Hardy had divided his time between his home, Max Gate, in Dorchester and his lodgings in London. In his later years, he remained in Dorchester to focus completely on his poetry. In 1898, he saw his dream of becoming a poet realized with the publication of Wessex Poems. He then turned his attentions to an epic drama in verse, The Dynasts; it was finally completed in 1908. Before his death, he had written over 800 poems, many of them published while he was in his eighties.
By the last two decades of Hardy's life, he had achieved fame as great as Dickens' fame. In 1910, he was awarded the Order of Merit. New readers had also discovered his novels by the publication of the Wessex Editions, the definitive versions of all Hardy's early works. As a result, Max Gate became a literary shrine.
Hardy also found happiness in his personal life. His first wife, Emma, died in 1912. Although their marriage had not been happy, Hardy grieved at her sudden death. In 1914, he married Florence Dugale, and she was extremely devoted to him. After his death, Florence published Hardy's autobiography in two parts under her own name.
After a long and highly successful life, Thomas Hardy died on January 11, 1928, at the age of 87. His ashes were buried in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.
The Walk 31 July 2013
The Wanderer 19 May 2014
The War-Wife of Catknoll 5 September 2014
The Weary Walker 19 May 2014
The Wedding Morning 19 May 2014
The Well-Beloved 31 July 2013
The Well-Beloved 5 September 2014
The West-Of-Wessex Girl 31 July 2013
The West-of-Wessex Girl 5 September 2014
The Whaler's Wife 29 November 2013
A wonderful tribute site for
Submitted by Volsebnik on Wed, 2014-06-25 09:35
A wonderful tribute site for all Thomas Hardy lovers.
www.hardysociety.org
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POPCulture Online The Online Convention Of Popular Culture
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Seize Your Glory
Since it’s been 7 years since 300 hit theaters, we thought we’d make things a little easier by refreshing your memory on some of the actors and characters that back for this film as well as some of the new ones that are involved as well.
Sullivan Stapleton as Themistokles
Sullivan was most recently starred in Ruben Fleischer’s 1940s-era crime drama “Gangster Squad,” alongside Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin. He currently stars on the SKY/Cinemax/HBO dramatic action series “Strike Back,” which is in its fourth season. Stapleton plays former United States Delta force operative Damian Scott, who partners up with a British military agent to operate high risk, priority missions throughout the globe.
A native of Australia, Stapleton first gained international attention with his supporting role in David Michod’s “Animal Kingdom,” which received the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema – Dramatic. The Australian Film Institute recognized his performance in the film with a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Eva Green as Artemesia
Eva has earned international praise for her work in both blockbuster releases and diverse independent films. She has several films slated to open later this year, including “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” alongside Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, for writer/directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, and Kristian Levring’s Western drama “The Salvation.” She also stars in Gregg Araki’s drama “White Bird in a Blizzard,” which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Green made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 2003 drama “The Dreamers,” for which she earned a European Film Award nomination for Best Actress. She followed with a starring role in the French film “Arsène Lupin,” before Ridley Scott cast her in his epic “Kingdom of Heaven,” opposite Orlando Bloom. In 2006, she starred in Martin Campbell’s James Bond blockbuster “Casino Royale,” introducing Daniel Craig as the new Agent 007. For her performance as the brilliant and beautiful Vesper Lynd, Green won a BAFTA Award and an Empire Award.
Green then starred as Serafina Pekkala, the queen of the witches, in Chris Weitz’s fantasy adventure “The Golden Compass.” She has since starred in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” opposite Johnny Depp, and the indie films “Franklyn,” “Cracks,” “Womb” and “Perfect Sense.”
On the small screen, Green stars as Morgan in the Starz series “Camelot,” a new adaptation of the classic Arthurian legend, also starring Joseph Fiennes as Merlin and Jamie Campbell Bower as King Arthur. In addition, she is starring in “Penny Dreadful,” a new Showtime series created by John Logan, which is currently in production.
Born in France, Green trained in Paris and London, and also studied at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Returning to Paris, she began her acting career on the stage, starring in “Turcaret,” directed by Gerard Deshartes, and “Jalousie en Trios Fax,” directed by Didier Long, for which she was nominated for a Molière Award.
Lena Headey as Gorgo
Lena first portrayed Queen Gorgo, the wife of the Spartan King Leonidas, in the hit action adventure “300,” directed by Zack Snyder.
Headey is also well known for her leading role on the award-winning hit HBO original series “Game of Thrones,” now in its fourth season. As a member of the show’s cast, she has shared in two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series Ensemble.
Headey next stars in the fantasy thriller “Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes,” having previously starred in “Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.” She also recently starred in the hit horror thriller “The Purge,” with Ethan Hawke. Among her other film credits are “Dredd,” Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm,” Neil La Bute’s “Possession” and James Ivory’s “The Remains of the Day,” as well as a number of independent features.
On television, Headey starred in the title role of the series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” She earlier appeared in such longform projects as the HBO movie “The Gathering Storm,” directed by Richard Loncraine, and the miniseries “Merlin.”
Hans Matheson as Aeskylos
Has has previously appeared in the hit films “Clash of the Titans,” directed by Louis Leterrier, and Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes.”
On the small screen, he portrayed Thomas Granville in the second season of the popular Showtime series “The Tudors,” and also starred as Alec D’Uberville in the BBC miniseries “Tess of the D’Ubervilles.”
Born in Scotland, Matheson began his career on television and on the stage, including an appearance at the Royal Court Theatre. His major break came when he was cast as Marius in Bille August’s non-musical feature film adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic “Les Misérables,” starring Liam Neeson. He then starred in the European films “Canone Inverso” and “I Am Dina.”
Matheson’s additional television credits include the TNT miniseries “The Mists of Avalon”; the lead role of Yury Zhivago in the 2002 Granada Television adaptation of “Doctor Zhivago,” with Keira Knightley and Sam Neill; and the BBC miniseries “The Virgin Queen,” as Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes
Rodrigo was already an award-winning actor in Brazil when he gained fame in the United States and around the globe. In “300: Rise of an Empire,” he reprises his role from the 2007 worldwide hit “300,” directed by Zack Snyder. For his performance, he became the first Brazilian actor to receive an MTV Movie Award nomination.
Santoro’s first American film was 2003’s “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” followed later that year by the hit romantic comedy “Love Actually.” In 2004, he won the Cannes Film Festival’s Chopard Trophy for Male Revelation. Since then, he has starred in a variety of films, including David Mamet’s “Redbelt”; Pablo Trapero’s “Lion’s Den”; both parts of Steven Soderbergh’s “Che”; “I Love You Phillip Morris,” for directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa; Kirk Jones’ “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”; and “The Last Stand.” Santoro starred in the title role in “Heleno,” about the famed Brazilian soccer player, and also produced the film, which premiered to great acclaim at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival.
Additionally, he voiced a lead role in the animated feature “Rio,” and will be heard again in the sequel, “Rio 2.” Among his other upcoming films are “Focus,” reuniting him with Ficarra and Requa; Gavin O’Connor’s “Jane Got a Gun”; “Pele”; “Rio, I Love You”; and “The 33.”
On television, Santoro had a regular role on the third season of ABC’s hit show “Lost.” He also co-starred with Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen in Philip Kaufman’s HBO movie
“Hemingway & Gellhorn,” and with Helen Mirren in Robert Allan Ackerman’s “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” for Showtime.
Callan Mulvey as Scyllias
Mulvey will next be seen in the much-anticipated action adventure “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. His upcoming films also include the thriller “Kill Me Three Times,” with Sullivan Stapleton, and “Miss Meadows,” for writer/director Karen Leigh Hopkins.
A native of New Zealand, Mulvey is best known to Australian television audiences for his starring role as Brendan “Josh” Joshua in four seasons of the acclaimed crime series “Rush,” for which he earned Logie Award nominations in 2009 and 2011. He went on to star in the Australian miniseries “Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms.” His television work in Australia also includes the telefilms “The Finder” and “Code Red,” and the series “Home and Away,” “Underbelly,” “McLeod’s Daughters,” “Head Start” and “Heartbreak High,” for which he received his first Logie Award nomination.
Mulvey made his American film debut in Kathryn Bigelow’s award-winning drama “Zero Dark Thirty.” His additional feature film credits include “The Turning,” starring Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne and Hugo Weaving; “The Hunter,” which premiered at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival; and the comedy “Thunderstruck.”
Check out our review of 300: Rise of an Empire here.
300: Rise of an Empire opens in cinemas 6 March 2014
Images courtesy of Warner Bros Singapore
© POPCulture Online 2014, All Rights Reserved
Tags 300 300: Rise of an Empire Artemesia Callan Mulvey Eva Green Frank Miller Gorgo Hans Matheson Lena Headey Rodrigo Santoro Sullivan Stapleton Themistokles Xerxes Zack Snyder
Wonder Woman Review
Who Will Win
Casting Wonder Woman
Focus Review
300: Rise of an Empire Review
Welcoming The New
Eva Green made her film debut in 2003 in Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial film The Dreamers. …
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Press Releases Wärtsilä to Supply Australian Mining Site With 53MW Gas Power Plant Expansion
Wärtsilä to Supply Australian Mining Site With 53MW Gas Power Plant Expansion
Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions, has been contracted to supply the equipment for a gas engine based expansion to the McArthur River zinc mine power plant in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The project is being undertaken by EDL NGD (NT) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the international energy company, Energy Developments Ltd (EDL), who will sell the electricity generated by the plant to McArthur River Mining Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Xstrata plc, the international mining resources company.
Wärtsilä’s scope of supply includes six Wärtsilä 34SG engines running on natural gas and the related engineering services. The total combined output of the engines will be 53MW. Delivery is scheduled to be completed by early 2013, and the power plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2013.
"Wärtsilä has an established track record of delivering high quality, and EDL was impressed by Wärtsilä’s proposal to supply an efficient power plant solution on a fast-track basis. This was an important consideration in choosing Wärtsilä as our engine supplier for this project," says Mr Shane McLaughlin, EDL Executive General Manager, Project Delivery.
"In meeting the plant’s operational requirements of a flexible and efficient supply with a high step load capacity, we have also demonstrated our ability to meet the customer’s needs for a rapid delivery," commented Suraj Narayan, General Manager, Wärtsilä Power Plants in Australia and Oceania. "Furthermore, apart from their minimal environmental impact, the Wärtsilä gas fired generating sets have a low total lifecycle cost, which is an increasingly important aspect of modern power plant operations."
Wärtsilä has a strong presence in Australia and Oceania having supplied more than 600MW of power generation capacity to the region. In Australia, Wärtsilä has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The company also has extensive workshop facilities in major locations.
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Home PM inaugurates new Bhaupur-Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Prime Minister inaugurates section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
Prime Minister inaugurates section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
PM inaugurates new Bhaupur-Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Bhaupur-Khurja section and the Operation Control Centre of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh on 29 December 2020.
This dedicated freight corridor was built at a cost of Rs 5,750 crore. Initially two Dedicated Freight Corridors were planned. The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni which has coal mines, thermal power plants and industrial cities. Feeder routes are also being made for these.
The second freight corridor is the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to Dadri. In this corridor, ports like Mundra, Kandla, Pipavav, Dawri and Hazira would be served through feeder routes. The industrial corridors of Delhi-Mumbai and Amritsar-Kolkata are being developed around both these freight corridors. Similarly, north to south and east to west corridors are also being planned.
With such dedicated freight corridors, problems of delayed passenger trains would be resolved. The speed of the freight train also will increase three times and be able to carry double the volume of goods.
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NuCana Appoints Martin J Birkhofer, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer
NuCana
EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Dr Birkhofer takes pivotal role in overseeing global clinical study programme
Opening US office
NuCana, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using the proprietary ProTide technology to develop and commercialise a portfolio of novel anti-cancer medicines, today announced the appointment of Martin J Birkhofer, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer and the opening of a US office in Princeton, New Jersey.
Commenting on his appointment, Hugh Griffith, NuCana's Chief Executive Officer, said: "The appointment of a CMO with Marty's experience and calibre is a testament to the quality and ambition that we have at NuCana. We look forward to working with Marty and being able to benefit from his expertise as we develop and commercialise our ProTide technology to benefit many patients with cancer."
Dr Birkhofer said: "I am delighted to join the NuCana team as it enters into Phase III studies with its lead ProTide, Acelarin, and brings other ProTides into the clinic. I am convinced that NuCana's new medicines have the potential to provide important new treatment options in oncology."
Dr Birkhofer, an oncologist by training, joins NuCana from inVentiv Health Clinical, a leading global supplier of drug development services, where he led its global medical and scientific affairs and held the title of Chief Medical Officer. Between 1994 and 2013, he served in various leadership roles within Research and Development and Business Development at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), including Vice President, Search, Evaluation and Diligence, Vice President Oncology Global Medical Affairs, Vice President Product Development for Erbitux, Executive Director of Oncology Clinical Research Europe and Executive Director Clinical Pharmacology. He brings to NuCana a broad drug development experience, and the knowhow of the evolving access, reimbursement and commercialisation environment for oncology products.
Dr Birkhofer is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He obtained his M.D. from New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.
With the hiring of Dr Birkhofer, NuCana is also announcing the opening of its U.S. office in Princeton, New Jersey, which will establish a U.S. presence for the company and support NuCana's international clinical study programmes and other activities.
About NuCana
NuCana® is a rapidly growing, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad development portfolio of novel anti-cancer medicines. The Company's proprietary ProTide technology has the potential to set new benchmarks in efficacy and safety with its treatments that are specifically designed to overcome key cancer resistance mechanisms. Acelarin® is NuCana's lead medicine and was the first ProTide to enter the clinic in October 2010. Acelarin achieved exceptional levels of disease control in a broad range of patients with advanced, rapidly progressing solid tumours. Global Phase III studies with Acelarin are currently being planned in ovarian, biliary and pancreatic cancers. Privately held, NuCana, which raised $57 million in a Series B financing in April 2014, is backed by world-leading investors including Sofinnova Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Morningside Ventures, Alida Capital International and the Scottish Investment Bank.
For more information, please visit: http://www.nucana.com
About ProTides
ProTides are first in class pre-activated anti-cancer agents, with a protective phosphoramidate group that allows the medicine to bypass the key tumour resistance mechanisms that limit the activity of many current chemotherapy drugs. Acelarin is the first ProTide in oncology to be brought to the clinic. The innovative ProTide chemistry is a technology platform that can be applied to all nucleoside analogues. Gilead's ProTide, Sovaldi®, has shown the potential of this new class of medicines for anti-viral therapy.
Hugh S. Griffith
Tel: +44-131-248-3660
http://www.nucana.com
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott
Ivar Milligan
Matthew Neal
SOURCE NuCana
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Michele Ing
Christopher Cogar
620 Broadway Suite M King City, CA 93930-3200
Biotech Analyst Outlines COVID-19 Vaccine Progress
Steve Seedhouse, Raymond James biotechnology analyst, discusses the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines’ trial results, manufacturing plans and rollout strategies.
To read the full article, see the Investment Strategy Quarterly publication linked below.
In December, the FDA granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) in the United States for two COVID-19 vaccines in people over 16 years old (Pfizer vaccine) and people over 18 years old (Moderna vaccine). Both vaccines are currently being distributed and administered by priority, starting with healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents.
Moderna’s vaccine was 94.1% efficacious in a 30,000-patient Phase 3 study; Pfizer’s was 95% efficacious in a ~44,000-patient study. Importantly, severe COVID-19 cases were also reduced (0 in vaccine vs. 30 in placebo group for Moderna, 1 vs. 9 for Pfizer). Generally speaking, this level of efficacy exceeded most experts’ expectations. For context, vaccines for polio (99%), measles (97%), and rubella (>95%) are slightly more effective, but chickenpox (92%) and mumps (88%) are actually less effective. In any given year, seasonal flu vaccines are 40% to 60% effective.
There are no concerning acute safety signals in the completed studies, although detailed safety data from the large Phase 3 studies have not been published. However, the speed of development and high attack rate (the rate at which people got COVID-19 in the Phase 3 study, leading to quick completion of primary efficacy analysis) mean long-term safety data are simply not available. No patient that enrolled in any study phase is more than one year out from their first vaccination. Based on the good acute safety profile, the large nature of the Phase 3 studies, and historical knowledge of safety for other vaccines (very rarely, if ever, do safety issues emerge beyond about two months post vaccination), we do not expect any safety issues. It should be noted that there are tolerability side effects of these vaccines such as fatigue, chills, muscle pain, fever and more.
Although no vaccine has previously been developed in less than a year, ~95% efficacy and clean safety profiles were demonstrated in gold standard, placebo-controlled, large Phase 3 trials. We expect public health officials, the FDA, CDC, and community physicians will be major advocates for widespread vaccination in virtually everyone except children (until more data are available).
It will be very important to closely monitor manufacturing and distribution to track whether Moderna and Pfizer are hitting their targets in 2020 and 2021. Moderna expects 20 million doses ready to ship in the U.S. in 2020 and 500 million to 1 billion doses (250-500 million people) in 2021. Operation Warp Speed in the U.S. has already secured the first 100 million doses for $1.5 billion, expected to be delivered before the end of the first quarter. Separately, Pfizer expects current production capacity of about 20 million doses per month to provide about 50 million total doses for worldwide distribution in 2020 and 1.3 billion doses (650 million people) in 2021, comprising:
200 million doses for the European Union in 2020-2021 + 100 million option
120 million doses for Japan, first half of 2021
100 million doses for the U.S. 2020-2021 (by March) + 500 million option
30 million doses for the U.K. in 2020-2021
Undisclosed number for Canada, plus 22 preliminary contracts (term sheets) and another 30 countries and supranational organizations in discussion.
Long-term storage of Pfizer’s vaccine requires -80°C freezers (commercially available freezers commonly used in research labs and hospitals). Vaccine vials can be stored in this way for about six months. However, Pfizer’s vaccine can be stored or shipped on dry ice for up to 15 days and then refrigerated up to five days at the points of use. The compressed gas industry indicates it expects sufficient dry ice supply to meet the demand, and FedEx and UPS should be able to handle vaccine delivery with no problem. Moderna’s vaccine is even easier to store, requiring -20°C long-term storage (standard kitchen freezer) and refrigeration up to 30 days, or room temperature up to 12 hours.
On December 1, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss priority for vaccine allocation upon EUA. The committee members were asked to vote on a motion for the following proposed interim recommendation:
“When a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by FDA and recommended by ACIP, vaccination in the initial phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program (Phase 1a) should be offered to both 1) health care personnel and 2) residents of long-term care facilities.”
The motion passed 13 to 1 in favor of the interim recommendation. The one dissenting vote seemed to be based on not having access to Phase 3 data and lack of data specifically pertaining to use in long-term care facility residents – a reasonable dissent, in our view, but overwhelmingly outnumbered.
There are about 21 million healthcare personnel and 3 million residents of long-term care facilities in the U.S., so we expect advancement to Phase 1b, essential workers, in the first quarter of 2021. The ACIP identified about 87 million essential workers in the U.S. including teachers, firefighters, police, food service and agriculture workers, transportation, and more. Phase 1c would comprise people with risk factors and people over 65 years old, followed in Phase 2 by healthy adults.
“Herd immunity” and a full return to normal within the U.S. are expected by the second half of 2021, so long as vaccine manufacturers hit their target dose goals and the public sufficiently uses the vaccine.
Read the full Investment Strategy Quarterly
All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author and are subject to change.
Ing Wealth Strategies Group:
620 Broadway, Suite M // King City, CA 93930-3200
Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Ing Wealth Strategies Group is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.
© 2018 Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA / SIPC | Legal Disclosures | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
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BLACK BISCUIT – Blueline
Posted on August 7, 2011 by Real Gone
In December 2010 I received an email from Black Biscuit – a band formed by a couple of guys who’ve been playing hockey together and making music since high school. They’d discovered REAL GONE via my rather negative, overtly opinionated Quakers On Probation review and asked if I’d mind giving their album a similarly honest appraisal. The lightweight tone of their message suggested they weren’t a completely serious band, and a visit to their MySpace page where they claim that the band was a result of “numerous hockey-related head injuries of the three frontmen” helped confirm my theory.
There’s a difference between being a joke/novelty band and just not taking things seriously, though, as ‘Blueline’ proves. Granted, there are a couple of songs which were possibly written to amuse, but most of the album is made up of alt-rock tunes, played too slowly and – in some cases – very badly.
‘Surfin’ in Afghanistan’ is their most obvious attempt at writing amusing material. It employs a rudimentary surf rock musical motif, against which a croony vocal tells a tale of surfing disappointment, leading to being tied up by extremists. Although it’s easy for the listener to understand what Black Biscuit are attempting here, it’s not something you’d listen to more than a couple of times. ‘Robbie The Robot’ sounds like a bad impersonation of early Soul Asylum, with additional annoying croony vocals thrown in for good measure. Not that entertaining to start with, and after a couple of spins, once again, it’s hard to imagine anyone coming back for more. ‘Don’t Touch My Cigarettes’ is an ode to never giving up smoking, delivered in an early J. Geils Band style. Its simplicity makes it one of the album’s better numbers, but Black Biscuit lack the energy of those they’re attempting to emulate.
Due to a lack of musical sharpness, most of Black Biscuit’s material completely misses the mark. ‘Gun For Hire’ is sludgy with a tuneless vocal and an even worse guitar solo (although I suspect this was tuneless on purpose). It’s obvious where the hook is, but the vocal style makes the song unlistenable. The country rock vibe of ‘Suburbs’ has the feel of a Cowboy Mouth cast-off…but only if that great band got hit on the head and forgot how to write anything melodic. If there’s anything to be learnt here it’s that three part harmonies shouldn’t be attempted by non-singers. ‘Say Goodbye’ is better, but Black Biscuit don’t really deserve any credit, since it’s memorable parts are a total rip off of The Beatles’ ‘No Reply’, twisting it into something which sounds like a bad wedding band along the way (with an appalling lead vocal to boot).
During ‘With You’, Johnny Maxwell breaks into a decent bass solo. However, it’s stuck in the middle of a rather busy number which melds a Minneapolis style alt-rock sound with a slightly garage feel, and as such, that bass work feels a little out of place. It’s one of the only moments where this album manages to claw its way out of musical despair, and for that, I’m briefly thankful. Maxwell is clearly the only band member with any real musical ability.
Sadly, the bulk of Black Biscuit’s songs are either middling or forgettable. Even their fun stuff isn’t too much fun. Presented with this mish-mash of demo-quality recordings and half-baked ideas, I don’t really know what the band was thinking. Simply put, ‘Blueline’ is a bad record. I hope their collective hockey skills fare better than this.
This entry was posted in Album & EP Reviews, alternative by Real Gone. Bookmark the permalink.
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U of R powwow celebrates Native traditions and culture
News and Views from the University of Redlands
U of R powwow celebrates Native traditions and culture April 11, 2019
Native artisans sell blankets, jewelry, and other wares during the recent powwow at the University of Redlands. (Photo by Tiffani Moorhead '19)
by Katie Olson
After a three-year hiatus, Native Student Programs hosted the University of Redlands’s third powwow on March 30, 2019. The event, which was open to the public, celebrated Native culture through traditional dances, food, and handmade wares. Katie Olson of the Bulldog Blog sat down with Heather Torres, director of U of R Native Student Programs, made possible through the leadership support of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, to learn more about the day’s events and their significance.
Bulldog Blog: Tell me about this year’s powwow and what it entailed.
Heather Torres: A powwow is an inter-tribal ceremony involving folks from different Tribal affiliations and backgrounds. Powwow originated from Tribes in the Plains area. Throughout the years, powwows have become a way to preserve culture, as well as to build community. In the 1950s and ’60s, they became a way for Tribal people, particularly in urban areas, to come together. So powwows developed from being a Plains practice into more of an inter-tribal practice, in which people from different Tribal affiliations engage in learning powwow songs and dances.
Part of powwow is social but also ceremonial. The dancers’ primary purpose isn’t just to perform or be an exhibit but to be in ceremony though dancing, praying, singing, and just being with each other. The social part is that, since it is open to the public, everyone gets to come and enjoy it. There are various dance styles throughout the day, and anyone can participate during the inter-tribal songs.
Usually, powwows have an arts and crafts component as well, where Native artisans can share and sell their products. This year, we had vendors selling blankets, jewelry, t-shirts, and so on. There were also informational booths from Native organizations, as well as different food vendors. A U of R alumnus ran a booth selling fry bread, which is recognized as a part of Native American cuisine. Fry Bread is made with flour, lard, and salt—ingredients that the U.S. government rationed out on reservations at different points in history. There were also homemade tortillas, red and green chile burritos, and kettle corn.
What made the powwow really special this year was that two Native Student Programs alumni were a part of our head staff for that day. The head woman dancer was Dominique Lombardi ’17 and the head man dancer was Darren Henson ’18 and current MBA student. There were even people who came from out of state. It was a really cool day.
BB: How was this U of R powwow different from others?
HT: In 2014, our powwow actually started out as a competition-style event, in which drum groups and different dancers in the various dance categories competed for prize money. Native Student Programs had a sponsor at the time who helped pay the rewards. This year, it was done in a community style, where everyone gathered and celebrated on the Quad.
BB: Does each dance have a specific meaning?
HT: During the powwow itself, there are many different dance styles featured and each carries its own meaning. Each dance has its own origin story. Sometimes a powwow will feature a gourd dance, usually before the Grand Entry in the middle of the day. The Gourd Dance is a separate ceremony that comes from Tribal war societies or warrior traditions. It is a men’s dance to honor warriors. Today, many of our Native veterans dance Gourd.
BB: What does the day mean to both Native and non-native people?
HT: It’s a space to build community with each other. Families and kids come and play together and start building connections. Some groups that have consistently attended powwows have grown to be like family. It’s an opportunity to learn about each other, too.
BB: What are the common misconceptions or stereotypes about powwows and Native culture?
HT: People tend to think there’s a lot of romanticism involved in powwows. A powwow is a ceremony. Dancers are expressing their prayers for their families and communities—it’s not really a magical thing. Other common errors are referring to the regalia that dancers wear as “costumes” and thinking the powwow’s primary purpose is performance; participants don’t only dance for people to watch or take pictures.
BB: What’s the importance of recognizing Native culture in this way on campus?
HT: When I was an undergraduate student at University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA), our powwow made me feel like I belonged. I think it plays a similar role for our students here. When you’re looking around at the powwow and see the Chapel in the background, you feel like you’re meant to be here. Powwows are really important community gathering spaces to the Native community in Southern California. They are also a chance for a piece of Native cultures to become the dominant culture for the day and to expose non-native students to that cultural piece in a safe and comfortable way.
A community member prepares to congratulate 2019 U of R Native Student Programs graduates. (Photo by Brenna Phillips)
BB: Was there a particular highlight for you during the event?
HT: There were so many. One that stands out is when we were able to honor our Native Student Programs graduating seniors in the arena. The female students were given custom-made Redlands shawls and the male students were given custom-made Redlands ribbon shirts. Everyone gave them blessings and best wishes for their futures and one of our host drums sang an honor song for them. It was so cool seeing them walk around and receive everyone’s prayers and well wishes.
BB: Were the goals of the event accomplished?
HT: Yes, our goal was to bring the community together in multiple facets—including the campus, non-native, Native, and off-campus communities. An overarching goal for Native Student Programs is to engage the community as much as possible. We wanted to make sure that the off-campus Native community felt like the campus was comfortable and accessible, which allows for relationships to develop between that community and our students. Another goal is to make sure we’re supporting Native students through graduation. Holding an event that lets them know that they belong here is one way of doing that.
Learn more about Native Student Programs at the University of Redlands.
Native Student Programs Events Q&A Diversity and inclusion Och Tamale Magazine Summer 2019 On Campus
In memoriam: Rich Hunsaker (1931–2021)
New School of Education Graduate Student Association aims to amplify voices
Monumental events at the Capitol
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About the Bulldog Blog
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Mortgage REITs Likely to Become More Active in Securitization, Lawyer Says
Allen Kenney
Mark Van Deusen, partner with Hunton & Williams, joined REIT.com for a video interview at REITWise 2013: NAREIT’s Law, Accounting and Finance Conference in La Quinta, Calif.
Van Deusen provided some analysis of “excess mortgage servicing rights” and why they’re important for mortgage REITs. Excess mortgage servicing rights refer to a portion of the servicing rights that are created when an originator or seller of loans securitizes loans, sells them and retains an obligation to service the loans in exchange for a fee based on the outstanding principal balance. The fee’s components include compensation for providing the services and the excess, which is an interest in the underlying interest income from mortgage loans that have been securitized.
“A lot of banks are looking to sell the excess MSRs that they hold,” Van Deusen said. “Also, the IRS has just issued a private letter ruling indicating that excess MSRs will be treated as good assets producing good income for the REIT income and asset tests. That private letter ruling has really clarified the law and made a lot of folks look at acquiring this new type of asset inside of a REIT.”
Van Deusen also discussed the role that mortgage REITs are playing in securitization activity. Van Deusen said he expects more REITs will become more active in that area.
“During the financial crisis, it was all about the agencies,” he said. “When I am talking to potential new clients that are looking at starting mortgage REITs, one of the asset classes that they always talk about doing is jumbo loans and potentially securitizing those. I think over time that is going to come back into play.”
Van Deusen gave his opinion on the dominant emerging trends in the REIT industry.
“I think a lot of it is going to depend on what comes out of Washington,” he said. “What happens with interest rates? Do we continue to have a low interest-rate environment that has allowed so many REITs to be able to issue stock because of the search for yield that is out there? I do think it’s all about Washington for a little bit.”
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Hotels in Monkton, Maryland
Find the best deals for Monkton, Maryland hotels.
Make your Monkton Hotel Search Easy
Chain Brand Hotels in Monkton
Monkton has wide verity of hotel chain accommodations, some of the most well-known Hotel Chains are Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Place Hotels & Hyatt Place Hotels. Monkton Hotel Brand Doubletree By Hilton offers best value hotels and motels in the Monkton neighborhoods. Most common amenities in these Monkton hotel, motel and resort chains are Free WiFi, Free parking and Coffeemaker. If you have a favorite brand, sticking with a familiar chain can help you with special discounts and a comfortable stay. Top Monkton hotel brands include:
Hampton Inn By Hilton Monkton
Holiday Inn Express Hotel By InterContinental Monkton
Days Inn By Wyndham Monkton
Quality Inn By Choice Hotel Monkton
Ramada Hotels By Wyndham Monkton
Hilton Garden Inn By Hilton Monkton
Residence Inn By Marriott Monkton
Courtyard By Marriott Monkton
Holiday Inn By IHG Monkton
Monkton Cheap Motels
Monkton also has Motels like Days Inn by Wyndham Baltimore West Security Blvd. & Red Roof Inn Edgewood, which offer great discounts on room rates. If you're visiting Monkton on a budget, you can reduce travel expenses by booking a motel room at one of the city's many affordable hotels which has cheap hotel prices. Motel Amenities like Free parking, Complimentary Breakfast and Free WiFi are very common in these motels. Some of these motels have deep discounts on room rates. These motels are mostly located in low cost neighborhood like Hampden & Federal Hill.
Monkton Inn and Suites
Monkton Inn and Suites is a great choice for discount lodging, it can help you trim your trip expenses, Inn and Suites give you more hotel savings & alternative accommodations. Monkton has some very nice Bead and Breakfast (B&B) options like Midtown Inn, with amazing amenities like Complimentary Breakfast and ATM on site . You don't have to stay at a budget hotel to enjoy discounts or Value. Some of these Inn and Suites offers free nights and special packages for various bookings.
Budget Monkton Hotels
If your vacation or business trip budget on lodging is not very high, you may want to consider these affordable hotels or affordable motels in Monkton area. These affordable lodging properties come with basic amenities and good comfort, for example amenities like Hair Dryer, Free WiFi and Free Wireless Internet. Some of the most affordable hotels are 2 star and 3 star hotels near popular landmarks Baltimore Conservatory, Cylburn Arboretum and USCGC Taney in Monkton neighborhood Roland Park, Federal Hill, Mount Vernon. You may want to consider bed & breakfast if you want to make your Monkton trip feel like you are at home. Monkton motels are another alternative lodging option you have.
Grand Luxury Monkton Hotels
When you want the best amenities and the most comfort in your Monkton hotel you have plenty of luxury options. Few of the best and most expensive hotels or resorts in Monkton area Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor and Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore. Which are located in near landmark Clifton Park Golf Course, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum and Fort George G. Meade. Most of these upscale boutique hotel choices are of 4 star and 5 star rating with guest rooms and suites with finest furnishings and decor. Often near tourist activities, offering access to both nearby attractions and public transit.
More travel options in Monkton
Whether you are traveling to Monkton for a romantic getaway, business trip, golf, or a family vacation, Monkton has great hotels which can fulfill all your needs. It's important to select the right hotel, motel, or resorts based on your trip goals. When traveling, some amenities can be the decision-maker on your vacation, business trip, or family getaway. Imagine reserving a hotel for a business trip that doesn't provide free Wi-fi for its guests.
You can narrow down your hotel search and get everything you want by viewing accommodation types like motel, resort, inns, B&B, and lodge that provides amenities like pet-friendly, free breakfast, and gym or by different activities like golf, beach, ski, or casino.
Monkton Hotels By Star Rating
4 Star Hotels in Monkton
Monkton Hotels by Amenities
Hotels with a Pool in Monkton
Monkton Hotels with Indoor Pool
Monkton Hotels with Outdoor Pool
Hotels in Monkton with Free Shuttle
Monkton Hotels with Breakfast Included
Hotels with Free Wifi in Monkton
Hotels in Monkton with a Gym
Hotels with Free Parking in Monkton
Hotels in Monkton with Electric Car Charging Station
Monkton Hotels with Valet Parking
Theme Hotels in Monkton
Monkton Historic Hotels
Pet-friendly Hotels in Monkton
Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley
11200 York Rd, Hunt Valley MD - 21030
Reasonable Rates And Money-Savers Like Complimentary Continental Buffet, Wi-Fi Access And On-Site Parking Make The Non-Smoking Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley A Solid Choice. Freebies Abound At The Seven-Story Holiday Inn Express: Wired Internet Access And Wi-Fi, Local Calls And Weekday Newspapers, For Starters. The 125 Contemporary, Non-Smoking Rooms Have Flat-Panel Tvs With Premium Cable Channels, Well-Lit Desks With Executive Chairs And Coffeemakers. Irons And Ironing Boards, Safes And Hairdryers Are Added Amenities. An On-The-House Continental Breakfast Is Served Each Morning, And Coffee Is Available In The Lobby Whenever You Need A Pick-Me-Up. A 24-Hour Fitness Center Helps You Stick To Your Workout Plan Regardless Of Your Schedule, And An Around-The-Clock Business Center With Internet Access Makes It Easier To Reach Out To Colleagues And Loved Ones. Faxing And Photocopying Are Available. Free Newspapers In The Lobby Help Guests Stay Up On Current Events. Meeting Facilities Are On Hand. Don'T Worry About Parking, Since It'S Ample And Free. With Easy Access To The Light Rail And To The Interstate, The Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley Quickly Gets You To Downtown Baltimore. If You'Re In Search Of Bargains, Hunt Valley Towne Centre Is Less Than A Mile Away. A Four-Mile Drive South You'Ll Find The Maryland Fairgrounds. For Horseracing Fans, Pimlico Race Course, Home Of The Preakness Stakes, Is 14 Miles South. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 31 Miles South.
Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore Hunt Valley
45 Schilling Rd, Hunt Valley MD - 21031
Kitchens With Everything You Need, A Free Grocery Shopping Service And Complimentary Breakfast Buffets: Meals Are No Problem At The Residence Inn Baltimore Hunt Valley. Free Wi-Fi Access, An Indoor Pool And A Hot Tub Add To The Value. Built With Longer Stays In Mind In 2009, The Six-Story Residence Inn Is Also Idea For Families Because Of The Separate Living And Sleeping Areas In All 141 Suites. Kitchens With Full-Sized Refrigerators, Microwaves, Stoves And Dishwashers, Along With All The Utensils A Cook Needs, Mean You Won'T Have To Eat Out For Every Meal. Stock Up At The Downstairs Convenience Store, Or Use The Free Grocery Shopping Service. Free Wi-Fi Connections Are Among The Contemporary Comforts, As Are Lcd Tvs With Cable Channels And Docking Stations For Ipods. There'S A Heated Indoor Pool And Hot Tub And A Fitness Room With Free Weighs And Cardio Equipment. An Outdoor Fire Pit Warms Up Chilly Evenings. Hot-Off-The-Griddle Waffles And Other Hot Options Are Featured On The Daily Breakfast Buffet. Parking Is Free. A Block From A Light Rail Station And A Mile From I-83, The Residence Inn Has Quick Access To Downtown Baltimore. If You Can'T Pass Up A Good Deal, Hunt Valley Towne Centre Is A 10-Minute Walk From The Hotel. Swimming, Hiking And Biking Are Popular Pastimes At The 1,043-Acre Oregon Ridge Park, Three Miles Away. For Horseracing Fans, Pimlico Race Course Is 14 Miles South. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 31 Miles South.
Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore Hunt Valley
221 International Cir, Hunt Valley MD - 21030
An Indoor Pool, Free Internet And An On-Site Restaurant Earn A Top Ranking From Our Guests For The Non-Smoking Courtyard By Marriott Hunt Valley. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Courtyard By Marriott Hunt Valley Has 134 Rooms, Each Furnished With A Work Desk, Lounge Chair, Coffeemaker, Cable Tv And Free High-Speed Internet Access. Recreation'S Easy Without Leaving The Property, Thanks To The Indoor Pool, Hot Tub And Exercise Room. Laundry Facilities And A Business Center Are Also Available. The Bistro Serves Breakfast And Dinner, As Well As Starbucks Specialty Coffee Drinks And Evening Cocktails, And Guests Who Like To Cook Outside Can Make Use Of The Hotel'S Barbecue Grills. Parking Is Free. The Courtyard Is A 30-Minute Drive North Of Downtown Baltimore And Five Minutes From Oregon Ridge State Park. Shopping At The Hunt Valley Towne Center Is A 15-Minute Walk Away. Goucher College Is A 15-Minute Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 30 Miles From The Hotel.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Baltimore Hunt Valley
The Free Cooked-To-Order Breakfast And Indoor Pool And Hot Tub Impress Guests At The Embassy Suites Hotel Baltimore - North. The Eight-Story Hotel Has 223 Suites With Flat-Panel Cable Tvs With Hbo, Wet Bars And Living Rooms. Some Rooms Have Refrigerators And Microwaves. Non-Smoking Suites Are Available. Enjoy A Free Cooked-To-Order Breakfast In The Morning And Manager'S Reception With Complimentary Snacks And Beverages In The Evening. Take Advantage Of The Indoor Pool Or Hot Tub And Fitness Center. The Hotel Offers Meeting And Event Space And Free Parking. Wi-Fi Is Available For A Fee. Near I-83, The Hotel Is 18 Miles From Downtown Baltimore And The Baltimore Convention Center. Spend Some Time Outdoors At Oregon Ridge Park, Two Miles Away. Head Over To Hunt Valley Towne Center, Within Walking Distance, For Several Dining And Entertainment Options, Or Drive 14 Miles To Boordy Vineyards For A Wine Tasting And Winery Tour. It'S 31 Miles To Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Delta Hotels by Marriott Baltimore Hunt Valley
245 Shawan Rd, Hunt Valley MD - 21031
An Indoor-Outdoor Pool, A Well-Stocked Fitness Center And Rooms With Free Wi-Fi Are Among The Perks At The Non-Smoking Delta Baltimore Hunt Valley. At The Four-Story Delta, You'Re Welcomed With An Expansive Lobby Centered Around A Stone Fireplace. The 385 Rooms Have Floor-To-Ceiling Windows That Let In Lots Of Light, Flat-Panel Tvs With Premium Cable Channels And Free Wi-Fi. For Recreation There'S An Indoor-Outdoor Pool On-Site, Plus A Fitness Room. There Are Two On-Site Restaurants, Plus A Bar. Ample Outdoor Parking Is Available. Just Off I-83, The Hotel Has A Super Location To Get You On The Highway In Minutes. For Shopaholics, Hunt Valley Towne Centre Is A Half-Mile Away, And Other Shopping Centers Are Just A Bit Farther. Home Of The Preakness Stakes, Pimlico Race Course Is 14 Miles South. Gunpowder Falls State Park, One Of The Most Popular Outdoors Destinations In The Area, Is 19 Miles East. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 31 Miles South.
Quality Suites
10710 Beaver Dam Rd, Hunt Valley MD - 21030
Apartment-Style Accommodations That Include Full Kitchens, Seating Areas And Complimentary Breakfast Mean All The Comforts Of Home For Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Quality Suites Hunt Valley. This Two-Story, Non-Smoking Hotel Has 96 Suites And Studios, Each Equipped With A Full Kitchen (Microwave, Refrigerator, Stovetop, And Cooking And Eating Utensils), A Flat-Panel Cable Tv And A Seating Area With A Sofa Bed. Most Rooms Also Include A Fireplace. There'S A Business Center On The Premises, As Well As Valet And Coin Laundry. The Hotel Is 17 Miles North Of Downtown Baltimore. The National Aquarium Of Baltimore, Oriole Park At Camden Yards And Baltimore'S Inner Harbor Are All Within A 17-Mile Radius. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 29 Miles From The Hotel.
Ramada Limited Cockeysville
10100 York Rd, Cockeysville MD - 21030
An Outdoor Pool And Complimentary Breakfast Are Perks Our Guests Appreciate At The Ramada Limited Cockeysville. The Two-Story Ramada Limited Cockeysville Has 80 Rooms With Non-Smoking Options Available. The Hotel Serves A Complimentary Continental Breakfast Each Morning And Features A Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Plus Vending And Ice Machines. The Front Desk Is Open 24 Hours, And Parking Is Available. The Ramada Limited Is Located In The Hunt Valley Area, Less Than 20 Miles North Of Baltimore. With Its Location Three-And-A-Half Miles From I-83, It Offers Easy Access To Numerous Colleges And Universities Within A Half-Hour Drive. Guests Are Two-And-A-Half Miles South Of A Light Rail Station And The Shops And Restaurants Of Hunt Valley Town Centre. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is Less Than 30 Miles South.
Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore North/Timonium, MD
11 Texas Station Court, Lutherville Timonium MD - 21093
The Free Internet, A Yummy Breakfast Buffet And A Year-Round Pool Are Part Of The Welcome Features At The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore North/Timonium. The Six-Story Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore North/Timonium Houses 114 Rooms Featuring 42-Inch Flat-Panel Hdtvs, Coffeemakers And Mini-Fridges. Free High-Speed Internet Is Also Part Of The Package. Fuel Up For The Day At The Complimentary Breakfast Buffet. Enjoy Year-Round Access To The Outdoor Pool And Hot Tub, The A Fitness Room And 24-Hour Access To The Business Center And The Front Desk. On-Site Parking Is Free. Off I-83, The Hampton Inn & Suites Is Surrounded By Retail And Dining Spots In Timonium, 14 Miles North Of Baltimore. It'S Less Than A 16-Mile Drive South To Reach Oriole Park At Camden Yards As Well As M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Washington International Airport Is Less Than 30 Miles From The Hotel. Priceline Guests Love Waking Up To The Nice Breakfast And Indoor Pool And Hot Tub At The Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore North/Timonium.
Extended Stay America Baltimore - Timonium
9704 Beaver Dam Rd, Lutherville Timonium MD - 21093
Full Kitchens, Free Wi-Fi And A Perch 15 Miles From Baltimore Attract Our Guests To The Extended Stay America Baltimore - Timonium. The Three-Story Extended Stay Has 104 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Designated Non-Smoking. Pets Are Allowed In Select Rooms. Each Room Is Equipped With Free Wi-Fi, Air Conditioning, A Flat-Panel Cable Tv And A Full Kitchen That Includes A Refrigerator, Microwave, Coffeemaker And Stovetop. Mornings Here Feature A Free Grab-And-Go Breakfast That Includes A Variety Of Breakfast Bars And Muffins, Hot Cereal, Coffee, And Tea. Additional Amenities Include A Coin-Operated Laundry Facility And Photocopy Services. Parking Is Free. The Extended Stay Is Near I-83, One Mile From The Maryland State Fairgrounds. Fox Hollow Golf Course Is Also A Mile Away, And Towson University Is Five Miles. Downtown Baltimore Is A 15-Mile Trip. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 25 Miles South Of The Hotel.
Holiday Inn Timonium
9615 Deereco Road, Lutherville Timonium MD - 21093
With An On-Site Restaurant, Outdoor Pool And Free Wi-Fi, It'S No Wonder The Holiday Inn Timonium Is A Top-Ranked Choice Among Our Guests. This Seven-Story Holiday Inn Has 146 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Designated Non-Smoking. Each Room Is Equipped With A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Microwave, Refrigerator, Coffeemaker And Free Wi-Fi Access. The Hotel Features An On-Site Mexican/American Restaurant That Serves A Breakfast Buffet, Lunch And Dinner. As For Recreation, There'S An Outdoor Pool And Fitness Room On-Site. Road Warriors Take Advantage Of The Hotel'S Business Center. Free Shuttle Service Is Offered To Attractions Within Three Miles Of The Hotel. Parking Is Free. The Holiday Inn Is 15 Miles From Downtown Baltimore. Downtown Timonium Is Two Miles Away, And The Baltimore Zoo Is 11 Miles Away. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 25 Miles From The Hotel.
Red Roof Inn PLUS+ Baltimore North - Timonium
111 W Timonium Rd, Lutherville Timonium MD - 21093
Easy Access To The The Interstate And No-Fee Stays For Pets Are The Prime Perks Our Guests Find At The Non-Smoking Red Roof Plus Baltimore North - Timonium. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Red Roof Plus Is Home To 137 Non-Smoking Rooms That Are Accessed Via Exterior Corridors. Each Room Includes A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Direct-Dial Voicemail Phone And Work Desk. Microwaves And Mini-Fridges Are Available In Select Rooms, And High-Speed Internet Access Is Offered For A Fee. Head To The Lobby For Photocopy Service And Complimentary Coffee. Parking Is Free. The Red Roof Plus Is Off I-83, Adjacent To The Maryland State Fairgrounds. You'Ll Find Several Restaurants Within Two Miles Of The Hotel And Shopping Within A Five-Minute Drive. Towson State University Is Four Miles Away. The Baltimore Zoo Is 11 Miles Away. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 20 Miles From The Hotel.
Red Lion Hotel North Baltimore
2004 Greenspring Dr, Lutherville Timonium MD - 21093
Complimentary Local Shuttle Service And Wi-Fi, As Well As An Outdoor Pool Are Just A Few Of The Convenient Amenities At The Non-Smoking Radisson Hotel North Baltimore. Each Of The 249 Rooms On Five Stories At The Non-Smoking Radisson Hotel North Baltimore Is Outfitted With Free Wi-Fi, A Coffeemaker And A Flat-Panel Tv. Guests Can Stay On Track At The Business Center Or In The Exercise Room, And The Seasonal Outdoor Pool Is A Great Place To Unwind. Enjoy A Sip At The Bar, Or Order A Meal At The On-Site Restaurant. Parking Is Free, As Is Shuttle Service Within Five Miles Of The Hotel. About 20 Minutes North Of Baltimore, The Radisson Is Two Miles From The Intersection Of I-83 And I-695 In Timonium. Within A Half-Mile Of The Hotel, There Are Plenty Of Dining And Shopping Options, Including Timonium Crossing. The Maryland State Fairgrounds Are Less Than A Mile'S Drive, And Guests Can Head Into The City To Check Out Oriole Park At Camden Yards, The National Aquarium Or The Baltimore Museum Of Art. The Hotel Is 24 Miles North Of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel
903 Dulaney Valley Rd, Towson MD - 21204
Ultra-Comfortable Beds, A Heated Indoor Pool And A Price That'S Right Draw Our Guests To The Sheraton Baltimore North, Located A Quick Drive From The City Center. The 12-Story Sheraton Baltimore North Has A Zigzag Exterior, Giving The Facility A Modern Look And Feel. With Its Coffered Wood Ceiling, The Expansive Lobby Is A Great Place To Relax. Steps Away Are The Elegant Restaurant And Cozy Bar. The 283 Non-Smoking Rooms Have Ultra-Comfortable Beds Covered In Luxe Linens. High-Speed Internet Access Is Available. Splash Around In The Glassed-In, Heated Indoor Pool Or Burn A Few Calories In The Sun-Filled Exercise Room. Self And Valet Parking Are Available For An Additional Fee. The Sheraton Baltimore North Is Located In Towson, A Community Just Inside The Baltimore Beltway. It'S Off I-695, Which Makes It Convenient To Such Major Interstate Highways As I-95 And I-795. If You'Re Headed To The Baltimore Aquarium, The Maryland Science Center Or Any Of The Other Attractions Ringing The Inner Harbor, It'S A 15-Mile Drive. If You Came To Shop Till You Drop, Towson Town Center With Dozens Of High-End Retailers And Upscale Dining Establishments Is Across The Road (An Easy Stroll, As There'S A Skywalk Connecting The Hotel And Mall). It'S 27 Miles South To Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, The Region'S Main Gateway.
Holiday Inn Express Towson - Baltimore North
1100 Cromwell Bridge Rd, Towson MD - 21286
Free Wi-Fi, Complimentary Buffet Breakfast And A Seasonal Outdoor Pool Are Highlights For Our Guests At The Best Western Plus Towson Baltimore North Hotel & Suites. This Six-Story Hotel Best Western Plus Has 129 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Designated Non-Smoking. Each Room Includes A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Free Wi-Fi, A Microwave And A Mini-Fridge. A Complimentary Buffet-Style Breakfast Is Dished Out Each Morning. Recreation Comes In The Form Of A Seasonal Outdoor Pool And 24-Hour Fitness Center. The Business Center Is Also Open 24 Hours, And Offers Fax And Photocopy Services. Parking Is Free. The Best Western Plus Is Off I-695, 16 Miles From Downtown Baltimore. The Historic Hampton Mansion Is Two Miles Away, And The Baltimore Zoo Is Nine Miles. The National Aquarium Is 10 Miles. Baltimore Washington International Airport Is 21 Miles From The Hotel.
Comfort Inn Baltimore East Towson
8801 Loch Raven Blvd, Parkville MD - 21286
Expect A Complimentary Full Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And A Seasonal Outdoor Pool At The Comfort Inn Towson. The Four-Story Comfort Inn Was Renovated In 2012. All 185 Rooms Come Equipped With Free Wi-Fi, Coffeemakers, Desks, Hairdryers, Irons, Ironing Boards And Cable Tvs. Some Rooms Are Non-Smoking. Each Morning'S Complimentary Breakfast Buffet Features A Rotating Menu Of Eggs, Meat, Yogurt, Fresh Fruit, Cereal And Flavored Waffles. There'S A Seasonal Outdoor Pool And An Exercise Gym On The Premises. Parking Is Free, Including Ample Room For Trucks And Buses. The Comfort Inn Is Off I-695, Two Miles From The Towson Town Center Mall. The Baltimore Zoo Is Seven Miles Away, And The Baltimore Convention Center Is 11 Miles. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 23 Miles From The Hotel.
Days Inn by Wyndham Towson
8712 Loch Raven Blvd, Towson MD - 21286
The Perks Include An On-Site Restaurant, Free Wi-Fi, A Seasonal Outdoor Pool, And Location Near Major Baltimore Businesses And Attractions At The Days Inn By Wyndham Towson. This Three-Story Days Inn By Wyndham Has 121 Rooms, Each Equipped With Free Wi-Fi, Cable Tv, A Coffeemaker, Microwave And Refrigerator. Guests Enjoy A Complimentary Continental Breakfast Each Morning In The Hotel Lobby. Eats Later In The Day Are Served In The On-Site Restaurant. Additional Amenities Include A Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Fitness Center And Laundry Facilities. Parking Is Free. The Days Inn By Wyndham Is Off I-695, Less Than A Mile From Towson University And Goucher College. John Hopkins University Is Four Miles Away. Visitors With Kids In Tow Enjoy The Baltimore Zoo, 11 Miles From The Hotel, And The Baltimore Aquarium, A 25-Minute Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 25 Miles Away.
Hampton Inn Shrewsbury
1000 Far Hills Dr, New Freedom PA - 17349
Freebies Such As High-Speed Internet Access, Breakfast And Parking Plus An Indoor Pool And A Convenient Location Off I-83 Make The Hampton Inn Shrewsbury A Savvy Choice For Our Guests. Three Floors House 84 Rooms, Some Non-Smoking, At The Hampton Inn. Stay Connected With Free High-Speed Internet Access And Cable Tv, And Brew Yourself Some Coffee Before Heading To The Hotel'S Complimentary Breakfast Buffet. The Fitness Room And Indoor Pool Keep You Energized And Relaxed, And The Business Center Helps You Stay On Top Of Work. A Coin Laundry And Free Parking Add Convenience. Located About 45 Minutes South Of Harrisburg, The Hampton Inn Is Off I-83, Four Miles From The Maryland State Line. Several Chain Stores And Restaurants Are Within A Half-Mile Of The Hotel, And Brown'S Orchards & Farm Market Is 12 Minutes North. Gettysburg And Hersheypark Are Both An Hour'S Drive From The Hotel, And Baltimore Is 45 Minutes South. Within 20 Minutes Are A Variety Of Vineyards, As Well As Bike Trails At Heritage Rail Trail County Park. Harrisburg International Airport Is 47 Miles Away, And It'S 42 Miles To Lancaster Airport.
Mt Washington Conference Center
5801 Smith Avenue, Baltimore MD - 21209
Featuring The Historic Octagon Building, This Hotel Is Located In Baltimore, On A Leafy Campus Just 10 Minutes’ Drive From The City Centre. Free Wifi Access Is Provided.A Satellite Tv Is Provided In Each Air-Conditioned Room At Mt. Washington Conference Center. Guests Are Also Provided With A Balcony And A Coffee Machine. An En Suite Bathroom Comes With A Hairdryer.A 24-Hour Front Desk Welcomes Guests To Mt. Washington Conference Center, Which Features A Snack Bar And A Free Shuttle Service. Guests Can Entertain Themselves In The Games Room Or Take Advantage Of The Luggage Storage And Dry Cleaning Services.Johns Hopkins University Is Just 5.6 Km From Mt. Washington Conference Center, While The Baltimore Museum Of Art Is 5.8 Km Away. The National Aquarium Is 12 Minutes’ Drive Away.
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Baltimore
8477 Cordon Way, Baltimore MD - 21236
The Freebies Include An Airport Shuttle, Wi-Fi And Buffet Breakfast At The Non-Smoking Fairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott White Marsh. This Four-Story Hotel Has 116 Rooms, Each Outfitted With Free Wi-Fi, A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Spacious Seating Area, Work Desk And Coffeemaker. Guests Swim In The Hotel'S Seasonal Outdoor Pool And Work Out In The Fitness Room. As For Eats, Each Morning A Complimentary Buffet Breakfast Is Served, Complete With Hot Breakfast Sandwiches. Corporate Guests Appreciate The On-Site Business Center. There'S A Charge For Parking. The Fairfield Inn Is In White Marsh, 14 Miles North Of Baltimore. Ripken Stadium And Towson University Are Both Within A 10-Minute Radius. The National Aquarium Is 15 Miles Away, And Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 18 Miles Away.
Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore White Marsh
4980 Mercantile Rd, Baltimore MD - 21236
Offering Free Rides To Some Of The Region'S Best Boutiques And Restaurants, The Residence Inn By Marriott Baltimore White Marsh Is Tailor-Made For Comfortable Getaways. Intended For Longer Stays, The Four-Story, 131-Room Hotel Feels Like Home. The Free Breakfast Starts The Day Off Right, Especially With The Griddle-Made Waffles With Your Choice Of Tempting Toppings. On Many Evenings You Can Wind Down With Evening Socials Thrown By The Manager. The Spacious Suites All Have Full Kitchens, Meaning Besides The Usual Refrigerator And Microwave There Is An Oven, A Stove, A Toaster And Even A Dishwasher. The Cabinets Are Stocked With Pots, Pans And Everything You Need For A Home-Cooked Meal. The Beds Are Extra Thick, And Even The Sofa Beds Are Unusually Comfortable. The Desks Are Perfect For Catching Up With Your Work, Especially With The Free Wi-Fi Connections. After A Day Of Shopping, Relax In Front Of A 32-Inch Flat-Panel Tv With Instant Access To Lots Of Movies. There Are Piles Of Fluffy Towels Beside The Outdoor Heated Pool, And The Fitness Room Is Packed With Cardio Equipment. A Daily Hot Breakfast Is Free, And Parking Is Available For An Extra Charge. The Hotel Is Northeast Of Downtown On The Region'S Most Important North-South Expressway. It'S A Stone'S Throw From White Marsh Mall, One Of The Most Popular Shopping Centers In The Baltimore Area. If You'Re Headed To The Inner Harbor, It'S A 20-Minute Drive South. Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, The City'S Closest Gateway, Is About 21 Miles South.
Ramada by Wyndham Pikesville/Baltimore North
1721 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville MD - 21208
Expect Free Wi-Fi, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, An On-Site Restaurant And Seasonal Outdoor Pool At Ramada By Wyndham Pikesville/Baltimore North. This Two-Story Ramada By Wyndham Is Home To 108 Rooms, Each Of Which Includes Free Wi-Fi, Cable Tv, A Microwave, Mini-Fridge, Coffeemaker, Work Desk And Seating Area. Some Rooms Are Non-Smoking. Guests Are Offered A Complimentary Continental Breakfast Each Morning. The On-Site Restaurant Is Also Open For Lunch And Dinner, And Coffee Is Free In The Lobby Throughout The Day. If Staying Active Is Your Thing, Don'T Miss The Seasonal Outdoor Pool And Fitness Center. Parking Is Free. Ramada By Wyndham Is Off I-695 In Pikesville. Pimlico Racetrack, Home Of The Preakness Horse Race, Is Five Miles Away. John Hopkins Medical Center Is 11 Miles Away, And The Baltimore Zoo Is 12 Miles Away. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum And The Baltimore Convention Center Are Both A 20-Minute Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 18 Miles From The Hotel.
DoubleTree by Hilton Baltimore North/Pikesville
With Easy Access To Popular Attractions And Cushy Beds, The 100% Non-Smoking Doubletree By Hilton Baltimore North/Pikesville Has A Close-By Location That'S Removed From The Hustle And Bustle Of Downtown Plus Comfy Accommodations. The Five-Story Hotel Was Renovated From Top To Bottom In 2010, So Everything Sparkles. The 169 Rooms Have Plenty Of Amenities, From 37-Inch Flat-Panel Tvs To Connections For Your Mp3 Player And Other Digital Devices To Wi-Fi. Extra-Thick Mattresses Covered In Crisp, White Linens And Down Comforters Will Have You Nodding Off In No Time. The Granite Bathrooms Are Stocked With Spa-Quality Bath Products. An Attached Health Club, With A Full Selection Of Exercise Equipment, Free Weights And Aerobic Machines, Is Free For Guests. Six Indoor Tennis Courts Can Be Booked For A Fee. The Outdoor Pool, Shaped Like A Boomerang, Is The Place To Soak Up Some Rays. There'S A Sit-Down Restaurant On The Premises And Other Options Nearby. Northwest Of Downtown On The Baltimore Beltway, The Doubletree By Hilton Is Convenient To I-83 And I-795 North And I-70 West. The Baltimore Aquarium, Maryland Science Center And Other Sights Around The Inner Harbor Are About 11 Miles Southeast. The Old Court Metro Subway Station Is A Five-Minute Drive From The Hotel, So You Can Zip Over To Downtown In No Time. Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, The Closest Major Airport, Is 18 Miles South.
Hilton Garden Inn Baltimore/White Marsh
5015 Campbell Boulevard, Baltimore MD - 21236
Outfitted For Both Business And Leisure Travelers, Hilton Garden Inn White Marsh Features A Location Within An Easy Drive To Baltimore Area Attractions, Shopping And Dining, As Well As Such Amenities As Free Parking, And Free Wi-Fi. The Six-Story Hilton Garden Inn Features 155 Rooms, All With Free Wi-Fi, 32-Inch Flat-Panel Tvs, Coffeemakers, Microwaves, Mini-Fridges, Armchairs And Work Desks. Non-Smoking Rooms Are Available. Guests Can Start The Day With A Full American Breakfast In The On-Site Restaurant Or With A Workout In The 24-Hour Fitness Center. Take Some Laps In The Indoor Heated Pool Or Unwind In The Hot Tub. The Hotel Features A 24-Hour Convenience Store Stocked With Ready-Made Meals. Business Amenities Include A 24-Hour Business Center And Meeting Spaces. Guests Can Utilize The Hotel'S Local Trolley Service. Parking Is Free. Located Within A 20-Minute Drive Of Baltimore, This Suburban Hotel Is Convenient To I-95. Guests Can Explore Downtown Baltimore, Home To Such Attractions As Oriole Park At Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium And The Inner Harbor. A Number Of Dining, Shopping And Entertainment Options Are Within Easy Access Of The Hotel. Morgan State University Is Seven Miles From The Hotel, While Johns Hopkins Hospital Is 10 Miles Away And Towson University Is 12 Miles Away. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 24 Miles Southwest.
Hampton Inn Baltimore/White Marsh
8225 Town Center Drive, Baltimore MD - 21236
The Perfect Base For Shopping Given Its Proximity To White Marsh Mall, The Hampton Inn Baltimore/White Marsh Offers Free Breakfasts And Round-The-Clock Coffee As Well. The Four-Story Hampton Inn Baltimore/White Marsh Is All About Rest And Relaxation. There'S A Sparkling Outdoor Pool Area Where You Can Catch Some Rays During The Summer Months. Each Of The 127 Rooms Has A Generously Sized Workstation With Plenty Of Space For Your Netbook Or Tablet Computer, But You Can Also Opt To Use The Lap Desk And Stretch Out In The Easy Chair. Either Way, There'S Free Wi-Fi To Make Sure You'Re In Touch With Home Or The Office. The Flat-Panel Tvs Let You Keep Up With The News Or Enjoy A Movie. There'S A Long Communal Table In The Breakfast Room, So It'S Easy To Get To Know Your Fellow Guests. The Breakfast Buffet Is On The House And Always Includes Hot Items Ranging From Scrambled Eggs To French Toast Sticks. Guests Also Like The Free Coffee And Other Beverages Available Anytime. Off I-95, Adjacent To The 175 Boutiques And Restaurants Of White Marsh Mall, The Hampton Inn Is About Seven Miles South Of Boordy Vineyards, One Of The Region'S Oldest Family-Run Wineries. If You'Re Headed To Baltimore'S Inner Harbor, It'S A 20-Minute Drive. About 23 Miles South Is Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, The Region'S Main Gateway.
Delta Hotels by Marriott Baltimore North
5100 Falls Road, Baltimore MD - 21210
On 72 Wooded Acres, The Radisson Hotel Cross Keys Baltimore Gets Points For Its Peaceful Location About Five Miles From Downtown, Convenient To The Sights But Away From The Hustle And Bustle. In The Historic Neighborhood Of Roland Park, The Radisson Hotel Has The Feel Of A Resort. Tennis Courts And A Sparkling Swimming Pool Are Open During The Summer Months, So The Place Is A Favorite With Families. The Four-Story Hotel, With 147 Non-Smoking Rooms, Has Screened Windows You Can Throw Open To Catch The Breeze. Dials Let You Decide How Firm You Want The Bed To Be, So You'Re Sure To Sleep Like A Baby. Wi-Fi Is On The House, So You Can Always Be In Touch With Home Or The Office. A Bar And Restaurant Are On The Premises, So You Never Have To Leave The Hotel Unless You Want To Check Out The Other Options In The Neighborhood. There'S Also Room Service If You Don'T Even Want To Leave The Privacy Of Your Room. About Five Miles North Of Downtown, The Hotel Sits In A Secure Gated Community. The City'S Sights Are Easily Accessibly By Car, And There'S A Courtesy Van That Shuttles Guests To The Baltimore Aquarium And The Other Attractions On The Inner Harbor. Johns Hopkins University Is A Quick Three-Mile Drive South, As Is The Baltimore Museum Of Art. Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, The Region'S Main Gateway, Is 17 Miles South.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Baltimore/White Marsh
10465 Philadelphia Road, White Marsh MD - 21162
Superb Features Like Free Cocktails, Year-Round Swimming And An I-95 Location Attract Guests To The Non-Smoking Home 2 Suites Baltimore/White Marsh. You'Ll Find Full Kitchens, Wi-Fi Availability, 42-Inch, Flat-Panel Lcd Tvs, Ipod Docks And Sofa Beds In All 108 Rooms At The Four-Story Home 2 Suites. Complimentary Treats Include Evening Cocktails And Morning Breakfast. There'S Also A Sundries Market On The Premises. Year-Round Fun Abounds In The Indoor Saline Pool And The 24-Hour Fitness Room. Guests Also Have Access To A Business Center. Additional Perks Include Laundry Facilities And Free Parking. Pets Are Allowed. The Entire Property Is Non-Smoking. Located Off I-95, The Home 2 Suites Is 13 Miles Southwest Of Baltimore'S Oriole Park And Within Two Miles Of The Avenue. The Heart Of White Marsh Is Less Than One Mile Away. Two Miles West, Guests Hop On The Mta Maryland Train For A One-Hour Journey To Downtown Baltimore. The Hotel Is 24 Miles From Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Howard Johnson by Wyndham Pikesville
407 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville MD - 21208
Located A Few Miles From Baltimore And Offering A Complimentary Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Howard Johnson By Wyndham Pikesville Provides Prime Amenities In An Ideal Location. This Two-Story Howard Johnson By Wyndham Has 74 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Designated Non-Smoking. Each Room Offers Complimentary Wi-Fi, A Coffeemaker, Hairdryer And Premium Cable Tv (With Hbo). When Morning Hits, Guests Help Themselves To A Complimentary Continental Breakfast That Includes Cereals, Freshly Baked Goods, Coffee And Fruit Juices. On-Site Amenities Include A Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Photocopy Service And A 24-Hour Front Desk. Parking Is Free, With Plenty Of Space For Larger Vehicles. The Howard Johnson By Wyndham Is Off I-695 In Pikesville, A Suburb Of Baltimore. It'S Eight Miles From Orioles Park At Camden Yards. The Maryland Science Center Is Also Eight Miles Away. John Hopkins Medical Center Is Nine Miles. The Baltimore Aquarium And Baltimore Zoo Are A 13-Mile Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 19 Miles From The Hotel.
Hyatt Place Baltimore/Owings Mills
4730 Painters Mill Rd, Owings Mills MD - 21117
Free Wi-Fi, A Heated Pool And A Perch Near The Owings Mills Mall Are Perks That Keep Our Guests Happy At The Non-Smoking Hyatt Place Owings Mills. All 123 Rooms At The Seven-Story, Non-Smoking Hyatt Place Are Stylishly Furnished And Feature A 42-Inch Flat-Panel Cable Tvs, Upscale Bedding, L-Shaped Sofa Beds, Wet Bars And Complimentary Wi-Fi. The Guest Kitchen And Grab 'N Go Case Offer Snacks, Entrees And Sandwiches For Purchase Around The Clock. Leisure Perks Include An Indoor Heated Pool, 24-Hour Fitness Room And Playground. You'Ll Also Find A Business Center On-Site, Complete With Copy Service. Parking Is Free. The Hyatt Place Is 12 Miles Northwest Of Downtown Baltimore And 30 Minutes From The Baltimore Convention Center. It'S Less Than One Mile From The Shops And Restaurants Of The Owings Mills Mall. Johns Hopkins University Is Seven Miles Away, And Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 21 Miles From The Hotel.
Hampton Inn Baltimore/Owings Mills
10521 Red Run Blvd, Owings Mills MD - 21117
Free Wi-Fi, Buffet Breakfast And A Heated Indoor Pool Add Up To A Comfortable Stay For Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn Owings Mills. All 105 Rooms At The Five-Story, Non-Smoking Hampton Inn Are Outfitted With Flat-Panel Cable Tvs, Microwaves, Refrigerators, Work Desks, Coffeemakers And Free Wi-Fi. Guests Rise And Shine To A Buffet Breakfast Each Morning. Additional Amenities Include A Heated Indoor Pool, On-Site Fitness Room, 24-Hour Business Center And Meeting/Banquet Facilities. Parking Is Free. The Hampton Inn Is Off I-695, Six Miles From Caves Valley Golf Club. The National Aquarium, Located In Baltimore'S Inner Harbor, Is 20 Miles Away. The Maryland Zoo Is A 25-Minute Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 21 Miles From The Hotel.
Hilton Garden Inn Owings Mills
4770 Owings Mills Blvd, Owings Mills MD - 21117
Rooms With Free Wi-Fi And Convenient Kitchen Appliances Complement The Indoor Pool, On-Site Restaurant And Hot Tub At The Hilton Garden Inn Owings Mills. This Six-Story, 159-Room Hotel Offers Free Wi-Fi, Flat-Panel Tvs And Microwaves And Refrigerators In Every Unit. After Checking In At The 24-Hour Front Desk, Take A Dip In The Year-Round Heated Indoor Pool, Or Head For The Fitness Center, Also Open 24/7, To Get In A Workout On The Cardio And Resistance Machines. Those With Work Duties Can Check In With The Boss And File Reports From The Business Center. Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner Are Served At The On-Site Restaurant, Which Also Offers Room Service From Lunch Until Past Midnight. The Property Is Less Than A Mile From I-795 And Only A Quarter-Mile From The Owings Mills Mall, Which Has Plenty Of Shopping And Dining Options Plus A Movie Theater. Baltimore Is 20 Miles Away And Easily Accessible Via A Public Transit Station A Mile From The Hotel, Baltimore Offers Hot Night Life At Fell'S Point And Sea Life Galore At The National Aquarium, Both On The City'S Inner Harbor. The Maryland Zoo And Baltimore-Washington International Airport Are Each A Half-Hour Drive Away.
Super 8 by Wyndham Joppa
1015 Pulaski Hwy, Joppa MD - 21085
Complimentary Continental Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi Up The Value-Factor For Guests At Super 8 By Wyndham Joppa, A Short Distance From Baltimore. The Two-Story Super 8 By Wyndham Has 55 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Designated Non-Smoking. Each Room Includes Free Wi-Fi, A Work Desk, Premium Cable Tv And A Safe. Lake-View Accommodations Are Available, As Are In-Room Refrigerators And Microwaves. Set Your Alarm To Wake In Time For Each Morning'S Complimentary Breakfast. If You'Ve Got Work In Tow, Feel Free To Make Use Of The Hotel'S Photocopy Facilities. Parking Is Free, And Pets Are Permitted. Super 8 By Wyndham Is Off I-95, 19 Miles Northeast Of Downtown Baltimore. You'Ll Find Several Restaurants Within Three Miles Of The Property. Franklin Square Medical Center Is Eight Miles Away, And Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 30 Miles Away.
Red Roof Inn Baltimore Northwest
5810 Reisterstown Rd, Baltimore MD - 21215
Close To Shops And Restaurants And Offering Hard-To-Beat Rates, Red Roof Inn Baltimore Welcomes Our Guests. This Two-Story Hotel Offers Rooms With Cable Tv And Free Local Calling. Some Also Have Microwaves And Mini-Fridges. Kick-Start Your Day With Fresh Coffee In The Lobby. Parking For Vehicles Of Any Size Is Free. Pets Are Allowed. Located Two Blocks From The Rogers Metro Station, This Hotel Is About One Mile From Several Stores And Restaurants. Betting Action At The Pimlico Race Course Is About One Mile Away. Downtown Baltimore And The Inner Harbor, National Aquarium And Maryland Science Center Are Eight Miles From The Property. Baltimore-Washington International Airport Is 19 Miles South.
-76.69613063
Quality Inn Near Pimlico Racetrack
4200 Primrose Ave, Baltimore MD - 21215
Free Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Value-Friendly Rates Make The Quality Inn Baltimore A Comfy Base Of Operations. This Two-Story Quality Inn Offers 72 Rooms With Cable Tvs, Free Wi-Fi And Ironing Equipment. Fuel Up For The Day Ahead With Free Continental Breakfast. Copy And Fax Services Are Available, And There'S A Fitness Room On-Site. The Front Desk Is Open Around The Clock, And Parking Is Free. The Hotel Is Two Blocks From Rogers Metro Station And Less Than A Mile From Shopping And Dining At The Northwest Plaza Shopping Center. Get Your Adrenaline Pumping At The Pimlico Race Course, A Little Over A Mile Away. Downtown Baltimore And The National Aquarium And Oriole Park At Camden Yards Are Eight Miles Away. Baltimore-Washington International Airport Is 19 Miles South.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Edgewood / Aberdeen-South
2112b Emmorton Park Rd, Edgewood MD - 21040
Economical Rates, Plus Perks Like Free Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi, Attract Our Guests To The Non-Smoking La Quinta Inn & Suites Edgewood/Aberdeen-South For Affordable Accommodations That Don'T Sacrifice Comfort Or Convenience. The Three-Story Hotel Has 66 Non-Smoking Rooms With Microwaves And Mini-Fridges. Coffeemakers, Hairdryers, Premium Cable Tvs And Free Wi-Fi Also Come Standard. The Daily Complimentary Breakfast Buffet Often Includes Items Like Waffles, Bagels, Pastries And Plenty Of Fresh Hot Coffee. Pack Your Workout Gear If You Plan To Use The Fitness Center. A Business Center And Coin Laundry Are Available. Your Pet Is Welcome With An Additional Fee. Parking Is Free. The Hotel Is Eight Miles From Ripken Stadium And Bulle Rock Golf Course, And 10 Miles From White Marsh Mall. Havre De Grace Decoy Museum Is 15 Miles From The Hotel, And It'S 18 Miles To Ladew Topiary Gardens. Camden Yards, Home Of Baltimore Orioles, Is 25 Miles Away. It'S 35 Miles To Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
Hampton Inn & Suites Edgewood/Aberdeen-South, MD
2110 Emmorton Park Rd, Edgewood MD - 21040
Built In 2011, The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn And Suites Edgewood/Aberdeen-South Offers Complimentary Hot Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And An Indoor Pool. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Hampton Inn Was Built In 2011 And Houses 134 Rooms. Each Room Includes Free Wi-Fi, Upscale Bedding, A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Work Desk, Seating Area, Microwave And Refrigerator. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee At Each Morning'S Complimentary Hot Breakfast. If Fitness Is Your Thing, Make Time For A Workout In The Exercise Room Or A Swim In The Indoor Pool. The Hotel Also Offers A Business Center, Meeting Facilities And Laundry Services For Guests' Convenience. Parking Is Free. The Hampton Inn Is Off I-95, 10 Minutes From Downtown Edgewood. The Mountain Branch Golf Club Is Five Miles Away. Jerusalem Mill Village, An Interactive Museum That Appeals To Families, Is A 13-Minute Drive. Downtown Baltimore Is A 25-Minute Drive, And Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 27 Miles From The Hotel.
Inn at the Colonnade Baltimore - a DoubleTree by Hilton
4 W University Pkwy, Baltimore MD - 21218
Overlooking Johns Hopkins University, The Non-Smoking Inn At The Colonnade Baltimore, A Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Welcomes Guests With A Tasteful Restaurant, Classy Rooms With Signature Beds And Flat-Panel Tvs, And A Modern Gym With A Spa. This Mid-Rise Brownstone Offers 125 Non-Smoking Rooms With Signature Bedding, Free Wi-Fi, 42-Inch Hdtvs, Granite Countertops, Mini-Fridges, Microwaves, Coffeemakers, Hairdryers And Irons With Ironing Boards. Guests Enjoy Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner At The American Bistro And Can Work Out At The State-Of-The-Art Fitness Center Before Heading To A Relaxing Massage At The Spa. Business Services And Meeting Space Are Available. Pets Are Welcome For A Fee And Parking Is Also Extra. Walk To The Homewood Field On The Campus Of Johns Hopkins University Across The Street. Downtown Baltimore And The Inner Harbor, Baltimore Convention Center And Oriole Park At Camden Yards Are Three-And-A-Half Miles South. Enjoy A Performance At The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Two Miles South, Or Spend A Day With The Family At The Baltimore Zoo, Three Miles Away. Baltimore-Washington International Airport Is 15 Miles South.
Red Roof Inn Edgewood
2116 Emmorton Park Road, Edgewood MD - 21040
Economy Rates With Additional Savings Like Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi Are What Our Guests Like Best About The Budget-Friendly Red Roof Inn Edgewood. The Two-Story Hotel Has 70 Rooms With Free Wi-Fi, Premium Cable Tv With Hbo And Espn And Free Local Calling. Fuel Up At The Hotel'S Complimentary Breakfast Buffet, Served Daily, And Get Work Done At The Computer Work Station, Both Available In The Lobby. A Coin Laundry And Meeting Space Are Also On-Site, And Parking Is Free. The Red Roof Inn, Just Off I-95, Is 18 Miles North Of Baltimore'S Inner Harbor And Oriole Park At Camden Yards. The Cal Ripken Museum Is Nine Miles From The Hotel, And It'S 10 Miles To Aberdeen Proving Grounds And White Marsh Mall. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Is 30 Miles Away.
Holiday Inn Express Edgewood-Aberdeen-Bel Air
2118 Emmorton Park Dr, Edgewood MD - 21040
Offering Guest-Friendly Perks Like Free Wi-Fi And A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet, The Holiday Inn Express Edgewood I-95 Features Easy Interstate Access About 25 Minutes From Baltimore Attractions Like Camden Yards And The National Aquarium. The Three-Story Hotel Has 92 Rooms With Microwaves And Mini-Fridges, Handy For Leftovers, Snacks And Heat-And-Serve Meals. Rooms Have Triple-Sheeted Beds With A Variety Of Pillows, Free Wi-Fi And Cable Tvs With Premium Channels Like Cnn And Hbo. Once You'Re Unpacked, Make Time For The Heated Indoor Pool, Hot Tub And Fitness Center. You Must Wait Till Morning For The Free Buffet Featuring The Hotel'S Signature Cinnamon Rolls. There'S A Computer In The Business Center If You'Ve Left Your Laptop At Home. The Hotel Is Eight Miles From The Ripken Museum And Gunpowder Falls State Park. Hollywood Casino In Perryville Is 16 Miles North, And It'S A 25-Minute Drive South To Baltimore'S Inner Harbor, Oriole Park At Camden Yards And The National Aquarium. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Is 30 Miles From The Hotel, And It'S 33 Miles To Baltimore/Washington International Airport.
39.45219039917
Comfort Inn & Suites Edgewood - Aberdeen
2112a Emmorton Park Road, Edgewood MD - 21040
Free Wi-Fi And A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet, Plus In-Room Microwaves And Mini-Fridges, Await Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Comfort Inn & Suites Aberdeen Proving Grounds Area. The Two-Story Hotel Has 104 Non-Smoking Rooms Featuring Signature Beds, Flat-Panel Tvs With Premium Cable And Free Hbo And Free Wi-Fi. There'S A Business Center, A Heated Indoor Pool And A Fitness Room On-Site As Well. Complimentary Coffee And Tea Are Always Available In The Lobby, And The Hotel Serves A Free Daily Breakfast Buffet With Hot And Cold Items. If You'Re In A Rush, Grab A To-Go Breakfast Bag. Parking Is Free. The Hotel Is Nine Miles From The Ripken Museum And 10 Miles From White Marsh Mall And The Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Havre De Grace Decoy Museum Is 15 Miles From The Hotel, And It'S 18 Miles To Baltimore'S Inner Harbor And Camden Yards. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Is 30 Miles From The Hotel.
-76.30810546875
Motel 6 Edgewood
1709 Edgewood Road, Edgewood MD - 21040
Free Wi-Fi, Breakfast And Parking, Plus An Outdoor Pool And A Location Close To Area Attractions Are Among The Amenities Our Guests Enjoy At Best Western Invitation Inn In Edgewood. This Two-Story Property Has 158 Rooms With Coffee/Tea Makers, Microwaves, Refrigerators, Complimentary Wi-Fi And Premium Cable Tvs. Non-Smoking Accommodations Are Available. In The Morning, Guests Can Fuel Up For The Day With A Free Breakfast Buffet. The Hotel Also Has An On-Site Restaurant, Lounge, Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Fitness Room, Coin-Operated Laundry And Game Room. Parking Is On The House. Pets Are Permitted, With Restrictions, For An Additional Fee. Best Western Is Located Right Off I-95, 25 Miles From Baltimore'S Inner Harbor. Minor League Baseball'S Ripken Stadium Is 10 Miles From The Hotel, And It'S 12 Miles To Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Is 32 Miles.
Ramada Hotel & Conference Center by Wyndham Edgewood
1700 Van Bibber Rd, Edgewood MD - 21040
With Perks Like A Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi, The Ramada Hotel & Conference Center By Wyndham Edgewood Provides Our Guests With Modern Conveniences For A Pleasant Stay. The Two-Story Hotel Has 100 Rooms With Microwaves And Mini-Fridges, Complimentary Wi-Fi And Premium Cable Tv And Hbo. Kids Up To Age 17 Stay Free. Before Heading Out In The Morning, Make Time For The Complimentary Breakfast Buffet Featuring An Assortment Of Hot And Cold Cereals, Fruit, Pastries And Lots Of Fresh Coffee. Make Time For A Workout In The Exercise Room, And Enjoy The Outdoor Pool In The Summer. Meeting Space And A Coin Laundry Are Available. Parking Is Free. The Hotel Is 25 Miles From Baltimore'S Top Attractions, Including The National Aquarium And Camden Yards. It'S Seven Miles To The Aberdeen Proving Grounds, 12 Miles To White Marsh Mall And 15 Miles To Havre De Grace And Susquehanna State Park. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Is 32 Miles From The Ramada.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Baltimore North, MD
8825 Yellow Brick Road, Rosedale MD - 21237
With An Indoor Pool And Hot Tub, Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi, It'S No Wonder The Non-Smoking Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Baltimore North, Md, Is A Popular Choice Among Our Guests. The Four-Story, Non-Smoking Country Inn Has 81 Rooms, Each Equipped With A Flat-Panel Cable Tv, Free Wi-Fi Access, A Microwave, Refrigerator And Coffeemaker. Guests Wake Up And Fuel Up At The Daily Complimentary Breakfast. The Hotel Also Features An Indoor Pool, Hot Tub, Fitness Center And 24-Hour Convenience Store. As An Added Bonus, There'S A Lending Library On-Site That'S Stocked With A Variety Of Books. Parking Is Free. Note: The Pool And Hot Tub Will Be Closed For Repairs From January 2 Through March 2019. The Country Inn Is Eight Miles From Downtown Baltimore. It'S Six Miles From John Hopkins Hospital And University. Families Make The 14-Mile Drive To The National Aquarium. Oriole Park At Camden Yards Is Also 14 Miles Away. Baltimore Washington International Airport Is 17 Miles From The Hotel.
Sleep Inn & Suites Edgewood Near Aberdeen Proving Grounds
1807 Edgewood Rd, Edgewood MD - 21040
Budget-Friendly Rates, A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet And An Indoor Pool Attract Guests To The Non-Smoking Sleep Inn & Suites Edgewood Near Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The Two-Story Sleep Inn & Suites Has 84 Non-Smoking Rooms And Suites With Hairdryers And Coffeemakers, High-Speed Internet Access And Premium Cable Tvs With Hbo, Pay-Per-View Movies And Nintendo 64 (For A Fee). Suites Offer Microwaves And Mini-Fridges, Great For Leftovers, Snacks And Heat-And-Serve Meals. Early Risers Can Opt For A Swim In The Heated Indoor Pool Or A Workout In The Exercise Room Before Breakfast, Then Head For The Complimentary Continental Buffet, Which The Hotel Provides Daily. Use The Business Center If You'Re Traveling Without A Laptop. Sleep Inn & Suites Is Located Eight Miles From Ripken Stadium, 12 Miles From The Aberdeen Proving Grounds And 18 Miles From Johns Hopkins University. It'S 15 Miles To Susquehanna State Park And Havre De Grace, And 26 Miles To Oriole Park At Camden Yards. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Is 35 Miles Away.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Baltimore N / White Marsh
4 Philadelphia Ct, Rosedale MD - 21237
The La Quinta Inn & Suites Baltimore N/White Marsh Offers Interstate Convenience And Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi. The Five-Story Hotel'S 128 Rooms Are Clean And Comfortable, With Nice Touches Like Coffeemakers, Spacious Desks, Flat-Panel Cable Tvs And Free Wi-Fi. The Complimentary Breakfast Buffet Is A Cut Above, With Waffles And Hot Cereal In Addition To A Selection Of Muffins And Pastries. During The Summer Months You Can Splash Around In The Sunny Outdoor Pool, And You Can Work Off Extra Calories On The Cardio Machines In The Exercise Room Any Time Of Year. Parking Is Free, And Pets Are Welcome, Also At No Extra Charge. Guests Say This Hotel'S Selling Point Is Its Location Near The Junction Of I-95 And I-695. Baltimore'S Inner Harbor Is A Quick 15-Minute Drive. White Marsh Town Center, One Of The Region'S Biggest Malls, Is Three Miles North. About 20 Miles South Is Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.
Regal Inn & Suites
8005 Pulaski Hwy, Rosedale MD - 21237
Property Location With a stay at Regal Inn & Suites in Rosedale, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Fort McHenry and Johns Hopkins Hospital. This motel is 5.6 mi (9.1 km) from Inner Harbor and 6.2 mi (10 km) from National Aquarium in Baltimore. Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 80 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Housekeeping is provided daily, and both refrigerators and rollaway/extra beds (surcharge) are available on request. Amenities Make use of convenient amenities, which include complimentary wireless Internet access and a television in a common area. Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include express check-in, a 24-hour front desk, and laundry facilities. Free self parking is available onsite.
Americas Best Value Inn Baltimore
6510 Frankford Ave, Baltimore MD - 21206
Free Breakfast Buffets And Complimentary Wi-Fi Make The Americas Best Value Inn Baltimore A Sweet Deal For Our Guests. The Six-Story Hotel, Northeast Of Downtown, Welcomes You With A Marble-Floored Lobby. The 139 Rooms Have Their Own Sitting Areas, So You Have Plenty Of Space To Spread Out, And There Are Thoughtful Touches Like Mini-Fridges And Coffeemakers. Stay In Touch With The Folks Back Home With Free Wi-Fi, Available In Both The Rooms And Public Spaces. An Assortment Of Muffins, Bagels And Breads, As Well As All-You-Can-Drink Coffee And Tea, Make The Free Breakfast Buffet A Real Eye-Opener. The Expansive Breakfast Room, Off The Lobby, Is Bright And Airy. Morning Newspapers Are Free, As Is Parking. One Of This Hotel'S Many Advantages Is Its Convenient Location, Near Where I-895 Joins With I-95, The Region'S Main North-South Interstate. Baltimore'S Inner Harbor Is Six Miles South, A 15-Minute Drive. About 15 Miles South Is Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.
Candlewood Suites Aberdeen - Edgewood-Bel Air
4216 Philadelphia Rd, Bel Air MD - 21015
The All-Suites Candlewood Suites Bel Air Is Within A 30-Minute Drive Of Baltimore And Features Such Amenities As Free Wi-Fi And Full In-Room Kitchens. The Three-Floor Hotel'S 95 Rooms All Feature Free Wi-Fi, Flat-Panel Tvs, Dvd Players, Work Desks, Hairdryers And Fully Stocked Kitchens With Microwaves, Dishwashers, Refrigerators, Stoves And Coffeemakers. Non-Smoking Rooms Are Available. Guests Can Work Out At The On-Site Fitness Center Or Stay Connected At The Business Center. The 24-Hour Convenience Store Sells A Variety Of Snack And Meal Items. A Barbeque Area And Laundry Room Are Available For Guest Use. Parking Is Available. The Candlewood Suites In Bel Air, Just Off I-95, Is Within Six Miles Of Downtown Aberdeen And Edgewood. Ripken Stadium Is An 11-Minute Drive From The Hotel, While The Bulle Rock Golf Course Is Within Nine Miles Of The Hotel. Downtown Baltimore Museums, Attractions And Stadiums Are Within One Half-Hour'S Drive. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 30 Miles Southwest.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Bel Air
4170 Philadelphia Road, Bel Air MD - 21015
Situated In The Center Of Harford County And 25 Miles Outside Of Downtown Baltimore, The Pet-Friendly Homewood Suites Bel Air Features Such Amenities As Complimentary Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Free Parking. The Five-Floor Hotel'S 92 Suites All Feature Free Wi-Fi, Separate Living And Sleeping Areas, Two Tvs, Sofa Beds And Fully Equipped Kitchens With Refrigerators, Microwaves, Stovetops And Dishwashers. Non-Smoking Rooms Are Available. Guests Can Enjoy A Complimentary Hot Buffet Breakfast Or Pick Up Goodies From The 24-Hour Convenience Store. A Light Evening Meal Is Served Monday Through Thursday Evenings. Spend Time With Family At The Outdoor Barbeque Area Or Bring The Party Inside At The Indoor Heated Pool And Hot Tub. Guests Can Stay Toned At The On-Site Fitness Center Or Start A Game At The Outdoor Basketball Court. Business Amenities Include Meeting Spaces And A Business Center.Pets Are Welcome At An Additional Fee. Parking Is Free. Located Off I-95 Just 25 Miles From Downtown Baltimore, The Homewood Offers Easy Access To A Number Of Chesapeake Bay Area Attractions, Including Aberdeen Proving Ground, Forest Greens Country Club And Ripken Stadium, Which Are All Within Nine Miles. Box Hill Shopping Center Is A 10-Minute Drive Away. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 35 Miles Southwest.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Edgewood/Aberdeen
1420 Handlir Dr, Bel Air MD - 21015
Located Alongside I-95 And Within Minutes Of Aberdeen Proving Grounds And The Ripken Baseball Complex, The Non-Smoking Springhill Suites By Marriott Edgewood Aberdeen Offers A Variety Of Amenities, Including Complimentary Breakfast And Free Parking. Spanning Three Floors, Springhill Suites' 119 Rooms All Feature Coffeemakers, Mini-Fridges, Microwaves, Hairdryers, Cable Tv And Sofa Beds. Guests Can Feast On Complimentary Hot Buffet Breakfast Before Jumping Into The Indoor Heated Pool Or Relaxing In The Hot Tub. The Hotel Features A 24-Hour Gym With Free Weights And Machines. Meeting Space Is Available. Parking Is Free. Set Alongside I-95, Springhill Suites Is Located 23 Miles Outside Of Downtown Baltimore'S Many Museums, Attractions And Stadiums. The Hotel Is Within Minutes Of A Variety Of Dining Options And Near Many Suburban Baltimore Attractions. Aberdeen Proving Ground Is Eight Miles From The Hotel, While The Ripken Baseball Complex Is Six Miles From The Hotel. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 37 Miles Southwest.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Bel Air/Aberdeen, MD
Featuring A Convenient Suburban Maryland Location, Free High-Speed Internet And Free Parking, Country Inn & Suites Bel Air East Is Well Equipped For Business And Leisure Travelers. The Three-Floor Country Inn & Suites' 81 Rooms All Feature Free High-Speed Internet, Microwaves, Mini-Fridges, Armchairs, Work Desks, Coffeemakers And Hairdryers. Non-Smoking Rooms Are Available. Business Travelers Can Take Advantage Of The Hotel'S 24-Hour Business Center And Meeting Spaces. The Hotel Features An On-Site Fitness Center And Outdoor Seasonal Pool. Continental Breakfast Is Available. Parking Is Free. Located Just Off I-95, The Hotel Within A Half-Hour Drive Of Baltimore. Perfect For Business And Government Travelers, The Hotel Is Located Halfway Between Aberdeen Proving Ground And Edgewood Proving Ground. Nearby Attractions Within 12 Miles Of The Hotel Include The Havre De Grace Maritime Museum, Historic Jerusalem Mill Village And The Susquehanna Museum Of Havre De Grace. Dining Is Located Adjacent To The Hotel. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 37 Miles Southwest.
Extended Stay America Baltimore - Bel Air- Aberdeen
1361 James Way, Bel Air MD - 21015
Welcoming Business And Leisure Guests, The Pet-Friendly Extended Stay America Baltimore - Bel Air - Aberdeen Features In-Room Kitchens, On-Site Guest Laundry And Free Parking. The Three-Floor Extended Stay America'S 101 Non-Smoking Rooms All Feature Fully Equipped Kitchens With Refrigerators, Microwaves, Stovetops And Utensils, As Well As Free Wi-Fi Access And Workspace. There Is On-Site Laundry Area Available To Keep You Looking Fresh, And You Can Jump-Start Your Day With A Free Grab-And-Go Breakfast That Includes A Variety Of Breakfast Bars And Muffins, Hot Cereal, Coffee, And Tea. Parking Is Free, And Pets Are Allowed For A Charge. Located Just Off I-95, Extended Stay America Is Within A 30-Minute Drive Of Downtown Baltimore. The Hotel Is Within Eight Miles Of The Aberdeen Proving Ground And Within Minutes Of Various Shopping And Dining Options. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 36 Miles Southwest.
Holiday Inn Belcamp - Aberdeen Area
1326 Policy Dr, Belcamp MD - 21017
Freebies Such As Wi-Fi And Parking Keep Our Guests Within Their Budgets At The Holiday Inn Belcamp - Aberdeen. The Three-Story Holiday Inn Houses 107 Rooms, Some Non-Smoking, With Free Wi-Fi, Cable Tv, Coffeemakers, Microwaves And Mini-Fridges. The 24-Hour Fitness Center Allows Guests To Stay In Shape On Their Own Time, And The Business Center Provides Access To Free Fax And Copy Services. The Property Also Includes A Heated Indoor Pool And Hot Tub. Parking Is Free. The Hotel Is 30 Miles From Baltimore Off Riverside Parkway, One Mile South Of I-95. Guests Are Within Walking Distance Of Numerous Shops And Restaurants. Downtown Aberdeen Is Six Miles Away, As Is Ripken Stadium. Ruggles Golf Course Is Six Miles Northeast, And A Casino Is Less Than 15 Miles North. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Is 40 Miles Southwest.
11200 York Rd, Hunt Valley, MD - 21030
Reasonable Rates And Money-Savers Like Complimentary Continental Buffet, Wi-Fi Access And On-Site Parking Make The Non-Smoking Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley A Solid Choice. Freebies Abound At The Se...
45 Schilling Rd, Hunt Valley, MD - 21031
Kitchens With Everything You Need, A Free Grocery Shopping Service And Complimentary Breakfast Buffets: Meals Are No Problem At The Residence Inn Baltimore Hunt Valley. Free Wi-Fi Access, An Indoor Po...
221 International Cir, Hunt Valley, MD - 21030
An Indoor Pool, Free Internet And An On-Site Restaurant Earn A Top Ranking From Our Guests For The Non-Smoking Courtyard By Marriott Hunt Valley. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Courtyard By Marriott Hun...
The Free Cooked-To-Order Breakfast And Indoor Pool And Hot Tub Impress Guests At The Embassy Suites Hotel Baltimore - North. The Eight-Story Hotel Has 223 Suites With Flat-Panel Cable Tvs With Hbo, We...
245 Shawan Rd, Hunt Valley, MD - 21031
An Indoor-Outdoor Pool, A Well-Stocked Fitness Center And Rooms With Free Wi-Fi Are Among The Perks At The Non-Smoking Delta Baltimore Hunt Valley. At The Four-Story Delta, You'Re Welcomed With An Exp...
10710 Beaver Dam Rd, Hunt Valley, MD - 21030
Apartment-Style Accommodations That Include Full Kitchens, Seating Areas And Complimentary Breakfast Mean All The Comforts Of Home For Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Quality Suites Hunt Valley. This Tw...
10100 York Rd, Cockeysville, MD - 21030
An Outdoor Pool And Complimentary Breakfast Are Perks Our Guests Appreciate At The Ramada Limited Cockeysville. The Two-Story Ramada Limited Cockeysville Has 80 Rooms With Non-Smoking Options Availabl...
11 Texas Station Court, Lutherville Timonium, MD - 21093
The Free Internet, A Yummy Breakfast Buffet And A Year-Round Pool Are Part Of The Welcome Features At The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore North/Timonium. The Six-Story Hampton Inn & Suites ...
9704 Beaver Dam Rd, Lutherville Timonium, MD - 21093
Full Kitchens, Free Wi-Fi And A Perch 15 Miles From Baltimore Attract Our Guests To The Extended Stay America Baltimore - Timonium. The Three-Story Extended Stay Has 104 Rooms, Some Of Which Are Desig...
9615 Deereco Road, Lutherville Timonium, MD - 21093
With An On-Site Restaurant, Outdoor Pool And Free Wi-Fi, It'S No Wonder The Holiday Inn Timonium Is A Top-Ranked Choice Among Our Guests. This Seven-Story Holiday Inn Has 146 Rooms, Some Of Which Are ...
111 W Timonium Rd, Lutherville Timonium, MD - 21093
Easy Access To The The Interstate And No-Fee Stays For Pets Are The Prime Perks Our Guests Find At The Non-Smoking Red Roof Plus Baltimore North - Timonium. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Red Roof Plus ...
2004 Greenspring Dr, Lutherville Timonium, MD - 21093
Complimentary Local Shuttle Service And Wi-Fi, As Well As An Outdoor Pool Are Just A Few Of The Convenient Amenities At The Non-Smoking Radisson Hotel North Baltimore. Each Of The 249 Rooms On Five St...
903 Dulaney Valley Rd, Towson, MD - 21204
Ultra-Comfortable Beds, A Heated Indoor Pool And A Price That'S Right Draw Our Guests To The Sheraton Baltimore North, Located A Quick Drive From The City Center. The 12-Story Sheraton Baltimore North...
1100 Cromwell Bridge Rd, Towson, MD - 21286
Free Wi-Fi, Complimentary Buffet Breakfast And A Seasonal Outdoor Pool Are Highlights For Our Guests At The Best Western Plus Towson Baltimore North Hotel & Suites. This Six-Story Hotel Best Western P...
8801 Loch Raven Blvd, Parkville, MD - 21286
Expect A Complimentary Full Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And A Seasonal Outdoor Pool At The Comfort Inn Towson. The Four-Story Comfort Inn Was Renovated In 2012. All 185 Rooms Come Equipped With Free Wi-Fi, ...
8712 Loch Raven Blvd, Towson, MD - 21286
The Perks Include An On-Site Restaurant, Free Wi-Fi, A Seasonal Outdoor Pool, And Location Near Major Baltimore Businesses And Attractions At The Days Inn By Wyndham Towson. This Three-Story Days Inn ...
1000 Far Hills Dr, New Freedom, PA - 17349
Freebies Such As High-Speed Internet Access, Breakfast And Parking Plus An Indoor Pool And A Convenient Location Off I-83 Make The Hampton Inn Shrewsbury A Savvy Choice For Our Guests. Three Floors Ho...
5801 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD - 21209
Featuring The Historic Octagon Building, This Hotel Is Located In Baltimore, On A Leafy Campus Just 10 Minutes’ Drive From The City Centre. Free Wifi Access Is Provided.A Satellite Tv Is Provided In E...
8477 Cordon Way, Baltimore, MD - 21236
The Freebies Include An Airport Shuttle, Wi-Fi And Buffet Breakfast At The Non-Smoking Fairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott White Marsh. This Four-Story Hotel Has 116 Rooms, Each Outfitted With Free Wi-...
4980 Mercantile Rd, Baltimore, MD - 21236
Offering Free Rides To Some Of The Region'S Best Boutiques And Restaurants, The Residence Inn By Marriott Baltimore White Marsh Is Tailor-Made For Comfortable Getaways. Intended For Longer Stays, The ...
1721 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville, MD - 21208
Expect Free Wi-Fi, Complimentary Continental Breakfast, An On-Site Restaurant And Seasonal Outdoor Pool At Ramada By Wyndham Pikesville/Baltimore North. This Two-Story Ramada By Wyndham Is Home To 108...
With Easy Access To Popular Attractions And Cushy Beds, The 100% Non-Smoking Doubletree By Hilton Baltimore North/Pikesville Has A Close-By Location That'S Removed From The Hustle And Bustle Of Downto...
5015 Campbell Boulevard, Baltimore, MD - 21236
Outfitted For Both Business And Leisure Travelers, Hilton Garden Inn White Marsh Features A Location Within An Easy Drive To Baltimore Area Attractions, Shopping And Dining, As Well As Such Amenities ...
8225 Town Center Drive, Baltimore, MD - 21236
The Perfect Base For Shopping Given Its Proximity To White Marsh Mall, The Hampton Inn Baltimore/White Marsh Offers Free Breakfasts And Round-The-Clock Coffee As Well. The Four-Story Hampton Inn Balti...
5100 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD - 21210
On 72 Wooded Acres, The Radisson Hotel Cross Keys Baltimore Gets Points For Its Peaceful Location About Five Miles From Downtown, Convenient To The Sights But Away From The Hustle And Bustle. In The H...
10465 Philadelphia Road, White Marsh, MD - 21162
Superb Features Like Free Cocktails, Year-Round Swimming And An I-95 Location Attract Guests To The Non-Smoking Home 2 Suites Baltimore/White Marsh. You'Ll Find Full Kitchens, Wi-Fi Availability, 42-I...
407 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, MD - 21208
Located A Few Miles From Baltimore And Offering A Complimentary Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Seasonal Outdoor Pool, Howard Johnson By Wyndham Pikesville Provides Prime Amenities In An Ideal Location. Thi...
4730 Painters Mill Rd, Owings Mills, MD - 21117
Free Wi-Fi, A Heated Pool And A Perch Near The Owings Mills Mall Are Perks That Keep Our Guests Happy At The Non-Smoking Hyatt Place Owings Mills. All 123 Rooms At The Seven-Story, Non-Smoking Hyatt P...
10521 Red Run Blvd, Owings Mills, MD - 21117
Free Wi-Fi, Buffet Breakfast And A Heated Indoor Pool Add Up To A Comfortable Stay For Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn Owings Mills. All 105 Rooms At The Five-Story, Non-Smoking Hampton Inn ...
4770 Owings Mills Blvd, Owings Mills, MD - 21117
Rooms With Free Wi-Fi And Convenient Kitchen Appliances Complement The Indoor Pool, On-Site Restaurant And Hot Tub At The Hilton Garden Inn Owings Mills. This Six-Story, 159-Room Hotel Offers Free Wi-...
1015 Pulaski Hwy, Joppa, MD - 21085
Complimentary Continental Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi Up The Value-Factor For Guests At Super 8 By Wyndham Joppa, A Short Distance From Baltimore. The Two-Story Super 8 By Wyndham Has 55 Rooms, Some Of W...
5810 Reisterstown Rd, Baltimore, MD - 21215
Close To Shops And Restaurants And Offering Hard-To-Beat Rates, Red Roof Inn Baltimore Welcomes Our Guests. This Two-Story Hotel Offers Rooms With Cable Tv And Free Local Calling. Some Also Have Micro...
4200 Primrose Ave, Baltimore, MD - 21215
Free Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Value-Friendly Rates Make The Quality Inn Baltimore A Comfy Base Of Operations. This Two-Story Quality Inn Offers 72 Rooms With Cable Tvs, Free Wi-Fi And Ironing Equipme...
2112b Emmorton Park Rd, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Economical Rates, Plus Perks Like Free Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi, Attract Our Guests To The Non-Smoking La Quinta Inn & Suites Edgewood/Aberdeen-South For Affordable Accommodations That Don'T Sacrifice...
2110 Emmorton Park Rd, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Built In 2011, The Non-Smoking Hampton Inn And Suites Edgewood/Aberdeen-South Offers Complimentary Hot Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And An Indoor Pool. The Three-Story, Non-Smoking Hampton Inn Was Built In 2...
4 W University Pkwy, Baltimore, MD - 21218
Overlooking Johns Hopkins University, The Non-Smoking Inn At The Colonnade Baltimore, A Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Welcomes Guests With A Tasteful Restaurant, Classy Rooms With Signature Beds And Flat...
2116 Emmorton Park Road, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Economy Rates With Additional Savings Like Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi Are What Our Guests Like Best About The Budget-Friendly Red Roof Inn Edgewood. The Two-Story Hotel Has 70 Rooms With Free Wi-Fi, Pre...
2118 Emmorton Park Dr, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Offering Guest-Friendly Perks Like Free Wi-Fi And A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet, The Holiday Inn Express Edgewood I-95 Features Easy Interstate Access About 25 Minutes From Baltimore Attractions Li...
2112a Emmorton Park Road, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Free Wi-Fi And A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet, Plus In-Room Microwaves And Mini-Fridges, Await Our Guests At The Non-Smoking Comfort Inn & Suites Aberdeen Proving Grounds Area. The Two-Story Hotel H...
1709 Edgewood Road, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Free Wi-Fi, Breakfast And Parking, Plus An Outdoor Pool And A Location Close To Area Attractions Are Among The Amenities Our Guests Enjoy At Best Western Invitation Inn In Edgewood. This Two-Story Pro...
1700 Van Bibber Rd, Edgewood, MD - 21040
With Perks Like A Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi, The Ramada Hotel & Conference Center By Wyndham Edgewood Provides Our Guests With Modern Conveniences For A Pleasant Stay. The Two-Story Hotel Has 100 Rooms...
8825 Yellow Brick Road, Rosedale, MD - 21237
With An Indoor Pool And Hot Tub, Fitness Center, Complimentary Breakfast And Free Wi-Fi, It'S No Wonder The Non-Smoking Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Baltimore North, Md, Is A Popular Choice Among O...
1807 Edgewood Rd, Edgewood, MD - 21040
Budget-Friendly Rates, A Complimentary Breakfast Buffet And An Indoor Pool Attract Guests To The Non-Smoking Sleep Inn & Suites Edgewood Near Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The Two-Story Sleep Inn & Suites...
4 Philadelphia Ct, Rosedale, MD - 21237
The La Quinta Inn & Suites Baltimore N/White Marsh Offers Interstate Convenience And Free Breakfast And Wi-Fi. The Five-Story Hotel'S 128 Rooms Are Clean And Comfortable, With Nice Touches Like Coffee...
8005 Pulaski Hwy, Rosedale, MD - 21237
Property Location With a stay at Regal Inn & Suites in Rosedale, you'll be within a 10-minute drive of Fort McHenry and Johns Hopkins Hospital. This motel is 5.6 mi (9.1 km) from Inner Harbor and 6.2 ...
6510 Frankford Ave, Baltimore, MD - 21206
Free Breakfast Buffets And Complimentary Wi-Fi Make The Americas Best Value Inn Baltimore A Sweet Deal For Our Guests. The Six-Story Hotel, Northeast Of Downtown, Welcomes You With A Marble-Floored Lo...
4216 Philadelphia Rd, Bel Air, MD - 21015
The All-Suites Candlewood Suites Bel Air Is Within A 30-Minute Drive Of Baltimore And Features Such Amenities As Free Wi-Fi And Full In-Room Kitchens. The Three-Floor Hotel'S 95 Rooms All Feature Free...
4170 Philadelphia Road, Bel Air, MD - 21015
Situated In The Center Of Harford County And 25 Miles Outside Of Downtown Baltimore, The Pet-Friendly Homewood Suites Bel Air Features Such Amenities As Complimentary Breakfast, Free Wi-Fi And Free Pa...
1420 Handlir Dr, Bel Air, MD - 21015
Located Alongside I-95 And Within Minutes Of Aberdeen Proving Grounds And The Ripken Baseball Complex, The Non-Smoking Springhill Suites By Marriott Edgewood Aberdeen Offers A Variety Of Amenities, In...
Featuring A Convenient Suburban Maryland Location, Free High-Speed Internet And Free Parking, Country Inn & Suites Bel Air East Is Well Equipped For Business And Leisure Travelers. The Three-Floor Cou...
1361 James Way, Bel Air, MD - 21015
Welcoming Business And Leisure Guests, The Pet-Friendly Extended Stay America Baltimore - Bel Air - Aberdeen Features In-Room Kitchens, On-Site Guest Laundry And Free Parking. The Three-Floor Extended...
1326 Policy Dr, Belcamp, MD - 21017
Freebies Such As Wi-Fi And Parking Keep Our Guests Within Their Budgets At The Holiday Inn Belcamp - Aberdeen. The Three-Story Holiday Inn Houses 107 Rooms, Some Non-Smoking, With Free Wi-Fi, Cable Tv...
Map of Monkton Hotels
View all Monkton, Maryland hotels, motels, lodging and attractions on Monkton, Maryland location map.
Weather Forecast for Monkton, Maryland
Traveling to Monkton, Maryland? Here is your 6-day weather forecast in the area. Whether it is a warm weather destinations or cold climate don’t forget to consider weather, while you pack your bags for this trip. Start your day when the sunrises at 12:22 PM and don’t miss the sunset at 10:11 PM. Today’s winds are traveling west-southwest at a speed of 10 MPH. The temperature feels like 26 with a humidity level of 70. Cloud coverage is 11 percent with 15 percent visibility. Today’s UV index is 4 make sure to prepare properly. Make sure to plan your travel itinerary to match your travel weather forecast to make the most of your vacation with Reservations.com.
FAQs about hotels in Monkton
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Monkton hotels
What are some up-scale 4-star and 5-star hotels in Monkton?
Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor and Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor are the top 3 luxury hotels near the Monkton center.
What hotels are the closest to Monkton center?
Holiday Inn Express Hunt Valley, Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore Hunt Valley and Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore Hunt Valley are the closest hotels conveniently located near the Monkton center.
How much does a cheap hotel in Monkton cost per night?
In the last year, a 2 star economy hotel in Monkton has been as cheap as $61.81 per night.
How much does a 3 star average hotel in Monkton cost per night?
The average room rate for a 3 star hotel in Monkton have been as low as $150.72 per night.
How much is a hotel in Monkton for this weekend?
On average, the price per night for a good 2.5 star to 3-star hotel in Monkton for this weekend can be as low as $150.72.
How much does a luxury hotel in Monkton cost per night?
Luxury 4 star and 5 star hotels and up-scale resorts in Monkton typically cost around $217.25 per night.
What are the best independent and boutique hotels in Monkton?
Lancaster Square by Bridgestreet, Lord Baltimore Hotel and Baltimore Plaza Inner Harbor are some of the popular independent and boutique hotels.
Closest airports to Monkton, Maryland
Find which airports to fly into and book Monkton airport hotels.
Aberdeen, MD, United States (APG-Phillips Army Airfield)
York, PA, United States (THV)
Fun things to do in Monkton Area
Top tourist attractions and popular landmarks in Monkton.
1st Mariner Arena
African Art Museum of Maryland
American Visionary Art Museum
Arundel Mills Mall
B&O Railroad Museum
B&O Railroad Station Museum
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
Baltimore American Indian Center
Baltimore Cathedral
Baltimore City Hall
Baltimore Civil War Museum
Baltimore Conservatory
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore Cruise Terminal
Baltimore Inner Harbor Marina
Baltimore Maritime Museum
Baltimore Museum of Industry
Baltimore Streetcar Museum
Baltimore Tattoo Museum
Baltimore Visitor Center
Barre Circle Historic District
Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Beaver Dam Swimming Club
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum
Canton Waterfront Park
Capitol College
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
Center Stage Theater
Clifton Park Golf Course
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Cylburn Arboretum
Diamond Ridge Golf Course
Dorothy Parker Memorial
Double Rock Park
Druid Hill Park
Dutch Country Farmers Market
Edgar Allan Poe Museum and House
Edgar Allan Poe's Gravesite and Memorial
Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Enoch Pratt Free Library
Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center
Evergreen Museum and Library
Fairland Sports and Athletic Complex
Federal Hill Park
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Explore unique neighborhoods around Monkton, Maryland
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Continents > North America > United States of America > Maryland > Baltimore (and vicinity) > Monkton >
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Bryan Roberts: Tesco’s Asian windfall would be better spent on stores
By Bryan Roberts2020-03-10T14:25:00
The ongoing unravelling of the great retail globalisation myth has taken its latest step with the news that Tesco has completed its withdrawal from Asia, through the proposed sale of its operations in Thailand and Malaysia.
The grocer still has a foothold in India, but this consists of support services and wholesaling to Star Bazaar. Previous exits from South Korea and China mean that Tesco has reverted to being a purely European retailer.
Tesco, alongside fellow globetrotters like Walmart, Carrefour, Casino, Ahold and Delhaize, embarked on a chequebook-wielding frenzy around the world in the 1990s – often under the guise of achieving the nebulous concept of global scale – but all of them have long since given up these world-straddling aspirations.
Instead, often prompted by decidedly underwhelming market conditions at home, they have collectively pulled out of dozens of countries to focus on fewer markets, making bigger bets on countries where genuine success is feasible.
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Home » Kava Root Cut and Sifted Bulk
Kava Root Cut and Sifted Bulk
Kava Root (Piper methysticum) Cut and Sifted Bulk
Piperaceae (Pepper Family)
The genus name Piper derives from the Greek name for pepper, peperi. The species name, methysticum, is thought to be Latin for "intoxicating." The common name kava is Tongan for "bitter."
Kava kava is native to the islands of the southern and western Pacific Ocean. It is a shrub that thrives at 500 to 1,000 feet above sea level in well-drained, sandy soil. The stems vary in color from green to black and have swollen nodules. The cordate leaves can grow to 8 inches in diameter. Flowering is rare. When flowers do appear, the male flowers are singular and axillary, while the female flowers form numerous spikes. There are more than twenty varieties of kava kava, with white and black grades having the greatest social and commercial significance. Growers prefer the black grades, as they provide a quicker return on their investment, being ready to harvest in about two and a half years. Users prefer white grades, which take about four years to mature but have stronger effects.
Root, upper rhizome
Analgesic, anaphrodisiac (if used excessively), anesthetic, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, diuretic, euphoric, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, nervine, psychoactive, sedative, siliagogue, soporific, stimulant, tonic
Kava calms the heart and respiration, reduces blood clotting, relaxes the muscles without blocking nerve signals, and calms physical tension without numbing mental processes. It is a spinal rather than cerebral depressant. Users claim it promotes increased sound sensitivity, more fluent speech, and feelings of euphoria. Part of its mood-elevating ability might be due to its activation of mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons. Kava kava is also said to increase tolerance of pain; Aborigines often took kava kava before being tattooed, and women in labor sometimes drink kava kava juice as a calmative and to facilitate birth. Kava kava is used in the treatment of anger, anxiety, asthma, attention deficit disorder, bronchitis, convulsions, cramps, cystitis, depression, dysuria, epilepsy, facial neuralgia, fear, fibromyalgia, gleet, gonorrhea, gout, headache (tension), hot flashes, hyperactivity, incontinence (nocturnal), insomnia, irritable bladder, menstrual cramps, nervousness, pain, restlessness, rheumatism, sciatica, stress, urinary tract infection, uterine inflammation, withdrawal symptoms (from alcohol, nicotine, or tranquilizers), and vaginitis. Topically, kava kava can be used as an antiseptic, anesthetic, and healing compress or poultice for painful wounds, headaches, and fungal infections. It also can be prepared as a mouthwash to ease gum and tooth pain. It has even been used topically as a salve or poultice to treat leprosy.
Generally not considered edible, aside from as tea.
In the South Pacific, kava kava is used ceremoniously to celebrate marriages, births, deaths, and other types of beginnings and endings. It is often used to honor a guest or to enhance communication, such as in settling a dispute, counseling a couple, or sealing a business agreement. When Captain James Cook landed on Tahiti in 1768 on The Endeavor, the Tahitian natives offered him kava kava. Kava kava is thought to have been cultivated for at least three thousand years in the South Pacific. It is said that the noble classes used kava for pleasure, the priests for ceremony, and the working classes for relaxation. When European missionaries began to have strong influence in the area, many thousands of kava plants were ripped out of the ground. Where this occurred, rates of alcoholism increased. Traditionally the root was chopped and chewed by young women and men, who then spit the juice into a bowl for others' consumption. Nowadays the root is pounded and grated and not chewed by anyone. When served a cup of kava kava tea, good manners dictate that one must chug the entire cup while the audience claps three times and shouts "Maca!," which means "empty." Kava kava helps warm the emotions, and small amounts can produce a pleasant euphoric sensation. Taking kava kava before bed can help induce pleasant sleep and vivid dreams. Kava kava is fat-soluble, so when preparing it as a tea, add coconut milk to the steeping solution to help the infusion assimilate kava's compounds.
Flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones (methysticin, yangonin, kavahin, dihydrokavain)
Avoid during pregnancy and while nursing, and do not give to young children. Avoid in cases of Parkinson's disease and severe depression. Do not take in conjunction with alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, or antidepressants, as it can potentiate their effects. Remain aware of kava kava's soporific effects; try to avoid driving, operating heavy machinery, or other activities that require fast reaction times after taking kava kava. On the plus side, kava kava, unlike many sedatives, is not habit forming. Daily use of kava shouldn't exceed three months, though occasional use on an ongoing basis is fine for those in good health. Kava kava may cause the tongue, mouth, and other body parts to feel somewhat numb and rubbery temporarily; this is normal. However, excess amounts can cause disturbed vision, dilated pupils, and difficulty walking. Large doses taken for extended periods can have a cumulative effect on the liver, causing kawaism, a condition marked by a yellowish tinge to the skin, a scaly rash, apathy, anorexia, and bloodshot eyes. In Europe there have been some reports of severe liver damage resulting from use of kava kava, prompting a number of nations to ban sales of it. The problem appears to be caused by a compound, called pipermethystine, that is found in the stem peelings and leaves of the kava plant but not in the roots. Traditional kava preparations are extracted from the roots, and the peelings and leaves are discarded. However, some European pharmaceutical companies bought up the kava waste products when demand for kava extract soared in the early 2000s. The cases of liver damage appear to have involved people who took standardized extract capsules, which may have contained kava stem peelings and roots as well as chemical solvents. For this reason, avoid kava products made from the leaves or stems of the plant. The traditional tea prepared from the root appears to be quite safe.
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UN: Gitmo force-feeding is inhumane
Senior UN officials say that the force-feeding of hunger strikers breaches international medical standards
By Natasha Lennard
Guantanamo Bay prison camp has for some time been an abrogation of international legal standards. Now, say senior UN officials, the camp is acting against international medical standards too with the force feeding of hunger strikers. Of the over 100 detainees officially on hunger strike (although attorneys claim the number is even higher) 21 are receiving feeding through nasal tubes.
In a statement signed by El Hadji Malick Sow, chair of the UN working group on arbitrary detention; Juan E Méndez, UN special rapporteur on torture; Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights, and Anand Grover, UN special rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and supported by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the force-feeding is roundly decried:
According to the World Medical Assembly's Declaration of Malta, in cases involving people on hunger strikes, the duty of medical personnel to act ethically and the principle of respect for individuals' autonomy, among other principles, must be respected.
Under these principles, it is unjustifiable to engage in forced feeding of individuals contrary to their informed and voluntary refusal of such a measure. Moreover, hunger strikers should be protected from all forms of coercion, even more so when this is done through force and in some cases through physical violence.
Healthcare personnel may not apply undue pressure of any sort on individuals who have opted for the extreme recourse of a hunger strike. Nor is it acceptable to use threats of forced feeding or other types of physical or psychological coercion against individuals who have voluntarily decided to go on a hunger strike.
The UN officials reiterate demands placed on the U.S. government to be all special rapporteurs to confidentially visit with detainees (a request previously made in 2011 and 2012). Along with human rights advocates worldwide, the statement also calls on the U.S. to either charge or release the detainees.
Natasha Lennard
Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.
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Force-feeding Guantanamo Guantanamo Hunger Strike Human Rights Hunger Strike Un United Nations
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Microsoft scam man is sentenced in ‘landmark’ case
Uncategorized No Responses »
In light of the number of calls and emails I have received in the last few weeks from many people regarding people telephoning them claiming to be from Microsoft and able to detect that you PC has a virus and that if you let these callers have access to your PC they can cure it for a small fee, this news item may be of interest.
Just a shame his sentence is “suspended”.
A man who ran a Microsoft computer scam tricking people into paying for free anti-virus software has received a suspended four-month jail sentence.
Mohammed Khalid Jamil, 34, from Luton, hired people at an Indian call centre to falsely tell victims their computers had a serious problem.
The targets would be charged between £35 and £150 for software Microsoft made available for free.
As well as the suspended sentence, Jamil was ordered to pay a £5,000 fine.
He must also pay £5,665 compensation and £13,929 in prosecution costs.
The decision has been hailed as a “landmark” case by Trading Standards.
“We believe it may be the first ever successful prosecution of someone involved in the Microsoft scam in the UK,” said Lord Harris, chairman of the National Trading Standards Board, which oversees the work of the National Trading Standards e-crime team.
“It’s an important turning point for UK consumers who have been plagued by this scam, or variants of it, for several years.
“Many have succumbed to it, parting with significant sums of money, their computers have been compromised and their personal details have been put at risk.
“Now that one of the many individuals who’ve been operating this scam has been brought to justice, it’s a stark warning to anyone else still doing it that they can be caught and will be prosecuted.”
Jamil had set up Luton-based company Smart Support Guys, which employed people based in India to cold-call Britons and claim to be working for Microsoft.
The victims, unaware of the scam, would offer remote access to the fraudsters – meaning their computers could be controlled from a different location.
Once given this access, targets’ computers would be made less secure, at which point the scammers would offer, in return for a fee, to install software to fix the problem.
The software installed was available for free on Microsoft’s website.
In court, Jamil admitted to unfair trading by allowing his staff to make false claims regarding computer support services.
He claimed he had tried but failed to control call centre staff and not adequately supervised them.
His jail term is suspended for 12 months.
Posted by The Sat and PC Guy at 4:31 pm on April 5, 2014 Tagged with: microsoft, scam
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Mechanical Issue Forces Stenhouse to Settle with a 33rd-Place Finish at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 12, 2017)– After having to go to a back-up car, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. solidly ran in the top-20 for the majority of the race before suffering a mechanical issue with 12 laps remaining in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) event at Las Vegas forcing him to settle with a 33rd-place finish.
“We struggled all weekend,” Stenhouse said. “My guys did a good job though on the backup Fastenal Ford and I think we could have finished in the top-15. Hopefully we can get all this bad luck out of the way and can rebound in Phoenix which is a track that has been good to us.”
After making contact with the outside wall in turn one in final practice, the Olive Branch, Miss. native was forced to go to his backup car. After starting at the rear of the field, Stenhouse charged forward gaining 13 positions in the first 11 laps of the 267-lap race.
After battling an ill-handling machine for first half of the race, Stenhouse radioed to crew chief Brian Pattie that the Fastenal Ford was the best it had been all race with less than 100 laps remaining.
When the final caution was displayed on lap 250, the two-time XFINITY champion radioed in that he thought he might have a flat tire but once he brought his Fastenal Ford to pit-road the team realized that the left rear axle needed repair.
The Fastenal Blue Team worked feverishly to repair the Fastenal Ford. With only four laps remaining in the 267-lap race, Stenhouse Jr. returned to the track but was forced to settle with a 33rd-place finish.
Stenhouse and the No. 17 team head to Phoenix International Raceway next weekend. Race coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. Coverage can also be heard on MRN and SIRIUS radio channel 90.
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Mid-Race Incident Relegates Reed to 31st-Place Finish at Talladega
TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 30, 2016) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Reed and the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association team finished 31st on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway after leading eight laps and getting caught up in an incident on Lap 83 while running 19th.
“We had such a fast car today and really had a shot at winning,” said Reed. “It’s unfortunate we keep having this bad luck, but it’s got to end eventually. I’m so proud of the whole Roush Fenway team and what a fast No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang they gave me this weekend.”
Reed started the 113-lap event from the seventh position on Saturday afternoon and had made his way up to the third spot by Lap 10. He continued to ride there until the competition caution on Lap 20, at which time he reported he was free on entry but tightening up as the run went on.
Crew chief Phil Gould made the call to bring his driver down pit road under caution on Lap 22 for right-side tires and fuel. Reed restarted fourth on Lap 25 and took the lead just laps after the restart.
Reed led the field for eight laps, maintaining the lead under the next caution on Lap 30. The team decided not to pit and restarted at the head of the field on Lap 36. Reed was shuffled back on the restart, but rebounded to the fifth position by the next caution on Lap 39.
Reed restarted from the fourth position on Lap 48 and worked the outside line with fellow Ford driver Joey Logano in hopes of moving back to the lead.
The team made a green-flag pit stop on Lap 74, taking two tires and filling up with fuel. Just a few laps after the stop, Reed was tagged from behind, sending him spinning into the safer barrier, destroying the right-front of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Mustang.
The team came down pit road on Lap 85 to repair damage, causing Reed to lose two laps. A few laps later, the team pitted once more to remove debris from around the left-front tire.
As the field saw several cautions before the eventual green-white-checkered, Reed maintained the 31st position, which is where he would finish at the end of the 300-mile race.
Reed is scored 10th in NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings after today’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. He and the rest of the NASCAR XFINITY Series are back in action on Saturday, May 14th at Dover International Speedway.
About the Drive to Stop Diabetes
The Drive to Stop Diabetes campaign strives to educate people about living well with diabetes. The campaign encourages the millions of Americans who have diabetes to talk about it with their doctor, family, and friends and to actively manage their health.
About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world’s first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com or follow us on Twitter: @LillyDiabetes.
About The American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to Stop Diabetes® and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association’s mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) or visit diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.
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Newborn baby decapitated during botched birth with mother then forced to have C-section in order to remove head from her body
The doctor botched the delivery leading to the baby being decapitated during birth
A premature baby was accidentally decapitated inside her mother's womb during birth after a doctor decided against performing an emergency C-section choosing to attempt a natural delivery instead.
A 30 year old mother went into labour with her baby in breech position, however her doctor attempted to carry out the delivery naturally, it was claimed.
A medical tribunal this week heard that the horrific accident occurred when the doctor urged the patient to push whilst herself applying traction to the baby's legs, leading to the baby's head to become detached and remain in his mother's womb while the rest of the body was removed.
The Mirror reports that a C-section then had to be carried out to remove the baby's head. Doctors then re-attached the head to the baby's body in order for the mother to hold her baby before she said goodbye.
The incident occurred at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee in March 2014. In court the mother told the doctor that she didn't forgive him for the accident which cost her baby's life.
She told the hearing: "I had been for a scan the previous Friday and I was told my son was breech and the nurse told me if anything had happened to my son it was going to be a c-section.
"But when I was taken to the labour suite nobody told me what was happening. A lot of people were talking they kept saying the baby needed to come out but nobody looked at me in the eye and told me what was going to happen.
"There were two doctors between my legs, one on my right hand side holding my hand and there were other people there too. I was examined by a doctor but she didn't say anything to me. They were checking for the baby's heartbeat and it had plummeted and that's when I was told it was going to come out.
"'I remember them saying I was 2-3cm dilated and I was told to push. Nobody said I was not having a C-section and doing something else instead. Whilst this was going on I was in pain.
"The only pain relief I was given was a spray on my tongue. I was told it was meant to loosen my cervix but I was not given gas and air - I was in pain. I had the doctors putting their hands inside me and I had them pushing on my stomach and then pulling me down.
"I tried to get off the bed but they pulled me back three times and just said they had to get the baby out. They twice tried to cut my cervix and nobody told me they were going to do it.
"There was no anaesthetic. I said to them 'it doesn't feel right, stop it, what's going on, I don't want to do it' but nobody responded to me in any way.
"Afterwards I was in a cubicle with a curtain around me and the sister came over to me and told me my son had passed away. I didn't know the details but Dr Laxman came to see me and the baby's father was there.
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"Dr Laxman sat on the side of my bed and she said how sorry she was for what happened but I didn't know the full extent of what happened at that point.
"I just said 'it's alright, these things happen, I forgive you'. She went away but I started screaming when I found out the full extent - I was just crying. I was upset because of the severity of his injury.
"I would never use the word stillborn, he was not stillborn he was decapitated. I was pregnant, my first pregnancy I wasn't sure what was going on and I was told it was the safest place possible. Nobody explained the plan or risks associated. It was like disorganised chaos and I was scared."
The doctor now faces being struck off but has denied contributing to the death of the baby.
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We Know Ernie Can Dance!
March 11, 2012 /0 Comments/in All Posts /by mhadder4561
We couldn’t be more proud of our extraordinary dancer, Ernie. We know he’s one of the best we’ve seen. His natural talent is something you have to see to believe. Ernie, however, keeps pushing himself to get better and to take his talent to the next level. He did just that on March 2nd and 3rd when he auditioned for “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 9 in Los Angeles.
Ernie was actually the first person in line at 5:30 AM the day before the auditions began. He did not have the opportunity to dance until 10:00 PM the next day. How amazing is that? He brings that same level of dedication to each event he works on for Rock The House, so this feat comes as no surprise to us. Out of the 500 dancers who auditioned in Los Angeles, Ernie made it to the top 20.
Once Ernie made it past the first round, it was a whirlwind of activities without stop for the next 48 hours. Photoshoots, video loops, and interviews about his life story all took place back to back. His second audition is where he knew he had to do something to stick out from the pack of other hip-hop dancers. He showed them stunt dancing like they had never seen including running the length of the wall where “So You Think You Can Dance” was written. This immediately excited the judges.
With one hour of sleep, jet-lag, and (most disappointingly) a knee injury (from the photoshoot of all places) his last audition didn’t go as well as the previous two did. Every judge loved not only his story but his attitude as well.
Everyone at Rock The House is incredibly proud of Ernie. He is one of our most requested dancers and a big favorite of guests. Ernie told us this was only his second audition of his life after the audition that earned him a spot on the Rock The House dance team. Los Angeles will not be his last. Season 10 will have one amazing talent auditioning next year.
Tags: Cleveland, dancing, Ernie Scales, Fox, Hip-Hop, Los Angeles, Season 9, So You Think You Can Dancer
https://www.rthgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RTH-WEB-LOGO-SIZE-03-400x66.png 0 0 mhadder4561 https://www.rthgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RTH-WEB-LOGO-SIZE-03-400x66.png mhadder45612012-03-11 21:04:452019-07-26 16:48:48We Know Ernie Can Dance!
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Rock Your Prom 2012 – Cleveland’s Best DJ / MC Team Congratulations to Chardon High School!
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Arrested Activists
Romila Thapar v. UOI
Day 2 Arguments: 6th September, 2018
On 28th August, the Maharashtra Police arrested human rights activists under the suspicion of having Maoist links. The SC is hearing a public interest litigation calling for an independent investigation of the police’s actions. The petitioners claim that the police made serious procedural lapses and that, furthermore, they are violating the activists’ fundamental rights.
The three-judge bench of CJI Dipak Dipak Misra, Justices DY Chandrachud and AM Khanwilkar began hearing the petition filed by Romila Thapar and others on behalf of five human rights activists arrested by the Maharashtra Police. In the last hearing, the court had intervened by sending them to house arrest instead of police remand.
Mr. Tushar Mehta appearing for the Union began by questioning the locus standi of the petitioners. In other words, Mr. Mehta was questioning how the petitioners could file the case on behalf of the activists. Recall that the petitioners are neither the activists themselves and nor are they related to the activists. Further, Mr. Mehta highlighted that the five arrested activists are already seeking legal remedy by approaching the High Courts. He argued that thereby the present writ petition by unrelated parties to the Supreme Court should not be entertained.
Justice Chandrachud intervened to point out that in the affidavits filed by the petitioner, the arrested activists want to be impleaded (made party) to the case. Ms. Indira Jaising, appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that that the wife of one of the arrested persons has also filed an impleadment motion. Ms. Jaising submitted that the wife further sought the Court’s permission to produce some additional documents pertaining to arrests of other activists made in June of this year.
Mr. Tushar Mehta reiterated that support for arrested persons cannot wipe away the lack of locus standi and urged the court to decide this question before going into the merits of the case.
At this point, CJI Dipak Misra addressed the petitioners’ lawyers. He observed that even if the petition was to be treated as one filed by the arrested persons, the next question would be the extent to which the Court could intervene in the matter. CJI Misra asked the petitioners about what kind of relief they sought. Ms. Jaising clarified that the petitioners do not seek to quash the First Incident Report, but rather that they seek to set up an independent investigation of the Maharashtra Police’s investigation.
Lastly, Ms. Indira Jaising requested the court to issue an injunction forbidding the police from releasing any further letters/reports concerning the arrests in question. She said that it goes against the principle of offering the accused a fair trial. The request was vehemently opposed by Mr. Tushar Mehta.
Justice Chandrachud took note of similar observations made by the High Court of Bombay and directed Mr. Tushar Mehta to ensure responsible behaviour on part of the Police. He expressed his displeasure with the way the Pune Police was releasing letters and statements to the press. He remarked that releases not only willed away the reputation of the individuals concerned, but also cast aspersions on the Court. The latter, he remarked, was impermissible while the Supreme Court was hearing the matter.
The next hearing is on 12th September. The activists will continue to remain under house arrest until then.
(Court reporting Ms. Disha Chaudhry)
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What Differentiates SecureWorks Technical Testers?
Organizations don't perform tests. People do
With organizations around the globe claiming innovative techniques and low prices for their technical testing, the often-overlooked component is who is actually conducting the test?
While an organization may make claims about their technical testing capabilities, the quality of the outcome is dependent upon the skillset of the person or persons that conduct your test and their ability to communicate the results in a way that helps you mitigate risk.
In this video, David Langlands, Director of Secureworks Technical Testing covers the qualifications we look for in our technical testers and the rigorous process candidates are put through to not only identify their skillset but their ability to communicate and delight our clients.
What you find with many candidates is that testing might be 10 or 20 percent of their responsibilities. We want somebody with fully dedicated experience, multiple years of experience, and perhaps some certifications. And really, not just any certification but we’re looking for somebody that has a practical certification such as the Offensive Security Certified Professional certification, which takes about 100 to 200 hours of self-study at the very least, and has over a 90 percent fail rate.
Many of the certifications that we see in the industry really don’t have a practical component. They don’t actually test the person’s ability to perform these tests. They only test their book knowledge, and some of them are even open book. So really, there are only a few certifications that we look for. The ones that we do specifically hold in very high regard are from the Offensive Security team — OSCP, OSEE and OSCE would be three of the major certifications that we’re looking for. We’re looking for a practical curriculum, something that requires not only book knowledge, and takes you through some course work, but then has some testing that demonstrates that you can actually perform testing.
How does SecureWorks test their testers?
We have our own internal testing program that we put candidates through as a final step to make sure that if they say that they can perform SQL injection, if they can traverse across a network, we’re going to test that. We have a multistage testing process that we put candidates through, and the first stage is working with somebody on our talent acquisition team to really understand the candidate’s capability to communicate, their consulting background, making sure that they fit the profile that we’re looking for. The second stage is really the peer interviews. They’re going to interview with our top consultants — they’re going to ask difficult questions, and if they have the right answers, they can make it to the final stage, which is really a practical test. And it’s not just a simple push a few buttons and pass/fail. We’re actually expecting the candidate to write up a report, and we review the written report to make sure that it meets our criteria for what we’re looking for in a consultant.
So we’re looking for somebody that can demonstrate that they’ve been dedicated to technical testing, that they have the practical skills that we need. But we’re going beyond that, too. We want people who can communicate with our clients. We want people that have strong communication skills — both verbal and written. And we’re also looking for people that consulting is something that they have in their background.
How does SecureWorks define a successful technical tester?
What makes a successful technical tester for us is somebody that is doing everything they can to delight the client. They have to start out with a passion, that’s something that we screen for, is that, are you really passionate about technical testing? Is this something you would do after hours on your own? Do you have a lab at home that you like to study with? That’s the kind of passion that we’re looking for, but that passion has to translate in performance for the client. The client has to be delighted with the service that we’ve provided, and the consultant has to continue to develop their skills. That’s really what we’re looking for. We offer quite a bit in terms of our training budget, and we expect quite a bit on the consultant’s behalf to sharpen the saw, to really continue to improve their own skill set and not just lay dormant. We’re hoping to stay ahead of our competition by putting a lot into our training programs, and we’re really looking for the consultants to make that personal investment to keep their own skills sharp and help others on the team to bring their skills up as well.
We generate around 2 billion events each month. With Secureworks, we are able to crunch down that number to 20-30 high fidelity alerts — and that makes my team's job much easier.
Sunil Saale, Head of Cyber and Information Security, Minter Ellison
Red Cloak™ Threat Detection and Response isn’t just the next generation of SIEM, it’s an evolution.
David Levine, CISO, Ricoh Group
Why Secureworks?
Secureworks (NASDAQ: SCWX) a global cybersecurity leader, enables our customers and partners to outpace and outmaneuver adversaries with more precision, so they can rapidly adapt and respond to market forces to meet their business needs. With a unique combination of cloud-native, SaaS security platform and intelligence-driven security solutions, informed by 20+ years of threat intelligence and research, no other security platform is grounded and informed with this much real-world experience.
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Fashion raises funds for Royal Hospital for Women
Fashion infused with compassion raised funds towards the purchase of a 3-D mammogram machine for the Royal Hospital for Women at a black tie event at the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday, 18 October, 2019.
The BAZAAR in Bloom gala dinner featured an exclusive fashion show by some of Australia’s top designers including Rebecca Vallance, Ginger & Smart, Carla Zampatti, and Dion Lee.
Award-winning actress Marta Dusseldorp, star of Jack Irish and A Place to Call Home, took up MC duties for the night, encouraging more than 300 generous guests to dig deep for women’s health and Australian artist Jessica Mauboy gave a live performance.
Trish O’Brien, Chief Executive, Royal Hospital for Women Foundation, said the evening will make a tremendous difference for women.
“Statistics show that early detection and immediate treatment is key to improved breast cancer survival rates.
“The generosity on the night ensures that the dedicated staff at The Royal's NSW Women’s Breast Centre are equipped with their own 3-D mammogram machine.
“This means more women, faster and more thorough diagnosis with local biopsies will result in earlier treatments for breast cancer,” Ms O’Brien said.
Since 2015, the annual BAZAAR in Bloom has raised millions of dollars the Royal Hospital for Women thanks to a partnership between The Royal Hospital for Women Foundation and Harper's BAZAAR magazine.
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The Greater Risk of Using Airbnb and/or “Profiteering” by Rent-Stabilized Tenants
Tenants in rent-stabilized apartments may face serious consequences for renting their stabilized apartments to short-term occupants, and/or from “profiteering” by such rentals, even if they rent just a portion of their units. Recent cases in New York have upheld the evictions of rent-stabilized tenants who have “profiteered” from renting to short-term occupants. A NY Appellate court further held that a tenant in a rent-stabilized apartment who hosted short-term occupants through Airbnb, even while she concurrently resided in the apartment, violated the aforementioned restriction on short-term rentals because the supposed ‘roommates’ were not ‘permanent’ occupants[i]
The court noted that, because rent stabilization laws limit the rent landlords can charge for apartments that are under rent-regulation, tenants who are beneficiaries of such rent limitations cannot in turn “profit” from their rent-regulated lessee status by renting out their apartments to others and thereby earning income at or above market rates by more than their landlord-owners are permitted to collect under the Rent Stabilization Code.[ii] Thus, when tenants in rent-regulated apartments sublease their apartments and/or have otherwise lawful co-occupants who contribute to their rent, the primary tenants cannot charge more than a “proportionate” share of their regulated rent amount to their co-occupants or sub-tenants. The case law indicates that tenants in rent-stabilized apartments who run afoul of the laws governing short-term occupancy and/or restrictions on “profiteering” are at heightened risk of facing eviction.
Advertising Short-Term Rentals on Airbnb or Elsewhere
A new law enacted by the New York legislature and signed by Governor Cuomo in late 2016 expressly prohibits the advertisements, including but not only through such websites and platforms such as Airbnb, of short-term rentals that would violate the short-term occupancy restrictions of the New York Multiple Dwelling Law. This law further provides that any individuals who advertise short-term rentals on Airbnb, and/or otherwise violate the prohibition of advertising such rentals, face civil penalties of up to $1,000 for initial violations. The penalties increase to $7,500 for a third or subsequent violations. While this law took effect over a year ago, the extent and effects of its implementation are still unclear and are being watched. primary New York State law that prohibits short-term occupancy, and in turn the use of Airbnb, is the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL). The MDL applies to residential buildings with three or more units; it does not apply to single-family or two-family homes.
Section 4 of the MDL expressly permits “incidental and occasional occupancy” for less than 30 consecutive days by persons other than the “permanent occupants” for personal reasons, though “[P]rovided that there is no monetary compensation paid the permanent occupants for such occupancy.” For example, if a tenant goes away on vacation for a week and the tenant’s mother stays in her apartment for that week and the daughter does not take money for the stay. Sublets, Roommates, and ‘Short-Term’ Occupants
The legal issues surrounding Airbnb bring up the distinction between roommates, sublets, and “short-term” or transient occupants.
A sublet, is an individual who leases from the primary tenant, and who acquires exclusive use of the apartment while the primary tenant is absent. A sublet may be either a short-term occupant who stays in an apartment less than 30 days, or may become a resident of an apartment once (s)he occupies the apartment for at least 30 consecutive days.
Sublets who rent for periods of less than 30 consecutive days run afoul of the short-term renting restriction in the MDL discussed above.
In contrast to a sublet, a roommate is someone who resides in an apartment together with the primary tenant, and who does not have exclusive use of an apartment.
Even if an individual rents a room on a temporary basis while the tenant of record is present, the short-term or transient occupant is not a true roommate because (s)he is not a “resident” per the definition of “permanent resident” provided in the MDL if (s)he does not occupy or reside in an apartment for 30 consecutive days or longer. Thus, short-term occupants of Class-A dwellings may still be running afoul of the MDL even if they are staying in an apartment with the primary tenant and do not have exclusive use of the apartment, if they are paying the primary tenant for such occupancy and if they stay in the apartment for less than 30 consecutive days.
For more information on Airbnb law, please fill out the form below
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Tom Steyer wants Trump impeached, and he’s mad that many Democrats don’t
Joe Garofoli April 8, 2018 Updated: April 9, 2018 9:20 a.m.
Political activist Tom Steyer speaks during the "Need to Impeach" town hall event at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Friday, March 16, 2018, in Cincinnati. Steyer, a billionaire activist also involved in environmental causes, founded the "Need to Impeach" petition campaign on claims that President Donald Trump meets the criteria for impeachment. The event kicks-off a national tour in an effort to generate support. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Photo: John Minchillo, Associated Press
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer is bringing a nationwide town hall tour promoting President Trump’s impeachment to Oakland, but he’s got more in mind than leading a pep rally for Bay Area liberals. He intends to shame Democrats who aren’t cheering along with him.
“I think there’s a question about what people are willing to say in public that they know is true,” said Steyer, a former San Francisco hedge fund manager who commands attention in left-leaning circles for the tens of millions he’s spent on registering voters and backing Democratic candidates.
Many Democrats aren’t calling to impeach Trump, Steyer said, “because of political posturing before the midterms.”
Steyer’s appearance Wednesday highlights a stark divide among the most liberal Democrats: Is removing Trump from office “the most important issue in America right now,” as Steyer insists, or is it premature to move before they have what Dublin Rep. Eric Swalwell calls “an impenetrable set of facts”?
Some Democrats fear losing the moral and political high ground by backing impeachment before Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into any Trump campaign ties to Russian election meddling is complete.
It will be impossible to win Republican support for impeachment in the GOP-controlled Congress unless Mueller finds evidence of criminal conduct by Trump himself, Democratic leaders say. Impeachment requires a majority vote in the House, and conviction and removal from office takes a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
“I don’t think it’s helpful for anyone to be pushing impeachment before the investigation is finished,” Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told The Chronicle’s “It’s All Political” podcast earlier this year. While there is a legal standard for impeachment, he said, there “also a political standard. Can you make the case for impeachment in districts around the country?
“That case will be more difficult to make if it looks like this is where we wanted to go all along,” Schiff said.
Last fall, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco called Steyer’s impeachment campaign a distraction from the party’s efforts to retake the House. She declined last week to talk about Steyer’s town hall tour.
Tom Steyer in the spotlight
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To Steyer, it’s an outrage that in an area with one of the nation’s highest concentrations of Democratic voters, six House members — Pelosi, Swalwell and Democratic Reps. Jackie Speier, Ro Khanna, Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren — voted against an impeachment resolution in January.
They weren’t alone — only 66 House Democrats supported the resolution. Among them were Bay Area Reps. Barbara Lee, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Thompson and John Garamendi.
Steyer hoped for better. Nationally, more than 5.1 million people have signed his NeedtoImpeach.com petition since October, and he’s put seven pro-impeachment commercials on national TV.
Now, through his 30-stop national tour, Steyer wants to generate public pressure to get Congress to join him, starting with key Democrats near his home.
Attendee James Strickley of Erlanger, Ky., asks a question of political activist Tom Steyer during a "Need to Impeach" town hall event at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Friday, March 16, 2018, in Cincinnati. Steyer, a billionaire activist also involved in environmental causes, founded the "Need to Impeach" petition campaign on claims that President Donald Trump meets the criteria for impeachment. The event kicks-off a national tour in an effort to generate support. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Photo: John Minchillo / Associated Press
He retains a big megaphone in Democratic circles because of the $91 million he spent on left-leaning causes and candidates in the 2016 campaign cycle and the $30 million he pledged to spend on registering 250,000 voters this year.
“Those who condemn Trump but do nothing to back their words with action are enabling the damage he is inflicting,” Steyer said. “Local Bay Area Congress members have repeatedly chosen to ignore their constituents’ voices by voting no on impeachment. The people deserve elected leaders who refuse to back down on our shared principles, and we will ensure their voices are heard.”
Steyer isn’t promising to fund primary challenges to anti-impeachment Democrats. Instead, he envisions his town hall meetings as a “two-way conversation” where he can build public pressure against those who oppose impeachment. He’ll hold his Oakland event at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Impact Hub on Broadway.
Steyer’s target list includes Swalwell, who has shown up regularly on cable talk shows over the past year excoriating Trump for everything from his tax plan to his foreign policy. Swalwell’s House website is filled with charts and videos explaining how “Trump and his team are directly and indirectly tied to Russia.”
But impeachment? Not yet, Swalwell said.
“We shouldn’t run or make this midterm election a referendum on impeachment,” he said. “I think the country wants to be assured that if you were to proceed that way, you would have an impenetrable set of facts to prove that it should happen. And right now we don’t have investigations that allow us to do that.
“I don’t think we should be as reckless with the truth as Trump has been,” he said.
Speier, D-Hillsborough, sides with Swalwell. She has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics in Congress, calling for him to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and two-thirds of the Cabinet to declare a president unfit. She said Trump has shown “erratic behavior and lack of mental capacity.”
But she is not ready to back impeachment yet, either.
“I’m not saying it won’t be appropriate,” Speier said. “But I do not believe that we have the appropriate evidence yet that will make a compelling case. Impeachment is a political act. It’s got to be extraordinarily compelling to get Republicans to support it.”
Steyer counters, “We don’t need any more evidence. The evidence is already there.”
Trump could be impeached for several reasons, Steyer said, including obstruction of justice and violating constitutional bans on profiting from holding his office.
Every day, he said, Trump “does something to make you upchuck.”
Khanna, D-Fremont, said he respects Steyer’s efforts to energize Democratic voters, “but we have different roles. He is a citizen activist and leader. I am a member of Congress who took an oath to the Constitution and (to) follow the legal process that is foundational to our democracy.”
It’s hard to ignore that Steyer’s town hall tour includes three stops in Iowa — the first caucus state on the presidential campaign trail — and other events in swing states Ohio, Virginia, Colorado and North Carolina. But he said the impeachment tour is aimed at registering voters for this year’s elections, not testing his presidential prospects.
“We are really, really, really focused on what’s going on in 2018,” Steyer said. “Anyone who is looking beyond (election day in November) is missing the point.”
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Political podcasts
To listen to Joe Garofoli’s “It’s All Political” podcasts with Tom Steyer and Rep. Adam Schiff: www.sfchronicle.com/podcasts
Steyer town hall
Tom Steyer’s public forum on impeaching President Trump ment will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Impact Hub, 2323 Broadway, Oakland.
Joe Garofoli
Follow Joe on:
https://www.facebook.com/SFChronicle/joegarofoli
Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer, covering national and state politics. He has worked at The Chronicle since 2000 and in Bay Area journalism since 1992, when he left the Milwaukee Journal. He is the host of “It’s All Political,” The Chronicle’s political podcast. Catch it here: bit.ly/2LSAUjA
He has won numerous awards and covered everything from fashion to the Jeffrey Dahmer serial killings to two Olympic Games to his own vasectomy — which he discussed on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” after being told he couldn’t say the word “balls” on the air. He regularly appears on Bay Area radio and TV talking politics and is available to entertain at bar mitzvahs and First Communions. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and a proud native of Pittsburgh. Go Steelers!
GOP’s Kevin McCarthy inches away from Trump, but most California Republicans stick with him
Biden to return donation from ex-California Sen. Barbara Boxer over Chinese lobbying
California Republicans in battleground districts face no-win vote on impeachment
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Sen. McCain Receives 2017 Liberty Medal
Defense Secretary Mattis & Secretary of State Tillerson Testify on War Powers
President Trump's Iran Strategy
U.S. House of Representatives 10/02/2017
U.S. Senate Sen. Tom Udall & Sen. Martin Heinrich Remember Fmr. Sen. Pete Domenici
jeffrey rosen
Sen. McCain Receives 2017 Liberty Medal : CSPAN : October 22, 2017 6:30pm-8:01pm EDT
Oct 22, 2017 10/17
by CSPAN
, senator mccain's uncommon friendship with mo udall comes to mind congressman udall was a liberal icon yet he reached out to a young republican from his state as a friend and a mentor. the two men developed a close friendship that lasted until udall's death from parkinson's disease. although udall had one spin -- once been a month the most powerful leaders in washington almost none of his former colleagues came calling as he's laying ill at a veterans hospital not far from the capital. -- it was senator mcgrane mccain who visited them quite often. you would arrive at the hospital with newspaper clips and you would sit at your friend's bedside and read to him. you in he reached out to the beginning, you reached out to him in the and with empathy and withdrew compassion. story, it is once again so clear of the unique and unusual man we are speaking about, and what a dear friend he was to mo udall. but we must also see a man with a desire to embrace people's humanity regardless of their politics. this is no small feat in today's patriotic halls of our of ournce and quarters country. senat
, senator mccain's uncommon friendship with mo udall comes to mind congressman udall was a liberal icon yet he reached out to a young republican from his state as a friend and a mentor. the two men developed a close friendship that lasted until udall's death from parkinson's disease. although udall had one spin -- once been a month the most powerful leaders in washington almost none of his former colleagues came calling as he's laying ill at a veterans hospital not far from the capital. -- it...
Sen. McCain Receives 2017 Liberty Medal : CSPAN : October 23, 2017 10:01am-11:25am EDT
uncommon friendship with morse udall comes to mind. congressman udall was a liberal icon, yet he reached out to a young republican as a friend and mentor. they developed a close friendship that lasted until his death from parkinson's disease. he had once been among the most powerful leaders in washington, but almost none of his former colleagues came calling when he as he was leading ill at a veterans hospital not far from the capital, but it was senator mccain who visited quite often. senator, you would arrive with newspaper clips, and you would sit at your friend's bedside and ,. just as he reached out to you in the beginning, you reached out to him in the end with empathy and with true compassion. hearing this story, it is so clear the unique and unusual man we are speaking about and what a dear friend he was. we must also see a man with a desire to embrace people's humanity, regardless of their politics. this is no small feat in the today's vitriolic halls in our country. senator mccain is a man of strong conviction, yes, but he also embodies a spirit that helps our founding
uncommon friendship with morse udall comes to mind. congressman udall was a liberal icon, yet he reached out to a young republican as a friend and mentor. they developed a close friendship that lasted until his death from parkinson's disease. he had once been among the most powerful leaders in washington, but almost none of his former colleagues came calling when he as he was leading ill at a veterans hospital not far from the capital, but it was senator mccain who visited quite often....
Sen. McCain Receives 2017 Liberty Medal : CSPAN : October 23, 2017 12:48am-2:25am EDT
another member. >> udall took him under his wing. was one of the most well-known members of congress. >> he came to john and said, let's work together. >> we are an important check on the power of the executive. just implore his colleagues to come together. he defended the constitutional role of congress, as envisioned by the founding fathers. john mccain: whether or not we are a member of the same party, we are not subordinates, we are the president's equal. >> he challenges us to move fast partisanship and try to do right by the people web higher dust -- have higher dust -- the people who have hired us. >> he sure is the belief that we have to get back to the basics of leadership and the basics in the constitution because it is that respect for the country that will allow us to heal the wounds of vietnam, civil rights, recent times. mitch mcconnell: he approaches every issue i asking, what is the best outcome that can be achieved. there is no one who is more honorable and deserving than john mccain. announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome joe biden. joe biden: thank you ver
another member. >> udall took him under his wing. was one of the most well-known members of congress. >> he came to john and said, let's work together. >> we are an important check on the power of the executive. just implore his colleagues to come together. he defended the constitutional role of congress, as envisioned by the founding fathers. john mccain: whether or not we are a member of the same party, we are not subordinates, we are the president's equal. >> he...
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Funds to Compensate Victims of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Related Cancers
September 26, 2015 by David J. Shestokas
Filed Under: Civil Law, General Law Tagged With: asbestos, attorney, lawyer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, victim compensation
There are tremendous numbers of ads from mesothelioma lawyer and attorneys across all media publicizing compensation for victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos related cancers and diseases. There have been over 50 funds established for people who have become ill as a result of long ago asbestos exposure. Hence companies such as SERS and many others have started to provide immediate and complete assistance in regarding the removal of these harmful elements from various environments. The most detailed explanation of the history and compensation process for people afflicted by mesothelioma is found in a report by the US Government Account Office: Injury Attorney – The Role and Administration of Asbestos Trusts, GAO-11-819
The following is a summary of the report. The entire report is available here.
Summary of GAO-11-819 ASBESTOS INJURY COMPENSATION
Asbestos litigation arose out of millions of Americans’ lengthy occupational exposure to asbestos which is linked to malignant and nonmalignant diseases. To date, about 100 companies have declared bankruptcy at least partially due to asbestos-related liability. In accordance with Chapter 11 and 524(g) of the federal bankruptcy code, a company may transfer its liabilities and certain assets to an asbestos personal injury trust, which is then responsible for compensating present and future claimants. Since 1988, 60 trusts have been established to pay claims with about $37 billion in total assets. GAO was asked to examine asbestos trusts set up pursuant to 524(g). This report addresses: (1) How much asbestos trusts have paid in claims and how trusts are administered, (2) How trust claim and payment information is made available to outside parties, and (3) Stakeholder–plaintiff and defense attorneys, trust officials, and other interested parties–views on whether more trust and claimant information should be made available to outside parties and efforts to change the trust system and processes. GAO analyzed trust agreements for 44 of 60 trusts and trust distribution procedures for 52 of 60 trusts, as well as financial reports for 47 of 60 trusts for 2009 and 2010. GAO also interviewed U.S. Bankruptcy Court judges and the trustees, general counsels, or directors from 11 trusts.
$17.5 Billion Paid for Asbestos Disease Claims Over 12 Year Period
From 1988 through 2010, GAO’s analysis of available trust payment data show that trusts have paid about 3.3 million claims valued at about $17.5 billion and that each trust has trust distribution procedures (TDP) that govern its administration and establish the process for assessing and paying claims. Typically, TDPs include sections related to the intake and evaluation of claims, payment processes, and audit programs. Claims that meet the TDP’s criteria for a particular disease are paid in the amount specified in the TDP. Most asbestos trusts we reviewed publish for public review annual financial reports and generally include total number of claims received and paid. Other information in the possession of a trust, such as an individual’s exposure to asbestos, is generally not available to outside parties but may be obtained, for example, in the course of litigation pursuant to a court-ordered subpoena.
Confidentiality Protections for Victims
The 44 trust agreements GAO reviewed all required that trusts submit annual financial reports to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of jurisdiction. Although TDPs typically provide that the trusts will make claim and payment information available to claimants and other parties, each trust ultimately determines what information it will make available. Of the 47 trust annual financial reports for 2009 and 2010 that GAO reviewed, all included the total amount of payments made and most included the total number of claims received and paid. One trust’s financial report contained claimant names and amounts paid to these individuals. Of the 52 trust TDPs GAO reviewed, 33 (64 percent) included sections related to protecting the confidentiality of claimants’ information and these sections often state that the trusts will only disclose information to outside parties with permission of the claimant or in response to a valid subpoena.
Views differ on whether more trust and claimant information should be made available and there have been efforts to change the trust system. Plaintiff attorneys and trusts oppose proposals that would require additional disclosure of claimant information, such as amounts paid to individual claimants, stating that such information is available to the defense through subpoenas and that disclosure otherwise could compromise the confidentiality of claimants’ private information. Defense attorneys support additional disclosure, stating that such information could be used to offset asbestos defendants’ settlements in court and reduce fraudulent claims. In recent years, there have been various proposals to require additional disclosure of claimant information. One of these proposals was recently brought before the Judicial Conference of the United States, the primary policy making body of the U.S. courts. In commenting on a draft copy of this report, the Department of Justice and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts provided technical clarifications, which GAO incorporated where appropriate.
(Download Full Report Here)
cpnews-20161129-all | News Archive says:
[…] Funds to Compensate Victims of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Related Cancers […]
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The Circus S6,E2
8:30 PM et/pt
Juliette Helen Solloway
Noah Solloway
Played by Dominic West
Noah Solloway is a novelist and schoolteacher. He has four children with Helen, his first love. A writing career of highs and lows, a checkered past, and feelings of inferiority have colored his personality. The sudden and tantalizing appearance of Alison in his life radically alters its course.
Dominic West
Dominic West stars as Noah in SHOWTIME’s hit drama series THE AFFAIR.
West has successfully combined a career in both the UK and the US, with leading roles in international film, American television, and on the London stage. After graduating from Trinity College Dublin and then from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, West won the Ian Charleson award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Sir Peter Hall’s production of THE SEAGULL.
A very successful film career soon followed with West winning leading roles in studio movies including 28 DAYS opposite Sandra Bullock; MONA LISA’S SMILE, with Julia Roberts; and THE FORGOTTEN, with Julianne Moore. He also starred as Theron in Warner Bros.’ 300. Further credits include CHICAGO, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, TRUE BLUE, HANNIBAL RISING, ROCK STAR, THE PHANTOM MENACE, SURVIVING PICASSO, and RICHARD III.
In 2000, he won the role of McNulty in HBO’s THE WIRE, one of the most critically acclaimed television programs ever made in the US. The show ran for five seasons, with West directing an episode in the final season.
His theatre credits include Peter Gill’s production of Harley Granville Barker’s THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE at the Royal National Theatre; David Lan’s West End production of AS YOU LIKE IT, in which he starred opposite Helen McCrory; and Trevor Nunn’s West End production of Tom Stoppard’s most recent play, ROCK N' ROLL, which opened to huge plaudits at The Royal Court Theatre in summer 2006.
In 2008 he played Oliver Cromwell in Channel 4’s BAFTA-nominated television series THE DEVIL'S WHORE. He then went on to do Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s LIFE IS A DREAM at the Donmar Warehouse in London, followed by CENTURION directed by Neil Marshall and also starring Michael Fassbender.
Dominic starred in the 2011 film THE AWAKENING, the box office hit JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN, and ITV’s critically acclaimed mini-series APPROPRIATE ADULT (for which he won a TV BAFTA in May of 2012), as well as THE HOUR by Abi Morgan (for which Dominic was nominated for a Golden Globe). On the stage in 2011, West captivated audiences as the title role in BUTLEY at the Duchess Theatre, as well as sharing the stage with his THE WIRE co-star Clarke Peters in OTHELLO at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
2012 saw Dominic reprise his role as Hector Madden in the second season of THE HOUR and he starred in a Jez Butterworth play at The Royal Court, THE RIVER, which opened in October 2012.
In 2013 Dominic returned to Sheffield to appear in MY FAIR LADY at The Crucible. He then went on to film as Richard Burton in a BBC4 drama, starring opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Taylor. 2014 saw the release of Matthew Warchus’ PRIDE, which opened at the Cannes Film Festival to critical and audience acclaim, and TESTAMENT OF YOUTH alongside Alicia Vikander. In 2015 Dominic has completed filming on the feature film MONEY MONSTER directed by Jodie Foster, in which he stars alongside George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jack O’Connell.
Go behind the scenes of Season 5 with Dominic West and Maura Tierney
Helen Solloway
Alison Lockhart
Cole Lockhart
Julia Goldani Telles
Janelle Wilson
Dr. Vik Ullah
Omar Metwally
Anton Gatewood
Ramon Rodriguez
Margaret Butler
Kathleen Chalfant
Josh Stamberg
Detective Jeffries
Victor Williams
Oscar Hodges
Darren Goldstein
adult language, adult content, nudity. viewer discretion advised.
The Affair © Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved.
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"Ms. Spurrell has given my daughters the gift of music. Her dedication, passion and love of teaching has inspired and taught them the meaning of hard work and commitment. Her guidance has given them confidence and a belief in themselves. For that, I am truly gratful and it's a joy ti watch them grow as individuals, through music." - Jane, parent
Students of Spurrell Singing Studio generally begin private vocal instruction between the ages of 8-12 and continue until leaving for post-secondary education. The students follow the Royal Conservatory of Music program and 95% of students complete an RCM exam each year. In addition, students are encouraged to explore a variety of musical styles, including musical theatre. Regional festivals offer students an opportunity to perform and receive feedback from other vocal instructors. As well, Spurrell Singing Studio provides its students with multiple performance opportunites throughout the year. Please feel free to contact Natalie Spurrell for more information, including pricing and availability.
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Facebook Launches New 'Educator Hub' as Students Head Back to School
This year has posed many challenges, and they may be no more acutely felt than in the education sector, where massive changes in process, assessment and curriculum as a result of COVID-19 will have long-lasting impacts on many students.
In recognition of this, and ahead of the broader return to school across the US, Facebook has this week launched a new Educator Hub, which is designed to help students, parents and teachers by providing a range of educational resources, which are focused on improving learning outcomes, updating lesson plans, and teaching digital literacy.
"Back-to-school season looks different this year due to COVID-19, and parents, teachers and students around the world are facing a myriad of challenges, from remote teaching and learning, balancing work and home responsibilities, and most importantly, maintaining the safety and well-being of all involved. That’s why we’re launching an Educator Hub to support teachers and provide resources across our apps to help people navigate the new school year, stay connected and take care of each other."
The hub aims to recognize the varying impacts of the pandemic, and also includes sections dedicated to mental wellbeing and teacher connectivity, in order to facilitate support for people dealing with the various challenges posed by the situation.
There's also a dedicated section on teaching racial equality, as well as a listing of Facebook tools that students and educators can use to stay connected, even if they're running remote classes.
Facebook is already playing a key role for many school communities, with 1.5 million people now participating in homeschooling groups within the app. The new guides align with that usage, and the digital literacy elements could be particularly helpful as more kids spend more time online during the lockdowns.
As with everything, we have to hope that we're able to move beyond the pandemic soon, in order to lessen any lasting impacts, and again, those impacts will be significant in the education sector, with students missing out on crucial interactions and opportunities.
But right now, we have to do what we can within the confines of the pandemic response, and these new resources from Facebook could help to make it a little easier for students.
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November/December 2012 Issue
School-Based Adolescent Mental Health Programs
By Terry Richardson, MS, LMHC, CMHS; Melissa Morrissette, LICSW, CDP, CMHS, MHP; and Laura Zucker, LICSW, CMHS, MHP
Social Work Today
Vol. 12 No. 6 P. 24
A supplementary team of community mental health professionals integrated into school services is a plus for the early identification and treatment of adolescent mental health conditions.
Even for professionals who work with adolescents and practically have seen it all, the number of youths with mental health challenges is simply staggering. One-half of all lifetime diagnosable mental health conditions begin by the age of 14 (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). One in five adolescents in this country shows significant symptoms of emotional distress, with nearly 10% having symptoms that impair everyday functioning (Knopf, Park, & Mulye, 2008).
The presence of mental illness in children and adolescents, if not properly diagnosed and treated, increases the likelihood of significant health issues for them as adults and greatly limits their ability to become productive members of society (Wu et al, 2006).
For adolescents, the first signs of mental illness or emotional distress can emerge in the school environment. It’s well known that mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and family problems often are the root causes of poor academic performance, disciplinary issues, and truancy.
While many schools have school psychologists, social workers, and/or counselors, progressive school districts recognize the value of a more comprehensive approach in which a supplementary team of community mental health professionals is integrated into the school service array. These services may range from intensive programs targeting underperforming schools or those designed to augment existing school health and wellness programs. Research shows that emotional and behavioral health issues present significant barriers to learning, academic achievement, and high standardized test scores (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2009). This same research shows that mental health interventions are effective and can significantly improve academic performance scores.
The practical guidelines detailed in this article may provide school districts with a realistic look at the elements necessary to create and implement a comprehensive school-based model that effectively serves the behavioral health needs of adolescents.
From our experience, there are advantages of teaming with a comprehensive community mental health organization. Services are available to youths year-round, beyond the academic school year and during breaks when support for children and youths can be limited. Community mental health clinicians, unlike their school counterparts, can see students even if they are suspended, not attending school, in detention, or in the hospital. They can support adolescents after hours through crisis and psychiatric services.
Community mental health clinicians apply the latest evidence-based practices, including dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and functional family therapy. They also are effective practitioners of assertive community outreach; wraparound services that include family, community, and peer support; substance abuse treatment; crisis intervention; and additional services that school district mental health professionals may not have the capacity or experience to utilize. For many students, a key benefit is awareness. The presence of these services at school provides a level of access not typically available through the standard approach.
School-based mental health programs, to be most effective, must be correctly constructed. While they may vary from school to school, there are some key characteristics consistent across all of them. School-based programs will not be effective unless there is collaboration and relationship building among parents, teachers, administrators, community mental health professionals, and students. An infrastructure, process, and clearly defined roles must be painstakingly developed to address the varying needs of the student body. And the program must have the right team members, who bring unique skill sets and experiences to the endeavor.
School-Based Mental Health Programs Defined
What distinguishes a comprehensive school-based mental health program from what is commonly used in many schools today? Comprehensive school-based programs incorporate a team of behavioral health professionals from an outside organization, such as a community mental health provider, that partners with a school’s staff. This approach is effective because it enables specialists to quickly identify student issues and immediately triage care based on the severity of circumstances.
Whether it is a minor emotional disturbance that requires basic support or a far more complicated mental health issue mandating a more intensive intervention, a comprehensive school-based approach enables a full range of options to schools that deploy them. Appropriate levels of care can then be structured based on severity of emotional/mental health issues. Team members from the community mental health organization can be activated when more intensive services are needed. School psychologists or social workers can provide wellness, education, and prevention programs.
Concurrently, members of both teams consult at regular intervals and as needed so that the entire team is current and up-to-date.
Key Elements
School districts benefit from teaming with community mental health providers who have unique competencies, such as integrated substance abuse and mental health services for youths; family, individual, and group therapies; medication management; case management; and an orientation toward assertive community outreach principals.
When complex interventions are needed, often under extreme crisis situations, schools will need to quickly mobilize a mental health team that brings a wide range of specialties to any situation. Most schools don’t have the capacity or adequate staff on site to respond to (or anticipate) a situation that requires skilled crisis intervention, evaluation, medication management, and other services that a contracted team should.
Team Blueprint
What should an ideal treatment/intervention team look like? What expertise is needed? How many staff members should be accessible? How does a supplemental team interact with the on-site school staff?
Given the wide range of issues that may emerge in a school setting, teams should be structured in such a way that expertise or practice areas can quickly be invoked when needed. While contracted staff are not always on site at the school, another advantage to engaging professionals from a community mental health provider is the fact that they can quickly assemble in the event they are needed.
By far the most important member of the team is the “point person,” who serves as an intermediary between the school and the community mental health organization. Some school-based programs may utilize a care coordinator from the community mental health organization. This individual is on site and dedicated to quickly assessing, triaging, and identifying needs that connect students and their families with appropriate service providers. Other schools with less intensive needs assign a member of the community mental health team to serve as the point person. Either way, this point of contact is crucial.
The point person ensures optimal communication and quick mobilization. He or she collaborates with school nursing staff and administrators and deploys the services of the community mental health provider when needed. This person represents and has access to all the services that the agency provides, such as individual and group therapists, family counselors, chemical dependency advisors, experts in crisis management, and psychiatrists for medication management. These teams will play a role in developing care plans for students.
Partnerships that are key to the success of a school-based program include a school district’s safety and security division since care plans, communications, and confidentiality issues must comply with established protocols and policies. Family members, of course, should not be overlooked, as they will play perhaps the most important role in outcomes for the adolescent, providing ongoing guidance during therapy, maintaining a nurturing and understanding environment in which adolescents can recover, and participating in family therapy. Community mental health organizations experienced in family settings will prove valuable here.
Another place where community mental health organizations are indispensible is through established relationships with state agencies serving children. These include the juvenile rehabilitation administration and the department of children and family services. For youths with a history of being in “the system,” partnerships with these agencies can maintain continuity of care, cut through bureaucratic red tape, and provide exposition and context for tailoring care plans.
One of the most fruitful partnerships in this relationship is that of the school itself. School administrators, teachers, and medical staff are the foot soldiers of the program and, through their active collaboration with the community mental health organization, are the “eyes and ears” providing early detection. Through frequent collaboration and interaction with community mental health agencies, school staff members become more adept at recognizing early warning signs and distinguishing nuanced behaviors. They even serve as mental health ambassadors of sorts, bringing much needed approachability and accessibility to the concept of mental health and the various services that might be available to students.
Most helping professionals would quickly sign up for a comprehensive school-based mental health program. Still, several challenges exist that must be considered when implementing such a program, including the following.
Despite the incredible benefits and relative minimal costs of a school-based model, some funding mechanism is essential. Whether through Medicaid or private or foundation funding, it is unlikely that a comprehensive school-based mental health program can sustain itself without outside support.
It’s never easy being the “outsider.” For community mental health professionals being contracted with a school district, it is prudent to expect initial resistance. Territoriality may emerge. There may be the perception that you are there to make big changes. Some educators may not have been exposed to mental health programs, nor have they had training in the field. For this reason, mental health professionals must make themselves visible and be consistent and proactive in initiating meetings with key school staff, students, and parents when necessary.
Another important factor is providing psych education to staff to help them understand mental health’s central role in adolescent life, relationships, and academic performance. The mental health professionals must take the time to educate the school about other services available through the agency. Inform school staff that functions such as psychiatric evaluation, medication management, group therapy, family therapy, case management, psychological evaluation, and crisis services can reduce their burden. It may take time, but a proactive, vigilant, and opportunistic approach to educating staff will pay off.
Roles and Boundaries
Clarifying roles and setting clear boundaries as a school-based clinician is an important component to implementing agency/school counseling. Without it, there will be confusion and unreasonable expectations.
Clearly, the first place to start in defining roles and setting boundaries will be through initial planning with school administrators and agency leadership. Once the framework for these roles is established and consensus is reached, it will be much easier to refine role clarity among the other service providers, such as the school social worker, counselor, nurse, and/or family support worker.
For school staff, it will let everyone know their roles and contributions early on. They will feel less threatened; tensions are eased; and the groundwork for better working relations is ensured. Mental health professionals know where they fit in the equation, can prioritize their work and, in the long term, meet the school district’s expectations.
The Minefield: Confidentiality
School staff members take the welfare of their students seriously. While it is natural for school staff to inquire about a student’s welfare, contracted mental health staff must be conscious—even in the most ostensibly innocuous circumstances—about confidentiality. As in any other client situation, applicable confidentiality regulations such as HIPAA and the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics exist to protect client privacy.
Whether it’s the principal stepping into your office for a chat, a teacher having a conversation with you in the hall, or administrative assistants requesting basic information over the phone, mental health staff must always exhibit caution, using tact and diplomacy. Professionals must be prepared to draw the line while still building trust, promoting collaboration, and investing in the team work necessary to support students. For this reason, mental health staff should always ensure they have proper release forms and, when applicable, the direct consent of any student before discussing a case. It is also important that mental health staff release only information that is relevant to a student’s school-life issues.
Being an adolescent already comes with many challenges and difficulties. For youths who also have mental health conditions, it is clear they stand to benefit from better access to mental health services. The school is the most efficient delivery system for these services. Studies show that students who participate in comprehensive and collaborative school-based mental health programs have significantly less disciplinary issues, enjoy better mental health and, not surprisingly, perform better in school (SAMHSA).
As more school districts consider expanding their mental health care for students, they should strongly consider engaging community mental health organizations with the required qualities and characteristics. They’ll bring a comprehensive program offering to the partnership. They’ll be well versed in the facets of successful partnerships with school districts and staff. Most importantly, they’ll bring a pervading interest in helping youths remove barriers that impact mental and emotional well-being, undermine school life, and obstruct academic achievement.
— Terry Richardson, MS, LMHC, CMHS, has more than 30 years of experience working with children, youths, and families. Over the past decade, she has managed Seattle-based Sound Mental Health’s school-based and community-support programs and is a member of the Readiness to Learn Consortium and the King County Metro Community Resource Team.
— Melissa Morrissette, LICSW, CDP, CMHS, MHP, and Laura Zucker, LICSW, CMHS, MHP, are clinicians at Sound Mental Health, Child and Family Services.
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comoridity Survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593-602.
Knopf, D., Park, M. J., & Mulye, T. P. (2008). The Mental Health of Adolescents: A National Profile, 2008. San Francisco, CA: National Adolescent Health Information Center, University of California, San Francisco.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2009). Working Together to Help Youth Thrive in Schools and Communities. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Wu, P., Bird, H. R., Liu, X., et al. (2006). Childhood depressive symptoms and early onset of alcohol use. Pediatrics, 118(5), 1907-1915.
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Documentary Film Screening: UN Peacekeeping
Speakers: Dr. Lise Morjé Howard (Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University) and Pierre-Olivier François (Director, "The United Nations: Last Station Before Hell")
707 International Affairs Building School of International and Public Affairs 420 West 118th Street New York, NY
This event is free and open to the public. Please direct questions to Arastoo Taslim (at2986@columbia.edu).
The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, the Department of Political Science, and the Conflict Resolution Specialization, School of International and Public Affairs present:
A screening of The United Nations: Last Station Before Hell
Followed by a discussion with Dr. Lise Morjé Howard (Associate Professor of Government, Georgetown University) and Pierre-Olivier François (Director, The United Nations: Last Station Before Hell).
Moderated by Page Fortna (Chair, Department of Political Science and Member, SIWPS).
About the film, The United Nations: Last Station Before Hell:
The United Nations celebrates its 70th anniversary in the fall of 2015. For millions of people in conflict zones, UN peacekeepers serve to contain violence, representing “the last station before hell.” From the UN’s oldest mission in Lebanon, to the largest in DR Congo, to the newest in the Central African Republic, this film explores the central challenges in UN peacekeeping through field investigations and interviews with key decision makers.
Director: Pierre-Olivier François
Producers: Christine Camdessus and Serge Gordey
Camera Work: Mathieu Pansard, Luca Chiari and Eric Bergeron
Editing: Stéphanie Dréan
Special Adviser: Lise Morjé Howard
© ARTE G.E.I.E – ALEGRIA PRODUCTIONS – 2015
© 2021 Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
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NBC PEACOCK
SMALL SCREEN STORIES
SMALL SCREEN FILM CLUB
It’s A Wonderful Life Blu-Ray™ Review
Edward Lauder
on 21st November 2019 at 5:41 pm
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen and Gloria Grahame
When you think of Christmas, what’s the first film that jumps into your head. For me, it’s always been one: It’s A Wonderful Life (closely followed by Die Hard, but let’s not open the can of worms which is the hole ‘is Die Hard a Christmas movie’ debate…).
I still remember the feeling of wonder when I first sat down to watch Frank Capra Christmas movie which my mum, my dad and my two brothers one Christmas when I was very young.
It was a cinematic experience unlike any other. It’s A Wonderful Life is a Christmas movie, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s a Christmas movie that talks about real-life issues, which isn’t always the case.
It takes place in 1945 in a snowy Bedford Falls in the United States of America and the movie tells the story of George Bailey (brilliantly played by James Stewart) who’s contemplating taking his own life (yeah, this is the story of the film) after his business goes under.
It’s almost Christmas time, time to watch It’s A Wonderful Life
James Stewart and Donna Reed in It’s A Wonderful Life (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Read more: How Can You Watch The Mandalorian On Disney Plus In The UK?
He can’t bear the thought of telling his wife and children what’s happened, and so he gets drunk and then goes to a bridge and is about to jump, but Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), Angel 2nd class jumps in before him and George opts to save Clarence rather than take his own life.
George then wishes he’d never been born and Clarence proceeds to show him what life would have been like had George had never been born.
Already, you can tell that there are some pretty heavy themes there from just that synopsis. There’s a lot more going on in It’s A Wonderful Life than in most Christmas movies.
The film is often described as being very depressing, but I’ve always thought of it as the opposite. Yes, it would be very depressing if you stop at the bridge scene in the movie, but if you sit down and watch the whole thing, then it quickly becomes clear that It’s A Wonderful Life is actually one of the most uplifting films ever made.
It’s like a rollercoaster. You need to go down the drops in order to be able to climb back up to the very top of the rollercoaster. The film is an emotional journey, and in the end, the film’s most important message is that friends and family will always be there for you, no matter what.
And no matter how bad things get, you can always rely on your guardian angel to show you what life would be like had you never been born.
What a wonderful time to watch It’s A Wonderful Life
James Stewart and Karolyn Grimes in It’s A Wonderful Life (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Read more: Here’s The Stuff That Should Be On Your Christmas Wish List This Year
OK, maybe that’s not a key message of the movie, but you get the gist of it. Life is worth living, and Christmas is a time to be spent with friends and family.
I honestly can’t think of any movie that gets that message across in a way that’s not terribly saccharin. It’s A Wonderful Life isn’t cheesy. The film is dark, depressing, but ultimately incredibly rewarding.
It’s made even more special thanks to this wonderful 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ copy of the film. It’s been perfectly and meticulously restored and even features a new Dolby Vision transfer with the original black-and-white version, which is how the film was intended to be viewed.
Now, the film does also include the colourised version on Blu-ray™ should you wish to watch it, but I strongly recommend you watch the film in the black-and-white version which has never looked as good as it does on this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™.
Watching this wonderful Christmas movie with your nearest and dearest
It’s A Wonderful Life is out on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray™ now (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
Read more: New TRON Reboot Reportedly In The Works At Disney
Make sure you watch It’s A Wonderful Life in the best possible environment. In a dark room, watching it on the best possible television or the highest definition projector money can buy surrounded by your loved one.
If you want to give your friends and family a real Christmas treat this year, sit them all down and watch It’s A Wonderful Life together. I promise, it will be a memory you’ll cherish for the rest of your days.
What do you make of this review of It’s A Wonderful Life? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s a Wonderful Life arrived on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray™ for the first time on the 4th of November.
If you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!
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Prince Andrew with Queen, Sarah Ferguson when Epstein died: reports
Epstein fallout
By Martha Ross
August 12, 2019 — 6.05am
San Jose: The Queen has shown her support for her son, Prince Andrew, as he was plunged into a further round of damaging allegations following the apparent suicide of his former friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew had just begun a week's vacation at his mother's Balmoral castle in Scotland, and was possibly in the process of "rekindling" a romance with former wife Sarah Ferguson, when a new round of damaging revelations came about his friendship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, British tabloids reported.
The revelations began before news broke on Saturday morning, British time, that Epstein had died by an apparent suicide in the Manhattan jail where he was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
Virginia Giuffre, who is now based in Queensland, pictured with Prince Andrew in 2001. Also pictured is Epstein's then personal assistant Ghislaine Maxwell.
On Friday, hundreds of pages of documents in a 2015 lawsuit, related to Epstein's alleged sex trafficking operation, were released. The documents contained further explosive claims from Virginia Roberts Giuffre about how the financier and his socialite friend Ghislaine Maxwell forced her to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
Giuffre, Epstein’s self-described “sex slave”, married an Australian man and now lives in Queensland.
The documents also revealed the testimony of a second accuser, Johanna Sjoberg, who said that Andrew groped her at a party at Epstein's New York mansion in 2001, and made sexual advances on her and Giuffre with a puppet that looked like him.
The documents were only the first tranche from the case, and there could be up to 10,000 more pages.
The news of Epstein's death on Saturday morning made Andrew a No.1 trending topic on Twitter. The Duke of York is one of a number of powerful men - including President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz - who were likely to face increased scrutiny over their friendships with Epstein as his case went to trial or as more revelations came to light in other litigation.
The FBI is investigating Epstein's death, as the circumstances raised immediate questions among US political leaders, Politico reported.
He had been placed on a suicide watch after he was found on July 23 in his jail cell with marks on his neck, a law enforcement source and a source familiar with the incident told CNN at the time. But he was not on suicide watch when he reportedly killed himself, and his body was found in his cell early on Saturday, The New York Times added.
Adam Citron, a former New York prosecutor, said the prosecutors would "absolutely" want to speak to the Duke and Maxwell, Epstein's British former girlfriend, as witnesses as they built up a picture of Epstein's world.
He said: "The case against Epstein is kaput. He's dead. But they're looking at a conspiracy, so you can still look at person X, Y, or Z. With all that's going on it would be political suicide for them not to speak to everyone."
He added: "I'd assume Prince Andrew would want to co-operate if they ask. And I'm sure he'll have good lawyers, and they'll talk to the prosecutors' back channel."
The Queen and Prince Andrew leave Crathie Kirk, after a Sunday morning church service, in Crathie, Scotland. Credit:AP
Meanwhile, as this tumultuous news cycle began for Andrew, he was tucked safely away at Balmoral, Queen Elizabeth's residence in the Scottish Highlands, according to reports from The Sun, The Daily Mail and the Express. He and Ferguson presumably got word of Epstein's suicide while at Balmoral, The Daily Mail said.
The Queen chose to sit beside the Duke of York in a car, accompanied by his daughter Princess Beatrice, on the way to church at Balmoral, Scotland, on Sunday morning. All three could be seen smiling inside the vehicle.
It's not likely that Andrew and Ferguson intended to spend their holiday dealing with - or avoiding - the fall-out from Epstein's death. Instead, the former spouses, who have famously remained on friendly terms since their 1996 divorce, had romance on their minds, according to The Sun columnist Dan Wooten. They were spending the week at Balmoral to take "their rekindled relationship to another level", Wooten said.
Andrew and Ferguson, both 59, were known to be at the Queen's Scottish residence on Thursday, Wooten reported. The couple travelled to the Highlands separately, with Andrew photographed arriving at the airport in Aberdeen on a private jet; Ferguson arrived by commercial plane on Thursday.
Their daughters, princesses Beatrice, 31, and Eugenie, 29, were expected to join their parents at Balmoral. Wooten said the family holiday at the Queen's summer residence was supposed to be a happy occasion, a sign that Ferguson had "firmly re-established herself in the royal fold".
"Prince Andrew and Sarah are at Balmoral as guests of the Queen and are expected to be there for a number of days," a royal insider told Wooten. "It's not the first time they've been there as a couple in recent years, but it's significant because of all the rumours about them getting back together.
"The Queen wanted them there as a family, and it's very much her giving the private nod of approval," the insider added.
Andrew and Ferguson have been the subject of reports that they are back together for several months. However, Ferguson has denied those reports, with her spokesperson issuing a statement to ITV News in April: "The Duke and Duchess remain good friends as they have been for many years, and nothing has changed."
The holiday came at a convenient time, in that it provided Andrew with a somewhat remote, guarded place to stay out of the spotlight as news about Epstein dominated the news on both sides of the Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.
Through Buckingham Palace, Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied Giuffre's allegations of a improper sexual relationship. Buckingham Palace has acknowledged a friendship, but it asserts that Andrew last saw Epstein in 2010. This would be after Epstein was investigated for alleged sex trafficking in the mid-2000s and served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty in 2007 to solicitation.
Andrew's friendship with Epstein goes back to the 1990s, according to a 2015 Guardian report.
In 2011, Andrew was forced to step down from his prominent position as the special British representative for trade after allegations about Giuffre surfaced.
In a March 2011 interview with The Daily Mail and in the 2015 lawsuit and other court filings, Giuffre said her "sexual" encounters with Andrew happened in the early 2000s in New York, London and on Epstein's private island as part of "an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls".
In a 2016 deposition and a 66-page brief released on Friday, Sjoberg corroborated Giuffre's account of how Maxwell recruited young women and girls to come to work for Epstein, initially under the guise of legitimate work. Maxwell's real purpose, Sjoberg said, was to bring them into Epstein's household and groom them to have sex with him.
Sjoberg also described her encounter with Andrew in her deposition. She said she was 21 at the time and Giuffre was there.
"I just remember someone suggesting a photo, and they told us to get on the couch," Sjoberg testified in a deposition. "And so Andrew and Virginia sat on the couch, and they put the puppet, the puppet on her lap. And so I sat on Andrew's lap, and I believe on my own volition, and they took the puppet's hands and put it on Virginia's breast, and so Andrew put his on mine."
Among other things, the allegations about Andrew enhanced his reputation for falling into what Vanity Fair once called a dissolute lifestyle and a habit of currying friendships and financial favours from unsavory international figures. Ferguson was also the recipient of those favours, she herself admitted in 2011.
Ferguson told the London Telegraph in a 2011 interview that Andrew had helped arrange for Epstein to pay more than $US18,000 to one of the her former assistants to whom she owed nearly $US100,000 in unpaid wages and other bills. Ferguson immediately sought to distance herself from Epstein in the interview.
"I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me," the Duchess of York told the Telegraph. "I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment on my behalf."
The Mercury News; Telegraph, London
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Sputnik: How the World's 1st Artificial Satellite Worked (Infographic)
By Karl Tate 04 October 2012
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union stunned the world with its surprise launch of Sputnik-1.
(Image: © Karl Tate, SPACE.com contributor)
By the 1950s, scientists all over the world realized that it was becoming practical to launch an object into a circular path around the Earth. In mid-1955, the United States announced that it would launch the first satellite to commemorate the International Geophysical Year in 1957. The Soviet Union realized that 1957 was the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution.
Starting in early 1956, Soviet scientists had worked to design a large satellite with a mass of up to 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg). Codenamed “Object-D,” the craft would have become the world’s first space satellite, taking measurements of the upper atmosphere and the space environment. The complex Object D took longer to develop than expected.
To avoid being upstaged by the Americans, the smaller Sputnik 1 was launched first. Object-D ultimately flew as Sputnik 3 in 1958. Sputnik was in the form of a sphere, 23 inches (58 centimeters) in diameter and pressurized with nitrogen. Four radio antennas trailed behind. Two radio transmitters within the sphere broadcast a distinctive beep-beep sound that was picked up all over the world. Silver-zinc batteries powered the transmitter for 22 days before giving out.
After about three months, Sputnik fell into the Earth’s atmosphere and burned up. Sputnik’s official designation was “PS-1” or “Elementary Satellite 1” in Russian. The satellite was launched from what is now called the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Oct. 4, 1957. The 184.3-pound (83.6 kg) craft’s primary function was to place a radio transmitter into orbit around the Earth.
Sputnik 1, Earth's First Artificial Satellite (Photos)
The Scientific Legacy of Sputnik
What Exactly Is a 'Sputnik Moment'
You can follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
Space photos: The most amazing images this week!
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Erotic Underground 6: Ten Thrillers from 1996-1999
Following the trend of previous years, the erotic thriller continued its transition from the box office to VHS. As the popularity of erotica continued to decline in the wake of family focused/PG-13 blockbusters, the genre began to fly under the radar of mainstream audiences, delving deeper into the softcore side of the equation as well as stretching the confines of storytelling within the sleazy depths of direct to video features. What follows are ten films from the time period and where to find them.
The Wachowski sisters' debut feature is a scorching hot neo-noir with style to spare. Blending Hitchcock and Wilder's sensibilities with an ultra-graphic visual palette, the result is an unforgettable crime story about prisons of self-design. Featuring an authentically researched lesbian relationship as the centerpiece, the story focuses on a money launderer's girlfriend who begins an affair with an ex-con handywoman. When the two hatch a plan to steal dirty money and escape the life, things go perfectly awry. The Wachowski's hired a sex educator to consult with on the sex sequences and the end result one of the finest neo-noirs ever made, featuring brutal violence and a trio of high-octane performances, including Gina Gerhson, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano.
Availability: HBO MAX, Pluto, Crackle
Crash (1996)
David Cronenberg's fearless adaptation of J.G. Ballard's classic novel, Crash follows a cult of individuals who are aroused by car crashes. Featuring a bravura ensemble including James Spader, Deborah Unger, Holly Hunter, and Elias Koteas (in the best performance of his career), the film explores concepts of sex, control, and the inherent danger of obsession. One of the most striking aspects of the controversial film (NC-17 upon release) is in its remarkable depiction of a secret, underground world in which the principles bounce from one another in an effort to find fulfillment. Whether allegorical or literal, Crash is a film that will stay with the viewer long after it is over.
Availability: DVD
Fear (1996)
While this is essentially Fatal Attraction Beta Version, Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon's memorable performances manage to keep James Foley's Fear afloat. The premise involves a young woman who lives in a perfect, privileged world, who falls in love with a mysterious man. The resulting relationship threatens to destroy not only her perfect lifestyle, but her family as well. The wonderful William Petersen steals the show as Witherspoon's father, caught in an unending cycle of paternal nightmares. The final act devolves into a gruesome siege that continues to up the ante that Foley builds throughout the film, ultimately delivering a sexy, violent, and at times, appalling slice of suburbia.
Availability: Digital Rental
Kissed (1996)
Molly Parker (Deadwood) delivers an unforgettable performance in Lynne Stopkewich's debut feature, Kissed. The story involves a medical student who is obsessed with death and corpses. She begins an apprenticeship at a mortuary and slowly begins to increase her affections for those who have passed on. When her boyfriend, also a medical student, discovers her proclivities, things devolve into tragedy and madness. Extremely controversial upon release for its depictions of necrophilia, Kissed is an outstanding revolution against male dominated erotica and a bold depiction of sexual freedom within a prison of surreal, dreamlike sequences of dance and death.
Human Desires (1997)
Shannon Tweed returns…again. Director Ellen Earnshaw's only film, Human Desires, was a direct to video affair. The premise revolves around a private detective who is hired by a fashion mogul (Tweed) to investigate the suicide of a model. A sleazy descendant of Blow Up, the film chronicles Dean Thomas' (the detective) journey through the fashion underworld in search of a killer. Desires has more sex scenes in it than all the other films in this list. Earnshaw's command and understanding of the picture lends a sense of risqué conspiracy to each of the sequences, whose appearance in the film could be clocked with an egg timer.
New Rose Hotel (1998)
Abel Ferrara adapts William Gibson's cyberpunk short story, starring Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, and Asia Argento. Fox (Walken) and X (Dafoe) hire a prostitute Sandii (Argento) to seduce a scientist in order to extract him from a megacorporation and insert him into their employer's. Essentially a minimalistic hangout, mood piece, Dafoe and Argento's punk rock chemistry is the lifeblood of the film, as their characters fall into a dangerous relationship their doomed affair becomes symbolic of the dystopia that awaits. There's no action and the central drama plays out off screen, fortifying the concept of a future in which reality itself is unreliable.
Availability: Amazon Prime
Devil in the Flesh (1998)
Rose McGowan gives her strongest performance as Debbie, a foster child placed with her abusive grandmother after the mysterious death of her mother. On the surface, this appears to be a clone of Poison Ivy, however, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that director Steve Cohen is more focused on horror conventions than surreal explorations of femininity and sexuality. Devil in the Flesh is a unique stalker/slasher hybrid that is anchored by McGowan's commitment to the role. Another interesting choice is that Alex McCarthur's teacher Rinaldi (the subject of Debbie's murderous affections) never transgresses and remains "pure" despite temptation. Of note is Joseph Montgomery's shadow drenched cinematography that contrasts the sun baked sequences of the first act, to create a dichotomy between the perceived safety of normality and the dangers that hide within the heart of American suburbs.
Raw Nerve (1999)
An inverted Training Day by way of direct to video trash, Raw Nerve stars Mario Van Peeples as an unstable, maverick (read dirty) cop, Zach Galligan (Gremlins) as his ex-partner, and Nicolette Sheridan as his girlfriend. The action involves Van Peeples attempting to extricate himself from a dangerous situation of his own design while avoiding prosecution. His actions drag his friend and his lover into a noirish hellscape of assassins, sex, and double crosses. Featuring a supporting performance by Salt from Salt N Pepa, this is a New York nightmare in almost real time. Every scene has a sense of urgency that amps up the stakes, resulting in a final act that is unexpectedly surprising while also remaining loyal to noir constraints.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Kubrick's surreal erotic odyssey, Eyes Wide Shut examines the crucible of sexual and relationship dynamics amidst a backdrop of Christmas themed visuals. Featuring one of Nicole Kidman's greatest performances, this is a dreamlike journey into the basest of human desires and fears. Tom Cruise also stars as Kidman's husband, a doctor who is drawn into a cult (a running theme of this era) that gathers for orgies and bizarre sexual rituals. Whether the film is truly an erotic thriller is most certainly up the viewer, however the understanding that it brings art house sensibilities to a stereo-typically "cheap" genre only enhances the eclectic nature of erotic art. A horror film about fidelity and sexual desire, this is one of Kubrick's best films.
Availability: Showtime, Digital Rental
Forbidden Sins (1999)
A millionaire has been arrested for murdering a stripper during a violent sex game. A high-profile defense attorney (yes, Shannon Tweed, again) takes the case putting her at odds with her ex-husband, the detective who made the collar. What elevates this Jagged Edge copy is not only the well edited sex scenes, but its most likely one of Tweed's best performances. The script is layered, and while the acting makes things laughable at times, there's just enough twists and turns to keep things somewhat unpredictable. However, it also of import that at the end of the century, the erotic thriller was dying. The focus is almost entirely on the sex scenes, rather than them being an accoutrement to complex social issues and high concept horror. The silver lining is that the 2000's would eventually see a return to form.
Next week's feature will be an interlude, examining the Wild Things series of films.
--Kyle Jonathan
Tags: erotic underground, kyle jonathan at 7/09/2020
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Let’s return to the forest,
Return to the free land of thought,
And return to nature itself.
This is a concept of luxury redefined
by Suyuan.
The motivation of Suyuan comes from a sense of responsibility. Before the age of 30, we pursue a design that looks good; after the age of 30, we want to do something really valuable to people. The design of Suyuan is ahead of the public’s aesthetics, but I believe that as long as we adhere to the high standard of aesthetic output, it will surely bring far-reaching impact on the design itself and people’s aesthetics in the future. Suyuan insists on an aesthetic exploration that emphasizes the inner spirit of Chinese culture, rather than an external style. This requires the continuous perfection of our inner self-cultivation and the gradual perfection of our external presentation.
----by Wu Wei
Wu Wei was Design Director of Founder Group. In 2011, he established Suyuan Brand in Beijing Caochangdi Art District, committing to furniture and other durable objects as the carrier to inherit the beautiful, meaningful and eternal design.
- Red Spot Design Award Winner
- Invited Project Tutor, Royal College of Art, UK
- Top Ten Outstanding Youth in China’s Design Industry in 2013
- Outstanding Youth Leaders of China-US Youth Leaders Forum in 2013
- One of 25 craftsmen in CCTV’s Handicraft column in 2014
- Swedish Wood Furniture Project Designer in 2015
- Invited Speech Designer for the Open Course of Peking University Hall in 2016
Wu Wei knows wood. He is the founder of Suyuan which is a highly acclaimed independent furniture brand. He is also a versatile, enthusiastic carpenter and award-winning designer.
Wu Weis’s design works have a strong traditional impression and combine classical technology with contemporary aesthetics. In order to pay tribute to the master craftsman, his works presented to the contemporary audience are a re-integration of classical elements of the design, showing a quiet, comfortable and simple style. He uses furniture to tell a story. The origin of his design works is his wit, flexibility and Chinese traditional elements.
Like many woodworkers, Wu Wei respects the characteristics of wood and calls it “emotional and living material”, so it is especially worth making by hand. In fact, Suyuan is one of the few independent brands that still retain a large number of pure manual processing links in their furniture products. “Handcrafting reflects the spirit of the designer most directly,” he said.
When dealing with wood, Wu Wei describes his idea as “thinking with hands and feeling with heart”. You will find that he conveys his concept as “Wuwei (letting things take their own course which is a Taoist concept of human conduct”. “Wuwei” means a state of being, that is, our actions are in harmony with the nature of the universe. It may not be a coincidence that the name of this talented designer has the same pronunciation as the concept of inaction.
FTChinese.com
FT: What do you appreciate most about traditional Chinese architectures and their design elements? And what inspiration do they bring to your design?
Wu Wei: What inspires me is that the Chinese artistic conception, not concrete architectures and their design elements. This kind of artistic conception makes me slow down in the fast-paced age so that I can meditate to think my life; let me know the art in the leisure time and experience the existence value under the situation of “nothing”, relaxing myself. And all these feelings can be penetrated into product design to create meaningful and lasting beauty which is concise and special in details. In a word, the Chinese artistic conception can be expressed by design.
© 2019 by suyuan
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Probate Overview
The Probate Process in California
Responsibilities of Executor or Administrator
Out-of-State Issues During Probate
Negligence And/Or Defective Products Causing Death
Why Should You Select Me For Your California Probate
CALIFORNIA PUTATIVE SPOUSE AND DISTRIBUTION OF ESTATE ASSETS
Putative Spouse
1. Most California putative marriages arise when the parties fail to comply with the statutory requirements for marriage. See Cal Fam C §§300, 306 (formalities include that the marriage be licensed, solemnized, and authenticated and that a certificate be filed).
A “putative spouse” believes himself or herself to be married in good faith and is given legal rights as a result of this person’s reliance upon this good-faith belief. Unlike someone in a common-law, statutory, or ceremonial marriage, a putative spouse is not legally married in that there is failure to comply with the statutory requirements for marriage
Formalities include that the marriage be licensed, solemnized, and authenticated and that a certificate be filed. If Husband and Wife fail to comply with the statutory requirements for marriage the surviving Husband or Wife may be deemed a “putative spouse.”
2. Husband and Wife 1 were legally married and believe they are legally divorced thereafter.
Husband then enters into a second “marriage” with Wife 2 but since the divorce from Wife I is invalid, Husband cannot be legally married to Wife 2. Wife 1 is a legal spouse and Wife 2 is a “putative spouse.”
Wife 2 may be unaware that a previous marriage to Wife 1 was not properly dissolved, and thus the “marriage” between the parties is void. Because the second marriage is void the Wife 2 may be deemed a “putative spouse.”
3. A Bigamist is married to two people at the same time. The second marriage is illegal and considered void. (Cal Fam. Code, § 2201.).
However, if your spouse is absent for more than five years and you believe him/her dead, then marrying again is not considered bigamy. (Cal Fam. Code, § 2201). The first person married is legal and the second person married is a putative spouse.
Cal Fam. Code, § 2201 provides:
A subsequent marriage contracted by a person during the life of his or her former spouse, with a person other than the former spouse, is illegal and void, unless:
(1) The former marriage has been dissolved or adjudged a nullity before the date of the subsequent marriage.
(2) The former spouse (A) is absent, and not known to the person to be living for the period of five successive years immediately preceding the subsequent marriage, or (B) is generally reputed or believed by the person to be dead at the time the subsequent marriage was contracted.
California Courts Have Historically Permitted Putative Spouses an Intestate Share of the Decedent Spouse’s Estate.
If the survivor of the relationship believed that he or she was married to the decedent, under certain limited circumstances, the survivor can claim rights under the decedent’s estate as a ” putative” spouse. Estate of Leslie (1984) 37 C3d 186, 197. The principal issue presented by Estate of Leslie was whether a putative spouse is entitled to succeed to a share of his or her decedent’s separate property.
In addition to rights to separate property, other cases show that rights of a putative spouse also extend to the spousal interest in the decedent’s community property (Estate of Krone (1948) 83 CA2d 766) and the spousal interest as a pretermitted heir (Estate of Sax (1989) 214 CA3d 1300).
Estate of Sax, in accord with Estate of Leslie, supra, holds that a surviving putative spouse can claim omitted spouse status under what is now Cal Prob C §21610 even though that statute does not explicitly refer to putative spouses. Cal Prob C §21610 provides for a pretermitted heir as follows:
“21610. Except as provided in Section 21611, if a decedent fails to provide in a testamentary instrument for the decedent’s surviving spouse who married the decedent after the execution of all of the decedent’s testamentary instruments, the omitted spouse shall receive a share in the decedent’s estate, consisting of the following property in said estate:
(a) The one-half of the community property that belongs to the decedent under Section 100.
(b) The one-half of the quasi-community property that belongs to the decedent under Section 101.
(c) A share of the separate property of the decedent equal in value to that which the spouse would have received if the decedent had died without having executed a testamentary instrument, but in no event is the share to be more than one-half the value of the separate property in the estate.”
Other Examples of Putative Spouse Situations That Have Been Subjects of Litigation:
1. A “widow” of a bigamist who led a double life for 24 years before dying in a car accident was determined to be the putative spouse. Estate of Vargas (1974) 36 CA3d 714.
2. A trial court found that a woman’s reasonable and good faith belief that her Mexican marriage was valid was sufficient to make her a putative spouse, even though no records existed of the marriage, the man’s divorce was not yet final, and the woman had married another man 3 weeks earlier in Orange County but claimed the marriage had been annulled, although she could not identify any Orange County records to support the supposed annulment. Estate of Goldberg (1962) 203 CA2d 402.
3. A woman who claimed to have been married in a private ceremony in her apartment under tenets of her Moslem sect but failed to cohabit, inform the family of her “marriage,” or commingle assets could not be considered a putative spouse. Marriage of Vryonis (1988) 202 CA3d 712.
4. A woman faxed a notice from the court to decedent’s employer claiming to be a putative spouse of the decedent. The notice, dated after her marriage to decedent, informed “husband” (in bold print) that he could not remarry prior to the entry of judgment of dissolution of his existing marriage. The woman could be a putative spouse if she is found to have a good faith belief that she and decedent were married. Ceja v Rudolph & Sletten, Inc. (2013) 56 C4th 1113. The court held that the “good faith inquiry is a subjective one that focuses on the actual state of mind of the putative spouse.” Ceja, supra, 1128. In determining whether a party had a subjective good faith belief in the validity of the marriage, the court considers all relevant circumstances, including the reasonableness of a party’s belief. Ceja, supra, 1126.
5. On the standing of a Mexican concubine to bring a wrongful death suit in California, see Rosales v Battle (2003) 113 CA4th 1178 (wrongful death statute did not confer standing on decedent’s Mexican concubine because concubinage under Mexican law is not equivalent of common law or other marriage; status of concubine as intestate heir under Mexican law does not convey standing as intestate heir entitled to bring wrongful death actions under California law).
How Assets are Distributed Among the Putative Spouse and the Legal Spouse.
Court of appeal cases prior to Leslie had to wrestle with a more complex question: how to be equitable when the competing claims are between a surviving legal spouse and a surviving putative spouse.
In Estate of Vargas, supra, for example, the deceased husband had maintained two wives and families without either of the wives knowing about the other one. Because the valid marital relationship and the putative marital relationship occurred during the same period of time, the court of appeal agreed with the trial court’s ruling that the deceased husband’s estate should be split equally between the two “wives.” See also Estate of Ricci (1962) 201 CA2d 146 (similar holding).
On the other hand, there are several earlier decisions in which the marriages were seriatim and in those cases the courts of appeal ruled that the surviving putative spouse was entitled to an intestate share of 100 percent of the community property and a spousal share of the separate property. Mazzenga v Rosso (1948) 87 CA2d 790; Estate of Krone, supra.
Two more recent cases demonstrate the ongoing conflict. Estate of Hafner (1986) 184 CA3d 1371. held that the surviving putative spouse was not entitled to a spousal intestate share but instead had to share the decedent’s estate with the legal spouse. That court also ruled that the surviving putative spouse was not entitled to the family allowance authorized under the Probate Code for surviving spouses because she was not in fact a surviving legal spouse, only a surviving putative spouse. The court noted that the legislature knew how to include putative spouses in a statute and did not choose to do so in this one. This holding seems questionable in light of Estate of Leslie, supra, which seems to stand for the proposition that, as to survival rights, the putative spouse should be given the rights of a legal spouse.
Proceedings under Prob C §11700 have even been used to determine the respective rights of the legal spouse and the putative spouse of a bigamist, holding that the legal spouse and the putative spouse should each succeed to one half of the decedent’s estate. Estate of Hafner, supra.
California Putative Spouse
A court can declare a party to have putative spouse status if the court finds that the party believed in good faith that a void or voidable marriage was valid. If the court finds that a marriage is void or voidable and that either party or both parties believed in good faith that the marriage was valid, the court must declare the party or parties to have the status of a putative spouse. Cal Fam C §2251(a)(1); Estate of Hafner, supra.
Only a spouse who held a good faith belief that the marriage was valid will be afforded the protection of a putative spouse, including the standing to request a division of property that would have been community property or quasi-community property if the union had not been void or voidable. The current Cal Fam C §2251 supersedes case law holding that a good faith belief of either party was sufficient under a prior version of the statute. Putative spouse status is a critical determination because a surviving spouse may be entitled to an intestate share of a testator’s estate as an omitted spouse if the will fails to provide for that person.
In Ceja, supra, the California Supreme Court resolved a split among the appellate courts on the question of whether the putative spouse must have an objectively reasonable belief in the validity of the marriage under CCP §377.60(b) in favor of a subjective standard. The court summarized the test to be applied as follows (Ceja, supra, 1128):
The good faith inquiry is a subjective one that focuses on the actual state of mind of the alleged putative spouse. While there is no requirement that the claimed belief be objectively reasonable, good faith is a relative quality and depends on all the relevant circumstances, including objective circumstances. In determining good faith, the trial court must consider the totality of the circumstances, including the efforts made to create a valid marriage, the alleged putative spouse’s personal background and experience, and all the circumstances surrounding the marriage. Although the claimed belief need not pass a reasonable person test, the reasonableness or unreasonableness of one’s belief in the face of objective circumstances pointing to a marriage’s invalidity is a factor properly considered as part of the totality of the circumstances in determining whether the belief was genuinely and honestly held.
A good faith belief in the validity of a registered domestic partnership is similarly entitled to protection as a putative registered domestic partner, even if the partnership was not properly registered. In re Domestic Partnership of Ellis & Arriaga (2008) 162 CA4th 1000, disapproved on other grounds in Ceja, supra, (putative registered domestic partner).
However, in Burnham v. Public Employees’ Retirement Sys (2012) 208 CA4th 1576 the court held that the putative spouse doctrine did not apply to survivor benefits of a public employee, whose declaration of domestic partnership was executed but not filed with the Secretary of State until shortly after his death, because the surviving partner did not accumulate assets with the decedent that would have been community property, despite the surviving partner’s good faith belief in the validity of the partnership.
Note that the rules for setting aside the provisions of the will to give an intestate share of the testator’s estate to an omitted spouse are less inclusive than the rules for automatic revocation of provisions in favor of a former spouse. A spouse who has obtained a judgment of legal separation is not a surviving spouse for intestate succession purposes even if the spouse is still married to the testator. Estate of Lahey (1999) 76 CA4th 1056. See also Estate of McDaniel (2008) 161 CA4th 458 (person who “was a party to a valid proceeding concluded by an order purporting to terminate all marital property rights” was not a surviving spouse for intestate succession purposes). But see Estate of Garrett (2008) 159 CA4th 831 (nominee of decedent’s spouse was entitled to letters of administration even though decedent and spouse permanently separated and spouse filed action for divorce that was dismissed for lack of prosecution).
California has two specific statutory provisions (CCP §377.60 and Fam C §2251) that apply to putative spouses. However, neither provides any rules that apply to the intestacy rights of a surviving putative spouse.
However, under case law, the term “surviving spouse” has been construed to include a surviving “putative spouse” for such purposes as intestate succession statutes (now Cal Prob C §§6400–6403) and omitted spouse statutes (now Prob C §§21610–21612). Estate of Leslie, supra, 207; Estate of Sax, supra. However, those decisions do not limit the application of the putative spouse doctrine to just community property.
In Burnham, supra, the survivor benefits do not appear to be community property because they were earned before the period of the putative partnership, which only lasted a few hours. However, an omitted spouse also is entitled to a surviving spouse’s intestate succession share of the deceased spouse’s separate property, which in Burnham, supra would include one-third of the survivor benefits under Prob C §6401(c)(3), i.e., the survivor’s share of separate property when a decedent has two or more surviving children. The court correctly notes that the putative spouse doctrine also applies when both spouses believe in the validity of the marriage, as occurred in Estate of Leslie, supra, and allegedly occurred in Burnham, supra.
Although it is possible to distinguish Estate of Sax, supra, because the assets described in the spousal property petition in that case were stipulated to be community or quasi-community property, the supreme court held that the surviving putative spouse in Estate of Leslie, supra, was entitled to an intestate share of the decedent’s separate property as well as quasi-marital property.
A putative spouse has intestate succession rights to the same extent as a surviving spouse. See Estate of Krone, supra, (decided under former Prob C §201, predecessor to Cal Prob C §6401). In addition, an ownership claim in property may be asserted by the putative spouse in the same manner as would be asserted by a spouse-that is, under Cal Prob C §850 (i.e. “Heggstad Petition” to determine title to an asset), Cal Prob C §13650 (spousal property petition; see Estate of Sax, supra, or Cal Prob C §11700 (petition to determine entitlement to inherit from estate; see Estate of Hafner, supra (decided under former Prob C §1080)).
Generally, the intestate inheritance rights of a surviving putative spouse have been developed by judicial decisions that attempt to resolve disputes equitably. To be deemed a California putative spouse one spouse must have had a good faith belief that the marriage was legally valid. The “good faith belief” required refers to an alleged putative spouse’s subjective state of mind, and is not based on a “reasonable person” standard. However, the reasonableness or unreasonableness of a party’s belief in the face of objective circumstances pointing to a marriage’s invalidity is a factor properly considered as part of the totality of the circumstances in determining whether the belief was genuinely and honestly held.
The test for a California putative spouse is: The good faith inquiry is a subjective one that focuses on the actual state of mind of the alleged putative spouse. While there is no requirement that the claimed belief be objectively reasonable, good faith is a relative quality and depends on all the relevant circumstances, including objective circumstances. In determining good faith, the trial court must consider the totality of the circumstances, including the efforts made to create a valid marriage, the alleged putative spouse’s personal background and experience, and all the circumstances surrounding the marriage.
Although the claimed belief need not pass a reasonable person test, the reasonableness or unreasonableness of one’s belief in the face of objective circumstances pointing to a marriage’s invalidity is a factor properly considered as part of the totality of the circumstances in determining whether the belief was genuinely and honestly held.
If division of property is in issue, a California court will designate property that would otherwise have been the spouses’ community or quasi-community property as “quasi-marital property” and will divide the property as if the union had not been void or voidable-that is, according to the rules applicable to division of property in a dissolution proceeding.
A California putative spouse also has intestate succession rights to the same extent as a surviving spouse and can claim ownership in property in the same manner as would be asserted by a spouse.
However, a California putative spouse is not entitled to a family allowance. In addition, if the decedent is survived both by a surviving spouse and a putative spouse, the application of equitable principles may result in the putative spouse’s only being entitled to his or her one-half of the quasi-marital property, leaving the decedent’s one-half to pass by will or intestate succession.
Under appropriate circumstances, the California putative spouse may be able to successfully assert that the surviving spouse is estopped from challenging the validity of the putative spouse’s marriage to the decedent.
A person with a good faith belief in the validity of his or her registered domestic partnership is entitled to protection as a California putative registered domestic partner, even if the domestic partnership was not properly registered. However, even though domestic partners are generally afforded the same property rights as spouses, there is conflicting authority as to whether domestic partners who fail to properly register can be considered putative spouses.
Quasi-Marital
Quasi-marital property is property acquired by parties to an invalid marriage that would have been community or quasi-community property had the marriage been valid, as long as either party qualifies as a putative spouse. Either party to an invalid marriage who had a good faith belief in the validity of the marriage may be treated as a “California putative spouse” and claim an interest in the property acquired during marriage that would have been characterized as community property if the marriage had been valid.
The courts are split on whether a party who claims California putative spouse status may do so on the basis that it was the other party only who held a good faith belief in the validity of the marriage. If a California putative spouse claim is upheld, the property acquired during the invalid marriage is considered “quasi-marital” property and is treated like community property in an annulment or estate proceeding. By extension, these quasi-marital-property principles should also apply to “putative domestic partners.
If you wish to gain more information please contact me for a free consultation. I will spend time with you to answer your questions. From my office in Southern California, I represent families in all California counties, including Southern California Counties such as Imperial County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County. I also represent parties residing outside of California that have probate matters affecting real and/or personal property in California.
To schedule a consultation, call me toll free at 800-575-9610 or locally at 760-989-4820. I enjoy meeting in person whenever possible, but am also available via Skype and email or through my online contact form.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide general information. The content of this publication is for informational purposes only. Neither this publication nor its author is rendering legal or other professional advice or opinions on specific facts or matters. No attorney-client relationship is created by this advisory, nor by any response to the information herein, unless and until a conflicts review has been conducted by William K. Sweeney, and a written agreement containing all terms of representation has been signed.
Copyright © 2018, William K. Sweeney, Attorney at Law. All rights reserved.
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Swissgrid acquires further parts of the transmission grid and plans the share capital increases required for this purpose
30 October 2018 | Media release
The Board of Directors of Swissgrid has resolved to acquire further parts of the transmission grid as of 3 January 2019 and will propose the capital increase required for this purpose to shareholders. The Board of Directors has also approved the implementation of the planned valuation adjustment of the grid systems acquired as of 3 January 2018. The corresponding amendments to the articles of incorporation are to be approved by the Federal Council in December 2018.
Valuation adjustments in the case of acquired parts of the transmission grid
Following Swissgrid’s acquisition of the majority of the Swiss transmission grid from the previous owners in 2013, further grid assets with a provisionally established acquisition value were transferred to Swissgrid in the following years and most recently as of 3 January 2018. In the meantime EICom, the Swiss Electricity Commission, has provided the actual asset values so the scheduled initial valuation adjustment is now being carried out retroactively to 3 January 2018, amounting CHF 0.2 million in total. The previous owner is being compensated for the investment in their transmission grid systems with 30% of the value in Swissgrid shares and 70% of the value in a loan claim against Swissgrid. In exchange, in connection with the existing conditional capital, new Swissgrid shares with a rated value of CHF 9,020 will be issued (half «A» registered shares and half «B» registered shares), as a result of which the nominal share capital shall be increased to CHF 318,141,670.00. The conditional share capital decreases to the same extent by CHF 9,020 to CHF 128,400,912.00. As a result of the valuation adjustment, the total equity of Swissgrid increases by CHF 0.06 million (which corresponds to 30% of the valuation adjustment amounting to CHF 0.2 million).
Planned capital increase for the acquisition of further grid assets
Swissgrid is planning to acquire further assets pertaining to the transmission grid as of 3 January 2019. The provisional total value of these systems amounts to CHF 10.0 million. In the autumn of 2019, a value adjustment will be carried out in order to compensate for the difference between the book values and the system values decreed by the Federal Electricity Commission EICom during the course of 2019. As in acquisition transactions completed in earlier years, the previous owner will be compensated with 30% of the value in Swissgrid shares and 70% of the value in loans. Through a capital increase, new Swissgrid shares are being created with a rated value of CHF 0.9 million (half «A» registered shares and half «B» registered shares). The nominal share capital thereby rose to CHF 319.0 million.
The changes to the articles of incorporation of Swissgrid Ltd issuing from this transaction are set to be approved by the Federal Council in December 2018.
Media release: Swissgrid acquires further parts of the transmission grid and plans the share capital increases required for this purpose
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T‑Mobile and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Kick‑Off Unprecedented Partnership with First‑Ever Late‑Night Show From Central Park
T-Mobile and The Tonight Show announce a first-of-its-kind partnership and Central Park show.
Event on September 13 to Feature Celebrity Guests and Special Perks for T-Mobile Customers.
NEW YORK, August 16, 2018 – “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced a first-of-its-kind partnership, featuring the Un-carrier in an ongoing collaboration with Jimmy Fallon and the iconic ‘Tonight Show’ in a first-for-late-night television fan event and show airing from Central Park on Thursday, September 13. On tonight’s show, Jimmy Fallon announced the partnership, including the Central Park show and a T-Mobile nationwide sweepstakes to send fans to New York for the special event.
“This collaboration represents the ultimate partnership through massive content collaboration and influencer talent, combining a cutting-edge, disruptor brand like T-Mobile with two of the most iconic names in late-night, Jimmy Fallon and ‘The Tonight Show,’” said Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “We’re bringing T-Mobile customers and our audiences at home the unrivalled experience that only the scale of NBCUniversal can offer by tapping into the comedic genius of Jimmy Fallon.”
I love shaking things up…whether that’s disrupting the status quo in wireless or bringing the iconic Tonight Show to Central Park for the very first time
“I love shaking things up…whether that’s disrupting the status quo in wireless or bringing the iconic Tonight Show to Central Park for the very first time,” said John Legere, CEO, T-Mobile. “This is what the Un-carrier does – we go big! And we won’t stop.”
On September 13, T-Mobile will present “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from Central Park,” a special episode that will be packed with creative content, surprise celebrity guests – and of course – lots of magenta.
In the week leading up to the Central Park event, T-Mobile will build anticipation for customers and fans by offering opportunities to win tickets at select T-Mobile stores in New York City. Fans everywhere will be able to join in the fun with unique social content, along with more special surprises to be revealed in the coming weeks.
T-Mobile will also be part of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s” special Veteran’s Day episode, aligning with the Un-carrier’s military support initiatives. “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” outranks all Late Night shows on digital across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram making it the #1 Late Night Show on Digital. The enormous reach of “The Tonight Show” offers a unique opportunity for partners to experience massive fan engagement across The Tonight Show digital platforms, guaranteeing an authentic and connective experience with the audience.
From Universal Television and Broadway Video, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is executive produced by Lorne Michaels and produced by Gerard Bradford, Mike DiCenzo and Katie Hockmeyer. Jamie Granet-Bederman produces. “The Tonight Show” tapes before a live studio audience from Studio 6B in 30 Rockefeller Center.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes open all residents of the fifty (50) United States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age. 8/16/18-8/24/18. For full rules and how to enter go to: www.TonightShowT-MobileSweeps.com. Void where prohibited by law.
About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. To learn more visit: www.nbcuniversal.com.
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 75.6 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 MetroPCS. For more information, please visit https://www.t-mobile.com.
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Interview: 'This Week in Tech' podcaster Leo Laporte
By Oliver Lindberg (.net 181) 11 October 2008
Is Leo Laporte the hardest working man in podcasting?
No broadcast journalist has embraced new media as much as podcast guru Leo Laporte. Although he's still got one foot in traditional broadcasting (he hosts syndicated show The Tech Guy on US satellite radio), he's managed to build up a small empire of podcasts, or netcasts as he prefers to call them, since the launch of the original TWiT (short for This Week in Tech) in 2005. It's no coincidence that he's often called the hardest working man in podcasting.
Leo laughs at the use of the word 'empire' to describe the 14 hugely popular shows he hosts on the TWiT Netcast Network. "I guess it's an empire," he says, "a very small empire, but I serve at the pleasure of the community. I can never say it's mine. It's not mine, It's ours."
So, when Leo launched his latest project, a live video stream called TWiT Live, the community was already there. The show, which currently goes out five days a week, very quickly reached 3.6 million viewers a month – not bad considering 4.6 million people download the TWiT netcasts every month. Whatever Leo touches online seems to turn to gold. He's got more than 50,000 followers on Twitter – only Kevin Rose and Barack Obama have more.
"It's funny – I've said for a long time that I wouldn't ever do video because audio is easier for people and it's cheaper for us to produce," Leo explains. "You couldn't do live streaming before. Until a couple of years ago, when companies like Stickam came along, it wasn't technically feasible. But there's something about live that's really fun, so when it became technically and economically possible, people kept asking me for it and I finally said I'd do it. I started doing it on the radio show – a cheap, crappy version – but people wanted more and more. There seems to be this demand – I'm actually surprised more people aren't doing live streaming. My eyes have been fully opened here. I think streaming video is the next big thing and I'm very excited about it."
Initially, TWiT Live will show how Leo produces his podcasts from his cottage in Petaluma, California, but most of the shows won't go to video. The longer term plan is to add content in between.
The live show will include interviews, conference coverage and breaking news stories like the recent 24 Hours of iPhone event, which tracked the launch of the iPhone 3G around the world and attracted 271,733 viewers in total. Eventually, Leo wants to produce 40 hours of really interesting content a week.
"It's always struck me that live is ultimately what the internet should be because what's different from broadcasting television and internet television is that it's interactive, it's fully two-way. You're not really fully interactive unless you're live, so we take live questions in all the podcasts now. We want to do more and more of that live topical coverage. Ultimately, I see this becoming kind of a populist CNN for geeks. So if there's a big breaking tech news story, you immediately turn it on and know that we'll be there talking about it and have experts on. You'll get the story as it develops."
When Leo announced his plan to use Stickam (www.stickam.com), many people were surprised. After all, the most prominent live streamer on the web, Chris Pirillo, is on Ustream (www.ustream.tv). "In the first year I did both Ustream and Stickam informally, without any relationship with either of them," Leo explains.
"I also used Justin.tv, BitGravity and Yahoo Live. I tried all the services and they all did really good jobs with it. They're all doing essentially the same technology, so it really came down to which company was going to give me the things I needed. Stickam is really helpful with programming. They've given me a special 16:9 window and have gone the extra mile. They're giving me a lot of bandwidth – we're able to handle 10,000 people without a problem. I think we're a really good team because Stickam is really interested in figuring out what needs to be done to make this work and develop this platform."
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Yves Morieux
Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize [winner] in economics, once wrote: "Productivity is not everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything."
So this is serious. There are not that many things on earth that are "almost everything." Productivity is the principal driver of the prosperity of a society. So we have a problem. In the largest European economies, productivity used to grow five percent per annum in the '50s, '60s, early '70s. From '73 to '83: three percent per annum. From '83 to '95: two percent per annum. Since 1995: less than one percent per annum. The same profile in Japan. The same profile in the US, despite a momentary rebound 15 years ago, and despite all the technological innovations around us: the Internet, the information, the new information and communication technologies.
When productivity grows three percent per annum, you double the standard of living every generation. Every generation is twice as well-off as its parents'. When it grows one percent per annum, it takes three generations to double the standard of living. And in this process, many people will be less well-off than their parents. They will have less of everything: smaller roofs, or perhaps no roof at all, less access to education, to vitamins, to antibiotics, to vaccination — to everything. Think of all the problems that we're facing at the moment. All. Chances are that they are rooted in the productivity crisis.
Why this crisis? Because the basic tenets about efficiency — effectiveness in organizations, in management — have become counterproductive for human efforts. Everywhere in public services — in companies, in the way we work, the way we innovate, invest — try to learn to work better. Take the holy trinity of efficiency: clarity, measurement, accountability. They make human efforts derail.
There are two ways to look at it, to prove it. One, the one I prefer, is rigorous, elegant, nice — math. But the full math version takes a little while, so there is another one. It is to look at a relay race. This is what we will do today. It's a bit more animated, more visual and also faster — it's a race. Hopefully, it's faster.
World championship final — women. Eight teams in the final. The fastest team is the US team. They have the fastest women on earth. They are the favorite team to win. Notably, if you compare them to an average team, say, the French team,
based on their best performances in the 100-meter race, if you add the individual times of the US runners, they arrive at the finish line 3.2 meters ahead of the French team. And this year, the US team is in great shape. Based on their best performance this year, they arrive 6.4 meters ahead of the French team, based on the data. We are going to look at the race. At some point you will see, towards the end, that Torri Edwards, the fourth US runner, is ahead. Not surprising — this year she got the gold medal in the 100-meter race. And by the way, Chryste Gaines, the second runner in the US team, is the fastest woman on earth. So, there are 3.5 billion women on earth. Where are the two fastest? On the US team. And the two other runners on the US team are not bad, either.
So clearly, the US team has won the war for talent. But behind, the average team is trying to catch up. Let's watch the race.
(Video: French sportscasters narrate race)
(Video: Race narration ends)
Yves Morieux: So what happened? The fastest team did not win; the slower one did. By the way, I hope you appreciate the deep historical research I did to make the French look good.
But let's not exaggerate — it's not archeology, either.
But why? Because of cooperation. When you hear this sentence: "Thanks to cooperation, the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts." This is not poetry; this is not philosophy. This is math. Those who carry the baton are slower, but their baton is faster. Miracle of cooperation: it multiplies energy, intelligence in human efforts. It is the essence of human efforts: how we work together, how each effort contributes to the efforts of others. With cooperation, we can do more with less.
Now, what happens to cooperation when the holy grail — the holy trinity, even — of clarity, measurement, accountability — appears?
Clarity. Management reports are full of complaints about the lack of clarity. Compliance audits, consultants' diagnostics. We need more clarity, we need to clarify the roles, the processes. It is as though the runners on the team were saying, "Let's be clear — where does my role really start and end? Am I supposed to run for 95 meters, 96, 97...?" It's important, let's be clear. If you say 97, after 97 meters, people will drop the baton, whether there is someone to take it or not.
Accountability. We are constantly trying to put accountability in someone's hands. Who is accountable for this process? We need somebody accountable for this process. So in the relay race, since passing the baton is so important, then we need somebody clearly accountable for passing the baton. So between each runner, now we will have a new dedicated athlete, clearly dedicated to taking the baton from one runner, and passing it to the next runner. And we will have at least two like that. Well, will we, in that case, win the race? That I don't know, but for sure, we would have a clear interface, a clear line of accountability. We will know who to blame. But we'll never win the race. If you think about it, we pay more attention to knowing who to blame in case we fail, than to creating the conditions to succeed. All the human intelligence put in organization design — urban structures, processing systems — what is the real goal? To have somebody guilty in case they fail. We are creating organizations able to fail, but in a compliant way, with somebody clearly accountable when we fail. And we are quite effective at that — failing.
Measurement. What gets measured gets done. Look, to pass the baton, you have to do it at the right time, in the right hand, at the right speed. But to do that, you have to put energy in your arm. This energy that is in your arm will not be in your legs. It will come at the expense of your measurable speed. You have to shout early enough to the next runner when you will pass the baton, to signal that you are arriving, so that the next runner can prepare, can anticipate. And you have to shout loud. But the blood, the energy that will be in your throat will not be in your legs. Because you know, there are eight people shouting at the same time. So you have to recognize the voice of your colleague. You cannot say, "Is it you?" Too late!
Now, let's look at the race in slow motion, and concentrate on the third runner. Look at where she allocates her efforts, her energy, her attention. Not all in her legs — that would be great for her own speed — but in also in her throat, arm, eye, brain. That makes a difference in whose legs? In the legs of the next runner. But when the next runner runs super-fast, is it because she made a super effort, or because of the way the third runner passed the baton? There is no metric on earth that will give us the answer. And if we reward people on the basis of their measurable performance, they will put their energy, their attention, their blood in what can get measured — in their legs. And the baton will fall and slow down.
To cooperate is not a super effort, it is how you allocate your effort. It is to take a risk, because you sacrifice the ultimate protection granted by objectively measurable individual performance. It is to make a super difference in the performance of others, with whom we are compared. It takes being stupid to cooperate, then. And people are not stupid; they don't cooperate.
You know, clarity, accountability, measurement were OK when the world was simpler. But business has become much more complex. With my teams, we have measured the evolution of complexity in business. It is much more demanding today to attract and retain customers, to build advantage on a global scale, to create value. And the more business gets complex, the more, in the name of clarity, accountability, measurement we multiply structures, processes, systems.
You know, this drive for clarity and accountability triggers a counterproductive multiplication of interfaces, middle offices, coordinators that do not only mobilize people and resources, but that also add obstacles. And the more complicated the organization, the more difficult it is to understand what is really happening. So we need summaries, proxies, reports, key performance indicators, metrics. So people put their energy in what can get measured, at the expense of cooperation. And as performance deteriorates, we add even more structure, process, systems. People spend their time in meetings, writing reports they have to do, undo and redo. Based on our analysis, teams in these organizations spend between 40 and 80 percent of their time wasting their time, but working harder and harder, longer and longer, on less and less value-adding activities. This is what is killing productivity, what makes people suffer at work.
Our organizations are wasting human intelligence. They have turned against human efforts. When people don't cooperate, don't blame their mindsets, their mentalities, their personality — look at the work situations. Is it really in their personal interest to cooperate or not, if, when they cooperate, they are individually worse off? Why would they cooperate? When we blame personalities instead of the clarity, the accountability, the measurement, we add injustice to ineffectiveness.
We need to create organizations in which it becomes individually useful for people to cooperate. Remove the interfaces, the middle offices — all these complicated coordination structures. Don't look for clarity; go for fuzziness. Fuzziness overlaps. Remove most of the quantitative metrics to assess performance. Speed the "what." Look at cooperation, the "how." How did you pass the baton? Did you throw it, or did you pass it effectively? Am I putting my energy in what can get measured — my legs, my speed — or in passing the baton?
You, as leaders, as managers, are you making it individually useful for people to cooperate? The future of our organizations, our companies, our societies hinges on your answer to these questions.
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“Opportunities for large projects”: what triggered Russia's interest in the ASEAN summit
On Saturday, November 2, a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) starts in Thailand. In recent years, Moscow has been actively supplying its energy resources, technologies and agricultural products to ASEAN countries. At the same time, the recent creation of a free trade zone with Singapore will allow Russian companies to more actively penetrate the markets of the region. What is the reason for Russia's growing interest in ASEAN states - in the material RT.
The 35th ASEAN Summit will be held from November 2 to 4 in Bangkok. In the Thai capital, heads of state and government of countries of the association will discuss the development of trade, economic and political relations with the Asia-Pacific region.
ASEAN was formed in 1967, it includes ten states: Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The total GDP of the association is estimated at almost $ 3 trillion.
As expected, the central event will be the meeting of the East Asian Summit (EAC). We are talking about negotiations between the ASEAN states and partner countries, among which are Russia, China, India, the USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Russia will be represented at the summit by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. This is stated in the press service of the government.
“The meeting participants will exchange views on promoting cooperation within the EAC in priority areas, including sustainable development and economic interconnectedness, digital technologies, responding to new challenges and threats,” the Cabinet’s press service reports to TASS.
In addition, Dmitry Medvedev plans to address the ASEAN Business Investment Summit, as well as hold a series of bilateral meetings.
Moscow has been in dialogue with ASEAN for 23 years. In 2018, trade between Russia and the block countries increased by 7% and amounted to almost $ 20 billion. This was earlier stated by the head of the Ministry of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin. According to the FCS, the share of the association states is about 3% of Russian trade. At the same time, Vietnam (with a share of 0.9%) and Singapore (0.5%) remain the key trading partners of Moscow in ASEAN.
“ASEAN countries are, first and foremost, growing and emerging markets, and relatively free, where you can occupy certain niches. Russia has opportunities there for large infrastructure projects, for example, the development of nuclear energy and the construction of railways, ”Dmitry Alexandrov, chief strategist at UNIVER Capital, told RT.
According to the expert, today the main share of Russian deliveries to ASEAN countries falls on energy raw materials (mainly oil and oil products), vehicles and chemical products. In recent years, technology exports have also been growing. This was told to RT by the head of the HSE School of Oriental Studies, Alexei Maslov.
“We have now begun to supply technology and service packages for these technologies to ASEAN countries. We already have contracts for the repair of aircraft, for the supply of equipment for the construction and maintenance of railways, as well as parts for steelworks and metalware, ”Maslov emphasized.
In addition, Russia is actively supplying its agricultural products to ASEAN countries. According to Narek Avakyan, Head of BCS Broker Investment Investor Department, speaking with RT, since 2014, the export of Russian agricultural products to the association states has been growing by 20-25% annually.
It is noteworthy that at the moment Russia has signed agreements on a free trade zone (FTA) with two ASEAN states. So, in 2015, the Russian Federation concluded an agreement on an FTZ with Vietnam. As a result, from 2016 to 2018, the Russian-Vietnamese trade turnover increased by almost 60% - up to $ 6.08 billion. This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Customs Service. As the deputy head of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, To An Dung, previously said, by 2020, mutual trade between the two countries could reach $ 10 billion.
On October 1, 2019, Russia signed a similar agreement with Singapore. In 2018, the Russian-Singaporean trade volume amounted to $ 3.66 billion. According to the estimate of Narek Avakyan, after the creation of the free trade zone over several years, the figure can also increase to $ 10 billion.
“In general, Russia is now trying to expand its geopolitical presence in the countries of Southeast Asia. Such a policy will allow us to increase opportunities in the energy sector, military-technical cooperation, tourism, nature management, ecology and space exploration. Moreover, partnership with ASEAN countries will also lead to accelerated economic growth in the regions of the Far East and Siberia, ”said Gaydar Hasanov, an expert at International Financial Center, in a conversation with RT.
As the experts interviewed by RT expect, on the sidelines of the summit, participants will discuss the signing of the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership (WFEP). It is about creating a single Asian free trade zone between the ASEAN countries and six other states in the region - China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
“If the ASEAN countries and its six partners sign the WREEP, which has been negotiated since 2012, then the world's largest free trade zone will appear. Already, the volume of GDP of countries - potential participants of the WEPD reaches $ 49.5 trillion, or 39% of the global economy. According to forecasts, by 2050 this figure could grow to $ 250 trillion, ”said Dmitry Alexandrov.
According to Aleksey Maslov, the creation of a WREEP will reduce trade barriers and facilitate the transport of goods between Asian countries. As a result, product prices in the region may fall by 10-15%. According to the expert, Russia will benefit from the possible conclusion of the WEP. It is about building up active trade with Asian states through Singapore.
“It was for this purpose that we signed the FTA agreement with Singapore. Over the past ten years, the country has remained a zone for the deployment of our high-tech enterprises. As a participant in the WREEP, Singapore can become a springboard for Russian manufacturers in the region. It will be easier for our products to penetrate into the territory of other Asian countries, and for companies it will be easier to place their enterprises in the region, ”Maslov concluded.
Source: russiart
After the "Golden Decade", the next stop: "Diamond Decade"
The second China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Summit will be held to promote technological exchanges and cooperation in the digital economy
Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit
Wang Wenbin: The new crown pneumonia epidemic has not prevented China-ASEAN exchanges and cooperation
ASEAN Summit Meeting Continues Exchanges on South China Sea Issues
Speech by Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (full text)
Lin Zhengyue: Improve the system, fight crime and make good use of advantages, Hong Kong economy will still recover
Xi Jinping delivered a video speech for this major international exhibition. What kind of clear message is conveyed?
China gains ground from the US in Asia and leads the world's largest free trade agreement
The National Court concludes that Fridman & quot; did not plot & quot; to sink Dia
A set of posters gives a quick overview of China's economic "transcript" in 2020
Ordinary Diet Opening Ceremony His Majesty the Emperor "I earnestly hope to meet the trust of the people"
Chinese economy will grow by 2.3 percent in 2020
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CALCAVECCHIA HAVING CHILDISH THOUGHTS
JIM SARNI, Staff WriterSUN-SENTINEL
TROON, Scotland -- Mark Calcavecchia is thinking about birdies and babies at the British Open. Not necessarily in that order.
His wife Sheryl is in Phoenix, about to give birth to the couple's first child.
"I almost didn't come over," Calcavecchia said Saturday. "I came at my wife's request. No tournament is as important as this baby. But she asked me to play. She thought I would do well over here. She said she had good vibes about The Open."
Good vibes and getting stronger. Calcavecchia shot a second straight 68 Saturday, to go with a first-round 72, to move within three strokes of Wayne Grady, the leader.
"I'm pretty happy with the way I'm playing, but I'll have to putt a little better tomorrow," said Calcavecchia, who had three bogeys to go with seven birdies.
"I'm driving it great, but the putter is the key."
Calcavecchia missed a 2 1/2-foot birdie putt on the third hole, after his best shot of the day, a 9-iron to the green of the 379-yard par-4. Then, he lipped out his par putt on the fourth.
"I wasn't real happy at that point," said Calcavecchia, who responded with birdies on three of the next four holes.
Calcavecchia birdied the 11th; bogeyed the 12th; birdied the 13th and 14th; then missed another putt for another birdie on the 15th.
"If I had made that, I felt I would have had something going," he said.
Calcavecchia birdied his third par-5 -- the 16th -- but bogeyed the par-3 17th and finished with a 34-34.
"I left my 3-iron out of my bag and drove the 17th with a 2-iron. It wasn't enough club," Calcavecchia said.
"Leaving my 3-iron out backfired for the third day in a row. It will be in my bag tomorrow."
Calcavecchia challenged at Muirfield two years ago -- his best British Open finish, six strokes behind Nick Faldo -- but failed to make the cut last year, "at that pasture up there in Lytham, wherever it is."
He would like to be the first American to win the Open in six years. He would like a gift for his first child.
Briton Wayne Stephens, a former plumber from the Isle of Jersey, led the Open after the first round. Today's local hero is David Feherty, a former opera singer from Ulster.
"Opera is my one passion outside golf," said Feherty, 31, the closest British golfer, who is three strokes off the lead with a 71-67-69-207.
Feherty trained as an opera singer and performed briefly with a professional company.
"When I'm lying in bed looking for inspiration I turn to Puccini," he said. "I've listened to Turandot three times already this week. I'd love to listen to it on the golf course, but I suspect it would be against the rules. A Walkman might be considered an outside influence, but my caddy could always wear it and sing to me instead."
The Phantom Golfer of the Opera said he will not sing if he wins the British Open.
"Under no circumstances," said Feherty, who has only made the cut once before at the Open. "If I win three times, I still won't sing."
Where are they now, the pre-tournament favorites?
Nick Faldo (7-1) is 4-under, defending champion Seve Ballesteros (8-1) is 5-over, Ian Woosnam (8-1) is 3-over, Curtis Strange (16-1) is 2-over, Sandy Lyle (20-1) is 1-over. Only Greg Norman (11-1) is close, at 5-under.
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CAROLINA IN THE CITY
ROD STAFFORD HAGWOOD Fashion EditorSUN-SENTINEL
When designer Carolina Herrera was looking for a muse for her fifth fragrance, she didn't have to look very far. Her daughter, Carolina Adriana, stepped in to give "212" its youngish air.
"I knew she was the right one to do it," the senior Herrera said while in Miami recently promoting 212. "She has great taste and style." One of four daughters, Carolina Adriana is a film producer in Los Angeles. The 27-year-old says she wanted the new fragrance to be more modern, fresh and light.
"My thinking is influenced by people of all ages, of all economic levels, in all different walks of life," Carolina Adriana said.
Hence the name 212 _ the Manhattan telephone area code _ reflecting the diversity of New York. The packaging is a two-part glass and anodized cylinder sculpture designed in collaboration with Fabien Baron. "It's very streamlined," Herrera said of the eau de toilette bottle. "Like Lalique."
Herrera founded her design firm 16 years ago after prompting from legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland and the late Count Rudi Crespi, both of whom found her elegant, "cultivated aura" as a descendant of Venezuelan landowners just the cure for the over-the-top '80s designer fashions.
Between designing collections, Herrera also has launched fragrances: Carolina Herrera in 1988; Carolina Herrera for Men in 1991; Flore in 1994; and Aqua Flore in 1996. Last year she debuted a signature line of cosmetics in Spain, the Middle East and England.
The 212 line _ light floral with musky undertones _ includes an eau de toilette (3.4 ounces for $70) body lotion (8.4 ounces for $37) and bath gel (8.4 ounces for $34).
Surprisingly, men and women are buying the scent. Herrera thinks it's because it is so light and fresh-smelling. "It's turned out to be unisex, but that wasn't the plan," she said. "With my clothing and my fragrances, I believe it's best to be realistic, but always to mix a bit of fantasy with reality. It's the same with life, really."
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CULTURE ON WEB TAKES CYBER SPACE WALK
SARAH LUNDY Staff WriterSUN-SENTINEL
Theatergoers can see where they'll be sitting at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts without leaving their home.
Art lovers can buy a pack of post cards from the Norton Museum of Art without the hassle of driving to the gallery in West Palm Beach.
Curious tourists can see what The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach or the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach are all about without paying admission.
The key to all the culture is cyberspace.
Local organizations now are offering services online in their efforts to tap into a computer-savvy audience that is spending more and more time browsing the Internet.
SunFest officials are targeting this audience at the end of the month when they release the last of their spring festival line-up to the public.
"We are still going to fax it out in the traditional way [to the media)," SunFest spokeswoman Doreen Poreba said of the March 25 announcement. "We knew the newspapers and television had little space and air time. They are not going to report every little detail we want to get across."
On the Internet, the public "can get all the information and get it at their convenience," she said.
A SunFest-sponsored survey this fall found that 18 percent of the people who said they attended the festival "more than likely" got their information from the Internet.
"We are finding more and more people who are going online for their information," Poreba said. "It adds a whole new marketing tool for us," said Norree Boyd, Palm Beach County Cultural Council vice president.
"It's broadening our outreach to a computer literate market who are going for fast information and fast response."
The cultural council spent about $10,000 to set up a Website that went online about a month ago.
The Kravis Center had a service in which virtual visitors could choose their own seat and order tickets online. It went offline to be updated, but it will be back for next season, said Andrew Segaloff, the center's director of information systems.
Until then, patrons can continue to click on a map of the theaters and see their seat locations.
Some of the organizations say they are using the Web for marketing, while others see it as a way to educate the curious.
"It's very history-oriented," said the Flagler Museum's public affairs director Jessica Johnston of their site. "We look at it as an extension of our educational mission. We get a lot of school kids learning about Florida history and they are doing reports and they need information."
"We want to enhance people's knowledge of the Flagler Museum and to enhance people's knowledge of understanding of the gilded age," she said.
The site is linked to other historical home Web pages, such as the Hearst Castle in California and the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.
Like the Flagler, which sells memberships and museum store books, other groups can't ignore the marketing potential of computer sites.
Art shoppers with credit cards can purchase some items from the Norton Museum and become members by tinkering with technology.
Those wanting to buy tickets for special exhibits, such as the current show by Dale Chihuly, can buy them online.
Not only does the Norton site sell, it also shows some of the work the Norton exhibits. More than 48 new images of art are put on (www.norton.org) each year, said Sarah Flynn, museum spokeswoman.
She said she averages about 100 e-mails a month from people wanting to know more about the Norton and its collection.
"There are no negatives. It's just the way of the world," Flynn said. This year the site is being updated with more information and images, she said.
By summer, the Norton will no longer be an Internet infant. The museum is creating another Web site for children at (kids.norton.org), which is expected to debut on June 1. The Internet isn't as easy as it looks. Not all the organizations have the means to check out their own home pages.
"Most of the staff don't even have access," said Larry Rosensweig, the director of the Morikami Museum. "They don't even know what we have up there and what it does."
Some have trouble remembering the extra audience. "It does require a good deal of time dedication," Poreba said.
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AFC South Betting Odds
The AFC South betting odds are up at every sportsbook throughout the season. This division is made up of four different teams, the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans. The division started in 2002 when the NFL decided to realign schedules and older divisions. The Indianapolis Colts have the most division titles out of all of their opponents with nine to their name. When it comes to the division title game in the last 17 seasons as the AFC South, the Colts have reigned supreme. Coming in as a close second are the Houston Texans.
The Titans and the Jaguars have had their shots at the division titles but they are not at all as dominate as the Colts or even the Texans. Betting odds are likely to favor either Indianapolis or Houston when it comes to the AFC South division title game. However, with each season comes with new statistics and the sportsbooks will factor that into their weekly odds that are posted. The best part about the NFL is that anything is possible when it comes to Super Bowl odds, so betting on any of the odds for AFC South teams could payoff big before the main event in February!
Houston Texans Betting Odds
The Houston Texans became a franchise in 2002 and while they are the newbies of their division, they have already recorded five AFC South division titles. The Texans are hot or cold, depending on the season and their betting odds will reflect that. They are either really good or really bad, rarely do they fall on the in-between .500 mark. They have yet to win a conference title and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. However, due to their off and on years, they still shouldn’t be ruled out by any means. Their betting odds for their division should be high up on the board. Winning over the AFC South has never been a problem for them. It’s advancing beyond that point that has been their issue. Their odds on sportsbooks should be on the higher end for the AFC South title game. The Houston Texans betting odds will continue to change throughout the season based on their performance and obviously their recorded wins compared to their opponents.
Indianapolis Colts Betting Odds
The Indianapolis Colts are an institution in the NFL. Fans of this team are diehard and this is something that will affect their betting odds, at least with sportsbooks that factor in popularity. The Colts became a team in 1953 and have been trucking along ever since. They have nine AFC South division titles, along with six AFC East titles and one NFL Coastal title. They were the conference champions for the AFC on three separate occasions and have seven overall conference titles when they were not with the AFC. The Colts have won two Super Bowl Championships, the last one being in 2006. Due to the sheer number of AFC South title wins, Indianapolis Colts betting odds are worth putting money on. Of course, their playing during the season will make those odds rise or fall but based on their history, Indianapolis is usually a force to be reckoned with in their division.
Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Odds
The Jacksonville Jaguars betting odds to win the title for the AFC South should be somewhere in the middle next to the other teams in the division. The Jaguars have one AFC South title in their franchise history and two back to back AFC Central titles before the AFC Central became obsolete and they joined the AFC South. The Jags have not yet won a conference title or a Super Bowl. Odds for this team will typically be on the lower end of the spectrum to win their division. Sportsbooks will have the latest statistics on their progress leading up to the playoffs. It is every Jacksonville fan’s hope that their team will make it beyond the division title and onto a conference title and possibly even a Super Bowl ring. But first, they have to get those betting odds leaning in their favor and the only way to do that is to play well during the season.
Tennessee Titans Betting Odds
The Tennessee Titans betting odds are some of the more interesting. The Titans have a very up and down relationship when it comes to their yearly records. They have plenty of fans but not as many titles as you’d think they’d have with the amount of time playing in the NFL. Their first year as the Titans awarded them their first and only AFC Conference title. Tennessee has not yet won a Super Bowl championship. The team has nine division titles to their name, two of which are from the AFC South. While historically, they are not expected to be given the best of odds to win their division title, there is always a chance that this year could be the year for them. Odds for the Tennessee Titans will change continuously throughout the season.
Best Sites To Bet On AFC South Odds
It should be noted that all of the best sites to bet on AFC South odds are legal for U.S. residents to join. When looking for a site, you’ll want to find one that has the best odds for the wagers you want to place, meaning the sportsbook that offers the highest payout should you win. Each sports wagering website should also be reputable and trustworthy, meaning they are licensed and regulated to do business. Below are two such sportsbooks that are not only all of those things but also the most popular in the business based on customer ratings and satisfaction.
Get A 50% Match Up To $250
Bovada Sportsbook is one of the oldest in the business for internet sports betting sites. If you are looking for a site that has everything a sports bettor could ask for and then some, Bovada is the one for you. They have a secure, easy to navigate site with satisfied customers spanning the globe. Their odds and wagers are the best in the business and there is always something for everyone to wager on. With multiple methods of banking, they make the process that much easier. Live in-game betting is a feature they offer their members that allows for you to bet on the AFC South division game as you’re watching it happen live.
Their mobile platform makes betting easy as you’re literally taking your sportsbook with you wherever you go, as it can be accessed on any mobile device with internet capabilities. Promotions and rewards are often offered to their bettors so their promotions page should be visited weekly to be sure you don’t miss out on anything. Currently, new members will receive a 50% match on their initial deposit up to $250. That’s extra money to wager on the AFC South or anything you’d like. No promo code is needed to redeem this offer.
MyBookie Sportsbook Review
Get Up To $1000 To Join
MyBookie Sportsbook is one of the newer sportsbooks but they are quickly climbing the ladder in popularity. They have every single feature that their competition has and then some. Their promotions are ridiculous, as they have so many of them. They have a highly secure site so members never need to worry about their information being compromised. Everything on the page is categorized correctly making it easy to find what you’re looking for quickly.
Their new member sign up bonus offers those that join a 100% match on their first deposit up to $1000. That’s $1000 to use toward any bet on their site. The promo code to redeem this offer is MYB100. With tons of betting options and games as well as live in-game betting and a mobile platform for those that need to place bets while they’re out, MyBookie has it all. When looking for a sports betting site to join, MyBookie should definitely be on your list.
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Calculadora de Tarifa de Táxi
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Popular Taxi Fare Estimates for New York, NY
1111 Saint Johns Place, Brooklyn, New York 11213, United States to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), JFK Expy, New York City, New York, 11430, United States of America: $40.30
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Times Square: $52.95
3616 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11203, United States to LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Grand Central Pkwy, New York City, New York, 11371, United States of America: $53.30
446 Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11225, United States to 603 Burnside Avenue, Inwood, New York 11096, United States: $49.22
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Manhattan (Downtown): $67.23
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Times Square: $35.26
1776 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11226, United States to 462 1st Ave, Manhattan, New York, New York 10016, United States: $43.93
5721 Avenue H, Brooklyn, New York 11234, United States to 18 Belmont Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11208, United States: $19.04
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR): $69.07
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR): $96.27
260 Parkside Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226, United States to 501 Gateway Drive Wb Rb, Brooklyn, New York 11239, United States: $30.55
74 Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11221, United States to 741 51st Street, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11220, United States: $38.17
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Times Square: $56.02
Grand Central to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): $54.66
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to LaGuardia Airport (LGA): $39.29
1266 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11221, United States to 308 Harman Street, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11237, United States: $8.80
4821 14th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11219, United States to 602 Avenue T, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11223, United States: $21.14
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to East 77th Street, New York, New York 10075, United States: $33.51
Port Authority Bus Terminal, 625 8th Ave, New York, New York 10018, United States to 78-09 166th Street, Queens, New York 11366, United States: $47.30
NYC Department of Finance Service Center, 144-06 94th Ave, New York, New York 11435, United States to Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States: $89.39
Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR): $53.45
Grand Central to LaGuardia Airport (LGA): $37.80
LaGuardia Airport, Queens, NY, United States to Brooklyn, NY, United States: $41.26
Penn Station to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): $56.21
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Penn Station: $56.34
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): $41.63
Times Square to World Trade Center: $22.43
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), JFK Expy, Jfk Airport, New York 11430, United States to Astoria, Queens, Astoria, New York 11102, United States: $50.03
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Empire State Building: $53.87
Times Square to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): $56.24
Penn Station to Times Square: $9.39
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Penn Station: $35.66
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Harlem: $55.89
Penn Station to LaGuardia Airport (LGA): $38.88
Penn Station to Grand Central: $12.01
1441 East 98th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11236, United States to 228 Duffield Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States: $36.53
147-28 Charter Road, Queens, New York 11435, United States to 179-24 Linden Boulevard, Queens, New York 11434, United States: $23.04
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Manhattan (Downtown): $39.90
Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York, New York 10002, United States to Hoboken, New Jersey, United States: $25.41
281 Dumont Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212, United States to 17 Lorraine Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231, United States: $34.59
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Grand Central: $32.07
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Grand Central: $53.50
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Rockefeller Center: $34.55
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Empire State Building: $32.59
Port Jefferson, New York, United States to Port Jefferson Station, New York, United States: $12.42
Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, New York 11215, United States to LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Grand Central Pkwy, New York, New York 11371, United States: $46.42
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to NYC Health Hospitals/Gotham Health, 279 Graham Ave, New York, New York 11211, United States: $49.20
Penn Station to Rockefeller Center: $13.26
Empire State Building to World Trade Center: $25.09
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to 57th & 6th, New York, New York 10019, United States: $36.48
Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York, USA to Holiday Inn Manhattan-Financial District, New York, USA: $34.68
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), JFK Expy, New York, New York 11430, United States to Theatre District, Manhattan, New York, New York 10020, United States: $59.46
Ellis Island, New York, New Jersey, United States to Holiday Inn New York City - Wall Street, 51 Nassau St, New York, New York 10005, United States: $36.13
LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Grand Central Pkwy, New York, New York 11371, United States to Westchester, Bronx, New York, New York 10461, United States: $35.08
LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Grand Central Pkwy, New York, New York 11371, United States to The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, 80 Columbus Cir, New York, New York 10019, United States: $41.07
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to World Trade Center: $44.17
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Columbia University: $33.15
Times Square to LaGuardia Airport (LGA): $39.33
23 Brighton 5th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11235, United States to Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11234, United States: $31.52
170 East 95th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11212, United States to 135 Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11213, United States: $14.43
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Articles, Semshook
Mangsto: Our democratic vision
1 September 2004 Tsundue Leave a comment
It’s again the torture period for our four chosen Kalons as our parliament meets in September; MPs who are largely anonymous to the general public, have made it a culture to barbeque the administration, question their decisions, raise allegations, check accounts and so forth in the bi-annual parliamentary sessions, with nobody questioning them for what they do or do not do.
Last year, during the September session of the parliament, I applied for a pass to witness the parliamentary proceedings. It was my first time. In its modest ground floor hall in Dharamsala, the parliament was in session when I entered. The few seats for observers and press were taken, so I sat on the floor and craning my neck, I tried to listen to the MPs speak in the most literary language.
I regularly read the parliamentary proceeding documents. Almost 90% of it is about allegations, funds, laws and byelaws; very seldom are there discussions on the freedom struggle or in the language of the exile government “to find a solution to our struggle.”
This year, on 2nd September, we will mark the 44th anniversary of the Tibetan Democracy. I felt it is pertinent to reflect on our perception of the blessed democracy, the culture of democracy in our community or the lack of it, its effects and the future prospects of both in our struggle for a free Tibet and its role in strengthening our community in the long run.
In the past two months, I have met many Tibetan youth in Delhi, Dharamsala, Madras, Pune and Bombay. As always I felt a very strong aversion among them towards our regional and sectarian politics. I wrote about this in my previous column. Tibetan youth do not wish to carry the baggage of regional and sectarian identities. It is seen as a source of communal discontent. However, I believe it is important we know our parentage and cultural roots.
Our MPs, once elected, comfortably hold their seats for five years and the public remains far, far from their domain to hold them accountable. There are legislative provisions, but our community has yet to develop the culture of democracy to exercise the legislations.
If electing an MP is like flying a kite, you need to have the thread in your hand. Since our MPs are elected on the superficial and unfounded bases: regional and sectarian affiliations, what exactly do they do at the parliament as representatives of Kham, Amdo or Utsang or for that matter any religious sect?
For many years, opinions have poured in from different quarters of the community to change the basis of the candidature to regions of exiled Tibetan settlements. This can be a real training ground. Once a healthy democratic culture develops within the community, it will prove useful in future Tibet.
From the land reforms, legal reforms and modernisation by the great thirteenth Dalai Lama, later resumed by the young fourteenth while in independent Tibet, to the adoption of Democracy as the Tibetan polity in 1960, Tibetans have metamorphosed from a feudal theocracy run by power-hungry aristocrats to a democratic, forward-looking community. This has been our biggest achievement in the last one hundred years.
No people in the world are as fortunate as us, to have a living Buddha to guide and parent them. But have we lived up to his guidance? No. We handicapped ourselves, falling dependent on His Holiness.
In 1991 at the special Kashag and the Parliament joint assembly, His Holiness said: “I will do whatever is possible, but it is important that people are able to act on their own through democratic processes without relying on the Dalai Lama.”
From 1960, the formation of the first assembly, till 1991 can be seen as stage one — the growth of our democracy. In 1991, both the Kashag and the Parliament were dissolved, and re-election happened. But this time the responsibility was taken up completely by the people. Earlier when people voted, they knew the Buddha would make the final decision. This time, His Holiness withdrew from the 31-year-old practice of making the final selection. From 1991, the electorate made the final decision.
Democracy is not a tseril, the sweet tsampa ball, on eating which it is believed that a new lease on life is added. Even for tseril to work, spiritual duties have to be performed. Although we received our democracy as a blessing, we must endeavour to make it work. And we have been most unwilling to do just that; take up democratic responsibilities. A recent example is the resolution passed by the 13th parliament in the March session of the assembly “to review the Middle Way Approach as government policy,” giving China one year to respond to our gesture to find a negotiated solution to the Tibetan cause.
Now the resolution passed by a majority in the parliament, received censure from two regional groups, which issued press releases protesting the resolution. One group went to the extent of saying that if the resolution passed by the parliament is not withdrawn during the September session, then all the ten MPs of that regional group would withdraw their membership. If this happens, more that 20 percent of the existing MPs would be resigning, leaving the parliament badly handicapped.
This attempt of holding the whole parliament hostage had one reason — “reviewing the Middle Way Approach as a policy would undermine the power of the Dalai Lama.” This is precisely the kind of small mind His Holiness wouldn’t want in our community; stopping the community from moving forward in the name of Kundun, this is neither patriotism, nor faith. It’s a typically Tibetan small-mindedness, to put it naively.
By a resolution in the 12th parliament, it has been adopted as the policy of the exile government in 1997, and the parliament has the responsibility to recheck the effectiveness of its policies from time to time. This is the duty of the parliament, and it does not amount to undermining the power of His Holiness. In fact, His Holiness would be the first person to welcome such initiative from the people.
His Holiness shows us the way, in his 1996 March 10 statement he said: “[It is] my conviction that democracy is the best guarantee for the survival and future of the Tibetan people. Democracy entails responsibilities as well as rights. The success of our struggle for freedom will therefore depend directly on our ability to shoulder these collectively.”
Our History shows that for the past 600 years of the Dalai lama, there were political crises every time a Dalai Lama passes away, the country moved into chaos, anarchy marked by internal feuds, and even civil war. Can’t we now learn from history and strengthen our community, while there is still daylight? How insecure we feel about even thinking of a time without the present Dalai Lama? We can’t talk about it. It is considered ill omen.
Democracy is sharing responsibility, and for us it’s all about taking back our responsibility from the shoulders of one man, who has worked enough for us, who we have taken for granted, while we were busy building our houses, and heating our hearth.
Imagine the strength of 1,50,000 exile Tibetans taking personal initiative for the cause, doing everything in their capacity, supported by the Tibet lovers across the globe. This will reinvigorate individuals, organisations and perhaps governments to the cause. This kind of coordinated world-wide campaign can free Tibet.
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McWhorter: ‘I’m Not Against Black Lives Matter’ But White Cops ‘Not The Main Thing’ Hurting Black Community
Ian Hanchett
Columbia University professor and author John McWhorter argued that while “I’m not against Black Lives Matter,” “fighting only for the black lives that are taken by whites is arbitrary,” and cops are “not the main thing hurting black communities now” on Tuesday’s “CNN Tonight.”
McWhorter explained his comments in a column that the movement is “pretending that it’s still 1965,” “Because there’s this idea that the black community’s biggest problem is the one white cop, and that’s a real problem, but if the one white cop is a bigger problem than the fact that the black guy who was killed by the cop, was in much, much more danger of being killed than another black guy from somewhere in the neighborhood. Everybody wants to focus on the white cop only, out of the sense that our job is to fight racism, which it was, in 1965. Today, if we’re talking about what ails the black community, racism is one thing, there is racism involved in what happens between the black men and the cops. I’ve said that. I’m not against Black Lives Matter at all, but there’s another huge problem which is black people killing each other. But we’ve got this whole punditocracy that are teaching us that it’s a bad thing to even talk about black-on-black crime.”
He added, “to have an organization in 2015 fighting only for the black lives that are taken by whites is arbitrary, because we’re trying to improve conditions in the black community. And when it comes to murder, okay, these people can’t do everything. They can’t change eating habits, they can’t change all sorts of things. But if we’re talking about murder, why would we only be focusing on the murder by the occasional white cop? It’s because of the sense that racism is the main thing, because we’re stuck in the notion that to continue the struggle of 1965, we have to focus on what white people are doing wrong. But, in this case, there’s this beautiful argument that a lot of smart people make, that it’s the state murdering, rather than citizens, and it’s more important if the state does it. No, that’s just throwing a political science term around. Imagine telling a woman in Philadelphia, who’s lost two boys to gang warfare, ‘Well, that’s really sad, Mrs. Williams, but we’re more interested in what the state did.’ That doesn’t make sense.”
McWhorter continued that by focusing on the actions of white people, “You create a brand new reality, where to be black in 2015 is still to be living with the white person’s foot on your neck, and, you know, that’s an interesting idea, it can sell a lot of books, but, the truth of the matter is, it’s different now. And that doesn’t mean racism is gone, but it’s different.”
He further argued, “A great many white people really don’t want to be racist, and they will allow what they say to depart from what they believe because they feel that the most important way that they can show that they’re good people is to show that they’re not racist. So, there’s that dissonance. And I think that for us, because of the history of black America, I think, for a lot of us, there’s a temptation to think that the most interesting thing about being black, the most charismatic way of being an authentically black person is to portray yourself as a sufferer, to and point to somebody who’s been doing you wrong, rather than being an individual, or being black in all sorts of other ways. You have those two things combined, and you have a situation where a lot of us are teaching one another not to tell the truth, and not to deal with modern reality. It’s a shame, because you’d think we’d be getting past it by now.”
In the second segment, McWhorther reacted to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) comments on the Black Lives Matter movement. He said, “I think that she’s saying something true, but she’s leaving something out. Elizabeth Warren knows good and well that another problem that all of us must face is that too many black men kill too many other black men in the same communities, and that they live under exactly that threat. She knows that, but she’s in a position where she feels that she’s not supposed to say it, because what she thinks is most important, as the politician that she is, is to show that she isn’t racist. She’s not unique in that, but she knows, deep down, that she’s only telling half of the truth, and she knows very much that what she’s talking about, is not the main problem in those communities. It’s time for us, unfortunately, — you know if I were Elizabeth Warren, I would do the same thing. I get it. She’s in a position. I can imagine what it would be like to be white in 2015 and making public statements. We have to take the responsibility for telling the truth, which is that it’s both the cops, but that we also have to have a national effort, where we start working on the black-on-black crime within these communities, too. That’s real civil rights work today.”
He continued, “It’s a performance, in that, she is saying, I am not a racist. I agree with the concerns that you are expressing. I will pretend to think that those are the main concerns facing black communities. Therefore, you see I’m not racist. That’s a performance, but that isn’t action. If she were genuinely interested — and this isn’t just her, she’s a stand-in for a phenomenon. If she were genuinely interested in these communities, she would say, that really, what’s going on, in terms of day-to-day life, is more the black-on-black crime, and that problem deserves at least as much attention, even though that would mean turning away from racism for that part of the problem.”
McWhorter then turned to arguments that racism is the cause of black-on-black crime, stating this is “just designed to shore up the idea that everything that ails black people is about something white people are doing wrong, which is not true in 2015.”
He further argued, “this business of saying, well, look, there’s Stop the Violence marches. It’s a first step, but, there isn’t a national movement. Nobody is as upset about the black-on-black crime as they are about the one Michael Slager, the one Darren Wilson.”
McWhorter concluded, “Stop the Violence needs to become a national effort. We need to start thinking of it it as strange if a community is committing more effort to smoking out the kinds of people who killed Freddie Gray, rather than the kind of people who are killing one another, too. The idea that you would only focus on the white cop should seem strange. The fierceness of the Black Lives Matter movement, and I do admire it, and I have said it in print, we need to have that focused also, on figuring something out with the cops, so that nationwide we can get this minority of black men from killing one another all the time. There’s no reason that couldn’t happen. We’re just not as interested, because we think what we’re supposed to be fighting is what Darren Wilson has in his heart, but that’s not the main thing hurting black communities now. That’s what we should focus on. That’s what activism is supposed to be in 2015.”
(h/t Mediaite)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
ClipsSocial Justice#BlacksLivesMatterBlack Lives MatterElizabeth Warren
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'Hiring Out' to Understand the White Working Class
A black medical student’s critique of selective colleges
Conor Friedersdorf
Sandy Macys / AP
After I wrote about last week’s protest at Middlebury College, one of my most thoughtful email correspondents, Brown University medical school student Ronald Ray Magee Jr., wrote in with a different perspective.
As a staunch proponent of free speech and cross-ideological dialogue, he objected, along with so many others, to the protesters who prevented Charles Murray from speaking (and hoped for the speedy recovery of the injured professor). But he also argued that the rationale students offered for bringing Murray to campus––that some wanted to understand the white working class voters who supported Donald Trump––highlights a failure of diversity at the institution. What if Middlebury, a residential college where students are meant to learn partly by living together, could get more of those insights from within its community?
I do not support the violent actions demonstrated by a contingent of the protesters last week; they were wholly unjustified and likely inimical to the interests of those most marginalized by the views of individuals like Dr. Charles Murray. As a Black man educated in predominantly white spaces, the value of free speech and engagement with opposing or even hostile views is already known to me. My mission in life is to aid my race in ameliorating the deep and painful scars of years of oppression; much of the little progress I or others around me have made towards that end has been won in moments when we reach across the proverbial aisle in an effort to understand and hopefully change the views of those who would seek to perpetuate a history of harm against my color. It can be frustrating, isolating, and sometimes just plain dark, but my experience so far has been that the gain is worth the pain.
After much reflection on the shutting down of Dr. Murray at Middlebury, taking the events on their own terms and in continuity with similar occurrences on campuses throughout the nation, my position is that the stance against shutting down speakers like Dr. Murray and for engagement with even the most noxious ideas is still the right one.
But it is a stance that Middlebury and most of higher education in this nation lacks the moral authority to make.
The narrative pushed by a lot of detractors of this protest and others like it is reducible to this: if elite college liberals are unwilling to engage with such-and-such highly public and highly controversial figure, then they risk remaining an echo chamber and their education will be the poorer for it.
Those should not be the only two options.
Middlebury should not have to hire out to find someone who can speak with them about the white working class or conservative ideals; there are quite a few people who bear one or both of those labels and I imagine that a number of them may even want to go to college. Yet I look at Middlebury and I see an institution where, according to the New York Times, 23% of the student population comes from families in the top 1% of American earners.
I see an institution where the free exchange of ideas and benefits of academic debate has an entrance fee of about $61K. I see an institution ranked as "most selective" by U.S. News and World Report, based in large part on test scores that do more to reflect a student's income or ethnicity than their intelligence level or capacity for success, especially if they are afforded the resources available at an institution with the financial endowment of Middlebury.
Taken together, it is pretty clear that the environment of free debate at Middlebury is actually tightly walled off to certain populations for reasons that have much less to do with the quality of their ideas or capacity for debate than with the lack of dollars in their pocket. And I imagine many, if not most, at the school would agree with me. Some of the facts I mention above are from an excellent editorial on the school's challenges regarding socioeconomic diversity, published in The Middlebury Campus in January of this year. But it is not enough to agree; the perilously high economic barrier to pursuing higher education represents a threat to both free speech and the ideals of justice and equality themselves on college campuses.
On one level, this barrier represents a direct extension of historical injustices. When the high tuition and over-reliance on standardized testing that clearly favors those with resources meet our society's longstanding racial wealth gap and rising income inequality, the result is too many students left unable to gain admission or matriculate for reasons that have less to do with merit and more to do with our historical amnesia; these students are silenced just as effectively as Dr. Murray was silenced last week, if not more so since few of them will go on to write bestselling books. In the face of this, it is important to remember Dr. King's assertion that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". Those are not mere words; it is incredibly difficult for a university to make an appeal to students based on the lofty values of free speech and exchange of ideas when it is abundantly clear that much of their academic experience is decided on the basis of far lowlier concerns.
On a deeper level, if the only time college students come into contact with those that disagree with their most strongly held views is when they are debating those very same views, I do not anticipate many gains in understanding on either side. At the end of the day, engaging with Dr. Murray or anyone who thinks like him on one occasion to discuss all the reasons you disagree is insufficient to gain true understanding; that sense of perspective comes when the two of you both make an intentional decision to participate in the hundreds of different interactions in nearly as many contexts that form the work of community-building.
College can be a vessel for those sorts of interactions, but we will have to work to make it so.
Dr. Murray was invited to Middlebury, at least in part, so that the campus could refute his views on the connection between race/socioeconomic status and intelligence. Yet, if Dr. Murray were provided with a demographic snapshot of Middlebury, he would find much there to support his views. This is my plea to Middlebury and any other institution struggling with how to balance a respect for free speech with a respect for the lived experience of the marginalized: Do not just make the argument; be the argument.
I’m grateful to my correspondent for sharing his radical critique, which I’ve been pondering since I first read it, without having decided quite where I come down myself.
America’s Second-Worst Scenario
Barton Gellman
Pramila Jayapal Is ‘Next-Level’ Angry
Elaine Godfrey
Mike Pence Has Nowhere to Go
Peter Nicholas
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TV List
7 Best French TV Shows on Netflix Right Now
Dhruv Sharma
French cinema has really been catching up with us lately. Their artistic stories, beautiful cinematography and brilliant directing are being appreciated all over the world. Movies like the unusual romantic ‘Amelie’, touching drama ‘The Intouchables’ and the romantic masterpiece ‘Blue is the Warmest Color‘, have all won our hearts and we surely want more. Propelling and bold are two words that truly define the nature of French Cinema; propelling because French films and shows have literally acted like a driving force for international cinema better than any other country now; and bold because French cinema leaves no boundaries or confinements to the infinite lines of creativity.
So if you’re a Francophile yourself, you’re probably familiar with all the great French films of the 21st century that are out there. But you don’t have to end your obsession with these because there are some really good French TV shows out there and we’ve compiled some of the finest ones for you. So, here’s the list of really good French TV shows on Netflix that are available to stream right now. The list includes French drama series and French detective series.
7. Call My Agent (2015)
‘Call My Agent’ revolves around the lives of the employees of a talent agency. The story is mainly about four talent agents who find themselves in some deep trouble after their leader, the owner of the talent agency passes away. They struggle with maintaining the reputation of the agency after a storm of problems tries to suffocate them after the man’s death. The agents juggle their work like with their own personal lives with unprecedented wit and humor as they try to fulfill the demands of the celebrities involved with them. This series is starting to gain immense popularity for its unique comedy. This show can get very addictive and once you’ll start watching, you will not be able to stop. With well rounded and extremely diverse characters this satire comedy is definitely a must watch and if you’re sick of watching American sitcoms, then this is going to be something very refreshing for you.
6. The Hook Up Plan (2018)
This eight episodes romantic comedy show is set up in the city of Paris. It follows the story of a girl named Elsa who has always been unlucky when it comes to love and relationships and her friends keep rallying around her for that. To make her situation a little better, her friends hire a male escort so that Elsa can have her confidence back and can get back in the game. But this misguided attempt to help her brings something more to her life and leads her to find something deeper than what her friends had intended. The storyline of this one is completely on point and the performances of the leads are amazing. This colorful love story will make you fall in love with this show. The sad part is that only one season has come out till date with only eight episodes on Netflix. So make sure that you go a little slow on this one because you’ll be depressed once it’s over.
5. The Mantis (2017)
Set up in present day Paris, this show is about a psychopathic killer who is out on the run. The police notice that the strangest thing about all his murders is that all of them are done in a style that seems to be inspired by Jeanne Deber also known as ‘The Mantis’. Jeanne herself was a famous serial killer 20 years ago and had held the entire city in extreme terror with her killing spree. The police get in touch with Jeanne while she lives in solitary isolation after her arrest and asks her for help. Jeanne agrees to work with them but she has a condition: she’ll only work with once detective of the police whose name is Damien Carrot.
The reason why she chooses only Damien out of all the police detectives is that Damien is her own son who had abandoned her ages ago after her crimes and killings. But in this situation, Damien has no other option and agrees to work with her. While the serial killer is out loose killing innocent, Damien and Jeanne race against time to get their hands on the killer along with the rest of the police force. ‘The Mantis’ is the kind of TV show that keeps creating links of past events with the present one, making every episode and ever move in the show meaningful. This smartly written and well-executed mystery crime drama series is a definite must watch.
4. The Chalet (2018)
‘The Chalet‘ is another great mystery thriller French TV show that’ll keep you hooked onto it throughout. It revolves around a few friends who plan a summer getaway at a remote Chalet located in the French Alps. But a dark secret from the past waits for them there and when it comes up, things start to get a little nasty. A series of unfortunate events leads to a realization that all of it could be related. They start breaking under the pressures of this situation and one of them sets out on foot to seek help while another discovers certain things that pit everyone against each other. Flashbacks from the past come into picture showing what exactly had happened to a family that had forcefully left the Chalet 20 years before they had arrived there. This suspense thriller will initially confuse you a little with the introduction of too many characters in the first two episodes but by the time you reach the third episode, you’ll be hooked to the series all the way to the end. The ending is phenomenal and does justice to the show.
3. A Very Secret Service (2015)
This comedy series has 2 seasons on Netflix right now and is absolutely hilarious. Even with the subtitles, you won’t be able to stop laughing while watching this show. It is about a young officer named Andre Merlaux who works under the leadership of three other officers. All of them together have to be a part of the most dangerous secret operations to protect the interests of their country, France. The show pokes a lot of fun at French stereotypes around the Cold War and World War II Europe. This show is the complete package when it comes to humor. From visual humor to epic one-liner to comical sound effects, the show has everything. All the jokes are very subtly executed with a meaningful storyline. It’s more or less of a political comedy show that everyone will love.
Read More: Best Crime Shows on Netflix
2. The Break (2016)
‘The Break’ tells the story of a police detective who is still mourning a recent family tragedy which forces him to move back to his hometown. But a murder case in his hometown forces him to get back to work. But this murder case is beyond the ordinary and reveals the darkest secrets that were hidden all this while. This show has the craziest plot twists and its dark fatalistic tone will crawl right under your skin and stay with you long after you’re done watching it. If you are looking for something grim and sinister in this genre, then this might be the right pick for you.
Read More: Best Teen Shows on Netflix
1. Witnesses (2014)
‘Witnesses’ is another great mystery thriller that is set up in a distant village in France where the bodies of murder victims are discovered. Two detectives have to now unearth the mystery behind the strange deaths of these victims and along the way, deal with some dark secrets that lie outside and also well within them. This mystery thriller is as good as any other show on the list. If you’re the kind of person who’s into binge-watching TV shows, then you can binge watch all these crime thrillers together because most of them barely have 2 seasons.
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How Istanbul Improved Air Quality by Putting Pedestrians First
By Tuğçe Üzümoğlu July 21, 2015
After years of intense traffic congestion, Istanbul began pedestrianizing its Historic Peninsula in 2005, prioritizing walkability and improving local air quality. (Photo by Mesut Tufan)
Motorized vehicle emissions are a primary cause of air pollution and yield some of the most adverse impacts on public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exposure to heavy traffic—even living near a major road—harms health and increases mortality rates. In 2012 alone, outdoor air pollution caused 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide, 88 percent of which occurred in low and middle-income countries.
In response, pedestrianization projects in cities worldwide are demonstrating that transforming car-oriented streets into walkable environments can generate a range of benefits—from higher levels of physical activity to greater economic activity. Istanbul, for example, has been a leader for pedestrianized communities and is demonstrating that making streets about people—not cars—can produce concrete benefits for all.
Istanbul Chooses People over Cars
The Historic Peninsula, one of Istanbul’s most iconic districts and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the heart of commerce and tourism in the city. Attracting approximately 2.5 million visitors on a daily basis, the Historic Peninsula’s heavily trafficked area was no exception to Istanbul’s car-centric design trend. In a study of the area, UNESCO documented how poor transport infrastructure and intense air pollution were causing damage to the monuments and designated historical sites.
In 2005, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality took action. Launching the first pedestrianization project in the region, decision makers aimed to reduce the impacts of vehicle traffic on the local community. Five years later, a report from EMBARQ Turkey entitled “İstanbul Historic Peninsula Pedestrianization Project- Current State Assessment” examined the Penınsula’s intense traffic and offered recommendations for improving its social and economic structure, accessibility, road safety, and environmental quality. Respondents predominantly stated that disturbances caused by motorized vehicles and vehicle noise decreased significantly after pedestrianization. There was a mix of responses on the reduction of pollutants; 61 percent of employees or business owners reported a decrease in air pollution, while only 52 percent of residents thought that air quality had improved. As a whole, however, the surveys show an overall satisfaction rate of 80 percent among residents, students, employees and business owners. Riding on these results, the Historic Peninsula has pedestrianized 295 streets since 2010, making the region a vital transport hub for Istanbul’s citizens.
Map of the Historic Peninsula in Istanbul after Pedestrianization efforts, detailing its large scale and efforts to integrate various transport methods. (Graphic by EMBARQ Turkey)
Thanks to the recent pedestrianization efforts in the Historic Peninsula, vehicle emissions and pollution levels have come down significantly. A new report titled “Assessment of the Air Quality Effects of Pedestrianization on Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula” from EMBARQ Turkey analyses the impacts of pedestrianization on local air quality in Istanbul. Records indicate that harmful gases, such as NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide) and SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide) decreased significantly after pedestrianization efforts. Other general traffic-related emissions have also declined considerably at the tip of the Historic Peninsula, in Sultanahmet, and along transit stations closed to vehicles.
Meanwhile, the residential area in the Northeast of the Historic Peninsula—which has not been pedestrianized—has experienced little or no reduction in traffic-related emissions, demonstrating clearly the effect of pedestrianization on local air quality.
Next Steps: Enforcement and Integrated Planning
Pedestrianizing Istanbul’s streets has proven to be a key strategy for improving local air quality and public health. While the city has made significant progress in making the district more people-centered, there is still need for more work:
A comprehensive, long-term transport plan should be prepared that establishes a congestion charging program in the Historic Peninsula. Once constructed, the program will create a low-emissions zone to regulate traffic entering the peninsula.
Improve enforcement of existing provisions to ensure that pedestrianized streets remain pedestrian-friendly.
Traffic calming measures should be complemented by an integrated and efficient mass transport system with a high carrying capacity.
Cycling infrastructure should be integrated with other
travel modes, such as mass transport or walking.
The benefits of these recommendations are not limited to air quality. These measures can reduce noise pollution and create additional advantages, such as improved pedestrian safety, transport access, and quality of life. It’s critical that city leaders in Istanbul and beyond recognize the success that pedestrianization can have on urban communities and continue to support walkable, people-oriented streets.
To read the report and learn more about the effect of pedestrianization on Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula, click here.
Reforming Transport in Cities: Cleaner Air, Fewer Emissions
China’s Pedestrianization: Reviving a Tradition of Walking for Healthier Cities
How Istanbul Is Improving Public Health by Designing for Cycling
Tags: congestion charging, EMBARQ Turkey, emissions, Istanbul, road safety, Tuğçe Üzümoğlu, Turkey
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The Conservative Brief
Omar Shares New Take on 9/11
Gabrielle Seunagal
Earlier this year, House Rep. Ilhan Omar generated immense criticism after casually referring to 9/11 as “some people did something.” Many people understandably called out Omar for making such a cavalier statement about a massive tragedy which forever changed the United States of America. The congresswoman has also made a series of other concerning statements regarding Israel and U.S. politicians allegedly being paid to support Israel.
Yesterday, on the 18th anniversary of 9/11, Omar spoke out about 9/11 once again via Twitter. Omar claimed that 9/11 served as an “attack on all of us.” The congresswoman then allegedly that she will be the one to “fight” for first responders and families who have suffered as a result of the tragedy which she dismissed as “some people did something.”
Reviewing Omar’s Updated Thoughts on 9/11
Yesterday, Omar took to Twitter to share views on 9/11 which are more in alignment with those of decent individuals. In the following tweet, Omar referred to 9/11 as an attack on everyone, a tone of seriousness which conflicts which her previous, nonchalant attitudes towards 9/11.
September 11th was an attack on all of us.
We will never forget the thousands of Americans who lost their lives in the largest terror attack on U.S. soil.
I will continue to fight to make sure we care for the first responders and families who lost loved ones. #NeverForget
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) September 11, 2019
If Omar was attempting to somehow get in the good graces of people she’s previously offended, it didn’t really work. After making the above tweet about 9/11, Omar was called out for her previous mockery of Americans who are fearful of Al Qaeda. This mockery is something which Omar declined to respond to or explain during her time on Twitter.
No @IlhanMN Omar, the September 11 attack was on us, not on you.
Your people declared war on us and today you epitomize those who celebrated the jihadi attack. Stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Don't u have better things to attend to? Like brotherly love? https://t.co/6GooS2JGAO
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) September 12, 2019
On the 18th Anniversary of 9/11, Somali-born Hijabi congresswoman @IlhanMN Omar mocks and laughs at the anger of Americans towards #AlQaeda. pic.twitter.com/VGAo7SwFjH
Omar has been repeatedly called out for her previous concerning statements. One tweet about 9/11 which appears to be heartfelt does not erase a pattern of dismissive and problematic attitudes towards Americans and U.S. values.
It’s also worth noting that in the same context which Omar branded 9/11 as “some people did something,” she also called to “raise hell” and “make people uncomfortable.” The congresswoman repeatedly makes anti-American statements and then she wonders why people claim that she hates the United States.
What do you think about Ilhan Omar’s statements on 9/11? Sound off in the comments section below!
More First Responders Say NO to COVID-19 Vaccine
Trump to Host Final Farewell Event on Wednesday
New Poll Sheds Light on Capitol Hill Riots, Trump Presidency
© The Conservative Brief. All Rights Reserved.
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rumor alert Sept. 14, 2011
Kanye West Said to Have an Official Time Slot at Paris Fashion Week
Kanye West. Photo: Andrew H. Walker/2011 Getty Images
Kanye West will reportedly debut his womenswear collection during Paris Fashion Week at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1. The news was broken by Harper’s Bazaar Australia, considered a good source on the matter since a member of their staff, fashion editor Christine Centenera, is one of Kanye’s collaborators. The location hasn’t been revealed and the show isn’t on the official Paris calendar, but the Harper’s Bazaar item assures that it’ll be “larger than life.” What’s more, Carine Roitfeld is excited about it. “I know very well Kanye and I know he’s very good in fashion,” she told Styleite yesterday. “He know’s everything about fashion. He could teach fashion. I’m very curious. And I’ll be there — if there’s a show, I will be there, certainly.”
KANYE WEST WILL PRESENT HIS S/S 12 COLLECTION AT PARIS FASHION WEEK [Harper’s Bazaar Australia]
Carine Roitfeld On Kanye: ‘He Knows Everything
He Could Teach Fashion’ [Styleite]
rumor alert
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Three Ways to Fight Anxiety on a Long and Scary Election Day
By Jesse Singal
Photo: Fuse/Corbis/Getty Images
For anyone who cares about the future of the country, today is going to be a really long, anxious day. And there’s going to be a sense of impotence, too: Between now and when the first states are called, there just won’t be much news to consume, politics-wise. Today will consist of a lot of sitting around, pretending to work (if you are an office drone), and endlessly checking the news for nuggets that don’t actually mean anything, since it’s going to take a long time for any substantive numbers to come in.
So instead of falling into an endless wait-refresh, wait-refresh cycle, why not dabble in some anxiety-management techniques? Below are a few ideas. The third is a bit climate dependent, but the other two can be done by anyone who can steal the three minutes it takes to get a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom.
1. If you already meditate, set a time (or multiple times) on your calendar app to meditate during the day tomorrow. If not, try meditation lite. In March I wrote about how, flustered by my inability to do even the most basic forms of meditation on a consistent basis, I tried a stripped-down version. Basically, I only worried about taking deep breaths and counting out 25 deep breathes. I didn’t worry about what popped into my head, didn’t try to become more sensitive to my bodily sensations, or any of that — I just breathed and counted.
I found I felt way calmer at the end of each session. And there was none of that “Ugh, I’m not doing that right” feeling that had dogged my attempts at “real” meditation, when I shifted around too much or couldn’t clear my mind or whatever. With meditation lite, all you have to do is count and breathe and not worry about anything else. You will feel calmer at the end, because our bodies have physiological responses to those long, slow breaths.
2. Try a mind-set-intervention writing exercise. Mind-set interventions, summed up in this Science of Us article about how Olympic athletes manage their stress, start from a basic premise: Stress isn’t always bad for you. In fact, if you can harness it, it can make you a better, stronger person. The first step is to simply realize that feeling anxious can be a normal, adaptive response.
One way to harness your stress is through a brief writing exercise connecting your anxiety to your sense of who you are. Take five or ten minutes, or however much time you can spare, and write a bit about the anxiety you’re feeling. Specifically, write about how this election and your preference for who wins, taps into who you are as a person: what your values are, what matters to you, and so on. For example, I’m concerned about the country’s treatment of immigrants, who I think deserve respect and opportunity, so I’m really worried that the outcome of today’s election will make life worse for them. You might find your anxiety no longer feels like some menacing, free-floating symptoms — rather, it’s a reflection back at you of who you are and what you believe. There’s a lot at stake, it’s okay to be anxious, and that anxiety can only make you stronger.
3. If you’re in one of the country’s cooler regions, revel in the Norwegian word for coziness, and find yourself a few minutes of it. Almost exactly a year ago, Melissa Dahl wrote about koselig, a Norwegian word that doesn’t translate directly to English but which basically means coziness. As Dahl wrote, the Norwegians take wintertime koselig very seriously — to them, “winter becomes a kinder, cozier season, one that’s not meant to be dreaded, because it comes with its own perks: skiing, bundled-up walks, an excuse to drink hot chocolate whenever the mood strikes.” This might explain why Norwegians have lower rates of depression than one would expect, given their extreme climate and long, dark winters.
So if you’re in a koselig-friendly place, try to escape for a few minutes to go someplace cozy, whether a coffee shop or a park you like, and just relax for a few minutes, embracing the coziness. Turn your phone off and don’t think about the election. Just be. One way or the other, all this uncertainty will be over soon.
mindset intervention
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How Maurice Tomlinson Was Outed in Jamaica—and Forced Into Exile
PERVASIVE HOMOPHOBIA
Jamaican HIV activist Maurice Tomlinson, who’ll deliver the opening address at this week’s Quorum event, thought he was safe, until a newspaper outed him as gay—and forced him to flee.
Jay Michaelson
Updated Jul. 12, 2017 7:16PM ET / Published Dec. 09, 2014 5:45AM ET
Gilbert Bellamy/Reuters
Academics are used to feeling safe. Around the world, they are held in high esteem, paid professional wages, and often granted tenure in their jobs. They are elites, in short, even though they make less money and wield less power than others of that designation.
Perhaps this is why, when academics’ lives are threatened, we react with such surprise. Think of David Gelertner, the Yale professor targeted by the Unabomber, or more recently the UNC professor who received death threats for exposing her university’s athletes’ low reading levels. Or think of Maurice Tomlinson, a gay Jamaican law professor who fled his country after news of his marriage prompted death threats. Now living and teaching in Toronto, Tomlinson is in New York this week to deliver the opening address at the Quorum: Global LGBT Voices event presented by The Daily Beast.
“I felt incredibly vulnerable and alone,” Tomlinson said of his reasons for leaving his home country. “But I was also worried about my mother, who is ill. I was torn. Both my mother and I felt that I had to leave, but we are very close and saw each other every day. I was more concerned about how the sudden separation would impact her health.”
But Tomlinson had no choice—the threats he was receiving were credible, especially after one of his own students published his class schedule online. Jamaica is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be gay. According to a report released in October by Human Rights Watch, there were 231 attacks against LGBT people from 2009 to 2012—in a country with a population of 2.7 million, roughly equal to Houston.
Even more troubling, says Tomlinson, are the pervasive cultural and religious attitudes against LGBT people. The website Murder Inna Dancehall catalogs 207 dancehall songs with violently anti-gay lyrics. We’re not just talking about a couple of F-words here. The song title “Batty Man Fi Dead,” for example, means “All Faggots Should Be Killed.” And the Jamaica Observer routinely runs hideous cartoons about gay people and incites violence against them.
Religion is the second toxic ingredient, says Tomlinson. “Most Jamaicans are religious and belong to fundamentalist Christian denominations,” he said. “These extremist groups and their Global North allies engage in aggressive vilification of same-gender relationships. They claim that homosexuals are an abomination which has poisoned the minds of Jamaicans, with the most devastating result being that parents have thrown their LGBT kids out as young as 10 years old.”
The effect is political, as well. “The religious groups have recently launched a voter registration campaign and threaten to vote out any politician who supports decriminalizing same-gender intimacy,” Tomlinson said.
The Jamaican Coalition for a Healthy Society and Jamaica CAUSE (Churches Action Uniting Society for Emancipation) are two such organizations. They are funded largely by American conservatives—as well as by the local poultry brand The Best Dressed Chicken (think of the anti-gay Chick-fil-A on steroids). Yet they put themselves forward as defenders of traditional Jamaican values—which apparently are colonial ones—and by now have drawn many local preachers to the anti-gay cause. It doesn’t hurt that the pay is good.
Now it’s one thing to write about the forms of Jamaican homophobia from a comfortable office in New York, as I’m doing right now. It’s quite another to be outed publicly and threatened with violence. That’s when Tomlinson says he really understood that he, too, was vulnerable.
“Before 2011 I always saw my activism for LGBTI rights in mostly academic terms,” he said. “I occasionally received death threats for my activism, but after my marriage was made public, the threats increased in intensity and ferocity. It appears that I had crossed a line...I was petrified. I suddenly realized that, in the eyes of most Jamaicans, I was as [much of] a ‘freak’ as all the other gays who had suffered violence.”
This sense of vulnerability is, of course, even more acute in micro-states like Jamaica. It’s hard to be anonymous on a relatively small island nation, and police in Jamaica do little to protect LGBT people from violence. On the contrary, since homosexuality is still technically illegal, thanks to an 1864 British colonial law against “buggery,” some police blackmail LGBT people and extort money from them.
But exile to Canada—Tomlinson’s husband is Canadian—has hardly slowed his activism. He is a lawyer for AIDS-Free World, which pushes for more active and gay-inclusive policies to combat HIV. He still supports J-FLAG, the Jamaican LGBT organization.
And he has a loud voice. I first became aware of his activism on an international mailing list of LGBT activists and quickly found that he is a rare combination: a commenter who is both frequent and intelligent. He is also a journalist’s dream, since he seems to have his finger on the pulse of all things global and LGBT. He’s won several awards for his work. And now he is in New York, kicking off The Daily Beast’s Quorum event.
“I hope the Quorum resources will highlight the similarities in the challenges facing LGBTI people globally, as well as identify common strategies to challenge this homophobia,” he said. “Finally, I hope we can share concrete actions with those who attend, and want to help in the global LGBTI liberation struggle.”
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Home Sports Sheriff Roberson Going Over the Edge for Shannon
LIFESTYLE - Latest News
Sheriff Roberson Going Over the Edge for Shannon
Sheriff Roberson and Shannon – Courtesy of SONC
RALEIGH, NC – “Shannon is a friend of mine I grew up with in high school,” said Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson. “He has an intellectual disability and has meant a lot to me going through life.
“Shannon always has time for you. He always has an arm to hug you. He laughs at your bad jokes and likes the simple things. Shannon has taught me a lot of leadership lessons in life thinking about how much better the world would be if all of us were more like Shannon.
“I’m going Over the Edge in Raleigh for Shannon and people like Shannon. Once you see the enthusiasm they have in their hearts and the abilities they have, you can’t help but want to help them.”
Sheriff Roberson will step Over the Edge and rappel Raleigh’s 30-story Wells Fargo Capitol Center on Sat., Sept. 30, 2017. Up to 200 thrill-seekers have the opportunity to participate in this 8th annual event, a key fund-raiser for Special Olympics North Carolina. Registration is now open with prime-time slots selected by the quickest fundraisers. www.overtheedgenc.com
“I’ve rappelled about 50 to 75 feet before, but never a 30-story building. I don’t think it’s for the faint at heart,” said Sheriff Roberson. “If you don’t want sign up and do it, you can go online and support an individual or team, or even become a volunteer for Special Olympics.”
Going Over the Edge of Raleigh’s 30-story Wells Fargo Capitol Center
Sheriff Roberson is one of the thousands of law enforcement officers in North Carolina actively raising critical funds for Special Olympics programs including The Summer Games, The Fall Tournament, Polar Plunge, Truck Convoy for Special Olympics, The Plane Pull, Torch Run, and Over the Edge.
“I think if you’re service oriented or you have a servant’s heart, you want to help people,” said Sheriff Roberson. “I think that’s the reason most of them [law enforcement] get into Special Olympics, because of their heart.”
Roberson, appointed Sheriff in Chatham County in 2016, wants to get high school students involved in Special Olympics. “You build support and create positive peer pressure, then bullying will be pushed aside,” said Roberson.
“Special Olympics is a looking glass, an example to everyone around the world of how people with intellectual disabilities can and should be included in all aspects of their communities,” said Keith Fishburne, President and CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics and organized the first International Games in Chicago in 1968. Six athletes from North Carolina were among the participants. Special Olympics will return to Chicago and celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2018.
Special Olympics North Carolina provides year-round sports training and competition for nearly 40,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Athletes train and compete on local and state levels in 19 sports, providing motivation, building self-esteem, and creating opportunities for success.
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'Displacement' on the Silk Road
By Alexander Winning
A Hare Krishna sits on the remains of a community center in Kazakhstan.
Moscow's Museum of Modern Art is currently hosting "Displacement," an exhibit by New York-based Italian photographer Giada Ripa that offers a glimpse of the diversity across the former Soviet Union and a narrative on travel and identity.
Two photo series, "Beyond the Oil Route" and "Falling Icons," make up the exhibit, the first an attempt to shed light on the lives of different ethnic and religious groups living in oil-rich countries along the former Silk Road, and the second the artist's exploration of her own identity in different landscapes.
"This is the first time these two works have been shown together; they appear to have very different visual language, but come from a similar source," Ripa told The Moscow Times in an interview.
This diverse show is the latest in a series of events associated with the Russian-Italian year of culture. But, in contrast to the Caravaggio exhibition currently on display at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, it is something of a hidden gem. Its debut in Moscow has been accompanied by little fanfare, and its staging at MMoMA brings out the intimate feel of its subject matter.
"Beyond the Oil Route" is distinguished by its sensitive character portraits and the signs of fast-paced change that it points to in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Shot over the last seven years, it captures people in everyday poses — whether at the market, on the steppe or at home — and has a special focus on displaced minority groups living along the former Silk Road, now sometimes known as the Oil Route.
A particularly poignant moment is captured in 2007 in Seleskia, Kazakhstan, where a Hare Krishna sits amid rubble. Kazakh authorities had ruled that the land on which the local Hare Krishna community center was built was not legally registered and demolished it.
In another of Ripa's photographs, the viewer is shown inside the home of the leader of the Molokan Orthodox Christian community in Ivanovka, Azerbaijan, a mountain village where Soviet-style cooperative ownership of land and sectarian beliefs still hold sway.
"Most of the Western world, through the media, hears about Xinjiang, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan through economical and financial terms often referring to the oil business. But very few are aware of who inhabits these lands and of the multicultural face that exists beyond this once highly trafficked area that linked the Asian world to the old continent," Ripa said.
In contrast, the second series, "Falling Icons," is marked by introspection and experimentation.
Here we see Ripa lost in sweeping landscapes and dwarfed by the towering structures she encounters. She rarely appears at the center of the image — at times she is falling in a diagonal pose with her face obscured, at others no more than a blur.
In one large-scale photograph, Ripa is seen falling at the water's edge by the Nurek Dam in Tajikistan, the tallest such construction in the world. Her diminutive form, with its even smaller shadow, is overwhelmed by the scale of the boulders, mass of water and soaring mountains that frame the edge of the picture.
In this way, "Giada Ripa tells a story of solitary freedom through the places she visits in continuous pursuit of herself," said Maddalena d'Alfonso, a member of the curatorial team for the show.
"Displacement" runs till Jan. 22 at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 9 Tverskoi Bulvar. Metro Tverskaya. Phone: 231-4410. www.mmoma.ru
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Cultural life came to a standstill last year, but this year arts lovers may get a double dose of culture.
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1072 Autumn Tree Ln
Natures Hammock
© 2021 Northeast Florida Multiple Listing Service, Inc.
Downtown St. Augustine
Vilano Beach
St. Augustine Shores
The Newcomer Group is North East Florida's most innovative real estate team.
2225 A1A South Suite B7, St. Augustine, FL 32080
© 2021 Northeast Florida Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of the Northeast Florida Multiple Listing Service, Inc. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than The Newcomer Group | Ancient City Real Estate are marked with the listing broker’s name and detailed information about such listings includes the name of the listing brokers. Data provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. Data last updated 2021-01-17T23:23:53.47.
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Moderate Extremism: Fantasy and Reality in Modern British Politics
July 27, 2015 /47 Comments/in British Politics, Featured Articles /by Tobias Langdon
Let’s play “Spot the Difference.” Here are some beliefs held by dangerous Islamist extremists:
∙ Islam is the one true faith and should tolerate no competition or criticism.
∙ Muslims who abandon their faith should be executed.
∙ Anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) should be executed.
∙ Homosexuality is an abomination and homosexuals should be executed.
∙ Jews are malevolent Islamophobes who want to rule the world.
∙ Men are masters over women and must keep them firmly in their place.
∙ Muslims are superior to non-Muslims and may exploit them as they see fit.
And here are some beliefs held by moderate mainstream Muslims:
Can you spot any differences? Me neither. The beliefs of Islamist extremists look identical to the beliefs of mainstream Muslims. But British politicians have to pretend otherwise. David Cameron has just made a speech about countering the “extremism” that threatens the vibrancy of Brave New Britain. Here he is describing the United Kommunity:
Over generations, we have built something extraordinary in Britain – a successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy. It’s open, diverse, welcoming – these characteristics are as British as queuing and talking about the weather. It is here in Britain where different people, from different backgrounds, who follow different religions and different customs don’t just rub alongside each other but are relatives and friends; husbands, wives, cousins, neighbours and colleagues. (David Cameron’s speech on counter-extremism, 20th July 2015)
That was the fantasy. Later in the speech Cameron contradicted himself by admitting the reality:
Indeed, there is a danger in some of our communities that you can go your whole life and have little to do with people from other faiths and backgrounds. … It cannot be right, for example, that people can grow up and go to school and hardly ever come into meaningful contact with people from other backgrounds and faiths. That doesn’t foster a sense of shared belonging and understanding – it can drive people apart. … Areas of cities and towns like Bradford or Oldham [heavily enriched with Muslims] continue to be some of the most segregated parts of our country. (David Cameron’s speech)
So first Cameron claims that we’ve built “a successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy”, then he admits that in some “communities … you can go your whole life and have little to do with people from other faiths and backgrounds.” That’s a funny kind of success, isn’t it?
Democracy, Freedom and FGM
Here is some more of Cameron’s fantasizing:
We have, in our country, a very clear creed and we need to promote it much more confidently. Wherever we are from, whatever our background, whatever our religion, there are things we share together. We are all British. We respect democracy and the rule of law. We believe in freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of worship, equal rights regardless of race, sex, sexuality or faith. (David Cameron’s speech)
Got that? People in Britain are all British, which means they all believe in democracy, freedom and equal rights for everyone. Again, Cameron went on to contradict himself by admitting the reality:
It sickens me to think that there were nearly 4,000 cases of FGM [female genital mutilation] reported in our country last year alone. Four thousand cases; think about that. And 11,000 cases of so called honour-based violence over the last five years – and that’s just the reported cases.
We need more co-ordinated efforts to drive this out of our society. More prosecutions. No more turning a blind eye on the false basis of cultural sensitivities. … So I am glad we have gone further than any government in tackling these appalling crimes. And we are keeping up the pressure on cultural practices that can run directly counter to these vital values.
That’s why the Home Secretary has already announced a review of sharia courts. It’s why we have said we will toughen the regulations so schools have to report children who go missing from school rolls mid-year – some of whom, we fear, may be being forced into marriage. … There are other examples of this passive tolerance of practices running totally contrary to our values. The failure of social services, the police and local authorities, to deal with child sex abuse in places like Rotherham was frankly unforgiveable.
And look what happened in Tower Hamlets, in the heart of our capital city. We had political corruption on an epic scale: with voters intimidated and a court adjudicating on accusations of ‘undue spiritual influence’ for the first time since the 19th century. As the judge said: those in authority were too afraid to ‘confront wrongdoing for fear of allegations of racism’. (David Cameron’s speech)
Note that Cameron doesn’t name the “community” whose “cultural practices” are running “directly counter to these vital values” that all we British folk passionately believe in. It is of course the Muslim community. Now, because Muslims live in Britain, they’re British, which means – according to Cameron – that they all believe in democracy, freedom and equal rights. However, some mysterious force prevents them putting their beliefs into practice. Instead, they mutilate their daughters by the thousand, rape under-age White girls decade after decade, and create “political corruption on an epic scale.”
Stripping the mask from Islamic State
If that’s what a “successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy” looks like, I’d hate to see an unsuccessful one. Note also that none of the above – the genital mutilation, the honour killings, the forced marriages, the mass rape, the political corruption – is carried out by “extremists.” All of it is standard practice among huge numbers of Muslims and all of it existed long before Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. So Cameron’s speech wasn’t simply about countering Islamist extremism: it was about countering the pathologies of mainstream Islam.
But how is he planning to defeat the extremists? He’s going to shine a bright light on some previously little-known aspects of their behaviour:
Let’s not forget our strongest weapon: our own liberal values. We should expose their extremism for what it is – a belief system that glorifies violence and subjugates its people – not least Muslim people. (David Cameron’s speech)
You see? We have to “expose” the “belief system” of Islamic State for it really is. Hitherto, they’ve concealed their glorification of violence by filming beheadings and then broadcasting them to the world over the internet. Cameron wants to strip that cunning and deceitful mask away. He wants “vulnerable” British Muslims to realize that Islamic State are not as warm and cuddly as their decapitation and incineration videos might make them appear. He doesn’t want more of our precious young folk lured to Syria or Iraq by sugar-coated propaganda that conceals the truth about Islamic State behind images of severed heads and sex-slave markets.
And he’s confident that exposing Islamic State as glorifiers of violence will help us to victory over extremism:
So this is how I believe we can win the struggle of our generation. Countering the extremist ideology by standing up and promoting our shared British values. Taking on extremism in all its forms – both violent and non-violent. Empowering those moderate and reforming voices who speak for the vast majority of Muslims that want to reclaim their religion. And addressing the identity crisis that some young people feel by bringing our communities together and extending opportunity to all. (David Cameron’s speech)
I’m puzzled by those claims. If “moderate and reforming voices” speak for the “vast majority of Muslims” in Britain, why do the voices need “empowering”? Why does Islam need “reclaiming”? Why is there an “identity crisis”? Why do “communities” need “bringing together”?
In fact, Cameron is again contradicting himself. His fantasies about the “vast majority” of Muslims in Britain have no connection with the reality. A poll of British adults by the Mirror showed that 1.5 million identified themselves as supporters of “the brutal so-called Islamic State.” Given that non-Muslim Brits overwhelmingly oppose ISIS and that there are 3 million Muslims in Britain, this suggests that around half of Britain’s Muslims support ISIS.
But, staggeringly, the poll of 2,016 British adults taken over the weekend [4th-5th July 2015] also found that support for the terror group [Islamic State / Isis] was up by 2%, to 9%. It found that 3% have a “very favourable view”, up 1% from a year ago – suggesting that around half of Britain’s three million Muslims could be ISIS sympathisers. Another 6% admitted having a “somewhat favourable” view, up from five per cent last year.
Omer El-Hamdoon, president of the Muslim Association of Britain, said: “Any numbers which favour ISIS are worrying. The reasons will no doubt be varied. One reason may be due to the perception that ISIS represents an opponent to the West and those who are dissatisfied or disenfranchised with the new Tory policies – of further cuts and civil rights strangulation – are using this anonymous platform to express their frustration.” (Muslim leader: ‘ISIS-supporting Brits may be disenfranchised by Tory cuts,’ The Daily Mirror, 7th July 2015)
Heretics and non-Muslims
With figures like those, Cameron may not find it so easy to harness British Muslims’ passion for democracy, freedom and equal rights after all. But his clever strategy against extremism involves more than exposure of Islamic State’s violent side. He’s also appointed the Tory peer Tariq Ahmad as “Minister for Countering Extremism.” Lord Ahmad is of Pakistani Muslim heritage, so he’ll surely be welcomed with open arms by his fellow British Muslims.
Or will he? You see, there is a slight problem. Lord Ahmad actually belongs to a Muslim sect called the Ahmadiyya or Ahmadis. This will mean nothing to most non-Muslims, so imagine a Muslim government creating a Ministry of Christian affairs and then putting a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness in charge of it. Would Catholics and Protestants recognize him as a fellow Christian? I don’t think so. The attitude of mainstream Muslims to Ahmadis is even less positive:
[I]n a number of Islamic countries, especially Sunni-dominated nations, Ahmadis have been considered heretics and non-Muslim, and subjected to persecution and systematic oppression. Ahmadis are declared as Non-Muslims and further deprived of religious rights in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and Ordinance XX. Hundreds of Ahmadis were killed in the 1953 Lahore riots, 1974 Anti-Ahmadiyya riots and May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore. …
With one million Ahmadis in Pakistan, persecution of Ahmadis has been particularly severe and systematic in Pakistan, which is the only state to have officially declared the Ahmadis non-Muslims. Here they are prohibited by law from self-identifying as Muslims, and their freedom of religion has been curtailed by a series of ordinances, acts and constitutional amendments. … As a result, persecution and hate-related incidents are constantly reported from different parts of the country, and Ahmadis have been the target of many attacks led by various religious groups. Madrasahs of all sects of Islam in Pakistan prescribe reading materials for their students specifically targeted at refuting Ahmadiyya beliefs. (Persecution of Ahmadis, Wikipedia)
The theoretical physicist Abdus Salam won a Nobel Prize for Pakistan in 1979. The Muslim world has very few modern achievements in science and technology, but Pakistan doesn’t celebrate its only Nobel laureate in science. Why not? Because Salam was an Ahmadi. In the light of such hostility to Ahmadis, Tariq Ahmad’s appointment as as Minister for Countering Extremism looks rather like a deliberate insult to me. However, Britain’s vibrant Muslim communities can hardly complain or they’ll expose themselves for the bigots that they really are.
But there’s more to Ahmad’s appointment than his membership of a heretical sect. Just like Sajid Javid, the Judaeo-sycophantic Tory I discussed in “Betraying Your Own,” Ahmad made his fortune in finance, working for companies like AllianceBernstein (sic). In other words, like Sajid Javid and David Cameron himself, Tariq Ahmad is certified kosher. He made his money in a Jewish milieu and is guaranteed not to challenge the Jewish interests that run the Conservative party. This is another reason for mainstream Muslims in Britain to reject him, because “anti-Semitism” is something else that unites Islamist extremists and mainstream Muslims. Cameron referred to it here:
It [radicalization] may begin with hearing about the so-called Jewish conspiracy and then develop into hostility to the West and fundamental liberal values, before finally becoming a cultish attachment to death. Put another way, the extremist world view is the gateway, and violence is the ultimate destination. (David Cameron’s speech)
His Master’s Voice
So if you hold “extremist” views about Jewish influence on politics and culture, you are heading inevitably towards violence. Where have I heard that line before? It was earlier this year:
Before now, in an attempt to stay true to liberal democratic tradition, the UK, and other European states have dogmatically, remained tolerant of the intolerant. They have allowed people to incite hate and to further radicalism, in the misguided and dangerous belief that freedom of speech is sacrosanct – whatever the cost. Radicalism may start with speech, but it does not end with speech alone. Speech invariably turns to violence, as we have seen across Europe and the world this year – against Jews and against many other law-abiding citizens. (Britain is too tolerant of the intolerant, The Daily Telegraph, 13th May 2015)
Those are the words of Moshe Kantor, the ugly-art-loving, Christianity-hating Russian billionaire who heads the European Jewish Congress (EJC). Kantor has just signed the disgusting traitor Tony Blair up as chairman of the Orwellian “European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation,” but it’s obvious that his money and connections have brought him control over David Cameron too.
I make that claim as a member of what Cameron calls the “despicable” and “poisonous” “far right.” It’s not at all poisonous, apparently, to import millions of Third Worlders into Britain who practise suicide-bombing, public beheading, child-rape, genital mutilation, honour-killings, forced marriage and “political corruption on an epic scale.” No, all that’s healthy for the country and something to be celebrated. But if you discuss the role of Britain’s vibrant Jewish community in this enrichment from the Third World, you’re a poisonous and despicable extremist.
The lies of the hostile elite
Well, the cap fits, so I’ll just have to wear it. It’s not an argument to call an opinion “despicable,” “poisonous” or “extremist.” It’s a rhetorical evasion. For example, I claim that British politics are controlled for the worse by Jewish interests and Jewish money. I can back that claim with copious evidence, from the huge over-representation of Jews among the Tory elite to the central role of Labour’s Greville Janner in the current establishment sex abuse scandal. Put aside the question of whether Janner is guilty. That remains uncertain, despite the many accusations against him. What is not uncertain is this: on the government’s own admission he should have been prosecuted many years ago.
Quite clearly there was a long-lasting conspiracy at the highest levels to keep Janner out of the dock. Are we supposed to believe that the conspiracy had no connection with Janner’s Jewish identity and role as a prominent Zionist and Holocaust campaigner? Like the rest of Britain’s current political class, Cameron doesn’t care in the slightest about the suffering inflicted by Muslims on ordinary British Whites. He’s now using Muslim pathologies to justify further assaults on free speech and further surveillance of the entire British population. The same hostile elite that caused the disease are now offering to cure it by gutting traditional British liberties.
As ever, the hostile elite are lying. It isn’t “extremist” to believe that Muslims are a curse on any nation that hosts them or that David Cameron is a lying traitor whose only thought is to serve Jewish interests. It’s a sane and accurate reading of modern British politics. That’s precisely why Moshe Kantor and his minion Cameron want those who express such beliefs to go to jail. If they could win the argument, they would. They can’t, so they want to silence dissent by force. That’s what Cameron means by “liberal values”: the hardcore communism under which Moshe Kantor was born and which he now wants to impose on the whole of Europe.
https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TOO-Full-Logo-660x156-1.png 0 0 Tobias Langdon https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TOO-Full-Logo-660x156-1.png Tobias Langdon2015-07-27 07:35:002015-08-13 15:09:30Moderate Extremism: Fantasy and Reality in Modern British Politics
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OPERATION: Operation is a documentary short film chronicling the classic American story of John Spinello, the inventor of the board game Operation, who after striking a raw deal to sell the patent to the game for $500 and forfeiting his rights to royalties, saw the game go on to sell 45 million copies. This is the story of how John’s broken heart was mended after learning that the game he invented has touched many more people, in many more ways than he ever could have imagined. OPERATION: Operation is available for purchase and to rent at www.gumroad.com/theplaymakers
© 2016 One Fry Light Productions
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Ancient canal to draw tourists to Ephesus
Posted in Property News On Dec 17, 2018
With the completion of a canal project in the ancient city of Ephesus in the Aegean province of İzmir, the region is expected to welcome 10 million tourists a year.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, the mayor of the Aegean district of Selçuk, Zeynel Bakıcı, said the project was created to connect the 8,500-year-old ancient city of Ephesus with the sea. The first tender for the project has already been held.
The ancient city of Ephesus, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a splendid port city in the past, said Bakıcı, adding that over time the front part was covered with alluvial and the distance between the sea and land had reached six kilometers.
He said that the Ancient Canal Project had been prepared to revive the ancient city of Ephesus, which has a great importance in terms of world history and tourism, and that the construction site was delivered to the winning company after the tender.
Bakıcı said that within the framework of the project, which is implemented with the support of the Presidency, Turkish Parliament and the ministries, the six-kilometer canal will be reopened and Ephesus and the sea will meet again.
Stating that boats will pass through the canal, Bakıcı said, “You can think of this place as a museum. People will be able to witness all these beauties when they come here.”
He said they discussed the issue with Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli and machines will soon start working here.
The project will become world-famous, Bakıcı said.
“The end date and cost of the comprehensive project will bedetermined in the process. Money will be gradually transferred to the project.History will be revived there. This is a great contribution to both our countryand humanity. People will be able to travel again under the conditions of thepast. There will be a breakwater here. After the completion of the AncientCanal Project, the ships will be able to travel to Ephesus by boats fromPamucak. We expect an increase in the number of tourists. We think that thenumber of tourists, which is 3 million today, will reach 10 million
The contract for the first stage of the project was signed on March 1 for 35 million Turkish Liras. In the project, the teams will enter the 6,130-meter-long historical canal from the sea, and the expansion and clearance works will be done by amphibious vehicles.
The depth of the 30-meter-wide canal will be five meters. In addition, a highway bridge will be built on the entrance canal in the first stage.
To ensure the access of the yachts, a 600-meter-long and 30-meter-wide entrance channel and a breakwater in the Pamucak beach will be built. The yacht harbor, which will provide short-term parking for boats, will have a length of 250 meters and a width of 100 meters.
In the first phase, 620 piles will be constructed in the area, which is a protected natural site. The walls of the entrance channel will be covered with local stone rectangular blocks in accordance with the historical texture.
In the second phase of the project, cleaning works will be carried out in the part of Ephesus ancient city. The port will be rearranged to the original. One of the gates to the city will be moved to the port.
As in the most glorious period of Ephesus, visitors to the city will enter the port and see the impressive view of the theater when walking on the street.
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #2) (Paperback)
By C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)
This is book number 2 in the Chronicles of Narnia series.
#1: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia #1) (Paperback): $8.99
#3: The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia #3) (Paperback): $8.99
#4: Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia #4) (Paperback): $8.99
#5: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia #5) (Paperback): $8.99
#6: The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia #6) (Paperback): $8.99
#7: The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia #7) (Paperback): $8.99
Don’t miss one of America’s top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS’s The Great American Read.
A beautiful paperback edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, book two in the classic fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition features cover art by three-time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator David Wiesner and interior black-and-white illustrations by the series' original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.
Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.
Open the door and enter a new world! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, which has been captivating readers of all ages with a magical land and unforgettable characters for over sixty years.
This is a stand-alone read, but if you would like to discover more about Narnia, pick up The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.
Pauline Baynes has produced hundreds of wonderful illustrations for the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia. In 1968 she was awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for her outstanding contribution to children's literature.
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2008
Series: Chronicles of Narnia
Maximum Age: UP
Maximum Grade Level: UP
Juvenile Fiction / Classics
Paperback (March 5th, 2002): $8.99
Paperback$16.84
Paperback (Armenian) (July 1st, 2017): $20.25
Paperback (April 11th, 2020): $24.64
Hardcover (September 21st, 2004): $17.99
Compact Disc (May 1st, 2015): $15.99
Prebound (March 5th, 2002): $19.80
CD-Audio (November 19th, 2013): $9.99
Paperback (October 25th, 2005): $16.99
Prebound (July 1st, 1994): $18.40
Paperback (September 1st, 2009): $13.25
Hardcover (October 1st, 2005): $15.99
Hardcover (March 1st, 1983): $14.99
Paperback (May 8th, 2001): $10.75
Compact Disc (April 24th, 2007): $14.97
Paperback (September 1st, 2005): $7.99
Paperback (May 1st, 2005): $10.95
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'Dynasties': David Attenborough's Wildlife Series Is a Whole New Species of Drama
Christina Gables January 17, 2019, 6:00 pm
Screengrab Courtesy of BBC America
In Dynasties, veteran environmentalist David Attenborough tells the unique and emotional stories of some of the greatest families in nature. Five of the most celebrated and endangered families are followed at a crucial moment in their lives where the future of their legacy hangs in the balance.
The Dynasties series focuses in detail on one particular family member each week. The first episode (Saturday, January 19) highlights the immense difficulties of leadership and the relentless determination of a West African lion on the savannahs of Kenya’s Masai Mara.
Screengrab/BBC America
Followed by the intense stories of a chimpanzee’s control for dominance on the edge of the Sahara in Senegal, an Emperor penguin nurturing a "snowball" egg in Antarctica, painted wolves harrowing escape from predators on the floodplains of the great Zambezi river and a tigress’ search for a den to secret her cubs in the jungles of India.
Sir David Attenborough's 'Dynasties' Looks at 5 Endangered Species at a 'Crucial Moment'
One of the filmmakers recounts the steps taken to capture footage for the five-part series.
BBC Studios' Natural History Unit, who lived for four years amongst them, has captured the most intimate stories, recording as they play politics, fight battles, make alliances, launch take-overs, battle rivals and win family feuds.
These animals also face changes to their environment and destruction of their ecosystems from man’s encroachment on their habitat. Through it all, each is determined to hold onto power and protect their family, their territory and their dynasty.
Dynasties, Premieres Saturday, January 19, 9/8c, BBC America, AMC, IFC and SundanceTV
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NBC Renews ‘The Carmichael Show’ For Second Season, Cancels ‘Mr Robinson’
By Patrick Munn | September 14, 2015 - 8:05 pm | No Comments
Category : News, US News
Tags : Mr Robinson, NBC, The Carmichael Show
NBC has made calls on their scripted summer series, opting to bring back the very well-received The Carmichael Show for a second season to air in 2016. Additionally, the network has cancelled fellow summer comedy Mr Robinson after one six episode season.
The Carmichael Show explores Jerrod Carmichael’s real life relationships with his contrarian father, therapist-in training girlfriend, ever-hustling brother and religious mother. The series is produced by Universal Television and stars Jerrod Carmichael, Loretta Devine (Boston Public), David Alan Grier (Bad Teacher), Amber West (Criminal Minds) and Lil Rey Howery (Lucas Bros Moving Co).
Mr. Robinson follows the eponymous character who is a talented musician who must adjust to his new life as a middle school music teacher, where he maneuvers precocious kids, teacher politics, and the temptations of single moms. The comedy series, which was initially picked up to series in January 2014, is a co-production between 20th Century Fox Television & Universal Television and stars Craig Robinson, Peri Gilpin and Meagan Good.
Both series were neck and neck in the ratings, with today’s decisions said to have been based in large part on the critical reception, where The Carmichael Show had the edge. Carmichael debuted to more than 4.8 million viewers and across its three-week/six-episode run averaged just over 4 million viewers. Mr Robinson on the other hand launched to 4.6 million viewers and averaged a live+same day audience of 3.9 million viewers.
“We’re extremely proud of The Carmichael Show and Jerrod’s voice and point of view is a breath of fresh air in a comedy series”, said Jennifer Salke, President of Entertainment for NBC. “This show made a big impact with viewers and critics because it’s funny and relatable but also because it’s fearless about discussing issues that are significant in the world today.
Notably, this marks the second time in as many years that NBC has effectively relegated a scripted comedy to a summer burn-off only for it to defy expectations and score a second season renewal. The other was Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel’s Undateable, which returns for a third season of entirely live episodes this October.
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Game Leaderboards
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Ranked by highest recorded viewer count in the last 30 days
Last updated Tue, Dec 22 at 19:29
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UEFA Europa League - Aduriz finishes UEFA Europa League top scorer - News
Aduriz finishes UEFA Europa League top scorer
Aritz Aduriz, the 35-year-old Athletic Club and Spain forward, has become the oldest ever top scorer of a single season in the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League.
Aritz Aduriz takes top scorer prize ©Getty Images
Aritz Aduriz has capped the most productive campaign of his 19-year career by becoming the oldest ever top scorer of a single season in the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League.
The 35-year-old netted ten goals in 11 appearances during Athletic Club's run to the quarter-finals, sufficient to eclipse the likes of Cédric Bakambu, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kevin Gameiro to take the top scorer prize.
He is the oldest ever recipient of the award, bettering Alan Shearer's 2004/05 mark: the ex-England striker was nearing his 34th birthday by the end of Newcastle's campaign that term.
Oldest top-scorers in UEFA's big competitions
Newcastle's Alan Shearer©Getty Images
It caps an incredible season for the veteran, who has surpassed 30 club goals and 50 games for the first time in his career (his previous highs of 26/47 came last term).
Aduriz has also returned to the international fold and in March he collected his second cap more than five years after his first, marking the occasion with a goal. On Tuesday he was named in the holders' UEFA EURO 2016 squad.
The only serious threat to Aduriz's lead before tonight's final was from Gameiro, who needed a hat-trick for Sevilla in Basel to equal his tally. The Frenchman got just one of those, but has climbed to joint-third in the all-time UEFA Europa League rankings.
ALL THE FACTS AND FIGURES FROM THE 2015/16 SEASON
2015/16 top scorers
10 Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Club)
9 Cédric Bakambu (Villarreal)
8 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund)
8 Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla)
6 Raúl Bobadilla (Augsburg)
6 Erik Lamela (Tottenham)
2015/16 top assists
6 Denis Suárez (Villarreal)
5 Bořek Dočkal (Sparta Praha)
4 Five players
Previous UEFA Europa League season top scorers
2014/15: 8 Alan (Salzburg), Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
2013/14: 8 Jonathan Soriano (Salzburg)
2012/13: 8 Libor Kozák (Lazio)
2011/12: 12 Radamel Falcao (Atlético Madrid)
2010/11: 17 Radamel Falcao (Porto)
2009/10: 9 Óscar Cardozo (Benfica), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen)
Competition specialist Rademel Falcao©Getty Images
UEFA Europa League all-time top scorers
30 Radamel Falcao (Porto, Atlético Madrid)
20 Óscar Cardozo (Benfica)
17 Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla, Paris, Strasbourg)
16 Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club, Juventus)
16 Giuseppe Rossi (Parma, Villarreal, Fiorentina)
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League all-time top scorers
31 Henrik Larsson (Feyenoord, Celtic, Helsingborg)
29 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Heerenveen, Ajax, Schalke)
29 Dieter Müller (Köln, Stuttgart, Bordeaux)
25 Alessandro Altobelli (Internazionale Milano, Juventus)
*All statistics are for group stage onwards. Qualifying rounds and play-offs are discounted.
Sevilla out on their own in all-time standings
Sevilla's love affair with the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League shows no sign of abating after a fifth trophy extended their lead at the top of the all-time leaderboard.
Spain go top of all-time competition rankings
Sevilla's victory over Liverpool in Basel was the tenth Spanish success in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, surpassing the all-time record that had been held by Italy.
Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla: the story in photos
UEFA.com had every angle covered in Basel and looks back over a sensational UEFA Europa League final through the photographers' lenses.
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Triston Reece’s mother says murder charge brings her ‘peace’
By Taryn GrantStar Halifax
Fri., Nov. 15, 2019timer1 min. read
updateArticle was updated Nov. 17, 2019
HALIFAX—Police have arrested and charged a 40-year-old man in the murder of 19-year-old Triston Reece, bringing relief to the young victim’s mother.
“I always had faith and knew that God would grant me this peace,” Dale Russell said in an interview.
The accused, Kaz Henry Cox of Halifax, is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 18 to face a first-degree murder charge, according to a Friday afternoon news release from Halifax Regional Police.
Russell said she didn’t know Cox but hoped she would someday have the opportunity to speak to him.
“I need to know why, and today, I don’t know why,” she said.
Russell said she planned to follow Cox through his court proceedings.
“I will be in court Monday morning when he is arraigned and hopefully I will have the opportunity to ask him why.”
Police say Cox was arrested Friday at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth — he was in jail on remand for weapons charges.
Reece was shot on Scot St. in Halifax just after 5:30 p.m. on July 25 and died in hospital shortly after midnight on July 26.
Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said Reece and Cox were known to each other, but wouldn’t elaborate on the nature of their relationship.
Reece was a dedicated football player and was hoping to join Saint Mary’s University’s varsity team this fall. His death shook friends and family in his North End Halifax community.
Police say the investigation into Reece’s murder is ongoing and they believe there are people with information who have yet to come forward.
MacLeod said investigators were “not ruling out that there could be additional charges.”
Last month, Reece’s murder was added to the major unsolved crimes program, which offers $150,000 for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible. Cox’s arrest was not made as a result of that program, according to MacLeod.
Taryn Grant is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on the Nova Scotia legislature. Follow her on Twitter: @tarynalgrant
Nova Scotia, Halifax
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‘A Royal Affair’ Review: Love, Intrigue Make for Danish Delight
Eighteenth-century Denmark is the setting for "A Royal Affair," a compelling tale of love and intrigue in the age of Enlightenment
Leah Rozen | November 8, 2012 @ 3:42 PM Last Updated: November 8, 2012 @ 6:13 PM
It’s always good to be reminded that love, sex and political scandals existed well before our own time. And that when it comes to royals, England’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana weren’t the first to have a rotten marriage.
“A Royal Affair,” a terrific Danish film (with English subtitles), recounts an episode involving blue bloods and political intrigue during the 18th century. It’s a corker of a story that is well known in Denmark — it is taught in school there — but likely will be unfamiliar to most American viewers.
In 1766, Princess Caroline Mathilda (Alicia Vikander), 15, a member of the British royal family, was shipped off to Denmark to marry King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), who was unstable and likely seriously mentally ill. Not surprisingly, the marriage was an unhappy one. Eventually, the young Queen fell in love with and began an affair with her husband’s physician, Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), who shared her interest in the literature and ideas of the Enlightenment.
Together, the lovers managed to take over power from the pliable King and enacted numerous major social reforms intended to improve the lives of the common people. This didn’t go over well with high-ranking members of the royal court. Upon seeing both their power and purses reduced, they conspired against the Queen and her doctor beau.
That’s the basic outline of the story director and co-writer Nikolaj Arcel (“Truth About Men”) tells in this compelling costume drama. Rather than concentrate on the pomp and pageantry of court life, this is very much an intimate tale of love and intrigue with a close focus kept on the three principle players, the Queen, the King and the good doctor.
Above all, this is a love story. Caroline Mathilda and Dr. Struensee are in love with each
other and with the good they can do for Denmark if they can wield power. It proves a heady and dangerous combination.
Mikkelsen, the sharp-featured Danish star familiar from "Casino Royale" and "Clash of the Titans," makes for an attractive leading man as the physician- reformer, intent of purpose and sympathetic. The Swedish-born Vikander ably suggests the young Queen’s confusion and unhappiness, which makes her vulnerable to trying to grab what happiness she can, even if it means a covert affair. And Følsgaard manages to make the capricious king almost into a figure of sympathy, someone who by an accident of birth finds himself in a job and a situation for which he is woefully ill equipped.
Deign to see this Danish drama. It offers a fascinating history lesson and — the best part — there's no quiz afterward.
‘Skyfall’ Review: Nuanced Thriller Leaps to Top Five of 007 Movies
By Alonso Duralde | November 7, 2012 @ 12:38 PM
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Home ▶ Blog
To Curb Corruption and Violence, the 'Sandwich' Effect
Ukraine, Other Cases Show Effective Combo of Internal Civic Action and International Pressure
Monday, November 6, 2017 / By: Miranda Rivers
In a Ukraine fighting not only a war in its East but also a second battle against corruption, civic leader activist Taras Shevchenko talks of the need for a “sandwich effect.” Only Ukrainians can solve their own problems, he says. But as the country’s civil society pushes for reforms inside, they would benefit from the international community to exert its own forms of pressure from outside. Ukraine illustrates how civic initiatives and external efforts need to reinforce each other to reduce graft, improve governance and build trust between citizens and the state, even in violent conflict environments.
A volunteer distributes buttons for the Cleaning Up Ukraine movement at an anti-corruption forum where Mikheil Saakashvili delivered a speech, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Jan. 18, 2016. Photo courtesy of Pete Kiehart/The New York Times.
“It’s important to have joint pressure of civil society and international institutions,” said Shevchenko, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law in Ukraine and former co-chair of the Reanimation Package of Reforms coalition of civic groups. The coalition stemmed from the idea of proposing a “positive agenda” during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, when citizens protested corruption and impunity, he told USIP in a discussion on Oct. 23. The package laid out actions that could be taken toward reform.
To strengthen Ukraine amid a stalled peace process, international players including the U.S., the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are pressing for reforms.
Mobilizing Citizens Against Corruption
Understanding is growing in international and civic circles of how corruption fuels and perpetuates violent conflict and possible ways to reduce both. In Burkina Faso, the youth group Balai Citoyen (Citizen’s Broom) used public street cleanings and other nonviolent tactics to mobilize citizens against corruption. The result prevented the president from amending the constitution to seek a fifth term. Balai Citoyen is now channeling civic energy to build transparency and accountability in Burkina Faso’s state institutions; in that case, the outside assistance includes USIP’s Justice and Security Dialogue process. A new documentary, Saaba, traces personal stories of residents and police who are cooperating to improve security in their community, in a region rife with extremist violence and other security threats.
“For us, it was important to have a partner like USIP to see how we could work together and come up with ways to rebuild that trust between the security forces and the people,” said Idrissa Barry, coordinating committee member for Balai Citoyen, speaking at the Oct. 23 event.
Challenging Impunity
In Guatemala, in the wake of 36 years of internal armed struggle, a civil society proposal led to the government working with international partners to establish the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which investigates organized crime and corruption. A probe into a grand corruption ring spurred Lucía Mendizábal, founder of the 2015 RenunciaYa (Resign Now) movement, to action even though a culture of silence pervaded society.
“It doesn’t matter if only four people come. I’m going to live with myself OK because I know I did something about it,” she recounted. For several months, over 100,000 citizens mobilized peacefully. This cumulative people power helped land Guatemala’s president and vice president in jail. Now, a new citizen movement, JusticiaYa (Justice Now) is underway to protect CICIG and prevent its commissioner from being expelled.
While ultimately it’s up to citizens to take responsibility for positive change, these cases and new research and scholarship demonstrate that multiple sources of pressure are essential to reducing corruption. Those benefitting from systems of corruption have vested interests to perpetuate them and will thwart reforms. Grassroots and international efforts can reinforce each other, as outside pressure supports reformers, raises the cost of corruption and alters the balance of power.
Miranda Rivers
Program Specialist, Nonviolent Action
Democracy & Governance Justice, Security & Rule of Law Nonviolent Action
Ukraine Burkina Faso Guatemala
The Middle East: Turmoil and Transition
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Understanding Russia’s Interest in Conflict Zones
By: Paul M. Carter Jr., Ph.D.
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia’s global ambitions have steadily increased, including in unstable areas of the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. For the most part, Moscow’s activities in these and other areas run counter to Western interests and undermine efforts to mitigate conflict through broad-based, transparent processes. This report outlines the factors that appear to be motivating the Kremlin’s conflict-zone interventions and places them within the larger context of Russian foreign policy interests.
Conflict Analysis & Prevention
The Ukraine-Russia Summit: An Unproven Chance for Peace
By: Leslie Minney
The presidents of Ukraine and Russia will meet the French and German leaders in Paris December 9 to consider prospects for ending the five-year-old war in eastern Ukraine. Recent steps by Ukraine and Russia to reduce tensions highlight the summit’s potential, although questions for any real peace plan remain unanswered, most critically by Moscow. Despite signs that Russians at home are tired of the war and its costs, it remains unclear whether President Vladimir Putin might seriously consider ending his armed incursion into Ukraine’s Donbas region. But one potential benefit of the Paris summit is that his intent can be tested.
Peace Processes
Ukrainian Activism for Transparency and Accountability: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
By: Olena Tregub
In the wake of the Euromaidan protests that toppled the government of Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, Ukrainian activists and civil society organizations have pressed hard for anti-corruption reforms and greater openness and transparency in the public sector. Five years later, however, corruption remains a fixture of civic life—and a majority of Ukrainians believe the fight against corruption has been a failure. This new report reviews the changes that have taken place in the anti-corruption movement since the Euromaidan and identifies practical actions the international community can take to support reform efforts in Ukraine.
Democracy & Governance; Justice, Security & Rule of Law; Nonviolent Action
Ukraine just held a political earthquake. Here’s how to respond.
By: William B. Taylor
In electing a political newcomer as president, Ukrainians have conducted their third revolution in 27 years of independence from Russian rule. Millions filled public squares to demand democratic accountability in the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013-14 Euromaidan. But last Sunday, Ukrainians overhauled their government through the ballot box—a consolidation of their maturing democracy. They elected television actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy with 73 percent of the vote, a protest against persistent economic and political corruption and disappointment with lack of progress ending the war in the east of the country. Like any sharp political turn, it raises uncertainties—but the international community should reinforce Ukrainian voters’ demand for truly effective anti-corruption reforms, and for continued –even expanded – pressure to counter Russia’s assaults on Ukraine’s independence.
Democracy & Governance; Electoral Violence
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COVID-19 UpdatesCancel My TripSupport and ContactToll Free: +1 800-544-0300Local: (503) 345-9399
Vacasa, Nation’s Second Largest Vacation Rental Company, Expands Series A to $40M
Portland, Ore., Nov. 14, 2016 — Vacasa , the fast-growing technology-enabled vacation rental management company, today announces that it has expanded its Series A financing to $40 million with an addition from leading risk management provider Assurant . Vacasa will use the Series A extension to accelerate growth domestically and abroad, and to fuel technology development and innovation.
Founded in Portland, Oregon in 2009, Vacasa offers vacation rental owners a full-service management service, including maintenance, housekeeping, and pricing technology. Vacasa’s proprietary technology systems are backed by dedicated local teams managing daily operations. As a result, homeowners enjoy a hands-off approach to renting their homes and guests are met with a reliable vacation rental experience.
Vacasa bootstrapped its growth for six years, during which the company more than doubled its inventory annually, earning the number nine spot on the Inc. 5000 list in 2014. In April, Vacasa announced its $35 million Series A led by New York-based Level Equity—one of the travel industry’s largest raises in a slow funding year. Since then, Vacasa has landed 14 major vacation rental acquisitions and now manages 4,100+ properties across the U.S., Spain, Italy, Chile, Costa Rica and Belize. The company employs more than 1,400 people globally and pays all U.S. employees a minimum of $15 hourly per the company’s fair wage initiative.
“Vacasa will continue expansion in current and new markets both domestically and abroad,” says Vacasa founder and CEO Eric Breon. “Our goal is to be ubiquitous—offering homeowners around the world hassle-free vacation home management while providing guests with consistently unforgettable experiences.”
“Our strategic growth investment in Vacasa is a testament to our belief in the attractiveness of the large and rapidly growing vacation rental market, as well as our confidence in the Vacasa team to continue to execute on its vision,” says Jeff Flynn, director of growth investing at Assurant.
To learn more about Vacasa, please visit https://www.vacasa.ca/.
About Vacasa
Vacasa is a technology-enabled full-service vacation rental company with operations in the U.S.; Europe; and Latin America. Leveraging proprietary technology, Vacasa drives revenue for homeowners and provides a seamless experience for guests. Founded in 2009 and based in Portland, Oregon, Vacasa has grown from two to more than 1,400 employees in six years, has been honored as the Oregon Better Business Bureau Large Business of the Year and was ranked ninth on the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies list. For more information, visit https://www.vacasa.ca/ or on Twitter @vacasarentals.
About Assurant
Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a global provider of risk management solutions, protecting where consumers live and the goods they buy. A Fortune 500 company, Assurant focuses on the housing and lifestyle markets, and is among the market leaders in mobile device protection; extended service contracts; vehicle protection; pre-funded funeral insurance; renters insurance; lender-placed homeowners insurance; and mortgage valuation and field services. With approximately $30 billion in assets and $6 billion in annualized revenue as of September 30, 2016, Assurant is located in 16 countries, while its Assurant Foundation works to support and improve communities. Learn more at assurant.com or on Twitter @AssurantNews.
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Connecting young people and their adult leaders to God, the church, and the world
Discipleship Ministries
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How to Build Trust in New Relationships
By Chris Wilterdink
In October of 2016 (six weeks from this blog posting), the next Division on Ministries with Young People (DMYP) will meet for the first time. The DMYP is a representative body of the global United Methodist Church. It is a group of around 40 people. Teams of three, representing the US jurisdictions and Central Conferences, make up the DMYP. Each team is made up of one youth, one young adult, and one adult worker. The DMYP also includes two members of the UM Student Movement steering committee and up to three additional members to provide inclusiveness and balance. These names are provided to our staff from the various jurisdictions, conferences, and organizations they represent. Our staff brings them together four times over the course of four years, coordinating international travel in the process. This collection of people, who speak many different languages, will work with the staff of our office (Young People’s Ministries of Discipleship Ministries) to connect young people to God, the church, and the world over the next four years.
The Division on Ministries with Young People starts as a collection of people, seeking to know each other and understand their purpose. This diverse group of leaders sees many of the challenges faced by organizers at all levels of the church. At local, district, conference, and jurisdictional levels, teams of strangers are tasked with making decisions, ordering the life of the church, and living into the mission of the UMC, all while having limited meeting time and lots of other “life” to navigate.
Admittedly, each Division is different. Therefore, the process of becoming a productive group will differ. However, in my experience at different levels of the church, developing trust and relationship early on in the life of a team is key to any future productivity. This idea actually has some historical Methodist roots in the concept of “Holy Conferencing” or “Christian Conferencing.” John Wesley, along with other early leaders of the Methodist movement, included conferencing as a part of an active faith life. They made time to get to know each other, asking deep questions like “How is it with your soul?” and supported each other in their lives as Christians. The ability to keep each other accountable in faith development sprang from their familiarity with each other and their shared commitment to a common goal – the transformation of their lives and the transformation of the world.
Young people that we gather today and task with the leadership of the church can share the same goal: making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Leaders today will perform at their best in groups, when they know each other first. They must know more than first names. Young leaders will inevitably engage in some vital conversations and difficult decisions during their time together. No matter how regularly a group meets, you as the convener should offer intentional time, space, and activities for the individuals to encounter and learn about each other as fellow Christians on the same journey. Invite the individuals to share about their home churches, culture, who they represent, and hopes and struggles in faith. These activities plant seeds that can bloom into trust through problem-solving activities or team building.
Leadership in groups like the DMYP means the ability to engage in meaningful conversations, openly hear different points of view, and build consensus. Those three things can only happen when a familiarity and trust has been built among the individuals in the group.
As you bring together teams of young leaders, take a cue from the founders of Methodism. Craft intentional space for the individuals on the team to know each other and their similarities before they know their differences. Build trusting relationships around a shared goal so that difficult conversations are voiced and heard faithfully. Allow time for everyone to share with each other about how their life reflects their faith.
Only in trust can we hold each other, and the mission of the church, up for introspection and guidance.
Discipleship Spiritual Leadership in Practice Unity Dialogue
Chris serves as Director of Young People’s Ministries for Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Chris has a BA in English Education, and an MS in Project Management, and over 15 years of local-church youth ministry experience. He is passionate about leadership and faith development in young people and helping ministry leaders understand their value in the lives of young people. A Stephen Minister, Chris is a native of Colorado living in Franklin, TN with his wife Emily, 2 children, and sausage-shaped beagle.
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Resources & Guidance to lead your ministry with young people.
Explore service and mission organizations that are friendly to young people who are related to the United Methodist Connection.
Several different grants are available to support creative and innovative approaches to ministries for, with, and by young people.
We support and administrate several scholarship funds for United Methodist students in addition to partnering with GBHEM where possible and appropriate.
Our growing library of conversations about the joys, challenges, and successes of ministry with young people unites a diverse set of practitioners and academics.
Young People’s Ministries and Discipleship Ministries host a variety of in-person and virtual events for young people and their adult leaders.
Young People’s Ministries was created to connect young people and those in ministries with young people to each other, to the church, and to God.
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Discipleship Ministries is an agency of The United Methodist Church
© 2020 Discipleship Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
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Statement from the Bishops
by Art McClanahan May 3, 2012
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, President of the Council of Bishops, offered a pastoral statement from the Bishops as the Thursday afternoon session reconvened. (audio recorded from the floor of the Conference)
Listen to our latest story
Blogs and Commentary
A birthday letter to Martin Luther King Jr.
On the occasion of the 92nd birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Reginald Lee, pastor of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, penned a birthday letter to the civil rights icon.
The content of our character
Leading into Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Religion and Race top executive calls for the church to address its institutional racism.
COVID-19 is top church story of 2020
The church response to the COVID-19 pandemic was voted the top United Methodist news story of 2020 by conference communicators in the U.S., Africa, Europe and the Philippines and UM News staff.
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Cabinet will consider minority report on land reform – Ramaphosa
1 November 2019 • Local, News • No Comments
The Cabinet will consider the minority report of the presidential panel of experts on land reform and agriculture, President Cyril Ramaphosa assured the National Assembly on Thursday.
In July, the panel published its report, but two members, Dan Kriek and Nic Serfontein, did not endorse the report and provided their own.
The main reason for their opposition is expropriation without compensation. Their views are reflected in the panel’s report.
The panel was appointed in September 2018 to advise the government on circumstances in which the policy on expropriation without compensation will be implemented, what procedures to follow and institutions to enforce, as well as the rights of any affected persons, including the rights to judicial review.
The panel made a range of recommendations, including under which circumstances land could be expropriated without compensation.
Ramaphosa said the Cabinet still needed to finalise its deliberations on the findings of the panel.
He added it had already decided to release parcels of state-owned land.
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald asked if the Cabinet was going to accept the minority report.
Ramaphosa said it would “obviously” also be considered.
“Both reports are before the Cabinet and they are going to be considered,” he added.
Expropriation without compensation was one of a range of methods to obtain land for land reform purposes, and they needed to look at a “plethora” of methods, Ramaphosa said.
“In the end, we need to make sure that the land is returned to the people of South Africa.”
He said this would not be done recklessly, adding that giving people tenure and title deeds were also required.
(SOURCE: THE CITIZEN)
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Vomitron
I can't believe this domain was available, either!
Yesterday when I was at work Tammy taught Kate a new trick. She now gives KISSES and they are the BEST.
All you have to do is say “Can I have a kiss?” and she’ll walk over to you and push her lips up to your lips and hold it there for about two seconds. She’s still working on her aim, though…sometimes you’ll end up kissing her nose. Sometimes she’ll kiss your cheek too if that’s closer.
During those two seconds you can feel her breathing on your face and the sound of it is so cute that all you want to do is – you guessed it – EAT HER FACE.
This is an entirely unremarkable blog. I would be surprised if you checked it regularly.
Archives Select Month November 2018 June 2018 November 2017 April 2017 December 2016 July 2016 February 2016 September 2014 August 2014 May 2014 March 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 May 2000 February 1999
Let’s play games!
Purchases made via links to Amazon.com on this domain may result in a commission to me.
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Chris Gethard Wrote a Powerful and Touching Response to a Suicidal Fan
Chris Gethard, especially through his public access show, develops a special relationship with his fans. If you watch an episode of The Chris Gethard Show, its earnestness looms larger than everything else, including even the comedy. Chris loves his fans and cares about them deeply. It’s why when someone wrote him an anonymous message, which talks about suicide, Chris wrote a very passionate response. The anonymous person asked:
I’m curious if you ever had suicidal thoughts. I admire you and your show and have just been in a really bad place lately. I used to see your show as the last thing I had to look forward to but I haven’t even been back for months and can’t even bring myself out the door to get there without panicking. I’d appreciate any advice really.
Chris’s response is very long and features so many powerful passages. Here is just one excerpt:
People love you. I know they do. And you know that too. This may be a weird thing to post in a public blog, but I don’t even know who you are and I promise you that I love you. Despite all my flaws and weirdness and professional drive that can shut people out and my inability to ever stop working and my inability to feel comfortable outside of the bubble of my little comedy world, I’m a big softie at my core and I’m a person who’s been through a lot on my own and I came out on the other side and I just have so much love for the world and for people, and I promise you that I don’t even know you but that the love I have for people in general extends to you personally. We all have problems, and you can see even in this paragraph that I beat myself up too, but lean on the love you have for the world and know that there are other people who love it so much that it can also make them as sad as it’s making you right now. There are other people out there like you - I’m one of them. We feel so much love when we feel it, but the trade off is we feel pain just as big. And love can often sting if it’s not requited, while pain only needs you as a receptor. I get it. I know what it feels like to feel emotions in a way that you know is much bigger than most people feel them. But this pain will pass, and it will be replaced by an equal and to be honest probably even bigger feeling of joy and love. At some point those feelings will come along and wash over you as much as the pain you’re feeling right now, and I just want to beg you to push through this painful stretch, because to someday feel love and joy as big as the pain you’re feeling in this moment will be SO, SO worth it.
Gethard goes on to discuss his own battles with suicidal thoughts. You can read the full post here.
splitsider
Chris Gethard Wrote a Powerful and Touching Response […]
we did it joe 12 mins ago
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Docks and Destinations
SKU: PMP7550
by Peter Vassilopoulos
Everything a mariner needs to know, about every marina on the coast of BC and Washington State. Packed with diagrams and colour photos including aerials. The book follows the coast from south to north in easy page by page detail.
This latest edition of Docks and Destinations is updated and improved. Its expanded full colour format and layout are designed to provide quick and easy reference to marinas and facilities for mariners in the Pacific Northwest.
It covers Puget Sound, the popular San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound and the places along the way between these destinations as well as the Inside Passage to the southern tip of Alaska. Like its companion cruising guide, Anchorages and Marine Parks, it returns south by way of the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The information is provided in a user-friendly format enabling the reader to see at a glance where they have been and where they are going in relation to other stops. The pages take the mariner from one stop to the next in a successive, geographic progression.
Numerous maps and diagrams include clear icons showing GPS co-ordinates, chart numbers, the presence of fuel stations and all the services for the mariner so that at a glance it is possible to determine what an overnight stay at a marina has to offer.
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I thought Kohli will burn out at some stages of his career: Laxman
Thursday - December 3, 2020 2:57 pm , Category : SPORTS
New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) Former cricketer VVS Laxman has lavished praise on Virat Kohli who recently breached the 12000-run mark in ODIs, saying the current Indian skipper has been able to play with the same intensity he used to when he made his debut in 2008.
Kohli on Wednesday became the fastest batsman to score 12,000 runs in One-Day Internationals. He reached the milestone in the third and final ODI of the three-match series against Australia at the Manuka Oval which India won by 13 runs.
The Indian skipper has taken 242 innings (251 matches) to score 12,000 ODI runs, 58 less than legendary Sachin Tendulkar who had reached the landmark in 300 ODI innings (309 matches).
"I think, the way he has played in each and every series, the kind of intensity he has maintained each and every day, when he's on the cricket field is unbelievable, because at some stage I thought that will be the biggest challenge for Virat Kohli, at some stages he will burn out, but not even once we have seen that energy drop down when Virat is on the cricket field, whether he is batting or he is fielding," Laxman said while speaking on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
Kohli has also played 86 Tests and 82 T20Is in which he has scored 7,240 and 2,794 runs respectively. In total, he has hit 70 centuries (27 in Tests and 43 in ODIs).
Laxman said one of the great things about Kohli has been his ability to perform under pressure. The 32-year-old has scored 26 of his 42 ODI centuries while chasing.
"...if you see his one-day record how many hundreds did he get while chasing and then you know that you've got a target to achieve, there's always a scoreboard pressure on him, but he relishes pressure, he relishes responsibility and that's what gets the best out of him," said Laxman.
Having said that, 2020 turned out to be the only year since Kohli's debut where he was unable to score a single hundred in ODIs.
Team India, who lost the ODI series 1-2, will now look to seek revenge against Australia in the three-match T20I series against beginning Friday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
--IANS aak/
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Home/ News / Market bulletin / Issue 140
2018: An impressive year for Australian wine exports
Market Bulletin | Issue 140
Image: Ewen Bell / Wine Australia
tagged with export report , market bulletin , exports
In the year ended December 2018, Australian wine exports increased by 10 per cent in value to $2.82 billion free on board (FOB) and 5 per cent in volume to 850 million litres (94 million 9-litre case equivalents). The average value of exported wine increased by 5 per cent to $3.32 per litre FOB.
Image: Tim Jones / Wine Australia
Packaged and unpackaged wine
Bottled wine shipments increased by 7 per cent in value to $2.24 billion and decreased in volume by 3 per cent to 361 million litres (40 million 9-litre case equivalents). This resulted in an unprecedented growth rate in the average value of bottled wine of 10 per cent; bottled wine reached a record value of $6.20 per litre.
Unpackaged exports also experienced outstanding growth, reaching record levels in both volume and value. The value of unpackaged shipments of wine increased by 27 per cent in value to $560 million and 12 per cent in volume to 480 million litres (53 million 9-litre case equivalents). The average value of unpackaged exports continued to grow, increasing by 14 per cent to $1.17 per litre.
A large global wine harvest in 2018, economic uncertainty and static consumption are putting downward pressure on world bulk wine prices as Australia heads into vintage 2019. Australian wine prices are holding up thanks to strong demand and a favourable exchange rate, but international competition is likely to increase in the medium term as supply pressures ease.
Image: Wine Australia
As illustrated in Figure 1, there was growth in Australian exports to nearly every region in 2018. Exports to North America are starting to level out after being in decline for more than 12 months.
The value of exports to:
Northeast Asia grew by 19 per cent to $1.23 billion
North America declined by 0.1 per cent to $636 million
Europe grew by 7 per cent to $615 million
Southeast Asia grew by 3 per cent to $171 million
Oceania grew by 12 per cent to $105 million, and
the Middle East grew by 36 per cent to $33 million.
Figure 1: Value change by region (million AUD FOB)
Exports to China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in the 12 months to December 2018 increased by 18 per cent in value to $1.14 billion and 7 per cent in volume to 172 million litres (19.1 million 9-litre case equivalents). Average value increased by 11 per cent to $6.64 per litre FOB.
Value increased by 26 per cent in the 3 months to December 2018, compared to the same quarter in 2017, ahead of tariffs on wine imported from Australia being cut to zero on 1 January 2019 under the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement. This indicates that exports have recovered somewhat after the weak September 2018 quarter, in the lead up to Chinese New Year in February.
Image: AdobeStock
In the year ended December 2018, exports to the USA declined by 5 per cent in value to $425 million and 7 per cent in volume to 161 million litres (17.9 million 9-litre case equivalents). As the volume decline outpaced value decline, average value increased by 1 per cent to $2.64 per litre FOB.
However, there were signs of the decline easing at the end of the year. In the last quarter of 2018, total value increased by 1 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2017. It is also pleasing to see exports with an average value of above $10 per litre FOB improve on recent performance; they increased by 21 per cent on a quarterly basis.
In the year ended December 2018, Australian wine exports to the UK increased by 12 per cent to $389 million, the highest value since 2013. Volume also increased, by 10 per cent to 246 million litres (27.3 million 9-litre case equivalents), solidifying the UK’s position as the number one destination by volume.
Unpackaged wine drove overall value growth, increasing by 27 per cent to $214 million. The average value of unpackaged wine also increased, by 10 per cent to $1.06 per litre FOB. Many larger brands bottle in the UK for domestic consumption or for shipment to other European countries. This growth of shipments to the UK is largely due to producers getting their product into market before trade regulations potentially get more difficult to navigate with the scheduled date for Brexit looming (29 March 2019).
Australian wine exports to Canada increased by 12 per cent in value to $210 million, the highest value since 2011. Volume increased by 19 per cent to 74 million litres (8.2 million 9-litre case equivalents), a record level. Average value decreased by 5 per cent to $2.84 per litre FOB.
A record value and volume of unpackaged wine shipments drove the growth, with value increasing by 43 per cent to $47 million FOB. In the past year, unpackaged wine shipments have moved from having a 55 per cent volume share of exports to a 61 per cent share. Double digit growth in the volume of unpackaged shipments to Quebec and British Columbia is driving this trend.
However, bottled wine shipments also increased, growing by 6 per cent to $160 million. Key price segments driving the growth in bottled wine are the $5 to $7.49 segment, up by 17 per cent to $72 million and the above $10 segment, up by 12 per cent to $26 million.
Further analysis can be found in the full Export Report, available to levy-payers here.
Previous Market Bulletins
Article Read
Australia’s commanding performance and recent market trends in the United Kingdom
What do millennials want for Christmas?
The continued rise of Australian Shiraz
Signs of softening: global wine market update
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