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Online Dispute Resolution and I, Daniel Blake
November 9, 2016 ODRRoger Smith
You would not expect an evening at the cinema with a couple of friends to raise major issues about the recent proposal of our Ministry of Justice to put tribunal-decision making online. But, that was the effect of seeing Ken Loach’s award-winning I, Daniel Blake last night. The film throws into sharp relief some Kafkaesque features of the UK’s benefit system. At one level, it is a powerful drama well meriting the award of the Palme D’Or at Cannes and which prompted even the government-leaning Daily Telegraph to call it ‘a quietly fearsome piece of drama’. At another, the human drama critically pivots on a very legal issue: the nature and terms of social security benefit appeals.
To UK readers at least, Ken Loach will be a familiar name. He has been tugging at social consciences since his television drama Cathy Come Home punctured 1960s complacency on homelessness. And his career has been a pretty straight arrow since then. You know what a Ken Loach film is going to give you: the grit of social realism; the tragedy of social injustice; the flickering light of the assertion of humanity in the most difficult of circumstances. Understandably, this does not appeal to everyone despite the Telegraph‘s broadmindedness. Social Security minister Damien Green tore into the film and argued to a hostile Scottish audience of Scottish Parliamentarians that: ‘It is absolutely not the intention of anyone connected with the welfare system, whether it’s ministers or staff of the DWP, to cause distress. The system is there to help people and I see it as an essential part of my job to try and set up structures and set up the organisation of the system so that it is there to help.’ The MSPs gave him a signed copy of the book behind the film to read on the way home.
The legal issues can, however, be separated from the politics and the drama. Daniel Blake is a 59 year old carpenter who has had a heart attack. He is advised by his medical team that he cannot work. However, in claiming the requisite social security benefit, he becomes entangled in a legal nightmare with two major components. First, the decision on whether he is fit for work depends crucially on his score in answer to a series of discrete questions about specific functions. So, he is assessed on his capacity to undertake individual physical movements (eg can he press a button) but not on his overall ability to work. He is turned down. As a result, in order to get benefits in the short term, he is forced into a catch 22: he must argue that he is fit for work when he isn’t. Second, he needs to appeal the original decision that he is fit for work but he can only do that after he requests an anonymous (and, in the film, increasingly ominous) ‘decision-maker’ to undertake what is known ‘a mandatory reconsideration’ . This usually occurs within 10 days but the Department of Work and Pensions has rather cunningly ensured that there is no legal requirement as to the time it can take. Thus, a prospective appellant can fall into limbo – subject to no or reduced benefits but unable, by themselves, to take the matter further pending reconsideration by a Ministry over whose decisions they can have no sway.
On current practice, the film appears to be correct as to procedure. This is the Department of Work and Pensions on the effect of a negative decision on the disability benefit that Mr Blake wishes to claim (employment support allowance or ESA): ‘If you have not been awarded any rate of ESA at all, whilst the mandatory reconsideration is taking place you will not be able to claim ESA at the assessment phase rate. Instead, you will be forced to claim another benefit, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, if you are eligible or not claim any income replacement benefit at all.’ For those interested in the detail, there are a variety of sites that will give practical guidance of how a benefit adviser would tackle this black hole e.g. here. The point is, however, that Ken Loach’s film correctly identifies a potential area where legal process can fail, with disastrous results for claimants cut off benefits.
In the film, Daniel Blake dramatically (literally and metaphorically) cuts the gordian knot over an inability to launch his appeal by spray painting it on the walls of his local social security office. This is practically effective though, presumably, technically invalid – a lesson perhaps to budding advisers on what can sometimes work. Without entirely spoiling the film for those who have not seen it (and, if you have got this far in the post then you certainly should), by the end, an appeal hearing in a physical office with two members on the tribunal and a representative appears to be going some way to a resolution.
And what is the relevance of the events in the film to the proposal to put tribunal decisions online? This is proposed by the Ministry of Justice’s Transforming our Justice System: ‘Tribunals will be digital by default, with easy to use and intuitive online processes put in place to help people lodge a claim more easily, but with the right levels of help in place for anyone who needs it, making sure that nobody is denied justice.’ The difficulty is not actually that highlighted in the previous post, digital exclusion. Daniel Blake has no digital skills but, interestingly, he copes with online applications through the kindness of strangers, friends and some form of local library provision – albeit with some difficulty. True, he faces benefit sanction because he can’t type out his cv: he has written it in pencil. But, basically and with this one exception, he does handle the online process.
What shifts the roadblocks in his case is the presence of a tribunal appeal where his case is to be reviewed by a judge and a doctor; where he has somehow got representation; and for which someone has marshalled his medical evidence. The great danger of online is that this external review of the system will be truncated and, despite the online intervention of an independent tribunal judge, the online juggernaut will proceed. Later Daniel Blakes will, thus, be deprived of the one point in the process where, if they are lucky, anonymous ‘decision-takers’ become human as do they: heralded by the film’s title : ‘I, Daniel Blake’. Anyone with any experience of them knows that social security disputes are not always bloodless, technical arguments – they can be battles between desperate individuals on the very edge of survival and bureaucracies whose overriding practical aim is to hold down government expenditure.
There are two very practical consequences for proposed online adjudication procedures. First, online dispute resolution is only appropriate as the final stage of an administrative process which is just and equitable up to that point. At the very least, there must be a binding ten day time limit for mandatory reconsideration of social security cases that are appealed. Second, there must be exceptions to ‘digital by default’ for cases in categories such as the following:
(a) where the claimant or the Department of Work and Pension request a physical hearing;
(b) where the case involves disputed matters of fact; or
(c) where the case involves contested matters of law.
There is also a final narrow point from the film. It illustrates that it would be premature to remove doctors from panels considering medical issues at the present time.
← Digital exclusion and a Small Claims Online Court Trump, the Legal Services Corporation and its Technology Initiatives Grants program →
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Category: Faculty News ⋅ Page 50
Professor Lietzan Quoted on Selection of FDA Commissioner
Written by meyerad · March 23, 2017
Professor Erika Lietzan was recently quoted in BuzzFeed News regarding President Donald Trump’s selection of Dr. Scott Gottlieb to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Dr. Gottlieb was deputy commissioner under President George W. Bush and is currently a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Professor Lietzan noted that Dr. Gottlieb has a broad…
Professor Lambert Named 2017 Kemper Fellow
Professor Thom Lambert was presented with a William T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching today, in a surprise announcement during his Business Organizations class. The fellowship was presented by MU Interim Chancellor Hank Foley and Commerce Bank Chairman and CEO Teresa Maledy, who were joined by Interim Dean Ken Dean. The fellowship, which includes a $10,000 stipend, is awarded…
Citizen Petitions at the FDA: Professor Lietzan Interviewed by The Atlantic
Professor Erika Lietzan was recently interviewed by a reporter for The Atlantic in connection with the use of “citizen petitions” at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine had pointed out that many petitions are filed by brand-name drug companies about products proposed by generic drug companies. Professor Lietzan commented…
Professor Lietzan Quoted on “Right to Try” Legislation
Professor Erika Lietzan was recently quoted in numerous papers around the country in connection with possible federal “right to try” legislation. Broadly speaking, the purpose of state “right to try” laws is to make it possible for terminally ill patients to receive unapproved drugs for treatment, if those drugs are currently in clinical trials and certain other conditions are met.…
“Missouri Takes a Strong Stance on Arbitration:” Mizzou Law Student Contributes to My Consumer Tips Blog
Third-year law student Cailynn Hayter recently published an article, “Missouri Takes a Strong Stance on Arbitration,” as a guest blogger on Professor Amy Schmitz’s website, My Consumer Tips. In her post, Hayter analyzes the consumer friendly implications of Tamko Building Products, Inc. v. Hobbs, a Missouri case which held that an arbitration clause attached to the outside of a product’s…
Law School Welcomes Chief Operating Officer of Modria, Inc.
Colin Rule, chief operating officer of Modria, Inc. (based in Silicon Valley) and former director of online dispute resolution at eBay and PayPal, recently visited the law school. During his visit, he assisted with simulations for mediation and negotiations in Professor Amy Schmitz’s Dispute Resolution in the Digital Age class. Rule also gave a presentation for students and faculty on…
Professor Trachtenberg Testifies on Two Bills Concerning Police-Involved Shootings and Deaths
Written by meyerad · March 2, 2017
Professor Ben Trachtenberg testified at a public hearing before the Missouri House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety on House Bill 41. This bill specifies that “if charges are filed against a law enforcement officer based on an officer-involved shooting, the judge must appoint a special prosecutor.” Professor Trachtenberg testified at the request of bill sponsor Representative Gail McCann…
Professor Halabi Advocates for Global Vaccine Injury Compensation System
Written by meyerad · February 27, 2017
In a Journal of the American Medical Association article, Professor Sam Halabi argued that a global vaccine injury compensation system administered through the World Health Organization may address barriers to vaccine access during public health emergencies like Ebola, H1N1 and Zika. Even though promising vaccines have been developed relatively quickly for these emergencies, the concern for liability arising from side…
Professor Crouch Testifies about Password Privacy Act
Professor Dennis Crouch recently testified before the Missouri Senate Committee on General Laws in support of the Password Privacy Act (Senate Bill 316). This bill, proposed by Senator Caleb Rowden along with the American Civil Liberties Union, attempts to provide additional privacy protections for Missouri residents. The statutory proposal would prohibit employers, landlords and schools from requesting passwords to any…
Professor Reviews Book by Judge Richard Posner
Professor S.I. Strong recently reviewed Judge Richard Posner’s most recent book, Divergent Paths: The Academy and the Judiciary in volume 66 of the Journal of Legal Education. Professor Strong’s article, subtitled “How Legal Academics Can Participate in Judicial Education: A How-To Guide by Richard Posner,” focused on ways that legal academics can assist sitting and future judges in fulfilling their…
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Randall T. Thomsen
999 Third Avenue, Suite 4400 Seattle, Washington 98104
randallt@harriganleyh.com
Firm: Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen LLP
Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen LLP
Randall Thomsen has a well-deserved reputation as a creative litigator, handling complex cases in state and federal courts. He has successfully litigated cases on a wide-variety of topics, including business and shareholder disputes, lawsuits against governmental entities, class actions, breach of contract cases, real property disputes, personal injury claims, wrongful death and mass casualty cases, antitrust actions, and employment disputes. Randall represents both plaintiffs and defendants.
Washington Law and Politics has selected Randall as a Super Lawyer annually since 2012. Benchmark Litigation also has identified him as a top Washington lawyer and a Local Litigation Star.
He previously served on the Washington State Bar Association’s Judicial Review Committee and was a member of the Lewis Powell Chapter of the Inns of the Court. He is a graduate of Gonzaga University. While at Gonzaga he was a member of Gonzaga’s national debate team and, during law school, received the prestigious Thomas More Scholarship granted to those with outstanding academic achievement and a commitment to public service. Randall also has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington’s School of Public Affairs. Randall joined the firm in 1997 after serving as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Dennis J. Sweeney of the Washington State Court of Appeals.
Represented, along with other firm’s lawyers, Snohomish County in six consolidated lawsuits arising from the March 2014 Oso Landslide in which 43 people were killed. The lawsuits involved over forty plaintiffs who asserted claims against the County for wrongful death, personal injury and property damage. In the first consolidated lawsuit, the trial court dismissed all claims by all plaintiffs against the County. The Washington Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal and the Washington Supreme Court denied review. The second case was dismissed by plaintiffs as a result of the outcome in the first case. See Regelbrugge, et al. v. Snohomish County, et al., 7 Wn. App. 2d 29, 432 P.3d 859 (2018).
Successfully represented the State of Washington in a class action lawsuit involving over 100,000 class members and $7 billion in claims. Class members alleged that the Legislature’s repeal of a cost-of-living adjustment for State employees under the State’s pension system was an unconstitutional impairment of contracts. The superior court granted summary judgment in favor of the class members, and the State successfully obtained direct review of the superior court’s decision. In a unanimous 9-0 opinion, the Supreme Court reversed the superior court’s decision and held that the Legislature’s repeal of the cost-of-living adjustment was constitutional. See Washington Educ. Ass’n v. Dept. of Ret. Sys., 181 Wn.2d 212, 332 P.3d 428 (2014).
Defended the Port of Seattle in two lawsuits brought by a prominent national law firm on behalf of 141 property owners that claimed that the Port had improperly converted plaintiffs’ property by purchasing the East Side Rail Corridor and transferring the corridor to King County. The plaintiffs sued to prevent the Port and other local government entities from using the corridor for utilities and passenger rail. They claimed that the Rails to Trails Act extinguished the railroad easements in the corridor. The district court granted a series of summary judgments in favor of the Port that resulted in a dismissal of the cases. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held in an unanimous opinion that the Rails to Trails Act preserved the prior railroad easements and that the corridor could be used for utilities and passenger rail, in addition to its use as a trail. The United States Supreme Court also denied plaintiffs’ request for review. See Kaseburg, et al. v. Port of Seattle, 744 Fed. Appx. 356 (9th Cir. 2018).
Represented, along with other firm’s lawyers, the City of Mercer Island in its widely publicized fight to mitigate the impacts of the closure of the center express lanes of I-90, as part of Sound Transit’s expansion of light rail to Seattle’s Eastside. The case involved intense litigation in multiple forums. Just ahead of a hearing on the City’s request for an injunction, the City Council accepted a settlement offer of $10.1 million in mitigation payments from Sound Transit.
Defended King County against $250 million in claims by a regional water and sewer districts related to the operation and funding of the County’s Wastewater Treatment Division. After a six-week trial in Pierce County Superior Court, the Court ruled in favor of King County. The Washington Supreme Court affirmed the decision in King County’s favor in a unanimous opinion. See Cedar River Water & Sewer District v. King County, 178 Wn.2d 763, 315 P.3d 859 (2013).
Defended the Port of Seattle against claims by taxpayers seeking to invalidate the Port’s $81 million purchase of the Eastside Rail Corridor in 2009. Plaintiffs alleged that the purchase was outside the Port’s authority and a misuse of public funds. After extensive discovery, the trial court denied class certification. The trial court then dismissed all of the plaintiffs’ substantive claims on summary judgment. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in a unanimous opinion. See Lane v. Port of Seattle, 178 Wn. App. 110, 316 P.3d 1070 (2013).
Defended an owner of one of the region’s largest data centers against claims asserted by a Fortune 500 company for fraud and breach of contract in a claim in excess of $200 million. After considerable discovery and motion practice, the case was successfully resolved with plaintiff dismissing the claims and agreeing to abide by the terms of the lease agreement.
Defended an Internet entrepreneur against a $460 million business fraud claim. The case was resolved by a nominal settlement during trial, following a series of successful summary judgment motions that dismissed virtually all of the plaintiff’s claims.
Defended an owner of a large regional shopping mall in Spokane County against claims brought by a national Real Estate Investment Trust alleging fraud and negligent misrepresentations in the sale of the shopping mall in a $120 million transaction. The claims were successfully dismissed by way of summary judgment before trial.
Represented the State of Washington in two companion lawsuits brought by a sitting Washington State Supreme Court justice. One action involved a claim under Washington’s Public Disclosure Act and the second sought indemnification for attorneys fees incurred by the justice in defending against a disciplinary proceeding. The State prevailed by summary judgment in both actions at the trial court. At both the Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court, the appellate courts affirmed the superior courts’ decisions in all material respects. See Honorable Richard Sanders v. State of Washington, 169 Wn.2d 827, 240 P.3d 120 (2010) (affirming trial court’s dismissal of Public Records Act claims asserted by Supreme Court justice against Washington State Attorney General’s office); Honorable Richard Sanders v. State of Washington,166 Wn.2d 164, 207 P.3d 1245 (2009) (finding no entitlement to indemnification for attorneys fees incurred by Supreme Court justice charged with ethical violations involving acts outside the scope of a judge’s official duties).
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
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Rex Tillerson and the Russia File
January 13, 2017 Hannah Gais 3 Comments
by Hannah Gais
Donald Trump may have finally abandoned his enthusiastic denialism surrounding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. But if the events of the past week are any indication, the president-elect and his cabinet have quite the uphill battle ahead of them—and it’s even affecting the reception of Trump’s cabinet picks.
One confirmation is especially at risk: that of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state. Though Tillerson’s strong ties to the Russian government have been a point of contention for some time, recent revelations regarding the Trump-Russia connection bogged down the nominee even further—and may even impede his confirmation.
The chaos began on Friday, when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a long-awaited report, “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections,” verifying Russian involvement in the 2015–2016 hacks of the Democratic National Committee. The 25-page document summarizes findings from the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Central Intelligence Agency. It explains the scope, key judgments, and implications for intelligence-gathering activities going forward.
Little about the report was surprising. Most of the DNI’s findings were a matter of public record at the time of publication. All the report offers is an endorsement of what were previously matters of speculation. We’re told that the hacks of both the DNC and RNC were conducted on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s explicit orders—a point not only reported in December but follows logically from the nature of the centralized Russian state, especially on matters of foreign policy and national security. This “influence campaign,” as the DNI dubs it, was conducted with two main goals in mind. First, the campaign was to “undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency,” Second, it was to “help President-elect Trump’s election chances when possible.”
Although the report created a buzz within certain circles, it was handicapped by mistranslations, conjecture, a clear lack of focus, and a dearth of new information. As Masha Gessen aptly noted in The New York Review of Books, the report “suggests that the US intelligence agencies’ Russia expertise is weak and throws into question their ability to process and present information—all this, two weeks before a man with no government experience but with a short Twitter fuse takes the oath of office.” Even so, it was quite the PR challenge for a president-elect already facing a host of controversies.
Coming on the heels of the DNI report, BuzzFeed this week published a 35-page dossier compiled by Christopher Steele, a retired British intelligence officer and director of the London-based corporate intelligence firm Orbis Intelligence Ltd. (Recent rumors indicate that the report may have started as opposition research for presidential candidate Jeb Bush.) The document, which had been passed around media circles for some time, accuses the Trump team of direct cooperation with the upper echelons of the Kremlin. Beginning with a series of memos from June 2016, these admittedly unsubstantiated reports contend that the Kremlin has compiled a dossier of kompromat (or compromising material) on Trump, both of a personal (i.e., sexual) and financial nature. According to these memos, not only had the Kremlin “been feeding TRUMP and his team valuable intelligence on his opponents . . . for several years,” it had also worked closely with members of the Trump team on their shared goal of keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House.
Despite being riddled with errors and off-putting claims, the report kicked off a firestorm. Trump and his cohort responded accordingly—the former with an all-caps tweet decrying the document as “A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” Of particular note are the campaign’s conversations with several Russian oligarchs, including one with a close relationship to none other than Tillerson.
In a memo from July 2016, Steele describes a conversation between Trump’s then-foreign-affairs advisor Carter Page and Igor Sechin, the president of the Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. The two reportedly discussed “the issues of future bilateral energy cooperation and prospects for an associated move to lift Ukraine-related western sanctions against Russia.” The meeting—if it indeed happened—raises some troubling questions about Tillerson as a secretary of state pick. Unlike Page, who appeared to be a bit of a nobody in Moscow, Tillerson shares a longstanding working and personal relationship with Sechin. And though Sechin and Rosneft went unmentioned throughout Tillerson’s confirmation hearing, their possible proximity to the Trump administration through its secretary of state raises a question that hung over the eight hours of questioning: Would his business—and even personal—interests cloud his judgment?
Tillerson Grilled
This question proved to be hard to answer, even though the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee clearly viewed it as a priority. Beginning with Senator Ben Cardin’s line of questioning on the Magnitsky Act—which punishes a group of individuals thought to have been involved in the death of investigative lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died under mysterious circumstances in a Moscow jail—the hearing was almost tailored to test whether Tillerson sympathized not only with Trump’s aggressively pro-Putin attitude but his Kremlin policy overall.
Tillerson didn’t come across as an obvious Kremlin crony. He decried the annexation of Crimea as “illegal” and noted that the military response to Russia’s actions was insufficient. “Russian leadership,” he said with the certainty of a hardline Kremlinologist, “would’ve understood a strong response.” He even dotted his testimony with a few platitudes about American power and prowess. Citing Teddy Roosevelt’s infamous affirmation—”walk softly and carry a big stick”—Tillerson contended that, because Russia responded only to force, one must carry a “stick” at all times, for “whether you use it or not becomes part of the conversation.”
Ultimately, though, the conflict between the two powers boiled down for him to the “starkly different” values between the two countries. “We’re not likely to ever be friends,” he explained. Nevertheless, “there is scope to define a different relationship that would bring down the temperature around the conflict that we have today.”
Still, despite his opening bromides about American leadership and “revitalizing” its strength, Tillerson waffled repeatedly throughout the day—and in a way that barely helped the incoming administration’s case. In one early exchange with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tillerson dodged the question of whether critics of Putin “wind up dead all over the world.” “I don’t have sufficient information to make that claim,” he said calmly. The line became a mantra as Rubio continued an aggressive line of questioning on the death of Putin critics in “highly suspicious circumstances” and whether the Russian leader was a “war criminal” for carrying out a brutal, ongoing military campaign in Syria.
Though Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) did inquire as to whether Tillerson’s or Trump’s values would prevail in the future State Department, the committee focused on sanctions, not ideology. Tillerson admitted that “sanctions are a powerful tool” but danced around the question of whether he, as the head of ExxonMobil, had lobbied against Russian sanctions. Tillerson’s response created a minor uproar among the media: “I have never lobbied against sanctions—personally,” he noted. “To my knowledge, Exxon never lobbied against sanctions.”
That, as even Senator Bob Corker (R- TN) was quick to point out, is a flat-out lie. ExxonMobil has repeatedly lobbied against sanctions targeted at Iran and Russia. And for good reason: Tillerson and ExxonMobil uniquely benefited from Russia’s energy wealth. ExxonMobil under Tillerson and Rosneft under Senchin have cooperated for some time through a production agreement on Sakhalin Island in the Pacific. In 2011, ExxonMobil and Rosneft secured a $500 billion partnership between their respective companies to drill for oil in the Russian portion of the Arctic. Putin practically bragged that “the scale of the investment is very large. It’s scary to utter such huge figures.” Sanctions leveled against Russia in response to invasion of Crimea put this profitable partnership at risk. In 2014, Tillerson informed reporters that he was making his company’s discontent clear. “Our views are being heard at the highest levels,” he noted, explaining that his business activities hadn’t been hit—yet. All the more evidence, as Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) put it Tuesday, that “Exxon became the in-house lobbyist for Russia against these sanctions.”
Given the current state of U.S.-Russia relations, Tillerson’s background would have been enough, especially when paired with Trump’s bizarre bromance with Putin, to make his confirmation hearing a slog. It remains to be seen whether this week’s news cycle keeps him out of Foggy Bottom. Already, Rubio has expressed the possibility of voting against Tillerson. Will others—especially frustrated Republican hawks—do the same?
Analysis, Russia Bob Corker, Christopher Steele, DNI, Donald Trump, ExxonMobil, Hannah Gais, Marco Rubio, Masha Gessen, Rex Tillerson, Rosneft, Russia, Sergei Magnitsky, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin
Hannah Gais
Hannah Gais is a New York-based writer with recent bylines in Pacific Standard, Al Jazeera America, First Things, U.S. News and World Report, and more. She is an audience development associate at The Baffler and associate digital editor at The Washington Spectator. Formerly, she was the assistant editor at the Foreign Policy Association.
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Surely NOT “verifying Russian involvement in the 2015–2016 hacks of the Democratic National Committee.” I am surprised as the meek acceptance of so many stories with NO evidence supplied, even now, and the stories getting more bizarre every day. It also seems that Senators on both sides care not at all about serious issues like civilian control of the military (Mad Dog only left in 2013, but the waiver went through) and John McCain is unaccountably given credence for his usual wacky ideas.
Mixa Klimment
“Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only “stupid” people, or fools, would think that it is bad!”
Did he just call nearly 2/3 of the United State’s citizens “stupid”?
Rex Tillerson will be confirmed. Rubio is hysterical and his childish pressure on Tillerson to say that Putin is a criminal not only has failed but has turned against him. Rex Tillerson is of a much higher caliber than Hillary Clinton or John Kerry.
He deserves the nomination and the Senate has surely recognized in him the potential of an measured yet powerful negotiator.
Russia’s Middle East Resurgence Isn’t Just About the Money
Global protests: Russia and China risk ending up on the wrong side of history
Can the Turkey-Russia Agreement Help Syrians End Their Civil War?
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Lifestyle Memories
Remembering London’s first ever black mayor
9 October 2020 12 October 2020 News Reporter 0 Comments
John Archer, London’s first Black Mayor, reversed Churchill’s claim that “If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain.”
He moved to the left as he got older.
He was first elected as a Progressive – or Liberal, but joined Labour by 1919 and was the election agent for Britain’s first Asian MP, a Communist, by 1922.
He was born on June 8, 1863, in Liverpool.
His father, Richard, was a ship’s steward from Barbados, and his mother Mary Theresa, was Irish.
He was a medical student for a time and a prize-winning photographer.
John travelled at least three times around the world in his youth, living for a while in the West Indies and North America.
He met his wife, Bertha, a black Canadian, in her homeland.
He was in his late 20s when the couple set up home at 55 Brynmaer Road, near Battersea Park.
Mr Archer earned his living as a photographer, with a studio in Battersea Park Road.
He appears to have been successful as a photographer, for his work won many prizes.
John Archer’s home at 55 Brynmaer Road
He then turned his interest to local politics, and was elected to the borough council in 1906, as one of the six councillors for the Latchmere ward, where he topped the poll with 1,051 votes.
He lost his seat in 1909, but won it again three years later.
His racial background was the subject of intense media interest.
Some press reports claimed he was Burmese by birth and likening him to a Hindu or Parsee in appearance.
He was elected as Mayor of Battersea in 1913 and gave a rousing speech in which he declared: “My election tonight means a new era. You have made history tonight. For the first time in the history of the English nation a man of colour has been elected as mayor of an English borough.
“That will go forth to the coloured nations of the world and they will look to Battersea and say Battersea has done many things in the past, but the greatest thing it has done has been to show that it has no racial prejudice and that it recognises a man for the work he has done.
“My mother – well, she was my mother. My mother was not born in Rangoon. She was not Burmese. She belonged to one of the grandest races on the face of the earth. My mother was an Irishwoman. So there is not so much of the foreigner about me after all.”
He added a month later: “Do you know that I have had letters since I have been Mayor calling my mother some of the foulest names that it is possible for a mother to be called.
“I have been made to feel my position more than any man who has ever occupied this chair, not because I am a member of the council, but because I am a man of colour.
“Am I not a man, the same as any other man? Have I not got feelings the same as any other?”
He successfully campaigned for a minimum wage of 32 shillings a week for council workers.
He lost his seat in 1909 but was re-elected in 1912.
In 1918, he became the first president of the African Progress Union and chaired the Pan-African Congress in London and said: “A famous company of American Negroes were playing that soul-stirring Negro tragedy Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
“I saw the play, and from that day the seeds of resentment were planted within me that have resulted in making me the race-man I am. Too long, much too long, has the Negro race suffered.
“We who were born under British rule and are of the Negro race here still need reparation to be made to us.
“We are the ones to show resentment, if it should be shown.
“We, the offspring of those islands are the ones to bear malice, if it should be borne. How have we borne this malice? Look in France and Flanders, and we get the answer. When England was in dire need, African, American and West Indian Negroes forgot injustice, forgot wrongs; forgot insults, and hastened to the nation’s call. How have they been requited?”
Mr Archer was re-elected to the council for Labour in 1919.
In 1922, he gave up his council seat to act as Labour Party election agent for Shapurji Saklatvala, a Communist Party activist standing for Parliament in North Battersea.
He convinced the Labour Party to endorse Saklatvala and he was duly elected one of the first Indian MPs in Britain.
“He and Saklatvala continued to work together, winning again in 1924 until the Communist and Labour parties split fully.
“In the 1929 general election, he was agent for the official Labour candidate who beat Saklatvala. He was later re-elected, in 1931, councillor for the Nine Elms ward and when he died a year later on July 14, 1932, a few weeks after his 69th birthday, he was the deputy leader of Battersea council.
His funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Carmel in Battersea Park Road on July 19. In April 2013, Mr Archer was honoured by Royal Mail in the UK, as one of six people selected for the Great Britons commemorative postage stamp issue.
In November 2013, English Heritage placed a blue plaque at his former home, 55 Brynmaer Road, Battersea. The Ark school federation has a primary school named after him in Plough Street, Battersea, the former High View School.
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PNC to Buy BBVA USA in $11.6bn Deal
The tie-up will create the US’s fifth-largest bank, adding $104 billion in assets to PNC
PNC Financial Services Group is to buy the US arm of Spanish banking giant BBVA for $11.6 billion, the companies announced this morning.
The deal will make PNC the fifth-largest bank in the US with more than $500 billion in total assets.
The purchase will be paid for in cash in a “fixed price structure”, PNC said, using some of the proceeds of the sale of its stake in BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, which it announced in May.
BBVA USA, headquartered in Houston, Texas, has $104 billion in assets and 637 branches across seven states. As of September 30, BBVA USA had $86 billion of deposits and $66 billion of loans.
PNC’s chairman, chief executive and president William Demchak said: “Our acquisition of BBVA USA will accelerate our growth trajectory and drive long-term shareholder value through a strategic deployment of the proceeds from the sale of our BlackRock investment.
“This transaction is an opportunity to navigate our future from a position of strength, accelerating PNC’s national expansion strategy while drawing on our experience as a disciplined acquirer.
“We are excited to bring our industry-leading technology and innovative products and services to new markets and clients, leveraging our mutual commitment to building diverse and high performing teams and supporting the communities we serve.”
BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila added that the deal was “very positive” for both banks.
“PNC has recognized the great value of our unique client franchise and of our great team in the US, who will be part of a leading financial services group in the country,” he said.
PNC said it expected the acquisition to cost $980 million in “merger and integration costs”, but achieve cost savings “in excess of $900 million”.
The transaction is expected to close in mid-2021, subject to regulatory approval.
In August, BBVA USA was highlighted by Greenwich Associates as a standout performer in the middle market sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. The bank was also praised for its digital capabilities in a March report from Juniper Research.
Also in August, the bank was announced as one of eight financial services companies to have partnered with Google Pay to facilitate digital checking accounts.
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OJER Vol.8 No.2 , May 2019
Depth Variation of the Lithosphere beneath Garoua Rift Region (Cameroon Volcanic Line) Studied from Teleseismic P-Waves
Serge H. Kengni Pokam1,2*, Charles T. Tabod1,2, Eric N. Ndikum1,3, Alain P. Tokam Kamga1, Blaise P. Pokam Gounou1
1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
2 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon.
3 Department of Physics, HTTC Bambili, The University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon.
Abstract: Teleseismic events have been selected from a database of earthquakes with three components which were recorded between February 2005 and January 2007 by five seismic stations across the Garoua rift region which constitutes a part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). The iterative time deconvolution performed by [1] applied on these teleseismic events, permitted us to obtain P-receiver functions. The latter were subsequently inverted in order to obtain S-wave velocity models with respect to depth which were then associated to the synthetic receiver functions. This made it possible to explain the behavior of the wave and the medium through which they traveled. The main results obtained indicate that: (1) The lithosphere appears to be thin in its crustal part with a mean Moho depth of 28 km and S wave velocity of 3.7 km/s. (2) In its mantle part, the lithosphere is thick in nature having a thickness that varies between 42 km and 67.2 km. The greatest depth is noticed towards the center located around Garoua while the least depth corresponds to a location around Yagoua in the North. The Low velocity zone which makes it possible to determine the depth of the lithosphere was seen to have a thickness which varies between 42 km and 118.8 km. (3) The synthetic receiver functions associated to shear velocity models reveal that, on one hand the wave has really undergone a conversion and multiple conversions such that the existing Ps phase and subsequent reverberations PpPs and PpSs have mean times of 3.7 s, 11 s and 17.6 s respectively. On the other hand, they reveal an attenuation shown by the decrease in the amplitude of the aforementioned phases along a South-North direction in the Garoua rift.
Keywords: Teleseismic, Receiver Functions, Depth of Lithosphere, Low Velocity Zone, Garoua Rift Region
The Garoua rift region is the continuation of the Northern section of Cameroon Volcanic Line and the part of the large Benue trough which, is situated between the latitude 8˚ and 11˚ North and longitudes 13˚ and 16˚ East. It is bounded to the west by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the North by the Mandara Mounts and to the south by the Adamawa plateau (Figure 1).
Structural and geological studies by [2] and [3] show that the Garoua basin is an E-W to N120 trending trough infilled by Middle to Upper Cretaceous marine sandstones. These sediments have also been described by [4] and [5] . The Garoua sandstone series overlap an approximately E-W trending trough called the Tcheboa trough, similar to the Figuil, Hama-koussou and Mayo-Oulo basins [6] [7] . The whole region of the Garoua basin presents outcrops of sandstone and intrusive granites, which form the basement complex below the sediments, and intrusive diorites along the Poli-Lere axis [8] . Some hypovolcanic dykes are also found within the Garoua sandstones. The basaltic lavas (Figure 1) found here are similar to those of the Cameroon Volcanic Line [9] . The basin is limited by normal faults which outcrop on its northern and southern borders [3] [8] [10] .
Figure 1. Simplify geological map of Garoua rift region (modified after [11] ).
Some geophysical works have been carried out in the Garoua rift region and particularly in the Garoua basin area. The regional structural setting of the Garoua Basin is characterized by three major normal faults striking mainly in the NW-SE to NNE-SSW direction [12] . The continental crust underneath the basin (about 24 km) is thinner than the normal crust, but may be a little thicker to the east. This thinning of the crust is due to extensional regional stress and the uplift of the Asthenosphere is as a consequence and this result from an isostatic compensation. This leads to an average sedimentary pile thickness of about 6 km from results obtained by [11] and [12] . This thinning is probably due to the extensional process of basin formation in the Cretaceous. The Moho is found to be uplifted in the basin, and would be the result of this extension and the associated thermal and isostatic compensation. [13] reveal a crustal thinning in some parts of the Central African Shear Zone (CASZ) including the Garoua basin. Other gravity studies by [14] [15] and [16] suppose an uplifting of the upper mantle resulting in an abnormally thin continental crust. The continental crust is thinner below the trough and its associated basins (15 km to 24 km thick) than the normal 33 km [13] [17] and [18] . [19] used records of quarry blasts (active source seismic data) on a North-South profile across the Adamawa plateau performed a study of the crustal structure associated with the Adamawa plateau and the Garoua Rift. This study revealed a considerable thinning of the Crust when moving south of the Adamawa Plateau towards the Garoua Rift region. The Crust thins from 33 km south of the Adamawa Plateau to about 23 km at the Garoua rift region. The crustal thickness of 22 km obtained by [18] varies as a function of the density contrast between the lower crust and the upper mantle. Recently gravity data acquired from Earth Gravitational Model (EGM-2008) were analyzed by [20] to estimate the sedimentary thickness, extension and shape of the Garoua Basin, North Cameroon. Two dimensional (2-D) forward modeling of the gravity data using Grav2dc v2.06, which uses the Talwini’s algorithm was conducted along three profiles oriented NE-SW, NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE to verify the lateral variations of the sediment pile beneath these profiles. Accordingly, Garoua is made up of alternating succession of horsts and grabens bounded to the north and south by normal faults infilled with sedimentary rocks underlain by a rifted basement. The gravity models suggest an average thickness of sediments of 9 km with a graben-shaped and extents over 80 km. [21] used the surface waves tomography to indicate that the mantle beneath the CVL is characterized by slow seismic wave velocity and the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is shallower than 100 km (~60 km). [22] from the receiver functions technic applied on the Raleigh waves have shown that, the crust is thin with the mean thickness of 25.5 km for an average crustal S-wave velocity of 3.4 km/s. [23] used body wave tomography to image the mantle seismic structure beneath Cameroon using data from the 2005-2007 CBSE network. They found that a continuous low velocity zone (δVs = −2% to −3%) underlies the entire CVL to a depth of at least 300 km and attributed this to a thermal anomaly of at least 280 K. [24] stacked the receiver functions using a 3-D velocity model, revealing Ps conversions from the mantle transition zone discontinuities at depths of ~410 and 660 km. Results yield a nearly uniform transition zone thickness (251 ± 10 km) that is similar to the global average, implying that any thermal anomalies in the upper mantle beneath the CVL do not extend as deep as the transition zone. [25] stacked receiver functions to study crustal structure using earthquakes recorded by the Cameroon Broadband Seismic Experiment. In regions of the CVL unaffected by the Cretaceous extension associated with the breakup of Gondwana (e.g. the Garoua rift), Vp/Vs ratios are markedly low (network average 1.74) compared to hot spots elsewhere, providing no evidence for either melt or cooled mafic crustal intrusions due to CVL magmatism. The character of P-to-S conversions from beneath the CVL also indicates that lower-crustal intrusions (often termed underplate) are not present beneath the region. Although the previous investigations of the lithosphere where done with artificial seismic sources which led to interpretations leaning on inappropriate velocity models [13] [17] [18] [19] or with potential methods [11] [14] [15] [16] [20] that present a low resolution power or studied the crust using active sources [19] on one hand. The other investigations provided important measurements and high-resolution image of the lithospheric structure in Cameroon using the stack method of the receiver functions resulting from the surface waves [25] or focused mainly on the mantle [23] and [24] in other hand. In this present work, we will come out a 1-D velocity model of S-waves of the lithosphere from the inversion of the P-waves receiver functions having the properties to propagate beyond the crust. This shear wave velocity models could also provide information regarding its structure.
2. Data and Methodology
2.1. Data
The data used in this study consist of the earthquakes recorded by 32 portable broad-band seismometers installed across the country between January 2005 and February 2007 by the Cameroon Broadband Seismic Experiment. The data were collected by a team of geoscientist from the University of Yaounde I and the Institute of Geological and Mining Research-Cameroon in partnership with researchers from Pen State University in the United State of America. The seismic network comprised 5 broadband stations (Table 1) equipped with a broad-band seismometer (Guralp CMG-3T or Streckeisen STS-2), a 24-bit Reftek digitizer and a GPS (Global Positioning System) clock (Figure 2).
Data were recorded continuously at a rate of 40 samples per second. In the study area, two stations (red color) were installed in 2005 January and operated during 2 years; the remaining four stations (yellow color) operated only during the second year of the experiment. The station spacing during the second year (2006) of operation was about 50 to 150 km [26] . From the earthquake data recorded, the teleseismic events that occurred at epicentral distances between 30˚ and 95˚ with magnitudes MB ≥ 5.5. have been selected (Table 2) to construct the S-wave velocity models beneath the different stations of the Garoua rift by application of the P-wave receiver functions technique.
Figure 2. Colour elevation map showing seismic station locations and shear zones. The circled numbers refer to station codes, for example, 28 refers to station CM28 and the blue rectangle represents the study area (Modified after [22] ).
Table 1. Characteristics of the different stations which recorded the teleseismic events.
Table 2. Events with magnitude MB ≥ 5.5 used for the study.
2.2. Methodology
2.2.1. Computation of the Receiver Functions
The treatment of the teleseismic is based on the receiver function method. The receiver functions are time series, computed from three component seismograms, which show the relative response of earth structure near the receiver. They are generated by the time domain iterative deconvolution method of [1] , applied to seismograms constituted to the North, East and Vertical components which are then rotated into radial, transverse and vertical components respectively which can be used to image velocity contrasts across discontinuities.
The computation of the receiver functions began with a visual inspection in order to confirm the presence of the signal. Then after, if the wave forms which appear on the three components of the seismogram can be identified (Figure 3), then the selected waveforms were decimated to 10 samples per second, windowed between 20 s and 140 s after the leading P arrival, de-trended, tapered and high pass filtered above 50 s to remove low-frequency, instrumental noise.
Radial and transverse receiver functions were then obtained from the filtered traces by rotating the original horizontal components around the corresponding vertical component into the great circle path (Figure 4), and deconvolving the vertical component from the radial component through the iterative time domain déconvolution procedure of [1] , with 200 iterations using the Gaussian a = 2.5 corresponding at to the frequency 1.2 Hz because, it helps to discriminate gradational transitions from sharp discontinuities in the receiver structure under the station [27] .
To complete the estimation of the receiver functions, the recovery percentage of the original radial waveform was evaluated from the rms misfit between the original radial waveform and the convolution of the radial receiver function with the original vertical component [26] . Events that were recovered to less than 85 percent were rejected. The remaining waveforms were visually inspected for coherence and stability (Figure 5).
Figure 3. Example of the good seismogram at the station CM28.
Figure 4. Example of seismogram windowed, filtredand rotated at station CM28.
Figure 5. Example of the good receiver function computed at station CM28. The horizontal axis represents the time in second (s) while the vertical axis represents the amplitude of P-wave in millimeter (mm).
2.2.2. Inversion of the Receiver Functions
In this work, the P-waves were inverted to obtain an S-wave velocity model that produces an estimation of shear velocity structure beneath a given seismic station. There is no guarantee that a unique inversion result will be obtained, as the method seeks to minimize the differences between observed and synthetic (or predicted) receiver functions. The inversion was performed using the Rftn96 program developed by [28] and [29] . The method is based on a linearized inversion procedure that minimizes a weighted combination of least squares norms for each data set, a model roughness norm and a vector-difference norm between inverted and pre-set model parameters. The velocity models obtained are consequently a compromise between fitting the observations, model simplicity and a priori constraints. The velocity models are associated at the synthetic receiver functions. Synthetic seismograms are generated using a fast three dimension ray tracing scheme based on [30] . The earth model is parameterized in terms of constant velocity, planar, dipping layers over half-space. The P and S wave velocities, density, strike and dip angles, and thickness are specified for each layer in the model. Synthetic vertical radial and transverse seismograms are generated by specifying a back azimuth and ray parameter for the plan of P-wave incident at the base of the model. The starting model used in this inversion consisted of an isotropic medium of constant velocity layers that increase in thickness with depth. The thicknesses of the first, second and third layers are, respectively, 45 km, 90 km and 80 km, while the thickness increases by steeps of 5 km between 0 and 45 km depth, by 10 km between 45 and 135 km and by 20 km below the depth of 135 km. Also the linear shear wave velocity increase in the crust from 3.2 to 4.0 km/s and from 4 to 4.7 km/s in the lithospheric mantle overlying a flattened PREM (Preliminary Reference Earth Model) model [31] for the mantle. Having determined path lengths for each layer, the arrival time for each phase can be calculated. In addition, to the P-arrival and Ps conversions, the synthetic seismogram may include the free-surface multiples associated with each interface.
3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Results
The different results coming from the inversion of the receiver function computed for the five seismic stations studied are shown in Figure 6 (a, b, c, d and e).
The different interpretations are presented in Table 3 and Table 4 .
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
Figure 6. (a), (b), (c), (d), (e): Shear velocity profiles for Garoua rift region (Cameroon Volcanic Line). Moho: Mohovicic discontinuity; LAB: Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary; LVZ: Low Velocity Zone.
Table 3. Interpretation of the synthetic receiver functions.
Table 4. Interpretation of the S-wave velocity profile.
The velocity models obtained by inversion of the receiver function followed by the different values coming from Table 4 for the Garoua rift sector allow us to say that the crust is thin with a mean S-waves velocity of the of 3.8 km/s and the mean thickness of 28 km except at Maroua where it is 36 km. While the lithospheric mantle has a mean S-wave velocity of 3.9 km/s and its thickness varies between 15.6 km and 40.8 km. The low velocity zone is located between 42 km and 116.7 km of depth and the discontinuities are situated at 26.4 km of depth for the Moho except for the Maroua station where it is located at 36 km and between 42 km and 67.2 km for the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB).
3.2. Discussions
3.2.1. Comparison of the Synthetic Receiver Functions Results by Station and with Previous Estimates
Observing the different times of Ps phase and subsequent reverberations (PpPs and PpSs) obtained at each station (Table 4), in addition to their different amplitudes, one notes respectively an increase and a decrease from the station CM28 to station CM32. This leads to the deduction that the wave is converted and attenuates according along the South-North direction of the Garoua rift. Previous estimates of the conversion time in the Garoua rift region have been carried out by [25] and the comparison with the new estimates is shown in Table 5.
Comparing the values of this study with those obtained by [25] , one observes that, there is slight difference with respect to the different conversions. This difference can be explained by the method used in computing the same data.
3.2.2. Comparison of the Shear Wave Velocity Model Results by Locality and with Previous Estimates
a) Comparison of the shear wave velocity model by locality
The shear velocity models obtained in each locality present a thin behavior in the crustal part of lithosphere. This behavior is supported by [11] [19] and [22] . The mantle part of the lithosphere is thick, with the depth of the lithosphere that varies beneath the Garoua rift region between 42 km and 67.2 km (Figure 7). It comes out again that, the deepest part of the lithosphere is located in the center of the rift (Garoua) and the section having the least depth is located at the North, more precisely in the Yagoua locality (Figure 7).
b) Comparison of the shear velocity model results with previous estimates
Many studies have already been carried out on this behavior and the depth in this area by some geoscientist like [11] [22] . Comparisons with previous estimates of the shear wave velocities as well as with the thickness of the crust and lithosphere are done in Table 6.
Table 6 shows that, estimates of average S-wave velocity (Vs) in the crust are in very good agreement with the previous estimates [22] based on the same seismic data in the Garoua rift region. The main difference between this study and previous studies is at the level of the depth of the Moho. This difference comes from the type of data and method used (active data, surface data and geopotential method). On the depth of the lithosphere, no evaluation has been done till date but for one study on the Cameroon volcanic line (covering the Garoua rift region) which situated the depth of the lithosphere to approximately to 60 km [21] . The lithospheric depth has been determined by the existing of the low velocity zone started at the same depth. This low velocity zone has been confirmed by [23] that found a low-velocity anomaly beneath the CVL extending to at least 300 km plausibly related to a thermal perturbation.
Figure 7. Variation of the depth of lithosphere beneath the Garoua rift region.
Table 5. Comparison of arrival times of the different Ps phases and the subsequent reverberants with those of previous results.
Table 6. Comparing shear velocity model with previous estimates in the Garoua rift.
Iterative deconvolution has been applied on teleseismic events recorded between 2005 and 2007 to obtain the receiver functions. These receiver functions have been inverted to study the lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary beneath the Garoua rift region. It was found from this study that: 1) The synthetic receiver functions associated to the shear velocity model obtained show the existence of a Ps phase and subsequence reverberations PpPs and PpSs at 3.7 s, 11 s and 17.6 s respectively. The amplitude of the subsequent reverberations decrease and finally disappears at station CM32 passing through stations CM29, CM30 and CM31. The existence of the different phases and the low amplitude of the different phases lead to the deduction that, the wave has really undergone conversion and attenuation along the South-North direction of the Garoua rift region. 2) The lithosphere has a thin nature in its crustal part with the Moho located at a mean depth of 28 km according to the S-wave velocity of 3.7 km/s. The lithosphere is thick in its mantle part with its limit depth that varies between 42 km and 67.2 km of depth. The deepest part of the lithosphere in the Garoua rift region is situated towards the center that is located around Garoua while the least depth is situated around Yagoua to the North due to the existence of the first low velocity zone (LVZ) in the upper mantle whose thickness also varies between 42 km and 116.7 km. The different results obtained in this study have been compared to previous results existing in this region. Some similarities have been noticed in some cases like in the velocity of the S waves in the crust and the time of PpPs phase. The main differences with other results were noticed in the times of Ps and PpSs phases and Moho depth. These differences can be justified by the type of method or data used. In this study, though studies have been carried out on the boundary and the behavior of the lithosphere, it will never the less be important to carry out a study on the origin of the variation noticed in the depth of the lithosphere.
We wish to express our gratitude to the team and sponsor of the Cameroon broadband seismic experiment and particularly to Dr Tokam Kamga Alain who provide the database and the software.
Cite this paper: Pokam, S. , Tabod, C. , Ndikum, E. , Kamga, A. and Gounou, B. (2019) Depth Variation of the Lithosphere beneath Garoua Rift Region (Cameroon Volcanic Line) Studied from Teleseismic P-Waves. Open Journal of Earthquake Research, 8, 116-131. doi: 10.4236/ojer.2019.82008.
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https://doi.org/10.4236/ojg.2018.86032
[27] Julià, J. (2007) Constraining Velocity and Density Contrasts across the Crust: Mantle Boundary with Receiver Function Amplitudes. Geophysical Journal International, 171, 286-301.
[28] Julià, J., Ammon, C.J., Herrmann, R.B. and Correig, A.M. (2000) Joint Inversion of Receiver Function and Surface Wave Dispersion Observations. Geophysical Journal International, 143, 99-112.
[29] Julià, J., Ammon, C.J. and Herrmann, R.B. (2003) Lithospheric Structure of the Arabian Shield from the Joint Inversion of Receiver Functions and Surface Wave Group Velocities. Tectonophysics, 371, 1-21.
[30] Langston, C.A. (1977) Corvallis, Oregon, Crustal and Upper Mantle Structure from Teleseismic P and S Waves. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 67, 713-724.
[31] Dziewonski, A.M. and Anderson, D.L. (1981) Preliminary Reference Earth Model. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 25, 297-356.
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Review | Resort, Andrew Daley
Posted on 20 December 2017 by Jaclyn
In Resort, con artist tag team Danny and Jill are broke and desperate in Acapulco when Jill introduces Danny to a wealthy English older couple who could be their next target. Even better, the man promises to give Danny a shot at movie stardom, which has been Danny’s dream since he and Jill first met in university. Despite the credit card scams they pull on unsuspecting tourists, all Danny really wants to do is start a theatre company with Jill in a small town, and he hopes that scamming the English couple will give them enough funds to do just that.
A few chapters in, we realize that things have gone wrong, as Danny’s narration shifts from following the English couple across Mexico to announcing that he’s now in King’s Reach minimum security prison on Vancouver Island for drug trafficking. It’s a jarring shift, and one that I admit pulled me from the story somewhat, as the Mexican storyline was, to me at least, just starting to finding its legs. In prison, under the advice of the prison psychologist, Danny plans a stage production of The Tempest, a play whose significance doesn’t become clear until the last few chapters.
Resort begins as a light-hearted crime caper, but soon develops into a more thoughtful reflection of Danny and Jill’s relationship and how love has the potential to keep us wilfully blind to potentially painful truths. Told from Danny’s perspective, the narrative switches between Danny and Jill’s plot to fleece the English couple in Mexico and Danny’s present-day life in prison where directing The Tempest does little to decrease how much he misses Jill and how worried he is that she still hasn’t visited him. The story is later revealed to be an account Danny writes as an assignment for his psychologist, so the veracity of many of the things he says is suspect, but what there is is somewhat of a slow burning tragedy of betrayal.
I found the pacing too slow, and the dual storylines too drawn out. Part of me wishes we didn’t have the early reveal about Danny’s incarceration, as it removed a lot of the suspense around the Mexico storyline. We already know the plan goes awry; it’s just a matter of finding out exactly how, and while some of the reveals along the way are surprising, it takes far too long a time to unravel.
Daley is deliberately cagey about Jill’s motivations throughout the story. Even at the end, it’s never quite clear if the love story is a tragic one about an innocent person duped by their partner, or if it’s a story of true love about con artists who had the perfect partnership and pulled off an extremely complex plot, or possibly even if it’s somewhat of a hybrid of both. I can imagine any of the three possibilities being the truth, but I never quite believed in their love story enough to really feel invested in it. As a result, I felt sympathetic towards both characters for the ways in which their lives turned out, but I never quite rooted for them to get together.
Resort is a well-written novel with commentary about the lives we dream to have, the reality we end up in, and the stories we tell ourselves and other people. It’s not quite the right fit for me, as I never connected emotionally to the characters or their stories, but more patient readers may better appreciate the nuances in the unraveling.
Thank you to Tightrope Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This entry was posted in Book Reviews by Jaclyn. Bookmark the permalink.
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OPINION: Right Project, Right Time
Mayor Levar Stoney makes his case on why the Navy Hill plan should go forward.
by Mayor Levar Stoney
Scott Elmquist/File
Two years ago this weekend, I announced that the City of Richmond would solicit proposals to revitalize a long-neglected and blighted area in the core of our downtown.
People have said — and may continue to say — that this project isn’t needed. That progress will just happen on its own and that we should just wait. I’m sorry, but the data and history of this area does not support that conclusion. We can’t just wait for it to happen. We have to make it happen.
As our city overall has grown in assessed value at roughly 8% annually in the past couple years, the 80 blocks we have included in the Increment Financing Area have only grown at 2%.
So, why hasn’t our downtown kept pace with the rest of our city when it comes to organic growth? Why are Scott’s Addition and Manchester booming, but downtown is limping along?
For starters, roughly 60% of the land in the Increment Financing Area is tax-exempt, owned by either the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, or the city. The three cranes high in the downtown sky remind us of this fact; two are building new facilities for VCU Health, and one is constructing the new General Assembly building. When these state-of-the-art facilities are completed, they will pay no property taxes to the city.
Second, the lack of existing infrastructure and developable parcels has limited opportunities for new commercial development. Those that have been built have requested, and been provided, large tax breaks from the city, or required significant investments of city infrastructure to coincide with their development.
We simply won’t be able to fund the fixes to the challenges we face as a community when our downtown, the heart of our city, is beating at a quarter of the rate of the rest of our city. It’s past time that we should transform this area of parking lots and blighted buildings into an inclusive and equitable community that pumps real revenues into the city’s coffers.
But, as I have heard some suggest, a piecemeal strategy to economic development in this part of downtown is neither feasible nor responsible.
It’s not feasible because the lack of connected streets and infrastructure in the Navy Hill development area requires a comprehensive development plan. It’s not feasible because no one wants to be the first to invest in a parcel when they don’t know when or how the rest of the area will be developed. It’s not feasible because developers don’t want to invest in land adjacent to a crumbling Coliseum.
It’s not responsible, because when the city owns the land, we have the opportunity to negotiate terms that bring benefits to our community. It’s not responsible because selling to the highest bidder would not have allowed us to require an unprecedented commitment to building 480 affordable housing units, a transit center that will make it easier, safer and more dignified to travel across our city, and a restoration of the historic Blues Armory that will house an urban grocery store in an existing food desert.
Nor would we have been able to require a record-setting $300 million commitment to minority contractors and businesses, which is equivalent to the total of all of the city-directed minority business participation in the last 10 years combined.
The result of two years of careful consideration is a Navy Hill project that would be the catalyst to generate more than $1 billion in new revenues to invest into our schools, our streets, our communities and our people. And it does so in a way that is inclusive of communities that often miss out on the benefits of these types of revitalization efforts.
Navy Hill stays true to my commitment to build One Richmond that is inclusive and competitive. It requires us to be bold, to think big, to aim high, and also allows us the opportunity to be smart, to plan carefully and to exercise due diligence.
In my opinion, Navy Hill isn’t big, shiny and new — it’s responsible and overdue.
Levar Stoney is the 80th mayor of Richmond. Throughout November, the mayor and city officials will hold a series of town hall meetings on the Navy Hill redevelopment proposal. The first is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 14, at Carver Elementary School at 1110 W. Leigh St. from 6 - 7:30 p.m. For information visit richmondgov.com.
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Mandela, East Timor meeting shrouded in secrecy
The meeting between President Nelson Mandela and East Timorese Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has been shrouded in secrecy.
PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela will meet exiled East Timorese activist Jose Ramos-Horta for talks on Friday, presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana confirmed on Thursday.
Mankahlana said the discussions will be confidential, and are being held at Mandela's invitation. He added that he did not believe their will be any public statements made after the meeting by either party.
Both men are recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize -- Mandela in 1993 for his part in a peaceful end to apartheid and Ramos-Horta in 1996 for his role against Indonesian rule in East Timor.
Mandela was criticised during his state visit to Indonesia earlier this month for not raising the issue of East Timor with Indonesian President Suharto. At the time he said: "We are not going to take advantage of our friendship with Indonesia to prescribe what they should do." However, it emerged this week that Mandela met imprisoned East Timorese rebel leader Xanana Gusmao at Jakarta's presidential palace during his visit.
The two talked for almost two hours on July 15 at Mandela's request, with the approval of Suharto.
Indonesian troops captured Gusmao in 1991. An Indonesian court sentenced him to 20 years in prison in 1994 for plotting against Suharto's government. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it a year later as its 27th province. The United Nations does not recognise Indonesia's sovereignty over the territory.
When asked about East Timor during his Indonesian visit, Mandela said he discussed the issue in official talks with Suharto, whom he described as South Africa's "close friend" and a potentially important trading partner. He did not criticize Indonesia's policies, but instead suggested a solution could be found through dialogue, as had been accomplished in South Africa.
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Today in History 12/28 (Westminster Abbey)
December 28, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ
(1065) Westminster Abbey is consecrated in London
King Edward the Confessor is near death and unable to attend the consecration ceremony of the church he commissioned as a burial place and to atone to the pope for a broken vow. Edward will die eight days later. The abbey will be completed in 1090 but rebuilt in the Gothic style by Henry III.
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. The building itself was a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. Between 1540 and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey or a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England “Royal Peculiar”—a church responsible directly to the sovereign.
Address: 20 Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PA
Construction completed: 960 AD
Height: 225 feet (Architectural)
Denomination: Church of England
Architects: Christopher Wren · Nicholas Hawksmoor · Henry Yevele · John of Gloucester · Robert of Beverley · Henry of Reyns
North entrance of Westminster Abbey
wiki/Westminster_Abbey
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(1065) Westminster Abbey is consecrated in London.
Also on this day,
1846 | Iowa becomes the 29th US state
President James K. Polk signs a law making an area that was part of the Louisiana Purchase the 29th state. Iowa, named for a Native American tribe, joins the nation as a slave-free state and will support the Union in the Civil War.
1895 | Audience pays admission to see a movie
At the Grand Cafe in Paris, brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière charge admission to see short films they made about ordinary French life. It marks the first time an audience has paid money to see a movie. The films are shown on a hand-cranked camera-projector the brothers invented: the Cinematographe.
1958 | ‘Greatest’ football game as Baltimore Colts win ‘Greatest Game Ever Played’
The 1958 National Football Championship Game between the Colts and the New York Giants is the first playoff game in NFL history to go into sudden-death overtime. The Colts win 23-17 in Yankee Stadium and the matchup will become known as the ‘Greatest Game Ever Played.’
Today in History 12/28/17
(1846) Iowa becomes the 29th US state
Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest, and Minnesota to the north.
Area: 56,272 sq miles (145,743 km²)
Colleges and universities: Iowa State University · University of Iowa · University of Northern Iowa · Drake University · Grinnell College
Capital: Des Moines
Governor: Kim Reynolds
Senators: Joni Ernst · Chuck Grassley
Map of the United States with Iowa highlighted
wiki/Iowa
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Posted in: History Tagged: 1065, 1846, 1895, 1958, Auguste Lumière, Baltimore Colts, Grand Cafe, history, Iowa, James K Polk, King Edward the Confessor, London, Louis Lumière, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Championship Game, Paris, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Westminster Abbey
Today in History 10/03 (Germany Reunited)
October 3, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ
(1990) A nation carved up by the Cold War is made whole
In what will later be celebrated as ‘Unity Day,’ a country torn in two after the Second World War is reunited as the once Soviet-controlled East Germany is dissolved and its territory and citizens merged with the Federal Republic of Germany, formerly known as West Germany.
The Day of German Unity is the national day of Germany, celebrated on 3 October as a public holiday. It commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990, when the goal of a united Germany that originated in the middle of the 19th century, was fulfilled again. Therefore, the name addresses neither the re-union nor the union, but the unity of Germany. The Day of German Unity on 3 October has been the German national holiday since 1990, when the reunification was formally completed.
Observed by: Germany
Significance: Commemorates the German reunification in 1990
Frequency: annual
Date: 3 October
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. ADN-ZB-Grimm-3.10.90-Berlin: Vereinigung/Hunderttausende waren dabei, als vor dem Reichstag die schwarz-rot-goldene Bundesfahne gehißt wurde.
wiki/German_Unity_Day
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(1990) A nation carved up by the Cold War is made whole.
52 BCE | Caesar conquers the Gauls at Battle of Alesia
The Gallic Wars have raged for eight years, with Julius Caesar leading much of the Roman Republic’s charge against the tribes of Gaul in Western Europe. An inability to band together against their common enemy dooms the Gallic tribes, and the struggle ends at the Battle of Alesia.
1895 | Crane sees the Civil War through a young soldier’s eyes in ‘The Red Badge of Courage’
Stephen Crane’s novel ‘The Red Badge of Courage’ is released in book form for the first time. Not yet born when the Civil War ended, the young author weaves a narrative of America’s great cataclysm, now 30 years gone, with such verisimilitude that critics will call him a master of Realism.
1942 | V-2 rocket crosses a cosmic threshold
A new Nazi ‘Wunderwaffen,’ or ‘weapon of wonder,’ is fired in a test flight, and the missile’s top 52.5-mile altitude is so high it becomes the first manmade object to enter outer space. In less than two years Germany will begin launching thousands of V-2 rockets, mainly against Belgium and the UK.
(1942) Missile crosses a cosmic threshold
A new Nazi 'Wunderwaffen,' or 'weapon of wonder,' is fired in a test flight, and the missile's top 52.5-mile altitude is so high it becomes the first manmade object to enter outer space. In less than two years Germany will begin launching thousands of V-2 rockets, mainly against Belgium and the UK.
The V-2, technical name Aggregat 4, was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile with a liquid-propellant rocket engine was developed during the Second World War in Germany as a "vengeance weapon", assigned to attack Allied cities as retaliation for the Allied bombings against German cities. The V-2 rocket also became the first artificial object to travel into outer space by crossing the Kármán line with the vertical launch of MW 18014 on 20 June 1944.
Layout of a V-2 rocket
wiki/V-2_rocket
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Posted in: History Tagged: 1895, 1942, 1990, 52 BCE, Battle of Alesia, East Germany, Gauls, German Unity Day, Germany, history, Julius Caesar, Nazi, Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, V-2 Rocket, West Germany, Wunderwaffen
annual 1889 1963 1865 1943 1863 1917 1908 1976 1989 1898 New York NASA 2000 1983 1956 history 1977 1902 1940 1962 1985 Soviet Union 1915 1933 1955 1973 1901 1812 1957 1789 1954 1950 code 1851 1968 1995 1979 1982 1859 1961 1984 national park 1960 1972 1952 1953 1981 1870 1990 has_video 1951 1942 1975 1965 1916 1978 1964 1776 1971 1939 England 1918 1974 event Germany 1911 1941 1994 1991 1944 1980 1966 1945 1986 1969 United States 1922 1970 1914 1935 daily pic 1958 1947 1948 1949 1934 1846 1959 1919 1993 1967 1937 has_audio memorial 1946 1938 vocabulary holiday 1998
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No-Fault Insurance Reform
AAA: MICHIGAN GAS PRICES DROP 7 CENTS
The Michigan state average has fallen to $2 a gallon heading into Thanksgiving
DEARBORN, Mich., (November 23, 2020) - Gas prices in Michigan are down 7 cents compared to a week ago, dropping the state average to $2 a gallon as many prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. Michigan drivers are now paying an average of $2.00 per gallon for regular unleaded. This price is 6 cents less than this time last month and 54 cents less than this time last year.
Motorists are paying an average of $30 for a full 15-gallon tank of gasoline; a discount of $14 from when prices were their highest last July.
In the new weekly report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand decreased from 8.76 million b/d to 8.25 million b/d. The drop in demand, alongside an increase in total domestic stocks by 2.6 million bbl to 228 million bbl, helped the national average to decrease this week.
"As demand remains low, motorists in Michigan are seeing the lowest Thanksgiving week pump prices in five years," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA - The Auto Club Group.
Compared to last week, Metro Detroit’s average daily gas price decreased. Metro Detroit’s current average is $2.01 per gallon, about 4 cents less than last week’s average and about 53 cents less than this same time last year.
Click here to view AAA’s state and metro gas averages
Most expensive gas price averages: Marquette ($2.14), Metro Detroit ($2.01), Ann Arbor ($2.01)
Least expensive gas price averages: Flint ($1.91), Benton Harbor ($1.92), Traverse City ($1.93)
Find Local Gas Prices
Daily national, state, and metro gas price averages can be found at Gasprices.aaa.com
Motorists can find the lowest gas prices on their smartphone or tablet with the free AAA Mobile app. The app can also be used to map a route, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance.
CURRENT AND PAST PRICE AVERAGES
Regular Unleaded Gasoline
Week Ago
Month Ago
2019 High
Record High
$2.23 (Jan. 9)
$2.90 (May 3)
$4.11 (July 2008)
$2.95 (July 13)
$4.26 (May 2011)
Every day up to 130,000 stations in the nation and more than 4,200 stations in Michigan are surveyed based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in cooperation with the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and Wright Express for unmatched statistical reliability. All average retail prices in this report are for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline.
AAA updates fuel price averages daily at www.GasPrices.AAA.com.
About AAA - The Auto Club Group
AAA in Michigan celebrated its 100th Anniversary - A Century of Service in 2016 and has over 1.5 million members across the state. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG). Connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Serving AAA Members and residents of Michigan.
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Home Airport Employment News
Queens Residents Make Up More Than Half of New Hires at LGA’s New Terminal B
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Port Authority and Airport Developers are committed to local hiring as part of the ongoing $8 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport. The project also issued nearly 850 contracts valued at more than $1.14 Billion to Certified Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses, advancing New York State’s nation leading utilization rate of MWBEs.
Gov. Cuomo announced that more than half of the nearly 400 new hires for jobs ranging from cashiers to managers at LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B Concourse are residents of Queens. Between August and the end of December, Terminal B’s concession partners hired 374 new employees for the new concourse, with 55% of those hires being residents of Queens.
The spacious new concourse, housing 18 gates and a wide array of world-class amenities, became the first part of the airport’s $8 billion redevelopment, two-thirds of which is privately financed, to open to passengers this past December. The rebuilding of LaGuardia Airport has also benefitted Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises, who have received a total of 849 contracts with a combined value of nearly $1.15 billion.
“The redevelopment at LaGuardia is transforming the airport into a modern, global gateway for New York, and is providing meaningful jobs to Queens residents at the world-class concessions servicing the new gates,” Governor Cuomo said. “The airport is a critical engine for New York’s economy, and is now translating into local economic opportunity as well.”
“The transformation of LaGuardia Airport is enhancing the overall travel experience and creating jobs for local residents,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “We’re committed to making sure that the redevelopment of the airport is providing new opportunities for New Yorkers, and continuing to grow the economy of the entire State of New York.”
The hiring campaign is the result of a dedicated outreach effort led by the Port Authority and the LaGuardia Redevelopment Community Outreach team, which has participated in more than 25 job fairs across Queens with multiple private sector and public sector partners, as part of the state’s commitment to local economic growth.
In July 2018, Governor Cuomo announced $1.4 million in new funding for the Council for Airport Opportunity (CAO) to build a new office in East Elmhurst/Corona near LaGuardia Airport, in collaboration with local community-based organizations, Elmcor and NHS of Queens, that focus on providing opportunities for local residents to benefit from the airport’s redevelopment. As a nonprofit organization, the CAO provides airport-related recruitment and job placement services to Queens residents, including those who are minority and disadvantaged.
The CAO, together with the LaGuardia Community Outreach team, partnered with LaGuardia Gateway Partners and concession operators HMSHost, SSP America, Hudson Group and the Marshall Retail Group to ensure Queens residents were given ample opportunity to join their workforces. Delta Air Lines, which is building a new Terminal C on the eastern side of the airport to replace the existing Terminals C & D, is also working with CAO and its concession operators to target local hires as new jobs become available.
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said, “The $8 billion development of a Whole New LGA presents Queens residents a wide variety of opportunities to advance their careers. Through job fairs and community outreach, Queens residents will get many more opportunities to begin or continue aviation careers at the new LaGuardia as the ongoing redevelopment continues to hit key milestones.”
CEO of LaGuardia Gateway Partners Stewart Steeves said, “LaGuardia Gateway Partners remains committed to not only building a state- of- the- art terminal, but also being a part of the Queens community for years to come. Providing job opportunities for local residents plays a crucial role in both offering an exceptional experience for our visitors and in generating economic development throughout Queens.”
The concerted effort to bring more Queens residents into the LGA workforce is most evident in the food and retail shops in Terminal B’s first new concourse, which is operated by LaGuardia Gateway Partners. The new hires are already at work in the new concourse as managers, supervisors, sales associates, cashiers, cooks and bartenders.
The local hiring initiative at LaGuardia is just one component of the overall effort by the Governor, Port Authority and airport partners to increase wages and opportunities for those already working at the airport or seeking potential employment there. These enhancements come at a critical time as the region’s airports continue to handle a record volume of passengers. At LaGuardia, which has remained fully operational while the entire airport is being rebuilt, annual passenger volume grew in 2018 by 2.3% to 31.1 million, the most in its history.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said, “Queens is home to an abundance of hard working and talented people, which is reflected in the fact that more than half of the nearly 400 new hires at LaGuardia’s Terminal B are from our borough. Terminal B is going to be a first-class aviation hub thanks to the skill, dedication and commitment of these new hires.”
LaGuardia Airport News
LaGuardia Gateway Partners
Terminal B at LGA
https://jobs.metroairportnews.com
Produced by a team of aviation professionals, and enthusiasts our mission is to inform and update the more than 68,000 employees who work on airport properties, as well as the many others that provide goods and services in the surrounding communities.
The Quiet Return of Supersonic Travel
HMSHost Signs Up for ServSafe Dining
The Healthy Terminals Act Was Signed By Governor Cuomo Providing Additional Benefits for Local Airport Workers
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Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection
T. L. Miller, L. B. McQuinn, E. J. Orav
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal tract lesions in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who undergo endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract and to identify important clinical predictors at abnormal endoscopic results. Methods: All HIV-infected children who underwent endoscopy and were followed at Children's Hospital, Boston, from January 1985 to August 1994 were studied. The main outcome measure was endoscopic results, which were categorized into observational, histologic, and microbiologic findings. Potential predictors included height, weight, nutritional interventions, HIV disease stage, CD4 T-lymphocyte count, medications, active infections, and indications for endoscopy. Results: Forty-three endoscopies in unique patients are reported. Most children had advanced HIV infection (67% acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mean CD4 T-lymphocyte count z score = -2.71, weight z score = -2.04). An abnormal endoscopic finding was discovered in 93% of children and confirmed by histologic, microbiologic, or a combination of these studies in 72% of children. Thirty-five percent of children had an opportunistic pathogen identified endoscopically; 65% of these pathogens were previously undiagnosed. Observational findings often were poor indicators of histologic and microbiologic abnormalities. Independent predictors of abnormal histologic findings include younger age at endoscopy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.16 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.02, 1.33)) and guaiac- negative stools (OR = 16.7, 95% CI (1.92, 142.9)). Independent predictors of finding a pathogen at the time of endoscopy include a greater number of indications for endoscopy (OR = 2.6 per indication, 95% CI (1.3, 5.3)) and diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (OR = 16.4, 95% CI (1.3, 213)). No other gastrointestinal, nutritional, or immunologic parameters were significantly predictive of endoscopic outcomes. Medical management was changed in 70% of children because of the endoscopic findings. Conclusion: Endoscopy is a useful tool to direct therapy against peptic and infectious disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract in children with HIV infection. Specific gastrointestinal symptoms are not useful predictors of abnormal results.
Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Medicine & Life Sciences
Endoscopy Medicine & Life Sciences
Child Medicine & Life Sciences
CD4 Lymphocyte Count Medicine & Life Sciences
Miller, T. L., McQuinn, L. B., & Orav, E. J. (1997). Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Journal of Pediatrics, 130(5), 766-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(97)80020-0
Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection. / Miller, T. L.; McQuinn, L. B.; Orav, E. J.
In: Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 130, No. 5, 01.01.1997, p. 766-773.
Miller, TL, McQuinn, LB & Orav, EJ 1997, 'Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection', Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 130, no. 5, pp. 766-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(97)80020-0
Miller TL, McQuinn LB, Orav EJ. Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Journal of Pediatrics. 1997 Jan 1;130(5):766-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(97)80020-0
Miller, T. L. ; McQuinn, L. B. ; Orav, E. J. / Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection. In: Journal of Pediatrics. 1997 ; Vol. 130, No. 5. pp. 766-773.
@article{b59e8ef4c2184b808e8960763bf2e4e5,
title = "Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection",
abstract = "Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal tract lesions in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who undergo endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract and to identify important clinical predictors at abnormal endoscopic results. Methods: All HIV-infected children who underwent endoscopy and were followed at Children's Hospital, Boston, from January 1985 to August 1994 were studied. The main outcome measure was endoscopic results, which were categorized into observational, histologic, and microbiologic findings. Potential predictors included height, weight, nutritional interventions, HIV disease stage, CD4 T-lymphocyte count, medications, active infections, and indications for endoscopy. Results: Forty-three endoscopies in unique patients are reported. Most children had advanced HIV infection (67% acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mean CD4 T-lymphocyte count z score = -2.71, weight z score = -2.04). An abnormal endoscopic finding was discovered in 93% of children and confirmed by histologic, microbiologic, or a combination of these studies in 72% of children. Thirty-five percent of children had an opportunistic pathogen identified endoscopically; 65% of these pathogens were previously undiagnosed. Observational findings often were poor indicators of histologic and microbiologic abnormalities. Independent predictors of abnormal histologic findings include younger age at endoscopy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.16 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.02, 1.33)) and guaiac- negative stools (OR = 16.7, 95% CI (1.92, 142.9)). Independent predictors of finding a pathogen at the time of endoscopy include a greater number of indications for endoscopy (OR = 2.6 per indication, 95% CI (1.3, 5.3)) and diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (OR = 16.4, 95% CI (1.3, 213)). No other gastrointestinal, nutritional, or immunologic parameters were significantly predictive of endoscopic outcomes. Medical management was changed in 70% of children because of the endoscopic findings. Conclusion: Endoscopy is a useful tool to direct therapy against peptic and infectious disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract in children with HIV infection. Specific gastrointestinal symptoms are not useful predictors of abnormal results.",
author = "Miller, {T. L.} and McQuinn, {L. B.} and Orav, {E. J.}",
journal = "Journal of Pediatrics",
T1 - Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a diagnostic tool for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection
AU - Miller, T. L.
AU - McQuinn, L. B.
AU - Orav, E. J.
N2 - Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal tract lesions in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who undergo endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract and to identify important clinical predictors at abnormal endoscopic results. Methods: All HIV-infected children who underwent endoscopy and were followed at Children's Hospital, Boston, from January 1985 to August 1994 were studied. The main outcome measure was endoscopic results, which were categorized into observational, histologic, and microbiologic findings. Potential predictors included height, weight, nutritional interventions, HIV disease stage, CD4 T-lymphocyte count, medications, active infections, and indications for endoscopy. Results: Forty-three endoscopies in unique patients are reported. Most children had advanced HIV infection (67% acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mean CD4 T-lymphocyte count z score = -2.71, weight z score = -2.04). An abnormal endoscopic finding was discovered in 93% of children and confirmed by histologic, microbiologic, or a combination of these studies in 72% of children. Thirty-five percent of children had an opportunistic pathogen identified endoscopically; 65% of these pathogens were previously undiagnosed. Observational findings often were poor indicators of histologic and microbiologic abnormalities. Independent predictors of abnormal histologic findings include younger age at endoscopy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.16 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.02, 1.33)) and guaiac- negative stools (OR = 16.7, 95% CI (1.92, 142.9)). Independent predictors of finding a pathogen at the time of endoscopy include a greater number of indications for endoscopy (OR = 2.6 per indication, 95% CI (1.3, 5.3)) and diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (OR = 16.4, 95% CI (1.3, 213)). No other gastrointestinal, nutritional, or immunologic parameters were significantly predictive of endoscopic outcomes. Medical management was changed in 70% of children because of the endoscopic findings. Conclusion: Endoscopy is a useful tool to direct therapy against peptic and infectious disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract in children with HIV infection. Specific gastrointestinal symptoms are not useful predictors of abnormal results.
AB - Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal tract lesions in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who undergo endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract and to identify important clinical predictors at abnormal endoscopic results. Methods: All HIV-infected children who underwent endoscopy and were followed at Children's Hospital, Boston, from January 1985 to August 1994 were studied. The main outcome measure was endoscopic results, which were categorized into observational, histologic, and microbiologic findings. Potential predictors included height, weight, nutritional interventions, HIV disease stage, CD4 T-lymphocyte count, medications, active infections, and indications for endoscopy. Results: Forty-three endoscopies in unique patients are reported. Most children had advanced HIV infection (67% acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, mean CD4 T-lymphocyte count z score = -2.71, weight z score = -2.04). An abnormal endoscopic finding was discovered in 93% of children and confirmed by histologic, microbiologic, or a combination of these studies in 72% of children. Thirty-five percent of children had an opportunistic pathogen identified endoscopically; 65% of these pathogens were previously undiagnosed. Observational findings often were poor indicators of histologic and microbiologic abnormalities. Independent predictors of abnormal histologic findings include younger age at endoscopy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.16 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.02, 1.33)) and guaiac- negative stools (OR = 16.7, 95% CI (1.92, 142.9)). Independent predictors of finding a pathogen at the time of endoscopy include a greater number of indications for endoscopy (OR = 2.6 per indication, 95% CI (1.3, 5.3)) and diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (OR = 16.4, 95% CI (1.3, 213)). No other gastrointestinal, nutritional, or immunologic parameters were significantly predictive of endoscopic outcomes. Medical management was changed in 70% of children because of the endoscopic findings. Conclusion: Endoscopy is a useful tool to direct therapy against peptic and infectious disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract in children with HIV infection. Specific gastrointestinal symptoms are not useful predictors of abnormal results.
JO - Journal of Pediatrics
JF - Journal of Pediatrics
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Study to Examine Psychological Processes in Suicidal Ideation and behaviour (STEPPS)
Start date: -
Primary investigator: Professor Daryl O’Connor
External co-investigators: Professor Rory O’Connor (University of Glasgow), Professor Ronan O’Carroll (University of Stirling), Professor Eamonn Ferguson (University of Nottingham)
This research project is funded by the US Department of Defense and is led by Professor Daryl O’Connor and is based in our Laboratory for Stress and Health Research. The project is part of a larger programme of research led by Professor Rory O’Connor (University of Glasgow) and has collaborators based at the University of Stirling (Professor Ronan O’Carroll) and University of Nottingham (Professor Eamonn Ferguson).
The aim of the project is to improve understanding of the predictors of suicide. Specifically, in STARlab, we have been exploring the role of stress and associated hormones (eg cortisol) in relation to suicide behaviour. In particular, we have been investigating whether cortisol reactivity stress in the laboratory and in the real world can differentiate individuals who have previously made a suicide attempt from those who had thought about suicide but not made an attempt.
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OUR HISTORYmegambd2018-04-25T15:51:19+00:00
The Mega-Cities Project was conceived by Janice Perlman at UC-Berkeley in 1984, incubated at the New York Academy of Sciences from 1985 –’87; hosted at New York University’s School of Public Affairs and Urban Research Center at the invitation of then Dean, Alan Altshuler. It was officially incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization [501©3] in 1988 with its founding Board Members and the mission statement: “to shorten the lag time between ideas and implementation in urban problem-solving.”
The idea grew from putting together ideas and insights from experiences in diverse places and times, including those below: .
The advent of the megacity: In 1985 Prof. Perlman who was teaching at the graduate school of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley received a fold-out map showing the location of the 23 cities around the globe whose projected populations would reach or exceed 10 million each by the year 2000. She was struck by the location of those large red dots and how evenly they were arrayed around the regions of the world.
Response to the ‘urban explosion’: As the person teaching Comparative Urban Studies she was designated to receive Mayors, City managers and urban planners /professionals when they came to DCRP desperate for ideas on meeting the needs of their rapidly growing populations.These decision-makers faced very similar challenges, but did not have any way to learn from each other’s experience (pre-internet).(This was confirmed a few years later by a Roper+Starch Leader’s Survey in 11 of the mega-cities.)
What she had written about as policy and program ideas to cope with the so-called “urban explosion”, she had learned from observing what people were already doing to manage their situation as newly arrived migrants from the countryside.
25-year time lag between theory and practice: (knowledge and action). Years after, Janice Perlman was commissioned to write a paper tracing the interplay of research on informal settlement and the evolution of public policy. She found a clear pattern of 20-25 years elapsing between research results /new knowledge and change in public policy.
It took that long for governments to stop the massive removals of squatter settlements and begin a few brave pilot projects using on-site upgrading.
Spreading the seeds of change:. In the mid 1970s she spent a semester going across the USA in a van with a photographer to learn what kinds of community organizing and action were emerging in urban communities in the wake of the mass mobilizations of the 1960s. She visited 16 states and some 60 organizations– learning about direct action, community-owned development enterprises and neighborhood government.The Lessons Learned was how disconnected these organizations were from each other and how useful it was for them to learn about similar initiatives elsewhere and be able to share ideas and strategies. In short, spreading the seeds from one activist soil to another was an unintended consequence of the research.
The Power of Partnership: : In 1979-80, in the wake of the NYC fiscal crisis, the most powerful business leaders in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (industries which could not re-locate) created The New York City Partnership to insure that the city would provide a stable environment to “live, work, and conduct business”.
To be effective, partners from government and civil society needed to be included.
Each of these sectors had a deep mistrust of the others based on negative stereotypes. When each sector had the opportunity to encounter their counterparts in a non-threatening way, respecting their different bottom lines, much common ground was discovered.
The personality profile of business leaders and entrepreneurs turns out to be quite similar to that of community organizers and they began to respect each other once they saw what was being built in the neighborhoods.
These five experiences gave Dr. Perlman the elements needed to form the Mega-Cities Project.
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Post #169: Trump in Saudi Arabia: With Friends Like These
Donald Trump seems to be more popular in Saudi Arabia than in the United States. And the House of Saud knows just how to take advantage of that perception. Borrowing a page from the “Art of the Deal,” the kingdom, in exchange for an elaborate welcome of Trump’s entourage and $55 billion in (promised) business deals, was sold $110 billion in weapons over the next decade. This sale, supposedly for defense, in fact will help ensure the security of the monarchy, not the security of the Persian Gulf or any other country. King Salman and his inner circle understand Trump very well: appeal to his ego with great pomp and circumstance—plus a gold chain to wear—promise him the world on fighting ISIS, agree that Iran is the principal common enemy, and send him on his way with assurances of eternal friendship. (About the only ego-satisfying thing the Saudis couldn’t do is lodge Trump in one of his hotels. Trump had to settle for the Ritz-Carlton, but who knows what will follow.)
Saudi Arabia is not being threatened by Iran or anyone else. But the kingdom is a threat to others, specifically to Yemen, where Saudi bombs have killed numerous civilians and laid the poorest Arab country to waste. Saudi Arabia in fact is committing war crimes in Yemen—which, to be fair, also happened during Obama’s tenure, when the Saudis received logistical and intelligence support. Meantime, Saudi Arabia contributes nothing to resolve the most difficult Middle East issues, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict and Syria’s civil war. Nor will they get rid of madrasas (religious schools) that preach wahhabism at home, nurturing future terrorists.
Expect the Trump administration to proclaim that it has effectively overridden Saudi Arabia’s estrangement from the US during the Obama years. “Partnership” is the word of the day, but that is as tentative now as it was before—a cover for mutual suspicion, limited common interests (which include disregard for human rights), and love of oil. Trump has a long history of criticism of Saudi Arabia (see www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/20/trump-received-an-elaborate-welcome-in-saudi-arabia-a-country-he-bashed-for-years/), has demeaned Muslims since Day One of his campaign, and seeks to keep as many Muslims as possible out of the US. His preaching of respect for all religions rings hollow; no rightminded person would take his speech seriously—all the more so as it was written by Stephen Miller, the pride of Breitbart and a well-known demonizer of Muslims.
As for the House of Saud, it is what it always has been: a repressive, oil-rich regime resistant to political and social change and a consistent human-rights violator at home and abroad. As Human Rights Watch reports:
Through 2016 the Saudi Arabia-led coalition continued an aerial campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen that included numerous unlawful airstrikes that killed and injured thousands of civilians. Saudi authorities also continued their arbitrary arrests, trials, and convictions of peaceful dissidents. Dozens of human rights defenders and activists continued to serve long prison sentences for criticizing authorities or advocating political and rights reforms. Authorities continued to discriminate against women and religious minorities (https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/saudi-arabia).
Michael Dolan of the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, argues that Trump’s trip provides an opportunity to create a “Trump Doctrine” that will remedy the weaknesses of prior US policy, particularly toward Iran (www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/opinion/trump-doctrine-middle-east.html). Dolan says that Trump’s “hard-nosed ethos and willingness to question foreign policy dogmas” can be the basis for this shift. Saudi Arabia, along with Israel and Turkey, should be the key allies in a coalition to deter Iran—a gift to two authoritarian regimes and one, Israel, that under Benjamin Netanyahu rejects an equitable peace with the Palestinian.
Dolan’s “steely-eyed realism” is actually crackpot realism. It ensures continued repression and warfare by the Saudi government using US weapons—“continued,” because the deal actually builds on a $115-billion weapons sale concluded during the Obama administration. Such realism is also likely to ensure ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and quite possibly the undoing of a nuclear agreement with Iran, giving Iran’s hawks reason to revive its nuclear-weapons program and support anti-US groups throughout the Middle East. In short, if Trump buys into Dolan’s “steely-eyed realism,” it will mean adopting an old doctrine, not a new one—namely, winning the favor of repressive regimes with more money and weapons, and in return getting blowback in the form of terrorism, weakening of civil society, abuses of human rights, and strengthening of autocratic rule.
If the human interest guided US relations with Saudi Arabia, military aid would be drastically reduced, particularly weapons and other help for the Saudis to continue their air war in Yemen. To be brutally honest, the US does not need Saudi Arabia—certainly not for its oil, which a long-term US energy policy focused on renewable energy sources and conservation would ensure. As I have argued previously (see Post #105), relations with the Saudis should be thoroughly reevaluated in the context of major changes in US policy toward the Middle East as a whole—including elimination of the tilt to Israel, development assistance to the Palestinians, deepening of engagement with Iran (especially now that Hassan Rouhani has won reelection), a refocusing on helping build civil societies, and an end to interventions in Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan.
Foreign policy begins at home, however. The best thing the Trump administration, or any administration, can do to promote meaningful national security is to seriously confront climate change, move away from reliance on fossil fuels, promote universal health care, and run a transparent, trustworthy government.
Previous Bad Joke?: Trump on Putin’s Payroll (May 18, 2017)
Next Post #170: All is Not Quiet on the Western Front
totalhairclinic says:
Thanks for sharing. Very informative
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Nevada high school grads scored worst in nation on ACT test
Posted by Thomas Mitchell | Sep 1, 2016 | Tom Mitchell, Top Stories | 0
This past week the administrators of the ACT test confirmed what we suspected a month ago when preliminary data were released, Nevada high school students are dead last in the nation in college preparedness.
Nevada students eked out a mere 17.7 points out of a possible 36 points, compared to a nationwide average score of 20.8.
Nevada’s score plummeted from the previous year’s 21 points, which matched the national average, largely because only 40 percent of students took the test then, but the state now requires all students to take the ACT. Other states that made the test mandatory also saw declines as non-college-bound students were added, but none as drastically as Nevada.
Additionally, as reported earlier, 90 percent of Nevada students failed to achieve benchmark scores on all four of the test categories — English, math, reading and science. ACT now reports that this compares to 34 percent nationally, who failed to pass any of the tests.
“This decline in overall readiness can be explained, in large part, by the addition this year of seven more states that funded the ACT for all 11th graders as part of their statewide testing programs,” ACT reported. “Scores went down significantly in each of those seven states, as expected, helping to drive the national average down. In contrast, 22 other states saw score increases this year, and another eight states saw no change. A total of 20 states administered the ACT to all public school graduates in this year’s class.” Only 18 states, including Nevada, reported 100 percent participation.
Additionally, Nevada was dead last in percentage of students meeting the benchmark scores in each of the four test categories, save one. In math, Mississippi students scored 1 point less.
Only 37 percent of Nevada students achieved the benchmark score in English, compared to 61 percent nationally. Only 26 percent met the reading benchmark, compared to 44 percent nationally. Just 21 percent scored adequately in math, compared to 41 percent in the nation. And 18 percent did well enough in science, compared to 36 percent.
“Last year, ACT issued a call to action, urging educators and policymakers to work to improve the education system as a whole,” ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda was quoted as saying in a press release. “While the drop in scores this year is not indicative of lower achievement overall, we are still seeing far too many students left behind by the nation’s education system. When a third of high school graduates are not well prepared in any of the core subject areas, college and career readiness remains a significant problem that must be addressed. It is critical that we continue to work hard to improve.”
The Las Vegas newspaper quoted Steve Canavero, state superintendent of public instruction, as saying the test results are unacceptable. “We can do more, and our students can do more, and our system can do more,” he said. “Poverty, mobility, diversity cannot be an excuse.”
That the system can do more has yet to be proven.
The 2015 Legislature raised $1.5 billion in new taxes, much of that earmarked for public education, but most of that targets the lower grades, meaning results, if any, will not be evident for years.
The state Supreme Court has heard arguments in court cases challenging the state law establishing education savings accounts that would allow parents to opt out of the failing public school system, but has yet to rule.
Admittedly, the additional 60 percent of graduates who took the ACT test this year had no real incentive to perform well on the test if they had no plans to enroll in college, but neither did non-college-bound graduates in other states.
If the ACT is ever going to provide a baseline or benchmark by which parents and lawmakers can compare our schools to those in other states and hold our educators accountable, the stakes for graduates need to be raised. The state currently has no test to prove high schoolers have earned a diploma.
We suggest the state use the ACT test results — probably with lower benchmarks than those for the college-bound — to determine whether a diploma actually has been earned and means anything other than a certificate of attendance. That would provide an incentive for students taking the test.
Thomas Mitchell is a longtime Nevada newspaper columnist. You may email him at thomasmnv@yahoo.com. He also blogs at http://4thst8.wordpress.com/.
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A Slot Canyon in Nevada? Yep, Arrow Canyon
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Share this Story: CTV anchor Mutsumi Takahashi happy to keep herself out of the news
CTV anchor Mutsumi Takahashi happy to keep herself out of the news
Takahashi is receiving a lifetime-achievement award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, but "I'm not a celebrity," she says.
Bill Brownstein • Montreal Gazette
CTV Montreal's Mutsumi Takahashi is being awarded a lifetime-achievement honour Friday, May 26 from the Radio Television Digital News Association, but the humble anchor's dogs Billycakes and Koffman are more likely to come up in everyday conversation. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
Let’s see: she would rather talk about her beloved pooches Billycakes and Koffman, about the Lego castle and village she constructed from scratch, about the Netflix murder mystery The Keepers, about the Beethoven concerto she’s trying to master on her piano, about her needlepoint. Yup, pretty much about anything other than herself.
CTV Montreal’s chief news anchor Mutsumi Takahashi is, unarguably, the most highly visible member of the anglo media in Montreal — and among the most highly trusted.
CTV anchor Mutsumi Takahashi happy to keep herself out of the news Back to video
She may also be among the most private. She can’t be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat.
Go figure — Takahashi’s mantra is: “It’s about the news. It’s not about me. And it never will be.”
She brings insight, calm, cred and experience to the job. That approach has worked well. Takahashi doesn’t just dominate the ratings — she is an unstoppable force of nature. In the latest Numeris numbers, from last August through this month, Takahashi and co-anchor Paul Karwatsky’s hour-long 6 p.m. newscast reached an average weeknight audience of 189,000, compared to CBC’s half-hour 27,000 audience and Global’s 5:30-to-6:30 draw of 28,000.
Takahashi (Mitz to her friends) eschews interviews. She never does them. Period.
However, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA Canada) is honouring her with a lifetime achievement award Friday night in Toronto — an award presented to CBC’s Peter Mansbridge last year. So she has most reluctantly agreed to talk about herself — at the threat of having her nightly martini ration pulled from her — but she protests all the same.
“My friends have been bugging me to talk, because they figure that others will think the reason I’ve done no interviews is no one likes me — not that I simply wish to remain private and that I don’t find my private life that fascinating,” Takahashi cracks while holding court (and her two energized canines) in the Montreal West home she shares with husband Michel Cayer.
In the interest of full disclosure, Takahashi is a close friend as well as the orchestrator of a noon-hour TV segment, Gripes of the Round Table, in which she manages to get CHOM’s Terry DiMonte, CJAD’s Aaron Rand and myself to foam at the mouth about everything from orange cones to orange-haired presidents.
The RTDNA award is a big deal. This is Takahashi’s 30th year as a news anchor in a North American TV world that has been pretty much ruled by white guys. (And white guys who love being in the limelight.) When she began, there were very few women in the anchor position — let alone visible minorities.
âI have a huge respect for my profession,” Mutsumi Takahashi says, “and I feel the best way to show that is to present the news in as objective a way as I can.” Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette
“I’m very honoured to get this award. It’s just everything that goes with it, like the demand for interviews, I find difficult. I don’t like being the news. An interesting title does not necessarily make for an interesting person. Certainly some of the most interesting people I’ve met have had the least interesting titles.
“I’m not an editorialist or an analyst. I’m not a celebrity. I have a huge respect for my profession, and I feel the best way to show that is to present the news in as objective a way as I can — although not all news organizations adhere to this principle these days. The thing about being a good communicator is about being a good listener.”
Which is not to say Takahashi doesn’t have strong opinions. But what she does is provoke others to let loose. She has done this rather effectively with her current political analysts Gilles Duceppe and Marlene Jennings, as well as with the late Jean Lapierre and Montreal Gazette colleague Don Macpherson and the Gripes gang.
“I can get you guys to say things I sometimes wish I could. There are no sacred cows, but the point is that all these people I use are fundamentally fair and feel that nobody should be exempt from criticism — or praise.”
Born in Shiroishi, Japan, Takahashi moved to Montreal with her family as a child. A career in TV was not initially in the cards: “It never occurred to me, particularly with parents who were serious academics and mathematicians.” They might have wished their daughter would become a pianist or a ballerina, both disciplines she had studied.
Her interest in journalism blossomed at Concordia University while she was broadcasting at Radio Sir George and writing for the student newspaper. (The school presented her with an honorary doctorate in 2013.)
Upon graduation, she landed work as an intern at CKGM before getting a paying gig as a news reader and interviewer at CJFM. She moved up the chain to CFCF-12 (now CTV Montreal) in 1982 as a news reporter, and a few years later ended up at the station’s anchor desk, which she shared for 20 years with her buddy Bill Haugland (another RTDNA lifetime-achievement recipient).
Takahashi insists she faced few problems entering the business as a female visible minority. “Although they did want me to use the name of Lee Taylor on the radio. … It didn’t matter, because it was radio. But that’s often the sad reality you have to deal with when you want the job.
“But I was never referred to by that name in the newsroom, and the funny thing was the other announcers would always forget my fake name. Soon, though, the management at the time was smart enough to realize this was ridiculous, and I was then allowed to use my real name.”
Perhaps curiously, Takahashi watches little TV. She is a compulsive reader. So much so that, unlike many in the media, she will devour every book written by authors she interviews on her noon-hour news show. Even former Westmount mayor Peter Trent was pleasantly surprised to learn Takahashi had read every last word in his 672-page opus The Merger Delusion.
“And all for just a five-minute interview,” she muses. “But, honestly, it’s horribly insulting to an author to interview them about a book you hadn’t bothered to read.
“I always have to find something to read. Even in the bathtub, I’ll read the back of a shampoo bottle. I’m serious.”
Although her shift calls for her to be at the station from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., to cover her noon and 6 p.m. newscasts, she is up at the crack of dawn on her iPad. She scours the Montreal Gazette, Globe and Mail, La Presse, Le Devoir, Le Journal de Montréal, Financial Times, New York Times and the Guardian. Plus, she flips back and forth between English and French radio. And she doesn’t stop researching and checking out news when her shift is over.
In her tenure as news anchor, Takahashi has covered horrific events ranging from the École Polytechnique massacre to 9/11.
“One has to be objective, but that doesn’t preclude emotions. If you’re not moved by a Sandy Hook school shooting, then there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
Yet the worst news she had to report was the death of CTV cameraman Hugh Haugland, the son of Bill, who was killed in a helicopter accident in 2009.
“As horrible as some of these tragedies are, there is a difference when you’re reading something on air about the death of a friend, who happens to be making news in the worst possible way,” she says. “I remember looking out the newsroom window and seeing all the satellite trucks from the other media parked outside, and wishing they would all go away.
“Then I remembered that the day before, our truck and all the others were at the scene of a residential pool where a child had just drowned. And I was thinking this is what we do, and I imagine that family who had just lost a child was looking out the window and seeing all those TV trucks and wishing they would all go away. … I get it, but that, sadly, is the nature of this beast.”
Words of praise for Mutsumi Takahashi
“When Mutsumi first began working on air, a shockwave went through my community, the English-speaking black community. A young woman of colour was actually on TV! I was filled with pride. Mutsumi was so well spoken; she always demonstrated she’d done her homework on any issue or individual she presented. I followed her career with much appreciation for her desire to tell our stories, to highlight accomplishments of individuals of ethnocultural and visible-minority communities. Mutsumi has forged a path for many young women and men of visible-minority communities and, yes, of the majority community.”
— Marlene Jennings, former Liberal MP
Former Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe says Mutsumi Takahashi “wants to hear from all sides on all issues.” Photo by Peter McCabe /MONTREAL GAZETTE files
“Mutsumi is a great Quebecer. She wants to hear from all sides on all issues. She may question the political opinions of some, but shows respect for the views of all democratic ideologies. She’s a great listener. I have great respect for her: a woman of Japanese roots, working at an English TV station, speaking excellent French, involved in many philanthropic causes and celebrating all aspects of cultural diversity in the city. We may come from different backgrounds, yet we are able to find common ground.”
– Gilles Duceppe, former Bloc Québécois leader
“In this age of fake news and 24-hour cable where news becomes entertainment, a distraction and an addiction, Mutsumi brings integrity to the real news. She researches; she explores; she is socially aware; and she has her finger on the pulse of what the community is doing and how it is changing.”
— Kent Nagano, OSM music director/conductor
“Mutsumi does not regard TV news as an entertainment medium, but as a medium obliged to inform. While the media and politicians are thrown together in compulsory symbiosis, often there is a barrier of mistrust. But Mutsumi draws out what is interesting about someone by winkling them out of their shell. She never tries to trip up or trap. I learned that Mutsumi is someone for whom the acceptance of minorities is not just a feel-good concept. Mutsumi was sometimes excluded as a member of an ethnic group and as a woman — in the days when such stigmata conspired to be career-killers. Yet Mutsumi would feel uncomfortable if such differences were put forward per se as qualities to recommend her. She has achieved what she did in spite of them and because of them. She put her head down and got on with her job.”
—Peter Trent, former mayor of Westmount
“I think the best measure of how deeply Mutsumi is rooted in this community is what happens when she is out at a public event. Whether it’s the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a visit to a local library or a gala event, people approach Mutsumi with the kind of familiarity and respect usually reserved for a member of their family! For me, that speaks as loudly as any ratings to her credibility, and to her connection to Montrealers.”
— Jed Kahane, CTV Montreal news director
bbrownstein@postmedia.com
twitter.com/billbrownstein
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The Top-10 most read, watched Jersey Shore News stories of 2020: #9
Lacey High School football Coach Lou Vircillo. (Lou Vircillo)
We are continuing our simultaneous countdowns of the Top-10 Most Read Jersey Shore News Stories and Most Watched Jersey Shore News Stories of 2020.
Here is the 9th most read article followed by the 9th most watched video on our social media platforms of Facebook and YouTube across 92.7 WOBM, 94.3ThePoint, 105.7TheHawk, the new Beach 104.1 FM and the Shore Sports Network.
9th Most Read Article...Whiting man stole $5,000 worth of Power Tools at Brick Home Depot. (21,796 page views), Story Date: February 28, 2020.
A Whiting man with a knack for crime was arrested at the Home Depot on Route 70 in Brick Tuesday for shoplifting nearly $5,000 worth of power tools and other items.
Michael Schecton, 28, was spotted placing items in empty bins.
Police say that he left the store without paying for the merchandise which was loaded in a shopping cart.
When police caught up to him and searched his vehicle they also found a bag of gold jewelry which they believe is evidence tying Schecton to other crimes.
9th Most Watched Video....Lacey High School Football Coach Lou Vircillo enters 40th Season coaching the Lions. (2,827 Video Views), Story Date: September 9, 2020.
Lacey Township High School football coach Lou Vircillo has become one of the most successful head football coaches in the history of the Shore Conference.
He was able to add to his legacy in 2020 closing in on 300 career wins (finishing the 2020 season with 299) in his 40th season coaching the Lions.
Coach Vircillo saw success right away when he took on the program as the Lacey Lions won their first of 13 Conference Titles in 1982.
They did so again in 1988 and 89 where they went on to win the programs first two State Sectional Championships and won 21 of 22 consecutive games along the way.
Lacey came close to winning state titles again in 1992 and 1993 but fell short in the Championship games.
Coach Vircillo led the Lions to the teams 3rd and 4th State Sectional Titles in 2006 and 2010.
1990 graduate Keith Elias is the Lacey Lion who went on to play in the NFL.
He was an All-American Running Back in high school under Coach Vircillo and again at Princeton University.
Elias signed with the New York Giants as an un-drafted free agent ahead of the 1994 season where he played for three years before heading to Indianapolis in 1998 to play with the Colts for two seasons and then to the XFL in 2001 where he played for the New York/New Jersey Hitmen.
You can hear from Coach Vircillo and Keith Elias in the video above and here in the article.
Check back here on our website and app for #8 in our countdown of the Top-10 Most Read Jersey Shore News Articles and Most Watched Jersey Shore News Videos of 2020.
Top-10 Recap:
#10: Where Are They Now: A Football Story About Nico And Mario Steriti
Filed Under: 2020, Jersey Shore, Monmouth County, News, news, Ocean County
Categories: Monmouth/Ocean News, New Jersey News, News
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Viola Davis Delivers Deeply Emotional Acceptance Speech At 2015 SAG Awards [VIDEO]
Sonya Eskridge
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRGkDv70LM&w=640&h=390%5D
Viola Davis was brought to tears tonight as she accepted her well deserved trophy at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
We all knew that Viola was going to be collecting some statuettes this award season as soon as she sauntered into our Thursday nights on “How To Get Away With Murder.” This notion was only solidified by moments like the one where she removed all of her makeup to appear completely natural in front of the camera before asking her on-camera hubby why his package was “on a dead girl’s phone.”
YASSS! She did that! So it couldn’t have come as a surprise that she snagged the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series. The actress, who rocked a long white gown with a halo of curls, gave a stirring speech about how much it meant to her to win the honor.
MUST READ:Viola Davis Wins Big At People’s Choice Awards & Classically Shades The New York Times
The actress, who rocked a long white gown with a halo of curls, gave a stirring speech about how much it meant to her to win the honor. For Viola, it’s not just about being recognized for her talent. It also means that she can insert herself in a narrative that once did not include women that look like her.
“When I tell my daughter stories at night, enviably a few things happen. Number one, I use my imagination. I always start with life and i build from there,” Viola began. “And then the other thing that happens…she always says, ‘Mommy can you put me in the story?’”
She added, “I’d like to thank Paul Lee, Shonda Rhimes, Besty Beers…and Pete Nowalk…for thinking that a sexualized, messy, mysterious woman could be a 49-year-old, dark-skinned African-American woman who looks like me.”
Viola also made sure to thank everyone that loves her exactly the way she is (no matter how “classically beautiful” the New York Times deems her to be).
Viola Davis Finally Went Wigless On ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ And It Was A Powerful Moment!
Viola Davis Reveals She Depended On Wigs To Feel Beautiful After Developing Alopecia
Lupita Nyong’o Regally Rocks Braids To 2015 SAG Awards & We’re In Awe!
Viola Davis Delivers Deeply Emotional Acceptance Speech At 2015 SAG Awards [VIDEO] was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
2015 SAG Awards , How to Get Away with Murder , Viola Davis
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History of Corrigan Park – Home of St. John’s
Running and Cycling
Silver Member Services Directory
You are here: Home → Club Information
St. John’s G.A.C. was founded in 1929 by three men (Joe Corscadden, Nicky Power and Pat Hayes) outside the Rock Bar on the Upper Falls Road in Belfast, after the opening service in the new St. John The Evangelist Church.
The colours played in are a royal blue jersey with white band and trim, plain white shorts and blue and white hooped socks.
The crest of the club is shown below and depicts an eagle on two crossed hurls with a football under. The eagle in our crest is representative of our patron, St. John the Evangelist – he is represented as an eagle in the book of Kells and the stained glass widow which used to be behind the high altar in the old church, and which is now in the porch in the current church, depicts an eagle in flight. The crest also has a banner including the club name, city based in along with the date the club was established.
The crest is currently being copyrighted so it can be used only when official has been given by the club committee.
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Center Alex Len reportedly reaches contract deal with Atlanta
By Kurt HelinJul 21, 2018, 6:59 PM EDT
Five years ago, the Phoenix Suns had just drafted Alex Len at No. 5 overall and thought he would be the big man in the middle the team would build around. It didn’t work out that way, he never averaged double figures in either scoring or rebounding for a season. While Len has said he thought he was not used correctly, and there has been plenty of change and inconsistency in Phoenix, he never grabbed hold of the top job, either.
When the Suns drafted Deandre Ayton No. 1 last June, there was no chance they were bringing back Len next season. The unrestricted free agent is headed to Atlanta instead, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical at Yahoo Sports.
Free-agent center Alex Len has agreed to a two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Len received interest from several teams in recent days before finalizing an agreement with the Hawks on Saturday.
Len is not going to space the floor, 73 percent of his shots came at the rim last season, but he’s become an efficient finisher there. He is good as a roll man, will work off the ball, and can post guys up on offense. He’s also strong on the offensive glass and gets points via putbacks. His game is not that of a modern NBA center, but he’s become efficient at what he does.
Len is going to have to earn his minutes in the ATL, rebuilding team or not there is some quality along the front line. John Collins, who made the All-Rookie team last season and was one of the standouts of Summer League, will start up front, possibly at the four with Dewayne Dedmon at the five. The just-drafted Omari Spellman showed potential at Summer League and could be the backup four, which means Len gets the backup center minutes.
Len is getting his new chance on a team that can give him some run, we’ll see if a change of scenery is what he needed.
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Headsup: Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders on Blu-ray and DVD
Thespia
In a year which has given us many dark and serious portrayals of the Batman mythos, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders is a vibrantly loud, bright, and cheesy film that hearkens back to original 1960s television show, not only with a similar look and dialogue, but the original stars as well: that’s right, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar are back! Along with Batman, Robin, and Catwoman, we also get to see the villainous machinations of the Penguin, Joker, Riddler, and even Evil Batman (dun Dun DUN!!).
While the sixties were perhaps the golden age of corny television (although some episodes of Full House could definitely give them a run for their money), not everyone knows that Batman, with its goofy banter between the characters and admonitions to wear seatbelts, drink milk, etc, was intentionally so–William Dozier (executive producer) once described it as a sitcom without a laugh track. This film follows in that vein, maintaining the lighthearted spirit of that much-loved show and making sure to work in lines like “Holy entrée, Batman!” along with the classic POW!s, SMACK!s, and BAM!s. (You can see a clip of Burt Ward discussing them here). While the film has just enough spice to have earned it a PG rating (for “Action, Suggestive Material and Rude Humor”), it is safely within the family-friendly realm, and a good opportunity for the generations who loved the original Batman (or its re-runs) to introduce it to their millennial loved-ones. Well-versed fans will also enjoy the many inside jokes and other Easter-egg-esque touches (such as the décor in the Batcave which references not only the TV show but the comics as well).
You may have caught the film’s premiere at New York Comic-Con or perhaps its one-night-only limited theatrical release from Fathom Events on October 10th, but for those who didn’t, you can check it out on DVD or Blu-ray combo pack now. If you get the combo pack the film also comes with two bonus features, “Those Dastardly Desperados” (interviews from the cast and crew about the development of this particular version and how it ties in with the traditional and not-so-traditional treatment of the villains) and “A Classic Cadre of Voices” (where the actors discuss their approach to voice acting and the process of recording sessions, etc).
The film is available on Amazon video for 24-hour SD or HD rental ($3.99/$4.99) or for purchase starting at $14.99. If you want it on disc, you can get the DVD on Amazon for $12.96 or the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for $17.96.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for the buoyant and lively feel of the old series and want to relive some of the fun, you may want to consider checking it out—-and keep your ear to the ground for news of the sequel coming in 2017 with a new villain in the mix voiced by none other than William Shatner!
Special Gift Feature: Batman Beyond: The Complete…
Headsup: Kicking Butts and Shrinking Butts
He's Batman
Batman vs. Shark: Holy Sardine!
Vietnamese Batman Comic
The Boy Wonder Live From Joyland
Adam West Batman Blu-Ray Burt Ward DVD Julie Newmar
Headsup: Bob Hope: Hope for the Holidays on DVD
Headsup: One Nation Under Trump on DVD
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Home News Nigeria Conversion of Petrol Cars to use Compressed Natural Gas is Free –...
Conversion of Petrol Cars to use Compressed Natural Gas is Free – FG
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has assured Nigerian motorists that conversion of their cars to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)will be done free of charge.
Sylva made the disclosure while answering questions from newsmen at the rollout of the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) in Abuja on Tuesday.
CNG is a fuel that can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). CNG combustion produces less undesirable gases than petrol and diesel.
“Conversion is going to begin now,” he declared, adding, “And it will be forever and ever. Anybody that owns a car and wants to convert to dual fuel can go to conversion centre and convert his or her car. It is going to be an ongoing thing and it will be for free at all times.”
Commenting on buses that would be handed over to organized Labour, the minister said that over a thousand buses would be delivered and that 100 buses would be handed over to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) by first quarter of 2021.
He pointed out: “We will start in the first quarter in 2021 with over a hundred buses and we will continue to incrementally add buses until we get to that number.”
According to Sylva, a million conversion kits would be available for motorists at various conversion centres nationwide, and motorists wanting to convert their cars would drive into the centres and get it converted.
On the price of the gas products, he said President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that they should work out the price of the product, assuring that the directive would be complied with.
“The price has to be cheaper than Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol,” he assured, adding that, “the inauguration of the NGEP had signaled the beginning of a new era in the industry and the country at large.
“This area will create linkages to the economy we need and create jobs we need in the economy but unfortunately, we have not focused in this area — the development of natural gas to develop the economy better.”
Speaking on the availability of the products across the country, the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr Sarki Auwalu, disclosed that 9,000 filling stations had been initially selected across the country to dispense auto gas.
The auto gases are Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), CNG and LPG.
He said that out of about 31,000 filling stations across the country, 9,000 were identified as having the capacity to install gas facilities as add-on in their premises.
He noted that going forward, in addition to the 9,000 identified filling stations, it would be made compulsory for other filling stations having capacity to install auto gas facilities in their premises to do so.
This, he said, would be a crucial part of their licensing requirements.
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Next articleNigeria’s First Electric Car Awarded 5-star Green NCAP Rating
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What’s New on Netflix: September 20th and September 21st, 2020
ByYunus Emre OzdiyarSeptember 20, 2020 0
New on Netflix September 20th and September 21st titles for subscribers. For these two days, there are 9 new titles and just one of the Originals added to the platform. Also, the new documentary A Love Song for Latasha (2020) coming on September 21st.
Here we are for the new week and waiting for the new series, movies, or documentaries coming this week. It’s time to look ahead once again in the upcoming days and what’s new on the Netflix platform. Check every title to release on September 20th and September 21st, 2020.
A Love Song for Latasha (2020) – Netflix Originals Documentary
Genre: Documentary, Short, Biography
“The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising. As the Black community expressed its profound pain in the streets, Latasha’s friends and family privately mourned the loss of a vibrant child whose full story was never in the headlines.
Nearly three decades later, director Sophia Nahli Allison’s A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA removes Latasha from the context of her death and rebuilds an archive of a promising life lost. Oral history and memories from Latasha’s best friend and cousin converge in a dreamlike portrait that shows the impact one brief but brilliant life can have.”
High & Low: The Movie (2016)
“S.W.O.R.D. Chiku is a devastated and dangerous town with 5 gangs fighting fiercely. Before these 5 gangs, the legendary Mugen gang dominated the town. Mugen and the Amamiya Brothers (who did not submit to Mugen) clashed and Mugen disbanded, but.” This is also a reboot for Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low (Movie)”.
Other High & Low movies:
DTC Yukemuri Junjo hen From High & Low (2018)
High & Low The Movie 2 End of Sky (2017)
High & Low The Movie 3 Final Mission (2017)
High & Low The Red Train (2016)
High & Low The Worst (2019)
Road to High & Low (2016)
The Blue Elephant 2 (2019)
“A meeting with a new inmate in the psychiatric hospital flips Dr. Yehia’s life upside down, he prophesies that the death of his entire family is only three days away. The events of the second part of the film begin five years after the events of the first part, where Dr. Yehia married (Lobna), summoned to the Department of Dangerous Cases (8 West) for women, and meets there who manipulates his life and the life of his family.
So he takes the blue elephant pills trying to control things and solve puzzles that meet him.”
A Love Song for Latashahigh and low movie seriesmoviesnetflix originalsnetflix september 2020netflix september 20thnetflix september 21stserieswhats new on netflix
What’s New on Netflix: September 18th, 2020
What’s New on Netflix in September 22nd, 2020
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PS4 Edition of Kôna: Day One Expected 4 Months After PC, Length Revealed
Indie developer Parabole is slowly but surely approaching the launch of the first episode of its anticipated first-person adventure title, Kôna, which itself is titled Kôna: Day One. The PC version of the title will be supporting the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD), while a PlayStation 4 port with support for PlayStation VR is also expected. This week Parabole has set a timeframe for that release of that console version and revealed the length of the first episode.
According to OnlySP, Parabole is aiming to launch the PlayStation 4 version of the first episode around four months after the PC edition’s release in January 2016. That pits its arrival at around May 2016, with an Xbox One edition also said to be launching around the same time. It’s not clear if the PlayStation 4 version could launch with PlayStation VR support, given that the device may not even be out by then given its H1 2016 launch window. The Xbox One version obviously won’t support a VR HMD natively, though could of course be played through the Windows 10 streaming.
The developer also estimated a one to two hour playtime for Kôna: Day One. The plan is for the first episode to cost around $7.50 USD, with a season pass that contains all four episodes being offered for $25. The second episode of the series will be expected to arrive in Q4 2016, putting some time between the release of the first two episodes. Estimated dates for the third and fourth episodes are yet to be announced.
VRFocus will continue to follow Kôna closely, reporting back with the latest updates on its progress.
The post PS4 Edition of Kôna: Day One Expected 4 Months After PC, Length Revealed appeared first on VRFocus.
Previous articleSteamVR Beta Updated
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Home • The Administration • Office of Management and Budget
OMBlog
Regulation & Information
Testimony of Prior OMB Officials
Some of the documents on this page were created as PDFs
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JUNE 18, 2008 SUSAN E. DUDLEY, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and KAREN EVANS, Office of E-Government and Information Technology
Protecting Personal Information: Is the Federal Government Doing Enough?
before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
JUNE 4, 2008 SUSAN E. DUDLEY, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Does Federal Statistical Data Adequately Serve People Living with Disabilities?
before the Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 21, 2008 SUSAN E. DUDLEY, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
before the Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee Investigations and Oversight, U.S. House of Representatives
National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Ozone
before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 6, 2008 SUSAN E. DUDLEY, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Rulemaking Process and the Unitary Executive Theory
before the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, U.S. House of Representatives
FEBRUARY 28, 2008 SUSAN E. DUDLEY, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Improving the Paperwork Reduction Act for Small Businesses
before the Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
FEBRUARY 27, 2008 PAUL A. DENETT, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Report of the Acquisition Advisory Panel
before the Subcommittee on Government, Organization, and Procurement, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
Federal Acquisition Workforce
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, The Federal Workplace and the District of Columbia, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
FEBRUARY 14, 2008 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Federal Information Security: Joint Hearing on HR 4791
before the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives and the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, of the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform.
FEBRUARY 13, 2008 JIM NUSSLE, Director
President’s FY 2009 Five-Year Budget Proposal
before the Committee on Ways and Means
FEBRUARY 5, 2008 JIM NUSSLE, Director
before the Budget Committee
DECEMBER 11, 2007 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Current Status of E-Government
before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
SEPTEMBER 20, 2007 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Federal Government’s Information Technology Investments
before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Mangement, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee
JULY 12, 2007 PAUL A. DENETT, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Current State of Federal Procurement and Opportunities for Veteran-owned Small Businesses
before the Committee on Economic Opportunity, Committee on Veterans Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
JULY 11, 2007 CLAY JOHNSON III, (3 pages, 40 kb) Deputy Director for Management
Inspector General Councils
JUNE 20, 2007 CLAY JOHNSON III, (3 pages, 40 kb) Deputy Director for Management
Working Relationship Principles for Agencies and Offices of Inspector General
before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
JUNE 7, 2007 KAREN EVANS, (9 pages, 66 kb) Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Federal Government’s Efforts to Safeguard our Information and Information Systems
Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 24, 2007 CLAY JOHNSON III, (4 pages, 26 kb) Deputy Director for Management
Federal Real Property Managements
before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
MAY 17, 2007 CLAY JOHNSON III, (10 pages, 70 kb) Deputy Director for Management
Security Clearance Determinations
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
APRIL 26, 2007 STEVEN D. AITKEN, (15 pages, 100 kb) Former Acting Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Executive Order 13422, in which the President amended Executive Order 12866
before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee of Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 16, 2007 PAUL A. DENETT, (3 pages, 27 kb) Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Contractor Tax Enforcement Act
before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 11, 2007 ROBERT J. PORTMAN, Director
President’s FY 2008 Budget Request for the Office of Management and Budget
before the Subcommittee on Financial Services, Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate
MARCH 29, 2007 LINDA M. COMBS, (6 pages, 48 kb) Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 and the Recovery Auditing Act
before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs
Improving Financial Performance
before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
MARCH 19, 2007 ROBERT J. PORTMAN, Director
before the Subcommittee on Financial Services, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 1, 2007 LINDA M. COMBS, (5 pages, 50 kb) Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
FEBRUARY 13, 2007 STEVEN D. AITKEN, (17 pages, 119 kb) Acting Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Executive Order 13422 and the related OMB Bulletin on Agency Good Guidance Practices
before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law of the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives
FEBRUARY 7, 2007 ROBERT J. PORTMAN, Director
before the Committee on the Budget, United States Senate
before the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives
before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives
JANUARY 31, 2007 PAUL A. DENETT, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Contracting for Services, Interagency Contracting, and Related Issues
before the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Committee on Armed Services , United States Senate
DECEMBER 5, 2006 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
SEPTEMBER 7, 2006 KAREN EVANS, (6 pages, 54 kb) Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Planning, Managing, and Measuring the Results of the Government's Federal IT Investment
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
JULY 18, 2006 STEVEN D. AITKEN, Acting Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Responsibilities under the Paperwork Reduction Act
before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
Regulatory Reform of the U.S. Manufacturing Sector
before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight, Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
JUNE 8, 2006 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
Existing Laws, Regulations, and Policies Regarding Privacy, Information Security, and Data Breach Notification
before the Committee on Government Reform
MAY 17, 2006 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
Overseeing the Reform of the Federal Security Clearances Granting Process
CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
before the Subcommittee on Oversight Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia of the Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
MAY 2, 2006 AUSTIN SMYTHE, Acting Deputy Director
President’s Proposed Line Item Veto Legislation
before the Senate Budget Committee
MARCH 16, 2006 KAREN EVANS, (6 pages, 42 kb) Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Government Information Security and Federal Agencies' Implementation of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)
FEBRUARY 8, 2006 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
President’s FY 2007 Budget
before the Committee on the Budget
JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
before the Committee of Ways and Means
JULY 14, 2005 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, (4 pages, 38 kb) Director
Mid-Session Review of the President’s FY 2006 Budget Request
JUNE 29, 2005 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
The Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
before the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 25, 2005 JOHN D. GRAHAM, (11 pages, 61 kb) Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
APRIL 28, 2005 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
before the Subcommittee on Reform and Oversight of the Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 21, 2005 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
before the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, and Housing and Urban Development, Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate
KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
OMB's Management Watch List
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Governmental Management, United States Senate
before the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 7, 2005 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Federal Government’s Efforts to Safeguard Our Information and Systems
MARCH 8, 2005 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
President’s FY 2006 Budget Request
before the Budget Committee, United States Senate
JANUARY 14, 2005 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, (5 pages, 40 kb) Director
before the U.S. Chamber of Congress
NOVEMBER 17, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
SEPTEMBER 15, 2004 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
The Role of the Chief Financial Officer in the Federal Government
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
JULY 30, 2004 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
FY 2005 Mid-Session Review
JULY 21, 2004 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Role Chief Information Officers Play
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, U.S. House of Representatives
Role of an Agency Chief Information Officer
JULY 20, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Implementation of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002
before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
Human Capital Practices
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs
JULY 8, 2004 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Improving Accountability of American Taxpayers’ Dollars
before the Subcommittee on Financial Management, the Budget, and International Security, Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
JUNE 2, 2004 JOEL D. KAPLAN, Deputy Director
Contingent Emergency Reserve Fund Request for FY 2005
before the Senate Appropriations Committee - Subcommittee on Defense
Vulnerability Management Strategies and Technology
MAY 19, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
before the Small Business Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
Administration’s Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Program
before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 13, 2004 JOEL D. KAPLAN, Deputy Director
before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate
MAY 6, 2004 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
Results the Federal Government’s Agencies and Programs are Achieving
APRIL 28, 2004 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Government-wide Management of Purchase Cards
before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
APRIL 20, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, (17 pages, 125 kb) Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 and the Efficient Use of Taxpayer Dollars
MARCH 24, 2004 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
before the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Postal Service and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
KAREN EVANS, (5 pages, 91 kb) Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Significant Progress Being Made by the Federal Government
Federal Government's Efforts to Safeguard our Information and Systems
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 11, 2004 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, (4 pages, 93 kb) Director
Testimony on the Budget Process
before the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process, Committee on Rules, U.S. House of Representatives
Assessment of the EPA's Research Programs and How the President’s Management Agenda Helps Federal Agencies Get Greater Results
before the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards of the Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 3, 2004 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
Accomplishments on the President's Management Agenda
before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
_ Financial Report of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2003
Federal Information Technology (IT) Portfolio
FEBRUARY 25, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Regulatory Right to Know Act
before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
FEBRUARY 11, 2004 JOSHUA B. BOLTEN, Director
The President's Management Agenda and the Budget and Performance Integration Initiative
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
JANUARY 28, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Implementation of the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002 (SBPRA)
before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
JANUARY 6, 2004 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act (RESPA) Regulations
NOVEMBER 6, 2003 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Communication Challenges Facing the First Responder Community
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, U.S. House of Representatives
OCTOBER 16, 2003 KAREN EVANS, Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Internet Vulnerabilities
OCTOBER 8, 2003 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
25th Anniversary of the Inspector General Act
Accounting and Financial Controls System at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
before the Select Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives
Federal IT Management
SEPTEMBER 30, 2003 JOHN D. GRAHAM, (5 pages, 25 kb) Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Nutrition Guidelines
before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs and Product Safety, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate
SEPTEMBER 18, 2003 CLAY JOHNSON III, Deputy Director for Management
10th Anniversary of GPRA and Performance Management
SEPTEMBER 17, 2003 CLAY JOHNSON III, (4 pages, 126 kb) Deputy Director for Management
Performance of Government for the American People
DHS Financial Management
NORMAN LORENTZ, Acting Administrator for Electronic Government and Information Technology
Threats of Worms and Viruses
Status of and Prospects for Reconstruction in Iraq
before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
JULY 24, 2003 ANGELA B. STYLES, (7 pages, 151 kb) Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
the Administration's Competitive Sourcing Initiative
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce of DC, Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate
ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate
Paperwork and Regulatory Improvements Act of 2003
JULY 15, 2003 MARK A. FORMAN, (7 pages, 161 kb) Administrator, Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology
Information Technology Investments
JUNE 26, 2003 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Competitive Sourcing Initiative and the Recently Released Revisions to OMB Circular A-76
JUNE 10, 2003 MARK A. FORMAN, Administrator, Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology
Utilization of Geospatial Information
before the Committee on Government, Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, U.S. House of Representatives
JUNE 5, 2003 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
The Administration’s Asset Management Initiative
MAY 13, 2003 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Reducing Erroneous Payments
MAY 8, 2003 MARK A. FORMAN, Administrator, Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology
Improving Homeland Security Through Improved Federal IT Management
MAY 1, 2003 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
APRIL 30, 2003 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Plans for the "Services Acquisition Reform Act of 2003" (SARA)
Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2003
before the Committee on Veterans Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives
Status of Government-wide Efforts to Streamline and Simplify the Administration Federal Grants
before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 8, 2003 LINDA M. SPRINGER, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 8, 2003 MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for E-Government and Information Technology
Status of the Federal Government’s IT Security
MARCH 26, 2003 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, and MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for E-Government and Information Technology
Status of the Competitive Sourcing and Expanded Electronic Government Initiatives of the President’s Management Agenda
MARCH 25, 2003 MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for E-Government and Information Technology
Administration's Views on Data Mining
before the Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 19, 2003 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
FY 2004 Budget Request for OMB
Challenges Facing Our Procurement Community
before the Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate
Administration's Views on E-Government
MARCH 11, 2003 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
FEBRUARY 5, 2003 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Veteran-Owned Small Business Concerns
before the Committee on Veterans Affairs
FEBRUARY 4, 2003 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
before the House Budget Committee
MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
before the House Ways and Means Committee
NOVEMBER 19, 2002 MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for Information Technology and E-government
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. House of Representatives
OCTOBER 3, 2002 MARK W. EVERSON, Deputy Director for Management
The Problem of Erroneous Payments made by the Government
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
OCTOBER 1, 2002 MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for Information Technology and E-government
Homeland Security IT Investments
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government and Procurement Policy, U.S. House of Representatives
SEPTEMBER 27, 2002 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Competitive Sourcing Initiative
before the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)
before the House Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations and the House Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process
SEPTEMBER 18, 2002 MARK W. EVERSON, Deputy Director for Management, and MARK A. FORMAN, Associate Director for Information Technology and E-Government
The Administration's Views on E-government and to Comment on Legislation Pending before the Committee
before the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
JULY 10, 2002 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
The role of the Government Printing Office in handling federal
agency printing needs
before the Joint Committee on Printing, United States Congress
JUNE 26, 2002 MARK EVERSON, (9 pages, 185 kb) Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Single Audit Act
before the House Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations
JUNE 6, 2002 JOHN D. GRAHAM, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Draft Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulations and the Crain/Hopkins Report on "The Impact of Regulatory Costs to Small Firms
before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight and the Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment, and Government Programs, Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 2, 2002 MARK A. FORMAN, (11 pages, 134 kb) Associate Director for Information Technology and E-government
Federal Information Systems Security and the Federal Information Security Management Act
before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations, and the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy, U.S. House of Representatives
MAY 1, 2002 NANCY DORN, (3 pages, 94 kb) Deputy Director
Rightsizing
before the Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, Committee on Government Reform
ANGELA B. STYLES, (6 pages, 149 kb) Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Managing Purchase Card Programs
before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives
before the House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
APRIL 9, 2002 MARK W. EVERSON, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
The State of financial Management in the Federal Government
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 21, 2002 MARK FORMAN, (17 pages, 298 kb) Associate Director for Information Technology and E-Government
Transformation to an E-Government
before the Subcommittee on the Technology and Procurement Policy of the Committee on Government Reform
before the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 13, 2002 NANCY DORN, (3 pages, 77 kb) Deputy Director
Farm Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA)
before the House Small Business Committee
MARCH 12, 2002 JOHN D. GRAHAM, (4 pages, 95 kb) Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Annual Accounting Statement and Associated Report
MARCH 7, 2002 ANGELA STYLES, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Services Acquisition Reform Act (SARA)
NANCY DORN, (4 pages, 117 kb) Deputy Director
Health Care Sharing between Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs
before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Veterans' Health
MARCH 6, 2002 MARK A. FORMAN, (12 pages, 154 kb) Associate Director for Information Technology and E-government
Government Information Security Reform Act (Security Act)
FEBRUARY 28, 2002 JOHN D. GRAHAM, (4 pages, 90 kb) Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Tire Pressure Monitoring Rule
before the House Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs
Role of Business Size Definitions in the Scope of SBA Loan Program
ANGELA STYLES, (9 pages, 155 kb) Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Challenges Facing the Federal Procurement Community
FEBRUARY 15, 2002 MARK W. EVERSON, Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management
Administration’s Efforts to Improve the Management and Performance of the Federal Government
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations
FEBRUARY 6, 2002 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (6 pages, 158 kb) Director
MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (6 pages, 157 kb) Director
NOVEMBER 9, 2001 MARK FORMAN, (10 pages, 102 kb) Associate Director for Information Technology and E-government
Computer Security: How is the Government Doing?
before the Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management, and Intergovernmental Relations, U.S. House of Representatives
Managing the Federal Information Technology (IT) and Acquisition Workforces before the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy of the Committee on Government Reform
SEPTEMBER 6, 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (26 pages, 621 kb) Director
Mid-Session Review
Biennial Budgeting
before the Committee on Rules, U.S. House of Representatives
OMB's Role in Reviewing Information Collection Requirements Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, and Review of Regulations Governing the Medicare and Medicaid Programs
before the Committee on Small Business, House of Representatives
JULY 17, 2001 SEAN O'KEEFE, Deputy Director
Restructuring and the District of Columbia
before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, United States Senate
Nation's shifting fiscal situation
JULY 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (26 pages, 866 kb) Director
E-GOV Legislation
before the Senate Committee on Government Affairs
JUNE 28, 2001 ANGELA B. STYLES, Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy
Administration's Competitive Sourcing Initiative, Commercial Activities Panel, Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act, and the proposed Truthfulness, Responsibility, and Accountability in Contracting (TRAC) Act (H.R. 721)
before the House Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy
JUNE 27, 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (3 pages, 28 kb) Director
Forthcoming Extension/Modification of the Budget Enforcement Act
JUNE 26, 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
The Budget Enforcement Act
How Best to Implement the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA)
before the Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives
JUNE 19, 2001 SEAN O'KEEFE, Deputy Director
Implementing the Government Performance and Results Act
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, House Committee on Government Reform
MAY 24, 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., Director
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
before the Subcommittees on Technology, and Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs
President's FY 2002 Budget Request for the Office of Management and Budget
APRIL 24, 2001 SEAN O'KEEFE, Deputy Director
The Executive Branch's Efforts to Reduce the Paperwork and Regulatory Burden on the American People
before the Subcommittees on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives
Agenda as Director of OMB
before the Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations of the Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives
MARCH 1, 2001 MITCHELL E. DANIELS, JR., (7 pages, 40 kb) Director
President's Proposed Budget for 2001
DECEMBER 4, 2000 Sally Katzen, Deputy Director for Management
Implementation of the Presidential Transition Act
before the Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology U.S. House of Representatives
OCTOBER 2, 2000 Honorable Sally Katzen, Deputy Director for Management
Discuss the Federal Government's New and Most Comprehensive Web Portal - FirstGov
before the Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology U.S. House of Representatives.
JUNE 14, 2000 Joshua Gotbaum, Acting Deputy Director for Management
FOIA and EFOIA
before the Subcommittee on Management, Information, and Technology, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, U.S. House of Representatives
APRIL 7, 2000 Jacob J. Lew, Director
Role of OMB in Improving Management Practices in the Federal Government
before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives
S. 612 - Indian Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation Act of 2000
before the Committee On Indian Affairs, United States Senate
MARCH 31, 2000 Joshua Gotbaum, Executive Associate Director and Controller
The Status of Federal Financial Management
before U.S. House Of Representatives, Committee On Government Reform, Subcommittee On Government Management, Information & Technology
MARCH 28, 2000 Jacob J. Lew, Director
President's Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Request for the Office of Management and Budget
before U.S. House Of Representatives, Committee On Appropriations, Subcommittee On Treasury, Postal Service, AND General Government
Budget Reform
before Committee on Rules, U.S. House Of Representatives
FEBRUARY 9, 2000 Jacob J. Lew, Director
President's FY2001 Budget
before Senate Committee on the Budget
before House Committee on the Budget
JULY 1, 1999 Deidre A. Lee, Acting Deputy Director for Management
Government Performance and Results Act
before U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology
JUNE 29, 1999 Deidre A. Lee, Acting Deputy Director for Management
H.R. 1827 "The Government Waste Corrections Act of 1999"
before Committee on Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology
JUNE 22, 1999 Jacob J. Lew, Director
Year 2000 Technology Problem
before Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem
MAY 20, 1999 Jacob J. Lew, Director
H.R. 853, "The Comprehensive Budget Process Reform Act of 1999"
MAY 20, 1999 Deidre A. Lee, Acting Deputy Director for Management
before House Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and the Senate Subcommittee on Energy Research, Development, Production and Regulation, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996
before House Committee on Government Management, Information, and Technology
APRIL 27, 1999 Jacob J. Lew, Director
before United States Senate Appropriations Committee
APRIL 15, 1999 Deidre A. Lee, Acting Deputy Director for Management
Paperwork Reduction Accomplishments
before The Subcommittees on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs & Government Management, Information, and Technology Committee on Government Reform
Government's Progress on the Year 2000 Problem
before The Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem
before The Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology and before the Subcommittee on Technology of the Committee Government Reform
MARCH 2, 1999 Jacob J. Lew, Director
before Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives
FEBRUARY 23, 1999 Jacob J. Lew, Director
Budgeting in an Era of Surpluses
before House Committee on Ways & Means
The President's FY 2000 Budget
AUGUST 6, 1998 G. Edward Deseve, Acting Deputy Director for Management
before U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology
AUGUST 6, 1998 Jacob J. Lew, Director
The International Space Station
before U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science
JUNE 22, 1998 G. Edward Deseve, Acting Deputy Director for Management
Federal Government's Efforts to Address the Year 2000 Problem
before House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology
MARCH 24, 1998 G. Edward Deseve, Acting Deputy Director for Management
Fair Competition Act of 1998 (S. 314) and Competition in Commercial Activities Act of 1998 (H.R. 716)
before Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Government Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia; and House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology
FEBRUARY 4, 1998 Franklin D. Raines, Director
The President's Fiscal Year 1999 Budget
JULY 17, 1997 Jacob J. Lew, Director
Operating Assistance for Amtrak
before Transportation and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Senate Appropriations Committee
JULY 16, 1997 G. Edward Deseve, Controller and Acting Deputy Director for Management
Loan Subsidy Estimates for the Small Business Administration
before House Small Business Committee
JULY 8, 1997 John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management
The Administration's Initiatives to Create Performance-Based Organizations
before House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight
JUNE 24, 1997 Franklin D. Raines, Director
The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
before Senate Appropriations and Government Affairs Committees
JUNE 18, 1997 John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management
"The Freedom from Government Competition Act " (S. 314)
before Senate Government Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring, and the District of Columbia
JUNE 3, 1997 John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management
GPRA Implementation
before Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology
APRIL 30, 1997 Sally Katzen, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Future Role of the Government Printing Office
before Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
APRIL 30, 1997 John A. Koskinen, Deputy Director for Management
Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects
before Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources
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Zoe Saldana’s Use Of Dark Makeup In Nina Simone Biopic Sparks Colorism Controversy
"This was really a missed opportunity to highlight talent of darker-skinned actresses," said JeffriAnne Wilder.
In the biopic chronicling the life of legendary singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone, Dominican/Puerto Rican actress Zoe Saldana was trashed by critics when she appeared in what some are considering “blackface” and a prosthetic nose.
When it was announced that Saldana was going to play Simone, many protested the decision, saying she was too light and cited her remarks from a 2013 interview in which she said, “There is no such thing as people of color.”
During Thursday’s edition of NewsOne Now, Roland Martin and his panel of guests discussed the backlash over Saldana’s portrayal of Simone and the subsequent discussion of colorism within the African-American community.
NewsOne Now panelist JeffriAnne Wilder, author of Color Stories: Black Women and Colorism in the 21st Century (Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture), sided with those who have taken issue with the casting of Saldana.
She told Martin, “I don’t think that necessarily Zoe Saldana is believable in her role as Nina Simone for a large number of reasons.” Wilder then cut to the heart of her disapproval of Saldana as Simone, saying, “There is something about the way that she looks and appears in the film … there’s something off about it.”
She added, “This was really a missed opportunity to highlight talent of darker-skinned actresses who also have musical talent, and I think we missed the mark here.”
“The backlash is reflective of colorism, because what does it say about our society when we really don’t value enough looking at dark skin — we have to cast someone who is a brown-skin or a lighter-skinned woman in this role when clearly it should have gone, in my opinion, to someone who is a more darker-complected actress,” said Wilder.
Martin then addressed the economic, as well as the possible marketing aspects that could have played a part in the casting of Saldana, saying, “When you are making a decision on how to finance films, a huge part of that is who is attached to it.”
Kierna Mayo, Editor-in-Chief of Ebony Magazine, agreed with Martin’s sentiment, saying, “Typically speaking, if you want to get a film to theaters, you need to have a very marquee-type name attached to it.”
Mayo also added the following caveat to that reality when she said, “That doesn’t change the reality of African-Americans, Black people in general, who are looking for authentic representation.”
“The sensitivity here is particular of Nina Simone, who herself so embodied racial pride, who herself so did not fit the Hollywood package … image that we all have grown so accustomed to that we can spit off the names Paula Patton and Zoe Saldana with ease, but we cannot find their darker-skinned peers.”
Watch the NewsOne Now discussion addressing colorism in the African-American community and the casting of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone in the video clip above.
TV One’s Now has moved to 7 A.M. ET, be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.
Courtney Vance On His Role As Johnnie Cochran In The FX Series “The People V. O.J. Simpson”
Colorism , JeffriAnne Wilder , Kierna Mayo , newsone now , Nina Simone , Roland Martin , Zoe Saldana
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Lionel Messi wins Ballon d’Or for record sixth time
inSports
Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi from Argentina won a record sixth Ballon d’Or award for the best football player in the world at a ceremony in Paris on 2nd December.
This was Messi’s first Ballon d’Or since 2015. With this win, he has moved ahead of his rival Christiano Ronaldo from Portugal, who has won the award five times. Messi has won the award previously in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.
Messi, 32, beat Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Juventus forward Christiano Ronaldo, who came in second and third in the voting respectively. He attended the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris with his wife and children.
#BallonDor
Voici le classement officiel et complet du Ballon d’Or France Football 2019 👉 https://t.co/PAM2nVcgyi pic.twitter.com/mR0DTJ8oKp
— #BallondOr (@francefootball) December 2, 2019
“It is 10 years since I won my first Ballon d’Or here in Paris and I remember coming here with my three brothers, I was 22 and it was all unthinkable for me what I was going through,” Messi said on receiving the award.
“Now ten years on this is my sixth, in a very different time, very special in my personal life with my wife and three children.”
“I hope to continue for a long time. I realise that I am very lucky, even if, one day, retirement will ring. It will be difficult.
“But I still have beautiful years ahead of me. Time goes very quickly, so I want to enjoy football and my family.”
2018-2019 was an exceptional one for Messi, who scored 54 times for his country and his club. He also helped Barcelona clinch the La Liga title this year.
Remarkably, Messi and Ronaldo have won all the Ballon d’Or award between them from 2008. It was Luka Modric from Croatia who broke this streak when he won the award last year in 2018.
Following is the list of the top 10 footballers as per the voting for the award.
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
2. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus and Portugal)
4. Sadio Mane (Liverpool and Senegal)
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt)
6. Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain and France)
7. Alisson (Liverpool and Brazil)
8. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland)
9. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City and Portugal)
10. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City and Algeria)
Meanwhile, Megan Rapinoe won the Ballon d’Or Féminin. Earlier, she had also won the Golden Ball Award as the United States won its second consecutive football World Cup. Unfortunately, she could not be present at the award ceremony.
In a recorded message, she said, “I’m so sad I can’t make it tonight. It’s absolutely incredible, congrats to the other nominees.
“I can’t believe I’m the one winning in this field, it’s been an incredible year. I want to thank my team-mates and the US federation.”
.@mPinoe from @ReignFC is the 2019 Women’s Ballon d’Or winner! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/gLANEXgENL
Among other award winners, Liverpool keeper Alisson won the inaugural Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper. Also, 20-year-old defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus was awarded the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best under-21 player and selected by former Ballon d’Or winners.
Tags: Ballon d'OrLionel MessiMegan Rapinoe
Woman police officer poses as bride to nab dreaded dacoit
2019 NATO Summit underway in London
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Home/February 2020, Opinions/Fight the Coronavirus by Defunding the United Nations
Fight the Coronavirus by Defunding the United Nations
By Cliff Kincaid|2020-02-26T02:53:55-05:00February 26th, 2020|
By Cliff Kincaid
A left-wing businessman who claimed in 2017 that President Trump isn’t pro-anything except “essentially white nationalism” was on business channel CNBC on Tuesday trying to assign partial blame for the spread of the coronavirus to President Trump. Such absurd charges increase panic, leading to a possible economic recession. This may be the Democrats’ only hope to defeat Trump and elect a socialist or a left-wing billionaire.
What we know is that Trump is being blamed for a dangerous disease which came out of China that a pro-China United Nations bureaucracy failed to take seriously enough.
The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) was first alerted to the patients in China with the virus on December 31, 2019. But it took weeks before any action was taken, until the end of January 2020, a delay which led some public health experts to assert that the U.N. bureaucracy was far too “deferential” to China. That has clearly been the case.
Without taking China off the hook entirely, the CNBC guest asserted, without evidence, that Trump had dismantled the global health disease infrastructure. Nobody discussed the pathetic response of the U.N. bureaucracy, the World Health Organization (WHO), and how China mishandled the outbreak and silenced whistleblowers.
As the disease spreads to more victims, causing suffering and death, the U.N. bureaucracy continues to use political correctness as a response. “We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma,” the director general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Saturday. “The greatest enemy we face is not the virus itself; it’s the stigma that turns us against each other.”
He wants to maintain “solidarity” with China rather than hold its communist rulers responsible for what is shaping up as a crime against humanity.
At this point, the possibility that the virus may have originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, cannot be ruled out. Chinese government claims about the virus originating in a food market can’t be accepted at face value.
A review of the official records reveals that the blame for any lackluster response lies with China and the World Health Organization. On January 22, an emergency committee of the WHO did not declare the coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). According to the official notes, “the members of the Emergency Committee expressed divergent views on whether this event constitutes a PHEIC or not.” The committee failed to confront China and said it “welcomed the efforts made by China to investigate and contain the current outbreak.”
It soon became apparent that China was lying or engaged in a cover-up. Its Communist rulers were afraid of the economic cost and consequences to revealing the truth and didn’t want to look incompetent in the eyes of the world. They thought that last-minute tough measures, including rounding up disease carriers, would impress people.
Not waiting for China to come clean, the White House had announced on January 29 the formation of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force, which is meeting on a daily basis. It wasn’t until January 30, after China released new information about the spread of the disease,that the WHO declared the virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. But the group said the declaration “should be seen in the spirit of support and appreciation for China, its people, and the actions China has taken on the frontlines of this outbreak, with transparency, and, it is to be hoped, with success.” This statement went on, “In line with the need for global solidarity, the Committee felt that a global coordinated effort is needed to enhance preparedness in other regions of the world that may need additional support for that.”
One day later, on January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared coronavirus a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States. A press briefing was held on January 31.
After its initial unsatisfactory response, a WHO emergency committee acknowledged that “it is still possible to interrupt virus spread, provided that countries put in place strong measures to detect disease early, isolate and treat cases, trace contacts, and promote social distancing measures commensurate with the risk.”
So-called “social distancing measures” include restricting the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the coronavirus. That’s what Trump did. In fact, the CDC notes that the U.S. government has taken “unprecedented steps with respect to travel in response to the growing public health threat…”
But if the WHO had acted sooner, more people could have been spared, and a global pandemic might have been avoided. The number of cases has surpassed 80,000 in 37 countries.
Those who hate Trump and love China want to ignore the possibility that the virus could be a man-made weapon or leaked from a laboratory. But the Trump Administration is prepared. Trump in 2018 signed the National Biodefense Strategy, drawing on lessons learned from biological incidents that include the 2001 anthrax attacks, the 2009 influenza pandemic, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, and the Zika virus outbreak.
In truth, the post-9/11 anthrax attacks were blamed on an American scientist when the evidence suggests a plot by al Qaeda involving the theft of killer bacteria from a U.S. weapons lab. Russia-gate prosecutor Robert S. Mueller, then-FBI director, was part of a sophisticated cover-up.
The Trump Administration document declares, “Multiple nations have pursued clandestine biological weapons programs and a number of terrorist groups have sought to acquire biological weapons. In many countries around the world, pathogens are stored in laboratories that lack appropriate biosecurity measures where they could be diverted by actors who wish to do harm.”
Dr. Tedros, the former Minister of Health in Ethiopia now running the WHO, says, “We need a WHO that is efficiently managed, adequately resourced and results driven, with a strong focus on transparency, accountability and value for money.” We now have evidence that the money being spent on the WHO should be redirected into American agencies, including the Pentagon. The additional money requested by the Trump Administration for this crisis should be taken out of the U.N. budget.
The WHO failed to respond quickly and properly to the epidemic. Perhaps, as a matter of social justice, the WHO headquarters ought to be relocated to the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan City, China. Let’s see if that gets them moving more quickly to save their jobs.
Unless the Trump Administration makes a clean break with the U.N. over this developing scandal, we can anticipate a proposal for a global tax to finance the “global health infrastructure” that the Trump critics claim he has decimated. It turns out that Dr. Tedros was a member of the “High-Level Task Force for Innovative Financing for Health Systems,” a group which recommended global taxes for the U.N. They call them “solidarity levies” on airline tickets, tobacco and currency transactions. They probably want some of the money “in solidarity” to go to China.
Expect more hysteria that is designed to divert our attention from the source of the disease – Communist China. Trump’s critics don’t want lives saved; they want lives destroyed.
© 2020 Cliff Kincaid – All Rights Reserved
*Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. www.usasurvival.org
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Holmberg: Privatization is one solution to America’s public education deterioration
Kelsey Holmberg, Feature Writer
Government at the local, state and federal level has focused on improving education in America for over thirty years. Much of the dissatisfaction with the U.S. public school system began with a 1983 report entitled, “A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform.” The report detailed the public school system’s failure to equip students with the skills necessary for success. Yet, despite legislative reforms since then, research consistently shows that schools are not better than they were before. In 2003, 20 years after the report, most U.S. students were performing below proficiency level in math and science. Perhaps, the solution is not to continue passing reform after reform, but rather to change the education system itself.
Milton Friedman, a Nobel-Prize winning economist, first suggested that privatization could be the answer to America’s education dilemma. Friedman advocated for a school choice system. In which, parents and students can dictate the education that best addresses their needs, instead of the government deciding for them.
In a free market economy, the traditional role of government is to enforce a strong legal framework and to intervene only in the case of market failures. Government has done an excellent job at financing education, but it has gradually overstepped its bounds by trying to administer the school system. To truly improve education, it is necessary for the government to take a step back and let the industry forces take control.
One way to achieve a competitive, quality-driven educational system is through use of vouchers. School-choice vouchers allow the consumer to take control. By selecting which institution their children will attend, a parent indicates what standards they expect from schools. Vouchers are especially beneficial to students in urban areas, where public schools are underperforming. In 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that on average 34.6 percent of twelfth grade students in urban schools read below “basic” level and only 31 percent are classified as “proficient” readers.
Critics of such educational change express their concern over the fairness and implementation of vast privatization. Concerns are not unwarranted. There is no guarantee that such a system will work exactly as intended, as every policy action comes with some unintended consequences. The U.S. can continue to trial the system in cities across the country. If the changes are as effective as economic theory predicts, then the voucher system should be applied more widely.
While the idea of vouchers is hardly new, controversy has continued to surround the use of them in education. When Cleveland began offering such a program, it was challenged on the grounds that it favored private religious schools. In a landmark decision, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) the Supreme Court ruled that the use of school vouchers to go to religious schools is constitutional. Justice Thomas’s concurrence praised the opportunities that such a program provides urban students.
Milton Friedman said that privatization of the education system will “provide the public schools with the competition that will force them to improve in order to hold their clientele” in a briefing for the CATO Institute. In our current education system, there is no incentive for public schools to adapt. Free market competition drives innovation, increased quality and lower costs. Schools will strive to be excellent to attract more students. In our present public school system, the government passes legislation that binds schools to certain performance standards, or they risk losing funding. Schools’ focus should not be fixed on attaining benchmark numbers, but rather the overall quality of the education provided. A system which allows public and private schools to rival each other can result in school improvement for both types of institutions.
Real incentives emerge when privatization occurs. Teachers will be compensated based on the value they provide rather than a government dictated salary. Individuals who are currently discouraged to become teachers are encouraged to enter the profession. And, the increased supply of labor will allow for more refined selection of educators. Better teachers will be able to stay in the field and poor teachers will be forced out by the competition.
By offering school choice, the government will be ensuring a strong future. A gradual transition to a more competitive school market has the potential to improve outcomes for students and teachers. Vouchers are a different route than the government has taken historically, but they are intended to achieve the same objective: improve the quality of education.
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Kim: Cory in the house
Booker stands out among 2020 candidates
Won Hee Kim, Copy Editor
When I saw that Democratic Sen. Cory Booker announced his intention to run for the presidency in 2020, I was excited. It’s not because he grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey, only miles away from where I went to high school. It’s only partially because I want the glorious pun that comes from the “Cory in the House” of Disney Channel fame. But mostly, I was excited because Booker is someone who has demonstrated time and time again that he cares about his constituents.
Booker, 49 years old, is the current New Jersey senator and a former mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was born in Washington D.C. and traveled coast to coast during his education, going to Stanford University and Yale Law School. He is a Democrat, and someone once made a documentary about him. Booker does good deeds all around: opening his home up to strangers after Hurricane Sandy, saving dogs from the cold and even running into a burning house to save a woman. He has an aura around him that makes him seem like the kind-hearted protagonist of a novel.
Of course, Booker isn’t actually perfect. Opposers point to the Newark Watershed scandal, where allegations of corruption flew freely, and Booker was suspiciously absent in overseeing the Newark Watershed and Development Corporation. They can point out his lackluster results working as the mayor of Newark, when crime and taxes both increased during his years in office. They might even dig deep and talk about the op-ed he wrote as a student at Stanford University when he says that he groped someone when he was 15 years old. They might say he’s too focused on his public image.
Some of these arguments are valid. There never was a satisfactory ending to the Newark Watershed event, and the data shows that crimes and taxes rose. But if Booker becomes the President of the United States, he will be put in a position with a higher level of accountability than before, and the data about crime and taxes ignores how Booker helped boost economic and population growth. Regarding the op-ed, actually reading the article shows how he published it to provoke a conversation about how sex and coersion are linked together in society and to fight rape culture.
As for his public image, that is one of the core reasons I support Booker. Because of the president’s position as the head of the country, the general public looks to the president as a role model. Under President Donald Trump, the country became more openly hateful toward people of color, people of different religions than Christianity, LGBT people and other groups of people disliked by the president. Citizens of the country who harbored negative emotions felt free to act on them, and this even happened on Case Western Reserve University’s campus. I personally don’t think Booker acts just for publicity, as people don’t typically risk their life and health to save someone in a fire. Even if he does, Booker’s image as someone who cares for the minorities of America makes him a great candidate.
The American people deserve someone who cares about them after the hurt of these last several years.
Won Hee Kim is a third-year English major with minors in creative writing and economics.
unsolicited opinion
Won Hee Kim, Director of Print
Won Hee Kim is a human being who is eager to escape from a fourth-year of higher education into a cold, corporate world. Case Western Reserve University...
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St. Lawrence Regional Association
Algae – About
The marine macroalgae data base was built by Dr. Anissa Merzouk as an activity associated with the NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae (Merzouk, 2016).
Partners and team
It is a data base that gathers available and accessible information on the composition and distribution of marine macroalgae beds in the intertidal and infralittoral levels along Québec coasts. The historical data stems primarily from the surveys conducted by Marcelle Gauvreau and André Cardinal. Other data sets were gathered from scientific literature, government agencies (MAPAQ, DFO), university researchers, enterprises involved in the harvest of seaweed and from sport divers. Consequently, the current data base includes information about the seaweed biomass and its presence or absence for the period from 1933 to 2012.
With this application, research managers and users from the research field and the industry can display the distribution of a variety of marine seaweed species and consult the related data. In building this tool, the goal was to make it easier to access, disseminate and share electronic data and thus, not only support the development of enterprises that use this biomass but also facilitate marine resource management on the part of government agencies. In addition, by making these data accessible to the public and to research institutes, it helps improve our collective understanding of marine plants that are of capital importance for the development of the marine science and biotechnology sector in Québec (Tamigneaux and Johnson 2016).
In June 2012, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) attributed a NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae to the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles. At the latter’s request, this IRCC conducts its activities at facilities that are part of the École nationale des pêches et de l’aquaculture du Québec (ÉPAQ) and is managed by Merinov, the College Centre for the Transfer of Technology in the Fisheries. Enjoying the support of six partner enterprises, the CRIC in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae seeks to support the development of an industrial system based on the harvest, culture and conversion of large seaweed.
The CRIC in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae project program sought first of all to prepare a status report, as complete as possible, detailing everything that was known about the distribution and composition of seaweed beds within Québec territory, then to collate this information in an electronic record that would be easy for users to share and consult and finally, to identify any gaps in terms of data quantity/quality and/or spatial coverage to guide future survey efforts. It was as part of this project that the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO) developed a first, limited-access Internet tool that allows researchers, enterprises partnering with the CRIC in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae and government agencies to consult and add to this data base. Some of these data are not public, either because they come from as-yet unpublished work done by researchers or because they belong to enterprises. Following this, a selection of information free of access rights was transferred to the SLGO’s interactive web application, Biodiversity, which is open to the general public.
The knowledge gathered in this data base directly addresses an industry need. In fact, for coastal areas affected by dwindling traditional marine resources, the harvest and processing of seaweed offers interesting prospects for economic diversification (Lionard and colleagues, 2014; Côté-Laurin and Tamigneaux, 2016). Although some twenty SMEs are already involved in the harvest, conversion or distribution of marine seaweed-based products, it is still an emerging industry. In recent years, several enterprises have sought to improve their access to the seaweed resource while demand on the part of foreign enterprises looking to obtain large volumes of marine seaweed from Québec has also been growing.
The project is a collaborative effort involving a team of project managers and technicians affiliated with the NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae, the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles and the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO). It was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) and the Ministère des Finances et de l’Économie (MFE).
The CRIC in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae and Merinov coordinated the project and were involved in the data gathering effort by sport divers and in the design of the internet portal. Gathering data from ministries, departments and university researchers as well as building and analysing the data base were the responsibility of Dr. Anissa Merzouk, who also served as the project’s consulting expert on the ecology and survey of marine macroalgae populations. The holder of the CRIC in the Conversion of Marine Macroalgae is Dr. Éric Tamigneaux, a research professor at Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles; the Research Chair is supported by six partner enterprises (Biotaag International, Fermes Marines du Québec, InnoVactiv, Organic Océan, Pro-Algue Marines and SCF Pharma) based in the Gaspésie and Bas Saint-Laurent administrative regions. Sharing this information was made possible through coordination and financial support of Technopole maritime du Québec (TMQ). As for the St. Lawrence Global Observatory, it developed the different systems that are used to enter and disseminate the data
CRIC-MERINOV
ECCC-BIOMQ
ECCC-CRAYFISH
AQUARIUM DU QUÉBEC-SÉPAQ
DFO-CAPELIN
SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS
DFO-MULTI. SURVEYS
DFO-SENTINEL
MFFP-EFIN
MFFP-FMN
MFFP-UQTR-LAMPSILIS
DFO-AIS
ROMM
SENTINEL FISHERIES
GROUNDFISH
ATLANTIC HALIBUT
GREENLAND HALIBUT
LINKS & MEDIAS
info@ogsl.ca
CIOOS
CIOOS National
St. Lawrence Region
SUBSCRIBE TO SLGO VIA EMAIL
Nous procédons à la migration de nos serveurs. Pour plus d'informations, visitez ce lien
We are migrating our server. For further information, please visit this link
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Phantom Thread (2017)
Oh! That Film Blog / February 7, 2018
The release of a new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always an occasion to mark in the diary of any cinephile, but it would be fair to say that 2017’s Phantom Thread arrived with an extra weight of anticipation and interest on its shoulders. It marks the final feature film in the esteemed, record breaking career of Daniel Day-Lewis, the only male performer in history to have won three Best Actor Academy Awards. The duo’s only previous paired project, 2007’s There Will Be Blood, remains one of my favourite films of the last fifteen years, so to say I was excited about this film is something of an understatement.
Set in the elite fashion world of 1950’s London, Phantom Thread tells the story of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a renowned designer whose creations are sought after by the world’s richest and most famous names. Equal parts genius and obsessive, Woodcock’s controlled, painstakingly scheduled life that he shares with sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) is thrown in to turmoil when he begins a romantic relationship with Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps), a headstrong, challenging waitress who moves in to the family home as part muse, part live in lover.
It has taken a couple of days for the film to really sink in, but I have come to the conclusion that Phantom Thread is a quite exquisite film. You won’t find the bangs and crashes of a generic thriller here, but what you trade in for pace is an incredibly tense, expertly woven tale of love, obsession, mental illness and co-dependency that will stay with you for days afterwards. The beautiful, clean, precise aesthetic of the picture contrasts perfectly with the inner turmoil of the central players, making the film a stirring combination of being irresistible to the eye and overwhelmingly challenging for the mind. The words delicate and menacing are not ones that are used in conjunction very often, but there is without doubt a thread of delicate menace running through the film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing where this elegant yet intense slow burn is going to take you next. What starts as a potentially traditional love story soon becomes something much more complex, marching further and further towards sinister with every passing minute.
In its simplest form, the plot is another exploration of the ‘what it’s like to live with an artist’ trope, but the layers upon layers that unfold as the narrative progresses turn the film in to a rollercoaster of different emotions and revelations. At hand, I can’t think of a picture that is so quiet and contained but that has so much explosive metaphor and content underneath the surface. Phantom Thread is as controlled and exquisite as one of the fine gowns created by its protagonist, yet the intensity of the unfolding drama that threatens to unravel the lives of the characters feels anything but. Picture an elegant swan, gliding across a serene pond, the epitome of grace yet working hard to stay afloat with beating legs beneath the surface. Now picture that same swan, energy sapping by the second, fighting a losing battle against an unstoppable rushing current. That gives you something of an idea of what Phantom Thread feels like.
It’s no surprise, but Daniel Day-Lewis is exceptional as Reynolds Woodcock. On screen, he is the embodiment of obsessive compulsion, a troubled genius with a charming exterior and more than a hint of toxic masculinity. One moment a charismatic gentleman, the next moment a pathetic, spoiled man child. It takes quite something to carry a film in which the audience cannot automatically see their protagonist as a hero, but Day-Lewis plays the part with such conviction, commitment and unequivocal talent that you can’t help but be captivated regardless of your personal feelings toward the character. It seems as though Gary Oldman is destined to pick up the Best Actor Oscar this year for his admittedly towering performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, but if it were up to me the award would be a close race between Day-Lewis and Timothee Chalamet for his amazing work in Call Me By Your Name. If this does indeed mark the end of his feature film career, then he sure picked a doozy to go out on.
The rest of the film is filled with female performances, all equally excellent. As Alma, Vicky Krieps has the seemingly impossible job of keeping pace with Day-Lewis for most of narrative, but she holds her own and more as a young woman who refuses to be yet another muse who is chewed up and spat out by a tortured artist stereotype. Her performances is a much physical as it is oral, the vision of her draped in Woodcock’s creation just as important as the increasingly resilient language that she uses at the deeper layers of the two character’s relationship start to reveal themselves.
As Cyril Woodcock, Reynolds older, matriarchal sister, Lesley Manville steals every scene in which she appears, and she has a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination to prove it. She carries a delicious tension and intensity in every single action and every single line, an imperious, lingering presence who clearly has more influence over her brother than even he understands. Don’t be fooled in to thinking that her character is an archetypal ‘bitter spinster’, however, as the tentative screen relationship that Manville and Krieps is also an interesting avenue within the film.
Overall, Phantom Thread is an incredible film, one that rewards those who have the patience to settle to its tempo, an exercise in masterful filmmaking complete with masterful performances from everyone involved. I won’t sugar coat it, it isn’t the most accessible film you will ever see, and it certainly won’t be to the tastes of those who favour a more generic, blockbuster sensibility, but at the end of the day I can only speak for myself, and I was completely captivated, hypnotised and eventually horrified from start to finish.
February 7, 2018 in Reviews. Tags: 2017, 2018, academy award, academy awards, awards season, best actor, best supporting actress, cinema, cinema review, cinema reviews, daniel day lewis, film, film review, film reviews, films, Gina McKee, Hollywood, lesley manville, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, oscar, oscars, paul thomas anderson, phantom thread, phantom thread review, Vicky krieps
The 90th Annual Academy Awards: Head vs. Heart
Darkest Hour (2017)
The Shape Of Water (2017)
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Loveless (2017) →
3 thoughts on “Phantom Thread (2017)”
Martin White says:
I’ve only seen it the once but I still can’t get it out of my head and I’m practically DYING to see it again!! I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff I missed out on the first time I watched it
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Gopabandhu’s Samaja in the words of Gopabandhu
It is increasingly being clear that the Servants of the People Society has cheated the Registrar of Newspapers for India in matter of ownership of the Oriya daily ‘The Samaja’ founded by Pandit Gopabandhu Das. It has used a forged Will of Gopabandhu to claim ownership over the paper.
We have shown earlier why we suspect the paper’s former editor Radhanath Rath to be the prime offender in preparation of the forged Will of Gopabandhu. Two specific documents have contributed to our suspicion.
One: the autobiography of Pandit Nilakantha Das where he has given his eye-witness accounts that before breathing his last Gopabandhu had given dictation of his Will to Radhanath Rath.
Two: The biography of Gopabandhu written by Radhanath Rath wherein he has said that Gopabandhu had created a trust comprising ‘The Satyabadi Press’ and ‘The Samaja’ and appointed the Servants of the People Society as the trustee of the same trust.
The Will of Gopabandhu, which the Servants of the People Society is using is written by Lingaraj Mishra wherein the trust aspect is conspicuous by its absence.
Lingaraj Mishra was a noted man in Gopabandhu’s circle. Though Gopabandhu was not satisfied with his activities, yet he had sponsored him to the Bihar-Orissa Council and recommended him also for membership of Servants of the People Society. So, he was known to everybody close to Gopabandhu. Jagabandhu Singh was one such person whom Gopabandhu was holding with esteem and he was present at the deathbed of Gopabandhu. Had Lingaraj Mishra really taken the dictation of the Will, he being known to Jagabandhu, that could have clearly been mentioned by Jagabandhu in his eye-witnessed accounts. But, writing about the last moment of Gopabandhu, Jagabandhu has written that “somebody else” (Aau Jane) was taking the dictation. That “somebody” was certainly not Lingaraj Mishra. because, Lingaraj Mishra was well known to Jagabandhu and had he taken the dictation, Jagabandhu should have written,‘Lingaraj took the dictation’.
Who is that “somebody”? He was, as Pandit Nilakantha Das has said, Radhanath Rath.
Rath was just a low-paid servant of Gopabandhu, stationed at Cuttack. There was no reason for Jagabandhu to know him personally and therefore he has not mentioned his name while describing how the Will was noted.
Jagabandhu’s eye-witnessed accounts were published in ‘Gruhalaxmi’ vol. III, p.13 and has found place in his biography ‘Jibanalekhya’ at pp.14-15.
This makes it clear that Radhanath Rath had taken the dictation of the Will of Gopabandhu wherein he had made a ‘Trust’ comprising the Satyabadi Press and the Samaja and appointed the Servants of the People Society as the ‘Trustee’ thereof under strict condition that the said Society must spend all its income for development of the Bana Bidyalaya at Satyabadi and in socio-political interest of Orissa. Radhanath Rath has metioned of this ‘Trust’ which is missing in the fair/final copy of the Will reduced to writing by Lingaraj before Gopabandhu signed it. Why so? Obviously it must have occured to him before signing that the Samaja being in the collective control of the panchasakha, he alone cannot push it into a “Trust” and without the so-called “Trust” being registered, SoPS cannot become its “Trustee”. Therefore, when Lingaraj was reducing the draft taken by Radhanath, Gopabandhu had deliberately and consciously ensured that the Samaja shall remain the property of the people, as contemplated by the Panchasakha and shall free the Satyavadi Press to which SoPS should serve as a caretaker under the condition stipulated in the Will.
That, only the Satyabadi Press, and never the Samaja, was made over to the said Society is clear in the Society’s resolution of 8-4-1931, authorizing Lingaraj Mishra “to accept the press according to the will of Pt. Gopabandhu Das from the executors of the will”.
The Will in use by Servants of the People Society is shown as written by Lingaraj Mishra and shows that Gopabandhu had made over the charges of ‘The Samaja’ along with the ‘Satyabadi Press’, contrary to actuals.
On the ground discussed above, this Will is fake and forged. In order to grab ‘The Samaja’ under the cover of Servants of the People Society, as I have focussed in my previous presentations, Radhanath Rath had suppressed or destroyed the Will he had taken dictation of and Lingaraj Mishra in nexus with him, had created the Will in use, despite the original Will fair-copied by him from the draft taken by Radhanath and improved upon under orders of Gopabandhu as noted supra having been probated; and both the miscreants had circulated the wrong information that Gopabandhu had made over the Samaja to that Society.
Many authors including Sriram Chandra Dash, Nityananda Satpathy, Surjyanarayan Dash, Binode Kanungo and suchlike have helped the lie concocted by Radhanath and Lingaraj about “gifting away” of The Samaja by Gopabandhu to Servants of the People Society spread without investigation into the reality. We don’t rely upon them, as to us, their notings are based on mere hearsay. None of them was present on the spot when Gopabandhu had dictated his Will. The only two eye-witnesses – Pandit Nilakantha Dash and Jagabandhu Singh – had never said it that Lingaraj Mishra had taken the dictation. When the former has specifically said that Radhanath Rath had taken the dictation, the later has made it clear that the man who took the dictation was not known to him by name.
It is now, therefore, pertinent to know, if Gopabandhu had ever thought of giving the Samaja to the Servants of the People Society? From what Gopabandhu himself has written, we can say: No, Never.
The Servants of the People Society has brought out a Report of six years on various activities its members were pursuing. As Gopabandhu was its Vice-President his activities were also mentioned of in this Report. This had misled a few to apprehend that Gopabandhu had given away the Samaja to the said society. In reacting to that, Gopabandhu, in an editorial in the Samaja on 7.3.1927, had declared that the apprehension was absolutely fallacious inasmuch as the report was only indicative of his activities as a member and nothing else.
I am rendering below a translation of the said editorial.
Fallacious Apprehension
Servants of the People Society or Loka Sevaka Samaja is established at Lahore. I am a member of this society for about an year. A branch of this society has been created at Cuttack a few months ago and in that connection a public library has been established. A report of this society covering last six years has been published. In this report there is mention of whosoever member has been engaged in whatsoever pursuits. Therefore, whichever public endeavor or institute I am engaged with, has been placed in this report. That has generated an apprehension in some quarters that the newspaper Samaja or institutes like the Satyabadi School have become properties of the People Society. There shall remain no such impression or apprehension if one goes through the original report of the Society. Reading of the report would make it clear that only what I am doing as a member of the Society is mentioned there and nothing else.
(Samaja, dt. 7.3.1927)
Two months later in May 1027, in the third installment of his words on Servants of the People Society he had made it further clear that the Society had no investment in or connection with The Samaja at all.
So, Gopabandhu, in his own words has made it clear that he had never pledged or thought of giving The Samaja to the Servants of the People Society and the newspaper was to stay the property of the people of Orissa as contemplated by the Panchsakha, which he was heading.
Posted in: Animadversion, Editorials, history, news, orissa, Uncategorized
Tagged: Gopabandhu Das, Gopabandhu's Will, Lingaraj Mishra, Radhanath Rath, Regitrar of Newspapers for India, servants of the people society, the samaja
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Blog > Op-Ed > Daily Journal: Supreme Court to hear important Voting Rights Act case
Daily Journal: Supreme Court to hear important Voting Rights Act case
October 13, 2020 I By CHRIS KIESER
The Voting Rights Act is one of the most successful pieces of legislation ever enacted. In the years immediately after its passage, record numbers of African-American registered and voted. Indeed, by 2012 African-American voting rates were the highest of any demographic in the country. Nevertheless, each election cycle Americans have grown accustomed to a scourge of election-related litigation that allege various state and local voting changes are discriminatory. Case in point: Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a pair of cases — Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Arizona Republican Party v. Democratic National Committee — involving Arizona’s prohibition of so-called “ballot harvesting” and its policy against counting votes cast in a voter’s incorrect precinct.
Politicians debate the efficacy of these policies, and it’s hard to ignore how the “efficacy” of those policies tend to follow the politicians’ self-interest in reelection. But politics aside, the resolution of the questions presented in these cases will have significant legal ramifications.
The petitions ask the court to decide whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits enforcement of state election laws that disproportionately impact voters of a particular race, even in the absence of discriminatory intent. Should the court adopt the expansive reading of the Voting Rights Act pressed by the challengers — that a state law is presumptively invalid if it disparately affects any racial group — it could bring the act into conflict with a more fundamental law, the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.
The 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause guarantees each individual the equal protection of the laws. It generally prohibits race-based decisionmaking by government actors. But should the Supreme Court hold disparate impact sufficient to invalidate a neutral and generally applicable election law — as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did to invalidate Arizona’s out-of-precinct policy — state legislators will have no choice but to consider race in the crafting of electoral laws, including the drawing of legislative districts. Rather than eliminating race as a factor in voting policy, race would become the number one criterion. Such a reading of the Voting Rights Act would sweep away many legitimate election laws and render it extremely difficult to pass new ones. More significantly, it would directly conflict the equal protection clause’s promise that, in the words of Justice Antonin Scalia, “[i]n the eyes of government, we are just one race here. It is American.”
Fortunately, the text of Section 2 points towards a different result. The statute does not demand any particular racial outcome. Instead, a challenger must prove that minority voters “have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.” As the 7th Circuit wrote in sustaining Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement, Section 2 is an “equal-treatment requirement,” not an “equal-outcome command.” Since Arizona law affords every voter an equal opportunity to vote in his or her proper precinct — and also provides several non-precinct-based voting options — it has not denied anyone the right to participate in the election.
The equal-opportunity interpretation of Section 2 does not foreclose challenges brought in the absence of discriminatory intent. Indeed, a state that made voting much harder for some people than for others — such through limiting polling places or early-voting days in certain locations — would still violate Section 2 if the limitations resulted in extra hardship for minority voters. But a faithful reading of the Voting Rights Act would permit states to enact neutral laws supporting election administration (like Arizona’s requirement that a voter present himself in the proper precinct) and integrity (its prohibition on the third-party delivery of ballots) while hopefully limiting race-based decisionmaking on the floor of state legislatures.
While these cases will shape election law for decades, their implication to the equal protection rights of individuals is tantamount. To what extent can states group individuals according to their race and regulate according to group-identity? The right to equal protection of the law is an individual right, and a group-centered Voting Rights Act interpretation would run square into that constitutional promise. That is why it is so important that the Supreme Court adopt an interpretation of the Voting Rights Act that permits the enforcement of neutral, non-discriminatory voting regulations and discourages official consideration of race in statehouses.
This op-ed was originally published by Daily Journal on October 12, 2020.
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Orlando Sentinel: Orange County voters were misguided in approving ‘Rights of nature’ ordinance January 14, 2021 I By KADY VALOIS
Not only does Chicago’s racial contracting set asides hurt minorities, it’s unconstitutional January 14, 2021 I By WENCONG FA
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January 21, 2017 hekataiosamerikos
The Reality of Sin
I was watching a program by and including Jimmy Swaggart (you know, the televangelist who tearfully admitted to patronizing a prostitute back in the 1980s, stating “I have sinned”) today in which he and his panel were continuing to go through the epistle of Paul to the Romans, and the conversation naturally went into the concept of original sin (something that Paul apparently created as a concept regardless of how one reads the book of Genesis). His and the panel’s conversation devolved into the idea that the whole world, even the weather of the planet earth, has been affected by this one sin (we wouldn’t even have tornados if not for original sin, according to these imbeciles!). Yes, in their minds the sin of Adam and Eve not only affected all of humanity forevermore (until Jesus returns, of course) but also affected all of creation in a negative way.
In fact, according to them, the Christian says that all of humanity (and presumably all of living creation along with us) has an appointment with death solely because of this sin because the creation of god was never supposed to be this way. It logically follows, then, that since sin was never supposed to take place and, therefore, death was also never supposed to take place, all creatures, including humankind, were meant to live on forever. Therefore, since the very first commandment of god to humanity was to procreate and populate the earth, the earth would certainly have become overpopulated with both humans and animals in short order long, long ago. But, somehow, that must have been what god intended. So,we humans, partly through the agency of fallen angels, including that villain, Satan, disrupted this plan and, therefore, the god of the universe had to institute the penalty of death onto the entire creation! Well, such is Christian “logic”.
If one follows their logic further then one has to admit that god simply can’t fix his own creation that somehow went awry from his omnipotent plan. Of course, how could he fix his own creation without a goddess along with him to fix it?
What do I mean by this? I mean that the war on the feminine is not new. It started way back with the writer (or at least one of them) of Genesis and continued full-force with the apostle Paul! And Christians have continued it almost unabated ever since that time! After all, one of the main Gnostic injunctions was the “destruction of the works of femaleness” found in some of the Gnostic writings unearthed at Nag Hammadi.
But what exactly does that injunction actually mean? Well, if you were a Pagan living during that period in time you would rather automatically understand that the works of femaleness were those of a nurturing, caring, and creative nature. In so many words, creation and, more specifically, procreation, could not take place at all without the feminine aspect. So, if you were a Pagan confronted by a Christian who tried to insist that a lone god had created the universe without the assistance of some feminine aspect, you would have laughed them out of your sight! For Pagans naturally understood that no part of creation happened without the involvement of a goddess.
But the Christian would (and sometimes still will) try to tell you that creation was never meant to be as it is today and its present state is the result of that original sin and the continued sin of humankind (which is naturally also the result of that original sin). It even extends into the idea that carnivorous animals were not originally naturally so, but had actually been created to eat plants instead of flesh (no matter what their teeth are suited for). It will often even extend so far as to state that when the carnivorous animals were placed on Noah’s Ark they reverted to their primordial aspect and went to consuming plants rather than other animals! No accounting for why they reverted back to eating flesh after they were let loose upon the earth once again after the flood subsided, of course. And I’m sure that Noah and his family had to watch out for a while after all those animals were let loose, lest they be eaten too! Also, no accounting for the idea, expressed in ancient Rabbinical writings, that before the flood humans also did not consume meat, but only did so after the flood (why on earth, then, did god require animal sacrifice and reject plant sacrifice according to Genesis?).
Pagans, on the other hand, always understood that the feminine was important to all things and even worshipped this very earth as a feminine aspect. After all, it was really she who had given birth to all. They understood that the cycle of death, birth, and life had to be maintained or chaos might ensue. Then the Christian religion came along, with its purpose of the destruction of this very aspect, and chaos did indeed ensue. This religion disrupted the very foundational structure of all of society, the family and procreation itself (because it was believed that it was better to abstain from sexual relations with a woman so that one might enter heaven in a pure, virginal, state). But, of course, Christians today ignore this aspect of their early history while still proposing ludicrous concepts such as the rapture, which is supposed to save them from their somehow sinful fleshly bodies in favor of some kind of pseudo-spiritualized perfect un-sinful body!
The real truth is that these people long for some kind of end of the world, some kind of apocalypse, that will free them from their fleshly bodies along with all of its supposed sinfulness so that they can claim ultimate victory over the works of femaleness. The Pagan would never desire such a thing at all because the Pagan naturally understands that death is not a result of sin, even original sin (for they had no concept of sin, as such), but is instead a part of life and the life-cycle itself. It is necessary to all of creation itself. To eliminate death is to eliminate life. And to eliminate procreation and the “works of femaleness” is to eliminate the very life-cycle itself.
They want the end of the world. We Pagans don’t even believe in any end of the world. Life, time, and the life-cycle continues.
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Webinar Summary: U.N. Initiatives to Engage the Private Sector in LGBTQ Equality
The United Nations (U.N.) serves as one of the premier advocates for LGBTI human rights around the world through both research of abuses and guidance for businesses and governments to adopt better practices, including around employment.
To help our partners better understand existing U.N. initiatives, Out & Equal hosted a webinar on Wednesday, March 14th titled “U.N. Initiatives to Engage the Private Sector in Advancing LGBTQ Equality” as part of our bimonthly Global Webinar Series. The webinar included presentations from two U.N. representatives: Fabrice Houdart, a Human Rights Officer at the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, who provided information on the office’s Global LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business; and Edmund Settle, a Policy Advisor with the U.N. Development Programme in Bangkok, who discussed the U.N.’s multi-country study “Being LGBTI in Asia.” The webinar was attended by 200 participants from 15 unique countries, representing over 100 organizations, government agencies, and private companies across a broad range of industries.
Fabrice began by stressing that the U.N. strongly believes the private sector can have a huge impact on human rights internationally, including for LGBTI people. But it can often be difficult to know where to start. The Standards were thus designed to help guide companies as they improve their practices in several areas of operation, considering how businesses interact with communities (governments and lawmakers, local communities), their own work places (staff and trade unions), and the market (shareholders, suppliers, and customers).
There are five guidelines that make up the U.N.’s Standards: (1) Respect human rights at all times; (2) Eliminate discrimination and (3) provide support in the workplace; (4) Prevent other human rights violations within the marketplace; and, perhaps most ambitiously (5) Act in the public sphere. Rather than requiring companies to sign the Standards and implement each one in every market—something Fabrice recognized as a difficult and extensive feat—the U.N. instead asks companies to publicly express their support. Doing so signals to others that a company takes LGBTQ inclusion seriously, which can make all the difference when companies are worried about embracing inclusion for fear of isolating customers.
Shifting from standards to research, Edmund then presented on the UNDP’s initiative “Being LGBTI In Asia,” which gathers information from LGBTI people in China, Thailand, and the Philippines, including their experiences of workplace discrimination. The study has so far found that between 20-30% of LGBTI people in these three countries could report specific instances of discrimination at work, and that, like in other countries, this affected their job satisfaction and likelihood to remain in a workplace. Only around 30% of those who experienced discrimination then felt they were able to report it, suggesting many did not feel their company would take proper disciplinary action—a fair assumption when most companies in the studied countries do not explicitly include LGBTI-people in their corporate policies.
Where initiatives like the Standards give companies important guidelines to implement better policies for LGBTQ employees, projects like “Being LGBTI In Asia” provide the U.N. and other grassroots organizations with the types of data that governments and large corporations respond to. Both Fabrice and Edmund therefore recommended supporting data-collecting initiatives on LGBTI issues in country around the world as one main way companies could support U.N. work, since it gives organizations like the U.N. the information necessary to effectively advocate.
A full recording of the webinar can be found here. For those questions that were not answered during the webinar, responses can be found below.
Do you have advice for companies looking to provide LGBTQ HR benefits in countries that do not have LGBTQ-inclusive equality laws?
Fabrice: Companies can ensure anti-discrimination policies and enact diversity and inclusion commitments even in these countries. Many companies have found ways to ensure they respect the human rights of LGBTI people in ‘hostile environments.’ A company covers rent and cleaning fees for a two-bedroom apartment to maintain the appearance that same-sex partners are living in separate rooms. One multinational avoids making informal agreements with host governments where these may be subject to being overturned when the government, or its attitude, changes. If same-sex relationships are illegal in a country and the country will deny a visa or residency permit to the same-sex spouse of an employee, the same company assists the employee in question by providing additional leave to return home and maintain the familial relationship. Often civil society and employee resource groups can help guide the companies in navigating these complex issues.
Edmund: I hope follow-up with global networks such as Out & Equal or Open for Business would help. Some companies are already providing same sex benefits for their employees although there are legal protections. This might be an area of data collection which might be considered by our global networks moving forward.
Can you tell us more about the criteria used in collecting data in the Standards, specifically when you referenced the statistics around discrimination within 193 countries?
F: My slide was specifically a graph on the criminalization of homosexuality over time. It showed how it grew with colonization, rapidly went down during the 90s due to a variety of factors, and is now stabilizing at around 70 countries criminalizing homosexuality. Data collection is incredibly scarce when it comes to LGBTI people (I recommend reading the paper “Investing in a Research Revolution for LGBTI Inclusion”). The few statistics available to use on the impact of stigmatization and discrimination on LGBTI people are staggering. More than half of LGBT youth experience bullying, leading one in three to skip or drop out of school; suicidal thoughts are almost ten times more likely among trans youth and four times more likely among gay and lesbian youth. UNDP and the World Bank have been leading an effort in defining LGBTI-specific indicators that can be the basis of consistent data collection in countries that are interested in this work. (This must be done with Member States that are welcoming of, or at least open to, data collection for addressing LGBTI inclusion.) The project, titled the LGBTI Inclusion Index, can also serve as a platform for advocacy about the importance of this work and LGBTI inclusion in development.
How do companies align themselves with the U.N. Standards?
F: Companies are encouraged to carry a due-diligence exercise to start the process of examining the impact of their operations on the human rights of LGBTI people. We actually decided early on not to ask the supporters to sign off on the document (as companies did for the Women Empowerment’s Principles as an example), as we do not believe any company can fulfil all standards in all markets. The support we received from more than 83 companies at this point is more of an expression of support as well as an acknowledgement that the ‘early supporters’ are on a journey to respect and promote the human rights of LGBTI people.
How can the U.N. drive change for LGBTQ people in the Gulf region?
F: The U.N. cannot “drive change” on these issues. Local grassroots movements will eventually drive change. What we can do is provide support, whether it is from the U.N. or the private sector. We must work together to design new ways to achieve progress. Faster progress. Our success will lie in organization, in long-term planning, in consistency of action over years, and in the scale of financing. We must design an innovative and comprehensive strategy. This should include:
empowering and funding local LGBTI groups,
pushing legal changes through the court systems and international law,
challenging stereotypes and prejudices against LGBTI people in the media and through public awareness campaigns,
encouraging business and faith-based leaders to play their part,
funding research to better understand the experiences of LGBTI people, and
creating escape routes for LGBTI people whose lives are in danger.
I am proud that our office is contributing to change through our Free & Equal campaign, which challenges negative stereotypes and promotes equal rights and fair treatment for LGBTI people everywhere. Since its launch in July 2013, U.N. Free & Equal has become one of the United Nations’ most successful and popular global campaigns. In 2016 alone, it reached 1.5 billion people worldwide. For example, in 2017, on the International Day against homophobia and transphobia, we launched a mini-video campaign called #cultureoflove that highlighted how LGBTI people have a place in traditions and families.
E: It is important to note that local communities and governments drive change. The UN can support local efforts by developing the data needed to make rights-based arguments for change, introduce international norms, and best practices from other countries. Internationally, the UN continues to call for decriminalization and non-discrimination of LGBTI people through the UN Secretary General’s office and the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
We’re really trying to get the Asian countries where we have operations to push our LGBTQ plan forward. To you make any of your studies and reports on Asia available?
E: Yes, please email me directly at Edmund.settle@undp.org. I will be happy to share what we have and are planning in our next phase.
Is anything being done to support transgender employees in Thailand who have undergone their SRS and want to change their legal gender? Currently their ID has to remain the same.
E: UNDP is currently working with the Thailand Ministry of Social Development and Human Security to draft a national legal gender recognition bill which would address change of gender on legal documents. In early May we will launch a national study on Trans legal gender recognition in Thailand, and we will hold a national dialogue with the Thai trans civil society and several ministries to inform the drafting process. Please join our Facebook or Twitter page to keep up to date with the release of new materials and news from the region.
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Becky Hammon's historic moment as Spurs coach captured with perfect photo
By Josh Peter and
Published: Sun, January 3, 2021 1:07 AM Updated: Sun, January 3, 2021 1:34 AM
Spurs coach Becky Hammon talks to her team during Wednesday’s game in San Antonio. Hammon made history when she took over as head coach after Gregg Popovich was ejected. [Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images]
Shortly after waking up Thursday at his home in San Antonio, Logan Riely was told Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had retweeted one of his photos.
“My, my picture?’’ Riely stammered. “Really?’’
Yes, really, the photo that helped capture history Wednesday night when Becky Hammon, the top assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, became the first woman to serve as head coach in an NBA game.
It happened when Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during the second quarter of the team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. As Popovich left the court, he pointed to Hammon. She promptly assumed head coaching duties.
Riely’s photo shows the Spurs coming out a timeout and Hammon, 5-6, commanding the attention of four players, two of whom are more than a foot taller than her.
Wearing all black, hair pulled back into a bun, Hammon, 43, is leaning slightly forward. Extending her right arm for emphasis. Looking at the players with intensity.
However, Riely’s memorable photo includes a footnote: It was actually taken minutes before Popovich was ejected with 3:56 left in the second quarter. He received two technical fouls for arguing with officials.
“Congrats, @BeckyHammon,’’ tweeted Harris, the first woman in U.S. history to be elected Vice President. “You may be the first, but I know you certainly won’t be the last.’’
Riely, team photographer for the Spurs, let out a chuckle as he read the tweet, attached to an ESPN story about Hammon’s historic night.
“Oh, wow,’’ said Riely, 27 and barely out of his rookie year as an NBA photographer.
His photo also caught the eye of Donna de Varona, who won two gold medals in swimming at the 1964 Olympics and was one of the first women to break into sports broadcasting.
“I love it,’’ she said of the photo. “Here’s this little tiny woman and these guys, they’re intent. They’re listening. They’re respectful.’’
The way de Varona sees it, this history began unfolding before Riely was even born, much less old enough to pick up a camera. It was 1990 and de Varona did a story on the first woman to serve as an assistant coach on a Division I men’s basketball team.
Rick Pitino, then head coach at Kentucky, had hired Bernadette Locke-Mattox as a member of his coaching staff.
“He was one of the first to get it,’’ de Varona said of Pitino. “He felt that she could communicate with the players in a different way than he could.’’
Riely was studying photojournalism at Ohio University when Hammon, who was a six-time WNBA All-Star, first made history in the world of men’s sports.
In 2014, she became the first full-time female coach in any of the four major professional men’s sports leagues when she joined the Spurs coaching staff as assistant. History continued to build.
In June 2018, Hammon was promoted to top assistant after James Borrego left the Spurs to become head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. Inevitability hung in the air.
Since 1996, the year he took over as the Spurs head coach, Popovich had been ejected 25 times —more than any other NBA coach over that same period. When he was ejected last, Nov. 16, 2019, Tim Duncan took over the head coaching duties. But Duncan is gone.
When Popovich left the court Wednesday night, he made it clear Hammon was in charge. Riely’s photo made it clear the players understood.
Brandi Chastain, the retired soccer star, took note of the photo. Of course she was the subject of perhaps the most iconic photo in women’s sports history — one in which she ripped off her jersey in celebration of her game-winning penalty kick for the U.S. women’s national team against China in the final of 1999 World Cup.
“Honestly, I feel like Becky’s been there forever and that there is nothing unusual about her in that position,’’ Chastain said. “Perhaps that’s because I see Becky as a coach — not a women’s coach, not a men’s coach — but as a coach. And that picture to me is what a coach looks like when they are giving instructions and encouraging their players during a game.
“So it’s an historic event, but I feel that is exactly where women belong.”
Hammon wasn’t the only one receiving accolades.
“It’s the picture you would want to tell the story,’’ Andy Bernstein, a photographer in his 40th year with the NBA, said of Riely’s photo. “You have to elicit emotion, but you also have to tell the story, and it certainly tells the story.’’
Riely graduated from Ohio University in 2016 and the following year he was in the big leagues — team photographer for the Atlanta Braves. But two years later, he was laid off and spent the next six months freelancing.
Then in September 2019, he was back in the pros — one of the NBA’s 30 team photographers upon accepting an offer from the Spurs.
Riely got help from Bernstein, who in 2018 was named a Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient by The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I helped to sort of coach him along,’’ Bernstein said.“He’s a very likable, coachable guy. Him being the new kid on the block, so to speak, it’s great he came through.’’
On Wednesday, Riely used a Nikon D5 with the 70 mm to 200 mm lens. With two remote cameras also in use, he uploaded 933 images during the game and they were transmitted from the AT&T Center, the Spurs’ home arena, to the NBA photo offices in Seacaus, New Jersey.
From there an editor selected and captioned 151 photos and uploaded them to the New York offices of Getty Images, which distributes photos worldwide.
At the time the photo was taken, the Spurs trailed 53-41 and they ended up losing, 121-107. But it was not a photo of the scoreboard that went viral.
“She’s the center of attention, as she should be,” Riely said of the picture worth these 1,000 words.
Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, right, runs drills with forward Rudy Gay before Friday’s game against the Lakers in San Antonio. [AP Photo/Darren Abate]
CommentsBecky Hammon's historic moment as Spurs coach captured with perfect photo
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Nipigon Gold Resources, Ltd. v. George Ansley Armstrong & Kirsti Alice Armstrong: Interlocutory Order
This reasoned decision has been issued by the Ontario Mining and Lands Commissioner under the Mining Act for Nipigon Gold Resources, Ltd.
The Mining and Lands Commissioner
Appeal No. MA 038-93
L. Kamerman
Mining and Lands Commissioner
Friday, the 7th day of October, 1994.
The Mining Act
In the matter of
Mining Lease 105934, comprising Mining Claims K-475272, 475273, 475274, 475275, 475276 and 475277, registered in the Fort Frances Registry Office;
And in the matter of
Unpatented Mining Claims K-1079415 to 1079417, both inclusive, 1079419 to 1079424, both inclusive, 1082231, 1082251 to 1082253, both inclusive, 1085503 to 1085507, both inclusive and 1092740 to 1092747, both inclusive, situate in the Bad Vermilion Lake Area, in the Kenora Mining Division;
Rights-of-way or passage through land described as Mining Locations K-74 and K-75, Rainy River District, Fort Frances Registry Office;
An Application under section 175 of the Mining Act .
Nipigon Gold Resources, Ltd.
George Ansley Armstrong and Kirsti Alice Armstrong and Corporate Oil and Gas Limited
Whereas the hearing of this application was scheduled for September 20 through 22, 1994 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with the Appointment for Hearing dated Friday, the 17th day of June, 1994 having been served on counsel for the applicant and the respondents by registered mail;
And whereas Stephen Lukinuk, counsel for the applicant, having failed to diarize the hearing and to notify his client, was not prepared to proceed with a hearing on the merits;
And whereas, with the exception of Stephen Lukinuk and his client, this tribunal and Jennifer Le Dain, counsel for the respondents, George Armstrong and Kirsti Armstrong, were prepared to proceed with a hearing;
Upon application by Jennifer Le Dain, counsel for the respondents, George Armstrong and Kirsti Armstrong and upon hearing from Jennifer Le Dain and Stephen Lukinuk;
This Tribunal orders that costs in the amount of $3,800 be paid by the applicant within 30 days of the making of this order.
Reasons for this Order are attached.
Dated this 7th day of October, 1994.
Original signed by
The hearing of this matter was scheduled to commence at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on September 20, 1994 in the Fireside Room, Valhalla Inn, 1 Valhalla Inn Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario. At the appointed time, only Jennifer Le Dain, counsel for George and Kirsti Armstrong, two of the respondents in this matter, and George Armstrong were present.
Telephone calls were made to the office of Stephen Lukinuk, counsel for Nipigon Gold Ltd., the applicant, but his whereabouts were unknown, other than to indicate that he had left his office. On the assumption that he was en route, the tribunal waited until 10:30 a.m. and then 11:00 a.m. before commencing the hearing.
Moments after the hearing was convened at 11:00 a.m. Mr. Lukinuk appeared. He stated that he had been ill, had failed to diarize the hearing and was not prepared to proceed. Mr. Lukinuk asked the tribunal for an adjournment.
Ms. Le Dain submitted that the Appointment for Hearing was issued in June, 1994 and Mr. Lukinuk had known of the hearing since that time. She submitted that his failure to diarize the hearing is not sufficient reason to ask for an adjournment, pointing out that he was also one hour late in arriving prior to asking for the adjournment. Ms. Le Dain pointed out that her client was present and that she had flown from Toronto in anticipation of the proceedings.
Mr. Lukinuk stated that his witnesses were not present and that he was unable to proceed. He suggested that a dismissal of the application, followed by a new application, would not be to anyone's advantage.
Ms. Le Dain submitted that, should the application be dismissed, it would be res judicata and therefore, there could not be a new application.
Mr. Lukinuk pointed out that the dealings between parties under the Mining Act represent an ongoing industry and as such the strict doctrine of res judicata would not apply. Whereas an action involving an automobile accident may involve one event which can only be considered once, the application in this instance can be distinguished. As Mr. Lukinuk cannot put his full case in front of the tribunal, the case which would be presented in the future would not be the same case.
The tribunal found that the matter would be adjourned to a date to be determined.
The issue of the adjournment causes great inconvenience and monetary consequences for both the respondents and the tribunal. In addition to those costs mentioned by Ms. Le Dain, the tribunal is aware that her client incurred costs in travelling to the hearing, having required that he stay overnight in Thunder Bay. Similarly, expense has been incurred by the public purse, both through the travel expenses of the tribunal, comparable to those of Ms. Le Dain, travel costs for a court reporter from Toronto, the cost of the services of the court reporter and the cost of the hearing room rental. All these factors have been taken into consideration by the tribunal.
The tribunal finds that it accepts the submissions of Ms. Le Dain that her client should receive full recovery for costs thrown away in preparation for and attendance at the hearing. Based on her calculations of 30 hours at $100 per hour, air fare of $700 and accommodation of $100, the tribunal determined pursuant to section 126 of the Mining Act , that costs thrown away would be fixed at $3,800.
Ms. Le Dain asked that costs be payable forthwith. Mr. Lukinuk submitted that payment of costs should be forestalled to the conclusion of the hearing. The tribunal determined that costs would be payable within 30 days from receipt of the written Order and Reasons.
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Gator Golf
Photo Gallery: Women's Golf, NCAA East Regional, 5/7/09
The University of Florida women’s golf team kicked off the 2009 NCAA East Regional on Thursday at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. The Lady Gators finished the first round in a tie for 14th place after carding a team total score of 305 (+25).
Freshman Evan Jensen led the Lady Gators with a one-over 71 in her first round. Jensen, competing in her first NCAA post-season event, shot well on the fairways, but could not find her rhythm on the green. She entered the turn at two-over, but rallied back to collect two birdies and one bogey on the back nine. She is currently in a tie for 14th.
Three Lady Gator golfers finished the day in a tie for 73rd after carding an eight-over 78. Freshman Andrea Watts and redshirt sophomore Lauren Uzelatz also made their NCAA post-season debut on Thursday. Watts had a rough start, making a bogey on her first hole and a double bogey on her second. She collected four consecutive pars, only to make a bogey on two of her final three holes on the front nine. She tallied three bogeys on her final nine holes. Similar to Watts, Uzelatz collected five bogeys and one double bogey for her final position in a tie for 73rd.
Jessica Yadloczky had an uncharacteristic day on the golf course, carding a nine-over 79 in her first round of competition. The sophomore, who is currently tied for 81st, entered the turn at one-over but struggled in her final five holes, collecting three bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey, respectively.
For the second-consecutive day, the Lady Gators tee off alongside Tulane and East Carolina at 11:50 a.m. on Friday.
Florida sophomore Jessica Yadloczky hits out of a greenside bunker on the 9th hole during the first round of the NCAA Women's Golf East Regional on Thursday, May 7, 2009 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey
Florida GatorsGatorsSECSoutheastern ConferenceUFUniversity of Floridayadloczkyjessica0905072251tcasey
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The Pick and Roll
Tough4T: Tiana Mangakahia on overcoming breast cancer and her return to hoops
From 2017 to 2019, Syracuse point guard Tiana Mangakahia had established herself as one of the premier college players in the nation.The national leader in assists in her first season with 9.8 per game, Mangakahia followed that number with 8.4 in 2018/19, making her the leader among power conference players whilst also pouring in 17 points per game.
The WNBA was calling Mangakahia’s name, but the Queenslander made the decision to return to Syracuse for one more season. However, one phone call would completely derail Mangakahia’s plans. Having found a lump on her left breast, a trip to the doctor would result in the news nobody wants to hear.
“When I first found out, it was June 18, and it was in the morning,” Mangakahia recalls, with that date seemingly burned into her mind. “The doctor had called and told me that I have invasive ductal carcinoma. At first, I was like, ‘What is that?’ because I didn’t know.
“He was like, ‘it’s a form of breast cancer.’ I was like ‘Ok.' I freaked out. And he was telling me things. I couldn’t really keep track because I was just in shock.
“Then when I got off the phone to him, I called my friend Miranda Drummond – she played on the [Syracuse] team last year – to tell her. I was really upset because I didn’t want to call my mum and dad because no one would want to tell your parents that. You know, especially because they were all the way in Australia.
“So, after speaking to her, she kind of calmed me down a little bit, and then I called mum and dad. It was probably, I think it was midnight their time, and I was really upset. And they didn’t know what to do either, because we didn’t have anybody in the family who had breast cancer before, or any type of cancer. So it was all new to us, but I was feeling very shocked and upset and scared.”
A cancer diagnosis is lifechanging news in and of itself, but being based in a foreign country gave Mangakahia an immediate decision as to the pathway she would take to tackle her treatment process. Would she stay in Syracuse, or return home to Australia to be with her family during this no doubt trying process?
“Well, [the doctor] didn’t really know what to say to me because he didn’t know if I was going to do treatment in Australia or in America. So he pretty much told me, when you decide if you want to do it over there or here, you just let us know,” Mangakahia explained.
“And so then, after I spoke to my parents, I went to Coach Q [Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman] and I spoke to him about it, and he told my family that it would be best if I did it in Syracuse, because all the best medical doctors and everything is actually in Syracuse. There’s a big cancer centre here and the school is surrounded by hospitals. So he told my parents, because school is able to cover the cost of the treatment, my parents decided to come over here for the first treatment, and that’s why I decided to do treatment here.”
However Mangakahia wouldn’t be without her family, with her parents and brothers both making the long trip from Brisbane to Syracuse.
“My parents came over for the first two treatments, and my brothers, you know, they were here with me throughout the whole time. It meant a lot to me that they came over and supported me. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through it without them being here, because they always kept a positive atmosphere.”
But there was another reason that staying in Syracuse turned out to be a good decision. The bond that develops between teammates can be unbreakable, and the Syracuse team is no different.
Mangakahia’s teammates rallied around her, with a famous video of the team counting down the final seconds of her last chemotherapy session a microcosm of that support.
“It’s been amazing. I honestly don’t know what it would have been like anywhere else, like I don’t know if I would have received this much support. And so, for me, having them there with me, it’s meant so much to me.”
Although Mangakahia cherished the support of her family and teammates throughout the process, they weren’t the only ones to have her back. Mangakahia’s performances had made her one of the most well-known players in the nation, and the outpouring of support suggested as much. Not that Mangakahia had any idea of just what was to come.
“I didn’t expect that much support. Like obviously from the ACC and coaches, I know they support me, but I didn’t expect it to be around the whole country,” Mangakahia explained.
'Cuse Hoops @CuseWBB
A message from the @accwbb family to @Tianamanga #ACCFamily | #Tough4T💕
1,055 Retweets3,675 Likes
“Because I got messages from people from California, messages from people in Minnesota, from everywhere, on my Instagram, and it just shows how much support they give me, and Syracuse, my community, it’s just been amazing.”
Support didn’t just come from those in the college game, though. The Australian basketball community rallied around Mangakahia, from her local club in Brisbane to Aussies plying their trade in the NBA and WNBA.
In one particularly famous turn of events, Philadelphia 76ers forward Jonah Bolden, whom Mangakahia does not know personally, paid the entire remaining balance of a GoFundMe that Mangakahia had set up to help her parents make the trip. However, that was just one part of a massive outpouring of support.
“I reached out to Jonah, and I reached out to his agent, and obviously thanked them. It meant so much to me. I mean, Philly’s not far away from here, so I might make a trip.
Olgun Uluc @OlgunUluc
I went on Tiana Mangakahia’s GoFundMe page to make a donation, and it looks like Jonah Bolden paid off the entire remaining amount of the target. A lot of respect for that; the Australian basketball community really is one big family. Please keep donating! gofundme.com/f/tough-4-t
54 Retweets383 Likes
“It’s been amazing. Sandy Brondello has been phenomenal, and she calls me and texts me all the time, she asks me how I’m doing, and making sure I’m well. It’s been amazing, the support I’ve received from the Opals staff has been incredible. I was at the camp in April before my diagnosis, so I got to know them really well. A lot of players, Liz Cambage, she’s reached out to me, and a lot of the girls I was at the camp with have messaged me.
“You know, I’m from Brisbane, and QBL – Brisbane Spartans, that’s where I grew up. The team there, they wore Tough4T shirts when I first got diagnosed, and just the support that I’ve received from them has been amazing.”
Tough4T. Seven characters representing Tiana Mangakahia in three different ways.
T, for Tiana.
4, her number for Syracuse.
And if you were asked to choose one word that describes Mangakahia, ‘tough’ would be pretty high on the list. The hashtag flooded Twitter and was seen on T-shirts on courts around the world, bringing a tangible sense of just how the women’s basketball community rallied around Mangakahia. Although there have been rocky patches throughout her journey, her toughness and maturity have shone through, particularly in difficult times.
“Going through treatments and everything, everyone else’s life still goes on and my life kind of stopped a little bit. Because, like I had to do all this and I wasn’t doing the same thing.
“Obviously throughout the whole process, there were days where I got really down and really sad, and it was like dark times. But it was very important, for me, I’ve stayed around friends, I’ve tried to be around people. Even when I was sad, I would prefer to be around people crying than by myself crying, because that just made me feel better and helped me get through it.
“Throughout that time, there were a lot of people that kind of left me, and they let me down. I thought they would be there through it all for me, and they weren’t. So, it was really hard for me, but I learnt so much from it, and it just made me stronger.”
Whilst a recent final surgery signalled the conclusion of this part of the journey, Mangakahia now travails the long road back to playing her delayed final season of college basketball. A kind of normality has returned to Mangakahia’s life, with basketball a major part of that.
“Right now, I just feel so happy and relieved and excited to really get back on the court. I’m excited to just go back to normal life, not having to go to doctor’s appointments all the time, and not having to think about, ‘Oh I still have to do this or have to do that,’ because that was my last surgery. So, I’m just really excited.”
However, Mangakahia never really left the game throughout her treatment process. Staying in Syracuse for treatment allowed her to be around the team and the sport she loves, and even provided the star point guard with a new perspective on the game as she watched on from the sidelines.
“It’s a good insight for me from the sidelines. I can view it differently, I can speak to the girls from a different angle, and I think it helps my leadership a lot,” Mangakahia explained.
“Because I have to be more vocal, instead of being a leader through my actions, I have to be a leader through my words. And I think it’s really helped me, and I think it will help the team next year when I’m back on court.
“[Basketball] helped a lot while I was going through treatment. I still played pickup with my friends, and I still tried to stay active. Then after my first surgery, same thing. I got back in the gym, and was shooting on the gun. It just helps me stay motivated, I would have something to look forward to for when it’s all over.”
https://twitter.com/CuseWBB/status/1207426897019383811
“It’s hard [to come back], I would say it’s really hard mentally more than physically, going back to being normal life. Especially all the things that run through your mind, all the little things that really don’t matter.
“But, for me, I think that I’m going to be fine. I mean, I’ve always thought that from the beginning, I’ve never dreaded my comeback. I’ve always thought, ‘It’s going to be fine, I’m going to be back out on the court and be ten times better,’ so that’s just like a mental thing."
However, there is one thing that cannot be altered, no matter how well a player comes back from any setback, and that is the timing.
Whilst the WNBA draft is a yearly event and something that Mangakahia no doubt can look forward to, something else is not: the Olympic Games. Mangakahia had earned her way into the reckoning for an Opals spot prior to her diagnosis, but now, any dreams of chasing Olympic gold in 2020 appear to be dashed. But Mangakahia won’t be changing her goals, merely altering the timeline to reach them, with Paris 2024 now the aim.
“I think for that, [I will have to adjust my plans], because the Olympics is around the corner,” the point guard explained. “I don’t think that it will affect me in the future. I think that I’m a very determined athlete, and I know I can get back to where I was or come back even better and more successful. So, I’m not worried about, you know, not being able to do what I used to do. But I definitely think the Opals, maybe the next four years.”
However this journey has given Mangakahia another passion to fulfil. Many now see the basketball star as an inspiration for an entirely different, and bigger, reason.
Mangakahia has already made the trip to nearby Phoenix, New York, to surprise a high school player’s mother who had been battling breast cancer, and there appears to be plenty more similar opportunities on the horizon.
“It’s something I want to do, especially if people look up to me as an inspiration. It’s definitely something, I want to give back to them for their support,” Mangakahia revealed.
“That’s the main reason, just to be there for people, who are going through something that I’ve been through, and they can talk to me about it and you know, I’ve told everybody, when they see me, like don’t be scared to come up to me and say hi.
“I have other things. I’m actually going to my junior college [Hutchison Community College] in Kansas in February for their pink game. I’ve been asked to speak at different events, but this is something that I’m passionate about so it’s something that I’ll always do.”
Matt Hauswirth @matthaus_CNY
A tear-jerker moment in Phoenix tonight. @Tianamanga paid a visit to surprise Nancy Ruetsch, a mother of a @PHXAthletics girls JV basketball player who was honored for her fight against breast cancer. Sports are great. @CNYCentral
In terms of sheer life events, there isn’t a lot that can compare to the journey of battling and beating cancer, and with that comes a lot of life experiences and perspective. Mangakahia is no different, having already identified several lessons that she has learned throughout the process.
“People say you can’t compare life with basketball. But basketball is a part of my life, it’s a big part of my life. So for me, it was really hard not to be able to play, but I knew there was a reason for it, and I know I’m stronger now than I ever was.
“But when it comes to perspective on life, I always think about, you don’t know what somebody’s going through, so always be kind. But it also puts other things in perspective for me, little things you get irritated about, anyone gets irritated about, you just have to brush it off, because it’s not a big deal compared to other things in life.”
But for Mangakahia, those ‘other things’ no longer need to include battling breast cancer. Now, the Syracuse star can return to chasing her goals, on and off the court. Or, in the long-term, a new goal. The Opals are about to head to France for an Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but Mangakahia won’t be on the plane. They likely won’t return to France until the Paris Olympics in 2024.
There'll be plenty of time to brush up on your French, Tiana.
TopNewCommunityWhat is The Pick and Roll?About
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Professor of Global Change and Environmental Biology, Tyndall Centre
Professor of Global Change and Environmental Biology, School of Environmental Sciences
Research Group Member, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Research Group Member, Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Research Group Member, Environmental Social Sciences
Telephone: +44 (0)1603 59 3912
Email: UEA Email
Location: 0.02 CRU
Rachel Warren
Current Supervision
Key Research Interests and Expertise
Policy relevant science related to climate change and sustainability
Integrated assessment modelling of climate change, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainability in the context of the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels
Linkages between land use change policy and climate change policy; exploring the land-water-energy nexus in relation to climate change, agriculture and ecosystem conservation
Quantification of the benefits of climate policy and climate change mitigation, in particular the avoided climate change impacts
Climate change impacts on ecosystems and species, and hence ecosystem services and the economy
Robustness of integrated assessment results to uncertainties within and between models
Making policy relevant science available and useful to policy makers, stakeholders and the academic community.
Significant publications
Warren, R., VanDerWal, J., Price, J., Welbergen, J.A, Atkinson, I., Ramirez-Villegas, J., Osborn, T.J., Jarvis, A., Shoo, L.P., Williams, S.E., Lowe, J. 2013. Quantifying the benefit of early mitigation in avoiding biodiversity loss. Nature Climate Change 3: 678-682 DOI:10.1038/NCLIMATE1887
Warren, R., Lowe, J., Arnell, N.W., Hope, C. et al. 2013. The AVOID programme’s new simulations of global benefits of stringent climate change mitigation. Climatic Change DOI: 10.1007/s10584-013-0814-4
Arnell, N.W., Lowe, J.A., Brown, S., Gosling, S.N., Gottschalk, P., Hinkel, J., Lloyd-Hughes, B., Nicholls, R.J., Osborn, T.J., Osborne, T.M., Rose, G.A., Smith, P. & Warren R.F. 2013. A global assessment of the effects of climate policy on the impacts of climate change. Nature Climate Change DOI:10.1038/nclimate1793
Warren, R., Yu, R., Osborn, T. 2012. European Drought Regimes under mitigated and unmitigated climate change. Climate Research 51: 105–123, 2012 DOI: 10.3354/cr01042
Warren, R. 2010. The role of interactions in a world implementing adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. A. In press.
Warren, R., Mastrandrea, M., Hope, C., and Hof, A. 2010. Variation in the climatic response of integrated models. Climatic Change. DOI 10.1007/s10584-009-9769-x.
Warren, R., Price, J., de la Nava Santos, S., Fischlin, A, and Midgley, G., 2010. Increasing impacts of climate change upon ecosystems with increasing global mean temperature rise. Climatic Change. DOI 10.1007/s10584-010-9923-5.
Warren R, Yu R, Osborn T European Drought Regimes under mitigated and unmitigated climate change. In review Climate Research
Warren, R., de la Nava Santos, S., Arnell, N.W., Bane, M., Barker, T., Barton, C., Ford, R., Füssel, H-M., Hankin, R.K.S., Klein, R., Linstead, C., Kohler, J., Mitchell, T.D., Osborn, T.J., Pan, H., Raper, S.C.B., Riley, G., Schellnhüber, H.J.,Winne, S., and D. Anderson (2008) Development and illustrative outputs of the Community Integrated Assessment System (CIAS), a multi-institutional modular integrated assessment approach for modelling climate change. Environmental Modelling & Software 23, 592-610. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2007.09.002
Warren, R. (2006). ‘Impacts of Global Climate Change at Different Annual Mean Global Temperature Increases’, in Schellnhuber, H.J., Cramer, W., Nakicenovich, N., Wigley, T., and Yohe, G. (Eds) Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change, Cambridge University Press.
Warren, R. and ApSimon, H.M., (2000) ‘Selection of Target Loads for Acidification in Emission Abatement Policy: the use of Gap Closure Approaches’, Water, Air and Soil Pollution 121, 229-258.
Warren, R. and ApSimon, H.M., (2000) ‘The Abatement Strategies Assessment Model, ASAM: Robustness Studies, Illustrative Results, and Investigation of the Role of European Countries in Sulphur Dioxide Emission Reduction Schemes’, Journal of Environmental Management, 59, 3-20.
Ravishankara, A.R., Solomon, S., Turnipseed, A.A., and Warren, R. (1993) ‘Atmospheric Lifetimes of Long-lived Halogenated Species’, Science, Vol. 259, pp. 194-99. [Winner of the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award NOAA/US Dept of Commerce].
Fisher, B., Nakicenovich, N, Alfsen, K. et al., and Warren, R. (2007) (Lead Author). ‘Issues Related to Mitigation in the Long-term Context’, In: Metz B, et al. (eds) Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 169-250.
Fischlin, A., Midgely, G., Price, J. et al., and Warren, R. (2007) (Contributing Author) ‘Ecosystems, their properties, goods and services’, In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 211-272.
Barker, T., Pan, H., Kohler, J., Warren, R. and Winne, S., (2006). Decarbonizing the global economy with induced technological change: Scenarios to 2100 using E3MG. Energy Journal, Special Issue, pp 241-258.
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WNBA, NBA, MLB and Other Athletes Strike to Protest Jacob Blake Shooting
Several games were postponed as players asked for a deeper investigation into the police shooting of Blake.
Por Alma Sacasa
On Wednesday night, NBA, WNBA, MLS, and MLB games were postponed as athletes refused to play to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old man shot by a police officer in Wisconsin on Sunday. The strike started with the Milwaukee Bucks, who announced they would not play their game against the Orlando Magic; soon the rest of the night's NBA games were postponed as well.
The protest continued into Thursday, with the NBA postponing three scheduled playoff games, the WNBA postponing its three games, and the MLB postponing four. Tennis matches at the Western & Southern Open were also suspended and scheduled to resume Friday.
Malcolm Jenkins, cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, stated that the protest is a response to ongoing systemic racism in the United States, including police brutality, unlawful incarceration, and the wealth gap. "Until we continue to demand it, until 'Black Lives Matter' goes from just an idea or a goal that we're trying to attain as a society and is actually realized in the streets, we won't see any peace," he said. "And I think we'll continue to see athletes, entertainers as well as citizens, disrupt the status quo until that's recognized."
He also commended the WNBA for its players' activism, which has been at the forefront of the league's shortened season since it began in July. "The @WNBA has, and continues to lead this movement in sports," Jenkins tweeted. "We all need to listen to them more. They’ve been educated, organized, and committed long before any of us."
Strikes are banned under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, which means the players broke their contracts for the protest. The postponed games have not yet been rescheduled, but according to the league's executive vice president, management and players have been discussing a return for the weekend.
"The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American communities," the Bucks said in a statement on Wednesday. "Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball."
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Psychotherapeutic Services’ Management Team
Psychotherapeutic Services is led by a professional, experienced, unified management team, each well educated and well versed in their areas of expertise including:
D. Cherrey Jones, PMHCNS-BC, MBA
Mrs. Jones known to friends and colleagues as Dusti, is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Psychotherapeutic Services. Dusti Jones is a board certified Advanced Practice Psychiatric Registered Nurse, who holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and an MBA in Health Services Administration, as well as a post graduate certificate in strategic planning. Her expertise is in designing and implementing consumer-centered behavioral health service systems. Under Dusti’s leadership, the Psychotherapeutic Services corporate group has operated for over 25 years developing and implementing over 90 behavioral health service programs delivering mental health, addictions, developmental disabilities, criminal justice, juvenile justice, and social welfare reform services to tens of thousands of individuals and families. As well as obtaining licenses and certifications in numerous state and localities. Under Dusti’s command, the organization has received numerous national, state and local awards and recognition for delivering cutting edge and best practices programming. Prior to her career at Psychotherapeutic Services, Dusti worked in public health for 13 years managing and directing an array of behavioral, addiction, general and specialized health services. Consequently, she is well versed in both government expectations and provider compliance. Dusti is a national and international speaker on evidence based, behavioral health and co-occurring disorder interventions, who has published and been translated into three languages. In her role as Chief Executive Officer of Psychotherapeutic Services, Dusti has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the organization’s success.
Ralph Wolf, D.O.
Dr. Wolf, Chief Medical Officer, is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Inc, in both Adult and Forensic Psychiatry. Ralph specializes in community treatment of severely disabled psychiatric, adult forensic, adjudicated youth and addiction populations. He got his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at the Philadelphia Colllege of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to Co-founding Psychotherapeutic Services, Ralph was the Medical Director for several outpatient and inpatient addictions and behavioral health programs. He has over 30 years of experience in providing the treatment and management of client centered, evidence based psychiatric services. Ralph is responsible for clinical oversight of all Psychotherapeutic Services’ behavioral health programs and supervises its psychiatrists.
Randall L. Cooper, CPA, MBA
Mr. Cooper holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the Kellogg School of Business. Randy directs the Finance Department which employs CPA’S, accountants and bookkeepers to manage Psychotherapeutic Services’ financial functions including budgeting, timekeeping, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, cash flow management, funds management, procurement, purchasing, tax preparation, and investments. Randy is well acquainted with Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida State fiscal policies and procedures and remains abreast of national trends in health care industry finanace.
Grace H. Wasielewski, MSW
Mrs. Wasielewski holds an MSW from Delaware State University. Grace interfaces with the Chief Executive Office to assure the integration strategic plans and best practices in daily operations of program services. She develops, manages and supervises the operations management team. Grace collaborates with all contracting agencies in negotiations, contract compliance and service delivery and represents the company in the provider community to assure collaboration to meet community needs. Grace’s focus is broad-based including systems and program quality, budgetary, compliance and clinical, work culture and communication maximization. She ensures that PS’s resources are focused to satisfy the care and needs of those we serve. Grace possesses over 30 years of management experience in operation of all program types in Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina and Florida.
Deborah DuRoss, LCSW
Director of North Carolina Programs
Ms. DuRoss holds an MSW with a Clinical Casework Concentration from Yeshiva University – Wurzweiler School of Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker. Debbie has worked for Psychotherapeutic Services in a management position since 2003 starting in our Community Support Network in Burlington, North Carolina. She has been instrumental in the growth and development of PS’s North Carolina operation. Debbie now supervises all these programs which include mental health, substance abuse, psychiatric rehabilitation, crisis and criminal justice programs while reporting directly to the COO.
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A fascinating journey through more than 5,000 years of seafaring history in this essential guide to the most impressive seafaring tales, explorers, and maritime environments. For more than 5,000 years, the seas have challenged, rewarded, and punished the brave sailors who set forth to explore it. This history of the seas and sailing tells the remarkable story of those individuals – whether they lived to tell the tale themselves or not.
printedmatterbookshop April 29, 2019 Non-fiction
From the early Polynesian seafarers and the first full circumnavigations of the globe, to explorers picking their way through the coral reefs of the West Indies, this book tells the compelling story of life at sea that lies behind man’s search for new lands, new trade, conquest, and uncharted waters. Charting the great milestones of nautical history from the discovery of America to the establishment of the Royal Navy, the naval history of the American Civil War, the Battle of Midway and modern piracy the book sets all of them in their cultural and historical context. The Conquest of the Ocean is a unique compendium of awe-inspiring tales of epic sea voyages and great feats of seamanship, navigation, endurance, and ingenuity.
New release available in store and online.
Brian Lavery, maritime, nautical history, Piracy, sailors, sea voyages, seafarers, Social History
Previous 1996 & the End of History examines the year as it panned out in the UK not just in politics but in music, light entertainment & sport. It was the zenith of a decade which will go down as remarkably untroubled by modern standards; following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, prior to 9/11, in which political conditions of peace & apparent economic prosperity created an overall mood of frivolity, postmodern anti-seriousness & a desire to get back to sunnier times..
Next Since the 1950s we have lost 63 per cent of our orchards through development or neglect, and even though we have been able to grow 3,000 varieties of apple in England, almost 70 per cent of apples we buy are imported. Common Ground has worked to interest local communities in creating and saving orchards to provide fruit and nuts, havens for wildlife and places of beauty.
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Research Overview:
The goals of the Differential Privacy research group are to:
Design and implement differentially private tools that will enable social scientists to share useful statistical information about sensitive datasets.
Integrate these tools with the widely-used platforms developed by The Institute for Quantitative Social Science for sharing and exploring research data.
Advance the theory of differential privacy in a variety of settings, including statistical analysis (e.g. statistical estimation, regression, and answering many statistical queries), machine learning, and economic mechanism design.
Please see below for further information about differential privacy and our group's work. To get involved, please email privacytools-info@seas.harvard.edu and see our calls for summer interns, students, postdocs and visiting scholars.
About the Differential Privacy Group
What is Differential Privacy?
Differential privacy is a rigorous mathematical definition of privacy. In the simplest setting, consider an algorithm that analyzes a dataset and computes statistics about it (such as the data's mean, variance, median, mode, etc.). Such an algorithm is said to be differentially private if by looking at the output, one cannot tell whether any individual's data was included in the original dataset or not. In other words, the guarantee of a differentially private algorithm is that its behavior hardly changes when a single individual joins or leaves the dataset -- anything the algorithm might output on a database containing some individual's information is almost as likely to have come from a database without that individual's information. Most notably, this guarantee holds for any individual and any dataset. Therefore, regardless of how eccentric any single individual's details are, and regardless of the details of anyone else in the database, the guarantee of differential privacy still holds. This gives a formal guarantee that individual-level information about participants in the database is not leaked.
The definition of differential privacy emerged from a long line of work applying algorithmic ideas to the study of privacy (Dinur and Nissim `03; Dwork and Nissim `04; Blum, Dwork, McSherry, and Nissim `05), culminating with work of Dwork, McSherry, Nissim, and Smith `06.
See our educational materials for more detail about the formal definition of differential privacy and its semantic guarantees.
Why do we need a Mathematical Definition of Privacy?
Many heuristics are used to preserve the privacy of individuals in research databases. Anonymization (the removal of "identifiable" attributes, such as names, addresses, SSN, IP addresses, etc.) is the most commonly used technique. However, such heuristics, devoid of any formal guarantees, can fail and have been repeatedly shown to fail. In a striking example, Latanya Sweeney showed that gender, date of birth, and zip code are sufficient to uniquely identify the vast majority of Americans. By linking these attributes in a supposedly anonymized healthcare database to public voter records, she was able to identify the individual health record of the Governor of Massachussetts. These "linkage attacks" motivate the need for a robust definition of privacy -- one that is immune to attacks using auxiliary knowledge, including knowledge that a data curator cannot predict the availability of.
Another line of work has shown that answering too many innocuous (even completely random) queries about a database inherently violates the privacy of its individual contributors. These works expose a fundamental tradeoff between statistical utility and privacy. In order to understand this tradeoff and locate socially desirable outcomes, we must be able to formally define privacy in the first place.
Privacy as a Quantifiable Measure
A crucial feature of differential privacy is that it defines privacy not as a binary notion of "was the data of individual exposed or not", but rather a matter of accumulative risk. That is, every time a person's data is processed her risk of being exposed increases. To this end, the definition of differential privacy is equipped with parameters ("epsilon and delta") that quantify the "privacy loss" -- the additional risk to an individual that results from her data being used. Regardless of any auxiliary knowledge used in a re-identification attack, the risk to one's privacy caused by a differentially private algorithm will forever be bounded by this privacy loss.
When is Differential Privacy Useful?
Through extensive theoretical research, differential privacy shows promise in enabling research data to be shared in a wide variety of settings.* The simplest and most well-studied scenario is statistical query release: a data owner can specify counting queries, such as "how many people in the database are male?" or "how many people in the database live in Massachussetts?" and receive answers perturbed by a small amount of random noise. Differentially private algorithms are able to answer a large number of such queries approximately, so that a researcher seeing these approximate answers can draw roughly the same conclusions as if she had the data herself.
However, the reach of differential privacy extends far beyond the simple case of statistical queries. For instance, there are differentially private versions of algorithms in machine learning, game theory and economic mechanism design, statistical estimation, and streaming.
It is worth remarking that differential privacy works better on larger databases. This is because as the number of individuals in a database grows, the effect of any single individual on a given aggregate statistic diminishes.
*Of course, a major challenge -- and one focus of the PrivacyTools project -- is to bring these theoretical results into practice.
How does Differential Privacy fit into the Privacy Tools Project?
Our goal is to integrate the definitions and algorithmic tools from differential privacy into several IQSS projects for sharing and exploring research data, especially the widely-used Dataverse platform. Related projects that we are incorporating differential privacy into include DataTags, TwoRavens, and Zelig.
The Dataverse project is a software infrastructure used for hosting data repositories around the world, enabling researchers to share, preserve, cite, explore, and analyze research data. Our goal is to augment Dataverse to enable differentially private access to sensitive datasets that currently cannot be safely shared. What makes this particularly challenging (compared to many other practical applications of differential privacy) is that the tools need to be general purpose, applying to a wide variety of datasets uploaded to Dataverse repositories, and automated, with no differential privacy expert optimizing the algorithms for each dataset or analyst. Consequently, we envision that the differentially private access we provide will allow researchers to perform rough preliminary analyses that help determine whether it is worth the effort to apply for access to the raw data.
DataTags is a PrivacyTools project that generates guidelines for how dataset holders should share their data in compliance with the relevant privacy laws and regulations. To use the tool, a dataset holder engages with an automated interview process, which produces a "Data Tag" telling the user how the data can be shared, how it can be stored, etc. We are working to incorporate differential privacy into these tags, especially to enable sharing of data where the current tags do not allow for public release. For instance, we are assessing the protection guaranteed by various settings of the differential privacy parameters (epsilon and delta) so that we can make recommendations for which parameters are appropriate for each level of tag.
Zelig is a user-friendly package built on R for performing statistical methods and interpreting and presenting the results. TwoRavens, integrated with Zelig and Dataverse, is a browser-based tool for exploring and analyzing data. We are working towards creating differentially private versions of the core functionalities of these projects.
Differential Privacy Team Members
Salil Vadhan
Vicky Joseph Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, SEAS, Harvard
Jayshree Sarathy
Graduate student, Computer Science, Theory Group, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Nabib Ahmed
Undergraduate Researcher (REU Summer 2016)
Ryan Rogers
Research Assistant (Summer 2015), PhD Candidate in Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania
Past Personnel
Ryan Rogers is a Ph.D. student in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science of the University of Pennsylvania, co-Advised by: Dr. Michael Kearns...
Read more about Ryan Rogers
Caper Gooden
College of William & Mary, International Relations and Economics, '16
Differential Privacy Tool
Please refer to this link to test out our differentially private tool.
Please see our calls for summer interns, students, postdocs and visiting scholars.
How have Students Contributed to the Project?
Harvard Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Harvard students have contributed to all aspects of our group's theoretical and applied work on differential privacy. These projects have culminated in PhD and undergraduate theses, as well as numerous research papers. Please see our student research page for posters describing the projects students have worked on.
In Summer 2014, we hosted a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in which students designed, implemented, and experimentally assessed differentially private tools for a number of statistical tasks. In this first effort, we focused on the fundamental tasks of estimating histograms, quantiles, means, and covariances. We also had a student architect a system that enables a data depositor to choose how his privacy budget is divided across these various functionalities.
Relevant Publications by the Differential Privacy Team:
M. Bun, K. Nissim, and U. Stemmer, “Simultaneous private learning of multiple concepts,”
M. Bun and M. Zhandry, “Order revealing encryption and the hardness of private learning,” in Proceedings of the 12th Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC 2016), Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2016. ArXiv Version BunZhandry.pdf
J. Murtagh and S. Vadhan, “The Complexity of Computing the Optimal Composition of Differential Privacy,” in Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC 2016), 2016. ArXiv Version
C. Dwork, A. Smith, T. Steinke, J. Ullman, and S. Vadhan, “Robust Traceability from Trace Amounts,” in IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS 2015), Berkeley, California, 2015
S. Zheng, The Differential Privacy of Bayesian Inference. Bachelor's thesis, Harvard College, 2015. DASH Version
M. Bun, K. Nissim, U. Stemmer, and S. Vadhan, “Differentially Private Release and Learning of Threshold Functions,” in 56th Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS 15), Berkeley, California, 2015. ArXiv VersionAbstract bunnissimstemmervadhan.pdf
O. Sheffet, “Private Approximations of the 2nd-Moment Matrix Using Existing Techniques in Linear Regression,” Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS 2015), 2015. ArXiv VersionAbstract
M. Bun and J. Thaler, “Hardness Amplification and the Approximate Degree of Constant-Depth Circuits,” International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2015) BG, 2015. ArXiv Version hardnessamplification.pdf
K. Nissim and U. Stemmer, “On the Generalization Properties of Differential Privacy”. 2015. ArXiv VersionAbstract
T. Steinke and J. Ullman, “Interactive Fingerprinting Codes and the Hardness of Preventing False Discovery,” JMLR: Workshop and Conference Proceedings, vol. 40, no. 201, pp. 1-41, 2015. PDF
K. Nissim and D. Xiao, “Mechanism Design and Differential Privacy,” in Encyclopedia of Algorithms, New York, NY: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015, pp. 1-12. Publisher's Version
J. Honaker, “Efficient Use of Differentially Private Binary Trees,” Theory and Practice of Differential Privacy (TPDP 2015), London, UK. 2015.
T. Steinke and J. Ullman, “Between Pure and Approximate Differential Privacy,” Theory and Practice of Differential Privacy (TPDP 2015), London, UK. 2015. TPDP Conference Version Between Pure and Approximate Differential Privacy.pdf
A. Beimel, K. Nissim, and U. Stemmer, “Learning Privately with Labeled and Unlabeled Examples,” Accepted for publication, SODA 2015, 2015. arXiv.orgAbstract 1407.2662v2.pdf
Y. Chen, Sheffet, O., and Vadhan, S., “Privacy Games,” in 10th Conference on Web and Internet Economics (WINE), , Beijing, China, 2014. privacy_game_wine.pdf
R. Bassily, Smith, A., and Thakurta, A., “Private Empirical Risk Minimization, Revisited,” in ICML 2014 Workshop on Learning, Security and Privacy, , Beijing, China, 2014. Publisher's VersionAbstract 1405.7085v1.pdf
M. Kearns, Pai, M., Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “Mechanism Design in Large Games: Incentives and Privacy,” in Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science, , New York, NY, USA, 2014, pp. 403–410. Publisher's Version p403-kearns.pdf
K. Chandrasekaran, Thaler, J., Ullman, J., and Wan, A., “Faster Private Release of Marginals on Small Databases” in Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science, , New York, NY, USA, 2014, pp. 387–402. Publisher's Version p387-chandrasekaran.pdf
M. Bun, Ullman, J., and Vadhan, S., “Fingerprinting Codes and the Price of Approximate Differential Privacy” in Proceedings of the 46th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, , New York, NY, USA, 2014, pp. 1–10. Publisher's Version p1-bun.pdf
K. Nissim, Vadhan, S., and Xiao, D., “Redrawing the Boundaries on Purchasing Data from Privacy-sensitive Individuals,” in Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science, , New York, NY, USA, 2014, pp. 411–422. Publisher's Version p411-nissim.pdf
T. Steinke and Ullman, J., “Interactive Fingerprinting Codes and the Hardness of Preventing False Discovery,” 2014. arXiv.orgAbstract 1410.1228v1.pdf
L. Waye, “Privacy Integrated Data Stream Queries,” Privacy and Security in Programming, , 2014.
V. Feldman and Xiao, D., “Sample Complexity Bounds on Differentially Private Learning via Communication Complexity,” Proceedings of The 27th Conference on Learning Theory (COLT 2014), , vol. 35. JMLR Workshop and Conference Proceedings, pp. 1-20, 2014. Publisher's VersionAbstract feldman14b.pdf
J. Hsu, et al., “Privately Solving Linear Programs,” in Automata, Languages, and Programming, , vol. 8572, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2014, pp. 612-624. Publisher's Version 1402.3631v2.pdf
M. M. Pai, Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “An Anti-Folk Theorem for Large Repeated Games with Imperfect Monitoring” CoRR, , vol. abs/1402.2801, 2014. 1402.2801v1.pdf
S. P. Kasiviswanathan, Nissim, K., Raskhodnikova, S., and Smith, A., “Analyzing Graphs with Node Differential Privacy,” in Proceedings of the 10th Theory of Cryptography Conference on Theory of Cryptography, , Berlin, Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 457–476. Publisher's Version chp3a10.10072f978-3-642-36594-2_26.pdf
A. Beimel, Nissim, K., and Stemmer, U., “Characterizing the Sample Complexity of Private Learners,” in Proceedings of the 4th Conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science, , New York, NY, USA, 2013, pp. 97–110. Publisher's Version p97-beimel_1.pdf
J. Ullman, “Answering n{2+o(1)} counting queries with differential privacy is hard,” in Proceedings of the 45th annual ACM symposium on Symposium on theory of computing, , Palo Alto, California, USA, 2013, pp. 361-370. DOIAbstract PDF
J. Hsu, Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “Differential privacy for the analyst via private equilibrium computation,” in Proceedings of the 45th annual ACM symposium on Symposium on theory of computing, , Palo Alto, California, USA, 2013, pp. 341-350. DOIAbstract PDF
G. N. Rothblum, Vadhan, S., and Wigderson, A., “Interactive proofs of proximity: delegating computation in sublinear time,” in Proceedings of the 45th annual ACM symposium on Symposium on theory of computing, , Palo Alto, California, USA, 2013, pp. 793-802. DOIAbstract PDF
Y. Chen, Chong, S., Kash, I. A., Moran, T., and Vadhan, S., “Truthful mechanisms for agents that value privacy,” in Proceedings of the fourteenth ACM conference on Electronic commerce, , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 2013, pp. 215-232. DOIAbstract PDF
A. Beimel, Nissim, K., and Stemmer, U., “Characterizing the sample complexity of private learners,” in Proceedings of the 4th conference on Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science, , Berkeley, California, USA, 2013, pp. 97-110. DOIAbstract PDF
A. Beimel, et al., “Private Learning and Sanitization: Pure vs. Approximate Differential Privacy,” in Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques, , vol. 8096, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 363-378. Publisher's Version chp3a10.10072f978-3-642-40328-6_26.pdf
M. Bun and Thaler, J., “Dual Lower Bounds for Approximate Degree and Markov-Bernstein Inequalities,” Automata, Languages, and Programming, , vol. 7965, pp. 303-314, 2013. DOIAbstract PDF
K. Chandrasekaran, Thaler, J., Ullman, J., and Wan, A., “Faster Private Release of Marginals on Small Databases,” CoRR, , vol. abs/1304.3754, 2013. arXiv.orgAbstract PDF
S. P. Kasiviswanathan, Nissim, K., Raskhodnikova, S., and Smith, A., “Analyzing Graphs with Node Differential Privacy,” in Theory of Cryptography, , vol. 7785, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 457-476. Springer LinkAbstract PDF
J. Thaler, Ullman, J., and Vadhan, S. P., “Faster Algorithms for Privately Releasing Marginals,” in Automata, Languages, and Programming - 39th International Colloquium, ICALP 2012, , Warwick, UK, 2012, Lecture Notes in Computer Science., vol. 7391. DOI:10.1007/978-3-642-31594-7_68Abstract PDF
C. Dwork, Naor, M., and Vadhan, S., “The Privacy of the Analyst and the Power of the State,” in Proceedings of the 53rd Annual {IEEE} Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS `12), , New Brunswick, NJ, 2012, pp. 400–409. IEEE XploreAbstract PDF
A. Gupta, Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “Iterative Constructions and Private Data Release,” in Theory of Cryptography - 9th Theory of Cryptography Conference, TCC 2012, , Taormina, Sicily, Italy, 2012, Lecture Notes in Computer Science., vol. 7194, pp. 339-356. DOI:10.1007/978-3-642-28914-9_19Abstract PDF
M. Kearns, Pai, M., Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “Private Equilibrium Release, Large Games, and No-Regret Learning,” 2012. arXiv:1207.4084Abstract PDF
S. Vadhan, et al., “Comments on Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Human Subjects Research Protections: Enhancing Protections for Research Subjects and Reducing Burden, Delay, and Ambiguity for Investigators, Docket ID number HHS-OPHS-2011-0005”. 2011. regulations.govAbstract PDF
Y. Chen, Chong, S., Kash, I. A., Moran, T., and Vadhan, S. P., “Truthful Mechanisms for Agents that Value Privacy,” CoRR, , vol. abs/1111.5472, 2011. arXiv:abs/1111.5472Abstract PDF
A. Gupta, Hardt, M., Roth, A., and Ullman, J., “Privately releasing conjunctions and the statistical query barrier,” in Proceedings of the 43rd ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, STOC 2011, , San Jose, CA, USA, 2011, pp. 803-812. ACM Digital LibraryAbstract PDF
J. Ullman and Vadhan, S., “PCPs and the Hardness of Generating Synthetic Data,” in Proceedings of the 8th IACR Theory of Cryptography Conference (TCC `11), , Providence, RI, 2011, Lecture Notes on Computer Science., vol. 5978, pp. 572–587. Springer Link Abstract PDF
C. Dwork, Rothblum, G., and Vadhan, S., “Boosting and Differential Privacy,” in Proceedings of the 51st Annual {IEEE} Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS `10), , Las Vegas, NV, 2010, pp. 51–60. DOI:10.1109/FOCS.2010.12Abstract PDF
A. McGregor, Mironov, I., Pitassi, T., Reingold, O., Talwar, K., and Vadhan, S., “The Limits of Two-Party Differential Privacy,” in Proceedings of the 51st Annual {IEEE} Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS `10), , Las Vegas, NV, 2010, pp. 81–90. DOI:10.1109/FOCS.2010.14Abstract PDF
C. Dwork, Naor, M., Reingold, O., Rothblum, G., and Vadhan, S., “On the Complexity of Differentially Private Data Release: Efficient Algorithms and Hardness Results,” in Proceedings of the 41st Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC `09), , Bethesda, MD, 2009, pp. 381–390. ACM Digital LibraryAbstract PDF
I. Mironov, Pandey, O., Reingold, O., and Vadhan, S., “Computational Differential Privacy,” in Advances in Cryptology–-CRYPTO `09, , Santa Barbara, CA, 2009, vol. 5677, pp. 126–142. Springer LinkAbstract PDF
All Differential Privacy education materials are available on our Courses & Educational Materials Page.
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Andrew Predmore
0.89 / 2.00 Keith Braunscheidel
Please enter data in the table below:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of recordable workplace injuries and occupational disease cases 280 409
Full-time equivalent of employees 8,880 7,621
Number of injuries and cases per FTE employee 0.03 0.05
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 30, 2015
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2009 Dec. 31, 2009
A brief description of when and why the workplace health and safety baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Percentage reduction in workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per FTE employee from baseline:
Number of workplace injuries and occupational disease cases per 100 FTE employees, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s workplace health and safety initiatives, including how workers are engaged in monitoring and advising on health and safety programs:
http://ehs.iu.edu/
Data source(s) and notes about the submission
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) reports workplace injuries and occupational disease cases to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as numbers of incidents out of total employees (who worked for the University for any length of time, and for any number of hours per week, full or part-time, including student workers). Therefore, the number of "employees" of IU Bloomington, for consistency with EHS and OSHA is 27,521 in the performance year, and 16,697 in the baseline year. However, as STARS asks for full-time equivalent employees in each year, that is what is reported in the reporting fields.
*Data provided is from 2015, while full-time equivalent data in IC-3 is from 2016-2017, hence small discrepancy. However, data from January-December 2015 is the most recent information we have.
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Pipeline: Vols for Women in STEM
Major DOD Official to Speak at Women in STEM Research Symposium
The Women in STEM Research Symposium highlights a range of scholarly contributions made by self-identifying women in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The day-long event, now in its fourth year, will be held Thursday, March 1, and includes poster and oral presentations, featured talks, a panel discussion, and a special keynote speaker from the Department of Defense.
Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
Mary J. Miller, who is currently performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, is the keynote speaker this year. Miller, a UT alumna, provides leadership, establishes policy and guidance for the development and execution of the DOD Science and Technology enterprise, with an annual budget in excess of $12 billion.
Mallory Ladd, doctoral candidate and National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow in Energy Science and Engineering, said she is most excited about this year’s speakers.
“We were able to get a really impressive line-up of scientists and engineers from varied backgrounds in academia, industry, non-profits, and government. I think that their career experiences and advice will be interesting to a broad audience.”
Research Symposium
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Health, Civilization and the State / Dorothy Porter
The history of public health has been a flourishing field in the last three decades. Yet despite a spate of excellent monographs about various epidemic diseases and many good collections about health and disease in Africa, Asia, The Middle East, Latin America, as well as Europe and North America, the most recent textbook on the history of public health is four decades old.
Inside America's Concentration Camps: Two Centuries of Internment and Torture / James L. Dickerson
James Dickerson should be commended for tracing the theme of American concentration camps through from the 17th to the 21st century. It is all too easy to slip into the comfortable approach of examining events in isolation, when they are in fact but one more example of how a nation has failed to learn from the mistakes of its past.
New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty / Evan Haefeli
Evan Haefeli’s excellent new book, New Netherland and the Dutch Origins of American Religious Liberty, does nothing less than expand and transform our understanding of religious diversity and toleration in colonial Dutch North America.
INTERVIEW: Anthony McFarlane talks to Felipe Fernandez-Armesto / Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
In the latest of our occasional Reviews in History podcast series, Anthony McFarlane talks to Felipe Fernandez-Armesto about his new book, Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States.
Felipe Fernández-Armesto (born 1950) is a British historian and author of several popular works of revisionist history.
Jacobitism and Anti-Jacobitism in the British Atlantic World, 1688-1727 / David Parrish
Many years ago, J. H. Overton drew a fine line between Non-Jurors on the one hand and Jacobites on the other. The former, according to Overton, were ‘in no active sense of the term Jacobites’ because they were ‘content to live peacefully and quietly without a thought of disturbing the present government’.
The Mexican Heartland: How Communities Shaped Capitalism, a Nation, and World History, 1500-2000 / John Tutino
It is an ambitious book that would try to cover the Conquest of Mexico, the rise and fall of the country’s hacienda system, the emergence of the Virgen de Guadalupe, the intricacies of Emiliano Zapata’s role in the Mexican Revolution, and the exodus of women from rural regions in the mid-1960s to look for work as ‘household help’ in the nation’s fast-growing capital city.
How the Old World Ended: The Anglo-Dutch-American Revolution 1500-1800 / Jonathan Scott
Jonathan Scott, Professor of History at the University of Auckland, in his recent book, How the Old World Ended (2019), has provided an intellectual bridge between the early modern period and the modern world, which was born out of the Industrial Revolution.
Latin America and West Indies (1) Apply Latin America and West Indies filter
Economic History (3) Apply Economic History filter
Military History (2) Apply Military History filter
International History (1) Apply International History filter
Maritime History (1) Apply Maritime History filter
Medicine (1) Apply Medicine filter
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RhysTranter.com
"I wanted to combine two different issues; namely, art and life, art and being." — Arvo Pärt.
Catching Up With American Psycho
Posted By Rhys Tranter Published 7 April 2016 3 December 2017
Dwight Garner (The New York Times) on the cultural legacy of Bret Easton Ellis’ most controversial novel
When Bret Easton Ellis’s “American Psycho” was about to be published in 1991, word of its portrait of a monster — an amoral young Wall Street serial killer named Patrick Bateman, who nail-gunned women to the floor before doing vastly worse to them — was met with outrage.
There were death threats. A book tour was scuttled. The Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women proposed a boycott of the novel’s publisher. An advance review of “American Psycho” in The New York Times Book Review was titled “Snuff This Book!” Some stores refused to stock the novel.
I didn’t read “American Psycho” at the time. I was two years out of college in 1991, and while I’d eagerly ingested the stylish mid-80s debuts of the so-called “brat pack” writers, of which Mr. Ellis’s novel “Less Than Zero” (1985) is a crucial artifact, I’d moved on.
Yet it disturbed me that, in the moral panic over “American Psycho,” so many smart people made a rookie mistake: They’d confused author with character. Bret Easton Ellis and Patrick Bateman were pariahs.
Flash forward 25 years, to 2016. Lo, how things have changed. Over the past decade or so, Bateman has become a pop something, a grinning, blood-flecked national gargoyle. A brash new musical based on “American Psycho” is set to open on Broadway. You can purchase Bateman action figures. Bateman memes — photographs and GIFs from the director Mary Harron’s excellent 2000 film version of “American Psycho” — splash across every corner of the web. (“I have to return some videotapes” is among the movie’s indelible lines.)
Each Halloween, there’s at least one Bateman at the party, some fellow with a gleaming ax and a raincoat, his hair slicked tightly back in that cretinous late-80s style still favored by Donald Trump’s sons.
How to fathom the second coming of Patrick Bateman? The cult following and gradual critical embrace of Ms. Harron’s film, which starred Christian Bale, has played the primary role. Ms. Harron recognized the coal-black satire in Mr. Ellis’s novel and teased it to the surface. In her “American Psycho,” dire comedy mixes with Grand Guignol. There’s demented opera in some of its scenes. The film, like a painful zit on one’s lower lip, pops.
That Mr. Ellis’s novel, alleged by some to be among the most misogynistic books in American lit, was coaxed to cinematic life by a woman adds Möbius-strip layers of cultural complexity. Film and gender scholars will be off in the corner, continuing to untangle the knots, for at least a generation.
“I read American Psycho for the first time recently, and this is certain: This novel was ahead of its time.”
With time, the book itself has picked up a good deal of grudging respect, too. It’s seen as a transgressive bag of broken glass that can be talked about alongside plasma-soaked trips like Anthony Burgess’s “A Clockwork Orange” (1962) and Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian” (1985), even if relatively few suggest Mr. Ellis is in those novelists’ league.
The culture has shifted to make room for Bateman. We’ve developed a taste for barbaric libertines with twinkling eyes and some zing in their tortured souls. Tony Soprano, Walter White from “Breaking Bad,” Hannibal Lecter (who predates “American Psycho”) — here are the most significant pop culture characters of the past 30 years. Along with Bateman, they comprise a Mount Rushmore lineup of the higher antihero naughtiness. (Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is among the too-rare rejoinders to a world in which men can brutalize women without regard.) Thanks to these characters, and to first-person shooter video games, we’ve learned to identify with the bearer of violence and not just cower before him or her. [Read More]
Blood Meridian
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Rhys Tranter is a writer and photographer based in Cardiff, Wales. He is the author of Beckett’s Late Stage (2018). His writing has been published in the Times Literary Supplement and the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2016, this website was selected to become part of the British Library’s permanent UK Web Archive. [Read More]
Ignatius Loyola: A Saint Reads the Saints 31 July 2020
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Fred’s Resume
Fred’s Library
To Die For Series on AudioBooks
Contact Fred
Richard Houston
Fred's Home on the Web
A Book To Die For
Home > Books > A Book To Die For
Jake is accused of manslaughter and he has to prove the accident was really murder.
This time the story takes place in the foothills of Denver. Jake is accused of manslaughter and he has to prove the accident was really murder. Along the way he encounters a poaching ring and falls in love with a beautiful game warden. The characters are memorable and the plot is multi-layered. It keeps the reader guessing who dun-it until the very end.
Jake Martin is not your ordinary sleuth. He’s an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dog. This time the story takes place in the foothills of Denver. Jake is accused of manslaughter and he has to prove the accident was really murder. Along the way he encounters a poaching ring and falls in love with a beautiful game warden. The characters are memorable and the plot is multi-layered. It keeps the reader guessing who dun-it until the very end.
Author: Richard Houston
Series: To Die For, Book 2
Tag: Recommended Books
ASIN: B00JLW1E1W
The real pleasure of jumping into this mystery is the manner in which Richard Houston writes. Think Garrison Keillor's `A Prairie Home Companion', a dab of Mark Twain, and a dollop of John Grisham - marinate out in nature, and out comes Houston's style. Not bad ingredients for an author on the rise.
– Grady Harp
Richard is working on his third career. His first was as a carpenter and roofer for twenty years while working his way through college. With a BS in Math he spent the next twenty-five years as a successful software engineer by working on the Space Shuttle at both Vandenberg AFB, and Johnson Space Center. He then went on to start Master Mind SofTools where he developed software for fortune 500 companies. After taking early retirement in 2007, he moved to Warsaw, Missouri and built a home on the water with a view to die for. Richard now devotes his time to raising his great-granddaughter and writing. He is currently working on the second novel in the Jacob Martin series.
Other Books in "To Die For"
A Treasure To Die For
A Relic To Die For
Books to Die For: Boxed Set, Books 1-3
A View to Die For
Letters To Die For
A Secret to Die For
© 2021 Richard Houston – Fred's Home on the Web.
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"Survival of the Dead" Review - Romero's Last
Sam Shepards
Hi, I'm Sam, I love movies. My main interest is science fiction and zombie movies. Pessimistic and survival films I also enjoy a lot.
With Diary of the Dead (2007), George A. Romero wanted to retell the origin story of the zombie outbreak and its impact on society. His motivation for the reinterpretation? The arrival of new technologies and emerging media.
But with Survival of the Dead (2009), Romero returned to try to solve a personal obsession that he was having since the mid-80s. Fed up with the narrative trope of the first days of a zombie outbreak, Romero spent decades creatively rehearsing a human society that, after understanding its similarities with the undead, has begun trying living with them. That idea began in Day of the Dead (1985) and was even more developed in Land of the Dead (2005).
Survival of the Dead tells the story of that little National Guard unit who has a brief scene in Diary of the Dead (2007) in which they steal some supplies from those protagonists. Led by Sergeant "Nicotine" Crockett (Alan van Sprang), the unit has done a great job at surviving. However, the party wants to stop being nomadic. They want a place to settle.
In parallel, we know the history of the small Delaware Island Plum, where two Irish rural families have had a historical feud. The zombie outbreak has intensified those differences due to the different approach that each patriarch of the family has.
Patrick O'Flynn (Kenneth Welsh) wants to keep the island zombie-free, which means watching and making sure families don't keep alive their loved undead ones. Seamus Muldoon (Richard Fitzpatrick) has a completely different vision: If God wants the dead to rise, it's our obligation to try living with them after securing a cure or at least wait for the end of the divine punishment.
When a "raid" of the O'Flynn ends with the murder of a human mother (who wanted to protect her undead children from the final execution), the Muldoons take control of the situation, neutralizing the O'Flynn operations and exiling old Patrick from the island.
And that's how old O'Flynn crosses his path with Crockett's military unit. After deceiving them with the promise of a paradisiacal island, he ends up accepted by the group, which decidedly goes to the island to try to stabilize their lives.
The experiment they find is equally interesting and terrifying. The small empire of the Muldoons has chained the zombies in small spaces where they loop their former human occupations.
This is how we see a zombie postman who delivers over and over again the same letter in the same mailbox, or a zombie woodcutter giving weak axes again and again to the same trunk. One of O'Flynn's daughters, Jane (Kathleen Munroe) is a zombie who gallops freely on horseback across the island.
Muldoon wants to prove that zombies are capable of eating something other than humans. That, plus a self-centered obsessive desire that old O'Flynn admits his mistake.
Muldoon's moral compass is in total distortion. He shoots the new humans that arrive on the island but keeps his known zombies alive. He cites the Bible, the argument that "that is just the new natural law of life" and that old 19th-century practice of taking photographs of the dead to "keep them alive". Without a doubt, Muldoon is a contradictory and interesting character.
The clash between both factions is imminent. And of course, the outcome of the story gives more hope to zombies than humans to inherit this planet.
Romero’s Third Round - "Day of the Dead" (1985) Review
'Night of the Living Dead' (1968) - Zombie Movie Review
'Dawn of the Dead' (1978) - Zombie Movie Review
"Diary of the Dead" Review - Zombies in “the Internets”
The 69 Best Zombie Movies Ever Made - A Deadly Countdown
‘Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead’ Film Review
"I Sell the Dead" Review - A Cheap but Meaty Product
"Shaun of the Dead" Review
Back to the Mall - "Dawn of the Dead" (2004) Review
"Zombi 2" Review - Fulci’s Zombie Movie
Ranking the George A. Romero Zombie Movies
'Dead Rising: Watchtower' Zombie Movie Review
'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' - Zombie Movie Review
'Evil Dead 2' Review: Bloody Looney Tunes
It’s a Mad, Mad World - "The Crazies" Review
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The speed with which they built the Empire State Building, 1931
The entire building went up in just over a year, under budget (at $40 million) and well ahead of schedule.
The idea for the Empire State Building is said to have been born of a competition between Walter Chrysler of the Chrysler Corporation and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors, to see who could erect the taller building. Chrysler had already begun work on the famous Chrysler Building, the gleaming 1,046-foot skyscraper in midtown Manhattan. Not to be bested, Raskob assembled a group of well-known investors, including former New York Governor Alfred E. Smith. The group chose the architecture firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Associates to design the building. The Art-Deco plans is said to have been based in large part on the look of a pencil.
Despite the colossal size of the project, the design, planning and construction of the Empire State Building took just 20 months from start to finish. After demolishing the Waldorf-Astoria hotel—the plot’s previous occupant—contractors Starrett Brothers and Eken used an assembly line process to erect the new skyscraper in a brisk 410 days. Using as many as 3,400 men each day, they assembled its skeleton at a record pace of four and a half stories per week—so fast that the first 30 stories were completed before certain details of the ground floor were finalized. The Empire State Building was eventually finished ahead of schedule and under budget, but it also came with a human cost: at least five workers were killed during the construction process.
The new building imbued New York City with a deep sense of pride, desperately needed in the depths of the Great Depression, when many city residents were unemployed and prospects looked bleak. The grip of the Depression on New York’s economy was still evident a year later, however, when only 25 percent of the Empire State’s offices had been rented.
During certain periods of building, the frame grew an astonishing four-and-a-half stories a week.
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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS
February 28, 2010 Paul Luvera Comments 0 Comment
I enjoy a Sunday newspaper, or at least I used to, before the Seattle PI folded. But, now we are subscribing to the Sunday New York Times and it's like the newspaper of old before newspapers became as thin as a razor and were filled with only AP wire news without any local news. so, on this Sunday here are the things that caught my interest while reading the weekend papers. There is a lengthy article about a young woman, Keli Carender…
HISTORICAL BLUNDERS
On February 26ththis year Kermit Tyler died in San Diego. Kermit was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked by air. He was an Army Air Force first lieutenant on temporary duty at a radar information center that day. Two privates at the center reported to him that they were seeing a very large and unusual number of "blips" on the screen which indicated to them it was aircraft about 132 miles away and closing fast….
MY GRANDFATHER PETER BABAROVICH 1861 – 1935
My maternal grandfather Peter (Petar) Babarovich died the year I was born – 1935. He died on March 5th of that year and I was born in February of 1935 so I never knew this unique man. Nonno Babarovich was born April 12, 1861 in the village of Splitska on the island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea. He died in Anacortes, Washington March 5, 1935. Peter was the second child Ernest Babarovich and his wife Louise Setelich. The family…
REFLECTIONS ON MY SEVENTY FIFTH BIRTHDAY & FIFTY YEARS OF BEING A LAWYER
As hard as it is for me to believe, I was born on this very day, which was a Thursday, February 21, 1935. That was the year when the average cost of a new house was $3,450.00, a new car $625.00 and a gallon of gas $.10. On January 8th of that year, Elvis Presley was born and on January 11th Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. On February 13thBruno Hauptmann was convicted and…
A DOG NAMED BLUE & A MIRACLE
February 20, 2010 Paul Luvera Comments 3 comments
The hero of this story is a dog named Blue who is a Queensland Heeler breed and the family pet. Blue’s best friend is Victoria Bensch, a three year old who lives in Cordes Lakes, Arizona. Cordes Lakes is about thirty miles East of Prescott, in North Arizona high country. Early Thursday, Victoria was bouncing on a trampoline at her in home in a rural part of Cordes Lakes that borders on state land. Blue, who had been her companion from birth and was always…
OBITUARY FOR HARWOOD “BILL” BANNISTER
HARWOOD ALEXANDER "BILL" BANNISTER (1914 – 2010) Harwood Alexander Bannister, 95, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2010 in Burlington, Washington. Mr. Bannister was born in Brock, Saskatchewan Canada on August 31, 1914 to Samuel Townsend Bannister and Sara McCosh Bannister. Two weeks prior to Mr. Bannister's birth his cousin Billy died in infancy. Young cousins believed the newborn Harwood to be the reincarnation of Billy. Thus, the name Bill Bannister followed him through life. As a young child, his…
GERRY SPENCE AND PAUL LUVERA DVD
Gerry and I have donated the proceeds of the sale of this DVD to the Washington State Administration of Justice (formerly the Washington State Trial Lawyer's Association) and the Spence Trial College.
HARWOOD “BILL” BANNISTER February 9, 2010
Harwood "Bill Bannister died Tuesday February 9th. He was 95 years old and my former law partner as well as my mentor. Bill had been in a major Seattle law firm and he and his attorney wife Nancy, decided to move to Skagit County. He ran for county prosecutor in 1948 and always said how thankful he was that he lost the race because it gave him free publicity and he wouldn’t have liked the job had he won. He…
CHRISTY MATHEWSON ROLE MODEL AND SPORTS HERO OF THE 1900’S
The Player by Philip Seib is a book about Christy Mathewson (1880 – 1925) who is regarded as baseball’s first superstar. This turn of the century player was among the initial group of five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. The others were Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson. He played over ninety years ago but there are sports historians who still write about him. They called him "Big Six (six feet tall…
LESSONS LEARNED FROM TWENTY FOUR YEARS AS A CATHOLIC PRIEST
February 7, 2010 Paul Luvera Comments 2 comments
Peter J. Daly is a Catholic priest, in Prince Frederick, Maryland who recently wrote about what he had learned after twenty four years of being a priest in the Catholic Northwest Progress newspaper http:www.seattlearch.org Here is part of what he had to say about what he had learned: "I’ve learned to be more accepting of people.I take them as God sends them. We are all works in progress. This insight has made me more compassionate. Twenty five years ago I…
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There Is No Evil
Heshmat, an exemplary husband and father, gets up very early every day. Where does he go? Pouya cannot imagine killing another man, yet he is told he must do so. Javad doesn’t know that proposing to his beloved won’t be the only surprise on her birthday. Bahram is a physician but is unable to practice medicine. He has decided to explain to his visiting niece the reason for his life as an outcast. The four stories that comprise There Is No Evil offer variations on the crucial themes of moral strength and the death penalty, asking to what extent individual freedom can be expressed under a despotic regime and its seemingly inescapable threats. In the context of structural oppression, choice seems to be limited to either resisting or surviving.
Iran, Germany, Czech Republic
Persian, German with English and Arabic subtitles.
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
Producers: Mohammad Rasoulof, Kaven Farnam, Farzad Pak.
Cast: Ehsan Mirhosseini, Shaghayegh Shourian, Kaveh Ahangar, Alireza Zareparast, Salar Khamseh, Darya Moghbeli, Mahtab Servati, Mohammad Valizadegan, Mohammad Seddighimehr, Jila Shahi, Baran Rasoulof.
Screenwriter: Mohammad Rasoulof
Cinematography: Ashkan Ashkani
Editing: Mohammadreza Muini, Meysam Muini.
Ramallah, Ramallah Cultural Palace, Tuesday 20.10 07:00 Get you ticket
Born in Shiraz, Iran in 1972, he began directing documentaries and short films while studying sociology. After his second film, Iron Island, opportunities for him to make and screen his work grew increasingly restricted. All seven of his feature films have fallen victim to the censor in Iran. In 2010, he was arrested on set while working alongside Jafar Panahi and sentenced to a year in prison. He has won numerous international awards for his work including several prizes in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. Since 2017, he has been officially barred from leaving Iran.
There is No Evil is the winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival, 2020.
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Celia (TV series)
Celia (song)
Celia (telenovela)
Celia (given name)
List of Rave Master characters
Celia may refer to:
Hurricane Celia, which hit Texas and Cuba in 1970
Celia, the last natural-born Pyrenean Ibex
"Celia" (song), a 2011 single by Annah Mac
Celia (As You Like It), one of the important characters of Shakespeare's As You Like It
Celia, the title character in the novels by Elena Fortún:
Celia, lo que dice (1929)
Celia en el colegio (1932)
Celia novelista (1934)
Celia en el mundo (1934)
Celia y sus amigos (1935)
Celia madrecita (1939)
Celia (Rave Master), in the manga/anime series
Celia, Mike Wazowski's girlfriend in Monsters, Inc.
Celia, main character in Celia's Journey
Celia (film), a 1988 Australian drama film
Celia (telenovela), a Spanish-language telenovela based on the life of Celia Cruz
Celia (TV series), a Spanish TV-series based on Elena Fortún's novels
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Celia
Celia is a Spanish children's television series created by José Luis Borau in 1992 for the national Spanish public-service channel Televisión Española. It is based on the classic Spanish children's novels of the same name by Elena Fortún, primarily Celia, lo que dice (1929) and Celia en el colegio (1932). The books and television series tell the stories of a wild seven-year-old girl named Celia Gálvez de Moltanbán. In addition to focusing on Celia, the show touched lightly on Spanish life in the 1930s, such as the upcoming civil war, a changing nation, and the social issues and ideas at the time.
Cristina Cruz Mínguez was cast as the titular character, and the script was adapted by author and screenwriter Carmen Martín Gaite. The creator, Borau, directed and produced the series. Though successful when it originally premiered, Celia was cancelled after six episodes. The sixth and final episode ended with a "to be continued" (Continuará), but the following episode has yet to be released.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Celia_(TV_series)
Celia is the fourth single by New Zealand recording artist Annah Mac, from the album Little Stranger.
Celia was written and recorded by Annah Mac. She wrote the song after her friend, Celia, asked to write a song about her. The song is about "a best friend going astray, and trying to look after them." It was released as the fourth single from her album Little Stranger.
The music video premiered on Annah Mac's YouTube channel, on September 9, 2011. It was directed by Darren Simmons, from Wanaka. It shows Annah Mac singing with a band in the park, playing on the beach, and walking around in giant ribbons. Towards the end of the video, you can see members of the band jumping rope.
On the New Zealand Artists Singles Chart, Celia debuted at #16 on January 23, 2012. It eventually peaked at #12 on January 30, 2012.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Celia_(song)
Celia, is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by Fox Telecolombia for RCN Televisión and Telemundo. Is based on the life of Latin American singer Celia Cruz.
"Celia" tells the story and musical legacy of a woman who began her career in the midst of the Cuban Revolution, during a time when a female singer had no stage. This lady creates a revolution after imposing respect for women in popular music; she breaks the barriers of racism, she takes over the world with her powerful voice and her appealing style, becoming the universal icon of Latinos Worldwide.
Jeimy Osorio as Young Celia Cruz
Aymeé Nuviola as Celia Cruz
Modesto Lacén as Young Pedro Knight
Willy Denton as Pedro Knight
Carolina Gaitán as Young Lola Calvo
Abel Rodríguez as Eliécer Calvo
Margoth Velásquez as Ollita Alfonso
Aida Bossa as Noris Alfonso
Luciano D'Alessandro as Young Alberto Blanco
Jonathan Islas as Young Mario Agüero
Brenda Hanst as Ana Alfonso
José Narváez as René Neira
Alberto Pujol as Rogelio Martínez
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Celia_(telenovela)
Celia is a given name for females of Latin origin, as well as a nickname for Cecilia, Celeste, or Celestina. The name is often derived from the Roman family name Caelius, thought to originate in the Latin caelum ("heaven"). Celia was popular in British pastoral literature in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, stemming from Shakespeare's use in the play As You Like It. Celia is also the name of the main character in the series Celia's Journey, by Melissa Gunther.
Names with similar meanings in other languages
Kūlani ("heavenly", Hawaiian)
Silke (German)
Célia (French)
Celia (Polish)
Ουρανία ("heavens", Greek, pronounced "urania")
Cèlia (Catalan)
Celia (Spanish, Galician)
Célia (Portuguese)
People with the name
Celia Adler, actress
Celia Barlow, politician
Celia Birtwell, textile designer
Celia Corres, field hockey player
Celia Cruz, singer
Celia Dropkin, poet
Celia W. Dugger, journalism
Celia Farber, journalism
Celia Fiennes, travel writer
Celia Franca, founder of National Ballet of Canada
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Celia_(given_name)
The Rave Master manga and anime series features an extensive cast of characters created by Hiro Mashima. The series takes place in a fictional universe that exists as a parallel world where vast numbers of humans as well as species known as sentenoids and demonoids fight using weapons, magic and evil artifacts known as Dark Bring (Shadow Stone in the anime's English dub). One of the most primary users of the artifact known as Dark Bring is an evil terrorist organization known as Demon Card (Shadow Guard in the anime's English dub) which plans to use it to take over the world and bring it into darkness.
The main character Haru Glory, is chosen by the holy artifact known as Rave to wield the Ten Powers and go on a quest with the strange dog like creature known as Plue to find the other four remaining Rave stones and put an end to the usage of Dark Bring and bring peace to the world. In his travel, fate brings him to ally himself with a girl that lost her memories and believes she is named Elie and is unaware that she has a strong involvement with the Rave stones. Together on their quest, they gain allies known as the Rave Warriors which consist of the thief that can manipulate silver known as Hamrio Musica, a cartographer which is the strange blue creature known as Griffon Kato, Let Dahaka and Julia who are both martial artists and members of a species from the mystic realm known as the Dragon Race, Ruby, a rich penguin-like sentenoid, and Belnika, a kind sorceress.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/List_of_Rave_Master_characters
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David Renwick
David (commentator)
David of Bulgaria
David Peter Renwick (born 4 September 1951) is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek.
Before beginning his full-time comedy writing career, he worked as a journalist on his home town newspaper, the Luton News.
On beginning his comedy career, he initially worked in a team with writing partner Andrew Marshall, the pair of them providing material to popular sketch shows such as The Two Ronnies and Not the Nine O'Clock News during the late 1970s and early '80s. One of the most celebrated sketches he wrote for the former was a parody of the BBC quiz programme Mastermind, where a "Charlie Smithers" chose to answer questions on the specialist subject "Answering the question before last", adapted from his "Answering one question behind all the time" sketch from their The Burkiss Way for BBC Radio 4. Their short-lived LWT series for ITV, End of Part One, was an attempt to transfer Burkiss-style humour to television. Later in the 1980s they also wrote for the sketch show Alexei Sayle's Stuff and Spike Milligan's There's a Lot of It About.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/David_Renwick
David (Greek: Δαυΐδ; fl. 6th century) was a Greek scholar and a commentator on Aristotle and Porphyry.
He may have come from Thessaly, but in later times he was confused with an Armenian of the same name (David Anhaght). He was a pupil of Olympiodorus in Alexandria in the late 6th century. His name suggests that he was a Christian.
Three commentaries to Aristotle's works attributed to him have survived: as well as an introduction to philosophy (prolegomena):
Definitions and Divisions of Philosophy
Commentary on Porphyry's Isagoge
Commentary on Aristotle's Categories
Commentary on Aristotle's Prior Analytics (in Armenian)
All these works will be published, with an English translation, in the series Commentaria in Aristotelem Armeniaca - Davidis Opera (five volumes), edited by Jonathan Barnes andValentina Calzolari.
Another anonymous commentary on Porphyry's Isagoge which was falsely ascribed to Elias (pseudo-Elias), was also falsely ascribed to David.
A. Busse (ed.), Eliae in Porphyrii Isagogen et Aristotelis Categorias commentaria, Berlin, 1900 (Commentaria in Aristotelem Graeca, XVIII-1).
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/David_(commentator)
David (Bulgarian: Давид) (died 976) was a Bulgarian noble, brother of Emperor Samuel and eldest son of komes Nicholas. After the disastrous invasion of Rus' armies and the fall of North-eastern Bulgaria under Byzantine occupation in 971, he and his three younger brothers took the lead of the defence of the country. They executed their power together and each of them governed and defended a separate region. He ruled the southern-most parts of the realm from Prespa and Kastoria and was responsible for the defence the dangerous borders with Thessalonica and Thessaly. In 976 he participated in the major assault against the Byzantine Empire but was killed by vagrant Vlachs between Prespa and Kostur.
Another theory
However, there's also another version about David’s origin. David gains the title "comes" during his service in the Byzantine army which recruited many Armenians from the Eastern region of the empire. The 11th-century historian Stepanos Asoghik wrote that Samuel had one brother, and they were Armenians from the district Derjan. This version is supported by the historians Nicholas Adontz, Jordan Ivanov, and Samuil's Inscription where it’s said that Samuel’s brother is David. Also, the historians Yahya and Al Makin clearly distinguish the race of Samuel and David (the Comitopouli) from the one of Moses and Aaron (the royal race):
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/David_of_Bulgaria
David (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið]) officially San José de David is a city and corregimiento located in the west of Panama. It is the capital of the province of Chiriquí and has an estimated population of 144,858 inhabitants as confirmed in 2013. It is a relatively affluent city with a firmly established, dominant middle class and a very low unemployment and poverty index. The Pan-American Highway is a popular route to David.
The development of the banking sector, public construction works such as the expansion of the airport and the David-Boquete highway alongside the growth of commercial activity in the city have increased its prominence as one of the fastest growing regions in the country. The city is currently the economic center of the Chiriqui province and produces more than half the gross domestic product of the province, which totals 2.1 billion. It is known for being the third-largest city in the country both in population and by GDP and for being the largest city in Western Panama.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/David,_Chiriquí
Renwick, David Filmography
Play in Full Screen Two Princes
2012, role: miscellaneous crew
Play in Full Screen Verity Lambert: Drama Queen
Play in Full Screen The Comedy Christmas
Play in Full Screen Met één been in het graf
Play in Full Screen The Two Ronnies Sketchbook
Play in Full Screen The Unseen Spike Milligan
Play in Full Screen Love Soup
Play in Full Screen Bob Monkhouse: A BAFTA Tribute
2004, role: actor , character name: Himself - Audience Member
Play in Full Screen The Best of the Two Ronnies: Volume 2
Play in Full Screen The Best of the Two Ronnies
Play in Full Screen The British Comedy Awards 2001
Play in Full Screen I Don't Believe It! The 'One Foot in the Grave' Story
Play in Full Screen Killing Victor... One Foot in the Grave... An Insider's View
Play in Full Screen Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom
Play in Full Screen The Two Ronnies at the Movies
Play in Full Screen Two Ronnies Night
Play in Full Screen The Ben Elton Show
Play in Full Screen An Audience with Ronnie Corbett
Play in Full Screen Wilt
Play in Full Screen Whoops Apocalypse
Play in Full Screen Assaulted Nuts
Play in Full Screen Nice to See You!
Play in Full Screen Madhouse
Play in Full Screen Not the Nine O'Clock News
Play in Full Screen The Dick Emery Special
Play in Full Screen The Unorganized Manager, Part Four: Revelations
Play in Full Screen Took and Co.
Play in Full Screen The Unorganized Manager, Part Three: Lamentations
onceinroyaldavidcity.net
davidbowielive.com
davidbowieconcerts.org
kellyinvestigation.net
freedavidbowielive.com
andresdavid.com
davidbowieconcert.com
thestrangedeathofdavidkelly.net
davidbowielives.com
deathofdavidkelly.com
davidbowielive.org
davidbowielive.net
deathofdavidkelly.net
davidbowieconcerts.com
thestrangedeathofdavidkelly.com
thestrangedeathofdavidkelly.org
onceinroyaldavidcity.com
david-brandenburg.com
saintdavids.com
davidbowieconcert.org
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The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
Return to Oz
The Wizard of Oz may refer to:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted under the title The Wizard of Oz
Adaptations of The Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910 film), a 1910 American silent fantasy film
Wizard of Oz (1925 film), directed by Larry Semon
The Wizard of Oz (1933 film), animated short directed by Ted Eshbaugh
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), starring Judy Garland
The Wizard of Oz (1982 film), a 1982 Japanese anime feature film
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986 TV series), a Japanese anime series
The Wizard of Oz (TV series), a 1990 American animated series
Tales of the Wizard of Oz, a 1961 animated television series
The Wizard of Oz (1950 film), a 1950 half-hour television adaptation
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, a 2005 musical television film
Musicals and concerts
The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical), by L. Frank Baum, Paul Tietjens and others
The Wizard of Oz (1942 musical), commissioned by the St. Louis Municipal Opera
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/The_Wizard_of_Oz
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. The film co-stars Terry the dog, billed as Toto; Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton, with Charley Grapewin and Clara Blandick, and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins.
Notable for its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and unusual characters, over the years, it has become an icon of American popular culture. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Gone with the Wind. It did win in two other categories, including Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow". However, the film was a box office disappointment on its initial release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,777,000 budget, despite receiving largely positive reviews. It was MGM's most expensive production at that time, and did not completely recoup the studio's investment and turn a profit until theatrical re-releases starting in 1949.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/The_Wizard_of_Oz_(1939_film)
Return to Oz is a 1985 fantasy adventure film directed and written by Walter Murch, an editor and sound designer, cowritten by Gill Dennis and produced by Paul Maslansky. It stars Nicol Williamson as the Nome King, Jean Marsh as Princess Mombi, Piper Laurie as Aunt Em, Matt Clark as Uncle Henry and introduces Fairuza Balk as Dorothy Gale. It is loosley based on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels, mainly The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) and Ozma of Oz (1907), yet is set six months after the events of the first novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). It is also considered a semi-sequel to the 1939 MGM film, The Wizard of Oz.
The plot focuses on an insomniac Dorothy, who returns to the Land of Oz only to discover that the entire country and its inhabitants are facing near extinction at the hands of a villainous king who dwells in a neighboring mountain. Upon her second arrival, Dorothy, alongside her pet chicken Billina, is befriended by a group of new companions, including Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the flying Gump. Together they set out on a quest to save Oz and restore it to its former glory.
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Return_to_Oz
knowledgeofthefuture.org
during the early days of the new administration that “now is not the time” to come ... The Biden administration is looking to end the Trump administration’s policy of requiring that migrants wait in Mexico as immigration courts consider their asylum applications. Those who have been waiting at the border will be considered first for entry over migrants who only recently arrived....
Se încheie o președinție a Statelor Unite ale Americii care a ieșit din obișnuit sub multe aspecte. De la început până la capăt ... Am susținut conferințe la Harvard, Columbia, Pittsburg, New School, New York, Riverside, University of Chicago, Columbus-Ohio, Washington DC, Athens și în alte universități și institute americane ... Toate sondajele l-au dat pierzător ... Chiar analize ale armatei americane (Sarah Chayes, Thieves of State ... 8) ... 47) ... 51)....
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Robert Lamb, Writer
Novels, short stories, poems, essays
Family history, relatively speaking
13 Jan 2016 Leave a comment
by boblamb in books, culture, Writing Tags: Civil War
When George W. Coggin of Greensboro, N.C., and Pawleys Island, S.C., set out to trace his relatives’ military service in the Confederate Army, he little dreamed the trail would lead to finding black kinfolk. Coggin is white.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, the book that grew out of this journey into the past is Abraham & Jeremiah Coggin & The Montgomery Volunteers, published recently after years of research by Coggin, a retired lawyer, who with his wife Carol have a home in Litchfield Beach at Pawleys Island. We all met one day when I was out walking my dog, the late Dro Lamb, canine extraordinaire and companion supreme.
“All this began as simply a project to transcribe letters from Abraham and Jeremiah so family members could have copies,” Coggin said. (Abraham and Jeremiah, who perished in the war, were two of four Coggin brothers who fought for the Confederacy. All four entered service from Montgomery County, N.C.)
The letters narrowly escaped burning in the 1940s when Jane Coggin Ellis, the author’s aunt, rescued them from the trash when the family home was being sold. Small wonder that Coggin dedicated the book to her.
Anyhow, Coggin’s “simple project” turned into a monumental undertaking when, while reading the letters, he began to ask himself: “Who are the people mentioned in these letters?”
The author and his generation of relatives had little knowledge of many of the family members that were mentioned in the letters — and no knowledge at all of others mentioned.
“I realized then that the letters were as much about Montgomery County and its people as they were about the Coggin family,” he said.
Thus began a self-assigned job, a huge one requiring extensive research and travel. The publication of the book coincided with Coggin’s 84th birth year. (Ever the optimist, he is now researching the letters of the other two Coggin brothers. His anticipated publication: 2026 on his 95th birthday!)
If you’re making your will any time soon, I hope you’ll do it with a lawyer like Coggin. In his book, no “i” goes undotted, no “t” uncrossed, and every person mentioned is footnoted. With instincts that a bloodhound would envy, Coggin tracked virtually every trackable move his subjects made, every battle, every maneuver, every march, every wound, every prisoner of war camp, every death — not just for Abraham and Jeremiah, but for all the boys who served as Montgomery Volunteers in Company C of the 23rd North Carolina Regiment.
Talk about exhaustive (and exhausting) research! And it’s all documented! Maps, photos, battle plans, citations, even an index. What a deal for Civil War buffs!
Now as I was saying at the beginning of this column, George unearthed some history that he had not known was there. In 1981, as he was searching the death certificates index in Guilford County, N.C., he saw the name Alice Coggin Ingram.
Checking the death certificate itself, he saw that Alice Coggin Ingram was black and had been born in Montgomery County to Sam and Jane Coggin.
Coggin’s pulse quickened. It had been whispered in family lore down through the years that Abraham had fathered a child, Jane, by one of his slaves. Coggin had to know if this death certificate was the missing link. So he looked up the deceased’s sister, a woman named Rose Dark, who was the informant named on the death certificate. He called her.
“I told her who I was and where I was from, and she said, ‘I expect my people belonged to your people in slavery time.”
That’s true, he told her. “I have a copy of Abraham’s will, in which he willed your mother and grandmother to my grandfather.”
“Abraham was my mother’s father wasn’t he?” she asked.
Yes, he told her. “That’s what I always heard.”
Mystery solved. But that’s not the end of the story. Here; I’ll let the author tell it:
“I visited Mrs. Dark and gave her a photo of Abraham and a copy of his will, and I copied a photo of her mother, Jane, Abraham’s daughter. Mrs. Dark died in 1995. The funeral and visitation were held at Brown’s Funeral Service in Greensboro, N.C.
“As I was leaving the visitation, Mr. Brown approached and said, ‘If you don’t mind me asking, what is your connection with Mrs. Dark?’
“I told him our grandfathers were brothers. We are second cousins.”
When Coggin arrived next day for the funeral, Mr. Brown approached him again and said, “The family would like you to sit with them.”
“I was honored to be asked,” Coggin said.
Hard to imagine a more fitting end to a story about the Civil War.
(Color photo is author George Coggin; black & white photo is Abraham Coggin)
Previous No more New Year resolutions! Next ‘Once upon a time. . .’
‘The moving pen writes and having written moves on. . .’
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Lanpher and Demeritt Families Papers
The collection contains correspondence, photographs, photograph albums, notes, school work, memorial cards, and financial documents centering on the extended Lanpher and Demeritt families. The inventory details item level information, giving a summary of the contents of letters and documents as well as outlining the family connections. The Civil War letters have been transcribed.
George M. Lanpher's correspondence was mainly addressed from sites in Virginia, with a fair number coming from Camp Griffin. Rufus's letters were sent from a training camp in Rutland, Vermont as well as sites in Mississippi and Louisiana. They include descriptions of sailing around Cuba and other islands in the West Indies in order to get there.
Family correspondence often included added materials such as writings on astrology, sheet music (original compositions or transcriptions), embroidery patterns, intricately woven locks of hair, seed catalogs, fabric catalogs, a religious music book, original poems, textile samples, and printed images of plants, some of which have been colored in.
Material from later generations focuses on the children of Albert Demeritt and E. Fidelia (Lanpher) Demeritt.
Lanpher Family (Family)
All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Manuscripts.
Rufus L. Lanpher (1801-1873) married Martha Brown (about 1803-1832) and had two children, Hampleton (d. 1860) and L. Miranda (d. 1894). In 1832, Rufus married Susan Lanpher (1806-1894). They lived in the northern Vermont towns of Stowe, Eden, Hyde Park, etc. and had 6 children: Martha M. (1832-1894), Sarah M. (1833-1893, married P. C. Austin and lived in Minnesota), E. Fedelia (1836-1917, married Albert Demeritt (1828-1912) in 1857 and had 5 children), George M. (1840-1929, see below), Rufus G. (1844-1862, see below), and Adelaide (1848-1930, married Nathan R. Shute and had 12 children; Shute served in Company D of the 5th Vermont Infantry Regiment in the Civil War).
George M. Lanpher (1840-1929) served as a Private in the Civil War in Company D of the 5th Vermont Infantry Regiment. He enlisted on August 26, 1861 and was mustered in on September 16, 1861. The regiment saw battle in Virginia in that time. He was discharged disabled on July 11, 1862. At the end of his life, he lived in the Vermont Soldiers Home.
In 1862, George married Rhoda Jane Smith (1844 - December 1891). In July 1894, he married Almira "Myra" Gray Storer (1851 - January 1909). She had been previously married to William E. Storer and had at least 2 children. George married Abbie Manning McGookin (1861-1922) in September of 1909 in Maine. She had previously been married to John McGookin (d. 1901) and had at least 2 children. George remained active in regimental reunion efforts and veterans organizations. He died in 1929.
Rufus G. Lanpher (1844-1862) served as a Private in Company E of the 7th Vermont Infantry Regiment. He enlisted on December 16, 1861 and was mustered in on February 12, 1862. He served in Mississippi and Louisiana. He died of disease in Florida on November 20, 1862.
1.42 Linear feet (1 carton, 1 box)
The collection contains Civil War letters, family correspondence, photographs, photograph albums, diaries, notes, school work, memorial cards, clippings, and financial documents (pension claims) documenting George M. Lanpher and Rufus G. Lanpher who both served in the Civil War. Activities of other members and later generations of the related families of Lanpher and Demeritt are also documented.
Library Research Annex; contact uvmsc@uvm.edu for access.
The Lanpher family name is spelled in a variety of ways in official records such as vital records, census records, and newspaper clippings. These spellings include Lampher, Lamphere, Lanfear, Lanphere, Lanphier, Lamphier, Samphere, and Sempher.
Susan Lanpher's obituary (The Cambridge Transcript, January 26, 1894) is headed with the name Sarah but the body of the text states Susan Lanpher, and the details match her life as corroborated by the 1850 federal census.
Vermont -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Demeritt Family (Family)
Lanpher, George M. (Person)
Lanpher, Rufus G. (Person)
Guide to the Lanpher and Demeritt Families Papers
Part of the University of Vermont Libraries, Special Collections Repository
http://specialcollections.uvm.edu/
Burlington Vermont 05405 U.S.A. US
uvmsc@uvm.edu
[Identification of item] Lanpher and Demeritt Families Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Libraries. http://scfindingaids.uvm.edu//repositories/2/resources/1167 Accessed January 18, 2021.
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Home > NCJOLT > Vol. 17 (2015) > Iss. 1
North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology
Should Contributory Cybersquatting be Actionable?
Nicholas Foss Barbantonis
Nicholas F. Barbantonis, Should Contributory Cybersquatting be Actionable?, 17 N.C. J.L. & Tech. 79 (2015).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/ncjolt/vol17/iss1/2
All Issues Vol. 21, Iss. 4 Vol. 21, Iss. 3 Vol. 21, Iss. 2 Vol. 21, Iss. 1 Vol. 20, Iss. 5 Vol. 20, Iss. 4 Vol. 20, Iss. 3 Vol. 20, Iss. 2 Vol. 20, Iss. 1 Vol. 19, Iss. 4 Vol. 19, Iss. 3 Vol. 19, Iss. 2 Vol. 19, Iss. 1 Vol. 18, Iss. 5 Vol. 18, Iss. 4 Vol. 18, Iss. 3 Vol. 18, Iss. 2 Vol. 18, Iss. 1 Vol. 17, Iss. 5 Vol. 17, Iss. 4 Vol. 17, Iss. 3 Vol. 17, Iss. 2 Vol. 17, Iss. 1 Vol. 16, Iss. 5 Vol. 16, Iss. 4 Vol. 16, Iss. 3 Vol. 16, Iss. 2 Vol. 16, Iss. 1 Vol. 15, Iss. 4 Vol. 15, Iss. 3 Vol. 15, Iss. 2 Vol. 15, Iss. 1 Vol. 14, Iss. 2 Vol. 14, Iss. 1 Vol. 13, Iss. 2 Vol. 13, Iss. 1 Vol. 12, Iss. 3 Vol. 12, Iss. 2 Vol. 12, Iss. 1 Vol. 11, Iss. 4 Vol. 11, Iss. 3 Vol. 11, Iss. 2 Vol. 11, Iss. 1 Vol. 10, Iss. 3 Vol. 10, Iss. 2 Vol. 10, Iss. 1 Vol. 9, Iss. 3 Vol. 9, Iss. 2 Vol. 9, Iss. 1 Vol. 8, Iss. 3 Vol. 8, Iss. 2 Vol. 8, Iss. 1 Vol. 7, Iss. 2 Vol. 7, Iss. 1 Vol. 6, Iss. 2 Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Vol. 5, Iss. 2 Vol. 5, Iss. 1 Vol. 4, Iss. 2 Vol. 4, Iss. 1 Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Vol. 3, Iss. 1 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 Vol. 1, Iss. 1
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THREE BOMBS NOT ENOUGH FOR ‘DOGS SUNDAY
LINCOLN — Despite a powerful display from Ian Gac and Jon Gaston, and a whiff-frenzy stirred up by Nick Green, unearned runs ultimately cost the Saltdogs (4-6) in a 6-4 loss as the Winnipeg Goldeyes (7-3) completed the three-game sweep in front of 2,941 fans at Haymarket Park Sunday afternoon.
Ian Gac launched monstrous solo home runs to center field and left field in each of his first two at-bats, to give Lincoln a 1-0 lead and tie the game at 2-2, respectively.
Winnipeg capitalized on two errors by Saltdogs infielders to score three unearned runs combined in the fourth and eighth innings.
Jon Gaston blasted a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the eighth inning, to make it 6-4.
Nick Green (0-1) pitched well in his 'Dogs debut, going six innings, allowing three earned on eight hits while striking out nine and walking one but took the loss.
Chris Salamida (1-2) pitched seven strong, allowing two runs to earn the win for the Goldeyes.
Gac finished the day 3-for-4 with two home runs. Kevin Howard went 2-for-4 with a double.
The Saltdogs welcome Grand Prairie AirHogs to Haymarket Park Monday evening at 5:05 p.m. for the first of a three-game series. Radio coverage begins at 4:35 p.m. on KFOR 1240.
Come enjoy Memorial Day at Haymarket Park for Grow Your Own Bat Night, sponsored by UNICO, Union Bank and the Arbor Day Foundation. Tickets are available at www.saltdogs.com.
Drew Bontadelli2017-05-04T15:07:41-05:00May 25th, 2014|
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Tag: Dallas Mavericks
Gasol injures finger in warm ups
The San Antonio Spurs keep humming along even through injuries from two of their starting players. Pau Gasol broke a finger during pre-game warm ups while Tony Parker is still dealing with a left foot sprain. Kawhi Leonard took up the slack as he completed his fifth consecutive 30-point game o f the season.
“I’m just happy that my hard work has paid off,” Leonard said. “It’s just another stepping point to my career. Hopefully, I can keep going from here.”
The Spurs hit the road for a four game road trip that will have them visit Cleveland, Brooklyn, Toronto and Ne Orleans before returning home on the 29th to face their IH-35 rival Dallas Mavericks. They will be home until the 4th of February facing Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and Denver before hitting the road for a long stretch.
Rodeo Road Trip
The Spurs begin their annual pilgrimage known as the Rodeo Road Trip. This year the road trip kicks off o February 6th and will close February 26th.
Author katadminPosted on January 20, 2017 January 20, 2017 Categories In the News, San Antonio SpursTags 2016-17 NBA Season, Affordable Tickets, Alamo Tickets, Dallas Mavericks, Great seats, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, Prime Tickets, Rodeo Road Trip, San Antonio SpursLeave a comment on Spurs overcome injuries to take out Nuggets
Spurs Reserves dismiss Mavericks
Franchise prepares for 33rd foray into the NBA Playoffs
–The San Antonio Spurs have distinction of being the only former ABA Team to have ever won a championship, much less five of them. Beginning Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs will embark on their 33rd attempt to reach the pinnacle of the NBA, the battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Last night, the Spurs reserves, a lineup of Boban Marjanovic, Kyle Anderson, Danny Green, Andre Miller and Matt Bonner defeated the starting line up for the Dallas Mavericks 96-91 with Marjanovic matching a career high 22 points along with 12 boards.
Boris Diaw made his return to the court after sitting out with a minor injury the past few games. He liked what he and his teammates were able to accomplish against the A squad of the Mavericks.
“Obviously we’ve got great guys and great Hall of Fame’rs and starters, (Tim, Tony, Manu, Kawhi, LaMarcus and David West all stayed in SA) but the support cast has been doing a great job all season,” Diaw said.
“A lot of fun,” said Danny Green, the only San Antonio starter to play. “We got a chance to get the young guys out there, move the ball a little bit, push the pace, try something different. It’s always fun to win when you’ve got your old guys sitting out.”
The 2016 NBA Playoffs begin this Sunday with Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies at 8 pm at the AT&T Center. Plenty of great seats and affordable tickets are still available so be sure to get yours today and help cheer your San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals!
[mappress mapid=”50″]
Author katadminPosted on April 14, 2016 Categories In the News, San Antonio SpursTags 2015-16 NBA Season, 2016 NBA Finals, ABA, Affordable Tickets, ATT Center, Dallas Mavericks, Danny Green, Great seats, Kyle Anderson, Larry O'Brien Trophy, Marjanovic, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, San Antonio SpursLeave a comment on Spurs Reserves dismiss Mavericks
Spurs dismiss Bulls, prep for a Thunder storm
The Chicago Bulls came into the AT&T Center needing a win to keep pace with the Detroit Pistons for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They ended up on the wrong end of 109-101 loss. The Pistons upset the Dallas Mavericks with a 102-96 in Big D moving a half game ahead of the Bulls.
In the Spurs victory, Tim Duncan became only the sixth player in NBA history to collect 15K rebounds, which he did midway through the 1st quarter when he received a standing ovation from the loyal Silver & Black crowd.
“I don’t know what they’re supposed to mean,” Duncan said. “They are what they are. Everybody keeps asking how does it feel. I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like. I’ve been at it for a long time. I’m honored to be on a list with these guys and when I look back it will mean a whole lot, but right now I’m just trying to play better, trying to get healthy and trying to help the team.”
The Spurs have little time to dwell over individual accomplishments as they prepare for a hungry Oklahoma City Thunder squad taking the AT&T Center court tomorrow. The Thunder are coming off a 120-108 thrashing of the Los Angeles Clippers and face a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that has won only 20 games.
“If you’re ever going to get better, if you’re ever going to win,” Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell said, “you have to remember the times where you got your butt kicked.”
Plenty of great seats and affordable tickets are still available so be sure to get yours today and help cheer on your San Antonio Spurs!
Author katadminPosted on March 11, 2016 Categories In the News, San Antonio SpursTags 2015-16 NBA Season, 2016 NBA Playoffs, Affordable Tickets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Eastern Conference, Great seats, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA History, Oklahoma CIty Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, Western ConferenceLeave a comment on Spurs dismiss Bulls, prep for a Thunder storm
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File created: 8/20/2020 Departments: ASSESSOR-COUNTY CLERK-RECORDER-ELECTIONS
Title: Adopt a resolution authorizing the Chief Elections Officer, or designee, to enter into an agreement for and receive, on behalf of the County, Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds provided by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 for the 2020 Federal election cycle, in an amount not to exceed $1,233,063.
Attachments: 1. 20200915_r_Elections_HAVA_COVID, 2. 20200915_a_Elections_HAVA_COVID
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: Help America Vote Act COVID Grant
Adopt a resolution authorizing the Chief Elections Officer, or designee, to enter into an agreement for and receive, on behalf of the County, Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds provided by the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 for the 2020 Federal election cycle, in an amount not to exceed $1,233,063.
The potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the County's ability to conduct the upcoming Presidential Election cannot be overstated. Thus, the California Secretary of State has made available HAVA grant funds to reimburse the County in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2020 Federal election cycle ("Grant Funds").
The Grant Funds can be used for election-related costs incurred after March 28, 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Allowable costs are those that are in addition to normal election costs and do not supplant funds already allocated under State or local budget authority to cover the costs. Such costs include, without limitation, increased vote-by-mail, expanded early voting, improving the safety of voting in-person, outreach and communication, and staff and election worker salaries and benefits.
A copy of the agreement, which uses the State of California - Department of General Services Standard Agreement form, is attached as Exhibit "A" to this memorandum and incorporated by this reference.
As set forth in the agreement, the Grant Funds shall not exceed $1,233,063. From that total amount, $990,688 can be used to conduct the November 2020 election, which can include increased costs related to all aspects of voting by mail, equipment needs for processing increased vote-b...
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Linguistic Expression
‘They’: The ‘Word of the Year’ is more than a nod to shifting attitudes on gender
The American Dialect Society Word of the Year, “(my) pronouns,” highlights the trend of people presenting their preferred pronouns in email signatures.
Reed Blaylock, The Conversation
Jan 20, 2020 · 05:30 pm
Ted Eytan / CC BY-SA 2.0
On January 3, the American Dialect Society held its 30th annual “Word of the Year” vote, which this year also included a vote for “Word of the Decade.” It was the year – and the decade – of the pronoun.
In a nod to shifting attitudes about gender identities that are nonbinary – meaning they don’t neatly fit in the category of man or woman – over 200 voters, including me, selected “(my) pronouns” as the word of the year and “they” as word of the decade.
Pronouns, along with conjunctions and prepositions, are generally considered a “closed class” – a group of words whose number rarely grows and whose meanings rarely change. So when pronouns take center stage, especially a new use of “they” that expands the closed class, linguists can’t help but get excited.
Pronominal importance
Word of the year votes are lighthearted ways to highlight the natural evolution of language. Candidates must be demonstrably new or newly popular during the year in question. Previous American Dialect Society winners have included “dumpster fire” in 2016, “fake news” in 2017 and “tender-age shelter” in 2018.
Because so many words enter our collective vocabulary each year, the American Dialect Society also votes on subcategories, from “Euphemism of the Year” to “Political Word of the Year.” “People of means” – used by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in February 2019 to refer to billionaires – won the former and “quid pro quo” won the latter.
While the American Dialect Society’s annual vote is the longest-running vote, other language publications, from Merriam-Webster to Oxford English Dictionary, also announce words of the year. In December, Merriam-Webster announced that its word of the year was “they.”
It’s rare for words as simple as pronouns – “I,” “he,” “they” – to get so much media and cultural attention. But that’s exactly what’s been happening over the past few years, which made them a tempting choice for voters.
This year’s American Dialect Society Word of the Year, “(my) pronouns,” highlights the trend of people presenting their preferred pronouns in email signatures and on social media accounts – for example “pronouns: she, her, hers, herself.” People started doing this to help destigmatise a nonbinary person’s declaration of their pronouns.
The Word of the Decade, “they,” honors the way the pronoun has become a singular pronoun for many people who identify as nonbinary. “They” has actually been used as a singular pronoun in English for centuries if the gender of someone being spoken about isn’t known, or if that person’s gender is unimportant to the conversation. For example, if I started telling you something funny my kid said, you might ask, “What’s their name?” or “How old are they?”
Only in recent years has “they” become widely accepted as a pronoun for nonbinary individuals for whom the pronouns “he” and “she” would be both inaccurate and inappropriate. It’s not the only option – some nonbinary people prefer “xe” or “ze.”
Socially-conscious shift
Though it can drive some pedants mad, language changes as culture changes. In English, these changes usually involve new or repurposed nouns and adjectives, like what happened with “app.” Originally shorthand for a downloaded computer or smartphone application, it became a word in and of itself.
But in this case, the social push to respect nonbinary gender identity has extended so far into English that it’s altering pronouns – again, a class of words that rarely changes – with a new, third-person singular gendered pronoun to accompany the longstanding pair of “he” and “she.”
It helps to fill in a linguistic gender gap, just like how, in some dialects, “y’all” or “yinz” fill in the lack of a distinct, plural “you.” But whereas “y’all” appeared slowly after years of unconsciously contracting “you all,” the nonbinary “they” arose quickly after a conscious social movement.
This might explain why some people have adapted to the nonbinary “they” more easily than others. You probably know someone – or are someone – who has struggled with referring to an individual of nonbinary gender as “they.” But what makes it so difficult? Is it discomfort with what can sound like bad grammar? Or does it have to do with our gender biases?
In a recent study, linguist Evan Bradley asked people to judge the grammar of sentences with a singular “they” as “correct English” or not. They found that singular “they” – in its centuries-old use for a person of unknown gender – was easier for people to accept. But the acceptability of nonbinary “they” depended on a person’s attitudes toward gender roles.
This suggests that the difficulty with nonbinary “they” has more to do with our culture’s perspective on gender than on the language itself.
Reed Blaylock, PhD candidate in Linguistics, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
This article first appeared on The Conversation.
Kurdish children’s books from Soviet Armenia are a rare glimpse into a fractured culture
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Messiaen Work Creates Meditative Web of Sound
12/08/2014 by Stan
United Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2014 (6) – Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps: Jörg Widmann (clarinet), Antje Weithaas (violin), Alban Gerhardt (cello), Steven Osborne (piano), Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, 11.8.2014 (SRT)
It may have been only intermittently present since the opening concert on Friday night, but this year’s Festival theme of culture and conflict burst unmissably onto the scene with this performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. The circumstances of this work’s composition would be enough on their own to make it noteworthy in the history of 20th Century music, let alone to fit with Jonathan Mills’ festival theme. Messiaen wrote it while a prisoner at Stalag VIII-A in Görlitz, about 70 miles east of Dresden. It’s still a mind-boggling story of the triumph of the human spirit (or of the composer’s deeply held Catholic faith, depending on your point of view) and the music he produced is all the more powerful given its context.
But what exactly is the “end of time” that the composer refers to in the title? Ostensibly it’s a reference to the passage in Revelation when the Angel of the Apocalypse declares that “there shall be no more time”, and this gave the composer a rough pictorial framework for the work. However, as Roger Nichols points out in his programme note for this concert, it is perhaps in the world of time that Messiaen’s contribution to the development of 20th century music is greatest and, listening to this extraordinary music unfolding in the resonant acoustic of Greyfriars Kirk, it was this very timelessness that struck me most forcibly. Sure, there is rhythmic energy aplenty, most notably in the 4th movement Scherzo, or the violent passages in the 7th movement that depict the cluster of rainbows that surround the angel’s head, but those passages are rare.
More characteristic is Messiaen’s ability to spin a long, long line of music that seems to ignore bar lines, sometimes even pulses, altogether. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the frequent solo passages, especially those for cello in the 5th movement and violin in the 8th movement, both explicit meditations on the timelessness of Jesus. Both Alban Gerhardt and Antje Weithaas seemed to step out of themselves and their environment to bring us a seamless web of music that felt like it was never going to end; timeless, despite the constant pulse maintained by Steven Osborne’s piano line throbbing underneath. Somehow, direction didn’t seem to matter (who needs a cadence, anyway?), and the audience seemed to lose itself in the web of sound that we being spun around it: you could have heard a pin drop, and there was a long silence before the applause began at the end.
This rhapsodic sense of unfolding didn’t harm the more strident passages, but perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was the unaccompanied 3rd movement, Abyss of the Birds, played with astounding colour by Jörg Widmann on the clarinet. This exemplified that sense of timelessness and, in this abyss that seemed bottomless it’s hard to know whether to give more praise to Widmann’s virtuosic leaps and flicks or to the way he could imbue a single note with a vast palette of colour. This was music as true meditation, an experience not to be forgotten; and the spacious 17th century church seemed a remarkably appropriate place for it.
The Edinburgh International Festival runs until Sunday 31st August in venues across the city. For full details click here.
Categories Concert Reviews, Edinburgh Festival 2014, Edinburgh Festival-2014, UK Concerts Tags Edinburgh, Simon Thompson Post navigation
The Sixteen Juxtapose Two Different Musical Worlds
A Bleak Performance from Bostridge
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A Woman's Huts and Hideaways: More Than 40 She Sheds and Other Retreats
In A Woman's Huts and Hideaways Gill Heriz presents an inspirational collection of stunning small spaces. Each place has its own story, a reason for being, whether it's somewhere to escape, to create, to work, or just a place to "be." By the Waterside, Ivy has built a mud hut near the River Willamett in Portland, Oregon--a place to "inspire and educate and share with her community." In the Countryside Monica's Cabin on the Hill is a writing retreat and provides a place for women who need time away from busy lives. A purpose-built shed in an Urban garden serves as studio for illustrator and artist, Martha. Hidden away, in an enchanting wilderness in Suffolk, UK, is Janet and Sue's Secret Garden. Here, there are three sheds: an old summerhouse full of light; a hide nestled in the bushes for watching the local wildlife; and a renovated wagon used as a base for recording their wildlife observations. From yurts to Airstreams, beach huts to bothies, the huts and hideaways have one thing in common--they are all inspirational spaces created by women, for women.
Gill Heriz is an artist and writer who was once an interior designer, and has a passion for architecture and design. She is also self-confessedly nosy, and loves nothing more than exploring other people's houses, huts and hideaways. Her interest in small spaces designed by women was first sparked by some fine examples in her local area, and now extends across the world. Gill's first book, A Woman's Shed (published by CICO Books), won the Gold in Home & Garden at the 2014 Foreword Reviews IndieFab awards.
Publisher : Ryland Peters & Small
Imprint : CICO Books
Dimensions : 23.50 cmmm X 19.10 cmmm X 2.10 cmmm
Availability date : March 2016
Author : Gill Heriz
Dewey classification : 728.922082
Illustrations : 300 x col photographs
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Vinyl Junkies Merch
SELL US YOUR RECORDS!
2235 Fern St
Live archive release. One of the most influential bands in the last five decades, Kraftwerk virtually established the blueprint, the source code even for electronic music. Founded by classically trained musicians Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleban in Dusseldorf in 1970, the band has informed and inspired a diverse range of genres and artists including David Bowie, Björk, Afrika Bambaataa, and Joy Division. This early live performance, in Soest, Germany in Winter 1970, broadcast on WDR-TV displays the band in superb form. Arguably, the future of electronic music, trance, techno, ambient - started right here.
https://shop.vinyljunkies.net 5053547220214
Label: INNER SPACE
Soest Live
Artist: Kraftwerk
Copyright © Vinyl Junkies
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Corporate Welfare / Subsidies
Two Thumbs Down on Taxpayer Help for New Downtown Stadium
By Andrew B. Wilson on Feb 6, 2015
As first appearing in the Columbia Daily Tribune:
Talk about pouring taxpayer money down a rat hole. How about having to pay out $120 million in retiring the debt on a domed and doomed stadium – whose principal tenant has flown the coup for a new home in a faraway city?
That will happen if the St. Louis Rams decide to move to new digs in Los Angeles in 2016 – taking full advantage of the escape clause open to the team through the original lease agreement.
By the end of this calendar year, Saint Louis City and County and the state of Missouri will have paid off $360 million out of the $480 million in bonds that financed the construction of the Edward Jones Dome, which opened in 1995.
That still leaves another $120 million in bond payments due between 2016 and 2021 ($60 million from the state and $30 million each from the city and county).
Neil deMause, co-author of Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit, has examined dozens of cases in recent decades of cities that have ponied up hundreds of millions of dollars for the construction of new stadiums for professional sports teams. He calls the deal that the city of Saint Louis struck with the Rams “the worst lease ever” – meaning the most one-sided in enriching the team’s owners at the expense of taxpayers . . . and in opting to please deep-pocketed corporate clients (conducting partially tax-deductible “business entertainment” in their luxury suites) more than to control ticket prices or provide better seating for ordinary fans.
The Edward Jones Dome (formerly the TWA Dome) was a 100 percent publicly financed project. The Rams paid no part of the construction costs, and they have paid almost nothing in rent (just $250,000 a year) while receiving all luxury-box and concession revenues, claiming 75 percent of advertising and naming rights, and pocketing a $46 million relocation fee.
Still more, political and civic leaders signed on to a deal that gave the team the right to opt out of the original arrangement 10 years early – in 2015 – if the stadium did not rank in “the top 25 percent of NFL stadiums” – even if that meant having to build a whole new stadium, once again at taxpayer expense.
Jim Nagourney, an ad marketer for Anaheim Stadium who was hired away by the then L.A. Rams as a consultant on their relocation plans, made this comment as quoted in a recent article by San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan:
I went to a meeting in Los Angeles one morning. We had a whiteboard, and we’re putting stuff down (to demand from cities). I couldn’t believe some of the stuff. I said, “Guys, some of this is crazy.” And John Shaw, who was president of the Rams at the time – brilliant, brilliant guy – said, “They can always say no; let’s ask for it.”
Twenty some years ago, local and state official made a big mistake in not saying no. Are today’s officials about to repeat the same mistake all over again?
Now the call has gone out for building a new open-air stadium in downtown Saint Louis at a cost of almost a billion dollars, with taxpayers bearing about half the cost – through new publicly financed debt, state tax credits, and other means that will deplete local and state treasuries and leave less money for other public needs, such as police, roads, and schools.
Some people say that Saint Louis needs a world-class stadium in order to be a world-class city. But that is an emotional argument, not an economic argument. Despite the rosy claims of local chambers of commerce, there is broad agreement among academic economists that the proliferation of new publicly financed stadiums over the past few decades has done little or nothing to underpin economic growth or employment in their host cities. In some cases, stadium projects may actually undermine growth – by diverting scarce resources to less productive use.
In the Coliseum in ancient Rome, the crowds signaled with a thumbs up for sparing the life of a game’s losing contestant or a thumbs down for showing no mercy.
We have seen that publicly financed stadiums are a misuse of public funds. It is time to turn two thumbs down on a bad idea of no redeeming merit.
Andrew B. Wilson is resident fellow and senior writer at the Show-Me Institute.
Andrew B. Wilson
An Incentive Package for Tesla May Not Benefit Joplin
Don’t Subsidize What’s Already Happening
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Vacation Travel Policies May Need to Be Altered Due to Pandemic
August 11, 2020, SHRM
Carolyn Rashby is quoted in SHRM regarding the travel restrictions employers can place on employees when considering the spread of COVID-19. Ms. Rashby says regulating where employees go on vacation could conflict with some state laws protecting off-duty conduct and could hurt morale.
Regarding pre-travel inquiries, she says employers generally can require employees to inform them about travel plans. "However, employers should only require information necessary to discern whether the employee is traveling out-of-state or internationally and for how long, and should avoid asking personal details,” she adds.
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German government makes U-turn and sells weapons to Saudis
In this Aug. 25, 2018 image made from video, severely malnourished infant Zahra breastfeeds from her mother, in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemen’s civil war has wrecked the impoverished country’s already fragile ability to feed its population. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa)
Berlin, Germany—Despite promises to ban weapons sales to countries fighting in the Yemeni Civil War, the German government has approved a deal to Saudi Arabia.
The sale concerned is for four artillery positioning systems. The vehicle-borne systems are designed to locate incoming fire and calculate precise counter-strikes. The German government also authorised a package of 48 anti-air warheads and 91 anti-air homing heads for the navy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In 2015, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen. Its purpose is to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government and defeat the Houthi rebels, who depend on Iranian support.
In March, the newly formed German government, which is comprised of the CDU (conservatives), CSU (conservatives), and SPD (socialists), agreed to an arms sales ban to countries involved in Yemen.
International human rights organizations have been very critical of Saudi Arabia, highlighting human rights abuses, famine, and possible war crimes accounts. The United Nations (U.N.), on the other hand, reports that more than 8 million Yemenis are starving and urge for both the immediate cessation of hostilities and implementation of global humanitarian relief efforts.
According to the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (YemenGEE), a U.N. affiliated organization, political and military actors in the Saudi-led coalition are suspected of committing or sanctioning war crimes.
“There is little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimize civilian casualties. I call them to prioritize human dignity in this forgotten conflict,” concluded Kamel Jendoubi, Chairperson of YemenGEE.
Read Next: One's weapons embargo is another's gain: How a German arms embargo benefits the US
But Germany isn’t the only European country to retract its weapon exports policies. Spain, who also had a similar Yemen-ban, announced the sale of 400 laser-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia. Although the contract had been signed in 2015, the Spanish government suspended it over concerns that the weapons might be used in Yemen.
“After an intense week’s work by various ministries, including the foreign ministry, the decision is that these bombs will be delivered to honor a contract from 2015, which was made by the previous government and in which no irregularity has been detected that would bar it from happening,” said the Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell.
What’s behind the Spanish U-turn? A Saudi threat to scrap a warship contract worth around $2 billion, which would affect 6,000 jobs (Spain is plagued with high unemployment rate; currently, at 16 percent).
“The ministry of defense and the foreign ministry have been talking about this and analyzing it for a week. And I think we’ve come to the conclusion that this contract had to be honored,” she added.
Despite her fierce anti-war culture, Germany remains in the world’s top-5 weapons exporters.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2017, Saudi Arabia had the world’s third largest military expenditure with close to $70 billion.
One's weapons embargo is another's gain: How a German arms embargo benefits the US
Germany increases weapon sales to Saudi Arabia and Egypt
How to improve the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the US defense industry
British PM announces plans to send military trainers to Jordan; visiting Saudi Arabia amid controversy
Libyan Civil War: Saudi Arabia & UAE Involvement
Iranian-backed terror group fires missile into Saudi Arabia
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View source for Regulatory Flexibility Act
← Regulatory Flexibility Act
5 U.S.C. [http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part1/chapter6&edition=prelim §§ 601-612] (2012); enacted by [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-94/pdf/STATUTE-94-Pg1164.pdf Pub. L. No. 96-354], 94 Stat. 1,164-1,170, Sept. 19, 1980; amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-104publ121/pdf/PLAW-104publ121.pdf Pub. L. No. 104-121], Title II, §§ 241-245, 110 Stat. 864, Mar. 29, 1996. '''Lead Agency:''' [https://www.sba.gov/advocacy U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy] ==Overview== ===Requirements=== The Regulatory Flexibility Act (Reg Flex Act) requires agencies to consider the special needs and concerns of small entities whenever they engage in rulemaking subject to the notice-and-comment requirements of the APA or other laws. In 1996, the Reg Flex Act’s coverage was expanded to include interpretive rules promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that contain small entity information collection requirements. Each time an agency publishes a proposed rule (or IRS interpretive rule) in the ''Federal Register'', it must prepare and publish a regulatory flexibility analysis (RFA) describing the impact of the proposed rule on small entities (including small businesses, organizations, and governmental jurisdictions), unless the agency head certifies that the proposed rule will not “have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.” The initial RFA, like the proposed rule itself, is subject to public comment, and the agency is encouraged to facilitate participation by small entities by providing actual notice of the proceeding to affected small entities, holding conferences and public hearings on the proposed rule as it affects small entities, and transmitting copies of its initial RFA to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. Additional procedures are required to ensure small entities comment whenever the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), or the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP) promulgate rules. Prior to the publication of the initial RFA, these agencies must notify and provide the Chief Counsel with information regarding the potential impact of the proposed rule on small entities. The Chief Counsel then identifies individuals to represent small entities and gather comments and suggestions on the proposed rule. These agencies must also convene a regulatory review panel, consisting of employees from that agency, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Chief Counsel, to report on the agency’s information and small entity representatives’ comments and recommendations. This information becomes part of the rulemaking record, which can provide a basis for the agency to amend its initial proposed rule or RFA. The final rule adopted by any agency must be published with a final RFA that summarizes and responds to significant issues raised by the comments received. The Reg Flex Act does not mandate any particular outcome in rulemaking; it encourages, but does not require, the “tiering” of government regulations through a number of techniques designed to make them less burdensome to small entities. An agency’s initial RFA must identify any “significant alternatives” to the proposed regulation that might achieve its goals while minimizing the impact on small entities. Approaches suggested in the statute include modifying compliance or reporting timetables, simplifying compliance or reporting requirements, using performance rather than design standards, and exempting small entities from certain requirements. The final RFA must explain why any such significant alternatives to the rule were not adopted and the steps taken by the agency to minimize the effects of the rule on small entities. Agencies must publish semiannual regulatory agendas identifying upcoming and current rulemaking proposals that “is likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.” 5 U.S.C. [http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section602&num=0&edition=prelim § 602(a)(1)]. In addition, the Reg Flex Act directs agencies to apply regulatory flexibility analysis to their existing rules, initially evaluating them over a 10-year period and reviewing them periodically. In 2002, President Bush signed [https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/eo13272.pdf Executive Order 13,272], ''Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking''. For the most part, the Order simply restates the requirements of the Reg Flex Act. In addition, the Order gives prominence to the role of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration and specifically requires that an agency provide the Chief Counsel with a draft of any proposed rule that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities at the same time the agency provides it to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) under [https://www.archives.gov/files/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12866.pdf Executive Order 12,866] or, if the draft is not required to be sent to OIRA, at a reasonable time prior to publication of the proposed rule. The Chief Counsel not only advises agencies as to his views on proposed rules, he also has from time-to-time participated in litigation as an amicus curiae in support of challenges to agency rules. It should be noted that the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 also contained provisions concerning “regulatory compliance simplification,” requiring agencies to prepare compliance guides and answer inquiries on compliance from small entities. It also required certain “regulatory enforcement reforms,” including the establishment (within the Small Business Administration) of a Small Business and Agriculture Enforcement Ombudsman and Regional Small Business Regulatory Fairness Boards, and authorization for agencies to waive civil money penalties assessed on small entities in certain circumstances. ===Coverage=== The Reg Flex Act’s limitations are important. It does not apply to the vast amount of administrative activity that is not rulemaking, from adjudication to the large variety of informal actions. Except for the limited set of IRS interpretive rules, the Reg Flex Act also does not reach rulemaking that is not subject to notice-and-comment, such as interpretive rules and other rules exempt from notice and comment by the provisions of section 553 of the APA. ''See, e.g.'', [http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2006/07/05/0535970.pdf Or. Trollers Ass’n v. Gutierrez], 452 F.3d 1104 (9th Cir. 2006). ===Judicial Review=== As originally enacted, the Reg Flex Act expressly prohibited judicial review of agency compliance with any of its requirements. Echoing the statutory language, most courts limited review to a determination under the APA of the reasonableness of a final rule based on the record before the agency, which included the regulatory flexibility analysis and any comments from small entities expressing the hardships associated with a proposed rule. ''See, e.g.'', ''Michigan v. Thomas'', 805 F.2d 176 (6th Cir. 1986); ''Thompson v. Clark'', 741 F.2d 401 (D.C. Cir. 1984). In 1996, after noting that agencies were too often ignoring the requirements of the Reg Flex Act, Congress amended it to provide judicial review of certain of the Reg Flex Act’s provisions, but such suits may only be brought by small entities, as defined in the Reg Flex Act, that are adversely affected or aggrieved by a final agency action. ''See'' [https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2012cv1253-27 Western Wood Preservers Institute v. McHugh], 925 F. Supp. 2d 63 (D.D.C. 2013). Moreover, the Reg Flex Act expressly provides that agency compliance or noncompliance with any provision of the Reg Flex Act can be reviewed only as provided in the Reg Flex Act. ''See, e.g.'', [https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/74974D6C85377E9B85257A250050DB5C/$file/10-1183-1380223.pdf Nat'l Ass’n of Home Builders v. EPA], 682 F.3d 1032 (D.C. Cir. 2012). Without limiting the possibilities for relief, the Reg Flex Act specifies the additional possibility of deferring enforcement against small entities while leaving the rule in place for non-small entities. Courts are instructed to conduct their review in accordance with Chapter 7 of the APA. The courts have recognized that the Reg Flex Act’s requirements for an initial and final regulatory flexibility analysis are purely procedural. ''See, e.g.'', [https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/12DB294E32B72A1385256F7A00641E85/$file/00-1072a.txt U.S. Cellular Corp. v. FCC], 254 F.3d 78, 88 (D.C. Cir. 2001). In assessing compliance with those procedural requirements, courts have held that the standard of review is one of reasonableness, meaning that the agency must have made a reasonable, good-faith effort to carry out the requirements of the statute. ''Associated Fisheries of Maine, Inc. v. Daley'', 127 F.3d 104, 114 (1st Cir. 1997); ''see also'' ''Southern Offshore Fishing Ass’n v. Daley'', 995 F. Supp. 1411 (M.D. Fl. 1998). Under the reasonableness standard, an agency need only consider significant alternatives to a rule, rather than all alternatives, when doing a final RFA. ''Associated Fisheries'', 127 F.3d at 116. Similarly, an agency must make a reasonable effort to facilitate participation by small entities, but the method and manner of accomplishing this is left to agency discretion, since the Reg Flex Act only offers suggestions. ''Id.'' at 117. Southern Offshore applied the reasonableness standard and concluded that the agency’s certification of no significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities was unsatisfactory because the evidence contradicted many of the assumptions upon which the certification was based. ''Southern Offshore'', 995 F. Supp. at 1436. Several cases have involved challenges to the adequacy of an agency certification of no significant impact or final RFA by claiming that the agency failed to consider the effects of the proposed rule on a particular entity. The first, ''Mid-Tex Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. FERC'', 773 F.2d 327 (D.C. Cir. 1985), determined that the certification was appropriate because the agency need only consider the rule’s direct impact on regulated entities and not the indirect impacts of the rule on entities not regulated by the agency. More recent cases have affirmed Mid-Tex’s holding. ''See, e.g.'', [https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/EF8395F2EE4D5B1985256F7A006441F7/$file/99-1457a.txt Cement Kiln Recycling Coalition v. EPA], 255 F.3d 855 (D.C. Cir. 2001); [https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/2C84DF90A90B8E4D85256F12006E50F5/$file/96-1392a.txt Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Ass’n v. Nichols], 142 F.3d 449, 467 (D.C. Cir. 1998); ''United Distribution Cos. v. FERC'', 88 F.3d 1105, 1170 (D.C. Cir. 1996); ''State of Colo. ex rel. Colorado State Banking Bd. v. Resolution Trust'', 926 F.2d 931 (10th Cir. 1991). ''But see'' [https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/B46FDD11B39FE4E68525744000455588/$file/06-1091a.pdf Aeronautical Repair Station Ass’n, Inc. v. FAA], 494 F.3d 161 (D.C. Cir. 2007). In addition, when determining whether an impacted entity is a “small entity,” the agency is required to use the definitions found in the Reg Flex Act, the references made therefrom to the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. [http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section632&num=0&edition=prelim § 632], and definitions promulgated by the Small Business Association, 13 C.F.R. [https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1ec2a07c3f665fc09f989c1af8524f49&mc=true&node=se13.1.121_1201&rgn=div8 § 121.201]. ''Northwestern Mining Ass’n v. Babbitt'', 5 F. Supp. 2d 9 (D.D.C. 1998). ==Legislative History== ===95th Congress=== The Reg Flex Act was introduced originally as S. 1974 by Senators Culver and Nelson. Hearings on S. 1974 as amended were held on October 7, 1977, and August 23, 1978, before the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, which unanimously reported S. 1974 to the Judiciary Committee on September 9, 1978. The Senate passed the bill on October 14, 1978. In the House of Representatives, H.R. 11376, the companion bill to S.1974, was introduced on March 8, 1978, by Representatives Kastenmeier and Baldus, but no further action was taken. ===96th Congress=== On January 31, 1979, Senator Culver reintroduced his original bill as S. 299. Three similar bills were introduced in the House of Representatives: H.R. 1971 (companion bill to S. 299, on February 8, 1979), H.R. 1745 (a similar bill, but cast as an amendment to the Small Business Act, on January 31, 1979) and H.R. 4660 (an expansion of H.R. 1745, on June 28). The last bill became the principal bill in the House. After extensive hearings, the Senate bill, S. 299, passed the Senate on August 6, 1980, in the form of a substitute, imprinted amendment intended to recodify the bill from 5 U.S.C. §§ 551, 552 to a new chapter within title 5 (sections 601-612). (See the Senate “Description of Major Issues” accompanying the amendment at 126 Cong. Rec. S 10,934-43 (daily ed. Aug. 6, 1980).) On September 8, 1980, the House of Representatives passed the Senate passed version of S. 299 without amendment. The House held no separate hearings on the Senate bill; rather it simply adopted the Senate’s “Description of Major Issues” and section-by-section analysis. The House did offer its own three-page “Discussion of the Issues” (126 Cong. Rec. H 8468-70 (daily ed. Sept. 8, 1980)). President Carter signed the bill into law on September 19, 1980. ===103rd Congress=== Although Congress repeatedly held hearings on the Regulatory Flexibility Act and the effects of regulation on small entities, no amendments were proposed until the 103rd Congress. (See ''Oversight of Regulatory Flexibility Act (Part 1)'': Hearings Before the Subcomm. on Export Opportunities and Special Small Business Problems of the H. Small Business Comm., 97th Cong., 1st Sess. (1981).) Representative Ewing introduced the Regulatory Flexibility Act Amendments of 1993 as [https://www.congress.gov/103/bills/hr830/BILLS-103hr830ih.pdf H.R. 830]. Although H.R. 830 had over 250 cosponsors, the bill never progressed beyond the House Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations. The Senate passed a similar bill as an amendment to S. 4, which was considered in the House, H.R. 820, but this too failed to pass. ===104th Congress=== The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 was originally introduced on June 16, 1995, by Senator Bond as [https://www.congress.gov/104/bills/s942/BILLS-104s942rfh.pdf S. 942] (141 Cong. Rec. 8560). It was referred to the Committee on Small Business, and hearings were held on February 28, 1996 (S. Hrg. 104-443). The Senate passed S. 942, as amended, on March 19, 1996. Three days later, the House began considering the measure as part of [https://www.congress.gov/104/plaws/publ121/PLAW-104publ121.pdf H.R. 3136], the Contract with America Advancement Act. The bill was referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means, Budget, Rules, the Judiciary, Small Business, and Government Reform and Oversight for consideration. On March 27, the House Rules Committee reported up a resolution, [https://www.congress.gov/104/bills/hres391/BILLS-104hres391eh.pdf H.R. Res. 391], which provided for the consideration of H.R. 3136 ([https://www.congress.gov/104/crpt/hrpt500/CRPT-104hrpt500.pdf H.R. Rep. 104-500]). The next day, both the resolution and the bill passed the House, and the bill was read and passed without amendment by the Senate. President Clinton signed the bill into law on March 29, 1996. The most extensive discussion of the Reg Flex Act’s original provisions is Verkuil’s 1982 [https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2804&context=dlj Critical Guide to the Regulatory Flexibility Act]. Although it is somewhat dated and does not include a discussion of the 1996 Amendments, the Guide may still be useful in some regard since the Amendments changed very little of the previous substantive requirements of the Reg Flex Act. The annual reports issued by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy contain a wealth of information on agency implementation of the Reg Flex Act, as well as on the Reg Flex Act’s strengths and weaknesses as identified by that Office. These reports, along with a host of other Regulatory Flexibility Act documents, can be found at the [https://www.sba.gov/category/advocacy-navigation-structure/regulatory-policy_0 Office of Advocacy’s Regulatory Affairs webpage]. ==Bibliography== ===Legislative History and Congressional Documents=== <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> *''The Regulatory Flexibility Act'': Hearings on S.1974 Before the Subcomm. on Administrative Practices and Procedures of the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 95th Cong., 1st Sess. (1977). *''The Regulatory Flexibility Act'': Joint Hearings on S.1974 and S.3330 Before the Subcomm. on Administrative Practice and Procedure, S. Comm. on the Judiciary and Senate Select Comm. on Small Business, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. (1978). *Report to Accompany S.1974, ''S. Rep. No. 1322'', 95th Cong., 2d Sess. (1978). *''Regulatory Reform'': Hearings on S.104, S.262, S.299, S.755 and S.1291 Before the Subcomm. on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 96th Cong., 1st Sess. (1979). *Report to Accompany H.R.4660, ''H. Rep. No. 519'', 96th Cong., 1st Sess. (1979). *''President’s Statement on Senate Approval of S.299'', 16 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 1,508 (Aug. 6, 1980). *Report to Accompany S.299, ''S. Rep. No. 878'', 96th Cong., 2d Sess. (1980), reprinted in 1980 U.S. Code Cong. & Ad. News 2788. *''Regulatory Flexibility Act'': Joint Oversight Hearing on the Operation of the Act and on S.2170 before the Subcomm. on Regulatory Reform, S. Comm. on the Judiciary and Subcomm. on Government Regulation and Paperwork, S. Comm. on Small Business, 97th Cong. 2d Sess. (1982). *''Regulatory Reform Initiatives'': Hearings before the S. Comm. on Governmental Affairs, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. (1988). *''S.917 and S.942: Implementing the White House Conference on Small Business–Recommendations on Regulations and Paperwork'': Hearings Before the S. Small Business Comm., 104th Cong., 2d Sess. (1996). *Providing for the Consideration of H.R. 3136, The Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996, [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-104hrpt500/pdf/CRPT-104hrpt500.pdf H.R. Rep. No. 104-500], 104th Cong., 2d Sess. (1996). *''The Regulatory Flexibility Act: Are Federal Agencies Using “Good Science” in Their Rule Making?'': Joint Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Gov’t Programs and Oversight, Subcomm. on Regulation Reform and Paperwork Reduction of the Comm. on Small Business, House of Representatives, 105th Cong., 1st Sess. (1997). *[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg65907/pdf/CHRG-112hhrg65907.pdf Reducing Federal Agency Overreach: Modernizing the Regulatory Flexibility Act]'','' H. Comm. on Small Business, 112th Cong. (2011). *<nowiki/><nowiki/><nowiki/><nowiki/>[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg77558/pdf/CHRG-112hhrg77558.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act Compliance: Is EPA Failing Small Businesses?], Hearing Before H. Comm. on Small Bus., 112th Cong. (2012). *<nowiki/><nowiki/>[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-114hrpt14/pdf/CRPT-114hrpt14.pdf H.R. Rep. No. 114–14], 114th Cong., 2d Sess. (2015). </div> ===Executive Orders and White House Documents=== *Executive Order 13,272, [https://www.sba.gov/advocacy/executive-order-13272-august-13-2002 Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking], 67 Fed. Reg. 53,461 (Aug. 13, 2002). ===GAO Documents=== <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> *GAO/HRD-9116, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/220/213490.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Inherent Weaknesses May Limit Its Usefulness for Small Governments] (1991). *GAO/GGD-94-105, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/220/219465.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Status of Agencies’ Compliance] (1994). *GAO/T-GGD-95-112, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/110/105880.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Status of Agencies’ Compliance: Report to Congress] (1995). *GAO-GGD-OGC-97-77R, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/90/86361.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies’ Use of the November 1996 Unified Agenda Did Not Satisfy Notification Requirements] (1997). *GGD-98-61R, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/90/87335.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies’ Use of the October 1997 Unified Agenda Often Did Not Satisfy Notification Requirements] (1998). *GAOGGD-98-75, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/110/107307.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Implementation of the Small Business Advocacy Review Panel Requirements] (1998). *GAO-GGD-99-55, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/230/227145.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Agencies’ Interpretations of Review Requirements Vary] (1999). *GAO-GGD-00193, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/240/230791.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Implementation in EPA Programs Office and Proposed Lead Rule] (2000). *GAO-01-669T, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/110/108793.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Key Terms Still Need to Be Clarified] (2001). *GAO-02-491T, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/110/109134.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Clarification of Key Terms Still Needed] (2002). *GAO-06-998T, [https://www.gao.gov/assets/120/114481.pdf Regulatory Flexibility Act: Congress Should Revisit and Clarify Elements of the Act to Improve Its Effectiveness] (2006). </div> ===Other Government Documents=== <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> *Dep’t of Labor, Occupational Health and Safety Admin., [https://www.osha.gov/Publications/smallbusiness/small-business.html Small Business Handbook] (2005). *Envtl. Prot. Agency, [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2000-04-11/pdf/00-8955.pdf Small Business Compliance Policy], 65 Fed. Reg. 19,630 (Apr. 11, 2000). *Envtl. Prot. Agency, [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2004-06-02/pdf/04-12417.pdf Agency Policy and Guidance: Small Local Governments Compliance Assistance Policy], 69 Fed. Reg. 31,278 (June 2, 2004). *Envtl. Prot. Agency, [https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/guidance-regflexact.pdf Final Guidance for EPA Rulewriters: Regulatory Flexibility Act as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act] (2006). *Office of Advocacy, Small Bus. Admin., [https://www.sba.gov/advocacy/regulatory-flexibility-act-annual-reports Annual Reports of the Chief Counsel for Advocacy on Implementation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 13272] (2001-present). *Office of Advocacy, Small Bus. Admin., [https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/rfaguide_0512_0.pdf A Guide for Government Agencies: How to Comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act] (2012). </div> ===Agency Websites=== <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> *[https://www.dol.gov/general/regs/guidelines Department of Labor] *[https://www.va.gov/ORPM/Regulatory_Flexibility_Act.asp Department of Veterans Affairs] *[https://www.epa.gov/reg-flex Environmental Protection Agency] *[https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/plan/regflexibilityact.cfm Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] *[https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/rulemaking/flexibility-act.html Nuclear Regulatory Commission] *[https://www.sba.gov/advocacy/regulatory-flexibility-act Small Business Administration] </div> ===Books and Articles=== <div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2"> *Reeve Bull & Jerry Ellig, [https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/mercatus-bull-ellig-judicial-review-ria-v1.pdf Judicial Review of Regulatory Impact Analysis: Why Not the Best?], 69 Admin. L. Rev. 725 (2017). *Doris S. Freedman, Barney Singer, & Frank Swain, ''The Regulatory Flexibility Act: Orienting Federal Regulation Toward Small Business'', 93 Dick. L. Rev. 439 (1989). *Keith Holman, [https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2203&context=ulj The Regulatory Flexibility Act at 25: Is the Law Achieving its Goal?], 33 Fordham Urb. L. J. 1119 (2006). *Jennifer McCoid, [https://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1325&context=ealr EPA Rulemaking Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act: The Need for Reform], 23 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 203 (1995). *Richard J. Pierce, Jr., ''Small Is Not Beautiful: The Case Against Special Regulatory Treatment of Small Firms'', 50 Admin. L. Rev. 537 (1998). *Barry A. Pineles, [https://scholarship.law.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1105&context=commlaw The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act: New Options in Regulatory Relief], 5 CommLaw Conspectus 29 (1997). *Thomas O. Sargentich, ''The Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act'', 49 Admin. L. Rev. 123 (1997). *Michael See, [https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2207&context=ulj Willful Blindness: Federal Agencies’ Failure to Comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act’s Periodic Review Requirement—and Current Proposals to Invigorate the Act], 33 Fordham Urb. L. J. 1199 (2006). *Stuart Shapiro & Deanna Moran, [http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Shapiro-Moran-Regulatory-Reform-Since-the-APA-19nyujlpp141.pdf The Checkered History of Regulatory Reform Since the APA], 19 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol’y 141 (2016). *Sarah Shive, [https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1811/78239/OSBLJ_V1N1_153.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y If You’ve Always Done It That Way, It’s Probably Wrong: How The Regulatory Flexibility Act Has Failed To Change Agency Behavior, And How Congress Can Fix It], 1 Entrepreneurial Bus. L.J. 153 (2006). *Paul Verkuil, [https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2804&context=dlj A Critical Guide to the Regulatory Flexibility Act], (report to ACUS), reprinted in 2 Duke L.J. 213 (1982). </div> ==Statutory Provisions== Regulatory Flexibility Act Title 5 U.S. Code *[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part1/chapter6&edition=prelim Chapter 6—The Analysis of Regulatory Functions] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section601&num=0&edition=prelim § 601. Definitions] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section602&num=0&edition=prelim § 602. Regulatory agenda] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section603&num=0&edition=prelim § 603. Initial regulatory flexibility analysis] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section604&num=0&edition=prelim § 604. Final regulatory flexibility analysis] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section605&num=0&edition=prelim § 605. Avoidance of duplicative or unnecessary analyses] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section606&num=0&edition=prelim § 606. Effect on other law] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section607&num=0&edition=prelim § 607. Preparation of analyses] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section608&num=0&edition=prelim § 608. Procedure for waiver or delay of completion] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section609&num=0&edition=prelim § 609. Procedures for gathering comments] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section610&num=0&edition=prelim § 610. Periodic review of rules] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section611&num=0&edition=prelim § 611. Judicial review] **[http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section612&num=0&edition=prelim § 612. Reports and intervention rights]
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History of Sacred Harp
The Spaces of Sacred Harp
Many Harps
Sacred Harp as Folk Tradition
Sacred Harp and the Pastoral
Stormy Banks and Sweet Rivers: A Sacred Harp Geography
James B. Wallace
This essay explores the history, geography, and contemporary practices of Sacred Harp—one form of a cappella, shape-note music—in the US South. The roots of Sacred Harp extend back to an eighteenth-century New England singing-school movement that spread the rudiments of choral music south and west with songs that drew upon folk melodies as well as original compositions by the earliest American composers. The Sacred Harp, a songbook compilation that gave its name to the major stream of shape note music, has remained in continuous use and revision since its publication in 1844. Sacred Harp singing took its strongest hold outside the southern plantation regions, especially in the piedmont and upcountry, encouraged by performance practices that represented a more egalitarian ethos. Although considered by most participants to be a form of worship, Sacred Harp exists independently of official denominational support and welcomes anyone interested in singing. This essay also considers the imagined geographies evoked by Sacred Harp through its lyrics and examines the tradition’s distinct configuration of sacred space.
"Stormy Banks and Sweet Rivers: A Sacred Harp Geography" is part of the 2008 Southern Spaces series "Space, Place, and Appalachia," a collection of publications exploring Appalachian geographies through multimedia presentations.
On a warm Saturday in early summer, a crowd gathers at a white-washed church in rural Alabama. As they begin to sing, a sound rises that is overwhelming in volume and intensity. The lyrics speak of the transience of life on earth and express a longing for a more joyous existence in the next world. The music has a haunting quality, with plaintive tones and a sound that to the uninitiated might seem more at home in medieval or renaissance Europe than in the US South. The crowd will sing from 9:30 in the morning until about three in the afternoon, and they will use only one songbook—The Sacred Harp.
C major scale in shape notes, four-shape system of the Sacred Harp. (From Wikipedia)
Sacred Harp "Rudiments" from 1911 edition of the Original Sacred Harp.
Image courtesy of Emory University Pitts Theology Library.
Recording of Nick Spitzer offering a brief introduction to Sacred Harp music.
Recording of the Wootten family performing the Sacred Harp song, "Heavenly Armor." Before singing the words, they sing the notes of the entire song. This practice is a distinct feature of Sacred Harp singing and has led the music to be dubbed "fa-sol-la" and its enthusiasts, "the fasola-folk."
What gives Sacred Harp singing its haunting, ancient sound?
In Sacred Harp music, the tenor part may carry the melody, but each of the other parts (bass, alto, treble) have important roles. Composers also make use of parallel fifths, in which an interval of a fifth is employed consecutively, and Sacred Harp composers consider two notes, often fifths, sufficient for a chord. Sacred Harp music includes unique performance practices. For example, all songs are sung loudly. Participants sing virtually at the top of their voices, though the falling and rising of the leader's arm can indicate where accents should be placed. Music composed in this style may feature dispersed harmony, in which the parts cross over each other rather than running parallel.
Both the tenor and treble sections include men and women, creating the effect of a six-part, rather than a four-part, harmony. Sacred Harp music frequently includes fuging tunes, which incorporate a technique similar to singing in rounds. The different parts enter at different intervals as they repeat a line.
Title page of the fourth edition of The Sacred Harp, published in 1870.
The name of this oblong songbook has come to designate the form of a cappella choral music it preserves. Sacred Harp music has its beginnings in New England music reforms. Puritans neglected sacred music, and by the late seventeenth century, many church-goers were weary of antiquated psalmody and a limited number of tunes. Singing schools emerged to teach lay-persons the basics of reading and performing music. These schools operated independently of any congregation or denomination and were run by itinerant teachers who were often self-taught in music (Pen 212). With a revived interest in church music, composers introduced new tunes that ignored European "scientific" musical theory and broke many of the rules of Western musical composition. One of the most famous of these singing masters was William Billings (1746-1800), a Boston tanner who composed some of the earliest American music.
In the early to mid-nineteenth century, musicians in northeast urban centers became enamored of European styles of composition and came to regard the kind of music taught in the singing schools as crude. Musicians such as Lowell Mason (1792-1872) began an ardent campaign against the singing schools and the kind of music they promoted. Mason and the "better music" advocates helped insure that European standards would be the basis of the musical curriculum in public schools.
The singing school migrated south and west. Although critics pursued the tradition (Lowell Mason's brother, Timothy, moved to Cincinnati (Bealle, 29)), it put down firm roots in regions of the South. As immigrants moved southward from Pennsylvania into Virginia and the Carolinas, singing masters and their singing schools followed. The Shenandoah Valley proved fertile ground. (Cobb 1989, 66). Singing schools and gatherings provided a social institution much appreciated by rural farmers. The schools' success increased the demand for tune books.
Sometime around 1798, William Little and William Smith of Philadelphia compiled The Easy Instructor, likely published in Albany, New York (for problems of dating and place of publication, see Metcalf, 89-97; Lowens and Britton, 115-37; Bealle 269, n. 1). This compilation of primarily American music incorporated shape-notes, or patent-notes, for the first time. To make sight-reading easier, a unique shape was assigned to each of the four syllables (fa, sol, la, and mi) commonly used to represent the seven-note scale (fa, sol, la, fa, so, la, mi). This system became popular for use both in the singing schools and in songbooks. Although numerous books were printed with shape notes, none have had the staying power of The Sacred Harp.
A page from the 1850 edition of B. F. White's and E. J. King's The Sacred Harp. The title, "Northfield," refers to the tune on which the arrangement is based and not to the lyrics of the hymn. Image courtesy of Emory University Pitts Theology Library.
Although originally published in Philadelphia in 1844, The Sacred Harp was compiled and edited by Benjamin Franklin White and E. J. King (ca. 1821-1844) in Hamilton, Georgia. It thrived especially around the foothills of the Appalachians that stretch into northern Georgia and Alabama, and accrued strong followings in parts of northern Mississippi and some locales of Tennessee as well. George Pullen Jackson speculated in 1944 that "aside from the Holy Bible, the book found oftenest in the homes of rural southern people is without doubt the big oblong volume of song called The Sacred Harp" (Jackson 1944, 7). Although other song books continued to be printed using shape-notes, most eventually adopted the seven-shape system (representing the seven syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti), and after the mid-nineteenth century, the tunes in these books came to be increasingly influenced by gospel styles.
Recording of the Wootten Family singing "Northfield." This is a fuging tune, a style once widely popular among American composers but frowned upon by the "better music" movement.
Mt. Zion Methodist Church, Mt. Zion, GA, July 2005. Image courtesy of Matt and Erica Hinton.
The Sacred Harp and the American music it preserves have survived. Not only did the singing school persist in regions of the South, but another social institution developed to carry Sacred Harp music forward — the singing convention. Conventions would last several days and bring together the faithful, many traveling several days to attend. Since rural congregations were often served by circuit riders who rotated through a group of churches, it proved easy to find an empty building for a weekend of singing, despite the lack of official denominational support.
Sacred Harp found a special ally in the Primitive Baptists who resisted the modernization of church music (Cobb 1989, 5). To this day, many singings are held in Primitive Baptist churches, though Methodist and Missionary Baptist churches are frequently used. In addition to the larger conventions, which persist in a slightly altered form, regular local singings are scheduled, usually on the same day each year (for example, the third Sunday and prior Saturday in March), and often at the same location.
Empty church with pews arranged for Sacred Harp singing. Wilson's Chapel, site of the Chattahoochee Convention (the oldest annual Sacred Harp convention), Carrolton, GA, August 2005. Image courtesy of Matt and Erica Hinton.
The arrangement of space within the church expresses the emphasis that singers place on participation. In a typical Protestant church, row after row of pews face a pulpit or lectern, and the choir faces the congregation. For a Sacred Harp singing, however, the seating resists any suggestion that a divide might exist between "performer" and "audience." The people sit in four sections. Altos face tenors, and trebles face basses. This arrangement of singers forms a hollow square in the center. In this square stands a leader. Throughout the day, participants will take turns leading one or two songs (see: "Leading Sacred Harp Music"). Anyone, young or old, male or female, with basic competence in the music is encouraged to take a turn leading. Time permitting, everyone who wants to lead will get a chance.
Leading a song means far more to Sacred Harp singers than the opportunity to select a favorite piece of music. Standing in the hollow square, the leader is at the center of the space where all the sound converges. Singers consistently emphasize that the experience of the music is most powerful from the hollow square.
Reba Dell Windom leads "Schenectady," at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church, Bremen, GA, June 2004. Image courtesy of Matt and Erica Hinton.
The rotation of song leaders throughout the day suggests the democratic impulses at the heart of the tradition. Sacred Harp music caught on most strongly in areas inhabited by yeoman farmers rather than those places in the South dominated by large plantations. The minutes kept by the early singing conventions reveal attention to democratic process (Cobb 1989, 130-32). The music is sung a cappella; the "Sacred Harp" refers to the human voice raised in song. Since everyone has this sacred harp, participation is open to all. The songs themselves have deep roots among the folk. Many of the tunes and some of the lyrics that made it into The Sacred Harp were the compositions of unschooled farmers who sang the music, and today, some devotees continue to compose using original principles and practices. Other songs derive from the improvised group singings that occurred at camp meetings (Cobb 1989, 79-83; Pen 217).
Although the lyrics of many songs come from the pens of Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and John Newton, tunes may be the work of a farmer recalling fiddle melodies (Pen 217; Cobb 1989, 73-74; for more detail on this topic, see Horn). Ultimately, tracing the authorship of songs in The Sacred Harp is tricky business, since many of the ascriptions are inaccurate. A composer might avoid his or her own name out of modesty and choose to dedicate the song to another by using the other person’s name.
Sacred Harp singers use a narrow range of dynamics — every song should be loud. And with their unique performance practices comes a distinct taste in performance spaces. Singers prefer the small, wooden, country churches similar to those that would have nourished this music in its infancy. The walls are unadorned, surfaces should be hard, and the floors should not be carpeted. A square building with relatively low ceilings serves the acoustical tastes of these singers better than vaulted ceilings (Pen 226). Concert halls engineered for modern tastes may be used at times or for special performances, but they are not preferred.
Sacred Harp singers do not spend the entire day inside the confines of the church. Around midday they break for dinner on the grounds. Spread over several tables, a sumptuous potluck meal, usually eaten outside, awaits the singers. Mississippi artist Ethel Mohamed vividly captured images of activities both inside and outside the church building through her embroidery and reminiscences.
When a singing is held at a rural church, the cemetery on the church grounds often becomes another focal space, especially for singers with local ties. Singings often coincide with the homecoming of a congregation or family, when the widely dispersed return to renew acquaintances and pay tribute to ancestors by decorating their graves (see: "Sacred Harp Singings"). Just before or after dinner on the grounds, singings often feature a "memorial lesson," during which songs are dedicated to the memories of the singers who have died in the last year. Some annual singings are dedicated to deceased stalwarts of the tradition.
Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church, Bremen, GA, June 2004.
Image courtesy of Matt and Erica Hinton.
The vast majority of Sacred Harp songs have spiritual themes, and for most participants, singings are a form of worship. However, The Sacred Harp occupies an ambivalent space in the religious world. By the express intention of the original compiler, B. F. White, the songs are meant to be compatible with any denomination, and statements of singing conventions echo this sentiment (Cobb 130). The singing schools exist as a social and religious institution separate from any formal denominational support. Singings frequently occur on Saturdays, or take advantage of a church building's being empty on Sunday if its part-time minister serves another congregation.
Despite the value placed on continuity with "the old paths," the living Sacred Harp boasts local variety. Although the Denson revision of The Sacred Harp is by far the most popular, two other revisions maintain followings, especially where the shape-note tradition was somewhat late spreading. The Cooper book is used especially in western Florida and the lower regions of Alabama and Mississippi, as well as in parts of Texas. The White book is used in some singings in east Atlanta and northwest Georgia (Cobb 1989, 6-7).
Map of Cooper Book Usage
Map of White Book Usage
The Southern Harmony published in 1835 by William Walker is another four-shape book still in use (for an online edition, see: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion). It has served as the songbook for only one long-standing annual singing held in Benton, Kentucky, but it has recently been picked up at some new singings. In 1866, Walker published a seven-shape songbook entitled Christian Harmony. This book included recent hymns and reflected the influence of gospel-style music. It remains the staple of numerous singings in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama (see: The Christian Harmony Singings). Some Sacred Harp singers will include a song or two from the Christian Harmony at their own singings. Christian Harmony is one of several seven-shape books that remain in use.
Recording of the the Wootten Family performing "Angel Band" and selection from "Christian Harmony," a songbook in the seven-shape or "new books" style.
Frontispiece of The Colored Sacred Harp, 1934. Image courtesy of Emory University Pitts Theology Library.
There also exists an African American Sacred Harp tradition, primarily in northwestern Florida and southeast Alabama, as well as in northern Mississippi and eastern Texas (Cobb 1989, 6). Most Black Sacred Harp singers use the Cooper book; however, those in northern Mississippi prefer the Denson book (Cobb 1989, 7). (For an essay on Black Sacred Harp singing in Mississippi, see: Chiquita Walls's "Mississippi's African American Shape Note Tradition." On African American Sacred Harp singing in East Texas, see: Donald R. Ross's "Black Sacred Harp Singing in East Texas.") Black Sacred Harp singers of the “Wiregrass” region of southeast Alabama supplement the Cooper book with The Colored Sacred Harp, a short tune-book that contains music written by African American composers. (source: "Tunebooks, Music and Hymnals"; "Judge Jackson and the Colored Sacred Harp"; also Willett 50-55. All songs are by Black composers with the single exception of "Eternal Truth Thy Word" by Bascom F. Faust, a white banker who put up one thousand dollars to help subsidize the publication of the book; Willett 53.)
Map of Wiregrass Region of Alabama
Areas of Black Sacred Harp Activity
African American Sacred Harp Audio:
"Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers" (10:27 min.)
This program in the Folkways Radio Series features musical performances along with discussion by singing masters Japheth Jackson and Dewey Williams, and Williams's daughter, Bernice Harvey.
From the Folkways radio series courtesy of Alabama Center for Traditional Culture.
Image of Wiregrass Singers from Alabama Center for Traditional Culture.
Is Sacred Harp a folk tradition? On the one hand, it exists in a published form. The music and words are preserved in a songbook. However, many of the tunes collected in The Sacred Harp derive from folk melodies passed down aurally before being written (cf. Cobb 1989, 73-74). Varieties of styles and the differences from region to region reflect the importance of local preferences. For example, Black Sacred Harp singers have developed styles so unique that, according to Cobb, the prospects for "consolidation" with white singers are slim (Cobb 1989, 6). Even among white singers united by the use of the Denson book, stylistic differences exist depending upon location (on the question of Sacred Harp as a folk tradition, see especially Bealle).
The Wootten family of the Sand Mountain region in Alabama has helped to preserve the Sacred Harp tradition for many generations. In this photo, Terry Wootten leads a song at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church in Bremen, GA. The Wootten Family, with Terry Wootten leading, performed most musical selections included in this essay ("Pisgah" is performed by the Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers). Image courtesy of Matt and Erica Hinton.
Map of the Sand Mountain Region
Many of the audio selections in this piece are performed by the Wootten family, most of whom live in north Alabama. Many hail from the Sand Mountain region, especially the communities of Ider and Henagar. Sacred Harp singers know the Wootten family for their distinct style of leading. If a song is in 4/4 time, the leader will wave his or her hand left and right at the bottom of the down-stroke to account for all the beats, rather than using the simpler up and down motion which most leaders employ (Cobb 1995, 42). The Woottens also tend to sing slowly.
Recording of Terry Wootten discussing dispersed harmony, one of the distinct features of Sacred Harp music.
For all of their evocation of tradition, place, family, friends, and good food, Sacred Harp singers face the transience of earthly life without illusions:
So fades the lovely blooming flow'r,
Frail, smiling solace of an hour;
So soon our transient comforts fly,
And pleasure only blooms to die.
— Anne Steele, "Distress," The Sacred Harp (1991), 32b.
Song after song in The Sacred Harp expresses longing for the next life, frequently designated "Canaan" and celebrated as a heavenly promised land. Rooted in Biblical descriptions, the geography of Canaan is depicted as a peaceful land of lush vegetation and gentle, flowing rivers where families and friends reunite permanently and all sorrows cease. By contrast, this present life is a tangled wilderness or the stormy banks of the Jordan River, which one must cross:
Sweet rivers of redeeming love
Lie just before mine eyes,
Had I the pinions of a dove,
I'd to those rivers fly;
I'd rise superior to my pain,
With joy outstrip the wind,
I'd cross o'er Jordan's stormy waves
And leave the world behind.
A few more days, or years at most,
My troubles will be o'er;
I hope to join the heav'nly host
On Canaan's happy shore.
My raptured soul shall drink and feast
In love's unbounded sea;
The glorious hope of endless rest
Is ravishing for me.
— John Adam Granade, "Sweet Rivers," The Sacred Harp (1991), 61.
"The Promised Land" includes the lyrics:
On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie.
O the transporting, rapt'rous scene
That rises to my sight!
Sweet fields arrayed in living green,
And rivers of delight.
Filled with delight, my raptured soul
Would here no longer stay!
Though Jordan's waves around me roll,
Fearless I'd launch away.
— Samuel Stennet, The Sacred Harp (1991), 128.
The pastoral imagery of these songs may further explain why they have maintained loyalty from rural people during generations of migration and urbanization.
Recording of The Wootten family singing "The Promised Land." Lyrics available in the article linked below.
Sacred Harp joins sacred sound with sacred space in a sociable event. From the printed pages of The Sacred Harp, musical space is negotiated by means of relative pitch to accommodate the range of the day's singers. Songs typically provide each part (bass, tenor, alto, treble) with a good musical line to sing. The physical space of Sacred Harp singing is arranged so that the center of worship is where all voices converge. The hollow square orients this space; its center is where the music is experienced in the balance of voices and at its loudest. Entrance into this inner sanctuary requires no ordination, nor are there restrictions based on age, race, or gender in current practice. Adherence to specific creeds or the lack of formal profession of Christian faith does not restrict access. The sacred does not inhere in an altar, a sacrament, or a church building. The priority is that the room be "live" and conducive to the sound. Where they gather, the singers create the space.
The uniqueness of Sacred Harp space evokes its origins in colonial American singing schools which sought to broaden musical education. By mid-nineteenth century, shape note music had lost out in northern urban areas to more modern styles. The 1844 publication of The Sacred Harp signified the successful migration of the music and the singing school to white yeoman-farming areas in several southern regions. Although early on the leading of songs tended to be restricted to male singers who were proficient in the music (Cobb 1989, 142-43), Sacred Harp singings welcomed participants from any protestant denomination. During the Jim Crow era, African American singers developed a distinctive Sacred Harp style that continues today. The egalitarianism at the heart of the tradition may help explain the resurgence in popularity that this music has enjoyed. New singers, especially in urban areas or on university campuses where traditional styles are unfamiliar, easily learn to sing together.
The physical structures where singers have sung Sacred Harp have helped shape their musical tastes. Veterans prefer square, wooden buildings such as rural churches and schoolhouses. The pastoral lyrics provide continuity between many participants' rural experience and the image of heaven the songs describe. And, although the tradition is portable, many of the sites for annual singings become touchstones for dispersed individuals and families. The notion of "homecoming" suggests a return while implying the dispersions and disruptions of modernity and urbanization.
For years confined to the US South, Sacred Harp singings are now held throughout the country, from Florida to Washington, from California to Maine. Outside of the southeast, singings are especially prominent in New England and in the states along the West Coast, as well as in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan [see 2004 Singings Map ]. England is home to frequent singings, and singings can be found in eastern Canada. The Sacred Harp is open to any and all willing to seek out the hollow square.
Prof. Don Saliers leads at Cannon Chapel, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, February 2005.
Image courtesy of Patrick Graham.
About this Essay
Most of the sound clips in this essay feature the Wootten family from the Sand Mountain region of Alabama. These performances aired in 1995 on the radio show Folk Masters, recorded at the Barns of Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, and produced and hosted by folklorist Nick Spitzer. I am indebted to Matt and Erica Hinton for images from their documentary Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp, and to Matt for teaching me about this music. For additional images from the excellent collection of Sacred Harp hymnals and materials found in the Emory University Pitts Theology Library, I am grateful to Patrick Graham, John Weaver, Debra Madera, the staff of Special Collections and Archives and for the Robert W. Woodruff Library Fellowship which enabled me to research and write this essay.
James B. Wallace is a PhD candidate in New Testament Studies in the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University.
Online Bibliographies
Shape Note Bibliography — by John Bealle
This extensive bibliography includes works directly related to Sacred Harp as well as works helpful for establishing its historical and religious context; the bibliography is particularly strong on Protestant hymnody.
http://fasola.org/bibliography/index.html
Sweet Is the Day: Bibliography and Links
This short bibliography lists the standard works on Sacred Harp music and provides a Wootten Family discography.
http://www.folkstreams.net/context,62
Articles and Essays on Sacred Harp Singing
Warren Steel's compilation of links to online essays and articles also includes practical, how-to essays related to Sacred Harp and reviews of books and recordings.
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/articles/
Sacred Harp Singing
The official website of the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association, this website includes general information about Sacred Harp singing and provides easy access to lists and minutes of singings.
http://fasola.org/
Warren Steel's site offers insight into numerous aspects of Sacred Harp and features both scholarly articles and basic question-and-answer about Sacred Harp music. Steel also keeps an updated list of Sacred Harp singings that occur throughout the United States, England, and Canada.
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/%7Emudws/harp.html
Sacred Harp & Related Shape-Note Music: Resources
This website, maintained by Steven L. Sabol, boasts numerous short descriptions of tune books, books related to Sacred Harp, and especially sound and video recordings.
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/resource/
Introduction to Sacred Harp Music
Wikipedia's article serves as an excellent introduction to Sacred Harp music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Harp
Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp
Far more than an advertisement for the documentary Awake My Soul (see below), this site includes an excellent essay on the history and practice of Sacred Harp, along with brief biographies of some key figures.
http://www.awakemysoul.com/
Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp.
Directed by Matt and Erica Hinton. Produced by Matt Hinton. Awake Productions, 2006.
A beautiful documentary that captures the sights and sounds of Sacred Harp singing, Awake My Soul is one of the best introductions to the history and contemporary practice of Sacred Harp.
(http://www.awakemysoul.com/)
Sweet is the Day: A Sacred Harp Family Portrait.
Directed by Jim Carnes. Produced by Erin Kellen. The Alabama Folklife Association, 2001.
Sweet is the Day documents the Wootten Family of Sand Mountain, Alabama, who have preserved and promoted Sacred Harp music for many generations.
(http://www.folkstreams.net/film,44)
Bealle, John. Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong. University of Georgia Press: Athens, 1997.
Boyd, Joe Dan. Judge Jackson and The Colored Sacred Harp. Montgomery, Ala.: Alabama Folklife Association, 2002.
Boyd, Joe Dan. "Judge Jackson: Black Giant of White Spirituals."Journal of American Folklife 83 (1970), 446-451.
Cheek, Curtis Leo. "The Singing School and Shape-Note Tradition: Residuals in Twentieth-Century American Hymnody." PhD diss. University of Southern California, 1968.
Cobb, Buell E. The Sacred Harp: A Tradition and Its Music. Athens, GA: Brown Thrasher Books/University of Georgia Press, 1989.
Cobb, Buell E. "Sand Mountain's Wootten Family: Sacred Harp Singers," in Henry Willett (ed.), In the Spirit: Alabama's Sacred Music Traditions. Montgomery, AL: Black Belt Press, 1995, 40-49.
Dyen, Doris Jane. "New Directions in Sacred Harp Singing," in W. Ferris and M.L. Hart (eds.), Folk Music and Modern Sound. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 1982, 73-79.
Dyen, Doris Jane. "The Role of Shape-Note Singing in the Musical Culture of Black Communities in Southeast Alabama." PhD diss. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1977.
Ellington, Charles Linwood. "The Sacred Harp Tradition of the South: Its Origin and Evolution." PhD diss. Florida State University, 1969.
Hardaway, Lisa Carol. "Sacred Harp Traditions in Texas." Masters thesis. Rice University, 1989.
Horn, Dorothy D. Sing to Me of Heaven: A Study of Folk and Early American Materials In Three Old Harp Books. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press, 1970.
Jackson, George Pullen. The Story of the Sacred Harp 1844-1944: A Book of Religious Folk Song as an American Institution. Nashville: Vanderbilt Press, 1944.
Jackson, George Pullen. White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands: The Story of the Fasola Folk, Their Songs, Singings, and "Buckwheat Notes." Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1933.
Kelton, Mai Hogan. "Analysis of the Music Curriculum of 'Sacred Harp' (American Tune-Book, 1971 Edition) and Its Continuing Traditions." PhD diss. University Alabama, 1985.
Marini, Stephen A. Sacred Song in America: Religion, Music, and Public Culture. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 2003.
Metcalf, Frank J. "'The Easy Instructor': A Bibliographical Study." The Musical Quarterly 23 (1937), 89-97.
Pen, Robert. "Triangles, Squares, Circles, and Diamonds: The 'Fasola Folk' and Their Singing Tradition," in Kip Lornell and Anne K. Rasmussen (eds.), Musics of Multicultural America: A Study of Twelve Musical Communities. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997, 209-232.
Tallmadge, William H. "The Black in Jackson's White Spirituals." The Black Perspective in Music 9 (1981), 139-160.
Willett, Henry. "Judge Jackson and the Colored Sacred Harp," in Henry Willett (ed.), In the Spirit: Alabama's Sacred Music Traditions. Montgomery, Ala.: Black Belt Press, 1995, 50-55.
Ireland’s First Sacred Harp Convention: “To Meet To Part No More”
Review of The Makers of the Sacred Harp
Timothy Eriksen
Hoboken Style: Meaning and Change in Okefenokee Sacred Harp Singing
Laurie Kay Sommers
f@Emory
fAppalachian Studies
fGeography
fGIS/Mapping
fMusic
fReligion and Spirituality
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Health care: ACA, on the way
December 1st, 2013 / By: IFAI / Management
Is this the way to do health insurance? Stay tuned.
By Marc Hequet
Kevin Yonce has gone to a lot of work trying to figure it out. He may still be uncertain—and you may know the feeling. The chief executive at TCT&A Industries, an awning maker and tent renter in Urbana, Ill. (and the immediate past chairman of the IFAI board of directors), has fewer than 50 employees. So under the new Affordable Care Act (ACA), maybe just sending out information about coverage to workers by Oct. 1 has sufficed, for the time being.
Did it? Yonce thinks so, but he’s not entirely sure. “We don’t really have a clear understanding of anything,” he says. He’s counting on his bookkeeper, who attended an IFAI Expo seminar on the subject in October, to provide more guidance. Yonce has checked with his accounting firm and local chamber of commerce and “still nobody can give us any firm answers because nobody knows anything yet,” says Yonce. “It’s pretty frustrating.”
It’s a new world of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Will you be required to provide coverage for employees? Will your carrier cancel your existing plan? Should you cut people’s hours to avoid the requirements? Should you hire anybody?
More deadlines loom: By Jan. 1, 2014, employers sponsoring self-insured plans must submit reports to the IRS detailing information for each covered individual. By Feb. 14, individuals must have coverage or face tax penalties.
Can you find a plan for your employees on one of the health care exchanges? The federal exchange, covering 36 states, met with significant trouble at its launch. State exchanges have done better. Yet even in Minnesota, where the MNsure state-sponsored exchange has functioned reasonably well, people in rural areas are finding few choices—and paying up to twice as much as residents of the urban areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, reports the Minneapolis StarTribune.
The ACA experiment is well along, and whether you like it or not, you’re one of the test subjects. The law, signed by President Obama in 2010 and dubbed “Obamacare” by critics, has the best of intentions: coverage for everybody, coverage for pre-existing conditions, coverage provided for families’ adult children up to age 26.
But implementation has turned into a quagmire. The national health care coverage exchange (www.healthcare.gov) has been slow to function. Insurance carriers, not knowing but anticipating higher costs under the new law, have been canceling existing policies and substituting new policies—at significantly higher costs to those paying the premiums—that meet ACA requirements. Legislation is now afloat in Congress that may require carriers to extend existing coverage.
Who knows what happens next? As an employer, what are you supposed to do? You might find some clarity at the Small Business Administration (SBA) website (www.sba.gov), which offers some guidance to employers:
With fewer than 25 employees, you may qualify for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, which targets firms providing health care coverage for low- and moderate-income workers. If your annual salary to workers is less than $50,000, you may qualify for a credit of up to 35 percent to offset insurance costs. In 2014, this tax credit goes up to 50 percent and is available to qualified small employers participating in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). Ideally, the program means lower costs because it lets small businesses pool risks.
SHOP will also be available for businesses with up to 50 employees. The government notes that small businesses now pay an average of 18 percent more for health care coverage than do larger businesses. SHOP is designed to let small businesses pool risks and pay lower rates. A hotline for companies with 50 or fewer workers is available at 800 706 7893, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
Beginning in 2015, employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time-equivalent employees that don’t offer affordable health insurance to full-time employees and dependents may be required to pay an assessment. A full-time employee is one who is employed an average of at least 30 hours per week. The assessment, known as Employer Shared Responsibility Payment, will offset part of the cost of the marketplace premium tax credits.
Play or pay
You might also find some guidance on the website of Digital Insurance Inc. (www.
digitalinsurance.com), an employee-benefits broker based in Atlanta, Ga. IFAI has partnered with the company to offer health care insurance options to members—a private health care exchange.
Wayne Mertel has encountered his share of vexation from clients trying to run the maze. “The consistent response is confusion,” says Mertel, vice president of integrated solutions with Digital Insurance. “There’s a lot of continued questions about what it all means and how it impacts business.” Even so, Mertel thinks his clients “have a very high-level understanding regarding where they fit in the employee-numbers grid and what they must do about it.”
The confusion, he says, is in “play or pay.” Those with more than 50 employees must decide whether to provide coverage for all eligible employees or pay the penalty provided for in the law. The interesting thing is that, case by case, the penalty may be less than the cost of the insurance premiums. You’ve got to do the math, company by company.
But that’s not all that should be considered. Suppose you work out the numbers and find that it’s cheaper to pay a penalty than to provide coverage. What about the less tangible benefits of offering health care benefits? That, Mertel notes, can be a valuable recruiting and retention tool—finding and keeping good workers. Offering a good benefits package, though it may cost more than paying the penalty, can help to attract and keep good people. It’s an increasingly important topic in the specialty fabrics industry.
So goes the new math among small employers. Anita Baker says her clients are “puzzled as to why they‘re ending up paying higher premiums, paying fees, paying penalties.” Baker, based in Phoenix, Ariz., as managing principal for employee-benefit plans with Clifton-Larson-Allen LLP, adds, “There are a lot of great things about health reform—but a lot of those great things relate to individuals.”
Some hold out hope that it may turn out to be simpler than anticipated. Those with fewer than 50 workers “don’t really have significant worries,” says Clifton-Larsen-Allen principal Virginia Harn, a consultant in Minneapolis, Minn. At least the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit may be of use to firms with fewer than 25 employees, cutting costs for small firms that do provide coverage for employees.
“For small employers, really the only thing that changes is that you probably have more options now,” says Baker. But there’s a downside as well. “I think payments are going up for small employers,” she adds. Costs could increase significantly, despite tax credits.
Another warning sign: Employers with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees on the payroll will in fact be required to provide health care coverage. In response, many are doing some juggling. The cutoff is 30 hours—so some workers’ hours are being cut to fit them into the no-coverage-required square.
Mertel suggests turning to your lawyer or accountant to help sort out your options. Meanwhile, he notes, ACA does come with benefits. People can get health care coverage even with pre-existing conditions. Grown children can get coverage under a parent’s policy to age 26. “So there’s a lot of good that can be said about the law,” he adds, “but it comes with a cost. And it comes with complexity.”
TCT&A’s Kevin Yonce, still looking for guidance, will also talk to his business insurance provider, who may have some insight on health care coverage. Beyond that, he says, he will keeping trying to do “the necessary homework. And be patient.”
Mark Hequet is a business writer based in
St. Paul, Minn.
Goal tending
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted in 2010. The goal is to expand access to health coverage for uninsured Americans in several basic ways: an individual mandate requiring adults to have health insurance or pay a fine; an employer mandate requiring firms with 50 or more employees to offer coverage or pay a fine; a requirement that each state establish a health insurance exchange or accept a federally established exchange in which individuals and small businesses can buy coverage; an expansion of Medicaid eligibility to cover greater numbers of lower-income people.
So what’s the problem?
~G.N.
SBA announces funding opportunity through the State Trade Expansion Program 2020
OFPANZ annual conference, July 25-27, New Zealand
Women in Textiles Summit 2019
Understand your customers’ personalities for better sales
Driving business during the slow season: entertaining clients
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Vinyl matters
January 1st, 2014 / By: Richard N. Seaman / Awnings & Shades, Fabric Structures, Feature, Technical
What fabric manufacturers know about PVC fabrics that you should know, too.
Many businesses in the industrial fabrics industry (Seaman Corp. among them) have shown consistent growth over decades by developing cost-effective, high-performance products that utilize vinyl—a polymer used safely and successfully in a range of applications.
Today, the vinyl industry represents $54 billion of the U.S. economy, $5 billion of annual exports and employs more than 350,000 workers. The polyvinyl chloride polymer (vinyl, produced as a powder known as “vinyl resin”) is one of the most resource-efficient and sustainable plastic polymers ever discovered and developed.
Fifty percent of the primary feedstock for this polymer is salt, certainly in abundant supply in the United States. The other 50 percent is natural gas, also a domestic resource in abundant supply. This versatile polymer has a multitude of durable applications ranging from outdoor awnings to hospital medical applications. It can be easily recycled and repurposed, as much of it is done today.
Activism against vinyl
In recent years, well-organized and well-funded activist organizations have attempted to convince the public that vinyl is a hazardous plastic by promoting disparaging health and environmental claims and utilizing narratives not based in scientific fact. These claims fail to recognize how safely the industry has evolved.
Because of these arguments against vinyl, many consumer product manufacturers and environmental certifiers are adopting “PVC-free” positions, which are included in the advertising and environmental certification of these consumer products. Equally disturbing, organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) are encouraging the de-selection of vinyl products. The USGBC in its new LEED v4 standard includes credits to encourage the de-selection of vinyl products through ingredient reporting and reformulation. This latter criteria means de-selecting such proven products as vinyl roofing, PVC piping, vinyl siding and vinyl-framed windows. Ultimately, vinyl awnings, fabric structures and other vinyl products could be targeted as well.
The USGBC promulgation of bad science on materials like PVC and other chemicals is shifting its focus from promoting energy- and water-efficient standards for building construction to becoming an activist health and safety policy advocate. Its anti-vinyl standards are not developed by a nationally recognized open consensus process, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and are in direct conflict with the USGBC’s own scientific task force study on the attributes of vinyl construction products.
In 2004, the USGBC commissioned its Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) to study the environmental impacts of four vinyl construction products: vinyl window frames, vinyl siding, PVC piping and vinyl resilient flooring. The biased subjectivity of this TSAC assignment is embodied in its stated mission: “To investigate whether for those applications the available evidence indicates that PVC-based materials are consistently among the worst of the materials studied in terms of environmental and health impacts.”
After three years of study, the TSAC was unable to conclude that vinyl construction products were any worse than alternative materials. In fact, the study concluded that vinyl-framed windows are more energy efficient and sustainable when compared to alternatives such as wood or aluminum. The report specifically states that the USGBC should not incorporate a de-selection credit for vinyl products, and that, “The evidence indicates that a credit that rewards avoidance of PVC could steer decision makers toward using materials that are worse on most environment impacts.”
Nonetheless, continued communication of misrepresentations by organizations—such as the USGBC—influences public policy decisions, particularly federal and state governments. The 2010 building and construction guidance manual (GSA P-100) of the General Services Administration (GSA) (the primary landlord of the federal government) contains numerous conflicting references to vinyl products. Recently, a GSA procurement officer specifically excluded vinyl roofing in a five-year GSA contract because he believed a vinyl roof would be a health hazard. Similarly, a GSA subject matter expert recently said in a Los Angeles court house specification, “P-100 recommends that PVC be avoided where possible to avoid introducing toxins into the environment. … Please explain why PVC-containing materials are still specified by providing initial and life-cycle cost analysis.”
These types of actions require a strong response from the specialty fabrics industry to ensure that users of these documents are receiving accurate information.
Dated information
The claims of vinyl being a health and environmental hazard are based on issues that were identified in the 1960s and quickly addressed by the industry. When vinyl chloride monomer was found to be a worker health hazard, the vinyl resin industry developed ways to significantly reduce residual vinyl monomer with manufacturing processes that achieved more complete polymerization. Any remaining monomer was safely and effectively removed from the resin product before it was shipped. This virtually eliminated worker exposure.
The second major point made by organizations opposing vinyl use is that vinyl creates harmful dioxin in our atmosphere when it is burned. In reality there are many natural and manmade sources of dioxin. The vinyl industry has been a leader in reducing dioxin emissions; today only grams per year are produced by this industry that produces some 15 billion pounds of vinyl resin.
A 2006 EPA study found that dioxin emissions from all sources declined by 90 percent between 1987 and 2000, a time when the production of vinyl products continued to increase significantly. Dioxin emission from the chlorine industry has decreased another 75 percent since 2000. In fact, the greatest contributors to dioxin today are forest fires, firewood and backyard burning of leaves. The EPA study says, “Government regulatory actions along with voluntary industry actions have resulted in dramatic reductions in each of these [industrial] sources, and they are no longer major contributors of dioxins to the environment in the United States.”
Vinyl blood storage
One of the great ironies of PVC-opponent arguments is the use of vinyl in storing our blood supply. If vinyl is such a threat to our health and to the environment, why is our blood supply stored in flexible vinyl bags?
Furthermore, the blood is delivered into the human body through flexible vinyl tubing. Blood is preserved twice as long in flexible vinyl bags as in any other available storage material.
If we were unable to use vinyl bags, it seems plausible that it could seriously diminish the quantity of blood available at any given time.
Vinyl advocacy
The vinyl building products industry has been facing the challenges of unsubstantiated claims, presented by organizations such as the USGBC, that are detrimental to their business. As a result, the industry has recently established the Vinyl Building Council (VBC), a working group of the Vinyl Institute. Its purpose is to initiate and promote a public advocacy strategy to federal, state and local governments that accurately portrays the vinyl polymer’s health and safety record supported with scientific facts, and provide information concerning the significant economic impact the vinyl industry plays in our economy.
VBC has worked closely with a coalition of other interested building products organizations comprising the American High-Performance Building Coalition (AHPBC) in challenging the USGBC’s LEED v4 standard. Specifically, it has been urging government organizations such as the GSA and state governments to understand that the LEED v4 standard was not developed with nationally accepted scientific and consensus-based processes. VBC is urging federal, state and local governments to adopt alternative consensus-based energy savings codes for its building and construction projects.
This is arduous work. The USGBC, a private nonprofit organization, generates in excess of $120 million a year by promoting its LEED standards and has a balance sheet that includes more than $80 million in cash.
VBC and AHPBC have recently been successful in getting the GSA to drop its exclusive adoption of LEED as a green building rating system and are now including the Green Globes standard developed by the Green Building Institute. The Green Globes standard has been developed with the ANSI open consensus standard. Equally as effective as LEED, it is much easier to implement at one third the cost of LEED. Furthermore, GSA did not adopt the more recent LEED v4 and its major chemical de-selection criteria, but endorsed the previous LEED 2009 standard.
While the recent GSA decision is illustrative of the importance and value of a public advocacy strategy, there is much more to be accomplished. It is important for all businesses in the vinyl value chain to become involved with this public policy advocacy effort. While anti-vinyl activist organizations may not be affecting all sectors of the vinyl industry today, it is a credible assumption that in time they could impact the public’s perception of the health and safety of anything manufactured from vinyl.
VBC is an important group working on this public advocacy effort. Most such efforts are spearheaded by large organizations such as the American Chemistry Council and its large chemical company members. VBC is comprised primarily of mid-sized and small businesses spread across the country. It represents a larger geographic area, a vastly larger number of jobs, and has more impact on individual legislative districts. This type of representation gets more attention from the legislators and government administrators when implementing a public policy initiative.
Richard N. Seaman, Seaman Corp., has guided the family-owned company to 10-fold sales increases since taking over as chairman and CEO in 1976. He is a founding member of the Vinyl Building Council, and has served as a board member or trustee for corporations, organizations and educational institutions. He was recognized as an Honored Life Member of the Industrial Fabrics Association International in 2012 for his lifelong contribution to the industry.
Editor’s Note: There are many alternatives to vinyl fabric in the marketplace today. Several fabric suppliers offer “PVC-free†materials to their customers. IFAI recognizes the value to end product manufacturers of offering their customers choices that best meet their specific requirements. This article answers claims made against vinyl products and provides timely, relevant information on the safety of vinyl products.
Examples: vinyl applications
PVC piping for interior applications
PVC piping for major infrastructure projects, including drinking water
Window casings
Vinyl-coated wiring and cable
Tents and awnings
Architectural fabric structures
Signage (indoor and outdoor)
Vinyl bags for blood storage (doubles the storage life of blood)
Vinyl tubing for IV applications
Vinyl hospital sheeting
The Vinyl Building Council is a working group of the Vinyl Institute. It is important to have a large representation of the members of the vinyl value chain to affect public policy and combat the false narratives of the activist organizations. The board of IFAI has endorsed the efforts of the VBC and is urging its members to participate in this effort by making a contribution to the initiative. To learn more about the Vinyl Building Council and become involved:
Vinyl Institute
www.vinylinfo.org
John Serrano | jserrano@vinylinfo.org |
The beginning of a sucessful vinyl enterprise
In 1949, Norman R. Seaman founded Seaman Corp. with the purchase of two sewing machines. In the basement of his home in Canal Fulton, Ohio, he completed his first cut-and-sew contract: sewing lace around baby doll diapers. His proximity to Akron, Ohio, enabled him to acquire many contracts from the major rubber companies. A number of these early contracts utilized vinyl films. His natural curiosity and passion for product development led him to experiment with this new plastic polymer, mixing his own vinyl compounds in the kitchen, and putting them in the oven to cure, and in the freezer to see if they would remain flexible at cold temperatures. The kitchen was his laboratory, where he experimented with formulations for vinyl compounds until he achieved the desired performance characteristics. Ultimately, these efforts led to the first proprietary product for Seaman Corp.: vinyl-coated nylon fabrics to replace canvas and neoprene truck tarps.
Shade around the world: custom canopy projects
Technology and market demand usher in a new age in ballistics protection
Closing the gaps in the textile supply chain
Big Span Structures completes parking garage façade with eye-catching details
How to be an efficiency champion at your specialty fabrics business
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PRAGUE-BASED MAGAZINE EXPANDS TO UK
Umělec settles down in London
THE INTERNATIONAL Czech-based art magazine Umělec celebrated the grand opening of its new office in London on March 11. To mark the occasion, it also opened the Girls exhibition, a selection of Czech and Slovak video art that visitors to Café Prague on London's Kingsland Road can watch until March 23.
London is the third location, after Prague and Berlin, through which the magazine plans to improve its distribution and seek new ideas for articles
London is the third location, after Prague and Berlin, through which the magazine plans to improve its distribution and seek new ideas for articles. It already has an official distributor on the market, but wants to become more visible in the sea of print media.
"We want Brits to know that Prague issues a magazine in their language, which is unprecedented in the art market," Jiří Ptáček, editor-in-chief of Umělec, told The Slovak Spectator.
Umělec was founded in 1997 to explore the international visual arts scene, with a focus on Eastern and Central European artists. Since 2005, it has been published bi-monthly in English, German and Czech/Slovak versions and distributed worldwide from China to Mexico. Continued interest has helped its number of pages to more than triple, to its current level of 96.
In an effort to broaden readership, some of the magazine's special publications have also been printed in French and Spanish. Work is even being concluded in Beijing on a special publication in Chinese.
Umělec's current issue will come out at the end of April or beginning of May. The editor-in-chief explains that material is submitted a month early. "Then the editing and translating machinery starts," he says.
English office head Jaroslav Krampol (left) and publisher Ivan Mečl in London.
photo: Jaroslav Krampol
"The coming issue is in cooperation with Swiss curator Oliver Kielmayer and will partially focus on Swiss culture," Ptáček said. "Then it will be South America's turn. Articles from Argentina and Mexico have already begun arriving, so the distribution in those regions is also under way."
The magazine has a staff of approximately 20 writers that come mostly from the region between Germany and Russia. The London office and growing French team should expand the current group, Ptáček says.
Ptáček acknowledges contem-plating an office in Slovakia, but gave up on the idea.
"Our artistic scenes are well-connected and the creation of formal borders between the two once-united republics only increased the interest for mutual communication. There's plenty of Slovaks in the Czech Republic, though, so it's not difficult to find out what's happening in the country," he said.
Ptáček also considers the magazine to be Czech-Slovak and, therefore, does not translate the Slovak contributions into Czech.
"It makes sense to establish a new office where there are some barriers to overcome. In Slovakia, we have a lot of difficulty finding contributors brave enough to write openly and critically about their personal scene. But this is a problem in almost all small countries, where everyone depends on a social network. So, we will wait to open a Slovak office until really bad times arrive," he joked.
Umělec magazine is a non-profit project financed by foundations, sponsors and the Czech Ministry of Culture. Why did the state decide to support it?
"You should probably ask the ministry, but if I were a minister who had to decide, I would probably say to myself: 'Umělec is the only international magazine on visual culture in the Czech Republic. Moreover, it is published in three languages and, therefore, is a great export.' And then I would add: 'Umělec is critical and independent. As a minister, I should support what is essential for my use of power. That way, I wouldn't be fooling myself and could stay in touch with reality," Ptáček said.
20. Mar 2006 at 0:00 | Zuzana Habšudová
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DSS Association confirms government talks
Chairman of the Pension-savings Companies Association (ADSS) Peter Socha on September 10 confirmed that talks between the Government and the companies took place last week.
Monday's revelation follows a similar confirmation by PM Robert Fico and governing-Coalition LS-HZDS Chairman Vladimír Mečiar at a press conference earlier in the day.
The meeting will probably continue this week. According to the ADSS, the current pension-system is well-adjusted, and a cut in contributions to the second-capitalisation pillar shouldn't be considered in any case. However, the association is negotiating with the Government on a possible temporary (3-4 year) cut in the contributions for private pension-savings companies and an increase in what goes to the public social security provider Sociálna Poisťovňa (SP).
For the ADSS, it's crucial that the Opposition be included in the talks on possible changes to the pension system. TASR
11. Sep 2007 at 7:00
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PARTY MP SAYS KDH IS WILLING TO GO INTO OPPOSITION RATHER THAN COOPERATE WITH LEFT-WING FORCES
Christian Democrats insist on 'pure' right-wing government
THE UNCOMPROMISING approach of the conservative Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) to co-operation with parties emerging from late September general elections threatens to derail efforts to form a largely right-wing cabinet.
With all major Slovak political parties having rejected post-election co-operation with Vladimír Mečiar and his opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party, political analysts have widely predicted that the country's next government will be anchored by an alliance of smaller right-wing parties and the second-running leftist Smer party led by Robert Fico.
Although the HZDS narrowly leads popularity polls, other Slovak parties have apparently heeded warnings from western diplomats that the country might not be invited to join Nato and the European Union if the authoritarian HZDS returns to power.
RIGHT-wing leaders Bugár, Hrušovský and Dzurinda (left to right).
But the KDH, expected to help anchor any right-wing bloc emerging from the ballot, remains opposed to a government of parties with substantially different platforms.
The current Dzurinda government, which has been criticised for reneging on reform promises, has since 1998 bound former communists and free-market advocates from as many as 11 different parties in an often unwieldy administration.
"Such a heterogeneous government as we have had in the last four years has great flaws from the viewpoint of domestic affairs, because its ruling philosophy is inconsistent. That's why we are demanding an exclusively right-wing government, even at the price that it is a minority one," said Peter Muránsky, a member of parliament for the KDH.
The KDH, said Muránsky, refuses to work with Smer, and would much rather see the terms of its 'Toleration Agreement' - the party's official vision for post-election arrangements that was scripted in November 2001 - guide the next cabinet.
"The KDH will ask that the government comprise one bloc of parties whose values and programmes are similar, even if these parties do not have a parliamentary majority," reads the Toleration Agreement proposal.
"Naturally, the KDH will demand that this ruling bloc be a right-wing bloc."
The document suggests that if the country's four leading right-wing parties do not score a majority of votes - as seems highly unlikely, given recent poll results - a deal would be concluded with an opposition party to allow the right-wing alliance to rule.
In return, the opposition party would gain the posts of speaker of parliament, director of the Supreme Audit Office, and other top bureaucratic positions.
Political analysts, however, have expressed doubt the KDH proposal will be supported by its potential right-wing partners, many of whom now say the bloc should be content to achieve a right-wing dominance in a majority cabinet.
Together with its possible allies - the ruling Slovak Christian and Democratic Union (SDKÚ) and Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), and the non-parliamentary New Citizen's Alliance (Ano) - the KDH-anchored bloc can expect to jointly score between 35 and 40 per cent support in elections, based on recent polls.
The SMK, which was formed in 1998 uniting right-wing and centrist Hungarian parties, is one of the main advocates of post-election pragmatism. SMK leader Béla Bugár told The Slovak Spectator that there was "no chance" of a purely right-wing cabinet emerging from September elections.
"The proper question is whether it will be possible to create a cabinet in which right wing parties prevail," he said on August 26.
Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda's SDKÚ, too, unites former top KDH members and a more centrist wing of ex-Democratic Union party members.
Dzurinda recently presented a plan based on joint post-election action by the SDKÚ, KDH and SMK, but one that stressed improving the negotiating position of the bloc rather than eliminating non-right parties from government.
The Ano party, having started out as a left-of-centre grouping at its founding last year, now promotes right-wing views, but analysts say the party is too young to have formed entrenched political attitudes.
Muránsky, however, ruled out co-operation with all other parties that have a chance of getting into parliament according to recent opinion polls - the HZDS, Smer, and the recently formed leftist HZD.
"I see an agreement with Smer as very problematic. Fico and Smer are a great unknown. I don't think it is a reliable partner, and that is something which Slovakia needs. My opinion of the HZD is similar, while the HZDS cannot be a part of any ruling coalition," he said.
In case the right-wing does not receive enough votes to rule, the Toleration Agreement reads, the KDH is prepared to support a minority government from opposition.
2. Sep 2002 at 0:00 | Lukáš Fila
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SOME ISSUES STILL UNRESOLVED
First eHealth services expected next year
ELECTRONIC health records, a national health portal, electronic prescription services and electronic appointment scheduling: electronic health care or simply eHealth promises all this and more. But Slovaks must wait several months before they can experience the new system and fully digest its advantages. After a bumpy start caused by changes in government, the Health Ministry and other involved organisations hope that the project is now on the fast track to implementation.
Less paperwork ahead? (Source: SME)
“The task of eHealth is to support the mission of health care via information and communication technologies,” the Health Ministry writes on its website dedicated to the implementation of eHealth. “The vision of eHealth is to provide correct information in the proper time and at the proper place in all phases and processes of care for the health of citizens.”
The plan is to implement eHealth via several steps up to 2018. eHealth in Slovakia consists of three phases, each of which features one main and several supporting projects. Slovakia is currently in the first phase, whose main focus is the National Project of Electronic Health Services (eSO1), co-financed from structural funds of the European Union within the Operational Programme for Information Society (OPIS). Under this project, the national health portal, electronic health records, electronic prescriptions, and electronic appointment scheduling will be put into operation. It will also set the foundation for the integration of all information systems of health-care providers with the national eHealth solution. The project will therefore enable central provision of relevant public health information, electronic appointments mainly for laboratory treatments and vaccinations, electronic prescriptions and provision of patients’ health information in the form of an electronic medical record.
“The eSO1 project was launched in March 2010,” Peter Bubla from the National Health Information Centre (NCZI), which is reponsible for eHealth’s implementation, told The Slovak Spectator, adding that shortly after its launch the Finance Ministry halted it for nine months and it ran in a reduced regime for the following three months.
This delay also affected preparation of the second phase of eHealth. Originally projected to last between 2012 and 2013, it is now 18 months late. Projects on whose outcomes eHealth relies were postponed too. In this respect Bubla mentioned the central portal of public administration, or the project of the citizen’s electronic identification card. He added that NCZI and others involved are committed to enabling patients and health-care workers to use the benefits of the new system as soon as possible without endangering the quality of the project.
The eSO1 has finally undergone alpha testing. Moreover, a feasibility study of the National Health Information System (NZIS) project from the second phase has been approved and the national project is under preparation, said Bubla.
Bubla hopes that no further unexpected barriers to implementing eHealth will occur.
“But we have to deal with the conditions already mentioned – i.e. the delay of other eGovernment projects needed for eHealth and the gap in financing for the project from the state budget during the previous cabinet,” said Bubla, adding that they still face technical challenges with implementing the project and they will need to explain the benefits of eHealth to citizens and health-care workers.
The trial operation of electronic patient appointments, a national health portal and electronic prescriptions might begin in summer 2013. Physicians and patients should gradually be able to start using it in early autumn 2013, according to Bubla.
The major costs of the three phases of eHealth are covered by EU funds, which Bubla specified as amounting to approximately €130 million.
With regards to financial benefits, target benefits of eHealth after implementation of the second phase will be €100 million annually.
To implement eHealth Slovakia needs to amend its legislation. According to the Health Ministry, draft bills to the related legislation are currently being prepared.
Pros and cons of eHealth
The Health Ministry and NCZI are convinced that electronic health-care services can only bring about economic and health-related benefits for citizens, health-care workers, insurance companies, i.e. the whole health-care system. Among the health benefits, Bubla cited the reduction of negative drug interaction, faster diagnoses and fewer cases of inaccuracy and errors by medical workers. With regards to economic benefits he mentioned fewer redundant examinations, a reduction in prescription medication, less red tape, better allocation of funds at the level of health-care providers and improved data for the health policy of the state.
Milan Lopašovský, the vice-chairman of the Association for the Protection of Patients’ Rights (AOPP), noted that when implementing such a system the risk of abuse of the system’s information must be discussed.
“For example, it is not clear who is the owner of the information and to whom it can be provided,” Lopašovský told The Slovak Spectator. “This should always be with the agreement of the patient.”
According to Lopašovský, direct patient access to his or her data from the health insurer may be an advantage. An information website of the Health Ministry for patients about health-care facilities, medication and other topics may be beneficial, too.
The AOPP is not being informed about the implementation of eHealth in Slovakia, but it would like to participate in important decisions related to the future of eHealth.
The biggest health insurer, Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa (VšZP), which sits on the working eHealth commission overseen by NCZI, expects from eHealth faster diagnoses and treatment, the removal of duplicate work and more effective usage of funds.
“Exchange of information in real time between health-care providers or availability of important information about the health of a patient will also [improve the] quality of his or her treatment,” Dana Gašparíková, spokesperson of VšZP told The Slovak Spectator. “However, the electronic communication will require computers with access to the internet at each health-care provider. From our experience we know that not all health-care providers [are] inclined toward electronic communication as many of them prefer typewriters to computers when [reporting about the health care they have provided]. In a certain way this limits the usage of eHealth’s advantages.”
22. Oct 2012 at 0:00 | Jana Liptáková
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Top philanthropists announced
SLOVAKIA marked the Day of Philanthropy, November 27, by granting top philanthropic awards. The Slovak Donors Forum organises the Top Corporate Philanthropist ranking annually, which is the only ranking in Slovakia that assesses corporate donors based on the volume of funds they allocate to public and philanthropic endeavours. This year the Hospodárske Noviny daily and the Ecopress publishing company became partners of the forum.
The gas utility SPP was this biggest corporate philanthropist for the eighth year. In 2012 it donated €1,933, 200 million from its own budget to public and philanthropic activities, excluding the corporate tax assignation scheme.
“SPP is the biggest energy supplier operating in each corner of Slovakia,” said Marián Valko, a member of the SPP’s board of directors, as cited in the company’s press release. “Simultaneously, our company realises how important a responsible approach to the environment, in which it does business, is.”
SPP believes that it won the prize especially thanks to its environmentally-focused EkoFond and the Let’s Renovate our Home donor programme, which works to help preserve cultural heritage in Slovakia.
GlaxoSmithKline Slovakia won the category of middle and small-sized companies, having donated almost €367,000 in 2012. In Slovakia the company supports the development of health care, education and socially disadvantaged people. AXA Services won in the category of profit to donation ratio.
A total of 11 companies entered the Top Corporate Philanthropist 2013 ranking, which donated a total of almost €4.3 million for public and philanthropic activities. Of these, financial donations made up 87.5 percent, non-financial donations accounted for 5 percent and employees volunteering their free time came to 7.5 percent.
The Slovak Donors Forum also announced personal philanthropist categories: Employer of the Year and the Philanthropist of the Year, for people who contributed significantly to the development of philanthropy within their companies and motivated their colleagues. Zuzana Vojteková from Slovak Telekom became the Employer of the Year, and Miro Bílik, the founder of the civic association Deťom pre život (To Children for Life), won the Philanthropist of the Year. His determination to battle his son’s cancer led him to pursue projects that help people to fight against the malicious disease, the SITA newswire reported.
“In each of us there is a natural inclination to help,” said Anton Srholec, a Catholic priest and the first winner of the Philanthropist of the Year title, as cited by SITA. For some this instinct is more developed, and for others less, but everybody has it,” he said, adding, “We are part of society and the time period, which literally requires … that people help each other. This should not always be [in the form of] material goods; sometimes the willingness, desire and motivation towards [doing] a good thing is enough.”
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Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Anurag (Anu) Nigam, President, Sand Hill Angels (Part 1)
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 17th 2010
This is the fortieth interview in our series on financing for entrepreneurs. I am talking to Anurag (Anu) Nigam, president of Sand Hill Angels, which is an angel investing group in Silicon Valley with more than 60 members. Anu is also the founder and CEO of BuzzBox, a startup focusing on personalized news service.
Irina: Hi, Anu. Why don’t you briefly start with your background?
Anu: My dad was an immigrant who came to the U.S., and he always took risks. He came to the U.S. with $500 in his pocket, leaving his wife and two kids in India. The reason I bring this up is because risk taking has always been in our family. The willingness to strive for something more is built into my DNA.
In 1995, I graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in computer and electrical engineering.
After graduating, I joined Intel. I worked at Intel for a little over a year in a graduate rotation program, and then I jumped into my first startup at age 23. I did it on a whim because somebody asked me to, and I thought it was the right thing to do at age 23. That was in the summer of 1996. The funny part is the 11-person company split into two, and I luckily picked the right half, which became a company called Cerent, and it was sold to Cisco for about $6.3 billion.
Irina: What did the company do?
Anu: It [made] networking equipment that shrunk something that was a seven-foot tall box that would sit in central offices into a box that fit on a 19-inch shelf. I was a simple chip designer engineer, but I was there early. What ended up was they hired a manager, didn’t like him, fired him, and the next thing I knew I was in charge.
I was 23, managing 10 to 15 people. I’d never done a chip in my life, never managed people, and never been in a startup. Luckily, the chip came back and worked the first time. People say a hundred factors that helped the company succeed. I was there for about a year and a half or two years, and then I left.
With a bunch of people from that company, I started a company called Siara. It was bought by Redback Networks for $4.3 billion.
Again, I was a chip designer and did everything that needed to get done. The funny part in both of those companies was the VCs owned about 80% of the company at exit, so they made a lot of money. But, you know, everyone made money, so everyone was happy.
I quit Siara during the boom, during mid-1999, but I was working part time for a year after or so, so in 2000 was when I was done, I think.
I made a bunch of money, then during the dot-com crash I proceeded to lose most of it – a lot of it. I guess that happens. You learn your lessons. I took a year or two off, traveled the world, was in a Mardi Gras float, and did a lot of fun things.
And then I came back and decided I wanted to get back into the tech world. That was around 2002. It’s funny, a couple of friends and I started an Indian dating site, but many Indian people get married through friends and family through arranged marriages. So, it had this social networking component where married people would join, single people would join, and you could see who was connected to and get an introduction in case you wanted to get married.
For us, it lowered the customer acquisition costs, and the company that was making money during the dot-com boom was Match.com because when the economy goes down, everyone goes to love.
The site was called Sona.com. It was doing OK, but it never really took off. At the same time, we saw companies like Friendster come out, when social networking came out, and we renamed it and rebranded it as a generic social networking company called Hi5.com. It did very well.
Hi5, at one time, was the third-largest social network. It was doing very well internationally, competing with Facebook and MySpace. I ended up leaving after a year and a half because I wanted to be CEO, and I was not.
This segment is part 1 in the series : Seed Capital From Angel Investors: Anurag (Anu) Nigam, President, Sand Hill Angels
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Compulsory License
Compulsory license is generally defined as “authorization permitting a third party to make, use, or sell a patented invention without the patent owner’s consent.” Under Indian Patent Act, 1970, the provision with regard to compulsory licensing is specifically given under Chapter XVI.
India has issued only one compulsory license so far, which was given in 2012 to Natco, for Bayer’s cancer drug Nexavar
Bottlenecks in the production of antiviral drug remdesivir have led to policymakers threatening compulsory licensing and economic sanctions.
What is compulsory licensing?
Compulsory license is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself. It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.
In current public discussion, this is usually associated with pharmaceuticals, but it could also apply to patents in any field.
The agreement allows compulsory licensing as part of the agreement’s overall attempt to strike a balance between promoting access to existing drugs and promoting research and development into new drugs.
Process of Compulsory License:
As per Section 84 of India Patents Act 1970, any person, regardless of whether he is the holder of the license of that Patent, can make a request to the Controller for grant of compulsory license on expiry of three years, when any of the following conditions is fulfilled –
the reasonable requirements of the public with respect to the patented invention have not been satisfied
the patented invention is not available to the public at a reasonably affordable price
the patented invention is not worked in the territory of India.
Further, compulsory licenses can also be issued suo motu by the Controller under section 92, pursuant to a notification issued by the Central Government if there is either a “national emergency” or “extreme urgency” or in cases of “public non-commercial use”.
Meaning of Patent
Patenting: WTO members have to provide patent protection for any invention, whether a product (such as a medicine) or a process (such as a method of producing the chemical ingredients for a medicine), while allowing certain exceptions. Patent protection has to last at least 20 years from the date the patent application was filed.
Non-discrimination: Members cannot discriminate between different fields of technology in their patent regimes. Nor can they discriminate between the place of invention and whether products are imported or locally produced.
Three criteria: To qualify for a patent, an invention has to be new (“novelty”), it must be an “inventive step” (i.e. it must not be obvious) and it must have “industrial applicability” (it must be useful)
Renaissance in detail
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Tag Archives: Colum McCann
John Freeman’s New Lit Mag Packs in High-Profile Writers
John Freeman has a new literary magazine. The eponymous Freeman’s already it has the literary world buzzing. In the internet age where everyone and their long-lost brother publishes a lit mag, it’s rare that a new publication garners this much attention.
But this is John Freeman we’re talking about. While on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, the author and literary critic had been at the front and center of drawing attention to the diminished coverage of books in print media. As editor of Granta, he edited everyone from Chimamanda Adichie, Peter Carey, Colum McCann, Mary Gaitskill, Herta Muller, Richard Russo, and Salman Rushdie to Joshua Ferris.
Back then, I blogged about a panel on magazines that he moderated at McNally Jackson.
For a little background on Freeman’s departure from Granta and what he’d been up to before launching his own literary magazine, check out this Vogue article.
Freeman’s boasts no shortage of literary talent. The premiere issue, out this month, includes Lydia Davis, Dave Eggers, Louise Erdich, Haruki Murakami, and many other literary superstars. Here’s how it’s described on the Barnes & Noble website:
We live today in constant motion, traveling distances rapidly, small ones daily, arriving in new states. In this inaugural edition of Freeman’s, a new biannual of unpublished writing, former Granta editor and NBCC president John Freeman brings together the best new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry about that electrifying moment when we arrive.
Strange encounters abound. David Mitchell meets a ghost in Hiroshima Prefecture; Lydia Davis recounts her travels in the exotic territory of the Norwegian language; and in a Dave Eggers story, an elderly gentleman cannot remember why he brought a fork to a wedding. End points often turn out to be new beginnings. Louise Erdrich visits a Native American cemetery that celebrates the next journey, and in a Haruki Murakami story, an aging actor arrives back in his true self after performing a role, discovering he has changed, becoming a new person.
Featuring startling new fiction by Laura van den Berg, Helen Simpson, and Tahmima Anam, as well as stirring essays by Aleksandar Hemon, Barry Lopez, and Garnette Cadogan, who relearned how to walk while being black upon arriving in NYC, Freeman’s announces the arrival of an essential map to the best new writing in the world.
Sounds like a collector’s edition to me!
Tags: Aleksandar Hemon, Barry Lopez, Chimamanda Adichie, Colum McCann, Dave Eggers, Freeman's, Garnette Cadogan, Granta, Haruki Murakami, Helen Simpson, Herta Muller, John Freeman, Joshua Ferris, Laura van den Berg, literary magazine, literature, Louise Erdich, Lydia Davis, Mary Gaitskill, Peter Carey, Richard Russo, Salman Rushdie, Tahmima Anam
Everyone’s Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day! Actually, my mom and I often get mistaken for Irish. It must be our fair Swedish skin and eyes. I even once got a letter addressed to Nik O’Lopoulos. Yep.
Here’s a couple of St. Patrick’s Day-related links for you:::
On my last trip to Ireland, I got to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Fun facts: Benjamin Guinness — yes, of beer fame — funded the reconstruction of the cathedral and Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) was dean here. Find out more in my Church Hopping article.
Then, this summer I took a group Church Hopping to St. Patrick’s Cathedral here in New York City. You can read about that fun experience here.
One of my colleagues at Burnside, wrote this interesting article about the meaning of hair when Sinéad O’Connor tweeted that she hated Ireland.
Here’s a review of Irish author Colum McCann’s Dancer, also from a colleague on Burnside.
You know how four-leaf clovers are supposed to be lucky? Well, someone in Japan found a 56-leaf clover.
This is a pretty four-leaf clover necklace.
Have you ever heard this Irish blessing? It’s so beautiful, and it always reminds me of the Rebecca St. James song “Abba Father.”
Going back to Guinness, the beer company is aiming to set a record for the world’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day party. Sounds fun!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!!
Tags: beer, blessingn, Burnside Writers Collective, church hopping, clover, Colum McCann, Dublin, Guinness, holidays, Ireland, Rebecca St. James, Sinead O'Connor, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Patrick's Day, Swedish
Categories Clips, Faith, Greekish
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Lewis Baltz with works by Carl Andre and Charlotte Posenenske
30 Apr 2016—9 Jul 2016
An exhibition curated to reflect the affinity between Lewis Baltz's photography and the work of his Minimalist artist peers.
A Stills exhibition co-curated by Sebastien Montabonel
Stills is pleased to present an exhibition of photographs by Lewis Baltz (1945-2014) alongside artworks by Carl Andre (b.1935) and Charlotte Posenenske (1930-85). The exhibition has been curated to reflect the affinity that Baltz highlighted between his photography and the work of his Minimalist artist peers.
Lewis Baltz was an artist, writer and teacher and a key figure from a generation of artists that forged a new tradition of American landscape photography in the second half of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking photographic series’ that document the overlooked effects of industrial civilization on the landscape, focusing on places such as new housing developments, urban wastelands, abandoned industrial sites and warehouses. Included in this exhibition are works from several of his seminal series: The Prototype Works (1967-76), Park City (1979) and Candlestick Point (1987-89). Baltz’s photographs were included in the landmark exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape at George Eastman House, Rochester, New York in 1975. His work is represented in major collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate, London, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Install image by Alan Dimmick
This exhibition has been co-curated by Sebastien Montabonel, who had frequent contact with the artist in his later years, and who is a founder of the independent art agency Montabonel & Partners based in London.
Produced on the occasion of the exhibition, we are pleased to share the publication ‘Lewis Baltz with works by Carl Andre and Charlotte Posenenske’ produced to accompany the exhibition. Introduction by Ben Harman and new essays by Nicolas de Oliveira, Nicola Oxley and Sebastien Montabonel. PDF version of the publication can be downloaded here
Install images by Alan Dimmick
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Stone Age Gamer Blog - the gratuitous rainbow spectrum
Retro Holiday Shopping
Posted by Kris Randazzo on Nov 28th 2018
The holiday shopping season kicked off this past weekend, and this year looks like it’s going to have a lot more to offer the gamer in your life than previous years. There are some really cool gifts out there that would make excellent additions to any collection, or even items for your very own wish list. Here are a few excellent gift ideas.
The awesome stuff at StoneAgeGamer.com
If you haven't seen this already, this was my write-up about some of the coolest stuff to get during our Black Friday sale. The discounts aren't still applicable, but the items themselves are 100% great gift ideas. Flash carts, Bit Boxes, and all manner of really great items are available right now at www.stoneagegamer.com and they would make for some really great and unexpected gifts. Seriously, have a look at these items, and if you've got any questions about any of them, don't hesitate to ask. If you don't have the first idea about what a flash cart is, the fine folks who run the store are super nice and super helpful.
But, If Flash Carts and original hardware don’t seem like the right direction for you, there are still plenty of options out there to get great retro content into the hands of your loved ones. These are hardly new, but this year is the first year where the best of the bunch will be readily available for purchase. The newest kid on the block is the PlayStation Classic. Sony’s first entry into the increasingly competitive market of retro consoles hasn’t been without its issues. From a questionable games list to a seemingly incredibly bare bones presentation, it’s hardly the dream PlayStation tribute many thought it would be. Still, it’s hard to argue that it’s still a pretty cool thing to put under someone’s tree. Launching December 3rd for $99.99, it isn’t necessarily a slam dunk, but it’s also hard to imagine anyone being upset about getting one.
Then you have Nintendo’s returning champions, the NES Classic Edition and the SNES Classic Edition. These two mini consoles are well worth the price of admission and have incredible game libraries to boot. They still suffer from criminally short controller cables, but with a bevy of existing solutions for that problem currently available (some from stoneagegamer.com!), it’s more of a minor inconvenience than anything. It’s worth noting that if you’re buying for a perfectionist, The NES Classic Edition might leave some feeling less than enthused. The sound emulation on this little guy is just a bit wrong, and can be very jarring while playing some of your old favorites. The SNES Classic Edition, on the other hand, features some of the best SNES emulation I’ve ever seen. Honestly, these are both fantastic gift ideas, and are guaranteed to provide at the very least several hours of classic fun.
Then we have AT-Games’ output, which is… questionable at best. You’ll see giant stack-ups of the latest Atari Flashback, Sega Genesis Flashback, or Legends Flashback units in big box chains all over. These things are nice enough, I guess. But they leave a LOT to be desired. They feature strange ports of games, less than stellar emulation, and overall cheap production values. That said, they’re considerably less expensive than the more high end stuff like the Playstation and SNES Classic consoles, so it really comes down to what kind of experience you’re looking for. Even with their faults, they’re still neat little devices, and pretty much any retro gamer would at the very least appreciate the thought behind receiving one of them as a gift.
Classic compilations
This has been a pretty great year for retro compilations, and if the person you’re shopping for has access to any of the current gen platforms, there’s there’s a better than even chance you can find something to buy. The Atari Flashback Classics line is available on PS4, Xbox One, and will be hitting Nintendo Switch on December 4th. These games are the most classic of the classics, and are still very fun to play today, especially if you’ve got the right crowd around.
While in that neck of the woods, there’s also the Namco Museum Arcade Pac, which is an excellent little compilation that includes a host of Namco arcade classics like Pac-Man, Galaga, and even Splatterhouse, as well as Pac-Man Champion Edition 2 Plus, which is a really great time. If you don’t have a Switch, there are similar collections available on PS4 and Xbox One called “Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 + Arcade Game Series” I know, just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?
Then there’s the absolutely stellar SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, which at least for the time being is a Switch exclusive. This compilation covers some far less mainstream classics like Crystalis, POW, Alpha Mission, and a whole lot more, but what it lacks in name brand recognition, it more than makes up for in quality content. If you’re shopping for someone who likes quality extras in their classic compilations, this is a tough collection to beat. Digital Eclipse really knows what they’re doing.
Speaking of Digital Eclipse, the Mega Man Legacy Collections are another incredible value. The first volume was handled by DE and they did an incredibly stellar job of recreating these games for play on modern TVs, as well as putting together an awesome museum to peruse once you’re done with all the great gaming goodness. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Mega Man X Collection, and Mega Man X Collection 2 are all great packages too, but if you had to choose just one, I’d lean toward the first.
This list could go on all day, but the last one I’ll mention here today is the Sega Genesis Classics for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. For a whopping $29.99, you get a collection of over 50 Genesis games to keep you company, and the amount of game time you get for that price is really impressive. Your run of the mill standards like Altered Beast and several Sonic games you probably own 20 times over are all there, but it’s also got a ton of really great games you may not have played as recently like the Phantasy Star RPGs, Gunstar Heroes, the Streets of Rage games, and stuff like Landstalker and Beyond Oasis. I’ve read some reports about the overall emulation quality here not being spectacular, but it’s hard to turn your nose up to this kind of value.
If you’re into retro gaming, a lot of the new games that come out these days that play to your interests are probably digital only, at least at first. For this reason, gifting some truly outstanding indie games can be something of a challenge, unless of course you aren’t opposed to giving the give of credit. PSN, Xbox Live, and Nintendo eShop cards are way better gifts than you might think. The whole idea of a gift card may seem thoughtless at first, but in the modern world of indie greats frequently recapturing the magic that made 80s and 90s gaming great, having a bunch of free money to spend specifically on that is a truly wonderful idea. And honestly, if you or someone you know loves their classic retro games, the landscape these days is positively brimming with new games that will scratch the retro itch in ways you couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Remastered classics
This year was pretty good for remakes and remasters too. The Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy hit Switch earlier this year, which features Crash’s original three PlayStation hits. The game has managed to sell about a bajillion copies on PS4 and Switch, and it’s also available on Xbox one and PC if that’s your cup of tea.
Speaking of PS1 classics, Spyro Reignited Trilogy released on Xbox One and PS4 recently, and it’s a very nicely done remaster indeed. For $39.99, you get all three of Spyro’s original adventures, gussied up in gorgeous fashion for your next gen system of choice. It isn’t on Switch, but considering the success of Crash’s appearance earlier this year, it seems like it should only be a matter of time. Of course, you would have thought the Disney Afternoon Collection would have made its way to Switch by now too, so I guess you can never really predict these things.
Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee just dropped last week and they’ve already sold like the hottest of hotcakes. This is essentially a remake of Pokemon Yellow, and does a masterful job of bridging the gap between the phenomenal successful Pokemon Go and the more traditional Pokemon experiences. The next mainline Pokemon game is coming to Switch next year, so if you’ve never gotten into the craze before, this game makes for a terrific point of entry.
Speaking of the Switch, it is definitely home to a ton of ports, but a few outstanding games that deserve your attention are Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Katamari Damacy Reroll, and Bayonetta 2.
Books, Books, and more Books!
These are always some of my highest gift recommendations because they’re super awesome, often informative, and really easy to wrap. There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to books about video games these days, so no matter what kind of gamer you have in your life, it shouldn’t be too hard to find something for them, or yourself in the process.
First, earlier this year author Brett Weiss released volume 1 of his SNES Omnibus, a gigantic tome that details every US commercially released Super NES game. It’s loaded cover to cover with fantastic images, detailed descriptions of every game, and probably the coolest bit, personal accounts from people in the industry. Sometimes it’s someone who worked on the game, sometimes it’s someone who was working in video game retail at the time, sometimes it’s people who spend their days writing or creating content about video games in general. Heck, even Dan and myself wrote a few bits for the book. It’s a really great read, and with volume 2 on the way, it will make one fine-looking thing to have up on your bookshelf.
If you’re looking for something considerably less wordy but no less cool, you might want to try Art of Atari Poster Collection by Tim Lapetino. This little bugger contains 40 nice-sized posters of unedited Atari artwork. Some of the very best work to grace an Atari cartridge is on display here, just waiting to be framed and hung on your wall. They are double sided, which means if you wanted to display every single piece you’d have to buy 2 copies, but 1 should be enough for most.
There’s so many more out there, like the excellent Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts, Encyclopedia, and Hyrule Historia trilogy, The Game Console which is just a book full of amazing pictures of game consoles (trust me, it’s way cooler than I’m making it sound), Artcade, an art book full of original arcade cabinet artwork, and the Mario Encyclopedia, which is exactly what it sounds like, but I would be remiss if I didn’t call specific attention to Leonard Herman’s Phoenix IV: The History of the Video Game Industry. This massive book is, in my opinion, the best there is when it comes to learning about the history of video games. The newest edition is easily the most impressive iteration yet, with tons of pictures and new chapters added. It’s a little dense, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more complete account of the history of the video game industry. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re a video game fan, this should be considered required reading. And if you can swing it, get the hardcover edition. It’s gorgeous.
It wouldn’t be hard to argue that there’s been no better time to be a fan of video games. A hobby that was once considered by many to be something only nerds do is now pretty darn mainstream, and as a result there’s no shortage of awesome merchandise out there to make just about any video game fan happy. Enjoy the holidays, everyone!
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Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 584 › Upper Skagit Tribe v. Lundgren
Upper Skagit Tribe v. Lundgren, 584 U.S. ___ (2018)
Briefs and Filings
Opinion (Gorsuch)
Concurrence (Roberts)
Dissent (Thomas)
Justia Opinion Summary and Annotations
The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe purchased land and commissioned a boundary survey, which convinced the Tribe that about an acre of its land lay on the other side of a boundary fence between its land and land owned by the Lundgrens. The Lundgrens filed a quiet title action in Washington state court, arguing adverse possession and mutual acquiescence. The Washington Supreme Court rejected the Tribe’s sovereign immunity claim, reasoning that tribal sovereign immunity does not apply to in rem suits. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded. The precedent on which the state court relied (Yakima) addressed not the scope of tribal sovereign immunity, but a question of statutory interpretation of the Indian General Allotment Act of 1887. The Act authorized the President to allot parcels of reservation land to individual tribal members and directed the government to issue fee patents to the allottees. In 1934, Congress reversed course but did not withdraw the lands already conveyed so that Indian reservations sometimes contain both trust land held by the government and fee-patented land held by private parties. The Supreme Court held that the state collection of property taxes on fee-patented land within reservations was allowed under the Act; Yakima resolved nothing about the law of sovereign immunity.
Primary Holding
Supreme Court rejects the basis for a state court holding that tribal sovereign immunity does not apply to in rem suits.
Opinions Briefs and Filings Audio & Media Procedural History
NOTE: Where it is feasible, a syllabus (headnote) will be released, as is being done in connection with this case, at the time the opinion is issued. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321, 337.
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe v. Lundgren et vir
certiorari to the supreme court of washington
No. 17–387. Argued March 21, 2018—Decided May 21, 2018
The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe purchased a roughly 40-acre plot of land and then commissioned a boundary survey. The survey convinced the Tribe that about an acre of its land lay on the other side of a boundary fence between its land and land owned by Sharline and Ray Lundgren. The Lundgrens filed a quiet title action in Washington state court, invoking the doctrines of adverse possession and mutual acquiescence, but the Tribe asserted sovereign immunity from the suit. Ultimately, the State Supreme Court rejected the Tribe’s immunity claim and ruled for the Lundgrens, reasoning that, under County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakima Nation, 502 U. S. 251, tribal sovereign immunity does not apply to in rem suits.
Held: Yakima addressed not the scope of tribal sovereign immunity, but a question of statutory interpretation of the Indian General Allotment Act of 1887. That Act authorized the President to allot parcels of reservation land to individual tribal members and directed the United States eventually to issue fee patents to the allottees as private individuals. In 1934, Congress reversed course but made no attempt to withdraw the lands already conveyed. As a result, Indian reservations sometimes contain both trust land held by the United States and fee-patented land held by private parties. Yakima concerned the tax consequences of this intermixture. This Court had previously held that §6 of the General Allotment Act could no longer be read as allowing States to impose in personam taxes on transactions between Indians on fee-patented land within a reservation. Moe v. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Flathead Reservation, 425 U. S. 463, 479–481. The Court reached a different conclusion in Yakima with respect to in rem state taxes, holding that the state collection of property taxes on fee-patented land within reservations was still allowed under §6. 502 U. S., at 265. In short, Yakima sought only to interpret a relic of a statute in light of a distinguishable precedent; it resolved nothing about the law of sovereign immunity.
Acknowledging this, the Lundgrens now ask the Court to affirm on an alternative, common-law ground: that the Tribe cannot assert sovereign immunity because this suit relates to immovable property located in Washington State, purchased by the Tribe in the same manner as a private individual. Because this alternative argument did not emerge until late in this case, the Washington Supreme Court should address it in the first instance. Pp. 3–7.
187 Wash. 2d 857, 389 P. 3d 569, vacated and remanded.
Gorsuch, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Roberts, C. J., filed a concurring opinion, in which Kennedy, J., joined. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Alito, J., joined.
NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the preliminary print of the United States Reports. Readers are requested to notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D. C. 20543, of any typographical or other formal errors, in order that corrections may be made before the preliminary print goes to press.
UPPER SKAGIT INDIAN TRIBE, PETITIONER v. SHARLINE LUNDGREN, et vir
on writ of certiorari to the supreme court of washington
Justice Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the Court.
Lower courts disagree about the significance of our decision in County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakima Nation, 502 U. S. 251 (1992). Some think it means Indian tribes lack sovereign immunity in in rem lawsuits like this one; others don’t read it that way at all.[1]* We granted certiorari to set things straight. 583 U. S. ___ (2017).
Ancestors of the Upper Skagit Tribe lived for centuries along the Skagit River in northwestern Washington State. But as settlers moved across the Cascades and into the region, the federal government sought to make room for them by displacing native tribes. In the treaty that followed with representatives of the Skagit people and others, the tribes agreed to “cede, relinquish, and convey” their lands to the United States in return for $150,000 and other promises. Treaty of Point Elliott, Jan. 22, 1855, 12Stat. 927; see Washington v. Washington State Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Assn., 443 U. S. 658, 676 (1979); United States v. Washington, 384 F. Supp. 312, 333 (WD Wash. 1974).
Today’s dispute stems from the Upper Skagit Tribe’s efforts to recover a portion of the land it lost. In 1981, the federal government set aside a small reservation for the Tribe. 46 Fed. Reg. 46681. More recently, the Tribe has sought to purchase additional tracts in market transactions. In 2013, the Tribe bought roughly 40 acres where, it says, tribal members who died of smallpox are buried. The Tribe bought the property with an eye to asking the federal government to take the land into trust and add it to the existing reservation next door. See 25 U. S. C. §5108; 25 CFR §151.4 (2013). Toward that end, the Tribe commissioned a survey of the plot so it could confirm the property’s boundaries. But then a question arose.
The problem was a barbed wire fence. The fence runs some 1,300 feet along the boundary separating the Tribe’s land from land owned by its neighbors, Sharline and Ray Lundgren. The survey convinced the Tribe that the fence is in the wrong place, leaving about an acre of its land on the Lundgrens’ side. So the Tribe informed its new neighbors that it intended to tear down the fence; clearcut the intervening acre; and build a new fence in the right spot.
In response, the Lundgrens filed this quiet title action in Washington state court. Invoking the doctrines of adverse possession and mutual acquiescence, the Lundgrens offered evidence showing that the fence has stood in the same place for years, that they have treated the disputed acre as their own, and that the previous owner of the Tribe’s tract long ago accepted the Lundrens’ claim to the land lying on their side of the fence. For its part, the Tribe asserted sovereign immunity from the suit. It relied upon the many decisions of this Court recognizing the sovereign authority of Native American tribes and their right to “the common-law immunity from suit traditionally enjoyed by sovereign powers.” Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 572 U. S. ___, ___ (2014) (slip op., at 5) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Washington rejected the Tribe’s claim of immunity and ruled for the Lundgrens. The court reasoned that sovereign immunity does not apply to cases where a judge “exercis[es] in rem jurisdiction” to quiet title in a parcel of land owned by a Tribe, but only to cases where a judge seeks to exercise in personam jurisdiction over the Tribe itself. 187 Wash. 2d 857, 867, 389 P. 3d 569, 573 (2017). In coming to this conclusion, the court relied in part on our decision in Yakima. Like some courts before it, the Washington Supreme Court read Yakima as distinguishing in rem from in personam lawsuits and “establish[ing] the principle that . . . courts have subject matter jurisdiction over in rem proceedings in certain situations where claims of sovereign immunity are asserted.” 187 Wash. 2d, at 868, 389 P. 3d, at 574.
That was error. Yakima did not address the scope of tribal sovereign immunity. Instead, it involved only a much more prosaic question of statutory interpretation concerning the Indian General Allotment Act of 1887. See 24Stat. 388.
Some background helps dispel the misunderstanding. The General Allotment Act represented part of Congress’s late Nineteenth Century Indian policy: “to extinguish tribal sovereignty, erase reservation boundaries, and force the assimilation of Indians into the society at large.” Yakima, supra, at 254; In re Heff, 197 U. S. 488, 499 (1905). It authorized the President to allot parcels of reservation land to individual tribal members. The law then directed the United States to hold the allotted parcel in trust for some years, and afterwards issue a fee patent to the allottee. 24Stat. 389. Section 6 of the Act, as amended, provided that once a fee patent issued, “each and every allottee shall have the benefit of and be subject to the laws, both civil and criminal, of the State or Territory in which they may reside” and “all restrictions as to sale, incumbrance, or taxation of said land shall be removed.” 25 U. S. C. §349.
In 1934, Congress reversed course. It enacted the Indian Reorganization Act, 48Stat. 984, to restore “the principles of tribal self-determination and self-governance” that prevailed before the General Allotment Act. Yakima, 502 U. S., at 255. “Congress halted further allotments and extended indefinitely the existing periods of trust applicable to” parcels that were not yet fee patented. Ibid.; see 25 U. S. C. §§461–462. But the Legislature made no attempt to withdraw lands already conveyed to private persons through fee patents (and by now sometimes conveyed to non-Indians). As a result, Indian reservations today sometimes contain two kinds of land intermixed in a kind of checkerboard pattern: trust land held by the United States and fee-patented land held by private parties. See Yakima, supra, at 256.
Yakima concerned the tax consequences of this checkerboard. Recall that the amended version of §6 of the General Allotment Act rendered allottees and their fee-patented land subject to state regulations and taxes. 25 U. S. C. §349. Despite that, in Moe v. Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Flathead Reservation, 425 U. S. 463 (1976), this Court held that §6 could no longer be read as allowing States to impose in personam taxes (like those on cigarette sales) on transactions between Indians on fee-patented land within a reservation. Id., at 479–481. Among other things, the Court pointed to the impracticality of using the ownership of a particular parcel within a reservation to determine the law governing transactions taking place upon it. See id., at 478–479. Despite Moe and some years later, this Court in Yakima reached a different conclusion with respect to in rem state taxes. The Court held that allowing States to collect property taxes on fee-patented land within reservations was still allowed by §6. Yakima, supra, at 265. Unlike the in personam taxes condemned in Moe, the Court held that imposing in rem taxes only on the fee-patented squares of the checkerboard was “not impracticable” because property tax assessors make “parcel-by-parcel determinations” about property tax liability all the time. Yakima, supra, at 265. In short, Yakima sought only to interpret a relic of a statute in light of a distinguishable precedent; it resolved nothing about the law of sovereign immunity.
Commendably, the Lundgrens acknowledged all this at oral argument. Tr. of Oral Arg. 36. Instead of seeking to defend the Washington Supreme Court’s reliance on Yakima, they now ask us to affirm their judgment on an entirely distinct alternative ground. At common law, they say, sovereigns enjoyed no immunity from actions involving immovable property located in the territory of another sovereign. As our cases have put it, “[a] prince, by acquiring private property in a foreign country, . . . may be considered as so far laying down the prince, and assuming the character of a private individual.” Schooner Exchange v. McFaddon, 7 Cranch 116, 145 (1812). Relying on this line of reasoning, the Lundgrens argue, the Tribe cannot assert sovereign immunity because this suit relates to immovable property located in the State of Washington that the Tribe purchased in the “the character of a private individual.”
The Tribe and the federal government disagree. They note that immunity doctrines lifted from other contexts do not always neatly apply to Indian tribes. See Kiowa Tribe of Okla. v. Manufacturing Technologies, Inc., 523 U. S. 751, 756 (1998) (“[T]he immunity possessed by Indian tribes is not coextensive with that of the States”). And since the founding, they say, the political branches rather than judges have held primary responsibility for determining when foreign sovereigns may be sued for their activities in this country. Verlinden B. V. v. Central Bank of Nigeria, 461 U. S. 480, 486 (1983); Ex parte Peru, 318 U. S. 578, 588 (1943).
We leave it to the Washington Supreme Court to address these arguments in the first instance. Although we have discretion to affirm on any ground supported by the law and the record that will not expand the relief granted below, Thigpen v. Roberts, 468 U. S. 27, 30 (1984), in this case we think restraint is the best use of discretion. Determining the limits on the sovereign immunity held by Indian tribes is a grave question; the answer will affect all tribes, not just the one before us; and the alternative argument for affirmance did not emerge until late in this case. In fact, it appeared only when the United States filed an amicus brief in this case—after briefing on certiorari, after the Tribe filed its opening brief, and after the Tribe’s other amici had their say. This Court has often declined to take a “first view” of questions that make their appearance in this posture, and we think that course the wise one today. Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U. S. 709, 718, n. 7 (2005).
The dissent is displeased with our decision on this score, but a contradiction lies at the heart of its critique. First, the dissent assures us that the immovable property exception applies with irresistible force—nothing more than a matter of “hornbook law.” Post, at 3–10 (opinion of Thomas, J.). But then, the dissent claims that allowing the Washington Supreme Court to address that exception is a “grave” decision that “casts uncertainty” over the law and leaves lower courts with insufficient “guidance.” Post, at 3, 13–14. Both cannot be true. If the immovable property exception presents such an easy question, then it’s hard to see what terrible things could happen if we allow the Washington Supreme Court to answer it. Surely our state court colleagues are no less versed than we in “hornbook law,” and we are confident they can and will faithfully apply it. And what if, instead, the question turns out to be more complicated than the dissent promises? In that case the virtues of inviting full adversarial testing will have proved themselves once again. Either way, we remain sanguine about the consequences.
The dissent’s other objection to a remand rests on a belief that the immovable property exception was the source of “the disagreement that led us to take this case.” Post, at 1. But this too is mistaken. As we’ve explained, the courts below and the certiorari-stage briefs before us said precisely nothing on the subject. Nor do we understand how the dissent might think otherwise—for its essential premise is that no disagreement exists, or is even possible, about the exception’s scope. The source of confusion in the lower courts that led to our review was the one about Yakima, see supra, at 1, n., and we have dispelled it. That is work enough for the day. We vacate the judgment and remand the case for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
1 * Compare 187 Wash. 2d 857, 865–869, 389 P.3d 569, 573–574 (2017) (case below); Cass County Joint Water Resource Dist. v. 1.43 Acres of Land in Highland Twp., 2002 ND 83, 643 N.W.2d 685, 691–693 (2002) (conforming to the Washington Supreme Court’s interpretation of Yakima), with Hamaatsa, Inc. v. Pueblo of San Felipe, 2017–NMSC–007, 388 P.3d 977, 986 (2016) (disagreeing); Cayuga Indian Nation of N. Y. v. Seneca County, 761 F.3d 218, 221 (CA2 2014) (same).
Chief Justice Roberts, with whom Justice Kennedy joins, concurring.
I join the opinion of the Court in full.
But that opinion poses an unanswered question: What precisely is someone in the Lundgrens’ position supposed to do? There should be a means of resolving a mundane dispute over property ownership, even when one of the parties to the dispute—involving non-trust, non-reservation land—is an Indian tribe. The correct answer cannot be that the tribe always wins no matter what; otherwise a tribe could wield sovereign immunity as a sword and seize property with impunity, even without a colorable claim of right.
The Tribe suggests that the proper mode of redress is for the Lundgrens—who purchased their property long before the Tribe came into the picture—to negotiate with the Tribe. Although the parties got off on the wrong foot here, the Tribe insists that negotiations would run more smoothly if the Lundgrens “understood [its] immunity from suit.” Tr. of Oral Arg. 60. In other words, once the Court makes clear that the Lundgrens ultimately have no recourse, the parties can begin working toward a sensible settlement. That, in my mind at least, is not a meaningful remedy.
The Solicitor General proposes a different out-of-court solution. Taking up this Court’s passing comment that a disappointed litigant may continue to assert his title, see Block v. North Dakota ex rel. Board of Univ. and School Lands, 461 U. S. 273, 291–292 (1983), the Solicitor General more pointedly suggests that the Lundgrens should steer into the conflict: Go onto the disputed property and chop down some trees, build a shed, or otherwise attempt to “induce [the Tribe] to file a quiet-title action.” Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 23–24. Such brazen tactics may well have the desired effect of causing the Tribe to waive its sovereign immunity. But I am skeptical that the law requires private individuals—who, again, had no prior dealings with the Tribe—to pick a fight in order to vindicate their interests.
The consequences of the Court’s decision today thus seem intolerable, unless there is another means of resolving property disputes of this sort. Such a possibility was discussed in the Solicitor General’s brief, the Lundgrens’ brief, and the Tribe’s reply brief, and extensively explored at oral argument—the exception to sovereign immunity for actions to determine rights in immovable property. After all, “property ownership is not an inherently sovereign function.” Permanent Mission of India to United Nations v. City of New York, 551 U. S. 193, 199 (2007). Since the 18th century, it has been a settled principle of international law that a foreign state holding real prop- erty outside its territory is treated just like a private indi- vidual. Schooner Exchange v. McFaddon, 7 Cranch 116, 145 (1812). The same rule applies as a limitation on the sovereign immunity of States claiming an interest in land located within other States. See Georgia v. Chattanooga, 264 U. S. 472, 480–482 (1924). The only question, as the Solicitor General concedes, Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 25, is whether different principles afford Indian tribes a broader immunity from actions involving off-reservation land.
I do not object to the Court’s determination to forgo consideration of the immovable-property rule at this time. But if it turns out that the rule does not extend to tribal assertions of rights in non-trust, non-reservation property, the applicability of sovereign immunity in such circumstances would, in my view, need to be addressed in a future case. See Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Commu- nity, 572 U. S. ___, ___, n. 8 (2014) (slip op., at 16, n. 8) (reserving the question whether sovereign immunity would apply if a “plaintiff who has not chosen to deal with a tribe[ ] has no alternative way to obtain relief for off-reservation commercial conduct”). At the very least, I hope the Lundgrens would carefully examine the full range of legal options for resolving this title dispute with their neighbors, before crossing onto the disputed land and firing up their chainsaws.
Justice Thomas, with whom Justice Alito joins, dissenting.
We granted certiorari to decide whether “a court’s exercise of in rem jurisdiction overcome[s] the jurisdictional bar of tribal sovereign immunity.” Pet. for Cert. i; 583 U. S. ___ (2017). State and federal courts are divided on that question, but the Court does not give them an answer. Instead, it holds only that County of Yakima v. Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakima Nation, 502 U. S. 251 (1992), “resolved nothing about the law of [tribal] sovereign immunity.” Ante, at 5. Unfortunately, neither does the decision today—except to say that courts cannot rely on County of Yakima. As a result, the disagreement that led us to take this case will persist.
The Court easily could have resolved that disagreement by addressing respondents’ alternative ground for affirmance. Sharline and Ray Lundgren—whose family has maintained the land in question for more than 70 years—ask us to affirm based on the “immovable property” exception to sovereign immunity. That exception is settled, longstanding, and obviously applies to tribal immunity—as it does to every other type of sovereign immunity that has ever been recognized. Although the Lundgrens did not raise this argument below, we have the discretion to reach it. I would have done so. The immovable-property exception was extensively briefed and argued, and its application here is straightforward. Addressing the exception now would have ensured that property owners like the Lundgrens can protect their rights and that States like Washington can protect their sovereignty. Because the Court unnecessarily chooses to leave them in limbo, I respectfully dissent.
As the Court points out, the parties did not raise the immovable-property exception below or in their certiorari-stage briefs. See ante, at 6. But this Court will resolve arguments raised for the first time in the merits briefs when they are a “ ‘ “predicate to an intelligent resolution” of the question presented’ ” and thus “ ‘fairly included’ within the question presented.” Caterpillar Inc. v. Lewis, 519 U. S. 61, 75, n. 13 (1996) (quoting Ohio v. Robinette, 519 U. S. 33, 38 (1996); this Court’s Rule 14.1). The Court agrees that the immovable-property exception is necessary to an intelligent resolution of the question presented, which is why it remands that issue to the Washington Supreme Court. See ante, at 6–7. But our normal practice is to address the issue ourselves, unless there are “good reasons to decline to exercise our discretion.” Jones v. United States, 527 U. S. 373, 397, n. 12 (1999) (plurality opinion).
There are no good reasons here. The Court’s only proffered reason is that the applicability of the immovable-property exception is a “grave question” that “will affect all tribes, not just the one before us.” Ante, at 6.[1] The exception’s applicability might be “grave,” but it is also clear. And most questions decided by this Court will affect more than the parties “before us”; that is one of the primary reasons why we grant certiorari. See this Court’s Rule 10(c) (explaining that certiorari review is usually reserved for cases involving “an important question of federal law” that has divided the state or federal courts). Moreover, the Court’s decision to forgo answering the question presented is no less “grave.” It forces the Lundgrens to squander additional years and resources litigating their right to litigate. And it casts uncertainty over the sovereign rights of States to maintain jurisdiction over their respective territories.
Contrary to the Court’s suggestion, ante, at 6–7, I have no doubt that our state-court colleagues will faithfully interpret and apply the law on remand. But I also have no doubt that this Court “ha[s] an ‘obligation . . . to decide the merits of the question presented’ ” in the cases that come before us. Encino Motorcars, LLC v. Navarro, 579 U. S. ___, ___ (2016) (Thomas, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 1). The Court should have discharged that obligation here.
I would have resolved this case based on the immovable-property exception to sovereign immunity. That excep- tion is well established. And it plainly extends to tribal immunity, as it does to every other form of sovereign immunity.
The immovable-property exception has been hornbook
law almost as long as there have been hornbooks. For centuries, there has been “uniform authority in support of the view that there is no immunity from jurisdiction with respect to actions relating to immovable property.” Lauterpacht, The Problem of Jurisdictional Immunities of Foreign States, 28 Brit. Y. B. Int’l Law 220, 244 (1951).[2] This immovable-property exception predates both the founding and the Tribe’s treaty with the United States. Cornelius van Bynkershoek, a renowned 18th-century jurist,[3] stated that it was “established” that “property which a prince has purchased for himself in the dominions of another . . . shall be treated just like the property of private individuals.” De Foro Legatorum Liber Singularis 22 (G. Laing transl. 2d ed. 1946). His conclusion echoed
the 16th-century legal scholar Oswald Hilliger. See ibid. About a decade after Bynkershoek, Emer de Vattel explained that, when “sovereigns have fiefs and other possessions in the territory of another prince; in such cases they hold them after the manner of private individuals.” 3 The Law of Nations §83, p. 139 (C. Fenwick transl. 1916); see also E. de Vattel, The Law of Nations §115, p. 493 (J. Chitty ed. 1872) (“All landed estates, all immovable property, by whomsoever possessed, are subject to the jurisdiction of the country”).[4]
The immovable-property exception is a corollary of the ancient principle of lex rei sitae. Sometimes called lex situs or lex loci rei sitae, the principle provides that “land is governed by the law of the place where it is situated.” F. Wharton, Conflict of Laws §273, p. 607 (G. Parmele ed., 3d ed. 1905). It reflects the fact that a sovereign “cannot suffer its own laws . . . to be changed” by another sovereign. H. Wheaton, Elements of International Law §81, p. 114 (1866). As then-Judge Scalia explained, it is “self-evident” that “[a] territorial sovereign has a primeval interest in resolving all disputes over use or right to use of real property within its own domain.” Asociacion de Reclamantes v. United Mexican States, 735 F. 2d 1517, 1521 (CADC 1984). And because “land is so indissolubly connected with the territory of a State,” a State “cannot permit” a foreign sovereign to displace its jurisdiction by purchasing land and then claiming “immunity.” Competence of Courts in Regard to Foreign States, 26 Am. J. Int’l L. Supp. 451, 578 (1932) (Competence of Courts). An assertion of immunity by a foreign sovereign over real property is an attack on the sovereignty of “the State of
the situs.” Ibid.
The principle of lex rei sitae was so well established by the 19th century that Chancellor James Kent deemed it “too clear for discussion.” 2 Commentaries on American Law 429, n. a (4th ed. 1840). The medieval jurist Bartolus of Sassoferatto had recognized the principle 500 years earlier in his commentary on conflicts of law under the Justinian Code. See Bartolus, Conflict of Laws 29 (J. Beale transl. 1914).[5] Bartolus explained that, “when there is a question of any right growing out of a thing itself, the custom or statute of the place where the thing is should be observed.” Ibid. Later authorities writing on conflicts of law consistently agreed that lex rei sitae determined the governing law in real-property disputes.[6] And this Court likewise held, nearly 200 years ago, that “the nature of
sovereignty” requires that “[e]very government” have “the exclusive right of regulating the descent, distribution, and grants of the domain within its own boundaries.” Green v. Biddle, 8 Wheat. 1, 12 (1823) (Story, J.).
The acceptance of the immovable-property exception has not wavered over time. In the 20th century, as nations increasingly owned foreign property, it remained “well settled in International law that foreign state immunity need not be extended in cases dealing with rights to interests in real property.” Weber, The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976: Its Origin, Meaning, and Effect, 3 Yale J. Int’l L. 1, 33 (1976). Countries around the world continued to recognize the exception in their statutory and decisional law. See Competence of Courts 572–590 (noting support for the exception in statutes from Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Italy, as well as decisions from the United States, Austria, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Germany, and Romania). “All modern authors are, in fact, agreed that in all disputes in rem regarding immovable property, the judicial authorities of the State possess as full a jurisdiction over foreign States as they do over foreign individuals.” C. Hyde, 2 International Law 848, n. 33 (2d ed. 1945) (internal quotation marks omitted).
The Restatement of Foreign Relations Law reflects this unbroken consensus. Every iteration of the Restatement has deemed a suit concerning the ownership of real property to be “outside the scope of the principle of [sovereign] immunity of a foreign state.” Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Proposed Official Draft) §71, Comment c, p. 228 (1962); see also Restatement (Second) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States §68(b) (1965) (similar); Restatement (Third) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States §455(1)(c) (1987) (denying that immunity exists for “claims . . . to immovable property in the state of the forum”); Restatement (Fourth) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States §456(2) (Tent. Draft No. 2, Mar. 22, 2016) (recognizing “jurisdiction over a foreign state in any case in which rights in immovable property situated in the United States are in issue”). Sovereign immunity, the First Restatement explains, does not bar “an action to obtain possession of or establish an ownership interest in immovable property located in the territory of the state exercising jurisdiction.” §71(b), at 226.
Given the centuries of uniform agreement on the immovable-property exception, it is no surprise that all three branches of the United States Government have recognized it. Writing for a unanimous Court and drawing on Bynkershoek and De Vattel, Chief Justice Marshall noted that “the property of a foreign sovereign is not distinguishable by any legal exemption from the property of an ordinary individual.” Schooner Exchange v. McFaddon, 7 Cranch 116, 144–145 (1812). Thus, “[a] prince, by acquiring private property in a foreign country, may possibly be considered as subjecting that property to the territorial jurisdiction . . . and assuming the character of a private individual.” Id., at 145.[7] The Court echoed this reasoning over a century later, holding that state sovereign immunity does not extend to “[l]and acquired by one State in another State.” Georgia v. Chattanooga, 264 U. S. 472, 480 (1924). In 1952, the State Department acknowledged that “[t]here is agreement[,] supported by practice, that sovereign immunity should not be claimed or granted in actions with respect to real property.” Tate Letter 984.[8] Two decades later, Congress endorsed the immovable-property exception by including it in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976. See 28 U. S. C. §1605(a)(4) (“A foreign state shall not be immune from the jurisdiction of courts of the United States . . . in any case . . . in which . . . rights in immovable property situated in the United States are in issue”). This statutory exception was “meant to codify the pre-existing real property exception to sovereign immunity recognized by international practice.” Permanent Mission of India to United Nations v. City of New York, 551 U. S. 193, 200 (2007) (emphasis added; internal quotation marks omitted).
The Court does not question any of the foregoing authorities. Nor did the parties provide any reason to do so. The Government, when asked to identify its “best authority for the proposition that the baseline rule of common law was total immunity, including in rem actions,” pointed to just two sources. See Tr. of Oral Arg. 29; Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 10, 26. The first was Hamilton’s statement that “[i]t is inherent in the nature of sovereignty not to be amenable to the suit of an individual without its consent.” The Federalist No. 81, p. 487 (C. Rossiter ed. 1961) (emphasis deleted). Yet “property ownership is not an inherently sovereign function,” Permanent Mission, supra, at 199, and Hamilton’s general statement does not suggest that immunity is automatically available or is not subject to longstanding exceptions. The Government also cited Schooner Exchange. But as explained above, that
decision expressly acknowledges the immovable-property exception. The Government’s unconvincing arguments cannot overcome more than six centuries of consensus on the validity of the immovable-property exception.
Because the immovable-property exception clearly applies to both state and foreign sovereign immunity, the only question is whether it also applies to tribal immunity. It does.
Just last Term, this Court refused to “exten[d]” tribal immunity “beyond what common-law sovereign immunity principles would recognize.” Lewis v. Clarke, 581 U. S. ___, ___–___ (2017) (slip op., at 7–8). Tribes are “domestic dependent nations,” Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 5 Pet. 1, 17 (1831), that “no longer posses[s] the full attributes of sovereignty,” United States v. Wheeler, 435 U. S. 313, 323 (1978) (internal quotation marks omitted). Given the “limited character” of their sovereignty, ibid., Indian tribes possess only “the common-law immunity from suit traditionally enjoyed by sovereign powers,” Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U. S. 49, 58 (1978). That is why this Court recently declined an invitation to make tribal immunity “broader than the protection offered by state or federal sovereign immunity.” Lewis, 581 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 8). Accordingly, because States and foreign countries are subject to the immovable-property exception, Indian tribes are too. “There is no reason to depart from these general rules in the context of tribal sovereign immunity.” Id., at ___ (slip op., at 7).
In declining to reach the immovable-property exception, the Court highlights two counterarguments that the Tribe and the United States have raised for why the exception should not extend to tribal immunity. Neither argument has any merit.
First, the Court notes that “immunity doctrines lifted from other contexts do not always neatly apply to Indian tribes.” Ante, at 5 (citing Kiowa Tribe of Okla. v. Manufacturing Technologies, Inc., 523 U. S. 751, 756 (1998)). But the Court’s authority for that proposition merely states that tribal immunity “is not coextensive with that of the States.” Id., at 756 (emphasis added). Even assuming that is so, it does not mean that the Tribe’s immunity can be more expansive than any recognized form of sovereign immunity, including the immunity of the United States and foreign countries. See Lewis, supra, at ___–___ (slip op., at 7–8). And the Tribe admits that this Court has previously limited tribal immunity to conform with analogous “limitations . . . in suits against the United States.” Reply Brief 22. No one argues that the United States could claim sovereign immunity if it wrongfully asserted ownership of private property in a foreign country—the equivalent of what the Tribe did here. The United States plainly would be subject to suit in that country’s courts. See Competence of Courts 572–590.
Second, the Court cites two decisions for the proposition that “since the founding . . . the political branches rather than judges have held primary responsibility for determining when foreign sovereigns may be sued for their activities in this country.” Ante, at 6 (citing Verlinden B. V. v. Central Bank of Nigeria, 461 U. S. 480, 486 (1983); Ex parte Peru, 318 U. S. 578, 588 (1943)). But those cases did not involve tribal immunity. They were admiralty suits in which foreign sovereigns sought to recover ships they allegedly owned. See Verlinden, supra, at 486 (citing cases involving ships allegedly owned by Italy, Peru, and Mexico); Ex parte Peru, supra, at 579 (mandamus action by Peru regarding its steamship). Those decisions were an extension of the common-law principle, recognized in Schooner Exchange, that sovereign immunity applies to vessels owned by a foreign sovereign. See Berizzi Brothers Co. v. S. S. Pesaro, 271 U. S. 562, 571–576 (1926). These cases encourage deference to the political branches on sensitive questions of foreign affairs. But they do not suggest that courts can ignore longstanding limits on sovereign immunity, such as the immovable-property exception. And they do not suggest that courts can abdicate their judicial duty to decide the scope of tribal immunity—a duty this Court exercised just last Term. See Lewis, supra, at ___–___ (slip op., at 5–8).[9]
In fact, those present at “the founding,” ante, at 6, would be shocked to learn that an Indian tribe could acquire property in a State and then claim immunity from that State’s jurisdiction.[10] Tribal immunity is “a judicial doctrine” that is not mandated by the Constitution. Kiowa, 523 U. S., at 759. It “developed almost by accident,” was reiterated “with little analysis,” and does not reflect the realities of modern-day Indian tribes. See id., at 756–758. The doctrine has become quite “exorbitant,” Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 572 U. S. ___, ___ (2014) (Ginsburg, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 1), and it has been implausibly “exten[ded] . . . to bar suits arising out of an
Indian tribe’s commercial activities conducted outside its territory,” id., at ___ (Thomas, J., dissenting) (slip op., at 1).
Extending it even further here would contradict the bedrock principle that each State is “entitled to the sovereignty and jurisdiction over all the territory within her limits.” Lessee of Pollard v. Hagan, 3 How. 212, 228 (1845); accord, Texas v. White, 7 Wall. 700, 725 (1869); Willamette Iron Bridge Co. v. Hatch, 125 U. S. 1, 9 (1888) (collecting cases). Since 1812, this Court has “entertain[ed] no doubt” that “the title to land can be acquired and lost only in the manner prescribed by the law of the place where such land is situate[d].” United States v. Crosby, 7 Cranch 115, 116 (1812) (Story, J.). Justice Bushrod Washington declared it “an unquestionable principle of general law, that the title to, and the disposition of real property, must be exclusively subject to the laws of the country where it is situated.” Kerr v. Devisees of Moon, 9 Wheat. 565, 570 (1824). This Court has been similarly emphatic ever since. See, e.g., Munday v. Wisconsin Trust Co., 252 U. S. 499, 503 (1920) (“long ago declared”); Arndt v. Griggs, 134 U. S. 316, 321 (1890) (“held repeatedly”); United States v. Fox, 94 U. S. 315, 320 (1877) (“undoubted”); McCormick v. Sullivant, 10 Wheat. 192, 202 (1825) (“an acknowledged principle of law”). Allowing the judge-made doctrine of tribal immunity to intrude on such a fundamental aspect of state sovereignty contradicts the Constitution’s design, which “ ‘leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty.’ ” New York v. United States, 505 U. S. 144, 188 (1992) (quoting The Federalist No. 39, at 256).
* * *
The Court’s failure to address the immovable-property exception in this case is difficult to justify. It leaves our colleagues in the state and federal courts with little more guidance than they had before. It needlessly delays relief for the Lundgrens, who must continue to litigate the threshold question whether they can litigate their indisputable right to their land. And it does not address a clearly erroneous tribal-immunity claim: one that asserts a sweeping and absolute immunity that no other sovereign has ever enjoyed—not a State, not a foreign nation, and not even the United States.
I respectfully dissent.
1 The Court does not question the adequacy of the briefing or identify factual questions that need further development. Nor could it. The immovable-property exception received extensive attention in the parties’ briefs, see Brief for Respondents 9–26; Reply Brief 13–24, and the Government’s amicus brief, see Brief for United States 25–33. Most of the oral argument likewise focused on the immovable-property exception. See Tr. of Oral Arg. 14–16, 19–29, 34–51, 54–59. And when asked at oral argument what else it could say about the exception if it had more time, the Tribe had no response. See id., at 19–21.
2 There is some disagreement about the outer bounds of this exception—for example, whether it applies to tort claims related to the property or to diplomatic embassies. See, e.g., Letter from J. Tate, Acting Legal Adviser, Dept. of State, to Acting Attorney General P. Perlman (May 19, 1952), 26 Dept. of State Bull. 984, 984–985 (Tate Letter); see also C. Bynkershoek, De Foro Legatorum Liber Singularis 22–23 (G. Laing transl. 2d ed. 1946) (explaining there is “no unanimity” regarding attaching a foreign prince’s debts to immovable property). But there is no dispute that it covers suits concerning ownership of a piece of real property used for nondiplomatic reasons. See Tate Letter 984; Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 27–28. In other words, there is no dispute that it applies to in rem suits like this one.
3 Considered “a jurist of great reputation” by Chief Justice Marshall, Schooner Exchange v. McFaddon, 7 Cranch 116, 144 (1812), “Bynkershoek’s influence in the eighteenth century [w]as enormous,” Adler, The President’s Recognition Power, in The Constitution and the Conduct of American Foreign Policy 133, 153, n. 19 (G. Adler & L. George eds. 1996) (internal quotation marks omitted). Madison, for example, consulted Bynkershoek’s works (on the recommendation of Jefferson) while preparing to draft the Constitution. See Letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison (Feb. 20, 1784), in 4 The Works of Thomas Jefferson 239, 248 (P. Ford ed. 1904); Letter from James Madison to Thomas Jefferson (Mar. 16, 1784), in 2 The Writings of James Madison 34, 43 (G. Hunt ed. 1901).
4 De Vattel’s work was “a leading treatise” of its era. Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC, ante, at 9, n. 3 (Gorsuch, J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment).
5 In the foreword to his translation of Bartolus, Joseph Henry Beale described him as “the most imposing figure among the lawyers of the middle ages,” whose work was “the first and standard statement of the doctrines of the Conflict of Laws.” Bartolus, Conflict of Laws, at 9.
6 See, e.g., F. von Savigny, Conflict of Laws 130 (W. Guthrie transl. 1869) (“This principle [of lex rei sitae] has been generally accepted from a very early time”); G. Bowyer, Commentaries on Universal Public Law 160 (1854) (“[W]here the matter in controversy is the right and title to land or other immovable property, the judgment pronounced in the forum rei sitae is held conclusive in other countries”); H. Wheaton, Elements of International Law §81, p. 114 (G. Wilson ed. 1936) (“[T]he law of a place where real property is situated governs exclusively as to the tenure, title, and the descent of such property”); J. Story, Commentaries on the Conflict of Laws §424, p. 708 (rev. 3d ed. 1846) (“The title . . . to real property can be acquired, passed, and lost only according to the Lex rei sitae”); J. Westlake, Private International Law *56 (“The right to possession of land can only be tried in the courts of the situs”); L. Bar, International Law 241–242 (G. Gillespie transl. 1883) (noting that, in “the simpler case of immoveables,” “[t]he lex rei sitae is the rule”); F. Wharton, 1 Conflict of Laws §273, p. 607 (G. Parmele ed., 3d ed. 1905) (“Jurists of all schools, and courts of all nations, are agreed in holding that land is governed by the law of the place where it is situated”).
7 The Skagit Tribe entered into its treaty with the United States four decades later. See Treaty of Point Elliott, Apr. 11, 1859, 12Stat. 927. The treaty does not mention sovereignty or otherwise alter the rule laid out in Schooner Exchange.
8 This declaration has long been “the official policy of our Government.” Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc. v. Republic of Cuba, 425 U. S. 682, 698 (1976). The State Department has reaffirmed it on several occasions. See, e.g., Dept. of State, J. Sweeney, Policy Research Study: The International Law of Sovereign Immunity 24 (1963) (“The immunity from jurisdiction of a foreign state does not extend to actions for the determination of an interest in immovable—or real—property in the territory. This limitation on the immunity of the state is of long standing”).
9 These decisions about ships, even on their own terms, undercut the Tribe’s claim to immunity here. The decisions acknowledge a “distinction between possession and title” that is “supported by the overwhelming weight of authority” and denies immunity to a foreign sovereign that has “title . . . without possession.” Republic of Mexico v. Hoffman, 324 U. S. 30, 37–38 (1945); see, e.g., Long v. The Tampico, 16 F. 491, 493–501 (SDNY 1883). That distinction would defeat the Tribe’s claim to immunity because the Lundgrens have possession of the land. See 187 Wash. 2d 857, 861–864, 389 P.3d 569, 571–572 (2017).
10 Their shock would not be assuaged by the Government’s proposed remedy. The Government suggests that the Lundgrens should force a showdown with the Tribe by chopping down trees or building some structure on the land. See Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 23–24. If the judge-made doctrine of tribal immunity has come to a place where it forces individuals to take the law into their own hands to keep their own land, then it will have crossed the threshold from mistaken to absurd.
September 11, 2017 Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 13, 2017)
October 13, 2017 Brief of respondents Sharline Lundgren and Ray Lundgren in opposition filed.
October 27, 2017 Reply of petitioner Upper Skagit Indian Tribe filed.
November 1, 2017 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/21/2017.
November 17, 2017 Rescheduled.
November 27, 2017 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/1/2017.
December 4, 2017 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 12/8/2017.
December 8, 2017 Petition GRANTED.
January 22, 2018 Brief of petitioner Upper Skagit Indian Tribe filed.
Main Document|
Certificate of Word Count|
Proof of Service
January 22, 2018 Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed.)
Main Document
January 24, 2018 SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Wednesday, March 21, 2018
January 29, 2018 Brief amici curiae of Cayuga Nation, Seneca Nation of Indians, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Cherokee Nation, Pueblo of Pojoaque filed.
January 29, 2018 Brief amici curiae of Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and Skokomish Indian Tribe filed.
January 29, 2018 Brief amicus curiae of United States filed.
Proof of Service|
January 29, 2018 Brief amici curiae of States of Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, and Texas filed in Support of Neither Party
January 29, 2018 Brief amici curiae of National Congress of American Indians, et al. filed.
Other|
February 7, 2018 CIRCULATED
February 21, 2018 Record requested from the Supreme Court of Washington.
February 21, 2018 Brief of respondents Sharline Lundgren and Ray Lundgren filed. (Distributed)
Certificate of Word Count
February 28, 2018 Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument filed.
February 28, 2018 Brief amicus curiae of Public Service Company of New Mexico filed. (Distributed)
February 28, 2018 Brief amici curiae of Village of Union Springs, Town of Springport, Cayuga County filed. (Distributed)
February 28, 2018 Brief amicus curiae of Seneca County, New York filed. (Distributed)
March 12, 2018 Reply of petitioner Upper Skagit Indian Tribe filed. (Distributed)
March 16, 2018 Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae and for divided argument GRANTED.
March 21, 2018 Argued. For petitioner: David S. Hawkins, Sedro-Woolley, Wash.; and Ann O’Connell, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) For respondents: Eric D. Miller, Seattle, Wash.
May 21, 2018 Judgment VACATED and case REMANDED. Gorsuch, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Roberts, C. J., filed a concurring opinion, in which Kennedy, J., joined. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Alito, J., joined.
June 22, 2018 MANDATE ISSUED.
June 22, 2018 JUDGMENT ISSUED.
Oral Argument - March 21, 2018
Opinion Announcement - May 21, 2018
Prior History
Lundgren v. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, No. 91622-5 (Wash. Feb. 16, 2017)
The issue this case presented for the Supreme Court’s review was whether the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe's (Tribe) assertion of sovereign immunity requires dismissal of an in rem adverse possession action to quiet title to a disputed strip of land on the boundary of property purchased by the Tribe. The superior court concluded that because it had in rem jurisdiction, it could determine ownership of the land without the Tribe's participation. An inquiry under CR 19, involved a merit-based determination that some interest will be adversely affected in the litigation. Where no interest is found to exist, especially in an in rem proceeding, nonjoinder presents no jurisdictional barriers. The Supreme Court found that the Tribe did not have an interest in the disputed property; therefore, the Tribe's sovereign immunity was no barrier to this in rem proceeding. The trial court properly denied the Tribe's motion to dismiss and granted summary judgment to the property owner.
Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
Sharline Lundgren, et vir
584 U.S. __ (2018)
Docket No.
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Action Replay: March 8 1986
Martina Navratilova, aged 29 and the best female tennis player on the planet, becomes the first tennis player male or female to win more than $10 million in prize money when she claims the US Women’s Indoor Championships in New Jersey.
Her journey to reach this milestone has not been without drama. Just a few days before, having suffered a shock semi-final defeat to American Kathy Jordan in California, she is detained as she attempts to board a flight to the New Jersey tournament. The reason? Security officials find a pistol in her hand luggage.
She explains that she is permitted to carry the weapon under the laws of her adopted home state of Texas. She tells officers that she normally checks the gun into the hold and she is allowed to continue her journey.
Navratilova puts these events behind her and focuses on the US Indoors, held at the Rutgers Athletic Center. She notches up routine wins over Grace Kim, Andrea Holikova and Alycia Moulton before a straight-sets semi-final victory over friend and doubles partner Pam Shriver to book her spot in Saturday’s final against Czechoslovakia’s Helena Sukova.
Deep into the deciding set of the final, Navratilova stands at match point. This time, though, it’s more than just another singles title at stake. One more point and the winner’s cheque of $29,000 that she will collect from the tournament referee (along with a brand new mink coat) will put her name into the history books and her career earnings over the $10 million mark.
Navratilova walks up to the baseline to serve, 6-5 ahead in the final set tie-break. She takes a moment to steady herself and decides she’ll go with her trusty slice out wide to the Sukova backhand.
Navratilova’s delivery is as accurate as ever, clipping the edge of the sideline. Sukova is motionless. In her mind the serve is out. She doesn’t even attempt a return as she lets the ball fizz past her, expecting a call from the linesman. But the official remains silent and Sukova’s misjudgement has cost her the match.
I felt half of the ball was out but half caught the line, Navratilova offers afterwards. I thought she would have gone for it. She knew I’d be serving to her backhand.
Martina Navratilova has won her fourth US Indoors title with a 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5) victory to take her on-court earnings to $10,006,424.
A few weeks later Martina loses to Chris Evert in the final of the French Open, but goes on to win her seventh Wimbledon crown and her third US Open trophy to end 1986 with 15 grand slam singles titles to her name.
From 1973 to 1982 Martina is no lower than No.4 in the world rankings.
In 1982 Martina becomes the first tennis player to earn more than $1 million in a single season when she pockets $1,475,055 for the year.
In a near-perfect season in 1984, Martina records the longest winning streak in tennis history. She wins 13 out of 15 tournaments and ends the year with a win-loss record of 78-2.
The same year she and Pam Shriver become only the second ever pair to record a doubles grand slam, winning all four major titles in the same calendar year.
During 1985, 1986 and 1987, she reaches the final of all 11 majors (the Australian Open is not held in 1986).
In 1994 she becomes the first player to pass the $20 million prize money mark and in the same year decides to retire. She changes her mind six years later and returns to the tour in 2000.
In September 2006, just short of her 50th birthday, Martina wins her 59th grand slam title when she and American Bob Bryan claim the US Open mixed doubles trophy. Finally, it is Martina’s last match as a tennis professional.
Martina has won 18 grand slam singles titles, 31 grand slam doubles titles and 10 grand slam mixed titles. She has amassed $21,626,089 in prize money.
She has reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, winning a record nine times, and her mind-boggling tally of 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles is an Open era record.
In 2006 Billie Jean King, who, like Navratilova, has 20 Wimbledon singles and doubles titles to her name, needs only one sentence to sum up her peer’s achievements. “She’s the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived.”
In January 2008 Lindsay Davenport becomes the highest earner of all time in women’s tennis when she wins her first round match at the Australian Open. The victory puts her career prizemoney at $21,897,501, surpassing Steffi Graf by $2,224.
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06.27.2014 Government
Lawmakers pitch new funding for high-tech startups
By Paul Squire
Congressman Tim Bishop and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand pitch the new high-tech startup bill at a press conference Friday morning. (Credit: Paul Squire)
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said New York research facilities and nonprofits receive about $6 billion in federal investment — the second-most in the nation.
Yet fledgling businesses out of those research labs get about 7 percent of the nation’s venture capital, something Ms. Gillibrand said needs to change.
“We have to do more to equip our scientists and business leaders with the skills and fundings they need to get their ideas off the ground and create high-tech products and jobs,” Ms. Gillibrand said at a press conference at the Stony Brook Calverton Business Incubator Friday morning.
Ms. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Representative Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) announced new legislation that they said would provide federal grants to incubators so that startup companies could more easily enter the economy.
“We have to continue to provide these startups, along with the brightest minds across Long Island and our research facilities, the tools they need to succeed,” Ms. Gillibrand said.
Under the Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and Future Economic Resiliency (TRANSFER) Act, federal agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and NASA would award grants of up to $3 million to incubators and nonprofits.
The incubators could then distribute up to $100,000 to each technology project within them to help the businesses access legal help, testing services, or market research tools, Ms. Gillibrand said.
It is expected that up to $40 million in funding would be available during the bill’s first year.
The bill — spearheaded by Ms. Gillibrand and co-sponsored by Mr. Bishop — has bipartisan support in the House and Senate, and both representatives are hopeful that they could get the legislation passed by the end of the year. The law would then take effect in 2015.
Mr. Bishop said the law would help research centers like Stony Brook University, the largest employer in Suffolk County, and Brookhaven National Lab.
“This piece of legislation gives the innovators and the entrepreneurs … the opportunity to take that which they are working on and perfecting in the laboratory and move it into the marketplace,” he said.
Local scientist Danny Bluestien with Polynova Cardiovascular, a startup medical device company, said the legislation would be the “missing step” that would allow researchers to translate their discoveries into products.
Daniel Stolyarov, who helps run Graphene Laboratories in the Calverton incubator, said drafting business plans or writing grant proposals is “a full time job.”
“If you’re doing that you don’t have time to do actual business,” he said. “This bill, I think, simplifies the procedure.”
Paul Squire
Email Paul Squire Email Created with Sketch. Email Paul Squire
congressman tim bishop
TRANSFER Act
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SUNDIP MEGHANI
BSc (Hons) GDip (Law) PgDip (Legal Practice)
Quitting Labour After 20 Years: How and why Labour became an institutionally racist, anti-Indian party, detached from the lives of aspirational workers
Posted on August 23, 2020 by Sundip
After 20 years of activism and public service, I resigned recently as a Labour member. I could no longer belong to an organisation that had become institutionally racist and anti-Indian. I could not support a party that had embraced left-wing extremism and become detached from the lives of ordinary working people.
By way of background, I am a lawyer from central England, and I did a considerable amount of work with the party over two decades: six years as a constituency officer; four years as a Leicester councillor; Police Authority member; parliamentary candidate (Harborough, 2015); council candidate (Birmingham, 2018); and four years as a national trade union branch leader – challenging abuse of power and saving jobs.
I was a loyal party member, but the party is no longer loyal to the people I come from.
In this article I outline the rise of anti-Indian bigotry in the party, and how Labour came to embrace authoritarian socialism, whilst pretending to care about the working class. I explain why Labour has a visceral hatred of British Indians and our values, and contempt for our beliefs.
I discuss the hypocrisy of socialism, and how the party founded by working people now advocates for intellectual idleness and resentment, over hard work and ambition. Finally, I set out why the new leadership will not salvage the party.
2. Sounding the alarm
Exactly 10 years ago I wrote a piece for Labour Uncut on why the party was losing the Hindu vote. In that article, penned in my capacity as Minorities Officer for Leicester West Labour, I urged the party to engage with British Indians, and not take the community and its votes for granted.
In the intervening years, I and many others fought to ensure Indian values were Labour’s values because, coincidentally, these reflected core British values as well.
Values of hard work and aspiration. Entrepreneurial spirit to build a better life. Passion for education and the pursuit of knowledge. Pride in one’s cultural traditions. Family belonging and community support. Fair play and self-sufficiency. Love of country and respect for its laws. Religious worship with tolerance for others. And the desire to live in a safe society, with a strong economy, and decent public services.
Sadly, the party chose not to listen to those of us who were sounding the alarm.
3. Increased anti-Indian bigotry
In recent years I have witnessed, or received evidence of, countless examples of anti-Indian bigotry and appalling behaviour within the Labour Party.
Indian-heritage Labour members have been routinely bullied by fellow Labour activists, with derogatory comments alongside labels such as ‘Hindutva’ – a term used in the same way Zionist is sometimes deployed in a disparaging way, when referencing Jewish people.
In fact, this was one of the frequent criticisms I faced from hard leftists, both before and after my Labour resignation, i.e. that I had some affiliation with the current Indian government. In reality, I have never been involved in Indian politics and, aside from taking an interest in important news stories, I have limited knowledge of Indian domestic affairs. But this kind of supposition, that dual-identity people have competing loyalties and hidden agendas, is part of the anti-Indian racism now embedded in Labour.
British Indian Labour members have also been prevented from participating fully in party meetings. Hindu and Sikh traditions have been mocked and insulted. And complaints of anti-Indian racism, submitted by friends of mine to Labour HQ, have been completely ignored – this includes two separate reports I sent to Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in December 2017 and August 2019. (Later in this article I elaborate further on my 2017 complaint.)
In September 2019, in keeping with its foreign policy approach – of siding with separatist groups and terrorists, over democratic nation states and British allies – Labour passed an emergency motion on Kashmir at its annual conference, containing appalling anti-India rhetoric.
In October and November 2019, as parliamentary selections got underway for the upcoming December election, the party machinery began working to disadvantage talented applicants of Indian heritage, in favour of hard leftists. This happened in diverse constituencies across the country, such as Ilford South, Ealing North, and – I should declare an interest – in Leicester East.
4. Corbynite corruption
As I said in my statement at the time of the Leicester East debacle, quite apart from the dodgy practices on Labour’s NEC – with press briefings of the result, in advance of the actual process – the outcome was yet another slap in the face for British Indians.
Two months after she chaired the emergency conference debate on Kashmir, where she had allowed disgusting anti-Indian rhetoric to be openly aired without challenge, Islington councillor and NEC member, Claudia Webbe, was gifted a parliamentary seat with one of the biggest Indian demographics in the country. It all felt a bit Shami Chakrabarti.
Although I was the first to speak out, I was not the only one appalled by the imposition of such a reprehensible candidate – someone who had been in-charge of the party’s now infamous disputes panel, and had a sketchy track record on anti-Semitism, as was demonstrated yet again as recently as June 2020.
Other applicants criticised the party’s lack of transparency. Labour Friends of India put out a strongly worded statement on candidate selections. The chair of Leicester East Labour, Cllr John Thomas – a respected figure from our white working class community – resigned from Labour in disgust.
And days before the general election, a group of Indian-heritage Leicester Labour councillors published an open letter, denouncing the party’s nominee – a long-time friend of Jeremy Corbyn – and affirming that anti-Indian bigotry was intensifying.
Ultimately, there was a swing of 16% against the party in Leicester East, and Labour’s majority was slashed by 73% – turning a once safe seat into a marginal.
5. Clickbait over convictions
The trend among Labour’s hard leftists is to attack and undermine people for daring to voice opinions they find unpalatable. Not content in disagreeing with an individual’s ideas, these cancel culture crusaders seek to destroy the individual, often complaining to a person’s employer to get them sacked. This is the party of working people, lest we forget.
And it is not just ordinary party members behaving like emotional adolescents. In June 2020, dozens of minority ethnic Labour MPs put their names to a despicable letter sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel, one of four British Indians in the cabinet.
These Labour MPs falsely claimed Patel’s experience of racism was inauthentic. They stated, “Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism”, whilst relying on that same ‘authority’ with which to chastise Patel.
Is this what Labour had in mind when it arrogantly declared it alone can unlock the talents of Britain’s ethnic minorities – with MPs of colour orchestrating bigoted political stunts, to inflame racial tensions?
The inexorable march towards clickbait over convictions is further proof of the brain rot now at the heart of Labour, although the explanation for how the rot set-in is a bit more complicated.
6. Embracing left-wing extremism
Ed Miliband’s leadership was a disaster. Not because he was a power-hungry soft-left dilettante, who conspired with hard leftists to beat his better-qualified brother, David, to the leadership, before going on to lose 26 seats. Although he was, and he did.
But because he changed the party’s rules to permit thousands of entryists to vote for his successor. Miliband’s tenure also emboldened thousands of existing members, who took the opportunity to relive their radical youth, by lurching fervently to the left.
Collectively, these individuals – the newcomers and the emboldened members – harboured various regressive beliefs and personal gripes.
First there were the far-left socialists, comprising utopians, anarchists and Marxists, plus all the various Marxist subsets i.e. Leninists, Trotskyites, Stalinists, Maoists etc. (If the Conservatives had done something similar, and cosied up to far-right fascists, such as the BNP or EDL, they would have been loudly condemned by all and sundry. It is to Labour’s eternal shame that such extremists were welcomed into the party.)
These left-wing ideologues were aiming for unachievable perfection at the expense of pragmatism and competence. Possessed by their ideas they believed, quite narcissistically, that despite all the bad theory they alone could fix the world, if only they had control.
Then there were the embittered leftist intellectuals. Highly intelligent, materially comfortable, mainly middle class people, who had not enjoyed the corresponding success in life they felt they were owed, as reward for their intelligence. In other words, smart individuals with an inferiority complex and a deep sense of resentment, having lived a life of passive inaction.
It was this marriage-of-convenience, between far-left revolutionaries and resentful intellectuals, which dragged the party into the socialist wilderness. They did this by repeatedly backing the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn: an inept third-rate politician, with a history of palling around with Hezbollah; and a man so anti-establishment, he has been drawing a parliamentary salary for nearly 40 years.
7. Crocodile tears for working people
The leftist ideologues and intelligentsia, as personified by Corbyn, falsely claimed to be democratic socialists or social democrats. In fact, they were revolutionary authoritarian socialists, an entirely different kettle of fish.
They came from mostly privileged backgrounds but pretended outwardly to be working class. They shed crocodile tears for the poor and downtrodden, whilst carrying entrenched values of anger, entitlement, snobbery and disloyalty.
They used the imagined grievances of ordinary people as a battering ram to try and tear down the British establishment; which, according to their warped mindset, was the root cause of all society’s problems. And they sought to win power to punish the rich; or, depending on one’s perspective, to punish aspirational workers.
Real working class individuals, like myself, who have either made it to the middle class or are aspiring to get there, never actually forget where we came from, or how tough it is to be poor.
We appreciate the freedom success can provide, and we do not view ambition in a negative light. We have an underlying sense of loyalty to our country, and to those British traditions which hard leftists are always so desperate to write-off, such as public spirit and civility, national sovereignty, English common law, the monarchy, the free press, the armed forces, family life, religious worship, private enterprise etc.
The truth is, if they are made to choose, British workers always put their country before their class, and they despise the disloyalty that only self-indulgent intellectuals can afford.
Despite controlling all the levers of power in Labour, and facing a government already in office for nine years, the socialist cult of Jeremy Corbyn failed to win a national vote – not once, not twice, but three times in succession – culminating in its 2019 election defeat, Labour’s worst performance in living memory.
8. Why is Labour anti-Indian?
There are several reasons why Labour has become anti-Indian, but fundamentally it is because the party’s values have changed. There has been a marked increase in hatefulness, resentment, and puritanical tyranny; and a decrease in valuing success and aspiration, tolerance of others, and respect for civil liberties.
This happened after the party abandoned the social democratic ideals of New Labour, and moved much further to the left, embracing authoritarian socialism with neo-Marxist identity politics.
New Marxism (or neo-Marxism) is a postmodern reinvention of classical Marxism. It continues to propagate the 19th century ideology, albeit under a different name for a different era; replacing the original social struggle between classes, with a new power struggle between identity groups.
It does this by dividing everyone into different identities, and then assigning each identity group into one of two fixed categories: the oppressed category or the oppressor category. Whereas classical Marxism pits the working class proletariat against the ruling class bourgeoisie, neo-Marxism pits ‘powerless’ oppressed victims against their supposedly powerful oppressors.
A person’s worth and prospects then, are determined not by their competence and skills, but by which identity group they belong to and how much power their group possesses. We are not complex individuals, living in families and striving to lead happy healthy lives; we are just bit-players in a false binary power struggle between faultless victims and evil rulers.
It is an oversimplified and self-evidently absurd way to categorise all human beings, but this is the politics of the new Identitarian Left.
British Indians, by virtue of our ingrained values, have climbed the socio-economic ladder within the space of one generation. From starting at the bottom, as newly arrived immigrants and refugees – as with my own Ugandan Asian family – to now being at the top, in terms of academic attainment and earning power.
Of course, this does not mean all 1.5 million British Indians think and behave the same way, or that we do not have varying lifestyles and challenges, like any other community.
But having tacitly adopted neo-Marxism as its guiding philosophy, Labour now views British Indians solely through the prism of wealth and status. The party sees that British Indians do not fall so readily (or even willingly) into the category of oppressed victims.
And so, Labour falsely equates the generic success and wealth of the diaspora, with that of an oppressive ‘ruling-class’ identity group.
Consequently, in the minds of many Labour members, British Indians are a legitimate target for racial abuse and prejudicial treatment. We have, quite simply, gotten above our station.
9. Hypocrisy and despotism
Paradoxically, identity politics is not the only explanation for Labour’s racism problem. The success of the Indian diaspora for example, to adapt and integrate in Britain, also poses a threat to the socialist narrative ‘right-wingers hate minorities and would never let them prosper’. This explains why British Indians on the right, even those who have risen to become Home Secretary, face disgusting relentless racism from the left.
Another aspect is quasi-religious. Whenever a Black or Asian person publicly refuses to play their historic role of victim, white authoritarian leftists are unable to play their preferred role of saviour. Ethnic minorities on the authoritarian left have the same Messiah Complex, but they can at least enjoy revelling in playing the role of racial gatekeeper: arrogantly proclaiming with zero authority who constitutes a ‘real’ person of colour (or faith).
All this impertinence, by refusing to know our place, leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of self-proclaimed anti-racists. In a glorious twist of fate and rank hypocrisy, they turn on minorities with racial epithets such as Uncle Tom or coconut. It is literal shorthand for a person of colour ‘acting white’ – revealing, quite beautifully, that in the one-dimensional minds of far-left racists, only white people can (and should) be successful, outspoken, free-thinking, and/or politically right-leaning.
This is the bigoted despotism of the left: professing solidarity for people of colour, but denying them agency; offering them political shelter, but without the freedom to refuse.
The explanation of course, is that authoritarian socialists and far-right fascists – the Identitarian Left and the Alt Right – are two sides of the same coin; the key difference being, socialists are a lot cleverer at hiding their hatred under a veneer of compassion.
10. Contempt for Indian beliefs
Another factor, in Labour’s hostility towards British Indians, is a question of faith. Hindu and Sikh beliefs are communal and compassionate, but also flexible and abstract. Like the British constitution or the Church of England, our religious customs and rituals evolve quietly in the background, adapting to suit the world in which we live.
Our ancestors did not come to here to undermine British values and change society to reflect our religions. In fact, British Indians are amongst the most integrated, because our mentality is one of gratitude and perseverance.
Socialists by contrast, tend to be atheistic or secular, which is no bad thing; secularism is the best way to organise a pluralistic society. But alongside the Godless façade of tolerating other people’s faiths, socialists have a hidden contempt for those of us who practice liberal religious traditions, and how we live our lives.
This concealed disdain is partly a by-product of socialists being smart rational people, acting in accordance with pseudo-scientific Marxist ideology. They cannot fathom the idea that true human freedom includes the freedom to act ‘irrationally’ and have irrational beliefs, or even act against one’s own self-interest.
And it is partly in response to the innate solidarity which exists in dharmic religions: a solidarity particularly strong amongst Non-Resident Indians living in global diasporas.
We, British Indians, tend to have large support networks from relatives and community organisations, and our festivities bind us together, irrespective of class and politics. There is no need for authoritarian leftists to rescue us therefore, and nobody has any patience for the age-old colonial trick of trying to divide-and-conquer our communities, on issues such as caste and Kashmiri separatism.
We have a built-in reverence for education and the power of knowledge, and our teachers (Gurus) are afforded the noblest social status. Labour’s descent from meritocracy to mediocrity, replacing equality of opportunity with equality of outcome – essentially rewarding laziness and incompetence, the same as hard work and competence – offers a grey drab mediocre future to the next generation. It is not an attractive proposition.
We pray to a Goddess of Wealth and a Lord of Success. During Diwali we hold rituals in temples across the world, where financial documents are blessed, and business relationships are developed. Labour’s regression to the left is the antithesis of what most British Indians and, indeed, ordinary working people have long since figured out: liberal capitalism has prevailed over socialist Marxism.
And, most importantly of all, we believe there is more to life than money and power, in that our greatest asset is family and relationships. Our culture places a high value on human connections and taking responsibility, and this has been shown comprehensively as a great way to ward-off social problems and deteriorating mental health, such as depression and addiction for instance.
Marxists by contrast are soulless materialists. They love property and money as much as capitalists, if not more so; they just happen to believe all the world’s problems would disappear, if only other people had the money.
11. Iron fist in a velvet glove
The dodgy dealings in Leicester East was not the first time I experienced the fraudulence of far-left socialists. In August 2017 I was selected as a Labour council candidate in the affluent ward of Harborne, Birmingham, for the May 2018 elections.
Almost immediately, hard leftists and local Momentum groups began a 9-month campaign of trolling and racial abuse. The selection process even had to be re-run a further two times in December 2017, because Momentum-backed challengers were threatening the Labour Party with legal action. They literally wanted to keep running the vote until the brown guy lost.
Thankfully, local members backed me with an increased majority each time, and I won all three selections on (and against) the trot. But having lost five months of campaigning time and made to fight a battle on two fronts – and despite leading my team to the second-highest contact rate in the whole of Birmingham – I did not get elected.
Throughout that period, from the first selection in August 2017 through to the election in May 2018, I was living in a hellish Twilight Zone. Officially my opponents were the Conservatives, but every bit of incoming fire was from my own side.
From shouting and character assassination at party meetings, to being berated at street stalls by thuggish Labour members; from factually incorrect blogs bordering on defamation, to an onslaught of personal abuse and racism via social media.
My 2017 complaint to the NEC never received a reply. Two of the worst offenders went on to become 2019 parliamentary candidates: in Shrewsbury (later ousted and replaced); and West Bromwich West. (A further complaint sent to Labour HQ in August 2019, regarding anti-Indian racism from Labour members in Leicester – at the time of the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner selection – was also ignored.)
Although it was a dreadful experience, I have never spoken about it publicly until now, having first resigned from the party. This is a good example of the kind of conscience dilemma faced by many British Indian Labour members (and no doubt others too).
On the one hand, we avoid washing dirty linen in public, because of party loyalty and fear of giving ammunition to our opponents. On the other hand, our character and integrity are attacked and undermined, and our motives questioned, not for what we have said or done, but because of who we are, and the ethnic group we belong to.
My final four years as a Labour member was a love-hate relationship. Despite the incessant hatred from my own ranks, I loved campaigning alongside fellow moderates, and I sought positions of responsibility because I believed I could help to turn the tide of hatred and hostility in the Labour Party.
But post-Jeremy Corbyn I have come to realise the problem was not merely Corbynism – it was socialism. Socialism is an iron fist in a velvet glove: an oppressive totalitarian ideology, masquerading as a campaign for social justice.
Having been spread by its adherents, like an idea pathogen, socialism plagued the minds of many in Labour – seductively offering simple solutions for complex problems – not least by blaming entire ethnic groups as having clandestine motives; a standard socialist ploy, as evidenced by tens of millions of corpses strewn throughout the 20th century.
And so, we end in the grotesque chaos of a party founded by working people, becoming a hateful racist organisation; embracing intellectual idleness and resentment, over hard work and ambition.
12. The broad church illusion
The Labour Party is a valuable British institution. It has achieved a great deal in its 120-year history, most notably the National Health Service, and it has an important role to play in our democracy.
Labour’s moderates and social democrats are the party’s saving grace. These members are decent, pragmatic and hardworking. Unlike their socialist bedfellows, they consider people from other parties to be political opponents, not enemies. They believe in winning power to practice politics; not practicing politics to win power. They think proactively, using reason and logic; not reactively, with emotional rage. And they can differentiate between an individual and an individual’s opinions: attacking the ideas, without harming the person.
It is clear to me now that social democracy and socialism are entirely incompatible in today’s Labour Party. Concurrently seeking to emulate Scandinavia and the Khmer Rouge has proved quite troublesome.
But I do not believe enough sensible Labour people can see the wood for the trees, or indeed want to.
For one thing, too many Labour politicians are wholly reliant on the party to earn a living, and so have little incentive to rock the boat and speak the truth. Upsetting the membership could mean losing a job, in a situation not too dissimilar from the Republicans in America.
And for Labour’s moderates, learning the truth about socialism and its many atrocities throughout history, would shatter the illusion of a left-wing broad church, where everyone is basically good.
13. The future for Labour
What began under Ed Miliband, when Labour’s soft-left acted as cowardly apologists and enablers for socialism – allowing the authoritarian leftists to takeover and strangle all credibility from the party – is continuing under the new leadership.
Sir Keir Starmer is clearly an intelligent and respectable man. But he campaigned on certain pledges that were outdated and irrelevant, and he began his tenure by appointing several far-left racists to his shadow ministerial team.
He initially neglected to reach out to Hindu organisations when meeting with community groups over COVID. He failed to take any action against his predecessor, despite Corbyn severely undermining his leadership, by criticising Labour’s decision to apologise and pay damages to its whistle-blowers.
And he did not land any significant punches on the government throughout the pandemic lockdown, choosing instead to be remembered in the public imagination for bending down on one knee for Black Lives Matter, before backtracking on what the stunt was supposed to mean.
The Labour Party may be under new management, but I do not believe Sir Keir and his team have the desire or courage to do what needs to be done.
Establish clear political boundaries. Disaffiliate from extremist unions run by well-fed tyrants. Proscribe Momentum and ban all extreme left-wing groups. And permanently expel tens of thousands of cranks and racists, including every single self-proclaimed ‘Socialist Labour’ MP.
14. The future for me
I got into politics for the same reason I got into law and regulatory work: to hold power accountable, to help those suffering injustices, to solve problems and protect jobs, and to uphold British values.
Playing identity politics and puerile power games, cowering to left-wing despots, and seeking to control and punish others with emotional tantrums – rather than respecting individual freedom, and persuading people with logic – is not my idea of a healthy political movement. But this is all Labour has to offer.
It has taken a great deal of time, and indeed a great toll, to make sense of the last few years, and broaden my knowledge of socialism and Labour’s decline. I feel liberated having removed my political shackles.
Ironically, if it had not been for the arrival in Labour of hard leftists and embittered intellectuals, who proceeded to castigate moderates and abuse minorities, I might never have spent a serious amount of time researching the core tenets of socialism, and understanding the psychology behind the ideology.
I owe my political emancipation then to authoritarian socialists. They motivated me to look afresh at the only party I have ever supported. Thanks to their anti-Indian, anti-Semitic and anti-worker sentiment, I have been spared the torment of bending my life in knots, trying to fit into a party that is not for me.
It is right and proper I repay my debt of gratitude in the coming months and years in the best Indian tradition of thoughtful protest.
Speaking out, openly and often, about the regressive racist left; and exposing the tyranny of socialism, as an embedded feature of the Labour Party.
I might even live up to the meaning of my name in Sanskrit. Bringer of Light.
Posted in Birmingham, Culture, Education, Family, Harborne, Harborough, Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Religion, Statements | 4 Replies
Resignation from Labour
Letter to David Evans, General Secretary of the Labour Party – 15 August 2020
Dear Mr Evans
Cancellation of Labour Party membership
After 20 years of Labour activism, during which I served as a councillor and stood for parliament, I am writing to cancel my party membership. It is hard to leave a surrogate family and risk losing political friends. But I must speak the truth and be able to look my own family and friends in the eye.
Today is India’s Independence Day. I am choosing to mark the occasion by leaving an organisation I know to be institutionally racist and anti-Indian. Also, I can no longer support a party that acts against the interests of working people, and is consistently embarrassed by Britain’s values and traditions.
As a British Indian, I am proud of both facets of my identity. My Indian heritage, rooted in Gujarati culture and Hindu values; and my sense of Britishness, growing up in white working class areas of Leicester, before representing outer estates in local government. Both these communities no longer matter to the modern Labour Party.
It is a sad indictment I should have to outline my background to reference the party’s bigotry and intolerance. But having lost its principles and all sense of direction, identity politics is the only language Labour now understands.
The party’s descent, from meritocracy to mediocrity, and its growing irrelevance to the lives of ordinary people, runs parallel with its increased anti-Indian, anti-Semitic and anti-worker sentiment of recent years. Playing racist power games and identity politics, whilst professing to care about the public good, is regressive and deceitful.
Post-Jeremy Corbyn I have come to realise the problem was not merely Corbynism, it was socialism. Socialism was the toxic oil spill that washed ashore, polluting the party with hatefulness and division. Traditional and moderate values were corroded by the rancid ideas of emboldened socialists: extreme left-wing ideologues, striving for unachievable perfection; and embittered intellectuals, desperate to offset lives of passive inaction.
Despite the election of Sir Keir Starmer, a respectable man who is not a deluded Marxist, I have seen no evidence that sensible values will be restored; and that socialism, as an oppressive totalitarian ideology, will be ditched forever.
Indeed, the drive towards clickbait over convictions is continuing, particularly by self-proclaimed ‘Socialist Labour’ MPs – and the soft-left apologists who prop them up. Tweeting to stoke emotional rage, rather than using logic and reason to offer solutions, is the inevitable brain rot of ideologues lacking pragmatism and real-world competence.
And so, having moved much further to the left, abandoning social democracy in favour of socialism, the party founded by working people has come to embrace intellectual idleness and resentment, over hard work and ambition.
My experiences of anti-Indian bigotry and racial abuse in Labour over the last four years, details of which I intend to publish soon, have made me extremely resilient and determined. I have honed my political voice and I plan to use it, particularly in support of those communities and values which the party has betrayed.
Ultimately, I may have chosen to be a Labour member, but I was born British Indian. My loyalty rests with the people I come from, and this great country of ours.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Statements | Tagged anti-Indian, anti-Semitism, anti-worker, bigotry, British, British Indian, Councillor, heritage, identity politics, India, intolerance, Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer, Labour, Labour values, Marxist, parliamentary candidate, racism, resignation, socialism, The Labour Party, values, working class, working people | 17 Replies
Go, Jeremy Corbyn!
Posted on December 13, 2019 by Sundip
It turns out chanting ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!’ and waving hundreds of Palestinian flags at party conference failed to deliver a majority Labour government. Who would’ve thought it? Well me, for one.
I’ve never been a paid-up member of the cult of Magic Grandpa. Perhaps because, unlike Corbyn, I’ve actually experienced poverty and hardship. I’ve grown up in – and represented in local government – a deprived community, where Labour values were relied upon and essential. And I like to think I understand the make-up of the British electorate, the British political psyche, and the lessons of modern British history, chiefly that Labour cannot win a General Election by embracing the hard left – and telling everyone who disagrees with them to “fuck off and join the Tories”.
For the avoidance of doubt, this result wasn’t the fault of the media, the moderates, the Brexiteers, Tony Blair, businesses, Indians, the white working class, millionaires and billionaires, the establishment, the Jews, the social media companies, nationalists, the middle class, Remainers, the Scots, the BBC, or anyone else.
Labour lost the election because of Jeremy Corbyn – and his hard left supporters, enablers, apologists and sycophants. Labour’s performance at this General Election is 100% owned by them.
A few additional thoughts:
1. What’s astounding is that the General Election wasn’t an inevitability. Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson gifted the election to Boris Johnson. Now Corbyn is set to go and Swinson has lost her seat. Corbyn didn’t need to agree to the election on Tory terms – but, as always, he and his cabal thought they knew best. They were wrong.
2. The position on Brexit was also totally screwed up. We tried to appease both Leavers and Remainers – and support went down amongst both camps. The leadership ignored party members and fudged the issue at conference. We failed to do any kind of pragmatic deal with the Liberal Democrats, which could have helped both parties to the tune of dozens of seats.
3. On the flip side, Labour benefitted from the Brexit Party standing in certain English Labour seats. Talented stars like Dan Jarvis and Yvette Cooper would’ve also lost their seats if it wasn’t for the Brexit Party siphoning off right wing votes from the Tories. In other words this result could’ve been a hell of a lot worse.
4. There’s also no escaping that the Labour Party is now an institutionally racist party. Anyone who disagrees with this statement is part of the problem. The fundamental issue of course is anti-Semitism – and the party is being investigated by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
5. But there’s additional racism across the party, including with increasing anti-Indian bigotry. In recent years I have myself been repeatedly racially abused by fellow Labour members. Complaints to Labour HQ have been totally ignored. Labour has a lot of work to do to get its own house in order before seeking to be a party of government once again.
6. Stitch-ups, nepotism and corruption have also cost us dearly. We lost Bassetlaw. We failed to win Chingford and Woodford Green. We’ll likely lose Leicester East to the Tories next time. But the hard left don’t care: they want to control the party, not the country. In-fact the Tories need not rely on Russian interference or Facebook to win the next election. All they have to do is help elect Corbyn 2.0 – i.e. someone like Rebecca Long-Bailey – and Boris Johnson and the Tories will win the next election too. Unless Labour gets serious about winning power again, the party is finished.
7. The Corbyn outriders are a total disgrace. There are too many to mention. But let’s take one: Ash Sarkar. A self-described Communist, she’s the left-wing equivalent of Katie Hopkins. A fanatical extremist who should be ignored and banished to the fringes as an irrelevant idiot. Instead, Labour made her the poster girl for its campaign.
8. Quite apart from these rent-a-gobs, a coterie of other numpties have been given free reign. Salma Yaqoob for example has become the personification of everything that’s wrong with the Labour Party. The former Leader of the Respect Party is currently seeking the Labour nomination for West Midlands metro mayor. Whereas historically, the white working class has been the backbone of our country and our party, Labour all but abandoned its core voter base and embraced nasty divisive bigots like Yaqoob instead.
9. In my view those in the cult of Jeremy Corbyn haven’t been trying to fix our broken society but rather, their broken souls. Desperate, fearful, craving subjugation by a totalitarian father figure. They pledged blind loyalty to Corbyn and screamed at anyone who dared challenge their self-indulgent authoritarian game-playing. The thing is, most Brits despise totalitarian cults. In a poll done immediately after the election 43% of respondents said the main reason they didn’t vote Labour was because of Corbyn’s leadership – Brexit (at 17%) and economic policies (at 12%) were a long way behind.
In summary, this is a catastrophic result for the Labour Party, and especially for those who rely on Labour values. But not for Jeremy Corbyn. His so-called concession speech was utterly graceless. No humility. No personal responsibility. No grasp on reality. He’s been the worst Labour Leader in British history – and he doesn’t even give a shit. Mind you he has just been re-elected in Islington North for the tenth time in his 37-year political career, and £80,000 per annum helps to pay for a great deal of virtue signalling.
Jeremy Corbyn needs to go sooner rather than later. If the party chooses another hard left Leader, Labour will never win power again. In the meantime, it would be most helpful if all the Marxists, Communists, Leninists, Trotskyites and other hard left entryist bastards would get the hell out of the Labour Party. For we have work to do.
Posted in Labour, News, Political | 1 Reply
Statement on the Labour parliamentary selection for Leicester East
Posted on November 12, 2019 by Sundip
“I was disappointed not to be selected as Labour’s candidate for Leicester East. I want to thank my friends and supporters in the constituency. In my job I challenge abuse of power and corruption – and as a Labour member I fight injustice and unfairness. So I cannot stay silent on the obvious dodgy practices and nepotism involved in this process, where Labour’s ruling Executive chose a member of Labour’s ruling Executive, as the candidate.
NEC members are meant to be the referees in late selections, not divvy them up for themselves and be the beneficiaries. The fact that some journalists were briefed before applications had even opened that Claudia Webbe was to be gifted the seat, exposes the inherent unfairness of this sham contest. This type of conduct, where a well-connected favourite is nodded through, is no better than the Etonian old boys’ network that Labour seeks to condemn.
Worst of all, it is a slap in the face for the Indian community in Leicester and across Britain, to not only impose a non-Indian heritage candidate – in a seat with one of the highest Indian demographics in the country – but also a candidate who chaired Labour’s National Conference earlier this year when it passed an appalling anti-India motion. It sends entirely the wrong message and is an insult to the people I come from. It shows just how little the Labour Party values and respects the Indian community, particularly Hindus and Sikhs.
Any other decent candidate would have been suitable – it didn’t necessarily have to be me. But by selecting such an inappropriate candidate for Leicester East, Labour has chosen to rub salt into the wound it has created amongst British Indians. Labour is taking the Indian vote for granted and I condemn this crooked outcome.”
Statement published on Twitter on 12 November 2019
Subsequent media coverage of this story:
Twitter – BBC News – The Times – Politics Home – LabourList – Leicester Mercury – London Evening Standard – Huffington Post – News India Express – Guido Fawkes –Connected to India – Outlook India – Hindustan Times – Times of India – News 18 – India Inc Group – 24 Plus News – Tribune India – Business Standard – Eastern Eye
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Religion, Statements, World | Tagged British Indians, Claudia Webbe, Hindu, India, Indian community, Indian heritage, Indians, Keith Vaz, Labour Conference, Labour NEC, Labour Party, Leicester East, selections, Sikh, Sundip Meghani | 1 Reply
The End of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (April 2004 – January 2018)
Posted on January 7, 2018 by Sundip
On Monday 8 January 2018 the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will cease to exist. In its place the new Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will be established.
For my part I had planned to celebrate this momentous occasion by taking a much-needed week off work and heading to New York for a series of educational visits, lectures, receptions and social events, as a guest of my old law school (De Montfort University).
Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans! So after spending two days enjoying the sights and sounds of Heathrow Airport, here I am: back to reality and blogging about my employer on a Sunday. Life is good!
In all seriousness, I am very proud to be employed by such an important and reputable organisation, and I work alongside some of the finest people I have ever had the pleasure to call my colleagues.
Indeed I pay tribute to the incredibly dedicated people I work with, who, like most public servants in our country, are overworked and underpaid for what they do. The smooth running of our society is reliant on hardworking and patriotic public servants and civil servants, who go above and beyond their call of duty every single day.
I have written this blog as a kind of personal tribute and potted history of the organisation that employed me. It is written solely in a private capacity. I do not speak for my employer and nobody should assume otherwise. I do, however, speak for myself, and my right to do so – as well as yours – is enshrined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as incorporated into the Human Rights Act 1998.
In this blog I shall talk about:
My current role and previous work around policing
The Police Complaints Board (PCB) and the Police Complaints Authority (PCA)
The murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Macpherson Report
Founding of the Independent Police Complaint Commission (IPCC)
The IPCC’s size and structure, its scope and operations, and its impact
IPCC investigations and criticism of its work
The new Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
Within my organisation I currently have a dual role: leading investigations into potential or alleged police wrongdoing; and heading up our national PCS Union branch, which means I lead a team of trade union officials, working to protect the jobs and interests of hundreds of union members. I also lead national pay negotiations for all staff annually; an incredibly difficult and frustrating task whilst we have a government that does not value public sector workers.
Interestingly my career keeps bringing me back to policing in some form or another, although I have never actually served as a police officer.
When I was younger I did four years voluntary service as an Independent Custody Visitor in Leicester, where – as a member of the public – I would visit police stations randomly to check on the welfare of detained persons.
As a solicitor I have both taken actions against the police, and also worked on behalf of the Police Federation, to defend police officers. As a Labour Councillor in Leicester I served on the Board of the Leicestershire Police Authority, where my biggest achievement was leading efforts to help save more than 200 local policing jobs. And then in late 2014 I accepted a job offer with the IPCC.
I think it’s fair to say most people will have heard of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and most people would have some idea of the high level role it played in the police complaints system.
On reflection I suppose it was the organisation’s unique and important function that appealed to me and made me to want to work for it.
I consider myself to have a healthy mistrust of authority. That is to say, I believe everyone in a position of power – be it police, politicians, the press, or any other professional for that matter – should be answerable for the way they work and exercise power, especially when it comes to affecting peoples’ lives.
There must be robust and transparent scrutiny of what powerful people do, especially if and when something goes wrong. Indeed, it is part and parcel of living in a functioning modern democracy, right up there with upholding the rule of law and having a free press.
In terms of the IPCC’s background there were two main predecessor organisations.
In the mid-1970s, following a series of scandals involving the Metropolitan Police – and a perceived lack of independence in the police complaints system – the Police (Complaints) Act of 1976 was passed, and on 1 June 1977 the Police Complaints Board was established.
Until the creation of this body, complaints against police forces were handled directly by forces themselves, although the Home Secretary could refer serious complaints to alternate forces.
The Brixton riots in 1981, and the subsequent Scarman report – which investigated allegations of police racism – increased societal pressure to reform the Police Complaints Board.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 abolished the PCB and, in its place, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) was established a year later, with increased powers to actively supervise internal investigations being run by police forces.
What these organisations lacked however – both the PCB and later the PCA – was the clout to robustly scrutinise police complaints, or even carry out independent investigations.
The Police Complaints Authority was replaced by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which was formally created in 2004. In-fact it was established on April Fools’ Day to be precise! (No comment.)
The chain of events, which ultimately saw the creation of the IPCC, was arguably put into motion some 11 years earlier on the evening of Thursday 22 April 1993.
On that fateful night Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old black man from Lewisham, was attacked – along with his friend Duwayne Brooks – in what was a racially motivated act of violence, as they waited at a bus stop.
Stephen was stabbed twice, in the right collar bone and the left shoulder, and he sadly died of his injuries from massive blood loss. Following a catalogue of perceived failings by the Metropolitan Police, and as well as vocal public anger and political uproar, the then Home Secretary Jack Straw ordered an inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson.
The Macpherson Report, published in 1999, branded the Metropolitan Police Service as “institutionally racist”. The report made 70 recommendations and this included the setting up of a new ‘Independent Police Complaints Commission’.
It is fair to say then, that the IPCC was conceived in an atmosphere of societal discord and political wrangling. But it is also the case that big changes often have a contentious backstory. Something serious usually goes wrong for people to agree that something needs to change.
The key differences between the IPCC and its predecessor bodies were its size and structure, the scope of what it did, the way it operated, and its impact on policing. I’ll now expand a little in each of these areas.
In my opinion the best way to explain the structure of the outgoing IPCC is to think about it in the same way you would a school. In most schools there are two professional groups of people working alongside each other: teachers and governors.
In a similar way the IPCC had an operational structure, with staff members who ran the organisation and did the frontline work, just like teachers. It also had Commissioners – about a dozen or so – who were the public-facing administrators of the IPCC: holding the leadership to account and setting the direction of travel, not too dissimilar to school governors.
The only glitch with that analogy is that, unlike school governors, IPCC Commissioners were actively involved in making key decisions in investigations and appeals. And, if we were to expand the analogy somewhat, this was akin to school governors going into classrooms to teach lessons from time-to-time.
These blurred working practices within the IPCC perhaps serve to explain why, at least in part, the organisation had to undergo a major revamp.
Overall, the organisation – or at least its constituent parts, which shall continue working in the new structure – has surprisingly few staff for the important role that it plays throughout England and Wales. There are only about a thousand employees located across seven sites, with a Head Office in London, and then six further offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Sale, Wakefield and Warrington.
The core business of the IPCC insofar as the public is concerned – as well as policing professionals, politicians and the press – has been to oversee the police complaints system in England and Wales, and to increase public confidence in policing.
Referrals to the IPCC took a number of forms and, whilst members of the public sometimes got in touch directly, usually it was police forces which routinely referred themselves for scrutiny.
These were either voluntary referrals or mandatory referrals, depending on the seriousness of the matter. For example, all death and serious injury cases involving the police in any way required a mandatory referral.
Building on the remit of its predecessor organisation, the IPCC could choose to either supervise or manage a force’s internal investigation into its own officers or staff. Complainants also had the right to appeal to the IPCC in order to have the outcome of their complaint reconsidered.
Perhaps the broadest new power given to the IPCC, upon its founding some 14 years ago, was that of carrying out independent investigations – run entirely by the organisation itself – and using its own investigators.
For ease of reference, and in simple terms, it’s best to imagine the system as a four-layered pyramid. The bottom layer was local investigations. These were low-level complaints that were investigated by forces themselves.
The second layer was supervised investigations. These were carried out by police forces themselves as well, but in accordance with the terms of reference set down by the IPCC.
The third layer was managed investigations. These were carried out by police forces, but under the direction and control of the IPCC. And finally, at the top of the pyramid, there were independent investigations carried out by the IPCC.
The vast majority of independent investigations were serious and sensitive cases and usually fell into one of three different categories: 1) serious complaints; 2) serious conduct cases – so for police officers this meant potential breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour (contained in the Police Conduct Regulations); and 3) serious injury and / or death, either involving the police or following police contact.
When an independent investigation was declared, and once the parameters were clearly defined, the IPCC and its investigators had ownership and jurisdiction.
Arguably in some ways the IPCC was a bit like a law enforcement agency, with its own set of powers, fully trained investigators and support staff, equipment and resources, interview rooms, fleet vehicles etc.
But in reality it only ever functioned as a civilian oversight body: monitoring the police complaints system at arm’s length from government, and run entirely independently of all police forces and law enforcement agencies.
I have always felt that the organisation’s leadership and staff were pretty well-grounded, taking their roles and responsibilities very seriously. I also believe that the IPCC has operated as a pre-eminent public body, keeping an eye on the state, and providing a tangible check-and-balance on the way that police power was exercised when dealing with citizens.
Of course the IPCC was not perfect. No organisation ever is. But it did have a set of core values by which the organisation and its people were meant to abide. These were: justice and human rights; independence; valuing diversity; integrity; and openness – indeed it is in the spirit of openness that I have written this article!
Despite its good intentions however, the IPCC sometimes came in for criticism when things went wrong, or if its own staff overstepped the mark.
The organisation clearly had its wings clipped in the famous 2014 case of the IPCC v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire (and others). In that judgement, the Court of Appeal held that contrary to how the IPCC had been operating, it could no longer express conclusive findings on whether or not a police officer’s conduct had been unlawful and / or unreasonable.
So instead, the IPCC – and Lead Investigators like me – had to confine ourselves to stating only whether an officer had a case to answer for misconduct, or if a CPS referral needed to be made, rather than appearing to pass any sort of judgement.
Here we have an example of where a body that had been tasked with keeping the police in-check, also itself had to be kept in-check, by an independent judiciary upholding the rule of law.
In my view this merely serves to illustrate that any person or public body exercising power and authority has the potential to overstep the mark and exceed its remit, sometimes even unintentionally, which further proves my earlier point.
Now as we acknowledge the passing of the institution known as the IPCC, let’s look briefly at the future of the organisation, and the changes that lie ahead.
Firstly, as we have seen from the inception of the PCB in 1977, to the PCA in 1985, and then later the IPCC in 2004: the trend is steadily upwards when it comes to increased public scrutiny of state power – as personified by the police.
The new Independent Office for Police Conduct will have greater powers and a bigger remit than the outgoing IPCC. This is not entirely surprising bearing in mind the expanding size of the state, catering to an ever-increasing and diverse population.
In 2017, another small organisation was incorporated into the organisation’s remit, in that the IPCC began regulating the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
This was in addition to the IPCC’s existing role in investigating serious complaints against HM Revenue and Customs, the National Crime Agency, Police and Crime Commissioners, and Home Office special enforcement staff, not to mention the 43 police force areas of England and Wales, and other specialist police forces also.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) shall come into existence on Monday 8 January 2018. The IOPC will have a range of new powers, including the power to present cases at disciplinary hearings, and the power to proactively call-in matters that it wants to investigate, rather than just waiting for matters to be referred in.
One of the other big changes taking place in the new IOPC will be the removal of all Commissioners – the aforementioned public-facing governors – and the move towards a single operating structure and line of accountability.
Incorporated into the IOPC operating model will be new Regional Directors for every English region and a Director for Wales, and as well a new Director General instead of a Chief Executive.
So it’s clear there are many big changes in the pipeline.
Some 40 years after the first public body was established, to look into complaints against the police, we are set to see a bigger, emboldened, more powerful and proactive regulatory agency, scrutinising the work of the police, and other public bodies.
This is what Parliament voted for, in the public interest, and I think it is a good thing.
In-fact, I would go further and say that in addition to the general public, all policing professionals should want to see a new regulator like the IOPC. It is in the interests of decent hardworking people, of every background, to want to have high quality, transparent and constructive oversight of their profession.
As a solicitor by background myself, I always welcomed seeing the Solicitors Regulations Authority stepping in to root out solicitors who had unlawfully taken client monies, or completely failed to adhere to client instructions. I suspect most police officers and staff would take a similar view in respect of their own profession.
In closing, I wanted to take a moment to mention a particular police officer who really stood out to me over the last year, and no doubt to countless others.
His name was PC Keith Palmer and he was a 48-year-old police constable serving with the Metropolitan Police Service. He had a wife, named Michelle, and a 5-year-old daughter.
In April 2016 PC Palmer was assigned to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Group. Less than a year later, on 22 March 2017, as PC Palmer stood guard protecting the parliamentary estate – the very heart of our democracy – a fascist Islamist with warped beliefs went on a rampage, killing four pedestrians whilst driving a vehicle at high speed along Westminster Bridge.
The terrorist crashed his car into the parliamentary perimeter fence, before abandoning it, and running into New Palace Yard, attempting to access Westminster Palace itself.
As most people understandably ran from the danger, PC Palmer stood up to it, taking the brunt of the violence. PC Palmer lost his life that day, but his heroic efforts slowed down the attacker, and almost certainly saved the lives of other people.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to PC Palmer, and countless other men and women like him – both civilian and military – without whom we would not be able to enjoy the rights and freedoms that we have.
I think it is incumbent on us all never to take those freedoms for granted, and never to lose sight of the fundamental pillars that make up British democracy, such as the rule of law – and holding power accountable in the public interest.
Posted in Birmingham, Legal, News, Police, Political | Tagged actions against the police, Article 10, Birmingham, British democracy, Brixton Riots, Canary Wharf, Cardiff, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, civil servants, Commissioners, complaints, conduct, Councillor, Councillor for Beaumont Leys, CPS, Croydon, De Montfort University, Duwayne Brooks, ECHR, European Convention on Human Rights, Gangmasters Licensing Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, Holborn, Home Office, Human Rights Act, increase confidence in policing, independence, Independent Custody Visitor, independent investigations, Independent Office for Police Conduct, Independent Police Complaints Commission, institutionally racist, integrity, IOPC, IPCC, IPCC Commissioners, Jack Straw, jobs, justice and human rights, Labour, Labour Councillor, Leicester, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Police Authority, Lewisham, local investigations, Macpherson, Macpherson Report, managed investigations, mandatory referrals, Metropolitan Police, misconduct, National Crime Agency, openness, PC Keith Palmer, PCA, PCB, PCS Union, Police, Police (Complaints) Act, police and crime commissioners, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, Police Complaints Authority, Police Complaints Board, police complaints system, Police Conduct Regulations, Police Federation, police misconduct, police stations, policing, power, public sector pay, public sector workers, public servants, rule of law, Sale, Scarman Report, Solicitors Regulations Authority, Standards of Professional Behaviour, Stephen Lawrence, supervised investigations, trade union, valuing diversity, voluntary referrals, Wakefield, Warrington, Willam Macpherson | Leave a reply
The value of dissent and the need for greater knowledge
The trouble with beliefs that strive for purity and perfection — religious fundamentalism, extreme veganism, communism / hard left, fascism / hard right etc. — is that these ideologies fail to understand people and fail to understand human relationships.
Thus, in their quest for a pure and perfect humanity, these warped minds abuse and attack those who do not submit to their totalitarian way of life.
The irony, of course, is that they profess to have a deep well of compassion for their fellow human beings.
Whereas, in reality, they are entirely heartless and entirely intolerant of dissent.
They view and treat dissenters — anyone who disagrees with them — as unworthy, and entirely disposable; human collateral damage, justifiable for the greater cause and the glory days to come.
But being intolerant of dissent means being hostile to new information. It means closing one’s mind to fresh ideas and alternative thinking.
In effect, it is akin to saying “I know all there is to know — and I need no additional knowledge.” It is a cessation of learning and an embrace of ignorance.
Today, we can see the politics of ignorance at play in Trump’s America, in Brexit Britain, and in authoritarian regimes across the world.
It is high time that decent, intelligent, compassionate people fought back and reclaimed the future direction of our shared humanity.
We cannot go into the New Year and beyond allowing fanatics to divide us and tear us down, as they infect our social discourse and our politics with their rancid indifference.
All of us as human beings are imperfect, flawed, beautiful and fragile.
We have but 80 or 85 years on this Earth, if we’re lucky, and we owe it to future generations to try to leave the world in a considerably better state than it is today.
And so that is my wish for 2018 and, I hope, the shared aspiration for many millions of good people.
Happy New Year to all!
Posted in Education, Political, Religion, World | Tagged authoritarianism, Brexit, Brexit Britain, communism, dissent, Donald Trump, Earth, extreme veganism, fascism, future of humanity, Happy New Year, hard left, hard right, human beings, humanity, intolerance, New Year, religious fundamentalism, shared humanity, tolerance, totalitarianisn, Trump, Trump's America, world | Leave a reply
Harborne Labour hit the ground running!
Earlier this month I was thrilled and deeply honoured to have been selected as a Labour candidate for Harborne in the May 2018 Birmingham City Council elections. If elected, it will be the second time I have served on the Council of a major UK city, having previously been a Leicester City Councillor between 2011 and 2015.
Since our selection my good friend and fellow candidate Cllr Jayne Francis and I have been out campaigning regularly in Harborne, together with many of our brilliant Labour activists, and our hardworking local Member of Parliament for Edgbaston Preet Gill MP.
In late summer we ran numerous campaign sessions in Harborne, not only speaking to shoppers on the High Street – and distributing our latest community update – but also getting out on the Labour doorstep and speaking with local residents about the issues that matter to them.
Harborne residents have been relieved to see that the recent bin strike has apparently been resolved. However there remain many pressing concerns in our community on everything from a lack of school places, to a perceived rise in hate crime; from the ever-increasing cost of accommodation, to the threat of increased noise pollution by flights to and from Birmingham Airport.
Like other big communities having to cope with years of Tory neglect and under-investment, we also have our fair share of health and social care challenges in Harborne. Diabetes rates are a cause for concern and Harborne has some of the most worrying statistics when it comes to mental health. In recent years we’ve also seen an increase in levels of homelessness across Birmingham as a direct result of major funding cuts being imposed centrally by Theresa May’s Tory government.
Jayne and I are ready for the challenge of representing Harborne in the years ahead. We will work closely with Labour’s Preet Gill MP, with Birmingham City Council and fellow Councillors, and with other community stakeholders, to secure a better deal for Harborne and to address many of the issues important to local residents.
As we fight to deliver positive changes and improvements for people in Harborne, in line with core Labour principles, we will inevitably face hostility and opposition from those who do not share our values.
Thankfully the people of Harborne recognise and appreciate our efforts. Many voters have told us how impressed they’ve been to see us out and about at such an early stage of an election cycle.
And so we move forward with our campaign! We have huge talent and great ability in our Labour team. We have the best activists and a brilliant local MP helping us to knock on doors, promote our message and deliver results.
And we have the right set of values and priorities for residents in Harborne; decent hardworking people who simply want their local politicians to focus on justice and jobs, on housing and healthcare, and to deliver a cleaner, safer and more pleasant community in which to live and work.
So here’s to the good people of Harborne, as we campaign hard in the months ahead, to have the high privilege of addressing their needs and advancing their interests on Birmingham City Council.
Posted in Birmingham, Education, Harborne, Health, Housing, Labour, News, Political | Tagged accommodation, Birmingham, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham City Council, Conservative, diabetes, Edgbaston, Harborne, Harborne High Street, hate crime, healthcare, homelessness, housing, Jayne Francis, jobs, justice, Labour, Labour campaign, Leicester City Council, Liberal Democrat, local election, May 2018, mental health, Preet Gill MP, private rental, school places, schools, social housing, Sundip Meghani, Theresa May, Tory | Leave a reply
48 hours that changed my life
Posted on August 6, 2017 by Sundip
In mid-2015 my entire world came crashing down. Everything I understood about life and my purpose on this journey was shattered in an instant.
Thankfully most of us have an extraordinary ability to adapt and rebuild. To salvage some strength from adversity. To find happiness from deep sorrow. A remarkable study by Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert demonstrates precisely this. Our ability to feign happiness and trick our minds into becoming happy once again is a built-in human trait.
It’s how prisoners are able to cope with prolonged incarceration. It explains why those with very little can lead normal fulfilling lives. And it’s how most of us are able to dust ourselves off and move on in life if we don’t get the job we want or if an important relationship breaks down.
So I’m able to share this story thanks to my genetics – our shared genetics – and the fact I have managed to rebuild my shattered world.
As a former city councillor and parliamentary candidate it’s fair to say politics has always been a big part of my life. I was one of those weird 90s teenagers who always preferred Newsnight over Neighbours and Channel 4 News over Changing Rooms.
My passion for politics began at an early age. Indeed it is part of my own family history. I am the son and grandson of Ugandan Asian refugees who arrived in the UK with nothing following the 1972 expulsion ordered by Idi Amin. This was a major political event, an African holocaust in the making.
Thanks to the intervention of the British government – and the compassion of the British people – thousands of lives were saved, including those of my family.
My parents and grandparents chose to settle in Leicester and I was born and raised on the St Matthew’s council estate. Life was incredibly tough for us and we experienced great hardship. As my father struggled to find work and provide for his young family, food was often scarce and new clothes were always a luxury.
Luckily, although my upbringing was extremely poor, my family was able to survive – and later thrive – thanks in-part to our welfare state. We had a home with help from the Council. Healthcare was free and easily accessible. And I had free school meals for much of my early education.
My grandparents were a big part of our family life and I frequently sat on the sofa with both of my grandfathers to watch the news whenever it was on. My maternal grandfather in particular was an avid news watcher. He would always explain to me the nature and relevance of world events.
As I grew up I began to understand more and more each day that we lived in an unjust world. I saw there were countless other families and children in Britain and elsewhere who were also suffering disadvantage and discrimination.
Looking back I think it was at the age of around 8 or 9 where, having experienced injustice – both first hand and vicariously – that a seed was planted in my head; not only that politics was really important, but that the decisions made by powerful people could affect many lives.
I was incredibly lucky to be taught by some very kind teachers and several of them clearly saw something in me that I was unaware of. At age 12 I was encouraged to get involved in student politics at Babington Community College, representing my class and later my year group on the student forum. At Regent College when I was 16 another teacher prompted me to stand in the NUS elections and I was elected Vice President of the student body.
Over the following 10 years my passion for politics and my desire to help people, particularly those who were being badly treated, continued to grow.
I went to Brunel University in London to study politics and history. I became an active member of the Labour Party. And after finishing law school I qualified as a solicitor, helping some of the poorest people in society have access to justice.
All the while I would share my achievements and happy milestones with my family, but particularly with my grandfather; the man who kick-started my interest in politics – and the only person who really enjoyed watching Question Time as much as I did.
At the age of 29 I was elected as the youngest councillor in the city of Leicester. It was an incredible feeling to have been chosen to represent my local community on the Council.
It so happened I was the first non-white politician ever to be elected at any level to represent Beaumont Leys, a predominantly white working class area of Leicester. But for me this wasn’t particularly noteworthy at the time. It was the area I had grown up in and gone to school. White working class people were my community and it was now my job to fight for their interests.
Over the course of my 4-year term I worked incredibly hard to resolve disputes, champion various causes, save jobs, and make a positive difference. By my early 30s it seemed a logical next step to seek a prominent political role, and continue putting my beliefs and values into practice, working to help people and challenge injustice.
In August 2014 I was selected as a parliamentary candidate for the Harborough constituency in Leicestershire. I was set to stand for a national political party in a UK general election. It was a surreal moment, but something that many friends and family had been predicting since I was a teenager.
Of course in reality my prospect of becoming an MP in 2015 was very slim. The constituency was a safe seat for the incumbent Conservative Party. Nevertheless I persisted and from January 2015 right through to early May we ran the most exciting and enjoyable election campaign the constituency had seen in decades.
A relatively dormant local party was enthused and revitalised. My team and I attended public demonstrations and campaign events. I took part in hustings and debates at the secular society, a Hindu community forum, the chamber of commerce and the National Farmers Union.
For the first time in years we ran council candidates on every ballot paper and in every ward. And I took dozens of local activists out to campaign with me in some of the most marginal constituencies across the East Midlands, helping many of my party’s candidates in key winnable seats.
Whenever I had a few spare hours I’d pop over to see my grandfather to update him on the latest campaign event and opinion polls and generally put the world to rights.
We even sat together on his couch and watched the Leaders’ Question Time debates on Thursday 30 April 2015. Sadly it was to be the last time I’d see him alive.
On Wednesday 6 May 2015, the day before the general election, we received a distressed phone call from one of my aunts. She said my grandfather was unwell and told my parents to get over to the house. I was upstairs on the computer and oblivious to what was going on.
A frantic phone call from my father 20 minutes later spurred me into action and I began getting ready to head over to my grandfather’s house.
It was one of those strange moments, which many people will have experienced, where an otherwise ordinary day becomes extra-ordinary. You experience time in slow motion, with heightened senses, and remember every little detail.
Before I had the chance to put on my shoes another phone call confirmed the awful news. My grandfather had died. His heart had suddenly stopped working and he had collapsed at home. His name was Jayantilal Narsidas Dattani and he was 80 years old.
I’ve always found it really strange how we experience the death of a loved one. It’s as if the whole world stops turning and nothing makes sense any more. It even makes us angry to see other people just carrying on with their normal lives, chatting away, laughing, behaving as if everything’s okay. Grief really is a complex emotion.
The suddenness of my grandfather’s passing hit me like a tonne of bricks. Not just because I had lost someone whom I loved so dearly. But because this was the man who had inspired me to dedicate so much of my life to politics.
It didn’t make sense for this to be happening the day before the General Election. We were supposed to be experiencing the election together. We were meant to discuss my result and consider the next steps.
In the Hindu tradition a death prompts the beginning of two weeks of prayer and rituals at the home of the deceased with extended family coming together to support one another.
On Election Day therefore I was away from my campaign team and the constituency. I spent the morning covering my grandfather’s lounge floor with sheets and helping to rearrange the furniture to prepare for the many inevitable visitors coming to pay their respects.
Soon after 10pm once the polls had closed I forced myself to shave and put on a suit and made my way over to the result counting venue – a dreary leisure centre in the middle of nowhere, a typically British democratic custom.
During that election count – as night turned to day – I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, not least because of the many surprising results from around the country.
On a personal level I was blown away by the compassion shown to me by my political rivals, including the incumbent Member of Parliament, who went on to be re-elected.
Unfortunately Harborough was the last constituency in the entire East Midlands to declare its result. We were up all night and I gave my concession speech at around 9.30am on Friday morning.
We managed to come in second overall, and it was the best result for my party locally since the 1979 election, which was before I was even born.
I didn’t immediately know it at the time, but the events of those two days – my grandfather’s sudden death and the exhaustion of election night – had a monumental impact on my life.
In the short term I experienced a crisis with my mental health. I was signed-off from work for several weeks with bereavement-related stress.
Up until that point I had never experienced any problem with my mental health and, if truth be told, I never really used to believe that a mental health problem could be as debilitating as a physical health problem. This was the first of my epiphanies.
In the longer term my entire life was completely changed by those 48-hours. My world was knocked off its axis, causing me to re-evaluate everything, not just in my own life but philosophically as well.
It prompted me to engage on a journey of discovery. To try to make sense of life and our purpose here on Earth. To learn more about humanity and understand our place in the known universe.
Most importantly of all I learnt to truly value family bonds and friendships much more than my career and ambition.
In this new age of social media, with constant global news coverage and information overload, I have come to realise our most meaningful relationships – with the people we care deeply about – are the best way to stay grounded. To be happy.
And to find the strength we need to work hard to make this a better world.
Posted in Education, Family, Harborough, Labour, Leicester, Political | Tagged 2015 general election, 6 May 2015, 7 May 2015, Beaumont Leys, bereavement, Birmingham City Council, Conservative, election day, election night, Family, Grandfather, grandparents, Harborne, Harborough, Jayantilal Narsidas Dattani, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, mental health, parents, politics | 4 Replies
Reasons to vote Labour on Thursday 7 May 2015
Posted on May 5, 2015 by Sundip
Over the last 9 months, together with my team of Labour council candidates, I have been speaking with people in Oadby, Wigston, Fleckney, Great Glen, Kibworth, North Kilworth, Market Harborough, and many other parts of our great constituency.
I have attended four separate hustings, including the Leicester Secular Society debate featured in the video above, and I have participated in several house meetings organised by local residents.
I have visited schools, sports clubs, businesses and places of worship, and I have been listening to the concerns of local residents, and the difficulties that people are being forced to endure.
Throughout the campaign I have noticed a distinct theme. Firstly many people in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston are feeling the effects of rising food and energy prices as their salaries stagnate. Moreover, hundreds of local people are experiencing problems as a direct result of the current Tory government’s failures on the NHS, jobs, housing and welfare.
To counter this cost of living crisis in our country, stimulate faster growth in the economy, and repair our public services and NHS, Labour has a detailed and costed plan with a wide range of excellent policies. (Click here to read the Labour manifesto.)
This includes raising the minimum wage to £8 per hour, banning exploitative zero hours contracts, and abolishing the bedroom tax. It also includes freezing energy prices for two years and freezing rail prices for at least one year, bringing in rent controls to make housing affordable, extending free childcare to 25 hours, and protecting state pensions whilst capping pension fees and charges.
For young people betrayed by the Liberal Democrats – who had pledged not to raise tuition fees and then trebled them – Labour will cut tuition fees by a third. We also want to lower the voting age to 16, reform the House of Lords, increase pay transparency to end the gender pay gap, and freeze business rates for SMEs.
In terms to our NHS we will guarantee GP appointments within 48 hours and have maximum wait times of 1 week for cancer tests and results. We also plan to recruit 8,000 more doctors and 20,000 more nurses, whilst integrating health and social care in order to help all people with their physical, mental and social care needs. Most importantly of all we want to reverse the part-privatisation of our NHS brought in by the Tory and Lib Dem coalition.
So to all the wonderful people of Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, and everyone else reading this blog post, I ask you to please vote Labour on Thursday 7 May 2015.
Your vote matters a great deal in this election, especially in our constituency where the Lib Dems are now trailing in 4th place, according to several respected media outlets. A vote for the Lib Dems will simply serve to let the Tories back in!
Vote for Labour’s excellent policies and the principles for which we stand. Vote for a progressive government and a leader who is prepared to stand up to powerful interests. Vote for a better future for you, for your family and for Britain.
“Thank you to everyone who voted for me in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston. Labour came second; our best result here since 1979! Thanks to my agent and campaign team. Although it was a terrible result for the Labour Party nationwide, I am confident we will regroup, learn some big lessons, and once again regain the trust of the British people.” – Sundip Meghani
Posted in Education, Harborough, Health, Housing, Labour, Leicester, News, Political | Tagged Fleckney, Great Bowden, Great Glen, Husbands Bosworth, Kibworth, Labour, Labour manifesto, Labour Party, Labour policies, Lib Dems, Market Harborough, North Kilworth, Oadby, Sundip Meghani, Tories, Vote Labour, Wigston | 1 Reply
Labour candidates on every ballot in Oadby, Wigston and Market Harborough town
Posted on April 9, 2015 by Sundip
For the first time in decades all residents in Oadby and Wigston will have the option to vote for a Labour candidate at the upcoming local Council elections. There will also be a Labour candidate in every ward of Market Harborough town.
This is in marked contrast to the election in 2011, when there were just 4 Labour candidates standing in two Oadby and Wigston wards, and no Labour candidates in two out of four Market Harborough wards.
Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston – Leicester councillor Sundip Meghani – said he was delighted with the news. He said:
“Not only is this good for democracy, but in recent elections people in Oadby and Wigston have been forced to choose between the blue Tories and the yellow Tories. It’s time local people the chance to vote for a real alternative and I’m delighted we’re able to offer them one.”
Labour are running three candidates in Oadby Grange and 9 individual candidates in all other Oadby and Wigston wards. There will also be several Labour candidates standing in Harborough district including all four wards of Market Harborough town.
Here is our full list of official Labour candidates in the upcoming elections:
Matthew Luke for Oadby Grange
Hajira Piranie for Oadby Grange
Michael Oatway for Oadby Grange
Chris Marlow for Oadby St Peter’s
Roy Kind for Oadby Woodlands
Jilly Kay for Oadby Brocks Hill
Gurpal Atwal for Oadby Uplands
Peter Cook for Wigston St Wolstan’s
Richard Price for Wigston Fields
Maureen Waugh for Wigston Meadowcourt
Paul Green for Wigston All Saints
Scott Towers for South Wigston
Peter Craig for Kibworth
Ted Masters for Kibworth
Dave Johnson for Market Harborough Little Bowden
Andy Thomas for Market Harborough Great Bowden and Arden
Ian Snaith for Market Harborough Logan
Paul Gray for Market Harborough Welland
Sundip Meghani is the Labour parliamentary candidate for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
Sundip and the local Labour team are committed to working hard for all residents
Our Council candidates for Oadby, Wigston, Kibworth and Market Harborough
Posted in Harborough, Labour, Leicester, News, Political | Tagged Andy Thomas, Chris Marlow, Conservatives, Dave Johnson, General Election, Great Bowden and Arden, Gurpal Atwal, Hajira Piranie, Ian Snaith, Jilly Kay, Kibworth, Labour, Lib Dems, Liberal Democrats, Little Bowden, local elections, Logan, Market Harborough, Matthew Luke, Maureen Waugh, Michael Oatway, Oadby, Oadby Brocks Hill, Oadby Grange, Oadby St Peter's, Oadby Uplands, Oadby Woodlands, parliamentary, Paul Gray, Paul Green, Peter Cook, Peter Craig, Richard Price, Roy Kind, Scott Towers, South Wigston, Sundip Meghani, Ted Masters, Tories, Vote Labour, Welland, Wigston, Wigston All Saints, Wigston Fields, Wigston Meadowcourt, Wigston St Wolstan's | 1 Reply
Why I’m standing to become a Labour Member of Parliament
Posted on March 27, 2015 by Sundip
Over the next few months most people are going to be swamped with campaign slogans, manifestos, debates and broadcasts, leaflets, billboards and doorstep visits.
I know this to be true because I’m one of those political types planning to bombard fellow citizens with much of the above. (Sorry about that.)
But why do we go to the trouble of campaigning to seek political office?
For my part it’s because I’m not prepared to settle for the ways things are, and I believe we have a duty to improve society, so everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. I also detest injustice with a passion.
As the son of refugees, having grown up with hunger, poverty, discrimination and hopelessness, I know what it feels like to live in an unjust world.
That’s why I’m disgusted with the current state of affairs where ordinary working people – as well as those who are young, disabled or less well off – are being made to pay for the worst excesses of the rich, the powerful and the greedy.
I’m also dissatisfied with the lack of well paid jobs, the chronic shortage of affordable housing, and the deterioration of our public services, especially the NHS. For these reasons I’m standing for election to become the Labour MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston.
It’s a huge challenge to undertake, but I’m immensely proud to be fighting for local people, and trying to make a difference. I’m also proud to be associated with the Labour Party.
Ours is the party of social justice and solidarity; aspiration and achievement. We believe we can and should work hard to create a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society.
We also believe that unless we consciously stand together and help each other get on in life, society will become more unequal, and in the long term this will damage our nation as a whole.
In this election Labour has a range of excellent ideas and policies to get our country back on track, and to create new jobs, restore a sense of fairness, and improve our NHS. But to get things done we’ll have to convince people to vote for change.
Now obviously my opinion is biased as I want everyone to cast their ballots for Labour. But to paraphrase Plato: when we refuse to get involved in politics we end up being governed by our inferiors.
Whatever your view of our political system – or indeed politicians – I hope you exercise your right to vote on polling day. Don’t leave it to someone else to decide what happens to yours and your family’s future.
Posted in Harborough, Labour, News, Political, Statements | Tagged achievement, aspiration, economy, Election, General Election, Harborough, jobs, Labour, NHS, Oadby, politics, social justice, society, solidarity, Wigston | Leave a reply
Resignation Statement – Stepping down from Leicester City Council
“I have decided to step down as a Leicester City Councillor in May 2015 to focus on my parliamentary election and my new full time job. It has been a huge privilege to serve as a Labour and Co-operative Councillor for my home ward of Beaumont Leys, the place where I grew up and went to school.
I have worked extremely hard over these last four years to help local people and represent their views and interests on the Council.
I was proud to sit on the planning committee and vote to rebuild my old secondary school, Babington Community College. I also raised money for charities in Beaumont Leys; opposed illegal traveller encampments on behalf of residents; highlighted the damaging impact of Tory and Lib Dem policies on my constituents; and sought to inspire the next generation.
On behalf of the city more generally, I led efforts to save 200 policing jobs back in February 2012, and I spoke about policing cuts at Labour’s national conference.
I also brought conferences to the city to boost business; pushed for a new riverside memorial space to scatter ashes; supported asylum seekers who had settled here; raised the issue of ever increasing homelessness; campaigned to reduce the amount of sugar in school meals; and stood up for Leicester when outsiders sought to create division.
As the son and grandson of Ugandan Asian refugees it was a particular honour, on the 40th anniversary of the expulsion, to bring a motion in Council recognising the contribution Ugandan Asians have made to our city and our country.
On a personal note it was also quite wonderful to drive my parents to the polling station on 5 May 2011 so they could vote for me – or at least they said they did!
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Councillor and I believe I have made a positive contribution. I would like to thank Liz Kendall MP, Cllr Vijay Riyait, my fellow Leicester Labour Councillors, and all my family and friends for their support and guidance.
I also want to thank Beaumont Leys Labour members for selecting me, and Beaumont Leys residents for electing me, back in 2011. I will fulfil my duties for the remainder of my term but I will not be seeking re-election to the Council in 2015.
I remain committed to the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party and I will be working hard between now and May 2015 to help elect a Labour government.”
Cllr Sundip Meghani
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Statements | Tagged Beaumont Leys, Cllr Vijay Riyait, Co-operative Party, Council, Councillor, Councillor for Beaumont Leys, Jon Ashworth MP, Keith Vaz MP, Labour, Labour Party, Leicester, Leicester City Council, Leicester West, Liz Kendall MP, Sundip Meghani | 3 Replies
Leicester is already British and we’re proud of who we are
Posted on November 2, 2014 by Sundip
** Scroll down for updated comments following the Make Leicester British broadcast **
I first found out about Channel 4’s ‘Make Leicester British’ documentary when I saw the trailer a few weeks ago. Many Leicester people including me have serious concerns about the way in which this programme will portray community relations in our city when it is aired on Monday night.
For one thing the trailer begins with the following statement: “In one of Britain’s most diverse cities immigration polarises opinion.” Most of us in Leicester know this is a lie. ‘Polarises’ is a very strong word. It implies there are major disagreements in our city and that immigration is a huge issue for local people. This is simply untrue.
The trailer then cuts to further statements from two different individuals: a man says “English society is losing its identity”; and a woman is then seen to say “I do not want any more people coming into this country; enough is enough!”
These are clearly very provocative statements, although I’m advised the programme will not be as inflammatory as the trailer would seem to suggest. Indeed it appears the trailer has been specifically designed to cause a reaction (and it worked) as well as to whip up a frenzy of viewers on Monday night.
It’s disappointing but unsurprising that Channel 4 regularly broadcasts controversial programmes such as this. ‘Benefits Street’ is another example.
Channel 4 would have us believe they are a bastion of liberal media and a guardian of social justice and equality in Britain. In reality Channel 4 is a commercial organisation and in the end it all comes down to profits and advertising revenues. The higher the viewing figures; the greater the income stream.
Immigration is one of many important issues we care about here in Leicester. But our people and our politicians do not talk irresponsibly about immigration or seek to blame immigrants for the ills of society. Leicester people by and large know that societal problems tend to stem from Tory policies, both past and present, which have always disproportionately favoured very rich people and big corporations.
In any event I think it’s a disgrace that the programme is called “Make Leicester British”. As my friend and Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth tweeted recently “Leicester, proud of our rich diversity, already is British.”
It is extremely offensive for the programme makers and for Channel 4 to suggest our city is not British, or that our ‘Britishness’ has somehow been diluted by the arrival of immigrants, be it from Poland, Somalia, or anywhere else. We also don’t appreciate having some middle class, middle aged, middle management types from London defining what Britishness means to our people and our city.
In regards to the programme I think it’s highly unlikely a bunch of journalists from London visiting Leicester for a couple of weeks – who handpicked participants for an edited 90-minute broadcast – will have gained a sufficient understanding or experience of our beautiful city, our rich heritage, our cultural diversity, and the unity of our people. But let’s wait and see what kind of footage they put out on Monday night.
‘Make Leicester British’ will be shown on 3 November 2014 at 9pm on Channel 4
Having now watched ‘Make Leicester British’ I can make the following observations.
Just a few minutes into the broadcast I knew it would be utter garbage. The narrator referred to Leicester as a divided city, which is an outright lie. In-fact the programme was full of lies, i.e. claiming there were 53 mosques in Leicester when there are actually around 30.
I feel vindicated for having serious concerns about the way in which the programme would portray Leicester people. But I also knew the documentary was produced by the same people who gave us ‘Benefits Street’.
This was manufactured gutter television of the lowest order, designed to create controversy, boost ratings and advertising revenues, and advance the interests of the programme makers – not the political issues or the participants.
The show was sensationalist drivel passed off as a documentary. It entirely failed to reflect the true face of Leicester people. To top it off these visiting London journalists had the audacity to try to define what Britishness should mean to our city and our people.
Ultimately 8 days of footage was edited into 90 minutes of viewing to paint a particular narrative. Specifically, the programme makers wanted us to believe Leicester is divided and that immigration is a major issue in our city; neither of which is true.
The producers handpicked the participants and seemingly opted for people who held extreme views. Whilst this may have made good television – in the eyes of the programme makers – sadly all it demonstrated was that this was never meant to be a sensible, thought-provoking or reasonable documentary about immigration and its associated issues.
There was no factual discussion of the positive aspects of immigration, such as the fact immigrants have contributed more than £25 billion to the British economy. There was also no discussion of the welfare payments asylum seekers receive, which is a maximum of £36 per week.
Overall it was a disgraceful distortion of our city and our people. The programme entirely failed to properly debate the important issue of immigration in a mature and rational way. By ending with a few pithy examples of participants learning the error of their ways, this tacky programme tried to harvest some sense of dignity, and justify the need for its production.
It failed miserably on all counts and I’m sure most Leicester people would agree with me.
Posted in Culture, Leicester, News, Political, World | Tagged asylum seekers, Benefits Street, British, Britishness, Channel 4, Eastern Europe, immigration, Jon Ashworth MP, Leicester, Love Productions, Make Bradford British, Make Leicester British, Poland, refugees, Somalia, Ugandan Asians | 5 Replies
Labour stands up for residents and businesses in Wigston
Posted on October 22, 2014 by Sundip
As Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston I have been working closely with local Labour activists, to fight for residents and businesses in Wigston, who feel let down and ignored.
On 19 September 2014 I attended a house meeting with 20 residents in Wigston, which had been organised by the South Wigston Action Group. Local people told me their concerns about the excessive amount of speeding traffic on Saffron Road, Dorset Avenue and Gloucester Crescent, which is putting lives at risk.
On behalf of residents I have formally raised a complaint with the police and arranged for speed safety checks to be carried out. On 22 October 2014 I wrote to Lib Dem controlled Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, requesting an urgent investigation, with a view to installing traffic calming measures on all of the above mentioned roads.
Please click here to view my letter on traffic calming measures in Wigston.
My Labour team and I have also been liaising with the South Wigston Chamber of Commerce in regards to their upcoming ‘Christmas Capers’ event. The event is a trade fair and community fun day and has been running since 2002. Last year more than 4,000 people attended the event, giving a much needed shot in the arm to local businesses.
Sadly, despite their best efforts, the Chamber has been unable to secure the temporary closure of Blaby Road in Wigston on 6 December 2014. They desperately need this road to be closed off in order to run a safe and successful event.
On behalf of local traders and businesses in Wigston, I wrote to Lib Dem controlled Oadby and Wigston Borough Council on 22 October 2014, calling for Blaby Road to be closed to traffic for the duration of 6 December 2014.
I have asked the Council Leader to put the interests of Wigston businesses ahead of the Arriva bus company, which has been refusing to partially divert its busses away from Blaby Road, on the day in question.
Please click here to view my letter in support of local businesses in Wigston.
The Labour Party in Wigston strongly supports local residents and businesses on these issues. We feel lives are being put at risk on the above mentioned roads because local agencies are failing to take the matter seriously. We also passionately support the South Wigston Chamber of Commerce who are simply trying to put on another successful event, which widely benefits businesses and residents living in Wigston.
Labour shadow minister Lord Willy Bach, who lives in south Leicestershire, has also joined our campaign to support residents and businesses. He told me: “It is essential we fight for local residents on both these issues: one is about protecting people; the other is about helping them to prosper.”
It is time local Lib Dems and Tories start to put residents and businesses first. I sincerely hope they will listen to the concerns we have raised.
Posted in Harborough, Health, Labour, Leicester, News, Police, Political | Tagged Arriva, Christmas Capers, Harborough, Labour, Leicester, Lib Dems, Oadby, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, South Wigston Action Group, South Wigston Chamber of Commerce, speeding, Tories, traffic calming, Wigston, Willy Bach | Leave a reply
Labour launches campaign in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
My friends and I at the Harborough Constituency Labour Party were delighted to launch our general and local election campaigns on Friday 10 October 2014.
We had more than 60 guests attend our campaign launch party in central Oadby, including several Leicester Labour Councillors, the Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP, and Lord Willy Bach of Lutterworth. Best of all we had dozens of our superstar Labour activists join us on the night!
Our guests enjoyed sandwiches, cakes, drinks, and delicious homemade samosas. We raised a good amount of money in the raffle, with many friends winning bottles of wine, boxes of chocolates, and gift vouchers. Thanks to Chris Marlow, Rahima Dakri, Terry Howatt, Cllr Neil Clayton, Cllr Lynn Moore, and everyone else who donated prizes.
Our Chair David Johnson welcomed people to our event. Cllr Rory Palmer, Leicester Deputy City Mayor, gave an impassioned speech on taking the fight to the Tories and Lib Dems. Keith Vaz MP spoke eloquently about the need to work hard, and chip away at the Tory and Lib Dem vote, especially as the incumbent parties have so badly let local people down.
I’m glad to say our local Labour activists are already working hard on the ground in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston. In recent months we have been out knocking on doors and speaking with people across the constituency. Earlier this summer we welcomed the NHS People’s March to Market Harborough. We have also been out campaigning in Corby and we’ll be visiting other marginal seats in the coming months.
As I said in my speech, it is our party which stands for the politics of hope, against the politics of fear. It is the Labour Party which stands for the politics of unity against the politics of division. It’s up to us to offer a better future and a different direction for our country. It’s up to us to do what we can to protect and empower our fellow citizens, not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Labour activists in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston are energised and eager to win. Our values are shared by thousands of people across our constituency. Local people know that only Labour has a plan to tackle Britain’s cost of living crisis. Only Labour will freeze energy prices, lift the minimum wage, boost jobs, apprenticeships and housing, and protect our NHS.
We have the wind in our sails and we’re not going to let the Tories and Lib Dems continue getting away with letting local people down. We’re offering a fresh alternative and a different vision for our shared future. Here’s to the good people of Harborough, Oadby and Wigston and the exciting few months ahead.
Posted in Harborough, Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches | Tagged Cllr Deepak Bajaj, Cllr Inderjit Gugnani, Cllr Lucy Chaplin, Cllr Lynn Moore, Cllr Neil Clayton, Cllr Patrick Kitterick, Cllr Rory Palmer, Cllr Ross Willmott, Cllr Susan Barton, Cllr Ted Cassidy, Council elections, General election 2015, Harborough, Keith Vaz MP, Labour, Leicester, Lib Dems, Lord Willy Bach, Market Harborough, Oadby, Oadby and Wigston, Tories, Wigston | Leave a reply
Celebrating Navratri with local people in Oadby and Wigston
Posted on September 30, 2014 by Sundip
I was delighted to visit Gartree High School on Friday 26 September 2014. I had been invited by the Oadby and Wigston Hindu Community to join them in celebrating Navratri, a wonderful 9-day festival of dance which is important to many Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.
It was a pleasure to meet and speak with hundreds of local residents enjoying the festivities. I talked about the meaning of Navratri and I congratulated the committee and the community for putting on such a successful event.
I spoke about my parliamentary candidacy in 2015 and our local Labour candidates also standing for election in Oadby and Wigston. I got the sense that local residents are optimistic about the future and eager to see change. People want politicians who understand them and are prepared to stand up for their values and beliefs.
After I spoke many people thanked me for visiting and some even congratulated me on the quality of my Gujarati! I was incredibly impressed to see the local Hindu community come together to organise events such as this, which are entirely self-funded and staffed by volunteers. The Oadby and Wigston Hindu Community are doing brilliant work locally and I look forward to supporting them in the months and years ahead.
Posted in Culture, Harborough, Labour, Leicester, Political, Religion, World | Tagged Council, Harborough, Hindu, Labour, Lib Dems, Navratri, Oadby, Oadby and Wigston Hindu Community, Tory, Wigston | Leave a reply
Government rips-off Harborough Council and residents
Posted on September 4, 2014 by Sundip
Newly-released figures reveal Harborough District Council has had to dip into its own coffers to meet the government’s edict to implement the Bedroom Tax.
Government ministers repeatedly claimed their Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) would help councils support the most vulnerable hit by this regressive tax. But figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions have shown many local authorities have been forced to use taxpayers’ money to top up inadequate DHP funds.
Harborough District Council has had to supplement its DHP fund by £2,098 as the £58,543 the council received proved to be insufficient. Seventy other councils across England and Wales found themselves with shortfalls.
According to the National Housing Federation, 390 households in the Harborough constituency have been hit by the Bedroom Tax, which sees people living in social housing being charged for bedrooms the government deems the occupants do not need. However, the inflexible policy doesn’t take into account the shortage of smaller for people to move to or the needs of families with disabled members, those who take on fostering responsibilities or those with a family member serving away in the forces or at university.
Commenting on the news, Sundip Meghani, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Harborough, said: “David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s Bedroom Tax has been a disaster for the hundreds of thousands of people hit by this cruel levy – including 390 households here in Harborough – and it has come at a huge cost for taxpayers.
“The government’s own figures have shown their Discretionary Housing Payment funding has failed to cover the huge costs of the Bedroom Tax and councils have had to pick up the tab. So instead of freeing up housing and driving down costs, the Bedroom Tax has left people trapped in their homes with local authorities having to footing huge bills.”
Chris Bryant MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for welfare Reform, echoed Sundip’s concerns; he said: “At next year’s election, the British people face a choice between a Labour government which will scrap the unfair Bedroom tax and a Tory Government who will keep this cruel and costly policy in place.”
In the East Midlands 32,127 people have been hit by the Bedroom Tax. At least 3 councils have been forced to top up discretionary housing funds.
The government’s discretionary housing payment data is available here.
Bedroom Tax data is available here.
Posted in Harborough, Housing, Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Statements | Tagged Bedroom Tax, Chris Bryant, David Cameron, Department for Work and Pensions, Discretionary Housing Payments, District Council, Harborough, housing, Labour, Lib Dems, Market Harborough, National Housing Federation, Nick Clegg, Sundip Meghani, Tories | Leave a reply
NHS People’s March warmly welcomed in Market Harborough
As Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, I was very proud to join crowds of supporters in welcoming the ‘999 Call For NHS‘ People’s March to Market Harborough, on Sunday 31 August 2014.
It was a glorious day and the sun was shining on the many wonderful people who marched into town! More than a dozen Harborough Labour activists and many other supporters came out to join us at a rally in the town centre followed by drinks at the Three Swans Hotel.
Sadly not a single Tory or Lib Dem politician from Harborough bothered to turn up or send a message of support. However it was heart-warming to see so many Market Harborough residents and several Labour Councillors stop-by to support the marchers. Local people in Harborough certainly care passionately about the NHS.
In my remarks I thanked the many decent conscientious marchers who are fighting for fairness. Fighting for our nation’s most important public good – the National Health Service. Fighting to show this wretched, out-of-touch, Tory-led government that the people of Britain won’t let them get away with what they’re doing to our NHS.
It is because of people like us – people who care about our fellow citizens – that we even have a National Health Service. And it is thanks to the Darlo mums and all the people on the march from Jarrow to Parliament that this crucial issue is receiving regional and national press coverage.
The simple truth is that this Tory-led government is destroying our nation’s most valuable public asset: the NHS. Having been cobbled together after the last election, this Tory and Lib Dem government had absolutely no mandate to fundamentally and permanently revamp the NHS. They had no mandate to waste millions on a top-down reorganisation nobody wanted. They had no mandate to privatise our NHS by the backdoor.
But the British people want to know the facts. So I urged the marchers and all those gathered in Market Harborough to clearly and confidently spread the word. Let us tell the people precisely what this Tory-led government is doing to our NHS because the facts speak for themselves:
Waiting lists across the country are up whilst A&E performance is down;
Clinical redundancies are up but early intervention is down;
Hospitals risk levels are up yet mental health funding is down;
Complaints are up and patient satisfaction is down;
Privatisation in the NHS is up whilst the number of NHS walk-in centres is down;
Pay for managers is up but pay for workers is down. The list goes on and on.
Billions of pounds worth of NHS services are being sold off to the private sector. For this reason, and the many other unwanted and unacceptable changes to our National Health Service, the Labour Party has pledged to make the repeal of the Health and Social Care Act a top priority for a new Labour government.
It was an honour to speak with so many lovely people as they visited Market Harborough. I was also glad to Back The Bill and show my support for the campaign to stop the sell off. On Monday 1 September the march continues on to Northampton and several other places before reaching London on 6 September.
Thank you to the Darlo mums, the trade unionists, and the 300 milers. Thank you to the mums and dads, brothers and sisters, and every single person who cares enough to get active and to raise their voice in protest. There are millions of us across the nation who are with you in solidarity. Godspeed for the rest of your journey. Onwards to Parliament!
Posted in Harborough, Health, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches | Tagged 300 milers, 999 Call For The NHS, A&E, Coalition, Darlo mums, early intervention, Government, Harborough, Health and Social Care Act, Jarrow, Labour, Lib Dems, London, managers, Market Harborough, mental health, National Health Service, NHS, NHS complaints, Northampton, Oadby, Parliament, patient care, People's March, privatisation, top-down reorganisation, Tories, trade unionists, waiting lists, Wigston, workers | 1 Reply
Harborough Labour supports the People’s March for the NHS
The Harborough constituency Labour Party and I are proud to support the People’s March for the NHS. We will give all the marchers a very warm welcome to Market Harborough as they arrive into town at around 5pm on Sunday 31 August 2014.
The ‘999 Call For The NHS‘ is a 3-week long public march from Jarrow to Parliament. It has been organised by a group of mums from Darlington, who are outraged by the assault that the current Tory / Lib Dem government has made on our nation’s most prized asset, the National Health Service.
There is a public rally taking place in Leicester Town Hall Square on Saturday 30 August 2014 from 5.15pm onwards, where Shadow Health Minister Liz Kendall MP and others will be speaking. Click here for more details about the Leicester rally.
Marchers will then set off from Leicester on Sunday 31 August at 10am, arriving into Market Harborough for approximately 5pm later that day. Supporters are invited to join us at the Three Swans Hotel in Market Harborough from 5pm onwards. Click here to confirm your attendance on the Facebook event page.
Posted in Harborough, Health, Labour, Leicester, News, Political | Tagged 999 Call For The NHS, Harborough, Jarrow, Labour, Leicester, NHS, Oadby, Parliament, People's March for the NHS, Wigston | Leave a reply
People in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston are fed up with failed Tory and Lib Dem policies
Since being selected as Labour PPC for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, I have been inundated with messages of support from local residents who are fed up with Tory and Lib Dem politicians, and their failed policies. In this past week alone we have seen one calamity after another with Tory and Lib Dem politicians failing local people.
Businesses are suffering in Oadby because of policies implemented by local Tory and Lib Dem politicians. Bus services in Market Harborough are being cut as elected politicians fail to intervene. There is also a serious shortage of police cover in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, largely the result of sustained cuts by this Tory-led government. But the situation for local residents is a lot worse.
Independent figures show that wages are on average £1,600 down in real terms since 2010 as prices and inflation continue to rise faster that pay packets. Combined with an average increase of £300 on household utility bills, hardworking people in the constituency are struggling because of the government’s cost-of-living crisis.
Living standards for the majority of people have fallen in 50 of the 51 months that David Cameron has been in Downing Street. Meanwhile this out-of-touch Tory and Lib Dem government has handed a £3billion tax break to the top 1% of earners by cutting the 50p rate. People are playing by the rules but not getting any better off.
However it need not be like this. It’s only because of the decisions of David Cameron’s government that people who work hard and play by the rules are out of pocket.
Ed Miliband has committed a future Labour government to delivering an energy price freeze and introducing a Jobs Guarantee to get a million unemployed young people back to work. Ours will be a government that stands up for the many not the few.
My local party activists and I are looking forward to getting out on the doorsteps of Harborough, Oadby and Wigston and making the case for Labour’s One Nation alternative.
Posted in Harborough, Labour, Leicester, News, Police, Political, Statements | Tagged bus services, businesses, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Harborough, Labour, Lib Dem, Oadby, policing cuts, Tory, Tory-led government, Wigston | 1 Reply
Delighted to be Labour’s MP candidate for Harborough
“I was delighted to be selected on 4 August as Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Harborough in the upcoming general election. It is a huge honour to stand as a Labour candidate and I am very grateful to party members for entrusting me to lead our local campaign.
We will be flying the flag for Labour and campaigning in Oadby, Wigston, Fleckney, Kibworth, Great Glen, Market Harborough, and right across the constituency. We will also help election efforts in key marginal seats in the East Midlands region. Read more in this Leicester Mercury article.
We are looking forward to a positive campaign and we will be working hard to help elect a Labour government in 2015 led by Ed Miliband. Please get in touch to join our campaign – we would love to have your support!”
Read more: People in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston are fed up with failed Tory and Lib Dem policies
Posted in Harborough, Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Statements | Tagged 2015, Fleckney, General Election, Great Glen, Harborough, Kibworth, Labour, Market Harborough, Oadby, Sundip Meghani, Wigston | 2 Replies
Sugar, fructose and obesity: a national public health crisis
Posted on July 8, 2014 by Sundip
Published in the Leicester Mercury newspaper on 9 July 2014
Sugar is toxic and highly addictive. If the latest medical science is correct – and I firmly believe it is – we are sleepwalking into a monumental public health crisis.
I am not a medical expert; I am a lawyer. This article is based on the work of Professor Robert Lustig, a scientist and doctor whose research has been internationally acclaimed. My analysis of his findings shocked me into drastically reducing my own sugar intake. As a public servant I feel duty bound to raise awareness of this issue.
26% of Brits are obese and a further 38% are overweight. By 2050 more than 50% will be obese. Most of today’s primary school children will be obese adults.
Obesity is dangerous because it causes metabolic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure etc. Average weight people get sick from these too, but obese people are at far greater risk.
There are different types of sugar such as lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose. At a molecular level, regular sugar (sucrose) is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Aside from sugar, fructose is found in honey, agave, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, and fruit juice. It is also in fruit but fruit’s perfectly safe to eat as it comes with fibre and other nutrients.
Glucose sugar is the ‘energy of life’ and an essential nutrient. Fructose sugar on the other hand, according to Professor Lustig, is the root of all evil.
The research indicates fructose is bad for several reasons. It is not properly processed by the body and mostly stored as dangerous internal fat. Fructose does not supress the hunger hormone ghrelin, leading to overeating. Chronic fructose exposure reduces the impulse to burn excess energy. Fructose is also extremely addictive, activating the same area of the brain as morphine, cocaine, nicotine and alcohol.
In summary, sugar and fructose in particular is a major contributing factor for obesity, which in-turn leads to metabolic diseases.
To me the logic and science is pretty clear. Millions of British people may be overweight or obese because they have been hoodwinked about the dangers of sugar, with tonnes of it having been added to everyday food and drink, over many years.
It is too simplistic to blame individuals. This isn’t about personal responsibility. That’s what everyone said about smoking until it became a public health disaster. The reality is that the sugar industry is the new tobacco industry.
Parliament needs to act because the industry will not. I urge every reader to demand action from their MP. I also sincerely recommend seeking medical advice with a view to reducing personal sugar intake.
Posted in Education, Food, Health, News, Political | Tagged addiction, diabetes, fructose, glucose, health crisis, heart disease, high blood pressure, lactose, maltose, medical research, metabolic diseases, obesity, overweight, Robert Lustig, sugar, sugar industry, tobacco industry | 1 Reply
We need a sensible debate on the future of faith schools
Posted on June 22, 2014 by Sundip
Published in the Leicester Mercury newspaper on 27 June 2014
Many people were alarmed by the recent Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham. A “culture of fear and intimidation” had been created in several schools by hardline Islamists, and there was evidence of an “organised campaign to target certain schools”, according to Ofsted.
We should not make excuses for what happened in Birmingham and we should not brush it under the carpet. It is good that these unauthorised practises have been uncovered and it is right that steps are taken to address the issue.
The schools in question were not faith schools: they were secular schools being run by the local Council and by academy trusts. If they had been faith schools however, then a lot of what was found to be unacceptable would still be going on.
Public appetite for faith schools has diminished significantly. A survey by Opinium found that 58% of people believe faith schools should be abolished and 70% think they should not be state funded.
The central argument against faith schools is that young impressionable children are often taught to accept untruths as truths and to assimilate information through the prism of religion.
Newsnight recently featured a report on 30 private Christian faith schools, where children are taught that evolution isn’t true, and that the earth is only a few thousand years old. This of course contradicts the overwhelming evidence we have which proves that evolution is real and the earth is 4.54 billion years old.
Although the government has banned creationism from being taught in our 7,000 state-funded faith schools, private faith schools continue to operate as a law unto themselves.
Insofar as state funding for faith schools is concerned, to me it seems irrational and counter-intuitive. We don’t allow Council tenants to be housed on the basis of faith or NHS hospitals to have different wards for different religions.
Yet with state-funded faith schools we permit a religious apartheid in our education system, where the next generation of citizens are segregated along doctrinal lines, in accordance with their parent’s beliefs.
The late Christopher Hitchens claimed that faith schools were a “cultural suicide”. He argued that increasing them would turn Britain into somewhere like Lebanon, where people live in sectarian communities, and religious tensions are always simmering away ready to boil over.
Living in a multicultural and multi-faith society is a good thing but we must actively promote integration. We should have secular public services which treat all people equally irrespective of belief.
And all children should receive a well-rounded evidence-based education, with a healthy and inclusive understanding of other faiths and cultures, so as to prepare them for life in modern Britain and the wider world.
Posted in Culture, Education, Religion, World | Tagged Birmingham, Britain, children, Christopher Hitchens, creationism, education, faith, faith schools, Lebanon, multiculturalism, Newsnight, Ofsted, public services, religion, Trojan Horse | 2 Replies
Leicester people condemn vandalism of Gandhi statue
Posted on June 8, 2014 by Sundip
Many Leicester people were appalled and disgusted on Saturday (7 June 2014), when photos emerged on social media showing that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Belgrave Road had been defaced.
Rupal Rajani from BBC Leicester originally tweeted the photos from her personal account, which had been sent to her by local businessman Vinod Popat.
The graffiti on the statue is an attempt to draw attention to the awful 1984 massacre of Sikhs in Amritsar, a major controversy involving the Indian Prime Minister at the time, Mrs Indira Gandhi.
However it would seem that the culprit who committed this vandalism isn’t very bright. Either they did not know that Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi were two very different people and completely unrelated. Or they did know the difference, and they did it anyway, in a bid to stir up tensions in the community. In any event, they have failed.
This act only serves to unify Leicester people from all backgrounds and communities, who recognise that it is not a legitimate political protest: it is simply a cowardly act of criminal damage.
Many of my Leicester Labour colleagues were quick to condemn this pathetic behaviour.
Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait of Abbey tweeted: “we need to be clear that this kind of thing is totally unacceptable”. And Assistant Mayor Cllr Manjula Sood of Latimer telephoned me and told me that “this is entirely wrong and goes against the teachings of Sikhism”. She also agreed to inform the police.
Keith Vaz, Labour MP for Leicester East, tweeted: “Shocked that the Gandhi statue in Belgrave has been defaced. A foolish act of vandalism. Let’s stay united and strong to honour the great man”. His comments were later retweeted by journalists from the BBC and Leicester Mercury.
Having noticed the photos on Twitter fairly earlier on I had immediately emailed them over to City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. The City Mayor and his Cabinet colleague Cllr Sarah Russell were very quick to respond, confirming within hours that Council officers would be out cleaning the graffiti on Sunday morning.
It is great to see that Leicester’s political leaders have taken this seriously. We are also very lucky to have such dedicated Council officers, promptly agreeing to carry out the cleaning work on a Sunday.
Some people have questioned why this is such a big issue. Others have even made light of it or tried to justify the sentiments being expressed.
For the avoidance of doubt let me be very clear. The graffiti applied to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue is not a legitimate political protest and it absolutely must not be justified under any circumstances.
The definition of terrorism is “the unauthorised use of violence or intimidation in the pursuit of political aims”. The desecration of this statue was unauthorised; it was an act of intimidation aimed at the mainly British Indian community living in Belgrave; and the purpose was wholly political.
It could be argued therefore that this act of vandalism also amounts to an act of terrorism. An act that was perpetrated by the same kind of closed-minded people who go on to commit far more dangerous acts, because they already have a blatant disregard for the rule of law. These people don’t want to convince us of their political beliefs; they want to force us into accepting them, and they’re prepared to break the law to do it.
We are lucky to live in a civilised western society built on the rule of law, human rights, freedom and democracy. Any transgression of these principles is an attack on all of us and our way of life. We must never justify any attempt to influence public discourse through the use violence, force or intimidation.
Thankfully I believe that this was an isolated incident and that these kinds of acts are very rare in Leicester. However we must always be prepared to stand together – people of all faiths and those of none – united against criminals and terrorists seeking to take the law into their own hands to advance their political beliefs.
Ultimately we have this statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester for the same reason that we have Nelson Mandela Park and may soon have – thanks to Cllr Adam Clarke of Aylestone – a statue of Alice Hawkins: We choose to honour great people and inspire the next generation.
We will not be intimidated by stupid cowards who break the law.
UPDATE: The statue of Mahatma Gandhi has now been cleaned. This was done within 24 hours by Leicester City Council officers. Photo credit: Emily Anderson, BBC News. Leicestershire Police are investigating and two arrests were made on 11 June 2014. Anyone with any information should contact Leicestershire Police on 0116 222 22 22.
Posted in Culture, Education, Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Religion, Statements, World | Tagged Amritsar, BBC Leicester, Belgrave road, British Indians, City Mayor, democracy, freedom, Gandhi, Golden Mile, Golden Temple, graffiti, human rights, India, Indian, Indira Gandhi, Keith Vaz, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, Leicester Mercury, Mahatma Gandhi, Manjula Sood, Operation Blue Star, Peter Soulsy, rule of law, Rupal Rajani, Sarah Russell, Sikh, terrorism, vandalism, Vijay Riyait, Vinod Popat | 1 Reply
Marking the 70th anniversary of D Day
I visited Gilroes cemetery in Beaumont Leys earlier today to pay my respects on the 70th anniversary of D Day.
Leicester’s Gilroes cemetery contains 110 Commonwealth war graves from World War I and 160 from World War II. There is also a memorial in front of the crematorium which commemorates the 31 service personnel whose remains were cremated there.
The weather today was sunny and bright and it was very peaceful. There was a funeral taking place inside. Outside, tiny squirrels were darting about, picking off petals from the many floral tributes. It was just another ordinary day at the cemetery.
Seventy years ago however it was anything but an ordinary day for our country and for many countless men and women. The Normandy landings ultimately helped the Allies rescue the continent of Europe from the grip of hatred and injustice.
Everything we have in Britain, including the freedom to choose how to live our lives, is thanks to the bravery of countless extraordinary people who came before us. We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay. However we can honour their memories and sacrifices by ensuring that future generations never forget.
Posted in Education, Leicester, Statements, World | Tagged Allies, Beaumont Leys, Commonwealth, D Day, First World War, France, Gilroes cemetery, Great Britain, Leicester, Normandy landings, Second World War | Leave a reply
Congratulations to the people of India
Posted on May 16, 2014 by Sundip
“Congratulations to Narendra Modi, incoming Prime Minister of India, and the BJP / NDA on their emphatic election victory. Congratulations also to the many British Asians, and Non-Resident Indians living in Britain, who have been actively campaigning for this election result.
It has been fascinating to observe the politics of India in recent years and particularly the 2014 general election. It is a testament to the strength of Indian democracy that the campaign has been largely peaceful and that Congress and other political parties have humbly accepted the people’s verdict.
As the people of India choose a new path for their future, I sincerely wish that the country continues to prosper, and that India remains a global beacon for hard work and innovation. I also hope that relations between the Republic of India and the United Kingdom continue to go from strength to strength.”
Posted in News, Political, Statements, World | Tagged BJP, Congress, India, Indian, Indian general election, Narendra Modi, NDA | Leave a reply
No sugar for a month: my findings
In late February I came across some compelling research about the dangers of eating sugar (or fructose to be more precise). I wrote a blog about it and I began a month-long experiment to see how I would feel without eating sugar or any foods which have added sugar.
I avoided all sugary foods including: sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, desserts, ice cream, honey, syrup, all alcohol, ketchup, baked beans, sugary drinks, fruit juices, milkshakes, and many others.
It was impossible to avoid eating any sugar whatsoever as many foods contain small amounts of it, including foods that one wouldn’t normally expect to have any added sugar at all, i.e. crisps, mayonnaise, Weetabix, vegetable soup etc.
Nevertheless I went from being completely oblivious about my daily sugar intake, to having around 5g a day, about the same as 1 teaspoon. It has been an interesting experience and here’s a summary of my findings:
The low points
I must confess that I did have a couple of relapses in the form of a slice of cheesecake, a bar of chocolate and a pot of yoghurt. However on the whole I was quite disciplined and I stuck to the parameters of my experiment.
Around the fourth and fifth day I had some strong sugar cravings and I was very grumpy with the people around me (apologies to them).
I also didn’t eat any of my own birthday cake, which is just plain sad.
The high points
Discovering sugar-free chocolates and biscuits being sold at my local Boots (aimed at people who have diabetes) was a high point, although paying £2.99 per packet was a rip-off. I expect there are decent cheaper products available to purchase online.
I bought some glucose sugar (the good kind of sugar) and I occasionally used this to create any foods that I craved, i.e. pancakes on Pancake Day.
Losing several pounds without dieting or intending to lose weight was a bonus.
My findings
I strongly believe that Professor Robert Lustig and others, who have recently been warning about the dangers of eating sugar, are onto something very important.
By not eating sugar throughout the whole of the last month I have been feeling a lot healthier, happier, and more energetic day-to-day. (My increased energy levels even inspired me to purchase a new hybrid mountain bike.) I also unintentionally lost weight and found myself eating more fruits and vegetables.
It has helped me to become a lot more health conscious and to think seriously about the food and drink that I consume on a daily basis. I haven’t really missed not having biscuits with tea or a dessert after a main meal. As with many ‘bad habits’ it would seem that our reliance on sugary foods is a learnt behaviour that can slowly be unlearnt.
During my experiment I became acutely aware of the excessive amounts of sugar being added to foods and drinks, particularly in products aimed at children. For example I witnessed a friend’s son have a bottle of fizzy drink which contained more than 35g of sugar. That’s the equivalent of drinking a cup of tea with 9 teaspoons of added sugar, which no-one in their right mind would ever do.
Roughly halfway through my sugar-free month the World Health Organisation issued new guidance, urging people to cut their consumption of sugar to less than 10% of daily total calorie intake (around 50g), or ideally to less than 5%. However many of the world’s leading scientists and academics think these recommended levels are still too high. I certainly do not think 50g of sugar a day is at all healthy.
Avoiding sugar and fructose completely is impossible, because varying quantities are added to so many different foods and drinks, and we can never know exactly how much sugar if any has been added to something that we haven’t prepared.
However I have certainly adopted a positive and (hopefully) permanent change of lifestyle, in choosing to avoid most sugary foods and drinks from now on, and opting for fresh fruit where possible to sweeten my dietary intake.
Although I am lucky to be in very good health at the moment, with no underlying health conditions or concerns, I felt it was sensible to do some research and try to be a bit proactive about my future health. I now look forward to campaigning on the dangers of sugar addiction and the importance of eating a balanced diet as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Posted in Education, Food, Health | Tagged diet, dietary intake, drink, exercise, food, fructose, health, Robert Lustig, sucrose, sugar, sugar-free, sugary, World Health Organisation | 4 Replies
Speech to Council on the plight of refugees and asylum seekers
My speech to Council can be viewed here.
I whole heartedly support Cllr Clarke’s motion and I’m really glad to see my fellow Labour Councillors taking a proactive and compassionate stance on this important humanitarian issue.
I think I might be one of a few people in this room whose parents and grandparents were in-fact refugees, and I’ve spoken previously on my family’s connection to Uganda.
I was having a conversation with my dad recently and he was telling me about how he and his family arrived in this country with £55 in their pockets.
He was also telling me about how the Ugandan military had put up many checkpoints along the route to the airport.
Families were routinely robbed of what little possessions they had. Worse still, women were taken from queues, only to be raped and murdered indiscriminately.
It’s quite a horrific part of my own family history, but I think it certainly played an important role in my own upbringing, and the values that my parents instilled in me.
However I think it’s also true to say that we don’t necessarily need to have had a personal experience with the plight of refugees, in order to be able to empathise with it, to understand it and to want to see things change.
So I have a lot of time for decent, conscientious people who recognise that we have a moral human duty to try to help refugees.
And it’s one of the many reasons why I’m so proud to be a Labour Party member and activist, because it is the Labour Party that has always stood up, for the rights of the downtrodden and the disadvantaged. It is the Labour Party that has time again campaigned for social justice, and for Britain to play a leading role in the world, when it comes to offering humanitarian assistance.
Contrast this with the way the current government is playing party politics with the lives of refugees, whipping up fear and resentment, and failing to offer genuine help to many asylum seekers who have temporarily settled in Britain.
Many of you will be familiar with the case of my former constituent Evenia Mawongera, a grandmother who had fled to Britain some 10 years ago, who late last year was forcibly deported back to Zimbabwe.
Evenia had the support of her local church and Leicester’s strong and vibrant Zimbabwean community, many of whom live in Beaumont Leys. She also had the support of our City Mayor, the city’s 3 MPs, probably every councillor in this chamber, and many other agencies, community groups and even our local press.
And yet despite the best efforts of Leicester people to help one of their own, Home Secretary Theresa May refused to intervene.
After Evenia was deported back to Zimbabwe the Leicester Mercury ran an article in October 2013, reporting on the concerns of Evenia’s friends and family, who said that they had been unable to reach her, and that they feared for her safety.
Of course there are people who have legitimate fears about newcomers, whether they’re refugees or economic migrants; the biggest of which is an understandable concern about the finite resources that we have as a nation and as a city.
It’s right that these fears are addressed with respect and serious debate. But it’s also right that we understand and explain the very big difference between economic migrants and those who come here as refugees and asylum seekers.
I think another thing that people also worry about is the loss of British culture and British identity, almost as if Britishness was a tangible thing, and the more you dilute it, the weaker it becomes.
However I fundamentally disagree with this. In my view Britishness is a mind-set and a way of life. It exists in the hearts and minds of people who value what it is that makes our country great: from our civil liberties and social freedoms, to our respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law; from our sense of humour and our shared history, to our love of quirky things and our compassion for people and animals. And it is this sense of British compassion that we must tap into, to convince those in power and ordinary British people that it is both right and proper that we do our bit, to help refugees and asylum seekers.
Persecution abroad should not lead to destitution here, and those who arrive in Britain fearing for their lives, should be given sanctuary, shelter and support, so that they – just like my parents and grandparents – can work hard and contribute, to enriching this great nation of ours.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches, Statements, World | Tagged asylum seekers, Britain, Britishness, City of Sanctuary, civil liberties, Evenia Mawongera, human rights, immigration, Labour, Leicester, refugees, Ugandan Asians, Zimbabwe | 1 Reply
Speech to Council: Budget 2014
Posted on February 26, 2014 by Sundip
Last week 27 Anglican bishops – including the Bishop of Leicester and 16 other clergy – attacked David Cameron and his Tory-led government for creating a national crisis of hunger and hardship.
Since the current Tory / Lib Dem government came to power the use of food banks according to the Trussell Trust has increased by some 700%.
I’m sad to say this isn’t some abstract problem affecting other people somewhere else: it’s affecting people here in our city here today and the situation is getting worse.
In Beaumont Leys we now have a foodbank run by volunteers. It was set-up in October last year and evolved out of a lunch club at the local church.
I recently spoke with Katie Wray, one of the people leading the project. She told me that although it was slow to start, word had spread quickly, and now they’re busier than ever.
A lot of the people approaching the foodbank for help are in part-time or low paid work. Many others lost their jobs after the busy Christmas period, and they’ve been experiencing delays in getting access to the benefits, which they themselves have paid in to.
I’m saddened and ashamed to report to Council tonight that there are mums going without food in Beaumont Leys, so that their children have things they need for school, and are not bullied by other kids for being poor.
I know of one lady in her 30s who recently split from her partner and is caring for 2 children. In one week she didn’t eat anything besides bread because she had to save £25 for her son to go on a school trip. When this lady was explaining her circumstances she felt so embarrassed that she burst out crying.
But the scale of the problem is much worse and these Tory cuts and the government’s cost of living crisis is affecting many of my constituents in Beaumont Leys.
There’s another woman living on Scalpay Close in my ward, who recently didn’t have £2 for the electric meter to heat up the food for her children, for when they came back from school.
There’s a family living in Home Farm who are struggling to find around £300 to pay Council tax for the first time and they cannot get any financial support.
And there are children attending youth sessions at the Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Association, who seemingly haven’t had enough to eat, with local volunteers telling me that they seriously doubt whether some of the children have had lunch on any given day.
The difference between being a political activist, and being an elected Councillor, is that I now actually get to meet the many people in my ward who are struggling to survive, and I get to see for myself the impact that Conservative Party policies are having on real people.
Although we are a Labour-controlled City Council the sad reality is that our hands are tied, because it’s the Tories and Liberals who control two-thirds of the money that we get, and they are the ones inflicting these cuts on the people of Leicester. They are the ones who are favouring tax breaks for millionaires and for big business, as people go hungry. And they ultimately are the ones who we – the people of Leicester – must work hard to defeat, at next year’s General Election.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches | Tagged budget, cuts, foodbanks, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, Liberal Democrats, Tories, Tory-led government | 1 Reply
Sugar is an addictive poison
I recently watched two fascinating lectures on YouTube by the world-renowned academic Professor Robert Lustig. The first video dates back to 2009 and has more than 4.3 million views. The second lecture is from 2013 and links directly to the one he gave four years earlier. Both YouTube videos are included below.
Firstly by way of background: there are many different types of sugars. Examples include: fructose; lactose; glucose; and sucrose (which is actually 50% fructose and 50% glucose). Conventional table sugar is sucrose, i.e. 50% fructose and 50% glucose, and it is the fructose half of sucrose that is the major cause for concern.
Sugar (sucrose) – and fructose in particular – is an addictive poison that is incredibly harmful to human health. This is because: a) it cannot be properly processed by the body; b) it is addictive and fools our brain into thinking we’re not full, leading to overeating; and c) it is more quickly converted and stored as fat by the liver.
Dangerous sugars such as sucrose and fructose should not to be confused with other sugars like glucose and lactose, which are useful nutrients in a healthy diet. In other words, food items such as chocolate (sucrose) or fruit juice (fructose) are bad; whereas foods like bread (glucose) and milk (lactose) are fine in moderation.
In summary, sugar makes you fat and it makes you sick, and sugar poses the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century. Unfortunately modern society is naïvely unaware of the dangers of sugar, in much the same way that society in the 20th century was unaware of the dangers of smoking.
Learning the truth about sugar has been a real eye-opener for me and that’s why I want to help spread the word. I would urge everyone to watch these lectures to really understand the science behind sugar. This article published in January 2014 is also helpful in understanding the sheer gravity of the situation.
It would seem logical for the purpose of improving one’s health, and avoiding diseases like diabetes, to quickly and permanently remove sugar from our diets. And that is precisely what I myself am now trying to do.
Update – Here’s another very useful video but this time only 15 minutes long, which summarises a lot of what Professor Lustig is talking about in the above lectures:
Update – Follow up article here on my month-long experiment without sugar and subsequent decision to give it up almost entirely.
Posted in Education, Food, Health | Tagged diabetes, diet, disease, food, fructose, glucose, health, high fructose corn syrup, obesity, poison, Robert Lustig, sugar, toxic | 1 Reply
Raising money for charities in Beaumont Leys
Posted on December 7, 2013 by Sundip
We’re very lucky to have so many decent people here in Beaumont Leys working hard for the community day-in day-out. This year I’ve been working with numerous charities and local groups: helping to raise awareness; assisting with projects and initiatives; and supporting the work of local activists and volunteers. I’m particularly pleased to have been involved in several recent fundraising efforts, raising money for charities based in Beaumont Leys.
My friends and I at the Midlands Asian Lawyers Association were proud to support Beaumont Leys based charity Restorative Justice Initiative, by raising money for them at our annual ball on Friday 18 October 2013.
The Leicester Mercury covered the event, which was attended by more than 500 people including the Lord Mayor of Leicester, and Labour peer Lord Willy Bach of Lutterworth. We raised £5,000 for Restorative Justice Initiative; money that will help the charity to build bridges between victims and offenders, and repair the damage done in communities by anti-social behaviour.
The following month on Friday 22 November 2013, my friends and I at the Leicestershire Junior Lawyers Division held our annual ball, where we raised more than £450 for the Children’s Heart Unit at Glenfield Hospital in Beaumont Leys. Following recent attempts by the current government to close the unit, I was particularly glad that we were able to support this very worthy charitable cause. I’m optimistic about the coming year and looking forward to continuing to support local groups where I can.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, Political | Tagged Beaumont Leys, charities, Glenfield Heart Unit, Leicestershire Junior Lawyers Division, Midlands Asian Lawyers Association, Restorative Justice Initiative, Sundip Meghani | 1 Reply
Leicester hosts national junior lawyers meeting
Posted on October 6, 2013 by Sundip
As President of the Leicestershire Junior Lawyers Division, I was delighted to welcome delegates from across England and Wales to Leicester this weekend, as the city played host to a meeting of the National Junior Lawyers Division.
Around 40 representatives from junior lawyer groups across the country met at Leicester Town Hall on Saturday 5 October for a special 1-day conference; the first of its kind in the city.
Attendees discussed the future of the legal profession and a variety of issues affecting junior lawyers in England and Wales.
Delegates were also be treated to a special presentation by Nick Cooper from the University of Leicester, who had been invited to speak on the historic find of the remains of King Richard III, which were unearthed in a Leicester car park earlier this year.
The meeting was hosted by the Leicestershire Junior Lawyers Division, which looks after the interests of junior lawyers living and working in Leicestershire.
I successfully lobbied for Leicester to host this meeting and I was very glad to have received the support of City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. Conferences such as this not only help local businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and bars; but they can also help to attract even more business to Leicester and ultimately, more jobs for local people.
Posted in Legal, Leicester, News | Tagged business, Junior Lawyes Division, lawyers, legal, Leicester, Leicestershire | 1 Reply
Council commits to new riverside memorial space in Leicester
Click here to listen to an interview I gave on the BBC Asian Network in March 2014.
Leicester people – of all faiths and none – will soon have an additional choice when it comes to honouring the lives of loved ones who have passed away.
Leicester City Council has committed to developing a new riverside memorial space within the city, where people will be able to safely, peacefully and legally disperse the cremated ashes of loved ones into the river.
This is not only welcome news for the city’s large Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, for whom the consecration of cremated ashes is an important ritual, but it’s also welcome news for all Leicester residents; research shows that 1 in 10 people would like to be able to scatter the ashes of a loved one in this way.
It will also give each of us – the Council tax payers of Leicester – an added option when it comes to having our own mortal remains treated in a dignified way. For someone who always loved to go fishing for example, or enjoyed summertime swimming, or even felt a deep connection with the natural environment, this final journey may well be something comforting to include in any last will and testament.
Until now the nearest place where people could safely and legally scatter ashes onto water was at Barrow-upon-Soar. However this option is rather poor as it only accommodates very limited numbers; involves a 20-mile round trip; and costs upwards of a hundred pounds.
It is therefore very much to the credit of our City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and his hardworking team, that we will soon have a simpler, cheaper and much more local space for the benefit of Leicester residents. I and several others have campaigned on this issue in recent months and I am glad that we are now taking this positive and pragmatic approach.
In regards to the specifics, the cabinet member for culture has advised me that the memorial space will be up-and-running by February 2014. Three potential sites have been selected and site visits and formal consultations will soon be commenced in order to pick the best location. Eventually we hope to have a site that is away from residential areas and one that runs in accordance with all relevant rules and regulations.
Overall most people would agree that talking about death has always been a bit of a taboo. But I think we ought to start taking a more responsible and practical approach to death and the grieving process. Ultimately we ought to do what we can to help make things less stressful and more manageable when our fellow citizens – including our friends and relatives – make that final transition into eternity.
Posted in Culture, Leicester, News, Religion, World | Tagged ashes, cremations, death, funeral, Hindu, Jain, Leicester, Leicester City Council, riverside, scattering, Sikh | 1 Reply
“Thank you my Lord Mayor.
This is the most difficult time of the year for Leicester City Council. Two-thirds of the money that we get is from central Government and that funding is being slashed.
In a way to me it feels like a lot like we are in the eye of a hurricane: in that we have already had major cuts last year; and we’re going to have even more huge cuts to come over the next few years.
But today is also an incredibly difficult time for those of us who are Labour members. The people protesting outside the Town Hall tonight are just like us on this side of the chamber.
So for me and many other Labour members who are Labour Councillors, who are trade unionists, it is particularly painful and disheartening to be in here passing a Budget which inflicts cuts as a direct result of Tory and Lib Dem policies, than to be out there, protesting against this failed Government which has systematically – and is systematically – trying to: destroy the welfare state; foster inequality; persecute public sector workers; tax the poor to give to the rich; and attack hard working families here in Leicester and throughout the UK.
My Lord Mayor I remember vividly speaking in this debate last year and I said then that “this Tory-led Government was on the cusp of leading us into a double dip recession”. And that’s exactly what’s happened. Not only did Britain go back into recession but now, as we sit here tonight, we’re now teetering on the brink of a triple-dip recession, with a flat-lining economy.
And all because, my Lord Mayor: David Cameron, a former PR man; George Osborne, a former researcher; Nick Clegg, a former journalist; and Danny Alexander, a former press officer – the so-called ‘Quad’ – haven’t got the experience to run a business; haven’t got the experience on how to grow the private sector; and haven’t got the experience of how to get the British economy moving.
My Lord Mayor I was to just finish by saying that the people of Leicester have time and again put their trust in the Labour Party and the values and ideals for which we stand. And since having been elected two years ago I have seen and witnessed myself just how hard my Labour colleagues on this Council work, especially when it comes to Budget time.
This Labour administration: the Mayor; the Executive; the Chairs and Vice Chairs and members of the scrutiny commissions; put in months of preparation, hard work, long hours and meticulous planning and revision in order to try to mitigate against the worst excesses of the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. And to try as best we can to protect frontline services from a cold, heartless, detached, out-of-touch Tory-led Government that does not, has not, and will never care about ordinary people in Leicester and families in our city.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches | Tagged budget, cuts, Government, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, Liberal Democrats, Tories, Tory cuts, Tory-led government | 1 Reply
Statement regarding the proposed travellers site in Beaumont Leys
Posted on January 24, 2013 by Sundip
“On Thursday 24 January 2013, at a meeting of the Leicester City Council, I will join my fellow Beaumont Leys Councillors in strongly opposing the City Mayor’s decision to build a 6-pitch travellers site on Greengate Lane in Beaumont Leys.
Unauthorised gypsy and traveller encampments have been causing a nuisance in Beaumont Leys for many decades. However this is a problem that has affected the whole city and there must therefore be a city-wide solution.
The planned site poses a real threat to the city’s Green Wedge, local environment, residential amenity and transport infrastructure, and travellers themselves have also voiced serious concerns.
Building a travellers site in Beaumont Leys and another larger site in nearby Abbey ward is completely unacceptable to a large number of my constituents. Consequently I will be voting AGAINST the City Mayor’s decision at Council and urging all Councillors to do the same.
I hope that the City Mayor will think again on this extremely important issue.”
Posted in Leicester, News, Political, Speeches, Statements | Tagged Abbey, Beaumont Leys, gypsy, Leicester, traveller, travellers site | 4 Replies
Careers talk for politics students at Brunel University – download
On Wednesday 16 January 2013 I visited Brunel University in London to give a brief careers talk to their politics students. It was great to be back at my old university 10 years after I left! I was invited back by one of my excellent former lecturers, Dr Niall Palmer, who inspired me to become interested in American politics all those years ago.
My presentation covered tips at university, skills and strategy, career options and job sites, CV layout and content, interviews, and ended with a quiz. My PowerPoint presentation is available here for download and / or distribution:
Careers talk at Brunel University
Posted in Communication, Education, Political | Tagged Brunel University, careers, Curriculum Vitae, CV, interviews, job sites, politics, students, university | Leave a reply
The secret to happiness
In a way it’s a very bittersweet time of year. Many of us hope to spread happiness and joy to those we care about. At the same time we cannot ignore all the unhappiness in the world and the suffering that many people – and animals too – are being forced to endure.
Thankfully there are millions of decent conscientious people in our world of all backgrounds for whom the message of Christmas isn’t just confined to a few weeks in December. These are the same people who already spend so much time and energy trying to change our world for the better. And they are the same people who will continue to lead by example when all the festivities are over come January the 2nd.
There will come a time in the future when all suffering will be eliminated. This isn’t just a hope that I have but an absolute belief. Just as our species and the human body has gradually evolved and improved over millions of years, so human civilisation will also continue to become progressively enlightened.
A new world order is in our grasp and education is the key. Before the end of this century, science, truth, justice, peace and democracy will have become the fundamental pillars of life for all people, and medical science will have enhanced humanity beyond our wildest expectations. As we strive towards this new enlightenment however, I believe that we can and actively should encourage each other to be happier, and to embrace happiness as a way of life.
In a strange way happiness has become somewhat of a taboo subject. Those who are happy and those who seek to encourage greater happiness are often viewed with suspicion. I suspect this may be because for centuries the promise of happiness has been used by individuals and groups of people the world over to exploit fellow human beings. Even today we can do a simple online search to find countless people willing to help you find happiness – for a price.
Suspicions aside (hopefully) how many of us actually spend time really thinking about happiness or about ‘being happy’? Is it something that we allow our minds, bodies and souls to experience? Or do we more often than not delegate the idea of being happy to our future selves?
Sadly it is so much easier for us to focus on what we need and what we lack; on what we hate and on what causes us physical or emotional pain. Many people simply avoid thinking about happiness altogether, believing that it will inevitably come into their lives just as soon as they have enough money, and thus the freedom to purchase goods and services.
Whilst happiness is of course very subjective and personal to each and every one of us, philosophers and faith traditions throughout history have always cautioned against seeking happiness through money alone. Moreover studies have shown time and again that there’s more to happiness than just wealth and material possession.
A Gallup poll released just this week for example surveyed 150,000 people around the world and found that 7 of the 10 happiest nations on Earth are in Latin America. These countries, which included the likes of Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela and Costa Rica, also happen to be amongst the poorest nations in the world.
Happiness is by no means a fixed concept. Even today, scientists and scholars are trying to define, re-define and better understand exactly what happiness is and how we can experience it. Quite understandably then, there are numerous theories and approaches which seek to explain happiness, or at least identify the key ingredients from which it may be produced.
Psychologist Martin Seligman explained that happiness was an amalgamation of 5 things: pleasure; engaging activities; relationships with others; meaning and belonging; and accomplishments. Psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory of human motivation, which has become a fundamental principle in the world of business, consists of a hierarchy of 5 essential needs: physiological needs; safety; love / belonging; esteem; and self-actualisation.
Aristotle believed that unlike riches, honour, health or friendship; happiness was the only thing that humans desired for its own sake. He considered happiness to be an activity rather than an emotion or a physical state, and that ‘activity’ was the ‘practice of virtue’. The Buddhist approach is beautifully simple and an idea that I firmly agree with: compassion and generosity is more fun, and more fun leads to increased happiness! Put another way, the secret to happiness is making other living beings happy through compassion and generosity.
I believe that happiness begins in the mind through meditation. Also known as positive thinking or having a positive mental attitude, it is by far the easiest and most beneficial act that any one of us can take – to actually think ourselves happy. To create within our own personal consciousness a state of mental and emotional well-being, which in turn flows outwards like ripples in a pond, and encompasses our physical bodies and the world around us. Interestingly it would seem that science and evolution also concurs with this approach.
The human brain weighs around three pounds and has tripled in size as our ancestors evolved over the last 2 million years. Thanks to our frontal lobes, we as a species are now completely unique in the world, in that we have the ability to simulate the future and visualise actions or products before they exist in real life.
This also gives us the psychological ability to ‘synthesise happiness’ and to change our view of the world, so as to make ourselves feel better about our circumstances. In other words, we have what it takes within our own minds to create happiness and to feel happier, irrespective of the world around us. Having a positive mental attitude therefore – and thinking positive – actually works!
This extraordinary finding has been backed up with reliable data and scientific study by the eminent Harvard psychologist Professor Dan Gilbert. Gilbert also suggests that paradoxically we believe that synthetic happiness is not the same as natural happiness. That is to say, people assume that self-taught, self-proclaimed happiness is not as enriching or as rewarding as the happiness that comes from actually getting something that we want.
However his research has also found that this assumption is mistaken. When measured in controlled experiments, Gilbert found that “synthetic happiness is every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aiming for”. Whilst some may mock the idea of synthetic happiness, in the real world and in the human mind, there is no differential between synthetic happiness and naturally occurring happiness.
So there we have it: the secret to happiness is to ‘fake it until you make it’. You can either be unhappy or less happy until you find happiness by getting what you want, or you can create happiness seemingly out of nothingness inside your own mind; a happiness that will be beneficial and fulfilling to your emotional, mental and physical well-being, and allow you to spread even greater happiness to other living beings through compassion and generosity.
Ultimately, I believe we need a lot more happiness in the world, and I think we shouldn’t be afraid to do something about it.
I wish all my friends, relatives, colleagues and constituents a very happy Christmas, a very happy New Year, and a very happy and fulfilling future.
Posted in Communication, Culture, Education, World | Tagged Abraham Maslow, Aristotle, brain, Buddha, Buddhist, compassion, consciousness, Dan Gilbert, enlightenment, evolution, happiness, happy, human, humanity, Martin Seligman, mind, positive thinking, psychology, science, synthetic happiness | 1 Reply
Clarissa Dickson Wrong
Letter published in the Leicester Mercury newspaper on 28 November 2012
I was dismayed to read this letter from T Green in the Mercury on 22 November; one of several recent letters and online comments from people jumping on the Clarissa Dickson Wright bandwagon. Thankfully I’ve also seen more sensible letters from Ann Collins and Eddie Sentance amongst others, reflecting the true face of Leicester people, and the common decency and human compassion that most of us share.
Firstly in response to T Green: I hate to break it to you, but you appear to be suffering from a bout of xenophobia. Take 2 visits with friends to an Indian restaurant and perhaps a place of worship, followed by a long hard look in the mirror. If symptoms persist contact your nearest library and try reading a few good books. Before long you will discover that humans of different ethnicity are biologically identical, and that different cultures – like different languages – are not something to be afraid of, but something to be embraced; i.e. you have to make a bit of an effort in order to understand something that’s a tad different to what you’re used to. Good luck with your recovery!
As for poor Clarissa Dickson Wright, one of the things she said in her widely reported remarks was that she once got lost in a part of Leicester and none of the Muslim men would talk to her. Well to be honest I’m not Muslim myself, but if fox-hunting enthusiast Clarissa Dickson Wright came barrelling towards me on a Leicester side street, I’d probably ignore her too. On a serious note I did find her comments about Leicester to be both idiotic and exaggerated. But it was one particular phrase that really caught my attention, where she casually questioned whether or not multiculturalism actually works.
Now of course I don’t have enough column inches here to run through all the reasoned arguments as to why multiculturalism does work, has worked and will continue to work in the future. (Or for that matter to try and give Clarissa Dickson Wright and all her fans a much needed education). But for the sake of brevity I will simply say this: Saint George was an Arab, the Royal family is German, our national dish is Indian and our most gifted Olympians are of African descent. Questioning multiculturalism is akin to questioning evolution: both are part and parcel of the human story. The sooner we accept that and move on to creating for ourselves a life of purpose and fulfilment in this increasingly globalised society, the better off we’ll be.
Posted in Culture, Leicester, Political, World | Tagged Clarissa Dickson Wright, Leicester, Leicester Mercury, multiculturalism, Muslim | 1 Reply
Goodbye Leicestershire Police Authority
“It’s been a real pleasure to serve on the Leicestershire Police Authority these last 18 months, together with my Labour colleagues Cllr Lynn Senior, Cllr Barbara Potter and Cllr Max Hunt. We worked hard with fellow Police Authority members to deliver an effective and efficient police service. Labour members in particular helped lead the way earlier this year in saving hundreds of police jobs.
In this era of Police and Crime Commissioners I’m confident that my Labour colleagues on the police and crime panel will do an excellent job in holding the new Commissioner to account. I’d like to thank Paul Stock, Angela Perry and all officers at the outgoing Police Authority for their hard work and for helping us to do our jobs. And I’d like to wish Chief Constable Simon Cole, Deputy Chief Constable Simon Edens, Assistant Chief Constable Steph Morgan and all the excellent officers and staff at Leicestershire Constabulary all the very best for the future.”
Posted in Leicester, News, Police, Political, Statements | Tagged Labour, Leicester, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Police Authority, Police, Police and Crime Commissioner, police and crime panel, policing | 1 Reply
The 41 newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners
Men: 35 – Women: 6 – Ethnic minorities: 0
Posted in News, Police, Political | Tagged Commissioner, crime, diversity, PCC, Police, Police and Crime Commissioner | 1 Reply
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Four More Years
When it comes to US politics I must confess to being an Americaholic; on any given day I’d much rather have a State of the Union over a Sambuca, or a presidential primary instead of a Pinot Grigio. Perhaps understandably then Tuesday’s election result has left me feeling positively intoxicated.
What an incredible night it was for progressive politics! Not only was President Barack Obama re-elected for another 4-year term with a majority in the Electoral College, a majority of the popular vote and a majority of US States under his belt; but it was also a stunning victory for the centre-left and for equality, for fairness and for secular values.
Although as expected the Democrats did not take control of the House, they did make some gains, and they did retain control of the Senate. In addition there were also a number of spectacular progressive fireworks that went off with a bang on election night: gay marriage legalised in Washington, Maine and Maryland; marijuana use legalised in Colorado and Washington; and the first ever openly gay person elected as a Senator.
At the same time, an attempt to define marriage as being between a man and a woman was rejected in Minnesota, and two rather vile Republican Senate candidates failed to win their respective elections: Todd Akin, who said that the female body had a way of shutting down pregnancies in cases of ‘legitimate rape’, quite rightly lost in Missouri; and Richard Mourdock, who said that a pregnancy which resulted from rape would be ‘something that God intended to happen’, failed to win the Senate seat in Indiana.
I’ve been following the 2012 presidential election for around 18 months: the Republican primaries; both party conventions; and high profile events such as the Al Smith dinner. I correctly predicted on my website way back in January that Mitt Romney would be the Republican nominee and that Barack Obama would be re-elected by a comfortable margin. Thankfully the President did better than I anticipated in the Electoral College.
For me the excitement of election day began at midnight on the US east coast (5am GMT on Tuesday 6 November) when I tuned in to CNN to watch the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire go to the polls. All 10 registered voters cast their ballots just after 12am and these were then totalled up. For the first time in the history of this wonderful American election quirk the result was a tie; 5 votes for Barack Obama and 5 votes for Mitt Romney!
On election night itself I was suitably stocked up with American food, and I watched the drama unfold live on CNN from 10pm until around 7am GMT, when President Obama finished delivering his victory speech. At 7.30am I did a live radio interview with Jonathan Lampon on BBC Leicester. I thought Jonathan did an excellent job on his breakfast show that morning discussing the US election; David Dimbleby and friends over on BBC 1 could certainly learn a thing or two from him.
Best of all I thoroughly enjoyed being able to share the thrill of election night with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Of course all political parties are now acutely aware of the significant role that social media has in modern political campaigning. In-fact President Obama’s re-election campaign went far beyond plain old social media and was by far the most sophisticated and technologically advanced political campaign in the history of the world.
For one thing the campaign employed micro-targeting ‘data-mining’ techniques to better understand who individual voters were and how they’d respond to various campaign messages. By extrapolating publicly available information and purchasing commercially-obtained data on everything from magazine subscriptions, spending habits, preferred holiday destinations etc., the campaign was able to hone and effectively deliver personalised messages to people in swing states, inspiring them to get out and vote.
Another strategy was to incorporate Facebook and other social media into their mobile phone app, which was made freely available to millions of people. By doing this the Obama-Biden campaign was able to send personal vote recommendations to people in swing states from their friends right across the nation, i.e. a voter living in the swing state of Ohio was reminded on polling day that her friends in the safe Democratic state of New York were voting for Obama, and they were encouraging her to do the same. This wasn’t just an improved presidential election campaign: this was a generational shift; an evolution in political campaigning and something from which the British Labour Party could learn a great deal.
‘But was it worth it?’ a cynic may ask. With nearly six billion dollars (that’s $6,000,000,000) spent over 18 months by Democrats, Republicans and their supportive Super PACs – the White House and Senate stayed Democratic blue – and the House of Representatives remained Republican red. Was it worth it? Well yes and no.
Of course the American political system is broken; not just in the absurd amounts of money required to stand for public office, but quite literally broken – people were having to queue for several hours to vote in states like Florida, Virginia and New York. One cannot help but ask how a country that purports to be the modern cradle of western democracy can be so bad at holding elections?
However speaking as a Democrat and following a convincing win by President Obama I would of course say that it was worth it. The US economy is now recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression; 30 consecutive months of growth is an achievement in itself. The Obama administration has also overseen the creation of more than 5 million new jobs, ended the war in Iraq, saved the American car industry, and championed social equality; the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell being two examples.
Most importantly of all however and the highlight of this entire election: Obamacare is here to stay for all Americans. Make no mistake; achieving universal health care will be the crowning glory of President Obama’s legacy in years to come – it is for Obama what the New Deal was for FDR. For this alone the Democrats deserve to be re-elected to the White House in 2016; although that will only happen if the economy continues to improve in the intervening years.
President Obama’s re-election is also good news for the rest of the world. The administration will continue to help end or prevent conflicts (both philosophically and practically) in Afghanistan, Iran, Israel / Palestine and in a post-Arab Spring world generally. Furthermore an improving US economy is particularly good for us here in Britain.
Just as the US banking system crumpled under the rot of complex derivatives built on sub-prime lending – pulling down European economies along the way – so a strong improving US economy will have a tangible positive impact on our economy. For one thing the United States is our largest export partner; if they’re not buying, we’re not selling!
Without meaning to state the bleeding obvious, the result of the election was not just a win for President Obama; it was also a loss for Mitt Romney. So why did Romney lose? Well there are a number of peripheral reasons and then there’s the big kahuna, which I shall come to in a moment.
Firstly Romney had – as the Obama campaign so expertly managed to portray – a track record for putting profits before people and stripping companies of workers in order to benefit shareholders. It is simply extraordinary that the Romney campaign was forced to play defence so often during the campaign for what was in fairness a rather successful business career at Bain Capital.
Secondly he flip-flopped on abortion and other social issues such as gay rights, running away from his moderate past as a Governor in liberal Massachusetts, and becoming a ‘severe conservative’ (his words) in order to win the Republican primary. Thirdly, he had introduced a universal healthcare mandate in Massachusetts – which was meant to be the crowning glory of his own legacy – and then ran against President Obama for introducing a similar thing nationwide! That in itself was completely absurd.
Fourthly, and perhaps the single most damaging thing that Romney said over the course of the election campaign; he was caught on a secret video recording at an expensive fundraiser writing off 47% of the electorate. If only one of his aides had told him what he needed to know: when trying to win an election it is best to avoid labelling half of the voting public as victims and admitting that you don’t care about them.
Romney also faced a great deal of hostility for being religious; something almost unheard of in previous US presidential elections. The Christian evangelical right viewed him with suspicion for being a Mormon. (I recall an episode of Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN where Franklin Graham – a well-known American Christian evangelist and missionary – refused to say that Mormonism is a form of Christianity and thus, refused to confirm that Mitt Romney was indeed a Christian.)
At the other end of the spectrum Romney was routinely and repeatedly criticised for being overtly religious and for supposedly allowing his Mormonism to adversely affect his worldview. (I lost count of the number of times that Richard Dawkins kept referring to him as ‘Bishop Romney’ on Twitter).
Now for the big kahuna: Romney lost for the simple reason that he was running as a Republican. The so-called Grand Old Party still has a toxic brand and when it comes to the presidency the Republicans remain completely unelectable.
This is primarily – but not exclusively – for the following three reasons: a) tangible and reputational damage done by the George W Bush administration particularly on the economy; b) for being hijacked and transformed from a political ideology into a religious theology by Tea Party nutters and Christian evangelicals; and c) focusing too narrowly on shrinking demographics and essentially becoming the party of older white Christian male heterosexuals.
In 2008 18-to-29 year olds made up 18% of those who turned out to vote. This year that figure increased to 19%, and of those who voted, more than 60% voted for President Obama. When it comes to minorities, President Obama won them over convincingly; 93% of African Americans (13% of the total turnout), 71% of Latinos (10% of the total turnout), and 73% of Asians (3% of the total turnout). Roughly 39% of whites backed Obama compared to 59% for Romney (72% of the total turnout). In addition 76% of the LGBT electorate voted for Obama (5% of the total turnout).
Women were the overall key to President Obama’s victory however. Not only did women make up 53% of the total turnout, but 55% of them voted for President Obama. It’s well known fact that without women voters, the Democratic Party in America and the Labour Party here in Britain would never win elections; so let’s please take a minute to thank God for all the women of the world!
Were there any other factors at play in this election? Yes absolutely there were. In the blue corner we had the comeback kid himself, former President Bill Clinton; the talented David Axelrod, Jim Messina, Joel Benenson, David Plouffe, Valerie Jarrett and all of President Obama’s top team; the genius pollster Nate Silver and his Five Thirty Eight blog; the left leaning magazine Mother Jones which broke Romney’s 47% gaffe; the wonderful Michelle Obama who gave an extraordinary Convention speech; New Jersey Governor Chris Christi who by praising Obama in the wake of Hurricane Sandy reminded the nation of why they fell in love with the President in the first place; Osama Bin Laden, whose capture and termination undoubtedly helped President Obama win more votes; and then of course, there was Big Bird.
In the red corner we had the increasingly unfashionable ‘Tea Party’ backing the likes of Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock and other right wing extremists; Clint Eastwood, who upstaged Romney before his Convention acceptance speech by ‘arguing’ with an empty chair; angry megalomaniac Donald Trump, who had a bizarre meltdown on Twitter on election night; Karl Rove, arguably the modern face of the GOP, who also had quite a tantrum on election night on Fox News; multi-millionaire casino owner Sheldon Anderson who spent $100 million dollars on Romney’s campaign and stood to save $2 billion in tax cuts; Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, who publicly accused the White House of manipulating unemployment figures; and then of course there was that first debate which in all fairness did help Romney a great deal.
Ultimately the Democrats succeeded in turning an election that should have been predominantly about the economy into an election that was also about social issues. According to fascinating exit polls from CNN, 59% of all people who turned out to vote on election day believed that abortion should be legal in all or some circumstances; quite a statistical nightmare for dyed-in-the-wool Republicans.
To be perfectly honest I have no sympathy for the Republicans. After all, this is the party that wants the Government off your back, but firmly inside your womb and / or bedroom – it is both ridiculous and indefensible. If the Republicans are serious about winning the White House in 2016 they need to modernise big time, particularly on immigration; an issue which continues to diminish their support amongst Hispanics at every election. Moreover they need to revert back to being a party of political ideas and problem solving, instead of a Christian crusade in all but name and a relic of the Deep South.
A lot of people – myself included – went into hyperbole overdrive following the outcome of this election; but the truth is, it really was historic. Not only have the American people now elected an African-American, northern, liberal, intellectual as their President – twice. But this election was also the first time in US political history where a President stood up and explicitly championed women’s rights, gay rights, fairer taxes and social justice during a presidential campaign.
This in itself was extraordinary, and as former Governor Howard Dean put it on BBC Newsnight recently, the American people “rejected racism, rejected homophobia and rejected misogyny”. They did this by vehemently rejecting the Republican Party and everything that it currently stands for. And I for one am very glad that they did.
Posted in News, Political, World | Tagged 2012, African Americans, American election, Asians, Barack Obama, BBC, Bill Clinton, Chris Christie, Christian, David Axelrod, David Dimbleby, Democrats, Dixville Notch, Donald Trump, electoral college, evangelicals, exit polls, Facebook, Fox News, gay marriage, George W Bush, Hispanics, House of Representatives, Jonathan Lampon, Karl Rove, Latinos, LGBT, marijuana, Mitt Romney, Mormon, Mother Jones, Nate Silver, Obamacare, President Obama, Republicans, Richard Mourdock, Senate, Tea Party, Todd Akin, Twitter, US economy, US election, White House, women | 3 Replies
Speech to Council: motion to recognise the contribution of Ugandan Asians
Click here to watch my speech on the Leicester City Council webcast video archive.
Speech delivered at a Leicester City Council meeting on 13 September 2012
As the son and grandson of Ugandan Asian immigrants who came to this city with virtually nothing, it gives me great pride to bring this motion before Council tonight.
In August 1972 the entire Asian population of Uganda was expelled by the dictator Idi Amin. They were given 90 days to leave the country or face being put into concentration camps. Some 80,000 men, women and children were stripped of all their possessions and forced to leave the only home they had ever known.
Around a third of the Ugandan Asian population held British passports. The Tory Government at the time initially tried to avoid letting them come here, but after weeks of wrangling the Government relented, and a huge resettlement effort began. In the end more than 25,000 Ugandan Asians came to the UK and around 10,000 moved to Leicester.
Here in Britain 1972 was a difficult year. With an oil crisis, a three-day week and crippling strikes; the economy was stagnating and times were tough for almost everyone. In addition there were widespread anti-immigration protests throughout Britain, spurred on by the likes of Enoch Powell and the National Front.
The people of Leicester and the Council at the time were reluctant to see a huge influx of new arrivals. But 40 years on Leicester is a very different place; a much better place. By living together, working together and going to school together, communities in Leicester have become more integrated and multiculturalism is part of everyday life.
When the Ugandan Asians came to Leicester they settled mainly in Highfields and Belgrave where housing was cheap. Despite an ailing economy there were plenty of manual jobs and Ugandan Asians ended up working in factories and businesses such as Imperial Typewriters, Thorn Lighting, Leicester Garments, Wilkinson’s and the British United Shoe Machinery Company to name a few.
It was in the factories and on the shop floors that barriers began to break down between the native British population and the newcomers from Uganda. If discrimination did occur, Ugandan Asians found solidarity with those in the trade union movement; a strong and vital link that remains just as important today as it was back then.
And on the subject of discrimination let me say categorically that we in the Labour Party have always and will always stand for core values of equality and fairness. And that is why we condemn today those, particularly on the far right, who seek to discourage people who are fleeing persecution, from coming here. Yesterday’s National Front are today’s BNP and EDL, and we must never be complacent about the threat they pose or the damage they do, even from a brief visit to our city.
In theory the Ugandan Asians who came here fleeing persecution were refugees, but in practise they lived and behaved like economic migrants; not seeking hand outs but working hard, not taking from society but contributing to it. And – as the Prime Minister said in the Commons yesterday – the contribution that Ugandan Asians have made to the United Kingdom has been ‘extraordinary’.
Those who came to Leicester were strong-willed, hardworking and entrepreneurial. They brought with them an excellent work ethic, core family values, a respect for others and an appreciation of the need to obtain a good education – values that all of us can identify with.
Some of those who were expelled ran successful businesses in Uganda. Here in Britain many had to start again from scratch – which they did – building multi-million pound businesses, and working to help their children become the doctors, lawyers and accountants of tomorrow.
40 years ago the people of Leicester accepted – albeit reluctantly – an unprecedented amount of change. Today our city is not only at peace with its diversity but proud of it. Asian culture imported from East Africa has influenced everything from our food to our fashion, from our festivals to our friendships.
My Lord Mayor, it is right and proper that we acknowledge the contribution that all communities have made and that we thank all the people of Leicester for making our city what it is.
But tonight we pause to reflect on the 40th anniversary of the arrival of Ugandan Asians fleeing persecution and formally recognise the contribution that they have made to the fabric of our city.
I hope that the inter-cultural harmony and social cohesion that we enjoy here in Leicester continues to go from strength-to-strength, and I pay tribute to the values and achievements of the Ugandan Asian community in Britain, and the awesome impact they have had on this great city of ours.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Political, Speeches, World | Tagged 1972, Indians, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, motion, multiculturalism, Uganda, Ugandan Asians | 3 Replies
Marking the 40th anniversary of Ugandan Asians in Leicester
This has been a truly historic year for our city. Not only did we celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in style by welcoming Her Majesty to Leicester; we also played host to both the Olympic and Paralympic flames.
But 2012 also has another historical significance for us here in Leicester as we mark the fortieth anniversary of the arrival of Ugandan Asian immigrants to the city.
In 1972 all Asian people in Uganda were expelled by the dictator Idi Amin. They were given 90 days to leave or face being put into concentration camps. Most were lucky to escape with their lives but they had virtually everything taken away from them.
Around 25,000 Ugandan Asians held British passports. However; despite this, the Conservative Government at the time tried desperately to avoid letting them come here.
Britain was a very different place in 1972: the economy was stagnating with strikes and a three-day week; and there were anti-immigration protests across the country spurred on by the likes of Enoch Powell and the National Front.
In the end, the Government relented and a huge resettlement effort began. More than 10,000 Ugandan Asians eventually settled in Leicester, and my father and his family were among them.
The impact of the Ugandan Asian migration has been immense. In the beginning, when Leicester’s manufacturing base was in decline, the arrival of thousands of hardworking entrepreneurial people breathed new life into the city’s economy.
Over these last 40 years we’ve seen our very own Little India develop around the Golden Mile. Asian culture imported from East Africa has influenced everything from food to fashion, from festivals to friendships.
For me, Leicester isn’t just the city that I happen to have been born in, Leicester is a community of kind-hearted and decent people; a community that 40 years ago accepted – albeit reluctantly – an unprecedented amount of change; and a community that is now not only at peace with its diversity, but proud of it.
As the son and grandson of immigrants, who was born and raised on a Leicester Council estate, it fills me with great pride that I’m now able to serve Leicester residents of all backgrounds as an elected representative on the City Council.
This Thursday evening I will proudly put forward a motion in the Council chamber – with the support of my Labour colleagues – to publicly recognise the significant contribution that Ugandan Asians have made to the social, economic and cultural life of our city.
Here’s to whatever the future may bring for our One Leicester community.
This is the full text of the motion that I will bring to Council on 13 September 2012:
“This Council marks the 40th anniversary of the arrival of Ugandan Asians seeking refuge in the city of Leicester. We recognise the hard work and determination of the Ugandan Asian community and the significant contribution that they have made to the social, economic and cultural life of our city. We condemn efforts to discourage those fleeing persecution from coming here, and we are as proud today as we have always been to celebrate the diversity and unity, that makes Leicester such a wonderful place to live and work.”
Click here to read more about why I’m bringing this motion to Council. Also click the video below to watch a recent interview that I gave to Citizens Eye on this issue.
Posted in Culture, Labour, Leicester, Political, Statements, World | Tagged 1972, Asians, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, motion, Uganda, Ugandan | 1 Reply
My first year as a Councillor – activities and achievements
Exactly a year ago today residents in Beaumont Leys voted to elect me as one of their local Labour Councillors to serve on Leicester City Council.
It was a tremendous honour and a huge privilege to have been entrusted to represent the views of local people, especially as I’ve lived in the area since I was 7 years old. Also as the son of immigrants, who came to this country from East Africa fleeing persecution, and as someone who was born and raised on a council estate in Leicester, it was particularly poignant to have been chosen to serve on the very Council that had once supported me and my family when times were tough.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love my party and my politics, but to be honest my love of politics merely stems from my love of people. That may sound like an awful cliché but it is the truth. In-fact I believe that if you’re not a people person and you don’t genuinely thrive on being able to solve problems and help make peoples’ lives that much easier, then you shouldn’t seek to hold public office.
Whereas if you have a passion for putting people first, for lifting hopes and aspirations, for fighting social injustice, and for leading by example and working hard, then politics isn’t just a career choice, it’s a moral imperative; an obligation to use your skills and expertise to serve the public and to try and make a difference in the world.
It’s been an incredible year and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I’m grateful to my good friend Vijay Riyait and all the wonderful people mentioned in this post who worked tirelessly on the election campaign.
I’ve been fortunate to have two excellent co-Councillors in Vi Dempster and Paul Westley, as well as a good deal of support from our hardworking local MP Liz Kendall, and City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. It’s a real pleasure to be part of such a great Labour team.
In addition to working closely with my fellow Councillors in holding regular ward surgeries, attending residents association meetings and carrying out specific casework and solving problems on behalf of constituents, here’s a summary of my other activities and achievements during my first 12 months as a Leicester City Councillor:
Policing:
Appointed as a Member of the Leicestershire Police Authority and attended numerous Authority and sub-committee meetings.
Delivered a speech on policing cuts at the 2011 Labour Party conference and discussed the issue with the Chair of the Police Federation.
Raised the issue of policing cuts in the Council chamber as well as in the local, regional and national press.
Led the Labour team at the Leicestershire Police Authority in fighting to save nearly 200 jobs and helping to secure neighbourhood and frontline policing.
Attended a special conference on the ‘Roots of Violent Radicalisation’ hosted by the Home Affairs Select Committee and Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.
Together with co-Councillors, approved funding for a local police community safety shop at the Beaumont Leys shopping centre.
Education and young people:
Continued to work hard as a school governor at Soar Valley college and took on a new role as a governor at Beaumont Lodge primary school.
Delivered a speech on achievement at Soar Valley College in Rushey Mead.
Delivered a speech on aspiration at Babington College in Beaumont Leys.
Attended a special conference on the application of new technologies in schools.
Took up an appointment as a Member of Court at the University of Leicester.
Attended summer fetes with co-Councillors at Glebelands primary and Beaumont Lodge primary schools, and the Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Association.
Delivered a speech at the University of Leicester in support of the ‘Living Wage’ campaign being run by Labour Students.
Health and community:
Helped set up and Chair a new community task group to tackle domestic violence in Beaumont Leys and Abbey.
Actively supported the campaign to save the children’s heart centre at the Glenfield General Hospital in Beaumont Leys.
Attended a special event organised by the Somali community in Beaumont Leys.
Launched the British Heart Foundation’s Big Donation event at the Beaumont Leys shopping centre.
Attended the official opening of the new Beaumont ward at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit in Beaumont Leys.
Visited a new locally-run free lunch club at Christ the King church.
Transport and environment:
Voted at Planning Committee in support of modernising Leicester train station.
Participated in a special climate change and water management conference.
Worked with co-Councillors and local businesses to help tackle parking problems in parts of north Beaumont Leys.
Became actively involved in the work of the Castle Hill Country Park user group.
Attended a special conference on local transport policy in Leicester.
Helped secure 11 new grit bins for locations throughout Beaumont Leys.
Housing:
Attended a special conference on student housing and future strategy.
Wrote an article about increasing levels of homelessness and spent Christmas Day helping at a local homeless shelter to raise awareness.
Voted at Planning Committee in support of the creation of new housing developments and student flats across the city.
Hosted public meetings with fellow Councillors, the local MP and the Mayor to discuss traveller encampments and the on-going consultation on proposed sites.
Business and jobs:
Agreed to join the board of the Cooke e-Learning Foundation, a Beaumont Leys based enterprise helping people to train for jobs.
Attended a conference and dinner hosted by the Indo British Trade Council.
Visited the Beaumont Leys Enterprise Centre to support local businesses.
Spoke in the Council chamber on the economy and drafted an article on how the Budget will adversely affect Beaumont Leys.
Hosted the 2012 HSBC English Asian Business Awards in Manchester and worked to secure Leicester as the 2013 host city.
Social justice and charity:
Lobbied the Foreign Office and raised the issue of the Sri Lankan civil war with Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt MP.
Attended numerous public events to oppose cuts to Legal Aid and lobbied the Solicitor General Edward Garnier QC MP on the issue.
Attended a fundraiser in support of ‘Unique Home for Girls’, a charity caring for orphaned and abandoned girls.
Visited the offices of Leicestershire AIDS Support Services and attended the annual World AIDS Day service at Leicester Cathedral.
Attended the launch of a 3-day festival organised by the Pushti Nidhi charity.
Culture and faith:
Met with Leicester Council of Faiths and attended events during inter-faith week.
Visited numerous places of worship across Leicester belonging to all of the city’s main faith communities.
Attended a concert of the Philharmonia Orchestra and an ‘Orchestra Unwrapped’ concert promoting music to school children.
Attended ‘Out of Africa’; an annual celebration of African culture hosted by Harvest City Church.
Attended an Inter-Cultural Evening hosted by the Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police.
Attended a lecture on Hindu and Christian dialogue hosted by the Leicester Friends of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
Attendance record at all Leicester City Council & Planning Committee meetings: 100%
Posted in Culture, Education, Health, Housing, Labour, Leicester, Police, Political, Religion, Statements | Tagged Beaumont Leys, business, charity, community, Councillor, culture, education, environment, faith, health, housing, Labour, Leicester, Leicester City Council, policing, social justice, Sundip Meghani, transport, young people | 2 Replies
The Bhagavad Gita in English – listen to all 18 chapters (MP3)
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Sundip
The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture which forms part of the ancient Sanskrit epic ‘Mahabharata’. The Gita dates back thousands of years, and is a conversation that takes place on a battlefield between Lord Krishna and the hero prince Arjuna, in the midst of a struggle between the forces of good and evil. Responding to Arjuna’s confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins, who have imposed tyranny on a disputed empire, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and as a prince. In doing so, Lord Krishna talks about yoga, samkhya, reincarnation, moksha, karma yoga, jnana yoga and other topics, all of which now form the core beliefs of Hinduism. Click below to hear the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita.
Chapter 1 – Chapter 2 – Chapter 3 – Chapter 4 – Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 – Chapter 9 – Chapter 10 – Chapter 11 – Chapter 12
Chapter 13 – Chapter 14 – Chapter 15 – Chapter 16 – Chapter 17 – Chapter 18
Posted in Culture, Education, Religion | Tagged Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita, Hindu, Hinduism, Krishna | 17 Replies
My pilgrimage around Leicester
Posted on March 3, 2012 by Sundip
A very good friend of mine recently gave me a lovely book entitled ‘The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus’. As I flicked through the first few pages a quote by Sri Aurobindo caught my eye: “That which we call the Hindu religion is really the eternal religion because it embraces all others.” I really like this quote because it perfectly sums up the way I feel about God and religion, and the way in which I feel my spirituality has been enhanced in recent months.
On my 30th birthday last week I chose to spend the first half of the day by myself visiting 8 different places of worship around Leicester. My journey began at around 11am and over the course of 8 hours I visited the Progressive Jewish Synagogue, the Holy Cross Priory Catholic Church, the Jain Centre, the Guru Nanak Gurdwara, the Central Mosque, the Nagarjuna Kadampa Buddhist Centre, the Cathedral and the Shree Sanatan Mandir.
At the Synagogue I met a number of people and a gentleman named Alex gave me a tour. We had an interesting discussion about the history of the Abrahamic faiths as he showed me the Torah Scrolls. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Alex was born almost exactly 50 years before I was and that he was planning to celebrate his 80th birthday in March. The stained glass window with the tree of life and the Ten Commandments looked really beautiful, particularly as it was such a sunny day.
After visiting the Synagogue I drove back into the city centre and attended Mass at the Holy Cross Priory Catholic church. I always enjoy visiting this church and I have been here several times before. The building itself is large and imposing and there is a stunning huge crucifix hanging from the ceiling. I walked around, lit a candle and quietly enjoyed the ambience, before taking a seat and observing Holy Mass which began at 12.30pm.
A short walk from the church is the Jain Centre, which like every one of the places I visited on my journey, is fascinating, welcoming and has a very distinct feel about it. The intricate wooden architecture surrounding the temple itself is simply breathtaking and the stained glass windows are a real sight to see. Apart from a lady who was attending to the deities I was the sole visitor in the temple that afternoon and I spent a very peaceful hour without uttering a single word.
The Guru Nanak Gurdwara is about a 5 minute walk from the Jain Centre. The thing I really love about visiting Gurdwaras is the contrast between the wonderful bustling atmosphere in the kitchen and the calm and peace inside the main temple. Again the sun was shining through the windows and again there were friendly people around eager to welcome a stranger in their midst. I wandered upstairs and spent a good while examining the many historical portraits that hang in the lobby of the Sikh museum. The museum is one of the features of this particular Gurdwara and well worth a visit.
A short drive from the Gurdwara is Leicester’s Central Mosque located behind the train station on Conduit Street. This was only my second ever visit to a mosque and unlike the first time where I was given a guided tour this time I was by myself. The entire mosque was completely empty as it wasn’t a designated prayer time and so I sat alone in the enormous prayer hall as the sun shone through the many large windows. It was silent and tranquil and extremely beautiful and I also really enjoyed examining the Arabic calligraphy on the walls.
The wonderfully named World Peace Café at the Nagarjuna Kadampa Buddhist Centre was a hive of activity on the day I visited. It was really great to see so many people enjoying this delightful retreat on an otherwise busy Saturday afternoon. The meditation room looked magnificent with a collection of deities and a large statue of Buddha as the central focal point. As I looked out of the windows of the meditation room I noticed a wall topped with rather vicious looking barbed wire; a very interesting juxtaposition between the serenity of this Holy room and the outside world.
After a quick chai tea and a visit to the gift shop I walked around the corner to the Cathedral. The Cathedral is one of my favourite places in the city and I’ve been here many times. The building itself is huge and there’s certainly a great deal to see, yet it also feels intimate and welcoming, and it’s hard not to feel at peace when spending time here. I had a long and pleasant conversation with a man named John who works here as a verger. We discussed everything from faith and family to prayer and politics. I hadn’t realised until my visit that the Cathedral is actually open every single day of the year, which I think is absolutely brilliant.
The final stop on my pilgrimage around Leicester was the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in Belgrave. I have been to this temple numerous times and it is one of my favourite mandirs in the city. There was certainly a lot going on when I visited with people praying, talking, laughing and singing. It felt really vibrant and colourful. I always find that Hindu temples are particularly lively and exciting places to visit in the evening, which is when special aarti prayers take place.
I had a most uplifting and enjoyable experience visiting these 8 different places of worship around Leicester. I was warmly welcomed everywhere I went by people I had never met before, and not a single person asked me who I was, why I was there, or what faith I belonged to if any.
The thing that really struck me however wasn’t man-made at all. It was the brightness and the warmth of the sunlight which followed me around the city everywhere I went that day. Just as the sunlight lit up the tree of life at the Synagogue and the images of Lord Mahavira in the Jain Temple; so it also lit up the stained glass windows in the churches and the calligraphy on the walls of the Central Mosque.
The visual symbolism alone really blew my mind and it served to remind me that the life-giving, heart-warming and unconditional love of sunlight doesn’t differentiate between the many paths to God. I may have been wandering around Leicester by myself for 8 hours on that day, but with the sun on my face and with sunlight cascading through the windows everywhere I went, I certainly didn’t feel alone.
Posted in Culture, Leicester, Religion, World | Tagged Buddhist, Catholic, Central Mosque, Christian, God, Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Hindu, Holy Cross Priory, Jain, Jain Centre, Jewish, Leicester, Leicester Cathedral, love, Muslim, Nagarjuna Kadampa Buddhist Centre, peace, Progressive Synagogue, Shree Sanatan Mandir, Sikh, sunlight | 4 Replies
Statement regarding Police and Crime Commissioner elections
“After a great deal of consideration I have decided not to seek the Labour Party nomination for Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire.
This is for several reasons. Firstly I thoroughly enjoy my role as a local Councillor here in Beaumont Leys and I want to continue working hard for the people who elected me.
Also I have come to the realisation that I still have a number of personal reservations about this new system of elected Commissioners, and so I cannot in good conscience seek to do the job under such circumstances.
I take great interest in policing matters and I look forward to continuing my work on the Leicestershire Police Authority. I shall also continue to hold this Tory-led government to account as they make savage cuts to policing right across our country.
I would like to thank everyone who has given me such good counsel and support in recent weeks.”
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Police, Political, Statements | Tagged Labour, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Police Authority, Police, police and crime commissioners, policing, Tory cuts | Leave a reply
Labour protects neighbourhood policing and officer numbers in Leicestershire
Members of the Leicestershire Police Authority (LPA) voted on Tuesday 21 February to increase the police precept by 2.5% for the coming financial year. Members rejected the Government’s offer of a one-off grant for a 0% precept freeze and opted instead for a baseline increase to secure a stronger financial position in the longer term.
Thanks to a concerted and united effort by Labour Members – Cllr Sundip Meghani, Cllr Barbara Potter, Cllr Lynn Senior (City Members) and Cllr Max Hunt (County Member) – together with the strong support of City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, the Labour Party managed to achieve a good result for the people of Leicestershire.
All four Labour Members voted in favour of the 2.5% increase whereas two Tory Councillors and one Liberal Democrat Councillor from Leicestershire County Council voted for a 0% freeze. To their credit the Chair of the LPA and all of the independent Members present also voted for the rise.
The 2.5% precept rise means that the average Band D property will pay an extra £4.24 a year. However by securing a 2.5% precept increase Labour has strengthened the position of the Police Authority in the longer term, saved nearly 200 police jobs and safeguarded neighbourhood and frontline policing.
Labour has also listened to the overwhelming majority of people in Leicester and Leicestershire, 75% of whom favoured a rise in the police precept when consulted by the LPA.
The simple truth is that unlike Conservative and Liberal Democrat County Councillors who tried to cut services and police numbers still further, Labour Councillors have succeeded in protecting hundreds of police jobs, protecting neighbourhood policing and protecting the integrity of a truly local and responsive police force here in Leicestershire.
As this Tory-led Government seeks to cut 30,000 police jobs and risk increases in crime and anti-social behaviour, Labour will continue to listen to the concerns of ordinary people, and continue to fight hard to protect neighbourhood policing and officer numbers right across our country.
Posted in Labour, Leicester, News, Police, Political | Tagged Barbara Potter, budget, cuts, Labour, Leicestershire, Leicestershire Police Authority, Lynn Senior, Max Hunt, Peter Soulsby, Police, police officers, policing, precept, Sundip Meghani, Tory cuts | 6 Replies
Statement regarding EDL protest in Leicester on 4 February 2012
Posted on February 1, 2012 by Sundip
“I’m proud to support Leicester Unite Against Fascism. I’m also proud to be English, having been born and raised here in Leicester.
I condemn the so-called ‘English Defence League’ and everything that they stand for. I love my country England and I refuse to be made to feel a second class citizen because I happen to have darker skin.
Racism and fascism has no place in a civilised society, and I pray that all those people involved with the EDL find the enlightenment they desperately need, in order to change their hateful ways.
We the people of Leicester are united against these EDL fascists and they are not welcome in our city.”
Posted in Leicester, News, Political, Statements | Tagged EDL, English Defence League, Leicester, Leicester Unite Against Fascism, racism, UAF | Leave a reply
A film review of ‘The Iron Lady’
The Iron Lady is an excellent film and well worth seeing if only for Meryl Streep’s mesmerising performance as Margaret Thatcher.
The film is different to what I expected and certainly not a drama or political thriller; more of a biographical recollection.
Essentially the viewer is taken on a journey of flashbacks which recall Thatcher’s life from her own perspective, or rather, the perspective of an aging and lonely old woman suffering from dementia.
The flashbacks begin with Thatcher’s early life and political career, and gradually move on to a variety of highlights from her time as Leader of the Opposition, and then as Prime Minister.
In a way the film is simplistic in that it focuses almost exclusively on Thatcher as a woman, who admittedly had to fight hard to get ahead in a completely male dominated Conservative Party, and later the British political establishment itself. It’s also a very sad and emotive film and may be particularly poignant for those of a strong political persuasion.
For those on the right a once strong and powerful Thatcher is now weak and powerless. For those of us on the left this divisive and often inhumane figure is very much humanised by the indiscriminate effects of time and aging.
The worst thing about the film is a very unconvincing performance from Richard E. Grant who plays Michael Heseltine. Not only did he not look the part whatsoever but it felt as if he hadn’t really bothered to study his subject or try to capture the essence of the man.
Nevertheless barring one or two historical inaccuracies, such as for instance Thatcher’s location when Airey Neave was killed, this is a very watchable film thanks to Streep’s remarkable portrayal.
I particularly enjoyed watching her mannerisms and body language and the way she captured Thatcher’s personality at two very different times in her life. It is fair to say however that the accuracy of the latter portrayal of a senile Margaret Thatcher is debateable, because of the criticism that the film has attracted from Thatcher’s own family.
Overall I would certainly recommend watching the film, and embracing the sadness that comes with seeing a strong person become old, frail and forgetful; a process to which we will all bear witness eventually.
Posted in Culture, Political | Tagged Conservative, Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep, Prime Minister | Leave a reply
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Artist Spotlight 20 April 2015
Michael Bearden
There are few artists who are as sought after as Michael Bearden. Then again, few artists can lay claim to the kind of credentials that he has compiled. Michael's career has been a perpetual journey through the upper echelon of the entertainment industry. His star-studded achievements as musical director, producer, composer/arranger, and keyboardist to the biggest names in the business have played themselves out on the biggest stages. Along the way, he has continually distinguished himself through his professionalism, developed a reputation of excellence, and earned the admiration and respect of the industry's biggest icons.
Michael is currently the Musical Director and band leader for "Lopez Tonight", the new nightly talk-show of comedian George Lopez on TBS. It's a role he is quite accustomed to, having maintained the position of principle keyboardist in two "Cosby" television show bands, as well as being the first call substitute for Paul Shaffer on "Late Night with David Letterman" on many occasions. As if these stages weren't big enough, Michael was also the principal keyboardist for President Barack Obama's historic, and star-studded, inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Yet this is just for openers, for Michael Bearden has served as Musical Director for the world's most popular artists, including 9 years as Madonna's Musical Director. He also served as Musical Director for the late Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour. His diverse and formidable skills have also been used by stars such as Brandy, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo, Usher, Brian McKnight, Whitney Houston, Babyface, Lionel Richie, Chaka Kahn, Lenny Kravitz, Anita Baker, Rod Stewart and George Benson. He has worked with industry icons such as Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Liza Minelli, and Dizzy Gillespie... and this is just a partial list!
Michael is also an accomplished composer, creating feature film scores including the Spike Lee produced "Drop Squad" (featuring Eriq Lasalle and Ving Rhames), the indie films "The Visit" and "Constellation" by director Jordan Walker Pearlman, and "The Arrangement" by filmmaker H.H. Cooper, "One Week" for director Carl Seaton, and "Redrum" for director Kenny Young. He has also scored several documentaries including "America The Beautiful" and "American Blackout", and television shows such as ABC's "Swingtown", CW's "The Game," and HBO's "Brave New Voices", and he has performed on the soundtracks to box office hits such as "The Body Guard," "Shaft 2," and "Four Brothers."
In addition, Michael has recently launched a new record label, TOMiC Recordings, the aim of which is total free expression of the art, and the artists right to prosper from their work. In Michael's own words: "Too often the record company is the only entity that makes money while drying up the artists inspiration by dictating how they should express themselves. At TOMiC Recordings we want to bring more control of the artist expression back to the artists".
Bearden sees his label as further breaking down the old barriers and ways of delivering recorded art to the consumer. The plan is to offer 'category free' music, as their philosophy does not believe in labeling art. Rather TOMiC Recordings wants to release quality artistic expression in a variety of musical forms, while still being commercially viable and pushing the boundaries of what is considered popular. "We feature popular music in terms of being loved by the masses, though not necessarily disposable, trendy music of the time." said Bearden. It's a welcome change, and a bold and creative vision from an artist who's experience spans the entire spectrum of the music and entertainment industries.
One final note, be sure to check out Michael's new monthly column beginning in the March 2011 issue of Keyboard Magazine. Keyboard Magazine's announcement and more information can be found here.
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New Releases: May 18th, 2018 – Lamb Of God/Burn The Priest, Amorphis, Overkill + More
May 18, 2018 September 17, 2020 Victor Ruiz Leave a Comment
Here are some of the new releases to come out today.
Burn The Priest (Lamb Of God) – Legion: XX
To those that still don’t know, Burn The Priest is Lamb Of God’s original name. So they have decided to commemorate the band’s 20 years with this covers EP, demonstrating what influenced them musically before they became a band. My only issue here is how lead singer Randy Blythe has gone out of his way in interviews to say “I’m not a metal head”, due to his original influences. I get that, but let’s be honest here, Lamb Of God isn’t a synth pop band, and you won’t find Kraftwerks anywhere on this album. Lamb Of God is a metal band, plain and simple, Blythe has been the lead singer of a metal band for twenty years. Does he listen to the new Rivers Of Nihil? Based on his comments, no, but it doesn’t keep him from being in a metal band.
Amorphis – Queen Of Time
I never knew about the Finnish band till I moved to Spain. They happen to be the darlings of a lot of “underground” metal fans, and websites. They’ve been classified as being a heavy metal band, a progressive death metal band, and flat out just progressive death metal. The album is receiving rave reviews from a lot of sites that focus on extreme metal, and like any other band that traverses various metal sub-genres, you’ll still stumble across those that hate even the slightest change to any band’s formula.
Five Finger Death Punch – And Justice For None
The Las Vegas band is back after everything that took place with Ivan Moody last year, and his sobriety. If you dig the band or not, I think we can all agree that we hope he is in the best mental state possible, and that his troubles are behind him. The album has been technically finished since the end of 2016, but ongoing litigation between the band and their label, prevented the album from coming out sooner. The album contains two songs that had originally been released on their greatest hits album, “Trouble”, and their cover of The Offspring’s “Gone Away”. They also recorded a cover of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd radio hit “Blue On Black”.
Overkill – Live At Overhausen DVD/CD
The album was recorded back in April of 2016, and features the band celebrating the 30th anniversary of Feel The Fire, and the 25th anniversary of Horrorscope. It sees the band playing both albums in their entirety as a result.
Other releases of interest:
At The Gates – To Drink From The Night Itself
High Priestess – High Priestess
Mos Generator – Shadowlands
BMG TO REISSUE THREE CLASSIC SAXON ALBUMS ON MAY 25TH, 2018
Talking Rock: The End Of Kiss
One thought on “New Releases: May 18th, 2018 – Lamb Of God/Burn The Priest, Amorphis, Overkill + More”
Purchased 5 finger n overkill🤘🤘🤘😎
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A new Independent Person for Tower Hamlets
June 17, 2013 by trialbyjeory
Earlier this year, former Local Government Minister Bob Neill made a devastating attack on what he and many others believed was a repeated abuse of the standards regime at Tower Hamlets council. Andrew Gilligan wrote an excellent account of it here.
At the top of Bob’s hit list in his Commons criticism was the council’s monitoring officer, Isabella Freeman. He said she’d been biased in the way she handled complaints about councillors from other councillors. In particular, he said, she’d favoured complaints from the Lutfurites against the mayor’s enemies, Peter Golds and Joshua Peck. She and the council denied this was the case.
During that debate in January, there was also mention of the Localism Act, which has provided reform of the standards regime across England. Every council is now scrambling around to appoint a designated “independent person” who must be consulted during any disciplinary investigations.
This person will be absolutely key in ensuring there is no abuse. As such they have to be heavy-hitters and, of course, independent of not only councillors but also the monitoring officer.
So how is this independent person appointed? Well, the Localism Act provides some general rules, but allows some discretion. Random searches of the processes followed by other councils suggests that the position is advertised, a longlist is drawn up by senior officers, which is then reduced to a shortlist by a panel of councillors who then conduct interviews and make a recommendation to the full council. Surrey County Council used that process, which can be seen here.
In Tower Hamlets – the authority cited by senior MPs as having brought the previous standards regime into disrepute – they used a different method.
In our borough, Isabella Freeman, who, remember, is currently suing her own employer, couldn’t help getting more involved.
The post was advertised (twice – the first effort had no response) in East End Life and one other unspecified local paper; 12 applications were received and a shortlist of three was drawn up; and those three were then interviewed by four councillors (there should have been five but one was ill) and three non-members.
These others were Matthew Rowe, who chairs the Standard Advisory Committee; Barry O’Connor, the “interim independent person” and who whenever I saw him in his former role as chair of the Standards Committee was as useful as a chocolate teapot, and….Isabella Freeman.
Each of them had a vote. So the monitoring officer, whose in this respect will be to persuade consult the independent person about launching an investigation, had a say in who that person would be. That doesn’t exactly look good.
That said, the panel of seven have voted by a majority of 5-2 that the new Independent Person for Tower Hamlets should be Elizabeth Hall. They have also nominated her reserve to be lawyer Ezra Zahabi.
So who are they?
Well, Elizabeth Hall is a genuine heavy-hitter and someone who will, I’m sure, treat the kinds of vexatious complaints that have been emanating from Lutfur’s camp with the contempt they deserve.
She lives in Tredegar Square and although retired from the Financial Services Authority (where she was a compliance expert on consumer products), she has a list of roles that puts most of us to shame. She is chair of the Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s in Bow (the one in the middle of Bow Road), is a senior figure in the Church of England lay hierarchy, is chair of the excellent Bow Arts Trust, is a member of Poplar Harca’s audit panel, and is part of the great and the good of Queen Mary University’s non-executive council. Until it was abolished by the Localism Act last year, she was also a non-executive director of the Standards Board for England.
And ironically, she also had a run-in with the council over a planning matter at her house two years ago when she forgot to get listed consent before sprucing up the steps of her house.
Here’s the biography on the Queen Mary site:
Elizabeth Hall retired in March 2006 after more than 10 years in the Financial Services Authority, working mainly on consumer protection and public awareness. Elizabeth continued as a consultant until 2009 on an FSA project under the National Strategy for Financial Capability, aimed at raising the financial understanding and confidence of consumers.
The early part of Elizabeth’s career was as a civil servant, initially as a press spokesman in several departments including 10 Downing Street and the Leader of the House. Later she spent three years as Labour Attaché in Brussels. After leaving the civil service Elizabeth had several other jobs, one of which was as Director of Development of the University of Aberdeen, then planning for its 500th anniversary.
Elizabeth has lived in Mile End since the mid-90’s, and has been active locally. Elizabeth is the lay Chairman of Bow Church PCC, planning for its 700th anniversary just before the 2012 Olympics. She is a member of the Court of Royal Foundation of St Katharine, at Limehouse, a member of the Finance and Audit Board of Poplar HARCA, and Chairman of the Bow Arts Trust. Elizabeth has been a member of the Standards Board for England since 2006, and of the Bar Standards Board, working on the professional regulation of barristers. At Queen Mary, Elizabeth is a trustee of Queen Mary Students’ Union and of People’s Palace Projects.
I’ve no idea what political affiliation she has, if any, but she can’t be a member of a party under the terms of engagement.
Less is known about Ezra Zahabi, who lives in a trendy area of Bethnal Green, but the council has provided the following biography:
Ezra Zahabi is a qualified solicitor, specialising in regulatory law with a London legal practice. Ms Zahabi has professional experience in examining claims of misconduct and identifying issues that require further investigation; and a keen interest in contributing to the maintenance of high ethical standards in local institutions. She is a Tower Hamlets resident of more than ten years’ standing.
Both nominations will be voted on by the full council next Wednesday.
The draft report produced by council officers is pasted below:
1.1 A key element in the new standards regime introduced by the Localism Act 2011 and incorporated into the Council’s own arrangements with effect from 1st July 2012, is the appointment of at least one ‘Independent Person’ who will provide advice to the Council on any allegation it is considering, and may also provide advice to a member facing an allegation who has sought the views of that person.
1.2 The Independent Person(s) must be appointed following a public advertisement and recruitment process and his/her appointment must be confirmed by the majority of Councillors at the full Council meeting.
1.3 In accordance with transitional arrangements introduced by Regulations issued under the Localism Act, the Council on 18th June 2012 appointed Barry O’Connor, former Independent Chair of the Standards Committee, to serve as the interim Independent Person. By law this interim appointment may run only until 30th June 2013 and from that date onwards the Independent Person may not be someone who has served as a member, co-opted member or officer of the authority within the previous five years.
1.4 The Standards Advisory Committee on 12th July 2012 agreed a process for advertisement and recruitment of an Independent Person and Reserve Independent Person. That process is now complete and this report recommends the Council to make the appointments.
2.1 That Ms Elizabeth Hall be appointed as the Independent Person with effect from 1st July 2013 for a term of office of three years.
2.2 That Ms Ezra Zahabi be appointed as the Reserve Independent Person with effect from 1st July 2013 for a term of office of three years.
2.3 That the Independent Person’s remuneration be set at the level of £117 per matter on which they are required to provide advice as set out at section 6 to this report.
3.1 The Localism Act 2011 requires the Council to adopt a new Code of Conduct consistent with a number of principles set out in the Act, and arrangements for dealing with any alleged breach of the Code.
3.2 The arrangements adopted by the Council must include provision for the appointment by the Council of at least one Independent Person. The statute states that the Independent Person must be appointed through a process of public advertisement and appointment by a positive vote of a majority of all members of the Council (not just of those present and voting). The Act sets out specific statutory prohibitions on who can be an Independent Person and excludes previous and current members and Co-optees, their relatives and close friends.
3.3 The Independent Person must be consulted by the authority before it makes a finding as to whether a member has failed to comply with the Code of Conduct or decides on action to be taken in respect of that member. They may be consulted by the authority in respect of a standards complaint at any other stage. Independent Persons may be invited to attend meetings of the Standards (Advisory) Committee, but are unlikely to be co-opted onto the Committee. Instead their role is one of consultation in respect of any investigation of an alleged breach of the Code before the Council takes a decision in relation to the allegation.
3.4 The Act provides that the former co-opted Independent Members of Tower Hamlets’ Standards Committee, together with members and officers of the authority, cannot serve as Independent Persons for a period of 5 years. However, transitional measures included in the Localism Act 2011 (Commencement No.6 and Transitional, Savings and Transitory Provisions) Order 2012 allow a local authority, if it so chooses, to appoint a person who is currently the Independent Chair or an Independent Member of the existing Standards Committee as its ‘Independent Person’ for an interim period extending no later than 30th June 2013. Accordingly the Council agreed on 18th June 2012 that to provide continuity, the former Chair, Barry O’Connor, would be appointed as the Independent Person from 1st July for a temporary period until the recruitment process was complete.
4. A RESERVE INDEPENDENT PERSON
4.1 As stated previously the Independent Person may be consulted by a member or co-opted member of the Council against whom a complaint has been made. This causes some problems, as it would be inappropriate for an Independent Person who has been consulted by the member against whom the complaint has been made, and who might as a result be regarded as prejudiced on the matter, to be involved in the advisory role at the investigations stage of that complaint.
4.2 The Act gives discretion to appoint one or more Independent Persons, but provides that each Independent Person must be consulted before any decision is taken on a complaint which has been investigated. Accordingly, there would appear to be little advantage in appointing more than one Independent Person or the process will be unwieldy. The Standards Advisory Committee has therefore agreed that a Reserve Independent Person should be appointed who can be consulted in the event that the Independent Person is unable to discharge the function for any reason.
5. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
5.1 The Council on 18th June 2012 agreed that the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make arrangements to advertise for, and together with an panel drawn from the Standards Advisory Committee in accordance with proportionality to take the necessary action to appoint, an Independent Person and a reserve Independent Person, whose appointments shall be confirmed by the Council.
5.2 The Standards Advisory Committee on 12th July 2012 agreed a recruitment process to include the advertisement of the position, initial longlisting of applications received by the Monitoring Officer, Chair of Standards Advisory Committee and Interim Independent Person, interviews by the proportionate panel of members and finally a report to the Council and confirmation of appointment(s).
5.3 The advertisement was placed as agreed in late September 2012 but no applications were received at that time. A subsequent advertisement in April 2013 in East End Life and another local newspaper, accompanied by publicity to local community groups and businesses, was more successful and 12 applications were received.
5.4 The standard of the applicants was high and the longlisting panel identified five candidates for consideration by Members, of whom three were shortlisted for interview.
5.5 The interview panel comprised of Mr Matthew Rowe (Independent Chair, Standards Advisory Committee); Councillors David Edgar, Judith Gardiner, Motin Uz-Zaman and Zara Davis (Councillor Abdul Asad was unfortunately unwell and sent his apologies for absence); the Interim Independent Person and the Monitoring Officer.
5.6 The panel met on Tuesday 11th June 2013 and interviewed the three shortlisted candidates. The panel agreed that Ms Elizabeth Hall and Ms Ezra Zahabi should be recommended for appointment and by a majority vote of 5-2 proposed that Ms Hall should be appointed as the Independent Person and Ms Zahabi as the Reserve Independent Person.
5.7 Further information on the two successful candidates is set out below:-
Ms Elizabeth Hall
Elizabeth Hall is currently vice-chair of the council of Queen Mary University (voluntary position), where she is also independent chair of the Research Ethics Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. She has continuing active involvement with the Bar Standards Board, Standards and Quality Assurance Committees; the Church of England; and a range of local charities and third sector organisations. Ms Hall was previously a non-executive director of the Standards Board for England until its abolition in 2012. Prior to her retirement she had a successful career with the Financial Services Authority. She is a Tower Hamlets resident and a former Chair of Governors of St Paul’s Way School.
Ms Ezra Zahabi
6. REMUNERATION
6.1 As the Independent Person is not a member of the authority or of its Committees or Sub-Committees, the remuneration of the Independent Person does not come within the scheme of members’ allowances and can therefore be determined without reference to the Independent Remuneration Panel. It may however be relevant to consider the level of payments that the Panel has recommended for related functions previously.
6.2 The London Councils Independent Remuneration Panel report of 2010 recommended, in relation to Standards Committee independent members, that the annual payment to the Chair and Members of the committee should be based on an estimate of the number of meetings anticipated, which should be used as a multiplier of the co-optees’ allowances proposed of £256 and £127 per meeting respectively. This is broadly in line with the rates paid in Tower Hamlets (240 and £117 per meeting respectively.).
6.3 Initial research shows that most London Boroughs which have determined the matter are proposing to pay the Independent Person an allowance of up to approximately £1k p.a.. As the workload for the post will vary depending on the number of complaints the Independent Person is required to advise on, it is suggested that an allowance of £117 per matter is paid.
INDEPENDENT PERSON: ROLE DESCRIPTION
Under the Localism Act 2011, the Council must promote and maintain high standards of conduct by members and co-opted members of the authority. To this end the Council has adopted a Code of Conduct for Members and has agreed arrangements for dealing with any allegation that a member or co-opted member has breached the code.
In accordance with the requirements of the 2011 Act, these arrangements include the appointment of an Independent Person to advise on breaches of the Member Code of Conduct.
The Independent Person will:
– Be available for consultation if an allegation of breach of the Members’ Code of Conduct is received by the Council.
– Liaise as necessary with the Council’s Monitoring Officer to consider complaints against Members and offer his/her impartial views on the case, including any investigations undertaken.
– Advise the Council prior to any decision to investigate an allegation or complaint relating to whether a member has failed to comply with the Code of Conduct.
– Attend meeting of the Standards Advisory Committee and/or its sub-committees as required
– Contribute to any review of the operation of the standards arrangements and complaints procedure established by the Council under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011.
The Independent Person may:
– Be consulted by the Council’s Monitoring Officer in respect of an allegation against a Member in other circumstances.
– Be consulted by a member or co-opted member of the Council against whom an allegation or complaint has been made.
The views of the Independent Person will be considered by the Council’s Standards Advisory Committee, who are responsible for recommending on the outcome of any complaints and any remedial action.
The Independent Person will possess the following attributes, to be assessed through an application and interview process:
– Personal integrity and honesty
– A keen interest and commitment to maintaining high standards in public life.
– A wish to serve the local community and uphold local democracy
– An interest in and awareness of the functions of local government relating to ethical governance, in particular the role of elected Members and the relevant Codes of Conduct.
– Independence, impartiality and experience of exercising sound objective judgements in relation to complex matters
– Excellent questioning, analytical and evaluation skills in order to advise whether a breach of the Code of Conduct or complaint should be investigated.
– A commitment to promoting equality and an awareness of the issues affecting a diverse community in an inner London borough
– Excellent communication skills in particular the ability to provide clear rationale for advice and to explain decision making when required.
– Experience of dealing with private and sensitive issues, exercising discretion and maintaining confidentiality of information received.
– Flexibility to deal with urgent requests.
– Aged 18 or over and with a mature and sound temperament
The Independent Person will not be:-
– A Member, co-opted member or employee of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets; or have held such a post within the previous 5 years.
– A relative or close friend of such a person; or
– An active member of a political party.
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on June 17, 2013 at 8:15 pm Tim
Interesting, and good digging again Ted.
Does this really look like two solid people of good repute being given positions of responsibility in LBTH? Am I the only one who read all of the above and is left thinking “… and where’s the catch?”
I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating and all that, so let’s wait and see what this all means in practice.
on June 18, 2013 at 1:21 pm You couldn't make it up!
Elizabeth Hall certainly seems to have an admirable set of duties and roles.
The only problem I can see is that she was working at the Financial Services Authority at a time when it wasn’t functioning properly and let a lot of consumers down! (Or have we already forgotten the financial meltdown in 2008 due to the lack of rigor by the FSA?)
Does anybody else find it very interesting that she has in the past been involved with working on the professional regulation of barristers? (ie Lay Vice-Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee of the Bar Standards Board). Looks highly relevant to me!
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How climate change is provoking clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria
Chiagozie Udeh
| 22nd February 2018
Fulani herdsmen
The Cambridge Climate Lecture Series has announced CHIAGOZIE UDEH as the climate communications competition winner. Udeh’s winning piece highlights the role that climate change is playing in driving conflict between herdsmen and subsistence farmers in Nigeria, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths.
Our farms are under attack and our children and women are left vulnerable to the violence of the Fulani herdsmen, who would rather kill humans than risk losing their cattle to hunger.
Climate change is not ranked among the five top causes of conflict in Nigeria - namely: tribalism, resource control, religion, land and trade. But that reality has been altered.
The past thirty-six months have been fiercely violent for several Nigerian states, which have experienced rampaging Fulani herdsmen killing many subsistent farmers whilst trying to protect their land from grazing herds. A number of reasons have been given for the violence, but no connection has yet been made between the herdsmen migrating south and the effects of climate change.
Herdsmen - for whom cattle is a source of livelihood and wealth - have killed approximately 1,000 Nigerians. Myetti Allah - the umbrella body of the herdsmen - justify the killings in the name of self-defense.
Having lived in southeastern Nigeria for the past two decades, I have never witnessed a more turbulent time than the past three years. This is not to suggest that life has always been smooth, but we have hitherto enjoyed relative peace. Now, our farms are under attack and our children and women are left vulnerable to the violence of the Fulani herdsmen, who would rather kill humans than risk losing their cattle to hunger.
The Fulani herdsmen are nomadic and habitually migratory. They annually move from north to south with their cattle in search of grazing fields. The movement is seasonal. Now with climate change, the movement pattern has been markedly altered.
Due to expansive desertification, drought and unchecked deforestation in northern Nigeria, the herdsmen naturally seek greener pasture further south. As the resultant migration has intensified, so too has violent clashes over grazing lands between local farmers and pastoral herdsmen, whom the former accuse of wanton destruction of their crops and forceful appropriation of their lands.
The emerging conflict is further compounded by the shrinking of Lake Chad from 45,000km2 to 3000km2 in less than three decades. The consequence according to the United Nations, is the displacement of about 10.5 million people. It’s a combination of these factors that has pushed herders from north-eastern Nigeria, the region closest to Lake Chad, to the southern parts of the country.
The spiralling rise in killings by the Fulani herdsmen coincides with the assumption of office by President Muhammadu Buhari- also a Fulani- who may be standing for reelection in 2019. In the two and a half years that the Buhari administration has been in power, over 50 percent of the casualties recorded have been in the south-east and north-central geographical regions. Farming communities in Benue, Kogi, Taraba and Nassarawa in the north and Enugu, Abia and Anambra in the south-east have incurred the highest casualties.
The government’s response has ignored climate change as the source of conflict exacerbating the herdsmen's grazing crisis. Historically, since the existence of Nigeria, the Fulani herdsmen have grazed their herds in the north and intermittently in other areas. But incremental drought with resultant desert encroachment forced them to regularly look southwards for greener grazing areas.
As Mary Ikande observed in an article published on naij.com: “With regard to precipitation at the coastline, the eastern part records 430cm, the western region records 180cm, the centre of Nigeria records 130cm, the upper north is the driest zone and records only about 50cm”.
These statistics, which merely confirm pre-existing academic research on rainfall patterns in Nigeria, point to the underlying problem.
According to an International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) publication released in November 2017, “over 80 percent of Nigeria’s population depends on rain-fed agriculture leading to a high risk of food production system being adversely affected by the variability in timing and amount of rainfall.”
With the rising attacks, some Nigerian states have enacted anti-grazing laws that make grazing in open fields or farms a punishable offence. Whereas such measures have reduced the tension in some affected states, in places like Benue state, it has failed.
Green vegetation
The 2018 New Year day herdsmen attack resulted in the gruesome murder of 73 people in rural Benue communities. The attacks occurred despite the anti-grazing law the Benue state government had enacted which prohibited indiscriminate and open field grazing. The herdsmen had vowed not to obey the law.
The Federal Government’s response has been lethargic and its reaction, if any, has always been the deployment of security operatives to affected areas.
In developed and some developing countries, cattle herds are ranched with provisions made for growing their choice species of grasses. Nigeria must do the same. Ranching has been widely recognised as a solution, but entrepreneurs are reluctant to take advantage.
The onus is on the government to take the first step and introduce policies that will make ranching attractive such as an effective ban on open grazing, easy access to land, improved species of grasses and compulsory inter-state transportation of cows by trucks. This will also create thousands of green jobs for unemployed youths.
Intensifying the pace of the Great Green Wall project (a reforestation plan for sub-saharan Africa to combat desertification) in the 11 northern pilot states where it is meant to take place is now imperative. Implementation of that project will help return green vegetation to the north.
Political lethargy
Nigeria also needs to change its policy on climate change from a vision into action. It is distressing that Nigeria is not yet a member of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) - a 43-nation group of most vulnerable countries that negotiate as a bloc at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
It speaks to the lethargy that characterises such issues of great importance. Joining the CVF will give Nigeria the opportunity for knowledge-sharing with countries facing similar challenges.
Nigeria can’t escape or ignore the impact of climate change on the herdsmen crisis.
The best way to tackle it is to approach the herdsmen and explore the opportunities they present to empower people. In a country with terrifying unemployment, this moment should be seized to stop a naturally-induced crisis from becoming politically explosive.
Chiagozie Udeh is the winner of the Cambridge Climate Lecture Series (CCLS) article competition 2018 and is a climate change policy research associate at Selonnes Consult Ltd.
Cambridge Climate Lecture Series
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Government surveillance of social media related to immigration more extensive than you realize
By Rachel Levinson-Waldman, opinion contributor — 05/29/19 11:00 AM EDT
In June 2018, more than 400,000 people protested the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the border. The following month saw a host of demonstrations in New York City on issues including racism and xenophobia, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the National Rifle Association.
Given the ease of connecting online, it is unsurprising that many of these events got an organizing boost on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. A recent spate of articles did bring a surprise, however: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been watching online too. Congress should demand that DHS detail the full extent of social media use and commit to ensuring that the programs are effective, non-discriminatory, and protective of privacy.
Last month, for instance, it was revealed that a Virginia-based intelligence firm used Facebook data to compile details about more than 600 protests against family separation. The firm sent its spreadsheet to the Department of Homeland Security, where the data was disseminated internally and evidently shared with the FBI and national fusion centers; these centers, which facilitate data sharing among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, as well as the private sector, have been heavily criticized for violating Americans’ privacy and civil liberties while providing little of value.
In the meantime, Homeland Security Investigations — an arm of ICE created to combat criminal organizations, not collect information about lawful protests — assembled and shared a spreadsheet of the New York City demonstrations, labeling them with the tag “Anti-Trump Protests.” And as Central American caravans slowly traveled north, DHS’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drew on Facebook data to create dossiers on lawyers, journalists, and advocates — many of them U.S. citizens — providing services and documenting the situation on the southern border.
As shocking as these revelations are, DHS’s social media ambitions are both broader and opaque. A recent report I co-wrote for the Brennan Center for Justice, based on a review of more than 150 government documents, examines how social media is used by four DHS agencies — ICE, CBP, TSA, and the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) — and describes the deficiencies and risks of these programs.
First, DHS now uses social media in nearly every aspect of its immigration operations. Participants in the Visa Waiver Program, for instance — largely travelers from Western Europe — have been asked since late 2016 to voluntarily provide their social media handles. The Department of State recently won approval to demand the same of all visa applicants, nearly 15 million people per year; this data will be vetted against DHS holdings. While information from social media may not be the sole basis for denial, it could easily be combined with other factors to justify exclusion, a process that is likely to have a disproportionate impact on Muslim travelers and those coming from Latin America.
Travelers may have their social media data examined at the U.S. border as well, via warrantless searches of electronic devices undertaken by CBP and ICE. Between 2015 and 2017, the number of device searches carried out by CBP jumped more than threefold; one report suggests that about 20 percent are conducted on American travelers. (ICE does not reveal its figures.) CBP recently issued more stringent rules, though it remains to be seen how closely it will follow them; a December 2018 inspector general report concluded that the agency had failed to follow its prior procedures.
ICE operates under a decade-old policy allowing its agents to “search, detain, seize, retain, and share” electronic devices and any information on them — including social media — without individualized suspicion. Remarkably, ICE justifies this authority by pointing to centuries-old statutes, equating electronic devices with “merchandise” that customs inspectors were authorized to review under a 1790 Act passed by the First Congress. This approach puts the agency out of step with the Supreme Court, which recently recognized that treating a search of a cell phone as identical to a search of a wallet or purse “is like saying a ride on horseback is materially indistinguishable from a flight to the moon.”
The breadth of DHS’s social media monitoring begs the question: Is it effective? It is notable that a 2016 DHS brief reported that in three of four refugee vetting programs, the social media accounts “did not yield clear, articulable links to national security concerns,” even where a national security concern did exist. And a February 2017 Inspector General audit of seven social media pilot programs concluded that DHS had failed to establish any mechanisms to measure their effectiveness.
Indeed, content on social media can be difficult to decode under the best of circumstances. Natural language processing tools, used for some automated analysis, fail to accurately interpret 20-30 percent of the text they analyze, a gap that is compounded when it comes to unfamiliar languages or cultural contexts. Even human reviewers can fail to understand their own language if it’s filled with slang.
We now know far more about the scope of DHS’s efforts to collect and use social media, but there is much that remains obscured. Without robust, ongoing oversight, neither the public nor lawmakers can be confident that these programs are serving our national interest.
Rachel Levinson-Waldman is senior counsel to the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. @RachelBLevinson
Tags Homeland security Immigration policy of Donald Trump Fusion center U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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HomeOpinionsOpinion: NASA Unveils Plans for Artemis Moon Missions
Opinion: NASA Unveils Plans for Artemis Moon Missions
April 19, 2020 Seamus Allen Opinions 0
The Moon as Seen from Orbit - NASA Johnson - Licensed Under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
NASA’s moving out. To the Moon. Or at least, that’s how NASA’s recent “year of progress” update on the Artemis program concluded. About a week after that video launched, they also released a detailed report titled “NASA’s Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development.” The 13-page document lays out a general framework for NASA’s future moon missions, and describes not only their plan to return to the Moon by 2024 but also to establish a sustained human presence in orbit around it and on its surface.
This human return to the Moon has been a part of NASA’s plans for a long time now. Still, the timeline was moved up by the Trump administration in late 2017, as part of the Space Policy Directive, which instructed NASA to “[lead] an innovative and sustainable program of exploration… Beginning with missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.”
The program is named Artemis (Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology), and consists of three main components: human landings, the Lunar Base, and the Gateway. The first step of that plan, the human mission to the lunar surface planned for 2024, takes a different approach than previous moon missions, featuring many of the mission’s components delivered to the Moon beforehand, by commercial and international partners. The human missions also feature several new technologies NASA has been developing for the next frontiers of human space exploration—the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever created, and the Orion crew capsule to go with it.
Initially, NASA had planned to incorporate the Gateway project into this mission, but announced in early March that it had “been removed from the critical path.” The Gateway project is a plan for a space station in orbit around the Moon, designed with open docking standards that allow space programs from all around the world to add modules to the station and expand its functionality, much like the International Space Station in orbit around Earth. According to Doug Loverro, the head of NASA’s human spaceflight directorate, “by taking Gateway out of the critical path for the lunar landing in ’24, I believe what we have done is create a far better Gateway program,” he told the NASA Advisory Council on March 13, reported SpaceNews.
The Gateway is still a very important component of NASA’s larger plan, however. The purpose of the Gateway is partially for deep-space experimentation, but also to serve as an important jumping-off point for longer-term missions to the Moon and Mars. For moon missions, not only would the gateway act as a strong communications relay with Earth, but astronauts working aboard the Gateway could control robots on the lunar surface remotely in real-time, something that we cannot do from Earth due to the eight-minute communication delay between the Earth and the Moon.
Additionally, lunar landers could be delivered to the station separately by commercial partners instead of incorporating them into the rocket that carries the astronauts to lunar orbit, which could create substantial cost savings for repeat lunar missions.
The Moon has ice deposits at its poles, which could be split into hydrogen and oxygen, the two components of rocket fuel, and launched to the Gateway. Thus, the Gateway could serve as a critical refueling station for future missions to Mars.
All going to plan, once humans have been successfully sent to and brought back from the Moon, and the Gateway is in place, NASA has ambitious plans to establish a base for extended human habitation on the Moon at the lunar south pole. This is an exciting opportunity and one that would act as not only a proving ground for future human missions to Mars, where methods and equipment could be perfected, but also a critical achievement in its own right. As discussed earlier, the Moon’s low gravity and ability to produce rocket fuel that can be cheaply lifted into orbit will almost certainly be critical to further human exploration of the solar system. On top of that, the Moon offers promising opportunities for commercial activity and mining: the rare isotope helium-3 is rare on Earth, but abundant on the Moon, and could prove to be an essential fuel for fusion reactors in the future. Furthermore, constant asteroid impacts on the Moon have left it rich in rare earth metals used in smartphone screens and countless other technological applications.
The report concludes, “Artemis and the development of Artemis Base Camp will inspire the world with the ability and commitment of American leadership and in the positive potential of humanity as a whole. If we are to leave a legacy of greatness, hope, limitless opportunity, and growth to future generations, then it is a mission we cannot afford to postpone.”
NASA is already making progress towards these goals: they awarded SpaceX a contract on March 27 to deliver cargo to the Gateway, Maxar Technologies a contract for its power and propulsion systems, and many more for a variety of companies to deliver cargo to the lunar surface. NASA has also tested the Orion crew capsule and the rocket engines for the Space Launch System and completed the development of their new Artemis-generation spacesuits.
All the same, whether the project will hit its goals on time and in-budget remains uncertain. The coronavirus outbreak has slowed operations, and the five-year deadline that the Trump administration laid out is much earlier than NASA had previously planned. On top of that, NASA is trying to do all of this on a budget, adjusted for inflation, roughly half of what it was during the height of the Apollo missions, or an eighth compared to total federal spending. All that said, despite the obstacles, the project currently appears to be on track.
All going well, we will soon be witness to the first woman to walk on the Moon and the first man in over 50 years. After that, only time can tell what the future may hold: in the far future, a moon colony could even become self-sufficient, and you could look up at a crescent moon to see the lights of cities sparkling in the darkness. Who knows, that might even shut the flat-earthers up once and for all.
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'Elevator Pitch' Illustrates Accessibility Issues on NYC's Subway, Step-by-Painful-Step
By TIME Staff
July 28, 2020 6:00 AM EDT
Filmmaker Martyna Starosta talked with TIME about her short film, Elevator Pitch, which poignantly pairs audio testimonials from the public at regular meetings of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), with scenes of people struggling in the many staircases of the massive transit system.
What gave you the idea to make this film?
I have always thought about how inaccessible the subway is. I work as a cinematographer, and every time I have to carry gear up and down flights of stairs, I am afraid of injuring myself. When I became a parent, I found myself schlepping a baby and a stroller, too. And when I read about the story of Malaysia Goodson who fell and died carrying her 1-year-old daughter down the subway stairs, it hit close to home for me because I had an 8-month old son. I think the broken infrastructure of public transportation in New York is also a powerful vehicle to tell a larger story of inequality in the city.
New Yorkers are very proud of their subway and they hate it at the same time. There’s an ambivalent relationship. I lived in Berlin before, and public transportation there is much more accessible, so maybe because I see it as an immigrant and an outsider, I have more potential for outrage. Elevators are important to many different people, so we have to listen to what people need. And very often when disability rights advocates succeed in making spaces more accessible, we all benefit.
Tell us more about the name of the film
Especially in New York City where there is so much showbiz and entertainment, people always talk about the ‘elevator pitch,’ and when I started attending the MTA board meetings, listening to person after person begging for elevators in stations, and I just thought it sounded like they were pitching. I feel the state of accessibility is so dismal in the subways that it’s almost absurd, hence the touch of humor in the wordplay of the title.
The MTA is facing huge budget cuts, what makes you hopeful that accessibility will be a priority?
There is big uncertainty and fear about the impact of budget cuts, but I do want to say that as I have met all these advocates who have been engaged in the struggle for accessibility for decades, I am impressed with their process of pushing for change.
It’s easy to give in to the hopelessness, but we have also seen the way that budget cuts happen in a political context, and so I hope there will be a political pushback if the accessibility budget is going to be disproportionately cut.
<i>Promising Young Woman</i> Starts with a Cathartic Blast. Then It Gets Bogged Down With Cynicism
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Home / Installation Art
Katayoun Amjadi
Katayoun is an Iranian-born, Minneapolis-based artist. She belongs to the generation of Iranian women who experienced a childhood of wartime and an adolescence of social and political turmoil under the post-revolutionary regime.
Category: Installation Art
Shortly after immigrating to the United States, she came to realize that what she had left behind was more than material belongings, friends, or family members. Rather, she found herself stripped away from the familiar cultural context that had once constructed her sense of Self. In her artworks, she often considers the social aspirations that continually construct binaries which shape our perceptions of Self and Other, such as religion, gender, politics and nationalist ideologies. Katayoun is interested in blurring these boundaries and create a balanced hybrid style both in life and art. While cherishing the idiosyncrasies of her cultural heritage that have hitherto shaped her sense of self, she tries to make sense of the emotional turmoil involved in reconstructing a new hyphenated identity as an Iranian-American. The main source of inspiration behind her work comes from the simplest and earliest surviving man-made forms, iconic cultural images, and pre-historic artifacts. Her art is an attempt to understand the relationship between past and present, tradition and modernity, and individual versus collective identity, as well as to spur discussion about our understanding of time and the tangled roots of our histories.
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Copyright 2021 © Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective
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BTS’s ‘BE’ Album Becomes Their Fifth No.1 Album On Billboard 200 Chart
Congrats to BTS!
BTS has been making history this year (when have they not though) with numerous accomplishments. Not long after “Dynamite” hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and receiving a Grammy nomination, they just recently hit their fifth No.1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with their newest album BE.
This is momentous in that they are now the first group to earn two No.1 albums in 2020, and the second act overall after YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
In short, BTS has earned five No.1 albums on this chart in just over two years and six months! The only group to earn five No.1 albums faster was the Beatles, who earned it in just under two years and five months!
BTS’s first-week total for their BE album is the largest for an album by a group, with 242,000 equivalent album units. After totaling their traditional album sales, track equivalent units, and streaming equivalent album units, they raked in 48.56 million audio streams in just the first week.
| Big Hit Entertainment
BTS first topped the Billboard 200 album chart with Love Yourself: Tear, followed by Love Yourself: Answer, Map of the Soul: Persona, and Map of the Soul: 7.
What’s even more amazing is that they were able to earn this without and collabs, bundles, remixes, or radio promotions!
Congrats once again to BTS for another historic achievement!
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