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by Siobhan Carroll, The Space Programmer
It’s a new season at Nottingham Contemporary and we are really busy over the next 8 weeks with lots of screenings, talks and events to coincide with the Klaus Weber exhibition and some performances that have nothing to do with the exhibition but are there to be enjoyed!
Jean Rouch, Les Maitres Fous
There are so many events that I am looking forward to, but some of my highlights include:
An evening of Jean Rouch films including the incredible Les Maitres Fous – the last time I saw this film was an unforgettable experience of being in Mary Kings Close, a underground, spooky part of the Old Town of Edinburgh, with Spartacus Chetwynd’s film ’The Call of the Wild’ screaming in the back ground! For this event there won’t be any screaming but we will have comfortable chairs and a great introduction by Elizabeth Cowie, Professor of Film Studies at The University of Kent –I’m sure the impact of this film will still be as strong, Rouch’s films are must see.
I am looking forward to welcoming The Free University of Liverpool to Nottingham Contemporary on 9th November to find out more about their programme which is considered and dynamic with the important underlying commitment to free education for all. They describe what they do as a protest, one which seems to have more and more presence as we slip further into this age of austerity.
Jonathan Rée is one of the most respected thinkers today combining art, history and philosophy. In Weber’s exhibition the artist represents the body various ways including Death Masks and vegetables, heightening our conscious relationship to our own bodies, flesh, organs and how we represent this. I am delighted that we will be welcoming Rée to Nottingham Contemporary on 16th November to consider this relationship, and to examine the challenge that modern science and medicine bring to traditional ideas of the meaning of bodily existence.
Forced Entertainment have been at the forefront of performance, theatre and writing since they began in 1984. The Sheffield based company, will be at Nottingham Contemporary on 19th November performing their new work ‘Void Story’ a bleak and comical contemporary fable performed as if it were a radio play, sitting at tables, turning the pages of the script, ‘doing’ the requisite voices and adding in sound effects for gunshots, rain and bad phone-lines. Tickets are available now; I am particularly interested to go to the post show talk by the company after the afternoon performance.
I have to send a lot of leftfield invitations asking specialists and academics to be part of our public programme here, but I think the most random invitation I sent and one of the most gracious responses was from Professor Vivienne Brown, Professor Emeritus in Economics at The Open University, who is one of the leading authorities on the moral philosopher and so called godfather of capitalism, Adam Smith. Considering both Weber’s Bee paintings - paintings that were made by leaving primed white canvasses on a bee-keepers grounds in Berlin, to be painted by the bees during their annual 'cleansing flight' and his failed proposal to Edinburgh City council to cover the statue of Adam Smith placed on the Royal Mile in a swarm of docile bees - Professor Brown has agreed to come to Nottingham Contemporary and present the Adam Smith’s thought on the “hive” – as a model of productivity described in Smith’s text ‘The Wealth of Nations’. On the same evening we have also invited expert urban beekeeper Alison Knox to describe the joys of the apiary and the importance of the bees “cleansing flights”.
This kind of events is an example of what I enjoy most about programming events; bringing two people who would never normally be together, to discuss their specialism’s in relation to a work of contemporary art – through this process I hope that we can appreciate the connections that we might never have seen before, not because they are direct but because they can sit next to one another, quietly informing.
As I mentioned this is a packed 8 weeks, it was really difficult to choose these few to talk about! It is also sadly the last Public Programme that I have programmed with the incredible Daniella King, who has been the Inspire Assistant Curator at Nottingham Contemporary for the last 2 years and who is leaving us in a couple of weeks – we had fun programming it, I hope that you have fun at the events!
For full listings: http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/events/whaton
Posted by Nottingham Contemporary at 09:41 No comments:
Animatronics, a Beekeeper and Windscreen Wipers
By Abi Spinks, Assistant Curator
What links an animatronics expert, a beekeeper in Berlin and a manufacturer of industrial windscreen wipers? The answer is Klaus Weber’s forthcoming exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary. Along with a team of engineers from the University of Nottingham, all have been involved in creating artworks for this German artist’s solo show.
The exhibition includes several new commissions which Weber proposed specifically for Nottingham Contemporary’s building and I have worked alongside the artist on bringing these artworks to fruition. The process as a whole has been both exciting and taxing – in ways I could not have imagined. One of the things I find enjoyable about my job is the need to develop new and diverse areas of expertise, every few months. The journey from an artist’s idea, through stages of research and development and onto a (sometimes) physical end result, can lead to the most unexpected conversations and experiences.
For example, how does one produce realistic and continuous rain, indoors? This was but one conundrum I faced for the new artwork, ‘If you leave me I’m not coming’, in which the 7 ½ metre wide window of Gallery 2 will be turned into a giant windscreen, complete with oversized wipers and never-ending indoor rain. To tackle this, we turned to the aforementioned team of engineers at the Environmental Technology Centre at University of Nottingham, who have brought their expertise to one of the largest and most technically challenging commissions we have hosted yet. Working out precisely the volume of water required and the exact droplet size which would allow for even distribution across the glass is one challenge we have set their scientific brains to.
Oversized wipers for this artwork, each over a metre long, are currently being designed for production by a company in Redditch, which is more accustomed to supplying wiper solutions for the Singapore Metro and large scale naval ships. Each wiper works tirelessly to clear away the “rain” which continually obscures the view both into and out of the gallery. This artwork functions as an alternative (and very suitably British) public fountain and alludes to the transparency of the art world, as it works to allow the public outside the gallery brief glimpses of the inside, before the eternal drizzle takes over again.
So what of the animatronics expert and the beekeeper? Well, from 22 October, you’ll have to come and find out for yourself.http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/art/klaus-weber
http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/art/klaus-weber-0
Posted by Nottingham Contemporary at 08:14 1 comment:
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
By Nadine Zeidler, Assistant Curator
American artist Glenn Ligon reflects in much of his work the difficulties for African Americans within contemporary American society. Investigating how minorities are still coping with the remnants of slavery and subliminal manifestations of racism, Ligon has become well known for his text based paintings. These works predominantly draw on the writing of such notable figures as Zora Neale Hurston, Jesse Jackson, James Baldwin and Jean Genet.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled (We are the ink...), 1992, Private Collection, Boston
Untitled (We are the ink...) refers to a famous quote from Jean Genet's memoir Prisoner of Love where he states, “In white America the Blacks are the characters in which history is written. They are the ink that gives the white page a meaning.” Being a white amongst blacks, Genet was fighting alongside the Black Panther Party, choosing his words carefully to speak on behalf of them. In this text painting Ligon subverts Genet’s outsider designation “they” and re-personalises the text using “we”. Working with stencils from top to bottom the grease from the stick thickens, increasingly obscuring the black letters. The duality Duality (physics)
The state of having two natures, which is often applied in physics. The classic example is wave-particle duality. The elementary constituents of nature—electrons, quarks, photons, gravitons, and so on—behave in some respects
..... Click the link for more information. of the black text and the white page embodies Genet’s metaphor of racial power relations and it questions how we perceive and construct oppositional categories of identity.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled (Malcolm X), 2006, Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery
Untitled (Malcolm X) forms part of a series of works where Ligon conducted an art workshop for young children. He asked the children to colour images that were intended to foster shared cultural knowledge and pride. Based on the children’s drawings, Malcom X – the Icon of Black Liberation – is subjected to a clownish remake. Through the investigation of racial stereotypes as well as the nature of representation, Ligon is interested in the slipperiness of the images he is using and also the anxiety around this slipperiness.
L-R Bruce Nauman, One Hundred Live and Die, 1984
Glenn Ligon, Excerpt, 2009, Courtesy of Private Collection, NY
Excerpt – another of Ligon’s pieces in the exhibition – is a direct reference to a larger neon work by Bruce Nauman entitled One Hundred Live and Die. Set against a dark backdrop the black tubes of “Black and Die, Black and Live” were nearly invisible and are not allowed any agency within the flashing spectacle. Ligon admires Nauman’s precise use of language and sampled this particular excerpt. Using visible black wires and black painted neon tubing so that the white light emanates from the back of the text Ligon’s gesture gives the text “Black and Die” and “Black and Live” its own realm of visibility and amplifies the brutality of Nauman’s words.
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Glow from Netfix. Netflix
Amazon, Netflix and righting the wrongs of television’s gender problem
July 27, 2017 4.31am EDT
Kirsten Stoddart, University of Salford
Kirsten Stoddart
Postgraduate Researcher in Television, S.V.o.D and Gender, University of Salford
Kirsten Stoddart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University of Salford provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.
Netflix will spend $6 billion on original content in 2017. Between them, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix have scored 125 Emmy nominations this year. The message is clear: Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) is no longer the new kid on the block. And it is this blooming platform which is starting to turn the traditionally male-dominated world of television production on its head.
Every year, reports on industry employment reveal how women are underrepresented on the writers’ credits in television. In the US and the UK, women’s share of television employment has remained at under 30%. Women showrunners (creators, executive producers and writers) account for only 22% of showrunners in the US. Women of colour make up just 4%. Once the bothersome newcomer in the entertainment market, subscription streaming services are shaking up the system and showing their more traditional rivals how innovation can lead to market dominance.
Two key points separate the production of subscription video on demand original content from the more traditional “linear” television model, where content is programmed to broadcast at one specific time.
First, producers such as Amazon, Netflix and Hulu have flexibility in the programming they commission. For example, without being restricted by commercial breaks and channel scheduling, episodes can run shorter or longer than a conventional drama (usually 45-50 minutes) or comedy (22-28 minutes). Being less accountable to programme sponsors, online original series can also tackle more controversial subject matter. But most importantly, they can commission content from a more diverse range of people with different voices.
Orange is the New Black, season five. Netlfix
The second key difference between subscription video on demand and linear programming is their commissioning processes. Amazon completely shook up the convention of the “pilot season” (where initial episodes of new content are made then dropped or pushed forward depending on their anticipated success) with its own version of the “pilot” process.
In Amazon’s version, anyone could submit an idea for original content through an online portal. In this break from the “who you know” system of commissioning, Amazon made the pilots viewable by its Prime customers, who can then vote for the content they want to see produced into a full series.
This democratisation of viewing is also influenced by the feature that is at the very core of on-demand viewing – we watch what we want, when we want, for however long we want. We watch on our laptops, on our tablets, on our smart phones and on our home smart televisions. Importantly, all of this has helped increase programming about women, created by women.
A man’s world
Television production has traditionally been a man’s world. Evidence for the media industries shows that people in positions of power over hiring will employ those they feel are most similar to their existing teams. So, for a team of white men, another white man will typically be seen as a “safer” hire than a woman or a person of colour. When the odds are loaded against women like this, it becomes harder for a woman to get her foot in the door.
In addition to these “homogenous” hiring practices, the employment of women in creative and cultural industries declines sharply after the age of 35. These industries have not been conducive to motherhood, maternity leave or care-giving. Far more so than men in television, women in television report that they were made to feel they could either have successful careers, or be mothers, with no middle ground.
By its very nature, television runs on short-term contracts, long and unsociable hours and informal recruitment practices. For those lacking a family network of childminders or the financial stability to hire flexible child carers, it is near impossible to have it all.
This is where original online content can shine. These series are, for the most part, being made by production companies – but the commissioners can now order content that speaks to women. Previously, an unproduced writer needed the right contacts to have a series picked up. Now she can now pitch directly to Amazon Studios.
Sense8. Netflix
Original content distributors are responding. A Paste Magazine piece lists the “top Netflix Original” series, and stories focusing on women are beginning to climb the ranks. Grace and Frankie (2015) studies the lives of two older women whose husbands have left them to begin a relationship with one another.
Sense8 (2015) features women in leading roles including LGBTQ women and women of colour. Glow (2017) follows a team of female wrestlers in the 1980s, while Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015) is a comedy exploring a woman getting back on her feet after being imprisoned in a bunker for 15 years.
These series create a discussion about what is hidden on most mainstream television. They are about women – but not about “traditional” romantic entanglements, shoe shopping and mean teenagers.
So the question now is, will we see a knock-on effect in the employment of women writers for scripted series? Or will the industry reproduce its gendered norms and continue the pattern of white, male, middle-class dominance? Time will tell. But for now, original on-demand content has steered the industry to a turning point, bringing women’s voices to our many screens.
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Interest Rate Cut Boost
10 December 2007, at 12:00am
UK - The Ulster Farmers Union says this weeks 0.25% per cent cut in interest rates will reduce farm borrowing repayments in Northern Ireland by almost 2 million.
UFU Chief Executive Clarke Black said Bank of England interest rate decisions were very important to the local farming industry.
Mr Black said; “Borrowings in the farming industry have continued to grow steadily. For example farmers have invested heavily to meet the demands of environmental regulations such as the EU Nitrates Directive. Bank borrowings in the industry are now in the region of £750 million so a cut in interest rates is welcome. We have come through a period of sustained interest rate rises and we hope that this cut will set the trend in the year ahead”.
In October the UFU hosted discussions with the Bank of Englands Chief Economist and Monetary Policy Committee member Mr Charles Bean. Clarke Black said the meeting had been an important opportunity to inform the Monetary Policy Committee about the impact of interest rate decisions on the local farming sector.
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Juan, Prince of Asturias
April 10, 2015 Susan Abernethy8 Comments
I’ve been reading a bit of Spanish history lately, researching the life of Queen Isabella of Castile. She had a considerable number of children, however only one male child survived. He was named Juan after his paternal and maternal grandfathers as well as the patron saints of his parents. Interestingly enough, the Spanish have an equivalent to the English Prince of Wales. The heir to the Spanish throne is called Prince of Asturias, a small principality in north-west Spain.
Prince Juan was born on June 30, 1478 in Seville. He was the son of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The long desired male heir to both his parents thrones, he was born eight years after the delivery of their first child Isabella and his birth was considered nothing short of miraculous with the city engaging in wild and energetic celebrations for three days. His mother would always call him her “angel” and indeed he looked like one with his blond hair and delicate facial features.
A little over a week after Juan was born, a splendid procession made its way through the streets of Seville from the palace to the cathedral. Juan’s nurse carried him on a mule with a velvet saddle under a brocade canopy. He was wrapped in a brocade cloth and eight city officials dressed in black velvet cloaks surrounded him. Three pages followed in the procession carrying gifts and gold coins. Beautifully dressed courtiers lined the street and clerics held up silver crosses. The archbishop of Seville officiated the baptismal service. Musicians played drums, trumpets and flutes to welcome the infant.
A month later an even more elaborate ceremony was observed, this time including the Queen in the procession, elegantly dressed in a bejeweled gown covered in pearls on a white trotter with a saddle encrusted with gold and silver. She attended high mass at the main altar of the church, surrounded by Castile’s highest ranking courtiers. There were prayers for the mother’s survival and the sustained good health of the child.
Juan was given his own household and the members were judiciously chosen by Isabella as they were in charge of his moral guidance, education and development. His wet nurse was Maria de Guzman, a member of the powerful House of Mendoza. His first tutor was the Dominican Fray Diego Deza who taught theology at the University of Salamanca. Later, Isabella appointed the Italian humanist Peter Martyr d’Anghiera.
Juan’s parents were affectionate but demanding. His health was always delicate, something that was of great concern to them. Isabella monitored his diet. Doctors visited him every morning and reported back on his digestion and bodily functions and how he had slept. The Queen would send him treats such as lemon blossom candies, strawberry conserves, other sweets and jars of quince meat. One chronicler reported that Juan was unable to speak plainly because of an impediment of his lower lip and tongue.
He was expected to maintain an immaculate and impressive appearance. He wore the most ostentatious apparel to show his high rank and to impress ambassadors and visitors to the court. A hierarchy of servants followed a strict protocol in dressing and undressing Juan. He ordered two new pairs of shoes a month and two new pairs of slippers each week and had to wear a new belt every day. He was allowed to wear each outfit three times before giving them away to household staff on a rotating schedule. Queen Isabella became angry when she learned that Juan and his sister Juana were putting aside favorite articles rather than giving them away. The children also were required to give excess food to the servants. Isabella was teaching them to be generous and just with these practices.
He received the usual court education in the classics as well as instruction and training in court ritual, how to rule and the art of self-preservation. Isabella arranged Juan’s daily routine. In the morning there were prayers with his tutor, then mass followed by lessons. Juan loved music and during his two hour rest period during the day, the Queen would send her music master with three or four choirboys to sing to him. He had his own musicians and played several instruments. Isabella invited sons of aristocrats to live and learn with the prince. This included the two sons of the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus, Diego and Ferdinand. They lived at court as pages to the prince and later to Queen Isabella herself and became great friends of Juan.
There was a master who taught Juan proficiency of arms. He slept with a sword at the head of his bed and was instructed how to use it. He was taught to ride, joust, hawk and hunt, play chess and cards and to sing and recite poetry. He corresponded with humanists and poets. He also attended a wrestling school. His tutor Peter Martyr described Juan as sensitive and scholarly with great potential but not strong. By the time he was fifteen, his household consisted of eighty-two members and by age eighteen, it was even bigger.
There is an account that indicates how the Inquisition affected the everyday lives of people, even at court. One day in the 1480’s, Prince Juan and his pages were playing “Inquisition”. There was a drawing of lots to determine who would be the judges and who would be the victims. The judges proceeded to read the sentences. Those who were condemned were stripped of their clothes and tied to stakes. An older page realized things had gone too far and ran to the queen’s apartments, interrupting her siesta. She hiked up her skirts and ran to Juan’s quarters, finding the boys garroting their victims. She struck Juan and then untied the boys, bearing them off wrapped in capes.
Juan traveled frequently. Shortly after his birth, his parents took him to the Cortes of Toledo where he appeared with them at the high altar of the cathedral. The members of the Cortes swore an oath of fealty to him as the heir to Isabella and Ferdinand’s kingdoms. In the fall of 1487, Juan accompanied his parents to Aragon where they held Cortes in Zaragoza after stopping on the way to be entertained in Guadalajara. In the fall of 1489, he appeared in front of English ambassadors dressed in rich crimson velvet.
While Isabella and Ferdinand waged the Granada War, Juan made several appearances. He accompanied his mother on the entry to Jaen after it was conquered. His father knighted him before the siege of Granada in June of 1491. He was given a helmet, a coat of mail, campaign breeches and a dagger as well as a horse and armor. He was now able to accompany his father on expeditions and knight other nobles. When Granada finally fell on January 2, 1492, all three of them entered the city together. The keys of the city were passed first to Ferdinand, then to Isabella and finally to Juan.
In 1495, Isabella sent Juan to the French frontier as her representative. That same year, an important alliance was made with the Habsburgs. Juan was to marry Margaret of Austria and his sister Juana was to marry Margaret’s brother Philip, known as the “Handsome”. Juana was to marry first and sailed for Flanders. A few months after Juana’s arrival in Flanders, these same ships brought Margaret back to Spain for her marriage to Juan. She experienced severe weather on the journey and after a near shipwreck, she arrived in Santander on March 8, 1497. She had a large entourage and the first carriages ever seen in Spain. Juan and his father rushed to greet her. She tried to kiss their hands but they embraced her lovingly. They accompanied her to Burgos where she was greeted and embraced by Queen Isabella.
Margaret of Austria by the Master of Moulins, aged 10
Margaret was a sensation and drew crowds wherever she went. The wedding took place on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1497 and Margaret received copious gifts. Everyone in the family adored Margaret. She was praised by Ferdinand and shared many interests with Queen Isabella.
Juan and Margaret were in love. He revered her and there was so much lovemaking, the doctors advised Juan’s parents the couple should be separated to spare his health. But Isabella was happy they were in love and didn’t intervene and Margaret was soon pregnant. Juan and Margaret had received the city of Salamanca as a marital gift and they traveled to live there. When the couple arrived in their new home they were triumphantly received.
Queen Isabella had arranged a marriage for her eldest daughter Isabella with King Manuel of Portugal. Isabella, Ferdinand and their daughter stopped in Salamanca to visit Juan and Margaret on their way to the wedding. As they traveled on, a speedy messenger caught up with them with the news that Juan had fallen critically ill. The Bishop of Salamanca wrote Juan had been happy a few days before but had weakened and lost his appetite. He indicated it was so serious, they had called the Queen’s doctor and other physicians and begged Ferdinand and Isabella to come. Isabella was greatly involved in the Portuguese wedding preparations so Ferdinand rushed to Juan’s side. He found Juan pale but lucid.
Ferdinand sent conflicting messages to Isabella about the state of Juan’s condition, knowing that he was dying. Juan had been weak and sick in the past with stomach trouble and was quick to accept his fate. He attempted to comfort his father who was pleading with him to live. Juan’s final request, after asking his parents to care for his pregnant wife and unborn child, was to ask that money from his estate be used to free Christian captives in Muslim lands. He perished from tuberculosis on October 4, 1497.
Tomb of Prince John at Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás in Ávila
Juan was buried in Salamanca but was later transferred to Avila where he had requested to be buried. Margaret was prostrate with grief and fell seriously ill. Queen Isabella rushed to her side, personally nursing her back to health. Margaret credited Isabella with saving her life. However, Margaret’s child was born premature. The news of the death of Juan and his heir spread across Europe and his parents were in deep mourning. Margaret stayed in Spain for some time with Queen Isabella before returning to Flanders. Juan’s death was a sad tragedy. His elder sister Isabella died in 1498, leaving their sister Juana as the heir to the Spanish throne. She would come to be known as Juana la Loca, “the Mad”.
A post script to the story of Prince Juan: When Juan was two years old, Ferdinand announced his intention to pay for construction of a monument in Rome to fulfill a vow he had made to build a church in honor of Saint Peter. The Tempietto (small temple) was built on the site where Ferdinand and Isabella believed Saint Peter had been crucified in 64 AD. It remains one of the masterpieces of High Renaissance architecture and was the Spanish royal family’s way of giving thanks for the gift of a son.
The Tempietto in Rome (Photo by Space Odissey from Wikimedia Commons)
Further reading: “Isabella: The Warrior Queen” by Kirstin Downey, “Isabel the Queen: Life and Times” by Peggy Liss
Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Fray Diego Deza, Juana la Loca, Juana the Mad, Margaret of Austria, Maria de Guzman, medieval history, Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Philip the Handsome, Prince Juan of Asturias, Queen Isabella I of Spain, Renaissance history, Salamanca, Seville, Spanish history
Judith of France, Queen of Wessex and Countess of Flanders
The Siege of Paris of 885-886
8 thoughts on “Juan, Prince of Asturias”
Lost Princes « The Freelance History Writer says:
[…] Juan was the only surviving son of Queen Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. He was born in 1478 in Seville and was given a classical education and taught martial arts. He enjoyed music and wore sumptuous clothing. His parents were loving but demanding. Juan’s health was always fragile, a cause of great concern to his parents. […]
Louis de France, Duke of Guyenne and Dauphin of France « The Freelance History Writer says:
[…] have heard of the early demise of prospective monarchs such as Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, Juan, Prince of Asturias or Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. These young men displayed potential as kings and died too […]
Vielka Helen Gorriz says:
Thank you Susan!! I enjoy reading about this great Prince!! I think he was great !!
A good description of our cried prince. Thank you Susan, I would just like to add the rest of your real titles, Juan de Aragón and Castilla. Prince of Asturias and Gerona, Duke of Montblanch, Earl of Cervera and Lord of Balaguer and Salamanca.
rufuschoate says:
terrific telling of this heir’s tale, Susan!
Susan Abernethy says:
Thanks rufus!
rafterd1972 says:
What a sad story, but a great picture of life in that age among the aristocracy. Have you ever watched “The Other 1492?” It taught me quite a bit about Spanish History. Thanks Susan
Claudia Suzan Carley says:
Very interesting! I knew bits and pieces of the stories of this family, but you put it all together. Life was precarious even for the very wealthy and powerful.
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Witness One of the Wonders of the World at Niagara Falls, New York
Ramon, The Getaway
Niagara Falls needs no introduction—everyone has heard of this life-changing natural wonder of the world. However, only so many people have had the privilege of visiting it. There are a dozen hiking trails and gorgeous islands that ring the falls, and you owe it to yourself to each and every one of them. Once you've come to see the falls, you can stay a bit longer to enjoy the many local celebrations of the arts.
01Visit Prospect Point
OKRAD / Getty Images
Prospect Point is one of the most popular viewing areas around for its fantastic, wide-ranging perspective of the falls. However, it’s extremely busy around midday. If you want to avoid the lines and queues, you’ll want to visit in the morning or around dusk. What could be better than a peaceful evening above the Niagara Falls set against a purple evening sky?
02Hop aboard the Maid of the Mist Boat tour
Orchidpoet / Getty Images
From April to November, you can enjoy the most famous boat tour of the Niagara Falls. The Maid of the Mist tour gets up close to the two main waterfalls, the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. You have a good chance of getting soaked, so the tour issues distinctive blue ponchos. Don’t forget to take a selfie wearing yours! You can embark on the tour from the Observation Tower.
03Get the best view from the Observation Tower
Alexander Shapovalov / Getty Images
Are you planning a proposal or any other special occasion? If so, don’t settle for anything but the best. If you want the most impressive view of the Falls from the American side, go to the Observation Tower. The only reason not to pick this spot is if you or your beloved have a fear of heights. The dizzying tower is nearly three hundred feet tall! But if you can brave the tallest tower, you’ll find a fine reward in a breathtaking, all-encompassing panoramic view of all three falls.
04Get dozens of great views from Luna Island
ronniechua / Getty Images
The various islands on the American side of the falls are necessary stops during any trip to Niagara Falls. The hilly, lush Luna Island is crisscrossed by walkways where you can enjoy many perspectives on the falls. To make it even better, it’s situated right between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. You can reach Luna Island from Goat Island, another important destination at Niagara Falls.
05Drop by Goat Island
cheng8 / Getty Images
Goat Island is a must to visit if you're already near the falls. It rests at the stunning American Falls, and you can easily reach several nearby attractions from the island. Three Sisters, for instance, is the best place to enjoy the white-water rapids as they crash towards the falls. Goat Island also affords entry into the Cave of Winds, a network of boardwalks running within the falls.
06Reach out and touch the falls
Fahmid Swaikat / Getty Images
Disclaimer: You should not literally touch the falls, that’s a bit hazardous. However, the ambitious Cave of Winds Tour will take you close enough to try, as you’ll find yourself right up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. The thunderous falling water is an amazing sight from up close. Consider bringing a change of clothes; you’re definitely getting wet on this trip.
07Check out the Whirlpool Rapids
billberryphotography / Getty Images
Upstream from the falls, a sharp change of course in the river produces some of the most powerful rapids in the world. Whirlpool Gorge and the Falls have drawn their share of thrill-seeking adventurers over the years, but few have lived to tell the tale of their adventures. If you take a pleasant hike down a series of paths and trails, you’ll reach the perfect observation point to see the rapids. Hopefully, that’s enough excitement for you!
08Admire the collection of art on display at Castellani Art Museum
Are you an art lover? If so, the diverse collection of works at the Castellani Art Museum is for you. It contains thousands of artworks in many unique mediums and styles. The permanent exhibits include sculptures, paintings, ceramics and much more. The style ranges from classical works of the Romanticist movement to surrealist and modern art. The highly inclusive exhibit also includes a number of Native American artworks, including carefully preserved artifacts that predate contact with Europeans.
09Look Into the Colonial Past at the Niagara Fortress
SkyF / Getty Images
Old Niagara Fortress has an important role in the history of the United States and Canada. During the wars between France and Britain for control of North America, both sides fought for the fortress and its key position in controlling the Great Lakes. In honor of the importance of the fort, a restoration effort has turned it into a period museum. It looks much like it would have back then, and there’s an assortment of actors playing the part of servants performing routine chores and pre-Industrial Revolution master tradesmen at work.
10Enjoy live music at Artpark
SolStock / Getty Images
A concert hall overlooking the Niagara Falls? Talk about a perfect location. After spending days appreciating the falls and vying with crowds of people for the best spot, being glad to be part of a crowd will be a nice change of pace. The Artpark amphitheater regularly draws famous bands for live concerts, and the park also puts on low-cost, family-oriented events. Whether music, art, or the outdoors is your passion, Artpark is the perfect stop.
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How Corporate Transparency can Save the World
Transparency is a central tenant of sustainability. There are powerful social, environmental and economic implications associated with transparency. Corporations are not the only ones that should be concerned about transparency; governments, employees, consumers and the whole of civil society all have a stake.
Transparency is about open access to an organization’s activities and this has implications for everything from climate change to the bottom line.
Starbuck’s CEO Howard Schultz effectively communicated the importance of transparency when he said:
“I think the currency of leadership is transparency. You’ve got to be truthful. I don’t think you should be vulnerable every day, but there are moments where you’ve got to share your soul and conscience with people and show them who you are, and not be afraid of it.”
Transparency is a trend that has been gaining momentum in recent years and in 2016 it has emerged as a critical success factor. Corporate disclosure is a key component of sustainability and a salient element in B Corporations. Transparency is now an imperative that is being integrated into university curricula.
As explained by Dr. Chet Chaffee, the Director of Sustainability at FirstCarbon Solutions:
“Many leading global companies today are embracing sustainability practices as they understand that this method is not simply a reporting exercise; they realize that full and transparent disclosure to all stakeholders is crucial for success.”
As reviewed in an Economist article, factors contributing to the rise of transparency include greater demands for corporate accountability from governments, investigative journalism, and NGO activism from organizations like Transparency International (TI) and Global Witness.
We have come a long way in the past two decades. Ben Elers of TI described the journey as follows: “Twenty years ago our work seemed an impossible dream. Now it’s coming true.”
Transparency is now de rigueur in supply chains as fashion start-up maven Laura McCann Ramsey explained in an interview with Apparel Magazine:
“Corporate initiatives around supply chain transparency have become just as essential as a brand’s logo, mission statement and value proposition,
As reported by the CDP, Sustainability, including transparency has been shown to be profitable. Investors, employees and other businesses are attracted to firms that engage in disclosure reporting and this contributes to the health and financial well-being of an organization.
Corporations are becoming more transparent because they want to keep up with the progressive efforts of their competition and position themselves to prosper going forward. In addition to a host long term economic returns, research even supports short term material benefits associated with transparency.
As quoted in the Economist article, George Serafeim of Harvard Business School said, “there is evidence that it [transparency] boosts the share price by signaling that management is tackling hidden risks.”
Transparency may be among the best tools we have to advance climate action. Making climate efforts public enhances a corporation’s self-awareness and invites public scrutiny. This can contribute to corporate mitigation and adaptation efforts. These efforts are aided by reporting initiatives like CDP’s Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI).
Transparency can also advance sustainable development. This is the view of many organizations including the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
“G8 leaders need to see transparency not as an end-goal, but as the means to an end. Transparency needs to increase accountability in natural resource management. It needs to empower local people affected by resource extraction projects,” said the IIED’s Dr Emma Wilson. “People affected by resource extraction projects or land investments need to be able to access the information that the various transparency initiatives gather.”
Another factor driving sustainability and corporate disclosure is consumer awareness. Businesses are also coming to the realization that transparency is an essential part of forging enduring ties with consumers. Consumers are well informed and they are demanding ever more information. More knowledge translates into more responsible buying behaviors. Consumers armed with accurate information have the power to change the world through their patronage, or lack thereof. Consumers are also exerting pressure on companies directly and they also influence stockholders to table resolutions.
Tax evasion and corruption
Transparency combats the kind of secrecy that facilitates tax evasion. The tangled web of corporate subsidiaries makes it difficult to identify tax havens. By aggregating their accounts, corporations commonly obscure their tax avoidance. Country by country reporting would expose this kind of shell game that is sadly altogether common. Transparency is also bulwark against excess and greed. The gaze of watchful eyes illuminates the shadows in which corruption and corporate malfeasance can grow.
Extractives (fossil fuels)
Nowhere is corruption more rampant than in the fossil fuel and other extractive industries. However, even here we are seeing signs of change. More than 50 countries and 90 companies have already signed on to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative’s (EITI) reporting guidelines. One of the companies that have backed the EITI initiative is Norway’s Statoil. Hege Marie Norheim, head of Statoil sustainability efforts, argues that disclosure is “better for the company’s long-term stability”.
Getting on-board affords a host of benefits while failing to engage entertains a range of risks. Being opaque makes an organization vulnerable to both reputational and financial risks. Leaks of information are one of the risks associated with opacity. In the digital age, containing these leaks is an impossible challenge. Leaks are part of a trend that is growing alongside disclosure. As reported in the Economist article, employees now, “see it as their civic duty to leak information if their employer is shady and secretive.”
Governments are not only a crucial part of the push for transparency they are also a pivotal source of resistance. As explained by George Cazenove of Tullow Oil, “it’s more often the governments than the companies that want the terms kept quiet.” For corporate disclosure to truly come into its own, governments must also be transparent. This needs to be a global effort. In the absence of a truly global initiative, such reporting could offer unfair short term advantages to companies that do not disclose.
Conceptually, the governments of wealthy nations are onboard, as revealed by the G20’s support of central registers. Countries like Britain and Denmark have made it known that their registers will be publicly accessible. While we are seeing movement from governments, there is much work that remains to be done.
Avoiding data fatigue
Data can enable companies, investors and the public to make better decisions. However, too much data can be just as problematic as too little. Corporate disclosures need to focus on relevant clusters of data so that less than honorable activities are discernable and not buried under a mountain of information.
There are also justified concerns that demanding too much data from companies can put unnecessary demands on corporations that do not ultimately contribute to the public good. As explained by the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Michael Meehan, large companies have “data fatigue”. Reporting every single data point can be counterproductive to global transparency initiatives.
While open access to raw data is useful, pertinent constellations of data and a review of relevant interrelationships between these clusters of data are needed. This is the type of work we are seeing from organizations like OpenCorporates. They have done a good job of data-scraping to cut through massive amounts of information to collate important data.
On its own, transparency is not a panacea, but if widely implemented, it could significantly contribute to our collective social, environmental and economic betterment. Consider what detailed disclosure could have achieved had it been implemented decades ago.
Transparency could have prevented the kind of tax dodging revealed in the Panama papers. Even more importantly, corporate disclosure could have revealed the relationship between fossil fuels and climate change. Our world would be radically better today if Exxon and other oil giants would have shared their insights into the relationship between climate change and fossil fuels. Had this been done it may have been enough to attenuate the climate crisis. At the very least, we may have engaged in climate action much sooner.
As explained in the Economist article:
“The world is still full of murky shell companies. But the direction of travel is clear. In tax and contract transparency, there is general acceptance that change is coming, like it or not.”
Today’s savvy consumers and a growing number of corporations want transparency and tomorrow’s consumers will expect it. The future is calling corporations to weave transparency into their DNA.
Source: Global Warming is Real
Event – World Hydrogen Energy Conference (WHEC)
The End of Fossil Fuel Subsidies
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The Grove Museum
Explore Florida's history from slavery to civil rights
We prioritize the health and safety of the public and our employees. After careful consideration, The Grove Museum will be closed to the public until further notice. Previously scheduled events that would have otherwise included the public will be either cancelled or rescheduled for a later date. Please contact us at 850-363-5688 for more information. For now, check out our Virtual Tours.
(Closed Until Further Notice)
Grounds open Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
House open for tours Wednesday through Friday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Guided tours on slavery and civil rights in American history offered on the hour during house open hours. Last tour begins at 3:00 p.m.
Grounds and house CLOSED Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
General admission to The Grove Museum is free. Guided tours of the museum focus on slavery and civil rights in American history, through the lens of The Grove and its former residents.
Prearranged tours for groups of ten (10) or more are available at $1.00 per guest. Please contact [email protected] in advance to make group tour arrangements.
Visitor parking is located at 902 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee, Florida 32303.
Recent/Upcoming Virtual Programs
Facebook Live: Storytime
December 9, 10:30 a.m.
Facebook Live: Nature Walk
December 16, 2:00 p.m.
Community Book Club: Beloved
The mission of The Grove Museum is to preserve and interpret the Call-Collins House, its surrounding acreage, and its historical collections, in order to engage the public in dialogue about civil rights and American history.
Built by enslaved craftspeople, the ca. 1840 Call-Collins House at The Grove is one of the best preserved antebellum residences in Florida. Home to several generations of the Call and Collins families, mostly recently LeRoy and Mary Call Collins, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The house and 10.5-acre grounds underwent an award-winning rehabilitation under the leadership of the Florida Department of State and opened to the public in 2017 as The Grove Museum.
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Just How Catholic Is the Declaration of Independence?
By Bradley J. Birzer|2020-07-31T22:24:04-05:00August 1st, 2020|Categories: American Founding, American Republic, Bradley J. Birzer, Catholicism, Christianity, Declaration of Independence, History, Senior Contributors, Thomas Jefferson|
An oft-reprinted editorial, “Did Bellarmine Whisper to Thomas Jefferson?,” suggests that the American statesman might have been influenced by Robert Bellarmine. While recent scholarship has confirmed that Jefferson came to Bellarmine through the works of the radical Protestant intermediary, Algernon Sydney, is the Declaration of Independence really influenced by Catholic teaching?
In the wake of Pope Leo’s nineteenth-century papacy and especially in the interwar years of the twentieth century, there was a serious revival of Thomastic thought among Catholics. Spear-headed by academics/public intellectuals such as Jacques Maritain, Etienne Gilson, and Thomas Gilby, scholars became intensely interested not just in St. Thomas Aquinas but in his sixteenth-century Jesuit followers often known as “neo Thomists,” such as the Spaniards Francisco Suarez (1548-1617) and Juan de Mariana (1536-1624) and the Italian, Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621). Could it be possible, for example, that Aquinas’s On Kingship or Contra Summa Gentiles might speak eloquently and profoundly to the post-medieval world? Might Bellarmine, for example, have anticipated Jefferson, and might Aquinas prophetically have offered solutions to the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution? After all, many thought, Aquinas’s followers had argued for the sustaining of the “divine duty of monarchs”—to give oneself completely to the community—rather than the more Protestant “divine right of kings.”
On May 20, 1937, an oft-reprinted editorial, “Did Bellarmine Whisper to Thomas Jefferson?,” first appeared in the Catholic Courier in Rochester, New York. It saw republication innumerable times over the next nineteen years (its last appearance was in 1956) in parish and diocesan newspapers. As the title not-so-subtly suggests, Jefferson might have been influenced by Robert Bellarmine. While recent scholarship has confirmed that Jefferson came to Bellarmine through the works of the radical Protestant intermediary, Algernon Sydney, [1] this 1937 article, though, implied that Jefferson of 1776 had carefully read Bellarmine of 1576. “Nearly two centuries apart they lived—Robert Bellarmine, Catholic theologian, and Thomas Jefferson, an American patriot,” the article notes. “Yet their pens inked out philosophies so similarly sound and God-like that we wonder, we Catholics, whether at least a whisper from the great theologian did not reach the ear of the great statesman as he pondered and wrote his historic document.”[2] After providing a number of quotes from Jefferson and Bellarmine that made the two seem to be best friends and allies, the article concluded: “Government by consent of the governed” has been Catholic teaching down the ages. The 16th-century doctrine of the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ was, and is, as repellent to the Catholic as it is to the American and when one is both Catholic and American, it is just twice as repellent. So here’s to Cardinal Bellarmine and Statesman Jefferson! May their philosophies ever govern our land and may they conquer those poor lands where ‘kings still can do no wrong’ and where no man dare say them ‘nay’!”[3] With this conclusion, each article then referred the reader to a specific local Catholic authority to discover authentic Catholic teaching on political and philosophical matters.
A similar article—in format and intent—appeared in a Cincinnati Catholic paper in August 1945, just as the Second World War was coming to an end. Reporting on an article issued from the Vatican, the Cincinnati paper asserted:
The similarity of the ideas of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence and those found in the writings of St. Robert Bellarmine forms the subject of a long article in a recent issue of the Vatican’s “Osservatore Romano.” This resemblance has often been pointed out, some Catholics even going to far as to declare that the saint, an Italian Cardinal who died more than 150 years before the Declaration of Independence, was Jefferson’s chief inspiration when he wrote the historic document. While the “Osservatore” article is more restrained in its claims, it nevertheless points out several interesting parallels, not only in thought but also in expression, between the Cardinal’s writings and the Declaration of Independence.[4]
As with the previous article reprinted from 1937 through 1956, this 1945 article places certain Bellarmine quotes in tandem with certain Jefferson quotes, and the two, not surprisingly, sound very much alike. The 1945 article, though, cautioned the reader against making too direct a connection between the Italian Jesuit and the American statesman.
Although the similarity between the ideas of the Cardinal and those of Jefferson is evident, the degree of the influence of the former on the latter is not clear. The American intelligentsia of the period of the War of Independence had some knowledge of the Cardinal’s teachings, but for the most part only indirectly, through the writings of non-Catholic philosophers, some of whom quoted Bellarmine only to reject his theories. Jefferson himself possessed such a book that summarized Bellarmine’s theory of government. He was also familiar with the writings of philosophers who may have been influenced by the Cardinal, and he was acquainted with the Carrolls of Maryland, a Catholic family whose sons were educated in European Catholic schools and who were probably conversant with Bellarmine’s works. But whether the American statesman read and discussed the Catholic philosopher’s ideas to any great extent before he wrote the Declaration of Independence cannot be proved, especially since Jefferson was only 33 in 1776.[5]
Yet, the 1945 article concludes, one does not need to provide direct causation. It is enough to know that Bellarmine anticipated the ideas of the Declaration of Independence by over a century and a half. Indeed, the article points out, Bellarmine had made all of his arguments before the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, thus proving that Catholics had reached such philosophy before non-Catholics. Even Bellarmine was not necessarily original. “Nor did Bellarmine’s teachings rise full grown from an arid soil,” the article concludes. “The doctrine he taught, perhaps with more specific details than anyone before him, was a logical conclusion of the philosophical system of the medieval schoolmen, which in turn was the philosophical expression of the teachings of the Catholic Church.”[6] No doubt, there lurks the stench of jingoism and partisanship in these articles.
The argument about the relationship of Catholic teaching to the American founding, though, reached its conclusion with John Courtney Murray’s 1960 book, We Hold These Truths. But sadly, this must be a topic for a different essay.
The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.
[1] See, for example, the excellent work of Donald Lutz.
[2] My quotes are taken from “Did Bellarmine Whisper to Thomas Jefferson?” in The Brookfield (Missouri) Argus (October 17, 1947), page 3.
[3] “Did Bellarmine Whisper to Thomas Jefferson?” in The Brookfield (Missouri) Argus (October 17, 1947), pg 3.
[4] “Bellarmine and Jefferson,” Cincinnati (OH) Catholic Telegraph Register (August 31, 1945), pg. 3.
The featured image is a combination of Robert Bellarmine and Thomas Jefferson. Both have been brightened for clarity and are in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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About the Author: Bradley J. Birzer
Bradley J. Birzer is the co-founder of, and Senior Contributor at, The Imaginative Conservative. He is the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in History at Hillsdale College and Fellow of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Dr. Birzer is author of In Defense of Andrew Jackson, Russell Kirk: American Conservative, American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll, Sanctifying the World: The Augustinian Life and Mind of Christopher Dawson, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-Earth, co-editor of The American Democrat and Other Political Writings by James Fenimore Cooper, and co-author of The American West.
The Historical Case Against Censorship
With Charity For All: What Joe Biden Should Learn From Abe Lincoln
Sensing the Dangers of Romantic Sensibility
James Otis, Then and Now
robert r reilly Aug 8, 2020 at 6:20 pm - Reply
To be more specific, Jefferson possessed a copy of Sir Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha, which, in order to refute Bellarmine, contained extensive quotations from Bellarmine’s work. So Jefferson would at least have known those.
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My Other Publications
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The New Kid on the Block: Mike Leake
Posted on June 13, 2010 by benweinrib
Here we are, 72 days into the season, and Nationals’ superstar prospect Stephen Strasburg has only started two games. Seven selections later in the 2009 Draft, the Reds selected Mike Leake, a polished starting pitcher out of Arizona State. Instead of giving Leake time to further develop in the minors, the Reds made Leake only the 20th player to bypass the minor leagues. Now he has a 2.68 ERA and no losses through 12 starts; Leake is clearly the best pitcher on their staff.
This off-season, all the chatter was about Stephen Strasburg and a Reds rookie pitcher. No, not Leake, but flamethrowing Cuban Aroldis Chapman. Leake went completely under the radar and stepped up in Spring Training to seize the final spot in the Cincinnati rotation over Chapman and Travis Wood.
Leake has never been a flashy player. He’s listed at 6’1″ but is really more like 5’11”, rarely hits higher then 92 on the radar, and induces lots of ground balls. Before the draft, a Reds scout went to see him pitch, trying to find a reason to dislike him, but he couldn’t. Leake is athletic, he has a wide arsenal of pitches, and he can pitch deep into games. Most importantly, he gets the job done.
Mike Leake's game as scrappy as his hair and beard
Leake spent three years Arizona State, and ended up as one of the most dominating pitchers in college. The first two years, his ERA stayed in the mid-3.00s and complied 24 wins and two saves. Nothing too special, batters hit .256 off him. But he made a big leap in his junior year. Leake started 18 games as a Sun Devil and won 16 of them. His ERA was more then halved, from 3.59 to 1.71. The opposition only hit .193 against him. His strikeout rate rocketed from 7.17 to 10.27 per nine innings. All of a sudden, Leake became the best college pitcher after Stephen Strasburg.
Leake’s dominance is even more surprising considering his competition. Whereas Strasburg pitched against the likes of Utah, New Mexico, and Wagner, Leake consistently played against the big boys in a major conference. Arizona State is one of the most stories college baseball programs, reaching 22 College World Series and winning five of them.
Whether it was lack of size or elite velocity, Leake fell into the Reds’ lap at #8 in the draft, and they found themselves a great young starting pitcher. Featuring a sinking fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup, Leake has been off to a historic season. He is the first Cincinnati pitcher ever – not just rookie – to go undefeated after 12 starts. Leake owns a 5-0 record and a 2.68 ERA, both a testament to his hard work and determination.
Not only has Leake stepped up to enter the record books, but he has also stepped up into the role of the Reds ace. Leake is the only Reds starter to have an ERA under 4.50, and he is nearly two runs below that! In eight out of twelve starts, he has given up two or less runs, and in seven starts he’s surrendered two or less walks. Leake has even stepped up at the plate, where he is hitting .400 through 31 trips to the plate.
By now, it is clear the Reds made the right decision when they chose Mike Leake for the final spot in the rotation over Chapman and Wood. The common thought on young pitchers is to give them plenty of time in the minors for two reasons: to give them more seasoning and to save money.
Last season, the Braves had a very good pitching prospect, Tommy Hanson. They wanted to prevent him from reaching Super Two Status, so they left him to dominate in the Minors for the first two months of the year. From that point on, Hanson won 13 games and was lights out for most of the year. The Braves finished the season 5 games out of the playoffs. It’s very conceivable that if Hanson had an extra 10-12 starts, the Braves would have made the playoffs. They chose money of winning.
One year later, the Braves were in the same situation. Jason Heyward, the next big thing, crushed major league pitching in spring training and deserved a spot on the 25-man Opening Day roster. Trying not to make the same mistake they made the year previous, Atlanta opted to let the young star play a full season in the majors. Now, they lead the NL East by 1.5 games over the Mets.
The Nationals were in a similar situation at the start of this season when dealing with Stephen Strasburg. They had a choice to make between winning and money. Keep Stephen Strasburg for an extra year at a lower cost or have two extra months of Strasburg. They chose the former, and look where they are now: 5.5 games out of the playoffs. There is no doubt that if the Nats had given Strasburg 12 extra starts over the likes of J.D. Martin and Luis Atilano, Washington could be atop the NL East. So, maybe having Strasburg for two months in his rookie season isn’t as valuable as he will be in 5 years, but winning now is more important then winning later.
So after letting their prized prospect just straight to the Bigs, the Reds can only be pleased with what they see. They have a future top-of-the-rotation stud in Leake and are perched atop the NL Central. Cincy made their choice between winning and money, and the decision clearly will make an impact on your season. So which do you want: the money, or the wins?
Categories: MLB | Leave a comment
Running Diary
Top 20 Jason Derulo Songs
Top 10 DJ Khaled Songs
2018 MLB.com articles
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a repost: AFRICOM’s Oily Skin: Why the U.S. Still Wants Its Military In Africa
April 7, 2017 by The Melanin Man in Politics from a Black-Concious Perspective, Randomness..., Reposts
Article posted on Atlanta Blackstar (click link for original)
With the recent United Nations Security Council’s adoption of resolution 2349 condemning terrorism and encouraging military cooperation in Africa’s Lake Chad Basin, an international spotlight will once again be cast upon the contested region near Nigeria’s northeast border. While much attention was justifiably given to the kidnapping of 276 school girls by the militant group Boko Haram in 2014, little attention has been paid to the increasing role of AFRICOM— a U.S.-led military entity officially labeled the United States Africa Command— and its claims in its professed mission to protect and stabilize the region.
Even less attention has been given to why AFRICOM was created in the first place. The organization touts its “core mission of assisting African states and regional organizations to strengthen their defense capabilities better enables Africans to address their security threats and reduces threats to U.S. interests.” However, given Africans did not ask for their assistance — AFRICOM was forced to set up headquarters in Germany in 2008 because they were not welcome on the continent — some question both its presence and its very existence as an organization.
“There are those of us who believe there are ulterior motives and other agendas in play,” says Mark P. Fancher, an attorney and blogger who has followed AFRICOM since its inception.
Fancher acknowledges the eight-year Boko Haram insurgency against the Nigerian government and how most of the news coming out of the region is concentrated on acts of terrorism and human rights atrocities. But, he clarifies the incomplete nature of such accounts.
“The other thing that has been going on there for about 30 years is exploration for oil,” says Fancher, explaining “they believe they’re getting closer to being able to actually extract deposits and make it a new source of oil.”
As far back as 2008, years before the international community had even heard of the imposed moniker Boko Haram, the militant group had successfully run Chinese oil interests out of the potentially lucrative region. Recent estimates from the Nigerian government and related industry experts have hovered around two billion barrels of oil with roughly 14.65 trillion standard cubic feet of natural gas in the Chad Basin.
Within the past few months, Fancher says, AFRICOM “has taken it upon itself to assemble representatives for military forces in the region, along with a few European military forces, to chart out a plan for stabilizing the region specifically with respect to Boko Haram.” Well prior to the recent UN Security Council Resolution, he notes, AFRICOM had targeted April for “plotting out a military offensive against Boko Haram.”
It’s certainly not the first time AFRICOM has plotted such an offensive on African soil. In fact, its rapid expansion on the continent can mostly be credited to the dramatic events of October 2011 as Western air strikes lit up the skies of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The Obama-backed NATO coalition had targeted longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi — considered for years to be the most powerful man in Africa, given his former chairmanship of the African Union and the stable, oil-rich nation he led for 42 years — for regime change ostensibly to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 and “an immediate ceasefire” in Libya, including an end to “current attacks against civilians.”
However, ulterior Western motives were apparent from the beginning of the mission. One that moved from protecting “citizens” to facilitating “regime change” to break Gaddafi’s powerful influence on the continent. As founder, primary funder and a former chair of the African Union who’d committed billions to establishing the continent’s independence from foreign manipulation—he worked toward a continental gold standard and the creation of an African Union Development Bank—Gaddafi posed a serious roadblock to foreign business interests in Africa and was a vocal critic at times of western intervention in Africa. Consistently, AFRICOM’s 2008 establishment of its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, rather than in Africa itself was largely a result of the Libyan leader’s cash and investment offerings to African nations who rejected U.S. requests for continental military bases. With Gaddafi eliminated, AFRICOM now has a presence by way of projects, operations or engagements in almost every country on the continent.
Such motives are far from unprecedented. The Berlin Conference, initiated in 1884, systematized Europe’s imperial desires and ushered in an era of brutal colonial activity that squashed existing forms of African self-governance for land grabs and the extraction of the continent’s natural resources. Such repression was abetted by numerous Western oil companies in the 20th century which, despite mid-century independence movements, still maintained a considerable influence over Africa’s economic and political activities. Fast forward to 2008 and one could question how much has changed given the creation of AFRICOM amidst a steadily increasing Chinese footprint on the continent and an American desire to reestablish itself through the threat or use of military might. The 2011 NATO coalition that both stoked and capitalized upon Libyan civil unrest represents a 21st-century continuum of the imperial policies established in Berlin long ago.
The emergence of armed insurgents like Boko Haram, in Nigeria has recently over-shadowed its recognition as Africa’s most populous nation, its largest economy and biggest oil producer. Given ongoing corruption and the foreign extraction of much-needed resources and revenues, large parts of the country lack basic infrastructure while disparities in wealth and education are substantial. Such inequity and instability provide a breeding ground for reaction and ideological fervor.
And once the terror spreads, what better way to capitalize upon such instability then to wage conflicts by proxy where Western business interests can appear as if their hands are clean while extracting oil revenues to the tune of billions? Or, as Dan Glazebrook stated in his May 2012 article for Counterpunch, “The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan showed the West that wars in which their own citizens get killed are not popular. … AFRICOM is designed to ensure that in the coming colonial wars against Africa, it will be Africans who do the fighting and dying, not Westerners.”
But in person or by proxy, “AFRICOM has no business in Africa in the first place,” Fancher says. “To the extent there are military needs, Africa has its own armies and those are the military forces most appropriate for addressing the security concerns within their own countries.”
What they don’t need, Fancher continues, is “the United States jumping into these situations.”
But, he adds, “the U.S. does it because it has its own agenda.”
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3 thoughts on “a repost: AFRICOM’s Oily Skin: Why the U.S. Still Wants Its Military In Africa”
Kushite Prince says:
They wanted Africom over there when Bush was in office. I had many African friends tell me they knew the agenda. Then they tried to trick Africans when Obama was elected. Obama was supposed to be a “friend” to Africans. Of course we found out otherwise. It’s all about manipulation and having global control. Like I always say,Amerikka is in Africa to find GOD. Gold,Oil and Diamonds!
themelanatedman says:
Gold, oil, and diamonds…thats a good one KP. May have to use that one later.
It’s okay you have my permission to use it.lol
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The Folly of Big-Time Sports P.6- a repost: ‘I’ll Die for This Damn Sport’: Football, Concussions and Why African-Americans Continue to Brave the Risk
August 2, 2017 by The Melanin Man in Entertainment Industrial Complex, Randomness..., Reposts
Originally article posted on Atlanta Blackstar
By D. Amari Jackson 7/31/2017
On an episode of the current season of the popular Netflix reality docuseries “Last Chance U,” Isaiah Wright — star sophomore running back for East Mississippi Community College — gets pulled from a game in the first half for precautionary measures, having sustained a concussion the week prior. During a dramatic halftime exchange with a coach who explains they are trying to protect him, an irate and desperate Wright shouts, “I don’t care about me, I wanna play football! I’ll die for this damn sport!”
Wright’s precarious affinity for football is motivated as much by economics as his passion for the game. A foster youth abandoned by his single mother, the talented Tennessee native sees the violent sport as his one chance at “making it” in life and realizing a more fortunate existence for himself and his loved ones.
Wright is not alone. For numerous young African-Americans and their families across the country, football is commonly viewed as their “one shot” at changing their impoverished reality. Despite the daunting odds — a mere 3.9 percent of Division I draft-eligible collegians of all races were chosen in the 2016 NFL draft — the potential rewards of a lucrative NFL contract often outweigh the inherent dangers of a brutal game.
Unlike the mental fog suffered by a concussed baller, these dangers have recently become clear. In a new study by Boston University researcher Dr. Ann McKee, Mckee examined the brains of 202 deceased football players and discovered 110 of the 111 brains of NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by head trauma. To make matters worse, 56 percent of the brains of collegiate players studied had severe CTE, and 44 percent had mild cases, as did the brains of three high school players. Even mild cases are known to present a troubling array of progressive symptoms, including depression, behavioral abnormalities, anxiety, memory loss, impulsivity, explosive anger, cognitive issues, suicidal tendencies and abuse, both chemical and physical. The study further revealed the most common cause of death among those with mild CTE to be suicide. Such recent and revealing data has caused a number of players to walk away from the game.
“When you’re running down the field full-speed on kickoff team, they relate the impact to that of a car accident,” says Michael Peterson, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and former defensive back and special teams player for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. A member of Tech’s 2009 ACC Championship team, the talented painter and conceptual artist has drawn attention to the violence and toll football takes on players through artwork exhibited at museums and galleries across the country. “In the late ’60s or early ’70s, there was an article in Life magazine on football, and the title of it was ‘Suicide Squad,’” says Peterson, who, during research for an art project, found that the moniker was what players of previous generations commonly used to call the kickoff team. “It kind of blows my mind that they were forecasting what’s transpiring today.”
African-Americans comprise 70 percent of current NFL players. Given that a third of white NFL players occupy such low-collision positions as kicker, punter or quarterback, Black pros are far more likely to sustain concussions. While the NFL has gone to great lengths to keep a lid on the link between repetitive head trauma and progressive brain disease, its more recent commitment to minimizing such injuries can only do so much in an inherently violent sport.
Especially since the trauma need not be repetitive. “When you suffer a blow — a single blow or repetitive — you may have immediate symptoms or may not have immediate symptoms,” explained Dr. Bennett Omalu in a December 2015 interview with Vice Sports. Omalu, the forensic pathologist and neuropathologist portrayed by Will Smith in the film “Concussion,” first recognized CTE as a serious concern for sports involving head trauma. “The absence of symptoms does not mean you haven’t suffered cellular injury,” he said. “CTE is neurodegenerative. It gets worse. Concussion is part of the spectrum, but it is not the underlying cause. The underlying cause is [brain trauma], the factor that initiated the cascade of events.”
Still, while many acknowledge the risk, American dreams die hard. An estimated two-thirds of Black boys believe they can be professional athletes, and African-American parents are four times more likely than white parents to believe the same. Such dreams are fostered by years of propaganda, in outdated Horatio Alger references and endlessly looped depictions of urban lotto winners. They have little relation to the infinitesimal chances and stark realities they obscure. Even when presented with the grim reality of the odds they face, that athletes are exponentially more likely to get head trauma than an NFL contract, many cling to these dreams, as they are unwilling to face the spirit-breaking economics of their absence.
“A lot of folks in sports are using it as their ticket out of their circumstances,” says Peterson, noting the competitive edge of teammates playing “for a way bigger reason.” For such players, concussions are mere and expected bumps on their field of dreams.
“I haven’t had any recorded concussions,” offers Peterson, intoning about how head trauma commonly goes untreated at all levels of the game. “But I have had my bell rung, I have seen stars, I have been dizzy and I have had the little ones.” These are unlike a normal injury, he says, where “Someone is going to cart you off the field or you’re going to limp off. With concussions, you don’t really recognize them, especially the small ones.” In addition, says Peterson, football is “a very masculine sport, and its hard sometimes to say that you are in pain when a limb is not dangling.”
Even so, football isn’t all about pain, trauma or impossible dreams. Beyond the brutality lies power, speed, strategy, technique, intellect and, yes, even beauty and grace. Those who doubt this have likely never played the game, never fully recognized its artistry, or never truly appreciated the gridiron’s storied past, nor its fast-paced present, as represented by the ballet-like fluidity of a Gale Sayers, a Lynn Swann or an Odell Beckham; the power and drive of a Jim Brown, a Walter Payton or a Marshawn Lynch; the awe-inspiring dominance of a Lawrence Taylor or a Reggie White; the skill, precision and intellect of a Warren Moon, a Steve McNair or a Cam Newton; the symphonic movement of a Barry Sanders; and the once-in-a-lifetime instincts and ability of a Sean Taylor.
Undoubtedly, the game imparts its many lessons, ones particularly valuable for less fortunate youth regardless of whether they play for a year or two decades. It offers all the components of a compelling metaphor for life — active awareness, situational analysis, intense preparation, discipline, decision making under pressure, mental and physical toughness, teamwork, strategy, effective management of fear, and mastery of self.
That said, it is a sport of contrasts, one as destructive as it is constructive, as expressive as it is debilitating. Outside of the kickers who occasionally prance upon the field to apply their specialty at little risk, and the zebra-striped whistle-toters who dot the field just out of harm’s way, no one can escape its violence. Make no mistake, the game has a cost, one far more pricey than the admission paid by legions of rabid weekend groupies to witness the punishing spectacle.
Peterson is ever reminded of this. One of the reasons he portrays the cost and violence of the game in his art is his connection to an NFL idol who succumbed to the sport’s dark side. “I did have people that I grew up with that committed suicide because of football,” he says, citing the shocking July 2012 suicide of NFL defensive back and fellow Tampa native O.J. Murdock. Murdock’s brain was one of those subsequently studied by CTE researchers. Noting he played football with Murdock’s little brother in Tampa, Peterson details how the tragedy inspired his 2014 artwork “Pursuit of Vanity: Pistol Formation,” which consists of the jersey nameplates of famous NFL players who have committed suicide. The nameplates, including that of late All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, are hung in the shape of a pistol.
“When I added O.J. to the list, it felt surreal, it felt awkward,” acknowledges Peterson. “These things are continuing to occur, so I’m honoring these guys but also shedding light onto the severity of the situation.”
Still, despite the established dangers, there is ever that slim chance, one steeped in the passion for and the economics of a violent-yet-lucrative sport, that a kid from the lowest socioeconomic rung of our society can separate from the pile, break free from those trying to pull him down, and win at the larger game of life. In a recent segment for “The United States of Football” — a documentary exploring the cumulative effect of repetitive head trauma and based on a father’s uncertainty over allowing his son to play — Pro Football Hall of Fame member and current commentator Cris Carter spoke openly about the inherent health hazards of his beloved game. Responding to the need for the NFL and related media to promote an awareness of these hazards, Carter clarified why many, like Isaiah Wright, will continue to brave the risk.
“I believe,” said Carter, “it is also our responsibility to convey to kids that they have the right to have the same dream that I did.”
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3 thoughts on “The Folly of Big-Time Sports P.6- a repost: ‘I’ll Die for This Damn Sport’: Football, Concussions and Why African-Americans Continue to Brave the Risk”
Interesting! I didn’t know the violence of football had so many risks. I mean, all I’m used to seeing is the physical damage, but the body is resilient. The brain/mind, not so much. My mom used to always say that I’d many a ball player and I always shirked the thought; through tv interviews and old classmates, I generally found them dumb And I still think many of them are, but it may not be from lack of knowledge or a poor education; football may have gotten to them.
Thanks for sharing this. Luckily my nephew is into soccer!
The Melanin Man says:
That’s funny. Parents and their visions smh lol
Yea she is funny! And you’d think she’d know my type by now 😒
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Over 40% Won’t Travel in 2021
According to a survey of 1,500 people, commissioned by AccuraCast, 41.5 percent of respondents said they did not plan to travel in 2021. The survey asked consumers what was the most important aspect of a travel insurance policy and the majority of respondents said they did not plan to travel in 2021, so wouldn’t have any need for travel insurance.
While this is good news for health officials, it spells continued trouble for the travel industry, which has globally suffered a loss of 75 million jobs and $2.1 trillion in revenue, according to estimates from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The top priority for travel insurance – for those who were planning to travel – was ‘cancellation due to Covid restrictions’ (21 percent), followed closely by ‘medical cover, including Covid cover’ (11.5 percent). It would seem that delays were no longer such a worry for consumers, with only 3 percent of respondents stating it was the most important aspect of a travel insurance policy.
Those in the 65 year plus age group were most likely to say they would not travel in 2021, (50.5 percent). In contrast, only 36 percent of 18 to 24 year olds surveyed said they would not travel – making this group the most likely to travel in 2021. Respondents aged between 35 and 44 years were most likely to rank ‘cancellations due to Covid restrictions’ as their priority. Respondents aged 45 and over weren’t as worried about cancellation cover, presumably because health concerns take priority for travellers in this age group.
With the travel industry already taking a massive hit in 2020, the results of the survey show that 2021 isn’t going to be an easy ride back to normality for the industry. Marketeers in both the travel and insurance industries need to continue conserving resources, improving the experience for current customers, and focusing on the unique service proposition that differentiates the business from competitors.
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The show will go on as the BOA gives the gift of theatre this Christmas
Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) has announced that an exclusive recording of The Snow Queen, first performed at The Old Rep in December 2019, will be made available to school children across the region this Christmas.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, the show was produced, performed and filmed by talented young students at BOA alongside leading industry professionals.
With the current Covid-19 pandemic causing many theatres to close their doors this winter, an exclusive recording of the show will now be shared with local primary and secondary schools.
The recording will be available to view from Tuesday December 1, so pupils across the region can be united in experiencing the fun and festivity of a Christmas theatre production.
Gaynor Cheshire, CEO of the BOA Group, comments: “We’re delighted that young people at schools across the region have the opportunity to enjoy this exclusive recording of The Snow Queen. We know that Christmas will feel a little different this year but we’re so excited to bring people together to watch a traditional Christmas production - it’s what makes this time of year so special! This film truly captures the magic of live theatre and we can’t wait to bring a little theatrical sparkle into the classroom.”
BOA is part of the BOA Group and a sister school to BOA Stage & Screen, a brand-new academy opening in September 2021. Located in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, BOA Stage & Screen will be a state-funded academy for 16-19 year olds specialising in technical theatre, film and broadcast production.
Gaynor Cheshire continues: “The Snow Queen production is a fantastic insight into the unique experience that BOA students can enjoy and what future pupils at BOA Stage & Screen can look forward to. We pride ourselves on giving talented young people an exceptional education as well as exciting opportunities to gain real-life, on-the-ground industry experience. It’s never been more important to invest in the next generation of creative talent and The Snow Queen is a wonderful example of what our gifted students can achieve.”
Gary Stevens, General Manager and Operations Director at The Old Rep, comments: “We were thrilled to work with students at BOA on this production of The Snow Queen. Our mission is to engage, educate and entertain the next generation of artists and theatre lovers and it’s so rewarding to work with up-and-coming talent - both on the stage and behind-the-scenes. Our doors may currently be closed, but it’s fantastic to see that the skill, passion and enthusiasm of young creative talent is still very much on show.”
The recording will be provided to primary and secondary schools free of charge, and will also be available for families to view at home. Participating schools are being asked to share photos of their special ‘Snow Queen Screenings’ on social media using the hashtag #SnowQueenChristmas.
To enjoy the exclusive recording of The Snow Queen, visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/imagineBOA from Tuesday 1 December 2020.
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April/May/June 2020
Can The Liberal World Order Survive Another Four Years of Trump?
Probably not. Here’s why.
by Wesley K. Clark
Amy Swan
This essay is part of a package imagining the policy consequences of a second Trump term. Read the rest of the essays here. And, if you enjoy what you’re reading, please consider making a donation—we’re a nonprofit media organization and rely on the support of our readers. In return for a contribution of $50 or more, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription to our print edition.
Donald Trump’s critics have often charged him with ignorance and a lack of a strategic approach to foreign policy. This is a profound misunderstanding of the president. In fact, Trump has always had a certain strategy, based on his “gut” and his experience with international business and business personalities. It is a strategy built on old-style U.S. isolationism and an appreciation of the new realities of international business. His reelection will confirm a profound realignment in U.S. security policies and U.S. military priorities. This strategy will be based on transactional values and uninhibited by history and experience.
For more than 70 years the United States has maintained its powerful grip on western Europe, an outgrowth of World War II and the subsequent Cold War challenge of the Soviet Union. The principal instrument of U.S. influence has been NATO, in which the U.S. provided the dominant military component while the Europeans provided the geography, and a lesser degree of financial commitment and defense resources. It was a matter of mutual using—we used the Europeans’ diplomatic and financial clout to serve what we believed were vital U.S. interests, not only in Europe but also beyond, and they got a powerful security umbrella, under which they could devote proportionately greater resources to social welfare without fear of renewed intra-European conflict. With more than 500 million people, a GDP that rivals our own, and a culture that largely shares our own values, Europe was our natural partner—and the transatlantic partnership has been hugely successful in promoting peace and prosperity.
After his reelection, President Trump is likely to gut NATO of its significance. Expect policy changes by tweet. Russia will no longer be seen as a threat. NATO enlargement will cease, and support for Ukraine and Georgia will be curtailed. Countries will be expected to spend more than 2 percent of their GDP on defense, and they will pay more for U.S. troop presence and exercises. Article 5—collective defense—will be conditioned. Security arrangements will be created with the United Kingdom outside NATO, and NATO will be held hostage to more favorable U.S. trade terms. Should the European Union resist U.S. economic pressures, the president will bring leverage through diminished American support for NATO.
The United States will look increasingly to the financial consequences of its alignments and alliances. China will be able to purchase a U.S. withdrawal from the western Pacific.
The consequence will be an opening for Russia to exploit the particular weaknesses of each of these countries, politically, economically, or informationally, further weakening not only NATO but also the EU. Europe, including western Europe, will be open for deeper penetration by Russia and China.
In the Mideast, the U.S. will anchor a U.S.-Israeli-Saudi alliance directed against Iran. American forces will leave Iraq and Syria. Russia will be viewed increasingly as a sometime partner, sometime collaborator, and sometime adversary as it consolidates its control over Syrian and Libyan oil and stabilizes Turkey’s expansionist tendencies. ISIS will become a weapon used primarily against Iran and the Kurds, reducing parts of Iran to a failed state. But U.S. military efforts, largely directed against ISIS, will be curtailed.
In Africa, U.S. investment efforts to increase its influence under an enhanced U.S. International Development Finance Corporation will be too little, too late. An expanding Russian military and contract military footprint will further grow Russian influence over not just Europe and the country’s own oil and gas needs, but also its investment flows into Africa. Continuing large Chinese investments in resource-rich southern African countries will enable China to find the resource security it seeks.
In both the Mideast and Africa the consequence will be continuing low-level conflict and a loss of broader American influence.
The U.S. military needed to pursue the America First strategy will be subtly transformed with higher technology and smaller forces, even as the defense budget grows. The emphasis will be on defense, not intervention, and where there is intervention, it will be a quick strike and then withdrawal. Forward forces will be largely withdrawn, including, at last, from Afghanistan. Active, multiple lines of defense along our southern border will be established, with the U.S. Border Patrol increasingly supplemented by deep intelligence and backstopped by mobilized National Guard forces.
The Army will likely face the greatest cutbacks, with withdrawals of forward forces from Korea and Europe enabling major units to be cut. Special Operations Forces will be protected, even as some forces are withdrawn from Africa. The National Guard can expect to be well funded and to receive expanded missions in fields such as cyber-defense and border reinforcements. High-tech projects like directed energy weapons, hypersonic missiles, glide aircraft, and space-directed efforts will continue.
The Navy will be sustained with a focus on its missions in the Mideast and the Indo-Pacific, but it will be seen as particularly valuable as leverage in securing the right trade arrangements with China. In the end, it will sustain deep cutbacks in ships, and especially aircraft carrier battle groups, as the U.S. pulls away from its extended overseas commitments.
In Asia, the U.S. will look increasingly to the financial consequences of its alignments and alliances. Temporarily, Japan and South Korea will be able to maintain a U.S. presence and commitment by substantially raising their “host nation support” payments. But in order to move forward with a resolution of U.S. trade issues with China, the president is likely to trade off U.S. forward presence in the western Pacific; the key issue will be the price. These military commitments will be viewed in transactional terms—how and how much will China pay for the U.S. to depart the region?
The consequence in Asia will be to avoid an armed conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea—the so-called Thucydides trap—but it will also trade U.S. alliances for an economic purchase of American withdrawal, greatly increased Chinese power in the area, and reduced U.S. influence.
In Latin America, the president’s principal aim will be to drive back immigration, including illegal immigration. Foreign assistance will be directed to those countries and activities that can best preclude immigration. A secondary aim will be to ensure that U.S. companies can exploit any particular resource opportunities, for example the massive oil find off the coast of Guyana, and to maintain the current trade balances under the newly agreed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
History and experience would teach us that these policies are unwise. In two world wars in the twentieth century, the United States determined that it could not allow a hostile power to dominate Europe. Three generations of American leaders faithfully sustained that lesson, maintained peace, and ensured that the United States—and American values—maintained their dominance through the Cold War and post–Cold War period across the globe. But that lesson, and the alliances and forces that enabled it, and the world that was built with American values and American blood, will be left behind with the 2020 reelection of President Donald Trump. Long-term security will be negotiated away for short-term gains, both economic and political. In the world left to our children, America will be more isolated and less secure. Hardly America First.
Wesley K. Clark
Wesley K. Clark is a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. He is a senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.
Advice to Team Biden: Delete Your Twitter Accounts
by Kenneth S. Baer
It’s not good for them, and it’s not good for democracy. Here's why.
An originalist case for trying, convicting and disqualifying a president after he or she leaves ...read more
Georgia National Guard/Flickr
After Being Attacked by Trump, Georgia's Republican Governor Tries Balancing Act
by Luke Goldstein
Brian Kemp, the bane of #MAGA Republicans, uses his big, state-of-the-state speech to find a ...read more
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Culture, NFL
(Rumor) Jonesing For A Bruising
Jerry Jones is one of the most powerful owners in the National Football League (NFL). However, lately he has not been getting his way. One of his star players, Ezekiel Elliott now has to serve his six game suspension for domestic abuse. Jones also lost the battle to force players to stand for the national anthem last month. Jones may lose the Cowboys franchise, because some of his fellow owners are discussing the possibility of taking his stake in the Cowboys away from him, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Jones is an owner that is in an unfamiliar position, he is not getting his way and a substantial portion of his fellow owners do not agree with him.
The main reason Jones finds himself in this position is because of his new obsession with taking on NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Jones has been furious with Goodell for his refusal to end the national anthem protest started by Colin Kaepernick. Jones believes that the reason ratings are down for NFL games is because of the national anthem protest. Last month, Jones lost that battle, when Goodell and other owners refused to infringe upon the first amendment rights of its players, by making them stand for the national anthem.
Jones has been using every avenue available to him to make Goodell pay for not doing what Jones wanted him to do. The recent battlefield Jones has chosen, is doing everything he can to stop Goodell from getting a contract extension. Jones is threatening to sue the NFL, and is now in a public fight with Falcons owner Arthur Blank over Goodell’s contract.
Jones is now becoming what he feared the protests would become a distraction to the league. Jones continues to fight Goodell and his fellow owners and continues to isolate himself. Now it seems that there are some owners who are willing to stand up to Jones and vote him out of the league. Jones may have forgotten Newton’s Third Law which says, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The reaction from the NFL may be to vote him out of the league.
Jones must ask himself is he really willing to risk his ownership stake in the Cowboys to prove a point to Goodell. Especially, when ultimately it is Roger Goodell that decides whether to keep Jones as an owner or not.
November 13, 2017 November 13, 2017 Dallas Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott, Jerry Jones, NFL, Roger Goodell
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Porkboii – “Affection is Nice”
Will Oliver | January 11th, 2021
Porkboii is 24-year-old California-based artist Saraí Tirado who has summoned a ton of feelings in her new single “Affection is Nice.”
The track straddles the line between indie pop and a dreamy rock sound that carries a sense of melancholy with a great deal of confidence, impressive for such a young artist.
Tirado describes the track in such vivid detail, it’s the sort of lived-in real-life moment that we can all relate to and she captures all of that in a way that is both emotionally affecting but also absolutely intoxicating.
Find her quote about the song posted below, along with a stream of the track.
I wrote this song about my first morning of 2020. Woke up next to a person who I would later develop romantic feelings for, but I could already tell that I would want more and it was going to go badly for me. I gave them a ride home, they smoked a cig, and we picked up coffee on the way. Honestly it’s pretty unremarkable stuff but that morning has really stuck with me.
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I’m not plastic: The..
I’m not plastic: The new Real Housewives of Melbourne revealed
Donna Demaio
“I’m not just a feisty b*tch that looks good,” declared Venus Behbahani-Clark as she was introduced as a new cast member of Foxtel’s The Real Housewives of Melbourne , which has been filming Season 4 around town for a few weeks.
The 35 year old mother of two has no qualms about joining the successful franchise but doesn’t want people to be too quick to judge.
“Please, please don’t judge a book by its cover. Get to know me. My heart is kind. Don’t judge me by my looks,” she told 3AW before confirming, ‘I do believe in looking good so I have had a little bit of cosmetic work done but it’s not that I’m all plastic.”
Her children, aged seven and three, will appear in the series. And her oldest has already started asking questions about her mother’s role in the show but Venus says she will not allow her children to watch.
Venus has seen the previous series, commenting on the cast. “All the girls have challenging personalities because they are smart girls. So we all have a little bit of guard there.”
46 year old Gamble Breaux has enthusiastically returned to the show, hinting that while she had a “rough start” she’s now having a great time despite sparks flying. “It’s a treasure trove of trash and I’m so excited. I’m having a bit of fun with some new meat.”
She also hinted that after just a few weeks, she already has some regrets, explaining “I was in a bad mood when we started, so I wasn’t really myself for a while but I’m feeling normal now.”
Gamble says the program has been good to her. “It’s life changing. It gives you a platform not to do boring stuff. You’re obviously up there to be made a bit of fun of, but that’s all right.”
Breaux also spoke of the stress involved in planning her stepson’s 21st birthday party, revealing that it cost twice as much as her wedding.
The other new housewife is 51 year old Sally Bloomfield who, after talking to former Real Housewife Chyka Keebaugh, thought she’d give the show a go.
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Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet enters presidential race, joining crowded Dem field
By: CNN Newsource
Posted at 7:26 AM, May 02, 2019
Sen. Michael Bennet announced on Thursday that he is running for President, launching a longshot campaign that makes the Colorado Democrat the seventh member of the Senate vying for a chance to take on President Donald Trump.
The announcement -- made Thursday during an interview on CBS' "This Morning" -- was delayed after the senator was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early April. Bennet had surgery shortly after the diagnosis and announced last month that doctors gave him a clean bill of health. That successful procedure set off a series of moves over the last two weeks that culminated in Thursday's announcement.
Bennet, who now enters a crowded field of 2020 Democrats that is likely to grow, had previously said that he hoped to run despite the cancer diagnosis. He told CNN in early April that he would "like to get on with this."
"I'm looking forward to running in 2020," Bennet said on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper. "This obviously was unexpected, but we caught it early. It's something that I think we're going to be able to treat and I don't think it should keep me off the trail."
Bennet, a measured, wonky Democrat who is known for delving deeply into policy, plans to run a campaign centered around driving economic growth by expanding the Child Tax Credit, enacting paid family and medical leave, raising the minimum wage, modernizing the country by combatting climate change and investing in infrastructure, according to a Bennet aide.
The senator and former educator also plans to make education central to his bid, the aide said, as well as electoral reform, which will include pushing to ban Members of Congress from ever becoming lobbyists, overturning the controversial Citizens United Supreme Court decision and fighting partisan gerrymandering.
The senator, whose name recognition with audiences outside of Colorado remains small, was boosted by a viral moment earlier this year, when he took to the Senate floor to lambast Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with a passionate speech that saw the usually mild-mannered senator raising his voice to accuse Cruz of crying "crocodile tears" for lamenting a tactic Cruz once used himself.
The speech vaulted Bennet, the former superintendent of Denver Public Schools, into the public eye and captured the attention of Democratic activists.
That was clear earlier this year when Bennet made his first trip to Iowa. His first event in the state -- a house party in Dubuque -- was also a viewing party for the speech: as Bennet spoke in the host's living room, a freeze frame of an enraged Bennet sat on the TV behind him.
"I am glad you are not playing that now," Bennet joked to the small audience, "because I would say, 'God, I don't want to follow that guy.'"
Bennet has pitched himself in pre-campaign appearances and speeches as a pragmatic lawmaker who has a progressive voting record, but who also knows what it takes to win in an electorally split state like Colorado.
While some of Bennet's policy proposals do fall in line with progressives in his party, his view of "Medicare for All" -- the sweeping health care plan being pushed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and a host of other 2020 candidates -- is more centrist, a fact that the senator doesn't run away from.
"I'm concerned about that bill," he told CNN earlier this year, noting he worries the bill would do to employer-backed insurance plans that most Americans have. "I don't think that is a good starting point."
Bennet, 54, was born in India while his father -- Douglas J. Bennet -- worked as an aide to the U.S. ambassador to the country. Bennet grew up in Washington, D.C., as his father worked as an aide to President Jimmy Carter and a host of other jobs around the capital.
Bennet went on to graduate from Wesleyan University in 1987 and received a law degree from Yale Law School in 1993, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal.
After a brief legal career, Bennet became managing director of Anschutz Investment Corporation, a Denver-based holding company that has large investments in Anschutz Entertainment Group, The Regal Entertainment Group and a host of media companies.
Bennet entered public life in 2003 when he became then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's chief of staff. Hickenlooper, who would go on to become governor of Colorado and is a central figure in Bennet's public life, is also running for President.
After four years of superintendent of Denver Public Schools, then-Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter tapped Bennet to fill the Senate seat vacated by Ken Salazar, who became the Interior secretary under President Barack Obama. Bennet then successfully ran for his first full term in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016.
Bennet is expected to make his ability to win in a state like Colorado, where there is a healthy share of both Democrats and Republicans, central to his bid, too, arguing that that ability to win in a swing state bodes well for his ability to defeat Trump.
™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
3:32 PM, Oct 04, 2018
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HBO Has Greenlit American Idiot Film Adaptation
October 6th, 2016 | By Imogen Lloyd Webber
Rock on! Looks like the long-in-the works film adaptation of Green Day’s American Idiot is finally happening. "We’ve got a green light from HBO and the script is currently going through a couple of rewrites here and there, so I’m not sure when exactly we’re going to start shooting, but it’s definitely all systems go at the moment,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told NME. He is still planning to reprise his Broadway role of St. Jimmy in the tuner.
Based on Green Day's Grammy Award-winning album, American Idiot tells the story of three lifelong friends forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia. The show features the songs "21 Guns," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Holiday."
Directed by Michael Mayer, the Tony-nominated tuner opened in the spring of 2010 at Broadway's St, James Theatre, where it played 26 previews and 422 regular performances.
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Remote learning for Manitoba students after winter break 'on the table': education minister
Published Monday, November 30, 2020 4:42PM CST Last Updated Monday, November 30, 2020 4:51PM CST
WINNIPEG -- The Manitoba government could have information about what school will look like after Christmas as soon as this week.
Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen told CTV News that Manitobans could know more this week and that remote learning is a possibility that is being looked at.
"Well it is certainly being discussed and it is on the table," said Goertzen. "We've been having discussions from the education perspective about what the system needs, what students need, what teachers need. And then of course there is the Public Health perspective, about what is happening with the virus more generally in the community and some of their goals."
He did note that remote learning does make the most sense for students.
"It reduces the volume of students in school, depending on which grades it's applied to. But also, we don't want to just simply have no school, and so there has been lots of talk about extending the Christmas break and it's not really extending the Christmas break, if we choose to do that, it would be going to a remote learning option."
Goertzen said transmission has been generally low inside schools, as there have only been six outbreaks, where there are two or more cases connected within the school.
The provincial government has said in the past that the best place for students to learn is in the classroom, but other factors are at play right now in the community, which is causing remote learning to be discussed.
"The reality is broader transmission in the community is happening. So in talking to Public Health, of course, they are undergoing a number of different efforts to try and bring those broader transmission rates down, and some of that just involves trying to reduce the number of contacts people are having in the community."
He said schools can play a role in that goal, by limiting students, teachers, and staff from moving around.
The Education Minister was also asked if a delay in parents being told their children may have been exposed to COVID-19 one to two weeks after it happened is playing a role in the province looking at remote learning as an option.
"It has been a challenge, of course, the contact tracing and making sure (Public Health) can get the notifications out," he said.
If remote learning does come into effect, Goertzen wouldn't say how long it could last, but he did note that they want it to be important and impact the goals Public Health has laid out.
- With files from CTV's Renee Rodgers.
A classroom in Manitoba includes several measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. (CTV News Photo Josh Crabb)
Hundreds of Manitoba parents sign letter to province urging action in schools
Potential extended Christmas break being considered in Manitoba
Nonprofessional hockey a no go in Manitoba
Manitoba updates COVID-19 situation
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James Blake House - Oldest in Boston
by jptanabe
The historic neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston, Massachusetts is home to the James Blake house. Built just over 350 years ago, it is the oldest house in Boston.
Walking around Dorchester on our way to breakfast after helping our daughter move into her new apartment, we encountered this old house with a plaque that said "James Blake House 1661 - the oldest house in Boston." I'd never heard of it before, the only James Blakes I've heard of are a tennis player and a British musician, both still alive so I was pretty sure neither of them built a house in 1661!
I took these photos, saw that it wasn't open, and (being hungry for breakfast!) I decided to move on and look it up when I got home. With a bit of research I found out it has a rather interesting story.
Photos © copyright Jennifer P. Tanabe 2013.
Photos of James Blake House in Dorchester, MA
James Blake House
James Blake House Plaque close up
James Blake House in Dorchester, with plaque
Historic neighborhood in Boston
I stumbled upon the historic James Blake house while walking through Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston that has its own interesting history.
It seems this area was settled by Puritans from Dorchester in England. They set sail in 1630 and founded their new town of Dorchester that year, a few months before the city of Boston was founded. Somehow I think the residents are still proud of that!
It remained a rural small town until being annexed to Boston in 1870. Then it grew rapidly and today is the largest and one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Boston. From what I saw it certainly has an interesting collection of houses, old and new buildings, plenty of stores and cafes, and definitely a diverse population. Looks like the kind of place I would love to have lived in when I was younger!
The James Blake House
I found out quite a lot about James Blake and his house. It seems he was born in Pitminster, England, in 1624, and his family emigrated to Dorchester in the 1630s. James married Elizabeth Clapp in 1651, and for a long time it was thought he had the house built for his new bride just before his marriage, around 1648.
The two-story house, with a central chimney and gable-roof, was constructed using a post-Medieval, timber-frame style of architecture. The homes of western England, where many of the settlers were from including his wife's family, had long used heavy timber-framing methods. This house is one of a relatively small number of this type surviving in New England.
During his long life, he lived until 1700, Blake was prominent in the community. His house was prominent also. The rooms were illuminated with roof dormers and leaded-glass casement windows. Pretty special for the time!
The Clapp Pear
Near the James Blake house is Edward Everett Square, where we found a very interesting sculpture - of a pear! This is a Clapp Pear, a type of pear developed by the Clapp family (I'm guessing relatives of James' wife Elizabeth). Their farm, dating back to 1633, was close to where Edward Everett Square is now located and they first cultivated this pear there in 1830. A cross between a Flemish Beauty pear and a Bartlett pear, the Clapp has a thick skin and sweet flesh. The bronze statue certainly has a thick skin!
Edward Everett Square Clapp Pear
Photo by Adam Pieniazek
Edward Everett Square Pear - 5
Books on the James Blake House and the history of Dorchester
History of the old Blake house, and a...
Dorchester (MA) (Postcard History...
Dorchester (MA) (Images of Amer...
Saving the house
The house has been restored more than once since James Blake's time. The latest restoration was quite ambitious, including restoration of the leaded-glass windows. I didn't notice them at the time, but if you look closely at the photo of the house you can see they have those special windows with small panes of colored glass. Next time I hope I can get a closer look! Apparently the Dorchester Historical Society, who own the house, do offer tours every third Sunday of the month.
During this restoration project, dendrochronology testing of the wooden beams revealed the house was most likely built in 1661. That still makes it the oldest house in Boston, though!
Perhaps the most exciting story that relates to the survival of this house is that it had to be moved from its original location to avoid demolition! Back in 1895, when Massachusetts Avenue was being widened, it became apparent that the James Blake House stood in the path of progress.The Dorchester Historical Society decided to save the house. They came up with a plan to move the house to its current location on the corner of Columbia Road and Pond Street, a whole 400 yards away, paying a local building mover $295 for the job. In January, 1896, the house was successfully moved to its current location in what seems to be the first recorded moving of a private residence to rescue it from demolition. Well done Dorchester Historical Society!
More about the James Blake house
To learn more about the James Blake house check out these sites:
Blake House - at Dorchester Atheneum
Dorchester Historical Society on James Blake House
Living in a 17th-century house has its trade-offs - Article about living in the restored house
Updated: 10/18/2020, jptanabe
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Veronica on 09/05/2015
Although life is easier in many ways, I do feel we have " lost " a lot in our progression . Life was harder then but they had their own style and elegance in their living, something we have lost sadly.
I am glad your daughter enjoyed it. I love to hear how the young enjoy history.
jptanabe on 09/05/2015
My daughter was able to take the tour inside recently - she said it's lovely in there!
A superb house . Thank you or posting this and thanks also the historical society .And .. a house move in 1896 is incredible.
Long may it be preserved. I know how you feel about wanting to have lived there in the past.
Thanks for sharing about that opportunity. It would have been quite an experience I'm sure, perfect for a history teacher. But I do understand your bride's concerns.
William McDonough on 11/20/2013
Back in the 1960's, as a recently graduated history teacher, I was offered a great deal…to live in the Blake House for free, and in return I had to open the home to the public for just 5 or 6 hours on two different days of the week…I forget which days they were,but I believe Sunday afternoon was one of them.
Sadly,my recent Bride refused for two reasons, A.) we would have our new furniture in this home and she feared damage by visitors, and B.) The neighborhood was still a little scary, there was a chain link fence surrounding the house, tallest such fence I had ever seen,and it was topped by curled strands of looser razor wire.
My bride would have been there many hours without me, as I had an evening job, so we had to decline the job offer, which came from the Dorchester Historical Society as I recall. Nonetheless, whenever I drive by, I wonder what it wold have been like to live in the oldest house in Boston !
ologsinquito on 11/13/2013
Hi jp, I'm also pinning this to my "Thinks You Really Need to Know" board.
Thanks. I agree, Boston is great for walking (much better than driving!)
This one is pinned to "My Wizzley Writing Board." Two thumbs up.
Where better to enjoy drinking tea with other tea drinkers than in a tea house!
"Time for Tea" by Helen Exley
A delightful book in the Helen Exley little gift book series, "Time for Tea" ...
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Best "Nutcracker" Movie of all Timeon 03/08/2019 Lascaux Cave Paintingson 01/18/2018 Bridges of the Hudson Valleyon 11/20/2017 Great Pyramids of Gizaon 11/14/2017
History of the old Blake house, and a brief sketch of the Dorc...
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Independent Tea Shops
A delightful book in the Helen Exley little gift book series, "Time for Tea" contains quotes about the joy of tea and tea drinking. It's the perfect gift for tea lovers!
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F. Jesus’ Ministry From About the Time of a Festival of the Jews, Most Likely Passover 31 C.E., Onward (5:1-47)
Jesus heals a sick man on the Sabbath at the pool of Bethzatha (5:1-18)
Jesus speaks about authority given to him by his Father (5:19-24)
Spiritually dead who pay attention to Jesus’ voice will live (5:25-27)
Those dead in the memorial tombs will be resurrected (5:28-30)
John the Baptist, the works of Jesus, the Father, and the Scriptures all bear witness about Jesus (5:31-47)
a festival of the Jews: Although John does not specify which festival is referred to, there are good reasons to conclude that it is the Passover of 31 C.E. John’s account was generally in chronological order. The context places this festival shortly after Jesus said that there were “yet four months before the harvest.” (Joh 4:35) The harvest season, particularly the barley harvest, got under way about Passover time (Nisan 14). So it seems that Jesus’ statement was made about four months before that, about the month of Chislev (November/December). Two other festivals, the festivals of Dedication and of Purim, fell during the time period from Chislev to Nisan. However, these festivals did not require an Israelite to go up to Jerusalem. So in this context, the Passover seems to be the most likely “festival of the Jews” that required Jesus to attend in Jerusalem according to God’s Law to Israel. (De 16:16) It is true that John records only a few events before the next mention of the Passover (Joh 6:4), but a consideration of the chart in App. A7 shows that John’s account of Jesus’ early ministry was abbreviated, and many events already covered by the other three Gospel writers were not mentioned. In fact, the great amount of activity of Jesus recorded in the other three Gospels lends weight to the conclusion that an annual Passover did indeed come between the events recorded at Joh 2:13 and those at Joh 6:4.—See App. A7 and study note on Joh 2:13.
+Ex 12:14; De 16:1, 16; Joh 2:13; 6:4
Insight, Volume 2, pp. 57-58, 716
“All Scripture,” pp. 194-195
it-2 57-58, 716; si 194-195
w81 6/15 31; w78 1/15 30; w76 247; ad 921, 1360; w68 505; w61 729; w59 491; ep 280
Hebrew: In the Christian Greek Scriptures, inspired Bible writers used the term “Hebrew” in designating the language spoken by the Jews (Joh 19:13, 17, 20; Ac 21:40; 22:2; Re 9:11; 16:16), as well as the language in which the resurrected and glorified Jesus addressed Saul of Tarsus (Ac 26:14, 15). At Ac 6:1, “Hebrew-speaking Jews” are distinguished from “Greek-speaking Jews.” While some scholars hold that the term “Hebrew” in these references should instead be rendered “Aramaic,” there is good reason to believe that the term actually applies to the Hebrew language. When the physician Luke says that Paul spoke to the people of Jerusalem “in the Hebrew language,” Paul was addressing those whose life revolved around studying the Law of Moses in Hebrew. Also, of the great number of fragments and manuscripts comprising the Dead Sea Scrolls, the majority of Biblical and non-Biblical texts are written in Hebrew, showing that the language was in daily use. The smaller number of Aramaic fragments found shows that both languages were used. So it seems highly unlikely that when Bible writers used the word “Hebrew,” they actually meant the Aramaic or Syrian language. (Ac 21:40; 22:2; compare Ac 26:14.) The Hebrew Scriptures earlier distinguished between “Aramaic” and “the language of the Jews” (2Ki 18:26), and first-century Jewish historian Josephus, considering this passage of the Bible, speaks of “Aramaic” and “Hebrew” as distinct tongues. (Jewish Antiquities, X, 8 [i, 2]) It is true that there are some terms that are quite similar in both Aramaic and Hebrew and possibly other terms that were adopted into Hebrew from Aramaic. However, there seems to be no reason for the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures to have said Hebrew if they meant Aramaic.
Bethzatha: The Hebrew name means “House of the Olive [or, of Olives].” According to some manuscripts, the pool is called “Bethesda,” possibly meaning “House of Mercy.” Other manuscripts read “Bethsaida,” meaning “House of the Hunter [or, Fisherman].” Many scholars today prefer the name Bethzatha.
Pool of Bethzatha
John 5:2, 3
+Ne 3:1
Insight, Volume 1, pp. 305-306, 894
“Good Land,” pp. 30-31
it-1 305-306, 894; it-2 542; gl 30-31; w88 9/1 31
the sick . . . were lying down: It was commonly believed that people could be healed by getting into the pool when the water was stirred up. (Joh 5:7) As a result, those seeking a cure congregated at the site. However, the Bible does not say that an angel of God performed miracles at the pool of Bethzatha. (See study note on Joh 5:4.) What it does say is that Jesus performed a miracle at the pool. It is worth noting that the man did not enter the water; yet, he was instantly cured.
Or “paralyzed.” Lit., “dried-up.”
it-1 305-306
Some manuscripts add, in whole or in part, the following text, beginning at the end of verse 3 and continuing as verse 4: “waiting for the movement of the water. 4 For an angel of the Lord [or, “of Jehovah”] would come down into the pool from season to season and disturb the water; the first one then to step in after the disturbance of the water would become sound in health from whatever disease it was by which he was afflicted.” These words, however, do not appear in the earliest authoritative manuscripts and most likely are not part of the original text of John. (See App. A3.) Some translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew, referred to as J9, 22, 23 in App. C4, read “an angel of Jehovah” instead of “an angel of the Lord.”
it-1 305-306; w16.05 32; w88 9/1 31
+Ps 72:13; Isa 53:3
w16.05 32
mat: Or “bed.” In Bible lands, a bed was often a simple mat made of straw or rushes, perhaps with quilting or a mattress of some sort added for comfort. When not in use, these beds were rolled up and stored away. In this context, the Greek word kraʹbat·tos evidently refers to a poor man’s bed. In the account at Mr 2:4-12, the same Greek word refers to some kind of “stretcher” on which the paralytic man was carried.
+Mt 9:6; Mr 2:10, 11; Lu 5:24, 25; Ac 3:7
w95 3/1 6-7
the Jews: As used in the Gospel of John, this term conveys somewhat different meanings depending on the context. It can refer to Jewish people in general, to those living in Judea, or to those living in or near Jerusalem. The term may also refer to Jews who zealously adhered to human traditions connected with the Mosaic Law and who were hostile to Jesus. In this context, “the Jews” may refer to the Jewish authorities or religious leaders, but the term may also have been used broadly to include other Jews who were zealous for the traditions.
+Ex 20:9, 10; Mt 12:2; Lu 6:2
Do not sin anymore: Jesus’ words here do not mean that this man’s sickness was due to some sin he had committed. Rather, the man whom Jesus cured had been sick for 38 years because of inherited imperfection. (Joh 5:5-9; compare Joh 9:1-3.) Now that the man had been shown mercy and was healed, Jesus urged him to follow the way of salvation and avoid willful sin that could result in something worse than sickness, that is, everlasting destruction.—Heb 10:26, 27.
were persecuting: The imperfect form of the Greek verb used here indicates that the Jews—perhaps referring to the Jewish leaders or to Jews who zealously adhered to human traditions connected with the Mosaic Law—began to persecute Jesus and continued doing so.
+Mt 12:10, 14
+Joh 4:34; 5:36; 9:4; 10:25; 14:10
Remain in God’s Love, p. 201
“God’s Love,” p. 172
11/2006, pp. 7-8
it-2 659, 1204; lvs 201; jy 74; lv 172; w11 7/15 24-25; g 11/06 7-8; w95 3/1 7; gt 30; w88 2/1 6; w86 7/1 16
w82 8/1 15; w81 1/1 12; w78 6/1 17-18; w72 486; w64 447; w61 106; w56 722; w55 465; qm55 346; w53 414; w41 152
making himself equal to God: While properly referring to God as his Father, Jesus never claimed equality with God. (Joh 5:17) Rather, it was the Jews who accused Jesus of attempting to make himself God’s equal by claiming God as his Father. Just as the Jews were wrong in stating that Jesus was a Sabbath breaker, they were wrong in making this accusation. Jesus makes this evident by what he says as recorded in verses 19 through 24—he could do nothing of his own initiative. Clearly, he was not claiming to be equal to God.—Joh 14:28.
+Joh 10:33; 14:28; Php 2:5, 6
Reasoning, p. 214
rs 214; ti 24-25; w88 6/1 19
w84 2/1 6; w74 526; g65 3/8 8; w64 713
of his own initiative: Or “on his own,” that is, independently. Lit., “from himself.” As God’s Chief Representative, Jesus always listens to Jehovah’s voice and speaks what Jehovah directs.
+Joh 5:30; 7:28; 8:28; 12:49
the Father has affection for the Son: Jesus here describes the warm bond of unity and friendship that has existed between him and the Father from the dawn of creation. (Pr 8:30) When John recorded Jesus’ statement describing this relationship, he used a form of the Greek verb phi·leʹo (“to have affection”). This verb often describes a very close bond, the kind that exists between genuine friends. For example, it is used to describe the bond of friendship that existed between Jesus and Lazarus. (Joh 11:3, 36) It is also used to describe the family relationship between parents and children. (Mt 10:37) The same verb, phi·leʹo, is used to show the strong, warm, personal attachment Jehovah has for his Son’s followers and the warm feelings the disciples had for God’s Son.—Joh 16:27.
+Mt 3:17; Joh 3:35; 10:17; 2Pe 1:17
+Lu 8:25; Joh 6:10, 11, 19
w02 1/1 29-30; w86 2/15 11
g72 2/8 4; w64 714
+2Ki 4:32-34; Heb 11:35
+Lu 7:12, 14; 8:52-54; Joh 11:25
jy 74; gt 30; w86 7/1 17
w78 9/1 17-19; gh 93-94; g66 5/22 8; w64 714; w62 326, 593; wr 44
+Ac 10:42; 17:31; 2Co 5:10; 2Ti 4:1
w95 10/15 21
w78 9/1 17; w77 743; im 364; w64 714; bf 645; w62 592; wr 42; w60 54; w43 196; jh 141
+Lu 10:16; Joh 15:23; 1Jo 2:23
w64 714; w62 592; wr 42; w54 319; w44 43; w43 196
judgment: The Greek term kriʹsis, here rendered “judgment,” may convey several shades of meaning. The context determines what is meant. For example, this term can denote the act of judging (Joh 5:22), the quality of justice (Mt 23:23; Lu 11:42), or a court of law (Mt 5:21). It can also refer to a judgment that is either favorable or unfavorable, but most of the occurrences in the Christian Greek Scriptures convey the idea of a condemnatory judgment. In this verse, “judgment” is used in parallel with death and set in contrast with life and everlasting life; therefore, it refers to a judgment that results in loss of life.—2Pe 2:9; 3:7; see study note on Joh 5:29.
has passed over from death to life: Jesus is apparently speaking about those who were once spiritually dead but who upon hearing his words put faith in him and discontinue walking in their sinful course. (Eph 2:1, 2, 4-6) They pass over “from death to life” in that the condemnation of death is lifted from them, and they are given the hope of everlasting life because of their faith in God. In a similar way, Jesus apparently referred to spiritually dead ones when he said to the Jewish son who wanted to go home to bury his father: “Let the dead bury their dead.”—Lu 9:60; see study notes on Lu 9:60; Joh 5:25.
+Joh 3:16; 6:40; 8:51
Insight, Volume 2, pp. 137, 249, 762, 790-791
it-2 137, 249, 762, 790-791; jy 74; w09 8/15 9; w08 4/15 30; w91 8/1 11; w86 2/15 11
w78 9/1 18, 20-21; w78 12/15 30; w74 95-96; ad 1398; w64 715, 729; w62 178; w49 122
the dead: Jesus said that the hour, or time, for the dead to “hear [his] voice” is now, so he could only mean living humans who inherited sin from Adam and were therefore condemned to death. (Ro 5:12) From God’s standpoint, mankind in general has no right to life because “the wages” that sin pays to them is death. (Ro 6:23) By hearing and heeding Jesus’ “word,” individuals could figuratively ‘pass over from death to life.’ (See study note on Joh 5:24.) The terms “hear” and “listen” are frequently used in the Bible with the meaning of “pay heed to” or “obey.”
Insight, Volume 2, pp. 789, 790-791
it-2 789-791; gt 30; w86 2/15 11-12; w86 7/1 17
w78 9/1 18; ad 1397-1398; w64 715; w62 326; w49 122; af 17
has life in himself: Or “has in himself the gift of life.” Jesus has “life in himself” because his Father granted him powers that originally only Jehovah had. These powers no doubt include the authority to give humans the opportunity to have a fine standing before God and thus gain life. They would also include the ability to impart life by resurrecting the dead. About a year after Jesus made the statement recorded here, he indicated that his followers could have life in themselves.—For the meaning of the expression “life in yourselves” as it applies to Jesus’ followers, see study note on Joh 6:53.
+Ps 36:9; Ac 17:28
2/15/1986, pp. 11-12, 19, 30-31
w08 4/15 31; w03 9/15 30; w86 2/15 11-12, 19, 30-31
w78 9/1 19-20; g78 9/22 22-23; w73 239-240; w64 717; bf 94; w62 593; wr 43; w51 56; w49 120; tf 44, 249
+Joh 5:22; 2Ti 4:1
+Da 7:13
w78 9/1 17-18, 20; w73 239-240; w64 719; bf 426; w60 54; w43 196; w41 12; jh 141
the memorial tombs: This term renders the Greek word mne·meiʹon, which comes from the verb mi·mneʹsko·mai, “to remember; to remind (oneself),” and refers to a tomb or a grave. Thus, the term carries the implication of preserving the memory of the deceased person. In this context, it suggests that the person who died is remembered by God. This connotation gives added meaning to the term used by Luke in recording the plea of the criminal executed alongside Jesus: “Remember [form of the verb mi·mneʹsko·mai] me when you get into your Kingdom.”—Lu 23:42.
+Job 14:13; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Ac 24:15
Teach Us, p. 76
New World Translation, p. 1704
When We Die, pp. 26-27
Live Forever, pp. 167-168
Reasoning, pp. 338-339
it-2 369; w15 6/15 12; bhs 76; jy 74; nwt 1704; g 5/12 11; g 1/10 11; w09 6/1 30; w09 8/15 9; w99 4/1 18; w98 7/1 11; ct 160-161; ie 26-27; w96 3/1 6; kl 87; gt 30; w90 4/1 10; w90 5/1 4; pe 167-168; rs 338-339; w86 7/1 17
w78 9/1 17-18, 20, 22, 28, 30-31; hs 178-179; sl 363; g74 6/8 28; w73 240; ad 1134; kj 390; g71 12/8 28; w68 200; w67 317, 525; w65 19, 447-448; w64 719, 729; w63 627; bf 94; wg 29; w62 39, 326, 475; w61 28, 242; ns 188; w60 316; g60 8/8 27; w59 333; mn 20-21; w58 159, 325; pa 227; yw 353; w57 360; w55 198; w54 117, 280; nh 348; g53 3/8 26; w52 347; lg 280; w51 446; w47 202; w44 106; fd 29; s 342
resurrection: See study note on Mt 22:23.
of life . . . of judgment: Here and at Joh 5:24, “judgment” is set in contrast with “life” and “everlasting life,” implying a judgment that results in death. (2Pe 2:9; 3:7; see study note on Joh 5:24.) Most occurrences of the Greek word rendered “judgment” (kriʹsis) in the Christian Greek Scriptures carry the force of condemnatory judgment. As indicated by the context and by other scriptures, the judgment Jesus speaks of is not based on what a person did before he died but on his actions after he is resurrected. Ro 6:7 states that a person “who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” Each person who is resurrected will show by his course of action whether he is obedient, with eternal “life” as a reward, or disobedient, resulting in the “judgment” of death.
+Re 20:12, 15
Worship God, p. 87
Live Forever, pp. 167-168, 180
it-2 137, 788-789; jy 74; g 5/12 11; g 1/10 11; w09 8/15 9; re 300; w05 5/1 19-20; wt 87; w98 7/1 11; kl 87; gt 30; w90 5/1 4; pe 167-168, 180; rs 338-339; w86 7/1 17
uw 75-76; w82 4/1 25; w78 9/1 17-18, 20, 22-23, 28, 30-31; hs 178-179; ts 182-186; w73 240; ad 1397-1398; kj 390; g71 12/8 28; w68 200; w67 317, 525; w65 20-21, 181, 447; im 373; w64 723-730; w63 135, 627; bf 426, 645; wg 29; g63 5/22 27; w62 39, 327, 475; w61 28, 242; ns 365; mn 20-21; w58 326; pa 227; w57 360; sr55 354; w54 277; nh 348; g53 7/22 25; w52 347; lg 280; w51 287, 446; w47 202-203; w44 106; fd 29; w42 235; w38 314, 330-331; g36 2/26 350; wd 42; g32 12/21 190; w30 332
of my own initiative: Or “on my own,” that is, independently. Lit., “from myself.” As God’s Chief Representative, Jesus always listens to Jehovah’s voice and speaks what Jehovah directs.
Just as I hear: That is, from the Father as the Supreme Judge.
+Mt 26:39; Joh 4:34; 6:38
w78 9/1 17-18, 23; lp 110; w76 564-565; w74 278-279; w63 331; w62 283, 586; wr 32; w34 367; fa 23; hs34 38; w32 206
another: No doubt referring to the Father.—Joh 5:34, 37.
+Mt 3:17; Mr 9:7; Joh 12:28-30; 1Jo 5:9
+Joh 1:15, 32
jy 74; w05 1/15 11; gt 30; w86 7/1 17
+Mt 3:1, 5, 6; Mr 6:20
it-2 195-196; w05 1/15 11
+Mt 11:5; Joh 3:2; 7:31; 10:25
w05 1/15 11; gt 30; w86 7/1 17
+Mr 1:11; Joh 8:18
+De 4:11, 12; Joh 1:18; 6:46
it-2 1160; jy 74; gt 30; w86 7/1 17
ad 1639; w67 271; w63 237; w62 591; wr 39; w60 255
the Scriptures: This expression is often used to refer to the inspired Hebrew writings as a whole. The Jews who were carefully searching the Scriptures could easily have discerned that Jesus was the Messiah by comparing his life and teachings with what the Scriptures foretold. But these Jews refused to make a sincere examination of the abundant Scriptural evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Although they thought that they could have everlasting life by means of the Scriptures, they refused to accept Jesus as the one whom the Scriptures pointed to as the true means to gain life.—De 18:15; Lu 11:52; Joh 7:47, 48.
these: That is, the Scriptures mentioned in the first part of the verse. These Scriptures contained Messianic prophecies that pointed to Jesus as the one through whom his listeners could gain “everlasting life.”
+Lu 11:52
w05 1/15 11; w02 6/15 13
w74 180; g64 11/22 6; w49 38; w43 198
+Isa 53:3; Joh 1:11
Or “people; humans.”
w77 748; g66 5/8 29; im 214; g63 1/22 28; ns 238; jh 26
the only God: Some early manuscripts do not include the word “God” and could be rendered “the only One.” But the main text reading has strong support in other early authoritative manuscripts.
+Mt 6:5; Lu 11:43
+Joh 12:42, 43
w79 9/15 3; w71 323; g65 9/22 29; w62 726; w61 135; w57 679
+De 31:26, 27; Joh 7:19
+De 18:15; Lu 24:44; Joh 1:45; Ac 26:22, 23
g73 3/22 16; ns 238; w58 149; w47 184; w43 198
John 5:1Ex 12:14; De 16:1, 16; Joh 2:13; 6:4
John 5:2Ne 3:1
John 5:6Ps 72:13; Isa 53:3
John 5:8Mt 9:6; Mr 2:10, 11; Lu 5:24, 25; Ac 3:7
John 5:10Ex 20:9, 10; Mt 12:2; Lu 6:2
John 5:16Mt 12:10, 14
John 5:17Joh 4:34; 5:36; 9:4; 10:25; 14:10
John 5:18Joh 10:33; 14:28; Php 2:5, 6
John 5:19Joh 5:30; 7:28; 8:28; 12:49
John 5:20Mt 3:17; Joh 3:35; 10:17; 2Pe 1:17
John 5:20Lu 8:25; Joh 6:10, 11, 19
John 5:212Ki 4:32-34; Heb 11:35
John 5:21Lu 7:12, 14; 8:52-54; Joh 11:25
John 5:22Ac 10:42; 17:31; 2Co 5:10; 2Ti 4:1
John 5:23Lu 10:16; Joh 15:23; 1Jo 2:23
John 5:24Joh 3:16; 6:40; 8:51
John 5:26Ps 36:9; Ac 17:28
John 5:26Joh 11:25
John 5:27Joh 5:22; 2Ti 4:1
John 5:27Da 7:13
John 5:28Job 14:13; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Ac 24:15
John 5:29Re 20:12, 15
John 5:30Isa 11:4
John 5:30Mt 26:39; Joh 4:34; 6:38
John 5:32Mt 3:17; Mr 9:7; Joh 12:28-30; 1Jo 5:9
John 5:33Joh 1:15, 32
John 5:35Mt 3:1, 5, 6; Mr 6:20
John 5:36Mt 11:5; Joh 3:2; 7:31; 10:25
John 5:37Mr 1:11; Joh 8:18
John 5:37De 4:11, 12; Joh 1:18; 6:46
John 5:39Lu 11:52
John 5:40Isa 53:3; Joh 1:11
John 5:44Mt 6:5; Lu 11:43
John 5:44Joh 12:42, 43
John 5:45De 31:26, 27; Joh 7:19
John 5:46De 18:15; Lu 24:44; Joh 1:45; Ac 26:22, 23
5 After this there was a festival+ of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate+ is a pool called in Hebrew Beth·zaʹtha, with five colonnades. 3 Within these a multitude of the sick, blind, lame, and those with withered* limbs were lying down. 4 —— 5 But one man was there who had been sick for 38 years. 6 Seeing this man lying there and being aware that he had already been sick for a long time, Jesus said to him: “Do you want to get well?”+ 7 The sick man answered him: “Sir, I do not have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am on my way, another steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”+ 9 And the man immediately got well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk.
That day was the Sabbath.+ 10 So the Jews began to say to the cured man: “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”+ 11 But he answered them: “The same one who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him: “Who is the man who told you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 But the healed man did not know who he was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 After this Jesus found him in the temple and said to him: “See, you have become well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse does not happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things during the Sabbath.+ 17 But he answered them: “My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.”+ 18 This is why the Jews began seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath but he was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.+
19 Therefore, in response Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, the Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing.+ For whatever things that One does, these things the Son does also in like manner. 20 For the Father has affection for the Son+ and shows him all the things he himself does, and he will show him works greater than these, so that you may marvel.+ 21 For just as the Father raises the dead up and makes them alive,+ so the Son also makes alive whomever he wants to.+ 22 For the Father judges no one at all, but he has entrusted all the judging to the Son,+ 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.+ 24 Most truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes the One who sent me has everlasting life,+ and he does not come into judgment but has passed over from death to life.+
25 “Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself,+ so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself.+ 27 And he has given him authority to do judging,+ because he is the Son of man.+ 28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice+ 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.+ 30 I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous+ because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.+
31 “If I alone bear witness about myself, my witness is not true.+ 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the witness he bears about me is true.+ 33 You have sent men to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.+ 34 However, I do not accept the witness from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 That man was a burning and shining lamp, and for a short time you were willing to rejoice greatly in his light.+ 36 But I have the witness greater than that of John, for the very works that my Father assigned me to accomplish, these works that I am doing, bear witness that the Father sent me.+ 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me.+ You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form,+ 38 and you do not have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the very one whom he sent.
39 “You are searching the Scriptures+ because you think that you will have everlasting life by means of them; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me.+ 40 And yet you do not want to come to me+ so that you may have life. 41 I do not accept glory from men,* 42 but I well know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in the name of my Father, but you do not receive me. If someone else came in his own name, you would receive that one. 44 How can you believe, when you are accepting glory from one another+ and you are not seeking the glory that is from the only God?+ 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses,+ in whom you have put your hope. 46 In fact, if you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.+ 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe what I say?”+
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“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” debuts to biggest weekend ever; “Alvin” and “Sisters” debuts OK
By Jared Munson on December 21, 2015 • ( Leave a comment )
It was a great weekend for Star Wars fans. The seventh film The Force Awakens debuted to not only the biggest US opening weekend of all time ($247 million), but also the biggest worldwide opening of all time ($528 million). The film saw the return of original stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, as well as introducing us to new characters played by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver.
Elsewhere, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip earned $14.2 million opening weekend, less than the $23.2 Chipwrecked did back in 2011. The new Tina Fey/Amy Poehler film Sisters earned $13.9 million, down from the $17.4 million Baby Mama debuted to in 2008.
Rounding out the Top 5 were holdovers The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 which added $5.7 million to it’s total, bringing the final film in the series to $254.4 million, and Creed in fifth, adding $5 million to bring the total to $87.8 million.
Categories: Movie News, Movies
Tagged as: Adam Driver, Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Road Chip, Amy Poehler, box office, Carrie Fisher, Creed, Daisy Ridley, harrison ford, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, oscar isaac, Sisters, star wars, The Force Awakens, Tina Fey
(Spoiler-free) Review – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Movie Review – “Victor Frankenstein” (2015) – All You Need Is Five Minutes…
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National Arbitration Forum
Telecom Italia S.p.A. v. NetGears LLC c/o Domain Admin
Complainant is Telecom Italia S.p.A. (“Complainant�), represented by Cristina Cazzetta, of Porta, Checcacci & Associati S.p.A., Via Trebbia 20, Milano 20135, Italy. Respondent is NetGears LLC c/o Domain Admin (“Respondent�), represented by John Berryhill, 4 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063.
REGISTRAR AND DISPUTED DOMAIN NAMEÂ
The domain name at issue is <187.com>, registered with Moniker Online Services, Inc.
The undersigned certify that they have acted independently and impartially and to the best of their knowledge have no known conflict in serving as Panelists in this proceeding.
The Honourable Neil Anthony Brown QC, Terry F. Peppard and David E. Sorkin as Panelists.
Complainant submitted a Complaint to the National Arbitration Forum electronically on March 23, 2007; the National Arbitration Forum received a hard copy of the Complaint on March 26, 2007.
On March 30, 2007, Moniker Online Services, Inc. confirmed by e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum that the <187.com> domain name is registered with Moniker Online Services, Inc. and that Respondent is the current registrant of the name. Moniker Online Services, Inc. has verified that Respondent is bound by the Moniker Online Services, Inc. registration agreement and has thereby agreed to resolve domain-name disputes brought by third parties in accordance with ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Policy�).
On April 4, 2007, a Notification of Complaint and Commencement of Administrative Proceeding (the “Commencement Notification�), setting a deadline of April 24, 2007 by which Respondent could file a Response to the Complaint, was transmitted to Respondent via e-mail, post and fax, to all entities and persons listed on Respondent’s registration as technical, administrative and billing contacts, and to postmaster@187.com by e-mail.
A timely Response was received and determined to be complete on April 24, 2007.
On May 2, 2007, pursuant to Respondent’s request to have the dispute decided by a three-member Panel, the National Arbitration Forum appointed The Honourable Neil Anthony Brown QC, Terry F. Peppard and David E. Sorkin as Panelists.
Complainant requests that the domain name be transferred from Respondent to Complainant.
PARTIES’ CONTENTIONS
Complainant alleges that the contentious domain name <187.com> should no longer be registered with Respondent but that it should be transferred to Complainant.
It contends that this should be done because, within the meaning of paragraph 4 of the Policy, the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to Complainant’s registered trademarks, that Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the domain name and that the domain name has been registered and subsequently used in bad faith. Complainant maintains that it can prove all three of these requirements and that the appropriate remedy is to transfer the domain name to Complainant.
In support of its case on the first of these three elements, Complainant maintains that the domain name <187.com> is identical or confusingly similar to three registered Italian trademarks owned by Complainant, namely for 187 TELECOM ITALIA & DEVICE (Reg. No. 897336), 187 CARD TELECOM ITALIA & DEVICE (Reg. No. 983391), and 187 & DEVICE (Reg. No. 986056). Â It maintains that the trademarks were registered to reflect the numbers 187 and their use as a customer service number for the Italian telephone system and that such an association with those numbers has become widely known.
Complainant then contends, to establish the second element, that Respondent has no rights or interests in the domain name because it has been passively holding the domain name for 8 years, showing a lack of any right or legitimacy in the domain name and also because it cannot bring itself within any of the provisions of Policy ¶ 4(c).
Finally, Complainant alleges that the domain name was registered and is being used in bad faith. It contends that this is so because when Respondent registered the domain name, it had no legitimate interest in it, it must have known of the “187 project� because of the vast expenditure by Complainant in promoting it and because it has been using the website to which the domain name resolves to attract Internet users to the site by creating confusion as to its source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement.
Respondent contends first that Complainant does not have a trade or service mark that is sufficient to support the Complaint. Â It says in addition that the disputed domain name is not identical or confusingly similar to any of the trademarks relied on by Complainant as they are trademarks in the form of graphical logos and as such are neither identical to the domain name nor sufficiently similar to it to give rise to any confusion.
Respondent also claims it has rights and legitimate interests in the domain name because, before Complainant registered its trademarks and prior to any notification of the current dispute, Respondent registered and has been consistently using the domain name as part of a legitimate business, namely providing web hosting, web design, secure mail, retail shopping and search engine services.  Initially, the domain name was used as an index to other Internet sites that Respondent had under construction.  More recently, it has been used to generate search engine results tailored by the provider to the interests of users in particular countries and which vary from one to the other.  In that regard, the results from searches of “187� have historically been more reflective of the connection between those numbers and music rather than any alleged connection with any telephone service provided by Complainant.
Respondent also denies that it registered or is using the domain name in bad faith, as it registered the domain name prior to the registration of the trademarks, did not know of the alleged use of the numbers 187 in the Italian telephone service or of the claims by any party to rights based on those numbers and because it was not motivated by bad faith in registering or using the domain name.
Complainant is an Italian company operating in telecommunications in Italy and overseas. Â It is the owner of the following trademarks registered in Italy:
(a) Trademark Registered Number 897336, registered on June 12, 2003 for 187 TELECOM ITALIA & DEVICE;
(b) Trademark Registered Number 983391, registered on November 11, 2005 for 187 CARD TELECOM ITALIA & DEVICE; and
(c) Trademark Registered Number 986056, registered on December 13, 2005 for 187 & DEVICE.
 Respondent registered the disputed domain name on January 6, 1999.
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Rules�) instructs this Panel to “decide a complaint on the basis of the statements and documents submitted in accordance with the Policy, these Rules and any rules and principles of law that it deems applicable.�
(1) the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights;
It is pivotal to the operation of the UDRP scheme that Complainant must identify a trademark or service mark and show that the disputed domain name is identical or confusingly similar to that mark. Â Subject to the qualification mentioned below, it appears that Complainant in the present case is relying on the three registered trademarks already described to meet this requirement.
The registered trademarks.
Complainant therefore says as its first proposition that the domain name <187.com> is identical to each of those trademarks.  The Panel does not accept that proposition.  The Panel, of course, is handicapped by not having seen any of the trademarks, for they have not been attached to the Complaint and Complainant has not accepted the invitation of Respondent to present them to the Panel with a Supplemental Submission.  It is clear from the description of the trademarks in the Complaint, however, that each of the trademarks relied on is a figurative or graphic trademark which, as well as the numbers “187,� contains a device or visual representation.  Although such a trademark may in appropriate circumstances be confusingly similar to a domain name, it cannot be identical to it, for it consists of something more than the mere figures or numbers that are contained in the domain name.  The Panel has made a comparison between the disputed domain name and the description of the trademarks as set out in the Complaint and finds that the domain name is not identical to any of the trademarks relied on.
The question remains, however, whether the domain name is confusingly similar to the trademarks or any of them.  It is here that the omission of the trademarks themselves from Complainant’s evidence is a major defect in Complainant’s case.
The Panel is of course cognizant of its ability to request further information of the Parties under Rule 12.  In this case, however, the missing information is so central to Complainant’s case that the Panel is not prepared to excuse its omission from Complainant’s initial submission.
As has been observed above, it is possible for a domain name to be confusingly similar to a figurative or graphic trademark. Â But there must be facts put before the Panel to enable it to make a rational comparison between the domain name and the trademark before it can reach such a conclusion. Â Even when such material is available, it is not an easy task for the Panel to perform, as is illustrated by the case cited by Complainant, Tesla Indus., Inc. v. Grossman, FA 547889 (Nat. Arb. Forum Dec. 5, 2005) and the other cases cited in that decision.
The task was recently described in Deutsche Post AG v. NJDomains, D2006-0001, (WIPO Mar. 1, 2006), where the German Post Office argued that the domain name <post.com> was confusingly similar to its trademark that consisted of the word ‘Post,’ but with the addition of a prominent depiction of a hunting or post horn.  The Panel said on that occasion:
The question then is whether the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to this word/figurative mark.
That type of question is not always easy to resolve, for the figurative or graphic part of a trademark cannot be translated into a domain name and a true comparison is therefore difficult to make.
There are some obvious similarities between the two expressions, for they both contain the words ‘Post’. However, that is where the similarities end. Thereafter, it is necessary to make the comparison having regard to how a reasonable bystander would view the domain name and the trademark. The Panel is of the opinion that a reasonable bystander would not regard the domain name as confusingly similar to the trademark because the trademark is figurative and is an entirely different representation from the domain name.
That is so because the trademark is dominated by the very prominent illustration of a horn. It is true that some UDRP panelists have taken the view that in making the comparison presently under discussion, devices and similar figurative depictions should be ignored so that a straight comparison can be made between the words. Thus, the panelist in Sweeps Vacuums & Repair Ctr. v. Nett Corp., WIPO Case No. D2001-0031 said that “graphic elements . . . not being reproducible in a domain name, need not be considered when assessing identity or confusing similarity.� On the other hand, the panelist in Curvon Corp. v. Lauren Kallareou, WIPO Case No. D2001- 0565, said that “The Mark . . . is the whole of the composite of design matter and word matter [that] is shown in the registration document,� which is the same view taken by other panelists.
The better view, however, is to look at the overall impression or idea created respectively by the mark and the domain name, the approach that was taken recently in Yell Ltd. v. Ultimate Search, WIPO Case No. D2005-0091. Applying that test, the overall impression of the trademark in the present case is entirely different from that conveyed by the domain name. The pictorial representation of the horn is such a prominent and dominating part of the trademark that the result is a logo of the horn as well as the word ‘Post.’ It is highly artificial to contend that this is a trademark for the word ‘Post’ when it clearly is far more than that.
Nor in the opinion of the Panel could a reasonable bystander looking at the domain name, which evokes the common generic word ‘Post,’ be confused into thinking that it was really referring to a coloured logo of a horn with the word Post added to it and the company whose logo it was.
Accordingly, the Panel finds that the domain name is neither identical to nor confusingly similar to the German trademark registered number 39540404.
Deutsche Post AG v. NJDomains, D2006-0001, (WIPO Mar. 1, 2006).  Those remarks are equally applicable to the present case, for in reality Complainant is asking the Panel to conclude that the trademarks relied on are trademarks for “187� or trademarks similar to those numbers, without producing the trademarks themselves so that a fair comparison may be made.  The Panel is therefore not prepared to conclude that the domain name is confusingly similar to any of those trademarks without having them produced in evidence and where, even on the limited material that has been presented, it is clear that the trademarks consist of something more than the numbers 187.
Complainant is also asking the Panel to find that an objective bystander would be confused into thinking that the domain name was really referring to the figures “187� and a device of some sort without the Panel even being shown the device in question.
Paragraph 15(a) of the Rules for Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (the “Rules�) requires the Panel to decide the case on the evidence and Paragraph 4(a) of the Policy requires that Complainant must prove each of the three requisite elements.
Accordingly, the Panel concludes that the disputed domain name is not identical or confusingly similar to any of the registered trademarks relied on.
The common law trademarks
It seems from the wording of the Complaint that Complainant may also be relying on an unregistered trademark in the expression “187.�  Complainant’s formal allegations are limited to the registered trademarks, but in at least one point in the Complaint, it asserts as follows: “Telecom Italia has expended substantial revenue in connection with the advertising and promotion of the 187 marks and the number 187 has acquired a common law significance.�
The Panel will therefore consider whether Complainant has made out a case for a common law or unregistered trademark, for it is now clear that common law trademarks are sufficient to found proceedings under the Policy. Â Where, however, the alleged common law trademark consists of generic or common words, good evidence will be needed to show a significant secondary meaning and, above all, one associated with Complainant. Â See, for example, SOCCERPLEX, INC. v. NBA Inc., FA 94361 (Nat. Arb. Forum May 25, 2000) (finding that the Complainant failed to show that it should be granted exclusive use of the domain name <soccerzone.com>, as it contained two generic terms and was not exclusively associated with its business).
Applying that test, Complainant’s evidence thus falls far short of what is required to establish a common law trademark.  There is no real allegation in the Complaint and certainly no evidence to the effect that the numbers “187� by themselves are a mark associated with Complainant’s trade or a word or symbol to describe the origin of goods or services.  The numbers are apparently a telephone number and constitute the access code for the information service of Complainant’s telephone service.  Thus, they are correctly described in the Complaint as a “client service� and as a “single reference point of the client service� rather than as a brand.
Moreover, the numbers are presented as such on Complainant’s website <187.it> and are not claimed to be a trademark.  The numbers are, it is true, presented in one place on the website in combination with a logo, but even if that combined representation were a common law trademark, which is not the claim of Complainant, the domain name is neither identical to or confusingly similar to that representation.
It is also instructive that Exhibit B to the Complaint, which is the “TELECOM ITALIA Group brochure,� promotes the company’s brands, but does not list the “187� service as one of them.
More importantly, however, there must be serious doubt on the evidence as a whole, as to whether the numbers standing alone have the meaning contended for by Complainant, let alone whether that meaning is associated with Complainant. Â As Respondent says, Complainant must show that any common law rights it relies on arise in a common law jurisdiction and it has not done so. Â Indeed, its own evidence is to the effect that as well as its activities in Italy, France and Germany, it operates in Brazil, which is not a common law country. Â GLB Servicos Interativos S.A. v. Ultimate Search Inc, D2002-0189 (WIPO May 29, 2002).
Nor, on the evidence, would Complainant be able to make out such a case, for it is far more likely that in common law jurisdictions the numbers in question have an entirely different meaning from that contended for by Complainant.  The evidence tendered by Respondent and not contradicted by Complainant shows that in the United States, where Respondent is domiciled, the expression “187� has nothing to do with telephone services, but has an entirely different meaning, stemming as it does from Clause 187 of the Californian Penal Code which deals with the crime of murder.  From there, it has worked its way into popular culture, particularly of the genre known as “Gangster Rap� where again it is synonymous with murder and it has also been used as the title of a popular movie and songs, television shows, wrestling allusions and even a drink.  With the internationalization of culture, it must be assumed that such usage has spread to other countries.
It is equally instructive that Exhibit F to the Response shows that when Respondent’s webpage is opened and viewed from the United States, it reveals a host of references to music, videos, “Police Code 187� and such like and none to telephone services in Italy or anywhere else.  When the page is opened in Australia, the result is the same.
The Panel must admit, however, that to an older generation, “187� refers to Proposition 187 which was a referendum proposal put to the electors of California in 1994, the burden of which was a law to deny social services, health care, and public education to illegal immigrants.  Although the measure was passed and then declared unconstitutional, it was not abandoned until July 1999 and in the meantime it had generated very wide international publicity.  Accordingly, it is much more likely that when the domain name was registered on January 6, 1999, at the height of this controversy, it would have been taken by residents in at least some common law jurisdictions to be referring to the referendum and the controversy surrounding it.
But whatever of these alternative meanings is accepted, or even none of them, the Panel is not satisfied on the evidence that the numbers, by themselves, have a secondary meaning that is sufficiently clear that they invoke the narrow use in the Italian telephone service contended for by Complainant.
Accordingly, Complainant has not established the common law trademark that it claims.
Complainant has therefore failed to make out the first of the three elements that it must establish.
Rights or Legitimate Interests and Registration and Use in Bad Faith
In view of the findings already made it is not strictly necessary to deal with the other two elements.  It would be apparent, however, from the findings of the Panel that it would be impossible on the evidence for Complainant to make out either of the remaining two elements.  As the domain name was registered well before the trademarks and as it was clearly used for a legitimate purpose before the registration of the trademarks and a fortiori, before notification of the dispute, it is clear that Respondent has rights and                                                                                             legitimate interests in the domain name.
For the same reason, Respondent could not be said to have registered or used the domain name in bad faith. Â That is so because on the evidence it would be entirely unjustified to draw the inference that Respondent registered the domain name in 1999 for reasons that had anything at all to do with Complainant, let alone for some improper motive.Â
For all of these reasons, the Panel concludes that relief shall be DENIED.
The Honourable Neil Anthony Brown QC
Presiding Panelist
Terry F. Peppard
Panelist        Â
David E. Sorkin
Dated: May 16, 2007
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Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
Nuance–SSA
Applying to Resell
Brands & Suppliers
Principal Suppliers
Ferragamo Parfums is part of the Salvatore Ferragamo Group, one of the major players in the luxury goods industry. The company manages and supervises each phase of the creation of fragrances, from product development to distribution.
Attention to authenticity and exclusivity, through style, creativity and innovation and combined with quality and craftsmanship, are the values that have always distinguished the Salvatore Ferragamo Group’s products as well as each olfactive proposal. The fragrances are all made in Italy.
Born in 1898 in Bonito, a small village 100 kilometers from Naples, as a child, Salvatore showed a great passion for shoes. In the early Twenties he moved to Santa Barbara, California, where he opened a shoemaking and repair shop. In 1923 he opened the ‘Hollywood Boot Shop’, which marked the start of his career as ‘shoemaker to the stars’. Later in 1927 Ferragamo decided to return to his native Italy and chose to settle in Florence.
Despite the great economic crisis of 1929 that forced the company to close, Ferragamo did not lose heart. In 1938 his successful creations enabled him to pay the first installment for the purchase of all of Palazzo Spini Feroni, which has been the company’s headquarters ever since. After the war, Salvatore Ferragamo’s shoes came to be known around the world as a symbol of Italy’s return to life, design and production.
When Salvatore Ferragamo died in 1960 he had achieved his lifelong dream: he had designed and made the most beautiful shoes in the world. He left it to his family to carry on and fulfill another dream that he had nurtured in his final years: transforming Ferragamo into a great fashion brand.
Salvatore Ferragamo Brands
Connect with Salvatore Ferragamo Online
Press & News Room
225 2nd Street, Corner 16th Road,
Halfway House, Midrand, 1685.
T: +27 (11) 809 4000
F: +27 (11) 809 4005
Copyright © African Sales Company
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Mike Demko – CEO of My Insurance Videos and Awesome Social Posts
You cannot ignore the power of video! Leading insurance marketing expert shows how to make it easy for agencies.
Why are marketers swarming to video? Simple. It works. Video is 500% more likely to get engagement than messages with images, and 600% more likely to be remembered… and modern consumers expect video.
Savvy agents are jumping on video now—and getting a leadership position on a rapidly maturing marketing medium. Whether you want more customers or more loyalty from your customers, you owe it to yourself to give a few minutes to this conversation with Mike Demko, nationally recognized digital marketing expert and the founder of My Insurance Videos.
Mike’s company has helped more than 500 agencies drive growth and retention with their “done for you” video and social automation platform. He has been featured in the Insurance Journal, Agency Nation, The Insurance Agent Summit, Property & Casualty 360, Paradiso Presents, IA Magazine, Insurance Agents Alliance, Insurance Nerds, and the Insurance Guys Podcast.
Video-made-easy: Mike gives the ‘ultimate video cheat sheet’ on this podcast. (Video may seem hard! This super simple checklist of tools, tech, and content ideas will have you shooting video by Friday!).
The simple secrets of video promotion: where to put your messages so you get the most bang for your buck. (A few of these will make you say “Gosh… why didn’t I think of that before!).
How you can use video to create deeper, longer, stronger emotional bonds with your marketplace.
Whether you’re an agency principal or an agency marketer, this one conversation will solve your video problems. This is THE masterclass in video for the independent insurance agent. Listen today and get ideas you’ll put into practice immediately!
What are other agents & brokers doing to thrive? What are the biggest trends affecting the retail insurance agent & broker? What are the most important strategies and tactics you need to grow faster? Find out here in the Connected Insurance Podcast, where Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industry’s leading figures.
Michael Jans: Hello, Mike Demko. How are you?
Mike Demko: Doing fantastic. Thanks for having me on Michael.
Michael: I’m thrilled about this because it’s a big topic. I do think that clearly, from time to time we’ve got to get our feet on the ground. I think video is a really good example of a tactical practical technology or medium that can be used so many places, and it’s getting so much traction. Boom, you’re the guy, right?
Mike: Well, I couldn’t agree more about the medium. I know that at the end of the day, agents are looking for better ways to attract, engage, retain clients. They’re trying to create deeper relationships, they’re trying to empower their teams to better educate and sell. Video’s not going anywhere. It’s only getting even more present. It’s ubiquitous in many industries, and it’s gaining a lot more traction in the P&C insurance space. We’ve been helping agents with our Done For You platform, and encouraging agents to do tons of video content to achieve their goals. I’m delighted to speak about some best practices here and tips on how agents can embrace this to attract, engag, retain clients.
Michael: Let’s make it happen. Starters, my thumbnail sketch, how did Mike Demko get to be Mike Demko?
Mike: Well, in the context of this conversation and video, it’s secluded throughout in some regard. I was working in a different industry actually, commercial real estate development, and of course, I embrace video to help attract, engage, retain clients, better explain the concepts about the asset, lease versus buy analysis, all that stuff. I had a friend who is an agent who was a pal of mine. From time to time, we would talk about his business, how we could help him grow, and I said, “Hey, are you doing any video?”
He said, “No, I’m not.” I said, “Well, why don’t we think of the FAQs that you always answer in the agency so that we can create a response to those.” He would appear on camera and some grandiose plans about how this would be an awesome idea that would be scalable for both of us. At the end of the day, what we discovered is, yes, videos a very powerful medium, but it’s not necessarily the most scalable tool for most agents. What we did was we brainstormed some ideas for getting him on camera.
He was a pretty ambitious guy and would go to greater lengths than the other would to create some really good well produce video content. I would help him with that. Then what happened thereafter was gosh, other agents wanted to leverage the power of video, but didn’t have the resources at the time, the expertise or energy to do it, so we created a Done For You service with videos that agents can use on their website when communicating with clients via email and texting and other things.
Effectively, what I did is I took my love of video and applied it to an industry, whereby a lot of people have some confusion about insurance. Most consumers don’t understand insurance at all. The CSRs and independent agents and captive agents for that matter, they are the subject matter experts. It’s sometimes hard to get people to pay attention to the important details about insurance, and video content is proven to be an effective way to do that.
Michael: All right. Well, let’s talk a little bit about why it seems to me that to some extent video now is a right time right place. It’s not that it’s brand new. Clearly, there’s been an explosion of video. The platforms that feature video have exploded and growth, the social media platforms. The social postings that have video are statistically demonstrated to get higher traction.
Obviously, there are a lot of technological breakthroughs that have happened in the last whatever many years that have allowed this to happen. It’s available and yet, industry across industry ours or another you don’t see a lot of small to medium-sized businesses really exploiting it? My first question to you is, what do you think the psychology is behind it? Why do you think video is so powerful?
Mike: Well, I think there’s really studies. Because I’m in this field and I just love the medium, I know it works. We use video in our business every day to connect with prospects and clients, but really it’s the combination of voice imagery and text. Most people are visual learners, and studies after studies will say that it’s just a more powerful way to deliver a message.
I’ve seen a study that I cite with regularity that says, ‘the combination of voice imagery and text has six times better attention than voice alone, and then as well as text.’ In some cases, it’s even higher than text alone of course. It’s just those combinations. It used to be radio and then there was TV. Then you think, “Oh my gosh, now we’ve got these images to support the dialogue.”
It’s just a much more impactful way to deliver a message. The effectiveness of video is quite clear. It’s like you said, getting small business owners to embrace the tools to be able to do it cost-effectively, time-effectively. It’s just getting easier and easier and even a distribution video, it’s basically free with YouTube and Facebook and some other platforms.
Michael: Before we’re done here Mike, folks are going to know how to do it. Again, I really want to go from big picture to small picture, like really understanding the principles down to the how-to. It would seem that clearly, psychologically, we have a very strong connection of the human face. It’s the first image that babies recognize. The human voice, in fact, is shown to carry more emotional content than visual.
We’re really delivering a very powerful opportunity to communicate, but with all things new, there are probably a lot of reasons not to. Now, I’m not saying good reasons but what you and I would call objections. When you talk to insurance agents about communicating to their marketplace whether it’s prospects or customers using video, what are the objections? What are the reasons that they’re either uncomfortable or just don’t want to?
Mike: Well, the number one reason is, “I don’t want to appear on camera,” and I get that. It’s tricky to produce quality video content that is share-worthy. When I say tricky, meaning just like anything else. There’s probably 10, 20 things to think about as it relates to appearing on camera and really producing quality content. Whether it’s the sound quality or the actual video flow, whether it’s the script or supporting with post-production type features such as branding intros, outros.
There’s a reason why broadcasters go to broadcasting school, or they go to [crosstalk] master clients, because it’s not that easy to talk about any topic for say, a minute, two minutes without the um’s, and the ah’s and things like that. That’s why people use teleprompters. Newscasters do, so they look like they’re geniuses and even they screw up from time to time. Unless you have this skill set or you have easy access to video editing then there’s a lot in it.
There’s some use cases that I’m happy to bring up that are easier to use because it doesn’t have to be perfect. When I say perfect meaning if someone’s talking about the benefits of umbrella insurance or flood insurance or uninsured motorist coverage or things of that nature, number one, we want to have a tidy script. Number two, we don’t want to make any mistakes in the communication of that policy in those purposes.
There’s a lot of things in it especially in insurance, where there’s clearly the communication of the information is massively important for accuracy. There’s a lot of reasons that agents have told us because we encourage agents to use our platform for certain things and we encourage agents to use video to create video quotes, to create testimonials of happy clients, to create a birthday or a holiday video.
Those are things that we can give people suggestions and guidance, but at the end of the day, we’re not really in their office to interview their customers with a glowing testimonial. Number one reason, people don’t want to appear on camera. Number two reason, the complexity of what to do next as far as editing. Number three is, what’s the best way to use the video to attract engage and retain clients. “I don’t even know how get video on my website.” Mike, is what I hear.
Michael: I actually listed four things, four objections that you’ve heard. Number one, “I’m uncomfortable in front of a camera.” Number two, the technology, “I don’t know the technology solutions because there’s this, that and the other,” and there are. Number three, you have to pay attention to the quality of the content. Number four, once I shoot it what do I do with it? Which is probably another technology question. Let’s if we can, let’s at least speak briefly to those objections. Number one, agent says, “I’m not that comfortable in front of a camera.” Boom. What do you say?
Mike: I would say to them, “Hey, you know what? Get a webcam for 20 bucks off Amazon I can give you a link.” Literally, it’s $20 as a suitable microphone, and use free software at lum.com. Is an amazing tool for screen recording or screen recording and appearing on camera. Listeners don’t necessarily know a screen recording or screencasting it’s called, it is effectively you get to record everything that’s on your screen while you’re talking. This wonderful software it’s free.
You can also, should you care, which I encourage is to appear on camera in the lower left-hand corner of that screen recording of that video. A great use case for this is I would say, start with inexpensive tools to cut your teeth on something that could have an immediate impact on your business. That video that could have an immediate impact on your business among others is preparing a video quote.
What I mean by that is it could be literally 30 seconds of you appearing on camera saying, “Hey Michael, it was awesome to talk to you today about your auto home policy today. We’re in the business of protecting what you worked so hard for. Here is the quote we discussed. By the way, you asked about the increased uninsured motorist would have on the premium, here’s that line item.”
Now, you’ve done a couple of different things. You’ve appeared on camera, you created that deeper personal connection, and you’ve added value to the conversation that you had because that customer had a question about a certain line of coverage or endorsement, or where maybe. It can be a fantastic way to get your feet wet with something.
Michael: There are a lot of reasons to overcome the psychological objection. I think maybe this is a shortcut version of the objection, or how to deal with the objection of not being comfortable in front of a camera. One is, I really understand it to get over it. [laughs]
Mike: Right. Absolutely.
Michael: It’s just your face and your voice, and you’re going to give your face and your voice to somebody if you see them in the room. If you are with them physically. With this one you actually can edit it or throw it away and do another one, we don’t overthink it. In regards to the technology tools, let’s talk about that for a moment. Actually, I want to raise a related topic here, Mike. I want to get your insight on this because there’s really high quality.
You guys in your studio, you shoot a really high quality video, or broadcast TV that’s real high quality. I have noticed there’s an emerging trend, not brand new but there’s a trend in marketing, communications. You’ll see it on social a lot where there’s actually, as opposed to high production value there’s an intentional low production value. Where almost as if you know that the subject is not just shooting it on their own, they’re not editing it, they’re not throwing bottom third, they’re not throwing logos onto it, it looks and feels like, “Hey, this is so important I just want you to be here in the room with me while I tell you this stuff.
Mike: Sure.
Michael: I’ve seen that technique being used by very, very successful internet marketers, digital marketers as well as– you’ll see it on social a great deal. It seems to be a growing trend. It emphasizes those values of transparency and a little bit of vulnerability and they’re like, “I’m not hiding behind my production I’m right here.” Let’s start with that one first because I want to get under the tools and that seems to be relatively easy. First, can you comment on the emerging trend of low production value video?
Mike: Sure. People are calling it pattern interruption. That is, many of the videos you see are going to be high production quality, or perfectly scripted, or whatever it may be. Whereas, if you want to capture someone’s attention let’s think of ways to differentiate that video style. It could be, “Hey, this brilliant idea just popped in my mind. I was at the beach looking at the ocean, I had clarity.
Michael: [laughs] Yes, right.
Mike: “I had to share this with you right now because it was an epiphany.” Right?
Michael: Yes.
Mike: “I couldn’t wait.” It speaks to the fact that to your point people want to relate with the messaging, and they want to relate to the deliverer of that messaging. “Hey, I’m not always super polished.” People will say in some videos, “I’m polished,” then other ones say, “I’m just like everyone else. I put my pants on the same way. I’m not this Internet marketing guru, I’m just this guy.”
In the context of that because you see those types of videos in that space quite a bit, because those people want to be relatable. I think that’s a great tactic for certain video types, but insurance, of course, is a different animal, different subject matter so it would work less effectively in other video topics.
Michael: Let’s talk about how it can be done, and then I can talk about how I use it. The tools, the technology typically, done with an iPhone or a Droid, right?
Mike: Yes. Here’s the thing, webcam is perfect, I love the webcam for starters for just that agent, because it’s so much easier to control a lot of things. If you’ve got an Android and an iPhone, you might have a lively mic, you might have a selfie stick thing which a lot of people use then you’re worrying about sound quality and wind and certain things like that.
Whereas, if you’re in your office environment–
Let’s start with our training wheels on, let’s build on successes we have, let’s start in the office with a soundproof room, hopefully your office is soundproof and you’ve got a decent quality microphone on a webcam that’ll cost you anywhere from literally $20 to $48 a Logitech webcam is great. You have the immediate ability to upload that video while you’re sitting plugged in to your devices.
Whereas, smartphone video whether it’s iPhone or Android phone there’s amazing quality video recording tools on these devices these days. That speaks to the fact that now we’ve got these HD imagery, or even just higher quality that people can create content all the time, because they’ve got these high powered tools in their pocket. As it relates to the continuum of ease, let’s build on success.
First thing I always do a webcam, then secondarily you think about, if you want to produce on camera video content in the wild so to speak then you’re going to need to consider the sound quality, of course, and you can have someone else do that and do a lot of live on mic or you could hopefully find a place that’s not super windy, because wind is the first thing that’s going to impact your outdoor in the wild.
[crosstalk]
Michael: Lavaliers for your smartphone are cheap. This is not an expensive technology, right?
Mike: No. $20 your lavalier mic.
Michael: $29, decent, pretty good lavalier mic, for about the same price a really good stick, if you want to be spontaneous. Boom, you’re pretty much ready to rock and roll there and in some cases, you may not even need the lav and in some cases you can’t. For example, let’s say you want to do a little spontaneous storytelling, let’s say the agency made a contribution to the community to a charitable organization in the community.
Maybe somebody from the organization comes over, gets a check or something. In those cases, a little bit of spontaneous storytelling works really well. Of course, you can’t mic up because you won’t hear the other guy, but if you talk to the other guy you could pick him up and so boom. A few minutes later, you got a pretty good video with a pretty good story.
Mike: Absolutely.
Michael: I have a question for you, then I’ll tell you how I solved this problem. What do you suggest to people like, “Okay, I got this little video.” Maybe it’s four minutes and I got a minute or 30 seconds. What do you suggest agents do? Unless it’s a small shop typically they don’t want to do it themselves, they’ve got an agency to run.
Mike: Right. A lot of people are outsourcing this to Upwork, which is a web–
Michael: Fair enough. That’s what I do. I’ve got on my team, a video editor, not expensive very fast turnaround doesn’t need a lot of guidance. For low production quality stuff, I have that guy. For high production quality stuff, I have another guy. Yes. Upwork delivers. That’s how we do it.
Mike: Absolutely. At the end of the day, there’s going to be required video edits for a lot of videos. In the sense that unless you have this skill, this gift to be amazing on camera without the ums, and some bloopers and things of that nature well. We know that you’re going to make mistakes on video. That’s partly why I love Loom videos, because in order to rerecord it real quickly you don’t have to do much.
Michael: You just push a button. [laughs]
Mike: Push a button, delete videos, it’s free, “Let’s take two,” kind of thing. Yes, absolutely. I think having a video editor, who is a part of the team, an extension of the team is a perfect solution and Upwork is a great place to find one.
Michael: Alright. Let’s talk about the different places that video can be used.
Mike: We always start, “Hey, get video content on your website.” It could be explanation of coverages, it could be testimonials, those are kind of two use cases. It could be what happens when a claim happens? Or, “Let’s meet the staff.” “Here’s a brief bio of a CSR that’s going to be handling your account.” There’s a lot of different ways to get video on to incorporated into that first landing page, or that first connection you may have with the prospects. Video on your website is a great thing to consider. Again, if you don’t feel like you have the confidence to record a two-minute video about Umbrella Insurance, start with staff Bios. Everyone should be able to talk 30 seconds about themselves.
Mike: By the way, as an aside, because we had a platform where we could monitor statistics and usage for all of our clients, when I was the CEO of Agency Revolution. I can tell you that in our experience statistically, the second most visited page after the homepage was the staff page. People want to know about the people.
Mike: Yes, without question. There’s an agent in California. Patty Lares. L-A-R-E-S. It will be Lares insurance I believe, or AA Lares insurance. She has a page dedicated to staff, of course, but just as I mentioned it’s a brief video, and I mean brief. Meaning under a minute, that just talks about that staff person on camera, talking about their experience what they like to do outside of work. Humanize the experience, create a deeper connection and just the insurance aspect.
Michael: That gets to another medium, and by the way, I guess full disclosure Mike, you and I met years ago when I was the CEO of Agency Revolution, and you were helping joint clients embed videos in emails. Talk about the use of video and email?
Mike: That’s right. We always start with the fact that if you are going to send emails, send better emails.
Michael: [laughs]
Mike: What does a better email look like? Well, if it’s to a prospect, you need a subject line that’s going to boost the open rate. Well, including the word video in the subject line boosts the open rate, by 20 plus percent. That’s a neat way to reach out to prospects and boost that opportunity, or improve that opportunity I should say, but we think about– we’ve topped the P&C insurance space about the importance of a signature block.
Whether it’s using our video content to boost the effectiveness of that or a link to your Facebook page, or referral program whatever the heck you want to communicate to your clients and prospects, do not ignore the importance of optimizing your signature block. You’re sending 20, 30, 40 emails a day, and this is just a simple way on autopilot to improve the effectiveness of that.
We start across the website, then the second thing would be in the signature block. Then the third thing for more advanced agents, such as an Agency Revolution client or anyone who’s doing any sort of marketing animation, with onboarding email sequences, or drip marketing, or broke a glass, for holidays, or monthly newsletter.
We’re talking about insurance a lot of times. Most people are going to engage with video content, much more deeply versus text content. We encourage people to use video content and say in Agency Revolution drip campaign, or an easy linked one, or infusion soft or whatever the heck you’re using. Consider using video, if you want to use the open rate if you want to boost the engagement rate. Ultimately use a better medium to educate himself.
Michael: I notice for example in your email signature you’ve got a little, like a video icon. Click on that, and it takes you to a video, which presumably you got it hosted on your website somewhere.
Mike: Correct and that’s what we tell people is that, ‘use the eye candy’. If you have the ability– A text link is okay, a text like is fine, but–
Michael: I see you’ve got a little Bitly link, and you’ve got an icon, a graphical link.
Mike: Correct.
Michael: By the way, do you know which one gets clicked on more? Is it the graphical link?
Mike: We just started adding the text link, as an option and we don’t have enough data to really–
Michael: Not enough data yet.
Mike: Yes, not yet, but it’s the eye candy. We encourage agents to put a photograph of themselves in the signature block because it’s a deeper connection. You see a picture of me, I feel more connected to you. Then, of course, if you’re going to improve one of our videos, or anybody else’s videos for that matter when you create yourself, create a thumbnail image. That’s the eye candy that encourages the recipient to take action.
In this case, we have a thumbnail image that will say, how Umbrella Insurance can protect you from financial hardship. It’s got a big play button on it, click here. Encouraging the recipient of that email to take action, so that they watch that video content and learn more about what they’ve already purchased. What the CSR or the producer is discussing. It’s a great way to create new rounding opportunities. It’s a great way to reinforce conversations you just had.
This is insurance and some people may hear the messaging or the importance of insurance, three, four or five times before they take action and buy something. Then the last reason why video can be a great thing is it’s good for E&L part, you know. Many agents, in fact, we didn’t even realize this was such a big benefit to our service until agents told us that it was a big benefit. That is, “Hey, we love to send out the Umbrella video in our signature block to every single one of our clients because now we know we have sent them information.”
Michael: [laughs] Yes, right. Okay.
Mike: We’ve got the website, we’ve got email, whether signature block or different campaigns, whether it’s agents revolution platform or others. That’s a great way to leverage video content. Then there’s the social side.
Michael: Talk about social.
Mike: Social is interesting because our service, we started out as a video library for agents to use content on the web, and emails, and email campaigns. Also on social media. They could use our video content anywhere they’d like and we’d encourage them to, but what agents said to us is, “Hey, social in and of itself is a great way to attract, engage, retain clients, but I may not have time for this.”
What we did, is we said, “Wait a second. We know that video content is the most engaging type of content, but most agents don’t have the time, energy, the tools to create quality video content.” We took our video platform, and we amplified it with additional video content that is short form for social media. The reason, you asked about social media, you got to be producing video content in social to stand out from the crowd.
You just have to. Static messaging on facebook for insurance posts. You are going to have a hard time getting people to pay attention to an infographic about term versus permanent insurance because it’s really not what they’re on social for. You can sprinkle in that content from time to time, to remind people about the importance of it, but if you’re the one to capture the attention of the audience on social, on Facebook generally speaking it’s got to be animated and hopefully it’s a bit funny.
Michael: Okay, [laughs] talk about a case study or, an example of an agency that really is executing best practices in video.
Mike: This is not a customer of ours, so that’s fine because this agent has really said, ” want to be an absolute monster when it comes to video.” Meaning they’re going to apply every single use case and I’m delighted to share this. It’s an agent out of New York named Mike Crowley, it’s C-R-O-W-L-E-Y. He’s kind of the, you know this go-around version of Ryan Hanley, when people probably remember Ryan Hanley created 100 videos in 100 days, five years ago which was really cool. Ryan basically said, “Hey, I don’t care about production quality, at the beginning he said, “I’m just going to do this.”
Michael: Ryan and I talked about that several times and one of the jokes was– he got great traction from it. Was that he told that story 100 times. I said, “How many agents actually did what you told them to do?” He said, “Probably none.”
Mike: Michael that’s why I warmed this.
Michael: No, I get that. Hopefully, it’s easier now. I mean that was a few years ago. What’s Mike Crowley doing? What kind of videos is he shooting?
Mike: His goal for video includes, “I want to rank organically for certain keywords, and I want to better connect with my clients and prospects. I want to save time by educating.” One of the things he’s doing is, he’s basically answering rather FAQs, Frequently Asked Question about insurance. Then he’s using regional risk. Frozen pipes is going to be a big deal up in his neck of the woods versus Southern California. Where I’m at, it’s not right. This isn’t rocket science, you think of all the questions you get as a insurance professional and you say, “What’s the frequency of me getting these?” Well, the ones that bubble up to the top become your priorities as far as video content you want to create.
Michael: Talk about keyword for a second on SEO. For example, Google is not listening to my podcast, but because I have it transcribed, they can read that. With Crowley, or what do you suggest?
Mike: Yes, putting the keywords that you’re hoping to rank for, it could be Workers Comp in San Diego California. That’s probably going to be challenging because Hanley got a huge geographic area. One of the things that– people love the free leads from the Internet by ranking organically. I mean that concept, it’s free, but you got to put in the work. The idea here is, I would suggest, this is just SEO 101 that go longtail, which means go out into terms that we’re going to have less search volume, but less competition.
You can rank for that and put your hyper, your location in it. I’m in Del Mar, California, which is an area of San Diego. I wouldn’t want to put San Diego because it would be as hard as heck to outrank. Sometimes people in that, so you want to put your city or your geography rather, and then, of course, something that is very specific. You probably not going to rank for auto insurance unless you live in a really small town because there is huge providers out there that are going to outrank you, they’ve been doing this for a while.
Michael: Let me just throw a very short tip. A transcription service that I use, which is really, really cheap. I can take, for example, I took a 15-minute video that I shot and I dumped it into an app. In 10 or 15 seconds, the entire thing was transcribed, it did need a little bit of cleanup, but it was really fairly a remarkable case of modern technology.
The app is Descript, D-E-S-C-R-I-P-T, so boom. If that’s useful to anybody, it does make transcription really fast.
Let’s say you could deliver a message. Like boom, all of a sudden you have cracked everybody’s computer in the insurance industry. Or all of the Independent Insurance Agency principles, and you could take over their computer or their wallpaper. They show up to work and there’s a message from Mike Demko. What do you want to say? It’s got to fit on one screen and it’s got to be relatively shorter, they’re not going to read it.
Mike: Well, if it’s from my lens of building my business, it would be, “Video works. We make it easy.” That’s what I would say to everybody.
Michael: The first part might be the non-commercial version of it video work, because you don’t do– Let’s talk about that. The distinction between video that can and probably should be produced locally by the enterprise or the agency. Then share with us what you do? What’s in the library? What do you think should be done in the agency?
Mike: Absolutely, and it’s a Continuum right? Again, let’s get our footing here. I love customer testimonials because if you have a customer in your office and generally this works better. If someone is in your office or go out to the restaurant, you just write the post and say, we’re delighted that you’re on board with our agency. We hope to have you as a customer for the next 20 years, whatever may be.
Could you say a couple of words on camera about how Mike handled your policies? It’s not always about saving money, it’s about help me understand the complexity insurance, responsive with my claim. You don’t want to have to save money sort of videos as your only ones because obviously, I can’t save everybody money. This is about the experience they had with your agency or why they’re doing business with you or whatever may be.
I think that’s just a dynamite: one, because people aren’t expecting huge video quality with that. That’s the type of without your camera, I recommend shooting landscape which is East-West orientation, not north-south and just whip that out and then ask the question, “Hey, Michael, how was your experience working with the Demko agency?” Maybe tee them up for a couple things you like and say, “Hey, give us ideas of what would be nice including a testimonial.” Then bam, there you go, 45 seconds later you got it.
Michael: You got it. If you need to edit it, send it to your guy in Upwork.
Mike: Correct. That can go to Yelp, that can go on your website, that can be in the signature blocker of your email, that can be a lot of different places. “Hey, we got testimonials.”
Michael: Maybe at some point, I’ll refer my guy that I’m keeping pretty busy right now. Video works, it makes an emotional connection that’s really quite immediate. Doesn’t it?
Mike: Absolutely, so I would I would think about the staff bios, I would think if you have a referral program. It’s a lot more impactful to talk about the referral program if you the agency principal, or staff members talking about it, best practice would be, “There’s a lot of agents that are doing this now.” Mike Strom is one of them. There is a friend of mine also a client, he goes on Facebook live every quarter to do a Facebook live video that announces the Referral Rewards Program winner.
Number one, appreciate your clients. Number tw, he has a charity which is a part of the Referral Program, so he’s not only giving the recipient something, but he’s also making a donation on behalf of the recipient to that charity, so that’s neat. Reinforce your influence or your connection with the community that way, and then he’s also including a staff member. That’s another thing. That’s a great one. Again, that’s appearing on camera, it could be Facebook live, it could be not live.
You can record it and just put it up, but it’s a neat way to gain leverage the power of video to create a deeper connection and market your agency. Last one I would say, video quotes. We talked about that a bit. Again, this doesn’t have to be just for quotes. It could be for handling the claim. It could be, “Hey, we just wrote your policy. I just want to say a quick hello on camera,” so you can put a name with a face.
Then the last one is, explanation and coverages, so this a continuum. We talked about the easier ones because the testimonials, 30 seconds. We didn’t talk much about birthday and holiday videos, but those are simple. Then when it gets down to it, an agent like Mike Crawley is doing a great job of creating explanation of coverages. There are probably less than 50 agents in the entire country, they’re doing it. That’s why we’re in business because we know that’s important.
I always say this to agency owners, “Do you want your staff to more effectively communicate their value and the value of insurance?” If the answer is, yes, we’ve got a tool for you. If you give your staff better tools to do their job, in this case, a brief video that talks about certain risks. Well, that’s going to produce greater results for the agency and also a better customer experience. Your customers now understand why a policy can be so powerful to protect what they work so hard for.
Michael: Bingo. A very short story and then I’m going to ask you one last question about how people can find out more about you, and how they can make contact with you. Some years ago, we had an Agency Revolution client that really loved the video capabilities, and shot a birthday message. The first year it was the whole team. There is big team whatever, 30 people. I think maybe they sang one line a happy birthday and then confetti all over the place and noisemakers and blah, blah, blah.
It got such a great response. The next year, while they were doing the happy birthday greeting. They had hired the high school band to March behind them playing happy birthday. It was tremendously creative and it literally lit up their clients day, because they put some effort into it, so boom. There’s a lot you could do with video and you can have fun. Mike, if people wanna learn more about you, if they want to learn more about my insurance videos, what should they know, how can they reach you?
Mike: Of course, I’m on LinkedIn. Just Mike Demko, people probably have that spelling from the slide on this.Of course, you can visit myinsurancevideos.com, that’s with an S on the end. It’ll tell you more about Our Done For You video platform. We have over 50 videos that are going to be in the website, can be used to boost the productivity of your staff, used in drip campaigns. We also have incorporated an automated social platform that posts to Facebook, as well as LinkedIn, Instagram.
Automation along with better premium content. That’s the key there, is that you have to really about, “Hey, how do people distribute video content or any content?” You need to incorporate tools like Agency Revolution or things like that to boost the effectiveness of your campaigns and leverage automation as it relates to either– Agency Revolutions has got a great platform for email and other platformers as well. We’ve got a Done For You video social platform that is very much appreciated by our customers rather.
Michael: Boom. All right. Hey Mike, master class in video for independent insurance agencies. Really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Mike: Thank you.
One More Thing! What do you think? How will you and your peers use this to grow your agency or brokerage? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, subscribe to get updates delivered to you and *please share this if you found it informative
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Ethiopia’s Rastafarian community living in limbo
With few legal rights and no local IDs, people who came from distant lands struggle to fulfil their spiritual quest.
Rastafarians around the world see Ethiopia as their spiritual home. Many of them believe the country’s last king, Haile Selassie, was a descendent of King Solomon and the messiah.
Many of the men travelled thousands of kilometres to live in what they say is their promised land. The town of Shashamane in southern Ethiopia is a place of pilgrimage for Rastafarians around the world.
The Rastafarians say they smoke marijuana because it is their sacrament – the equivalent of bread and wine given during Christian communions.
The nearly 800 Rastafarians who live in the area say they are fulfilling a prophecy that descendants of slaves will return to Africa.
However, they also face considerable challenges, having left their lives in countries including the UK, the US and Jamaica. They have few legal rights, their passports having expired a long time ago.
They have no Ethiopian IDs, which means they cannot work legally. Local development has shrunk the land they currently live on to an area of around 5sq hectares.
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports from Shashamane.
Ethiopia hit by worst drought in decades
The UN says about 8.2m people need emergency food aid in Ethiopia, nearly double the number six months ago.
Ethiopia opal miners dig their way to prosperity
Miners say they are able to save money to buy cars and houses thanks to government’s focus on safety and health issues.
Juggling circus duties with life struggles in Ethiopia
Al Jazeera visits circus school in Addis Ababa offering hope to unprivileged children.
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Yen Press Releases New Haruhi Suzumiya Novel Simultaneously With Japan
posted on 2020-08-31 22:01 EDT by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya , 1st volume in series in 9.5 years, debuts on November 25
Yen Press announced on Monday that it will digitally release The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya ( Suzumiya Haruhi no Chokkan ), the first new installment in author Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrator Noizi Ito 's The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya novel series in 9.5 years, simultaneously with the Japanese release on November 25. Yen Press is also planning to publish a physical release at a later date. The publisher announced that it will re-release the previous novels under its Yen On imprint.
The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya collects three stories, including one all-new story. The book collects the " NANA Fushigi Overtime" (Seven Wonders Overtime) short story that debuted in Kadokawa 's one-time The Sneaker Legend magazine in 2018, and the "Atezuppo Numbers" (Guesswork Numbers) short story that appeared in Noizi Ito 's artbook that Kadokawa published in 2013. The new story is titled "Tsuruya-san no Chōsen" (Tsuruya's Challenge). The full novel will have more than 250 pages.
Tanigawa and Ito published 11 novels for the original series between 2003-2011. The light novel series has more than 20 million copies in print. The Little, Brown Books for Young Readers imprint and Yen Press released the entire series (at the time) in 10 volumes between 2009-2013.
The first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime series premiered in 2006 in a non-linear order, and was rebroadcast in 2009 with new episodes and a new chronological order. Kyoto Animation animated the show's first and second seasons. Bandai Entertainment previously held the license to both series, but Funimation rereleased the anime in 2016.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya anime film opened in 2010. Bandai Entertainment and later Funimation released the film on home video.
The novels have also inspired a manga and spinoff manga. Several of the spinoff manga have also inspired anime works.
Sources: Press release
follow-up of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Franchise Get 1st New Novel in 9 Years (Updated)
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About Ames Laboratory Menu
Ames Laboratory is one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories, but is the only one physically located on the campus of a major public research university. Because of its location on the Iowa State University campus, Ames Laboratory enjoys an open-door policy. By entering any Ames Laboratory facility, visitors agree to abide by our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of everyone visiting or working at the Laboratory.
Ames Lab Welcome Brochure
Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University are located in Ames, Iowa, about 35 miles north of Des Moines at the junction of I-35 and U.S. Highway 30. Driving directions from the airport to Ames Lab can be found HERE.
Visitors must obtain a parking permit from the Guard Station in G34 TASF and display the permit on the dash of their vehicle. With a valid parking permit, visitors may park in either of the two lots designated for Ames Laboratory: Lot 26 near TASF and Lot 28A next to Metals Development (shaded in purple on the map below).
The Office of Education and Outreach provides tours of the Ames Laboratory for a variety of groups, including college students; teachers; and professionals representing diverse occupations and interests. Care is taken to match tours to the expressed interests of the visiting group.
Our hope is to help the public become more aware of the Ames Laboratory, create stronger Lab/community relations and encourage interest in science and math. In planning tours, our top consideration is the safety of our guests during their time at the Lab.
To arrange a tour, contact:
Ames Laboratory Education and Outreach
Steve Karsjen, 515-294-5643
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Girls may hit puberty earlier due to chemicals in cosmetics and soaps: study
Dec 4, 2018, 8:51 pm IST
Life, Health
Chemicals that have been implicated include phthalates, which are often found in scented products like perfumes, soaps and shampoos.
Girls who had higher concentrations of parabens in their urine at age nine also experienced puberty at younger ages (Photo: AFP)
Los Angeles: Girls exposed to chemicals commonly found in toothpaste, makeup, soap and other personal care products before birth may hit puberty earlier, according to a study published Tuesday.
Researchers from the University of California (UC) Berkeley in the US found that daughters of mothers who had higher levels of diethyl phthalate and triclosan in their bodies during pregnancy experienced puberty at younger ages.
The results, published in the journal Human Reproduction, came from data collected as part of the US Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study, which followed 338 children from before birth to adolescence.
Diethyl phthalate is often used as a stabiliser in fragrances and cosmetics.
The antimicrobial agent triclosan -- which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned from use in hand soap in 2017 because it was shown to be ineffective -- is still used in some toothpastes, researchers said.
"We know that some of the things we put on our bodies are getting into our bodies, either because they pass through the skin or we breathe them in or we inadvertently ingest them," said Kim Harley, an associate adjunct professor at UC Berkeley.
"We need to know how these chemicals are affecting our health," Harley said.
Researchers suspect that many chemicals in personal care products can interfere with natural hormones in our bodies, and studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals can alter reproductive development in rats.
Chemicals that have been implicated include phthalates, which are often found in scented products like perfumes, soaps and shampoos; parabens, which are used as preservatives in cosmetics; and phenols, which include triclosan.
The CHAMACOS study recruited pregnant women living in the farm-working, primarily Latino communities of Central California's Salinas Valley between 1999 and 2000.
While the primary aim of the study was to examine the impact of pesticide exposure on childhood development, the researchers used the opportunity to examine the effects of other chemicals as well.
The team measured concentrations of phthalates, parabens and phenols in urine samples taken from mothers twice during pregnancy, and from children at the age of 9.
They then followed the growth of the children -- 159 boys and 179 girls -- between the ages of nine and 13 to track the timing of developmental milestones marking different stages of puberty.
The vast majority -- over 90 per cent -- of urine samples of both mothers and children showed detectable concentrations of all three classes of chemicals, with the exception of triclosan which was present in about 70 per cent of samples.
The researchers found that every time the concentrations of diethyl phthalate and triclosan in the mother's urine doubled, the timing of developmental milestones in girls shifted about one month earlier.
Girls who had higher concentrations of parabens in their urine at age nine also experienced puberty at younger ages.
However, it is unclear if the chemicals were causing the shift, or if girls who reached puberty earlier were more likely to start using personal care products at younger ages, Harley said.
Latest From Life
Beauty at the razor’s edge
Women's hormones may be affected negatively by chemicals in cosmetics
If this finding is confirmed by additional research, it could have implications for estrogen-dependent diseases such as breast cancer.
Many cosmetics in Indian market contain microplastics or microbeads: Study
Microbeads have been recognized as a pollutant globally and are being banned in many countries but there has been little action in India.
New smart label can tell if food, cosmetics are spoilt
The potential applications are wide-ranging.
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The Chilcot report: a military commander’s perspective
18 Jul 2016|Jim Molan
We all come to the Chilcot Report with our own baggage. The interviewers who asked me if I ‘regretted’ my involvement may have little real interest in an expression of regret for victims, but seem to be mindlessly playing the media apology game. But that doesn’t surprise anyone.
As I have explained in numerous media interviews, I didn’t decide to invade, nor did I invade Iraq. I’m only trying to understand and comment on Sir John Chilcot’s report. I remind myself that almost certainly large numbers of Iraqis were still alive when I left Iraq because of the actions that I took. But if you don’t believe in war, if you think every problem in the Middle East can be put down to the US, the Jews or oil, if you think that Australia has no interests in the Middle East, if you’re mindlessly anti-Blair, Bush or Howard, or you believe what you read on the internet, then please stop reading here.
There’s enough blame to go around for what happened in Iraq, but we all need to stay accurate about what happened, particularly what didn’t happen, and who to blame.
The average military conflict like Iraq historically takes around nine years to conclude. The Iraq war took a little less. If it had been conducted correctly, it should—in my opinion—have taken little more than two years. In the past, the number of capable security forces needed in similar wars was 20-25 personnel per 1000 of population. When I fought there (2004-05), we had a ratio of seven per 1000. By 2010, before the US started to drawdown its forces, we had 28 per 1000, some less capable than others, but there was significant stability.
You will fail in any war, regardless of the decision to go to war or intelligence or WMD or morality, if you go to war inadequately resourced. US military leaders publicly told Rumsfeld how many troops they would need to stabilize the country after the invasion, and they were publicly discredited and quietly removed.. Maybe the real disaster had nothing to do with pre-war intelligence failures or the invasion, but political incompetence during the stabilisation phase, because the invasion was military brilliance against a rump army. The critics say you always ask for more troops. I don’t. I ask for the right number of troops.
I accept that between 150,000 and 200,000 Iraqi civilians were killed during this conflict (the vast majority killed by our enemies as a central part of their strategy), and this is the tragedy of war. But in Syria many more have been killed and millions of others displaced and Blair didn’t intervene there. By 2011 when the US left, the first Maliki government had not yet shown its full idiocy, there was a level of stability that hadn’t been seen for decades in Iraq, and the Iraqi army was capable enough to handle the enemy that we had left to them.
Whose failure was it then that between 2011 and 2014, the second Maliki government abused the army, replaced commanders with sectarian incompetents, cut money from the army so that soldiers had to buy their own ammunition and no training was conducted, and who used Shi’ite militias to abuse the Sunnis and drive them into the hands of Daesh? Was the rise of Daesh due to the invasion, or might it also have been due to the Arab Spring, the incompetence of Maliki and his impact on the army? Was it the Syrian civil war and Assad’s own actions, together with the failure of Obama to insist that a residual US force stay in Iraq?
I would argue that if the recommended 10-15,000 strong US residual force had remained in Iraq, neither Fallujah nor Mosul would have fallen. Perhaps this is the real US failure. Perhaps there wasn’t enough intervention.
The other so regularly ignored factor by those who are blinkered by their baggage, is what might have happened had we failed to intervene. Saddam had already killed a million people in the Iran/Iraq war, gassed the Kurds, killed thousands more in the marshes, destroyed Kuwait and probably routinely killed at least tens of thousands of his people. Of all despotic Arab states, would the Arab Spring not have touched him? Would the Syrian civil war not have inspired the Shia and the Kurds to rise in rebellion? There are consequences for inaction, just as there are consequences for going to war in Iraq. And perhaps there’s a difference between why we went to war, and the justification of that war.
The Chilcot Report is excellent in its consideration of how the British conducted their part of the Iraq War, and how it was a strategic failure for them. Indeed it was a failure, because of the decision made by Blair to accompany the US to one war, and then as that conflict flared up in 2004 and 2005, to pull UK troops out and send them to Helmand, again in inadequate numbers and inadequately equipped. I would condemn Blair and Brown as much for reducing their armed forces in the late nineties and then sending them to fail in two wars simultaneously—Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jim Molan served as Chief of Operations for the Multinational Force in Iraq from 2004-5.
Two crucial truths in the Chilcot report?
Invading Iraq: Tony Blair’s real motivation
Understanding the limits of intelligence
Revisiting the Iraq War
The benefit of hindsight: the Chilcot report
The Strategist Six: Kurt Campbell
Reviving the Arab Peace Initiative
Australia’s Iraq nightmare
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Simon de Montfort and parliamentary democracy
by by Gordon Lamont
Suitable for Key Stage 3/4
To tell the story of Simon de Montfort and relate this to modern democracy.
Have available the short film ‘Stories from Parliament: Simon de Montfort‘ (7.18 minutes) accessible at Parliament’s website, in its Education Service section, and the means to play it during the assembly or tell the story in your own words. The film can be found at: www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/stories-from-parliament---simon-de-montfort Other resources, including the script and lesson plans, can also be found there.
This assembly supports the 2014 history and citizenship curriculum.
For further resources http://www.parliament.uk/education/teaching-resources-lesson-plans/magna-carta-assembly-plan/
Ask if anyone knows what the Magna Carta is and why it is important for us today. Draw out that it was a document agreed by King John and the powerful barons of England in 1215. It set out fundamental human rights, including trial by jury, and established for the first time that the king had to obey the law of the land. Some of the clauses in the Magna Carta are still in force today.
Say that you are going to fast-forward from 1215 to 1263, when King John’s son Henry III was on the throne.
Show the ‘Stories from Parliament: Simon de Montfort‘ film or tell the story in your own words, including the following facts.
– Henry wanted to win back land that he’d lost in France, so he taxed the people more and more heavily.
– He even took hostages and starved some to death to get his way.
– The barons were powerful landowners. They staged a revolt and elected a French nobleman who had married King Henry’s sister as their leader.
– He was Simon de Montfort who, with his wife Lady Eleanor and the other barons, raised a great army.
– The king’s troops were defeated and the king was captured at the battle of Lewes.
– In order to keep the king in line in future and give the people a voice in government for the first time, Simon de Montfort set up a parliament with representatives from every corner of the country.
Point out that Simon de Montfort was not like a modern democratic leader. He was instrumental in persecuting the Jews of England and his parliament included only a small number of men – no women – but it was a step towards democratic rule.
Reflect on the twists and turns of the historical journey to democracy, underlining how the freedoms we enjoy today were brought about by promises that were broken, battles fought and warlord barons looking after their land and money. Through this messy process, an idea of government by the people for the people began to emerge and take hold.
We sometimes take this way of living for granted, but it has been bought at great human cost over the years. Young or old, it is our democracy – and yours to shape in the future.
Do you value democracy?
Can you imagine living in a country where the rulers are not held to account for their actions? Where protest is stifled and unfair rules are enforced?
Our democracy isn’t perfect, we’re still on a journey, so how can it be improved and what part can you play in the next steps forward?
Publication date: September 2014 (Vol.16 No.9) Published by SPCK, London, UK.
A Welsh version of this assembly is also available >>
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Return to accident scene does not absolve hit-and-run driver
» Return to accident scene does not absolve hit-and-run driver
On behalf of Bernard J. Brown, Attorney at Law | Jan 12, 2017 | Criminal Defense
Most people in Lackawanna County understand that a driver who is involved in a traffic accident is legally required to remain at the scene of the accident until the police arrive. Leaving the accident scene before police arrive can exposes a driver to criminal charges. In a recent incident in Scranton, a driver thought that he could bend the law a bit by leaving the scene and then returning as soon as possible. The police did not accept the excuse.
The driver was employed by ARC of Northeastern Pennsylvania and was transporting four ARC clients to ARC’s facility in Scranton. He struck a pedestrian at the intersection of Prescott Avenue and Mulberry Street. Instead of stopping, he continued to the ARC facility and discharged his passengers. He then returned to the scene of the accident with an ARC supervisor, arriving about 10 minutes after the accident occurred. He told police that he had been blinded by the sun and did not see the pedestrian. The victim suffered head, pelvic and leg injuries but is expected to survive.
The police informed the driver of the van that he had committed a crime by leaving the accident scene, even for just a few minutes. One of the officers explained the policy behind the law. First, the driver is required to make contact with police who are investigating the scene. Second, by leaving the scene, the driver left the victim in greater jeopardy of being struck by another vehicle. The van driver was tested for intoxication, but the police have not released any results.
Leaving the scene of an accident is never a good idea. Anyone who is involved in a traffic accident should stay put until the police arrive. Any concerns about potential DUI charges or other crimes should be discussed with a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney. In this age of the cell phone, making such contact at the scene of the accident is no longer difficult.
Source: PA Home Page, “‘ARC’ Driver charged with Hit & Run that Injured Elderly Man,” Mark Hiller, Jan. 5, 2017
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Diagnosis lifestyle dementia brainhealth Alzheimer's research
Dr. Pierre Tariot
Director of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute
Dr. Tariot is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, with added qualifications in geriatrics. He served as a Fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health and as faculty at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Since 2006, he has been at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, where he serves as Director. Dr. Tariot has investigated the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and has published over 350 papers on these topics. He has led efforts to refine measures of behavioral changes in dementia and led multicenter trials of treatments for these.
Together with his colleague, Eric Reiman, he serves as co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, an NIH-funded international program to study experimental therapies that may delay or even prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in people at high imminent risk. Dr. Tariot leads the Banner “Dementia Care Initiative,” a program designed to demonstrate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of standardized care for persons with dementia in a large health care system. He is a Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona and a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. His research affiliations include the NIA, the NIMH, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
See all Advisors
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Bridgewater, Dee Dee / Mayfield, Irvin / New Orleans: Dee Dee's Feathers (Vinyl LP)
Razor & Tie
Double vinyl LP pressing. 2015 release from the Grammy-winning jazz singer. Dee Dee's Feathers is her debut album for OKeh Records and is the first collaboration from Bridgewater and the Grammy- winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO), founded by artistic director and trumpeter Irvin Mayfield. Dee Dee's Feathers is a modern vision of New Orleans and features traditional songs such as 'Big Chief,' 'St. James Infirmary' and 'What a Wonderful World' along with new compositions 'Congo Square' and 'C'est ici que je t'aime.' The album transports the listener through the historic New Orleans neighborhood of Treme. Over the course of a multi-faceted career spanning four decades, Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, Dee Dee won the 2010 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee. Bridgewater's career has always bridged musical genres. She was a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, and throughout the '70s, she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie. One Fine Thing, What a Wonderful World, Big Chief - Dee Dee Bridgewater Irvin Mayfield The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra feat. Dr. John, Saint James Infirmary, Dee Dee's Feathers, New Orleans, Treme Song / Do Whatcha Wanna, Come Sunday, Congo Square, C'est ici que je t'aime, Do You Know What it Means, Whoopin' Blues
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to BBC News.
Last year, 34 platinum miners were shot dead by police in a single day, known as the Marikana massacre, after protests turned violent.
The AFP reported that two people in a Johannesburg suburb had been stabbed in an incident related to the construction strike, according to a local news agency.
The government has appealed for no violence during the strike, calling on those involved to execute it “non-violently” and “engage in meaningful dialogue.”
“Government and the citizens of the country are urged to work together in a peaceful and stable manner to address the underlying challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” said a statement.
(Photo: Nadine Hutton/Bloomberg via Getty Images )
Written by Patrice Peck
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New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is only 22 and has been dominating the court since joining as a freshman last year. As an active member of NBA Fit, the league-wide initiative encouraging basketball fans to stay active, Hardaway shared with VIBE how he keeps it tight and right all year round.
While basketball is already a workout in itself, Hardaway seeks other avenues to work on his body, and other sports aren't out of the equation. "Besides basketball, I'd definitely say lifting weights and doing cardio," he said. "I like to swim a lot in the summer when I'm not playing basketball. Swimming, biking and things like that just so you're sweating."
For those who don't enjoy working out as much, the young NBA star recommends doing an activity you love with friends and the people you spend the most of your time with. He also boasts a hip hop-heavy playlist. "I like to listen to Jay Z, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, J. Cole, Wale, Lil Wayne, Drake, Machine Gun Kelly, Stalley... It all depends on what mood I'm in," he revealed.
Aside from exercise, diet is also a key component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Hardaway's trick is to keep it clean by eating lots of fresh foods. "Just stay away from the greasy, fried food and snacks, like chips and candy," he said. "I know it's kind of tough when you're a kid or young adult. Some people have a fast metabolism. Eat your fruits and vegatables, and make sure you eat a lot of grilled or basked fish and chicken."
Elsewhere in the interview, the athlete discusses the benefits of working out with your significant other, the recent changes in the Knicks roster and reaching his goals.
BET Health News - We go beyond the music and entertainment world to bring you important medical information and health-related tips of special relevance to Blacks in the U.S. and around the world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Tim Hardaway
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Houston's death the night before the Grammys altered the awards ceremony and brought back immediate memories of the singer in her better days, belting out hits and starring in the feature films such as "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." Years later, Houston's drug use had robbed her of her ability to hit high notes and left her once clean image tarnished.
"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.
In 2009, after she had divorced Brown, she told Oprah Winfrey that her cocaine and marijuana use took over her life. Both drugs were found in Houston's system after she died, though the marijuana and several other prescription drugs played no role in her death, coroner's officials said.
"I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted," Houston told Winfrey. "I didn't think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood."
Houston's planned comeback after that interview didn't pan out, but she was taking another shot this year with her appearance in a remake of the film "Sparkle."
She stars as the mother of a family of girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and addiction. She also sang for the film, delivering a soulful rendition of the gospel hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow."
It is unclear what impact, if any, the autopsy results will have on the film, although untimely death has not been an impediment to the posthumous releases of other actors and entertainers. Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight" helped propel the film to blockbuster status and earned the actor a posthumous Oscar. He died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January 2008, months before the film's release.
More recently, Amy Winehouse's duet "Body and Soul" with Tony Bennett earned them a Grammy Award, months after the singer died unexpectedly in London. An inquest determined she died from an accidental alcohol overdose.
A spokesman for Sony Pictures did not return an email message Thursday seeking comment on whetherHouston's autopsy results would alter marketing of "Sparkle."
It will be a couple weeks before the exact amount of cocaine in Houston's system is released, officials said.
The drug has been known to cause damage to the heart and could have cause Houston's death, said Dr. Michael Fishbein, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He had no role in the investigation.
He said a likely scenario was that Houston's cocaine use interfered with the normal function of her heart.
"There's no reason to drown in a bathtub unless you're incapacitated," Fishbein said.
Houston's friend and collaborators said after her death that they didn't believe she was still abusing drugs, and she described as being a complete professional on the "Sparkle" set.
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You."
She was buried last month in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack.
BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world.
(Photo: AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
Written by Anthony McCartney, AP Entertainment Writer
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From Chancellor's Prize Committee
Chancellor's Prize Committee
We award the annual Chancellor's Prize to the best final year undergraduate student.
View more team profiles in Chancellor's Prize Committee
Following an annual selection process, we report the selection of the prize-winner to Senate. The prize is awarded at the appropriate summer awards ceremony. This award is made possible through the generosity of Lord Kearton.
You can find the full responsibilities of the committee in the terms of reference.
The terms of office expire on 31 July in the year stated.
Professor J Swart, Chair, School of Management, term of office 2022
Professor C Taylor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, term of office 2021
Professor F Li, Faculty of Engineering and Design, term of office 2023
Professor A Burrows, Faculty of Science, term of office 2022
Mr F Masala, Students' Union President, term of office 2021
Laura Andrews la452@bath.ac.uk
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Eight Bayern players nominated for FIFA XI
by FCBayernNews » Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:45 pm
Eight FC Bayern players have been honoured with nominations for the 2017 FIFA FIFPro World XI. Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Jérôme Boateng, David Alaba, Thiago, Arturo Vidal, Robert Lewandowski and now-retired former captain Philipp Lahm are on the 55-man shortlist revealed by the players’ association FIFPro, who give out this award in conjunction with football’s world governing body.
Over 2,500 footballers from over 75 different countries casted their votes, choosing a goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and a striker. The players with the most votes in each position will receive one of the prestigious places in the World XI.
The result will be announced on 23 October during The Best FIFA Football Awards show in London, where the world player of the year and the world coach of the year will also be crowned. In the last four years, Neuer (2013-16), Lahm (2013, 2014), Franck Ribéry (2013), Toni Kroos and Arjen Robben (both 2014) have made it into the World XI.
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B.C. Games
55+ BC Game
2020 B.C. Winter Games
This chart shows a breakdown of the City of Prince Rupert's budget based on major expense categories.
Follow the money: How the City of Prince Rupert spends its budget
The 2014 budget for the City of Prince Rupert includes the collection of $15,473,092 in taxes from homeowners and businesses.
Shaun Thomas
Mar. 12, 2014 11:00 a.m.
The 2014 budget for the City of Prince Rupert includes the collection of $15,473,092 in taxes from homeowners and businesses in the community.
It’s an increase of $1.4 million from the year before and that has some questioning how the city is spending the money it collects in taxes and other fees and services. With the $7 million airport loan and loan payment cancelling each other out, tax revenue accounts for 50.8 per cent of the city’s total operating budget of $30.44 million
Preliminary budget numbers released by chief financial officer Corinne Bomben shed some light on what the money you pay to the city in 2014 will be used for throughout the year.
By far the biggest expenditure for the city is paying the price of policing. The city anticipates paying $4.9 million to pay for policing costs, equivalent to 16.1 per cent of the city’s total expenses. Another significant expense also goes to pay for the fire department. The city anticipates paying $2.48 million for fire protection services, an increase of $301,710 from the previous year due to contractually-obligated wage and benefit increases, and that equates to 8.1 per cent of the city’s budget. The money is used to pay for 30 full-time-equivalent RCMP officers, 18 firefighters and the fire chief and deputy chief.
While some have called for a volunteer fire department similar to Terrace, Bomben notes that a change to a volunteer model would increase home and commercial insurance premiums, as well as those for city-owned properties.
Operationally, the largest piece of the city budget is allocated to provisions for capital projects. The number for that expense increased by $2.89 million compared to last year to sit at $3.47 million dollars accounting for 11.4 per cent of the budget. Public works common costs, which doesn’t include the $1.8 million set aside for roads, come in at $3.24 million equal to 10.6 per cent of the budget. The airport ferry, which connects the city to Digby Island, is anticipated to cost the city $2.13 million this year, up $216,868 from last year, which is seven per cent of the budget.
Recreation services, when expenses related to the pool, the arena, the civic centre and community services are combined, will cost the city $3.25 million. That figure is up $248,192 from last year’s budget and accounts for 10.7 per cent of the budget.
When combined, these six services account for 63.9 per cent of the city’s total budget
Next week the Northern View will look at comparative mill rates.
Open house held for North Delta Area Plan
Medical marijuana proposed in industrial zones
Writing newspaper columns to publishing first book
A local pastor's journey to writing the book 'Community in the Face of Tragedy'
How vaccines work; a statement Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, issued the following statement Jan. 5, 2021.
Burns Lake pets out and about
The problem of pets wandering off or being abused on the rise
Langford's finally made the decision to make audio of regular council meeting available to the public. But not livestreaming. Budget restraints? I don't think so. There has been so much zoning and building done in this city, it stands to reason they have a huge budget, so why wait? Because they don't want us to know and see what is going on behind closed doors. They ignore everything the public puts forward at the meetings, anyway. The zoning and development get passed. Just give a listen.
WKE kindess project’s first food donation
The William Konkin Elementary (WKE) students were able to harvest and deliver their fresh greens to The Link food centre, as part of their Build Grow Share Kindness Project, under the leadership of Vice Principal Cordell Ware. The kids donated eight bunches of spinach, seven heads of butterhead lettuce, seven heads of green leaf lettuce, ten new hats with their kindness project logo embroidered on the front and five handmade wooden crates. "I am so incredibly proud of our students. They have engaged in both local and global acts of kindness. They are truly changing peoples' lives for the better through purposeful and practical acts of kindness. We here at WKE are so excited for the rest of the school year and our continued efforts to build, grow, and share kindness," said Ware in an email to Lakes District News. (Karen Ware photo/Lakes District News)
Explore BC Local News
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Wikiage - Celebrities Wiki, Biography, Age, Etc
Stateless Season 1 Netflix Cast, Release Date, Plot, and Review Explained
July 5, 2020 James White Celebs 0
Stateless is a fresh Netflix drama portraying the story of 4 people from different walks of life and how their lives intertwine inside of an immigration center in Australia.
The show focuses on refugees and immigration into the land down under and the different struggles that immigrants face while trying to find a better life.
The series, which will be coming to Netflix in early July, has a stellar cast which includes seasoned veterans along with a few new talents.
When Is The Release Date Of Stateless?
Stateless first aired on Australian networks on 1 March 2020. The show was originally released on the ABC network.
In similar fashion, the show will come to Netflix on July 8, 2020.
Pot And Premise
The central premise of the show is based on real events in the life of Cornelia Rau. She was a permanent resident of Australia who was originally a German citizen.
She was wrongfully detained as an illegal immigrant in Australia in 2004. Rau was placed in the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre and Baxter Detention Centre for a period of over ten months, after the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs illegal, and wrong decision to classify her as an illegal immigrant.
The on-screen counterpart to Rau is the character of Sofie Werner, whose life intersects the lives of 3 other immigrants at the detention center.
Rau was also a member of the cult Kenja, she joined the group in 1998. Members of the cult had to give huge chunks of their earnings to the cult and they were also forced to tell their darkest secrets to the higher-us of the cult who would blackmail them if they tried to leave.
In the show, Werner is also trying to escape from the clutches of the cult and finds herself going through the paces of the Australian immigration system.
Werner’s life is intertwined with an Afghan refugee, Ameer, trying to escape his war-torn home and find a new life for his family, a father stuck at a dead-end and menial job, and Claire, a member of the government top brass who is a hair’s length close to becoming the center of a national scandal.
The series follows Sofie as she transfers from the cult to the prison system, her mental health also slowly deteriorates as the series progresses due to what cult members Gordon and Pat Masters did to her.
One of the biggest names on the show is Two Time Oscar-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett. She plays the role of Pat Masters, the eccentric and dark cult leader who plays a pivotal role in the lead character’s life.
The lead character of Sofie Werner is played by Yvonne Strahovski, whose emotional delivery is sure to pull on heartstrings. Ameer, the Afghan refugee, is portrayed by Fayssal Bazzi.
Asher Keddie depicts Claire Kowitz, the general manager of the detention center and a bureaucrat. This character comes into the facility to be shocked at the amount of dysfunction within it.
Jai Courtney is playing the role of Cam Sandford, who is morally haunted and conflicted.
The role of Margot, who finds out where Werner is illegally held, is portrayed by Marta Dusseldorp.
Some other actors on the show include Rachel House, Claude Jabbour, etc.
Ratings And Audience Reception
Stateless has received great reviews globally, IMDb has rated the shoe 7/10 overall while each individual episode of the show has been rated at least 7.9/10.
Likewise, the series has garnered more than 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a decent 8.2/10 on the Rating Graph.
Trailers And Teasers
The original trailer for the show came out on 14 January 2020 and was uploaded by the series’ original network ‘ABC TV & iview’.
Netflix released the trailer for the show on 24 June 2020.
What Does Enemy ac 130 Above Mean
A New TikTok House Members, Owners and Location Explained
Christian Zucconi – Biography, Height & Life Story
Lance Bass – Biography, Height & Life Story
Khandi Alexander – Biography, Height & Life Story
Jay Pharoah – Biography, Height & Life Story
Heléne Yorke – Biography, Height & Life Story
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2 Samuel 9:12 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:11-12 The Message (MSG)
“All that my master the king has ordered his servant,” answered Ziba, “your servant will surely do.” And Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, just like one of the royal family. Mephibosheth also had a small son named Mica. All who were part of Ziba’s household were now the servants of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:12 New Living Translation (NLT)
Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants.
2 Samuel 9:12 King James Version (KJV)
And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:12 New Century Version (NCV)
Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. Everyone in Ziba’s family became Mephibosheth’s servants.
2 Samuel 9:12 American Standard Version (ASV)
And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:12 New International Version (NIV)
Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:12 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:12 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
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Dion Irish
Commissioner, Inspectional Services
Dion Irish has served the city of Boston for 25 years in various leadership positions. He is a graduate of Dorchester High School; he earned a Bachelor degree in Political Science from Boston University, a Master of Urban Affairs from Boston University, and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Suffolk University.
Commissioner Irish worked at Boston Inspectional Services (ISD) for 17 years, serving as Assistant Commissioner/Director of Housing Inspections for 12 years, where he helped establish nationally recognized programs such as Breath Easy At Home (BEAH), Rental Property Registration, and the statewide comprehensive certification training for housing inspectors (MPHIT).
In 2012, Dion was appointed Executive Director of Boston’s Office of Civil Rights (now called the Office of Fair Housing and Equity), where he established interagency collaborations to address housing discrimination and lead paint in homes, both of which limited opportunities for families and children. In 2014, he was selected to receive the “Henry L. Shattuck Award” for public service from the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.
In August 2015, Mayor Martin J. Walsh appointed Mr. Irish as Commissioner of the City’s Election Department where he oversaw the implementation of two cycles of “Early Voting”, the administration of 11 elections, and a citywide review of precincts and address assignments. Mr. Irish also worked to upgrade the department’s technology, increase cybersecurity, and expand civic engagement through collaborations with the Boston Public Schools and other partners.
isdcommissioner@boston.gov
1010 Massachusetts Ave., 5th Floor
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Tag Archives: terance
A Crossroads Fight For Crawford and Khan
By: Oliver McManus
In less than 48 hours time Madison Square Garden will play host to the latest “super-fight” to grace the extravagant parlour synonymous with glamour boxing. Super fight is, perhaps, a little generous for the billing of Terence Crawford vs Amir Khan. Certainly there is a distinct favourite with Crawford fetching odds anywhere between 1/12 and 1/25 (-1200 / -2500 for those in the States). Make no mistake, however, this is not a mismatch such as in Rocky Fielding’s audacious bid to retain his WBA ‘Regular’ belt against Canelo Alvarez – that was, as they say, “daring to be great”. Khan and Crawford have, to a relative extent, already proved their credentials.
This will not be an analytical breakdown of how the contest may go, nor glossing over the legacies that either fighter has carved out for themselves. Indeed there’s plenty of pre-existing works out there – No Filter Boxing by BT Sport, a sterling example. Rather these are just my musings, splattered onto the internet.
Crawford for me is one of the most criminally underrated boxers of the current generation. It seems a lifetime ago that he was back campaigning at lightweight – a division in which he claimed the WBO belt, initially, with a win over Ricky Burns. To think that was five years ago just boggles the brain but since then he’s claimed world titles at super lightweight and, his current division, welterweight. Of course he’s benefited from the WBO’s position on “super mandatories”, securing him an instant world title shot in each new division, but he’s still had to win the titles.
Not once could you say he’s struggled, either, certainly not when becoming undisputed with a resounding knockout victory over Julius Indongo. Materialistically that was the biggest fight of his career but, of course, Indongo was a flash in the pan when it came to his success. It’s safe to say that Omaha resident has never shied from a challenge but Amir Khan should be his stiffest opponent of his brief spell at welterweight and, arguably, since Viktor Postol in July 2016.
The question of Crawford’s position on the pound for pound list is a topic that is, rightly, hotly contested. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to have him poised at the top, given how untouchable he has looked throughout three weight divisions but, then, the same could be said for Naoya Inoue. It comes down to who he’s faced and Crawford’s resumé just doesn’t carry the same heft as that of Canelo, Vasyl Lomachenko or Oleksandr Usyk.
There are plenty of exciting fights available around the 147lb division and even a fight with, an ageing, Manny Pacquiao would be an intriguing contest. Throw in Errol Spence, Mikey Garcia and the crop that ESPN are starting to bring through – Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Kudratillo Abdukakhorov – and suddenly a pathway becomes clear.
Khan, for all his flaws, never seems to get the credit he deserves. The domestic media coverage of this contest has been notable by its absence with Matchroom Boxing, the official co-promoters for the show, seemingly flogging Khan as a dead-horse back to the American market. The ongoing “now or never” saga with the Kell Brook fight brings inevitable frustration to any boxing fan but regardless of what either protagonist says, the fight will always be there as one final payday. How interested the viewing public will be is a different question altogether.
To an extent the level of scorn directed at Khan is understandable, for a plethora of reasons that all vary in relevance. Look at his actual boxing record and it’s hard to brush him aside as easily as some may wish – he has competed with success from lightweight to welterweight and jumped at the chance to topple Canelo Alvarez. Likewise with Crawford, his desire to prove himself as a potential hall-of-famer is unquestionable but Khan has actively pursued, and been involved in, these bouts with far more vigour.
The fact that he was caught short by Canelo, in resounding fashion, was an unfortunately abrupt ending to an otherwise competent boxing display in which he was more than holding his own. It’s fair to say Khan has never been outboxed by any of his opponents, never beaten for work-rate or stamina, but his four losses have came via a combination of defensive frailties and heavy hands from his opponents.
Living in a “Mayweather-era”, as it is colloquially dubbed, often proves a disservice to many fighters actually willing to take a risk. Look back throughout the decades and all the best fighters from Ali, Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard, have taken losses because the fear of taking a beating simply didn’t exist. Khan, in that respect, is a fighter from the history books and this fight against Crawford simply reiterates that.
It is, in all reality, his last chance at re-capturing a bona fide world title and I find it hard to ever do away with the chances of the Bolton-fighter as a result of his natural fighting ability that has earned him his stripes as an amateur professional. He made the more prosperous start to proceedings against Canelo and you’d favour him to do the same on Saturday but will he be able to sustain that pressure before Crawford figures him out?
Disregarded, almost, the point of derision. Amir Khan has got to go down as one of the best British fighters since the 1990s and I say that with gritted teeth for cannot claim to have ever warmed to him.
His latest challenge might well be one too many bites of the cherry but, equally, it could be the sweetest yet.
Transcript of Top Rank on ESPN Terence Crawford vs. Amir Khan Media Conference Call
Top Rank on ESPN blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore, analysts – former two-division world titleholder, Tim Bradley and former pound-for-pound two-division world champion, Andre Ward, participated in a media conference call yesterday to discuss the welterweight showdown between pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford vs. former unified 140-pound champion Amir “King” Khan. Crawford-Khan will mark the first PPV event under the Top Rank on ESPN banner on Saturday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT from Madison Square Garden.
A transcript of the conference call follows:
JOE TESSITORE: Thank you so much, and welcome, everybody. We’re thrilled as a production team to have this night. I sit there and you get the introduction there, and I hear we’re coming on the air with ESPN2 at 6 o’clock, knowing we’re coming on Pay-Per-View 9 o’clock.
So, now I’m sitting here looking at this bout sheet saying, holy cow, we’ve got to broadcast nine fights. This is unbelievable here, just the workload. But here’s what I love about Saturday night. And we’ll get into the main event plenty. When we put forth this relationship with Top Rank, one of the major themes was we’re going to serve the boxing fan really, really well.
And I think we all collectively feel good about what’s been accomplished since we went on the air with Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn from Australia a couple summers ago right through the past year, with the growth and development of ESPN+, with what we’ve been doing on ESPN. And I’m so sick of hearing my voice on a 30-second commercial promo right now on ESPN this week, and I’m sure everybody else is, too. But what it shows you is an unbelievable commitment from the network to put this sport forward the way it always should have been in the course of the last 25 to 30 years — that the role this support now plays on the landscape of American sports is back to what it always was, of being a very mainstream.
And this night really over-delivers to the fans, and we’re really excited about it. We just got done having our production meetings with all the fighters. And as much as we have arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, an undefeated fighter, a generational talent in Bud Crawford against a global star, a well-marketed, former champion who still has tons of speed and skill and athleticism to make this a very competitive fight. We have a Pay-Per-View card that’s worthy of a Pay-Per-View card because you have rising undefeated stars, you have intrigue and next-generational talent kind of guys cars in Shakur Stevenson and Teofimo Lopez both taking step-up fights. And we feel like we’re going to over-deliver to the fans on Saturday night.
And I think in recent years — and, listen, this is ESPN’s first venture in this relationship of stepping into Pay-Per-View — in recent years you haven’t been able to say that about the sport, whether living in the corner of premium cable or whether living in the world of Pay-Per-View, which for the most part was economic relief for promoters and networks rather than really delivering a hefty night to the fans.
And we feel from 6 o’clock through or past midnight on Saturday night we are going to serve the fan. And that is first and foremost.
Now, the primary way we’re going to serve the fan is two very determined world-class fighters being in the ring at the end of all of that.
Just moments ago Bud Crawford and Amir Khan left the room that we’re sitting in now. I’ll let Tim and Andre tell you what they’re seeing, what they’re thinking, what they expecting in the fight. But here’s what I do know: We’re getting two guys at their absolute prime, at their absolute best, the version of each of them.
We got a very surly, and nasty Bud Crawford sit with us before, and we’ve had that version of Bud Crawford sit with us in production meetings before. And when you get that version of Bud Crawford, you get a serious ending to a fight that’s memorable.
And we have Amir Khan feeling that right now, 33 wins into his career, fighting in a weight class where he’s undefeated, feeling a sense of maturity, having a 12-week training camp with Virgil Hunter, he sits here and he tells us that he’s completely ready.
And then you hear the deference shown from Bud Crawford of recognizing Amir Khan’s physical gifts — his boxing skills, his legs, his straight punches, his fighting prowess — and I have a feeling that this fight, as it draws closer, is much more than how it was perceived when it was first signed.
Anytime you go up against a guy like Vasiliy Lomachenko or Bud Crawford, I don’t care who is opposite them, the early perception of the fight is, ah, man, we know what’s going to happen here. Listen, I have great intrigue as to what’s going to happen in the first six to eight rounds of this fight.
Much like we’ve seen other times with Amir Khan. Tell me about an Amir Khan fight that you’ve ever seen — listen, the guy went all the way up to 160 pounds against Canelo Alvarez; he’s never in a bad fight.
And I think we’re getting the absolute best version of him here. I want to turn it over to Tim.
TIM BRADLEY: I’m just glad to be here, one. And also after last week, looking at arguably the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the game, Lomachenko, now we’re coming back this week to look at Terence Bud Crawford, and we get to compare the two.
Different opponents but I love the fact that we get to compare the two, and the fans at home that’s going to be watching, they’ll get a show from Bud Crawford and Amir Khan.
I want to see if the fans at home can pick after watching Bud Crawford, their number one pound-for-pound — that’s what I’m interested in. And I want to see if Amir Khan still has a lot left in the tank. I want to see how well he prepared. And if he has the ability still to compete at the welterweight division.
ANDRE WARD: So I don’t know what else I can say that Joe and Tim haven’t said. But I will say I’m also excited about calling this fight on ESPN Pay-Per-View. I read a headline the other day that, basically it was a writer saying something to the effect — and he (writer) may be on this call right now — but something to the effect that he’s predicting or hoping for, you know, a failure for this Pay-Per-View.
And that’s just not the type of headline that should be written when we’re — the collective goal is to push this sport forward and to grow this sport.
And this type of card, this type of event is going to do that. And just like Joe said, from top to bottom, you have Verdejo, who is trying to reclaim the glory he once had. He doesn’t have one championship round under his belt. And he’s literally fighting for his boxing future to show the people that he’s still El Diamante, that he still has what it takes to be a champion one day.
Obviously you have a young man that I’m familiar with, Shakur Stevenson, who is — he wants to be in the top spot. He’s on the fast track. The team, Top Rank and obviously myself and the other managers, we’d like him to probably take a slower route. But in this day and age, man, the young fighters they want to move a lot faster. He has what it takes, but it’s not going to be easy against Diaz.
Diaz challenged for a world title not too long ago. He came up short. But he obviously showed that he’s in the running. He deserves to be in the race to be facing the top in the division. And he wants to show Shakur that Shakur picked the wrong contender to pick on.
You obviously have Teofimo Lopez, the co-main event. He’s in the peculiar position where, yes, he’s getting a lot of headlines; yes, he can fight. No doubt about that. But people still have questions, as they will for the course of his career, that’s how it goes.
How good is he and can he back up the big talk? And this is pressure that he and his father have heaped upon themselves. I respect it. It’s not an easy thing to do. You have enough pressure as is just being a young prospect with a hot name.
And they’re not only doing that, but they’re calling out guys like Lomachenko, who, again, depending on where you are on the pound-for-pound list or how you put either fighter, Crawford or Loma, he may be the best guy or number two, they’re calling for that guy. They’re not just saying we’re willing to face them; they’re demanding the fight.
That’s a lot of pressure to live up to and they’re doing it and I respect it. Whether you agree with it or not.
And then our main event, between Amir Khan and Terrance Crawford, I know Amir very well. It’s well publicized that he’s with my team. He has pretty much my whole team in the Bay Area.
Amir Khan is a silver medalist. The goods have always been there physically. But in the biggest moments he hasn’t been able to put it all together. And Amir’s issue is not information. It’s not knowing what to do or being told what to do. It’s always application; can he do it in the biggest moment?
And the question I would have for Amir Khan going into this fight is simply is it more important for you to prove to the people, the masses, the fans, the media how tough you are, or that you can take punishment, or that you’re a guy that has heart? Or is it more important to actually win the fight?
Because winning this fight, regardless of how he wins it, is really the only thing that’s going to extend his career.
Terrance Crawford, he has superseded just being in the discussion about fighting for titles. He’s done that. He’s been the undisputed champion at 140. He has plenty of belts. He’s in the position where every fight matters. And not just winning but how he wins, it matters when you’re in the discussion for pound-for-pound elite status, because clearly that is irrespective of weight class.
And every move, every performance is going to be scrutinized as it should be if you’re going to be in that discussion. So he’s not without pressure going into this fight. He not only has to win but he has to dominate and I would probably venture to say he probably needs a knockout to stay in that top conversation because of the history of Amir Khan.
Fans and media are going to match his performance up against every other top guy that Amir has fought. And that’s why I say — and I probably would never go on the record or at least up until this point I’ve yet to be on the record to say a guy needs a knockout — but because of Amir’s tasks he’s going to need that type of performance if he’s going to stay in the top spot or, for people who have number two, to supersede Loma. So here we are.
Q. Can you give fans your predictions for the fight goes the distance, many are predicting Kahn will KO. What if he doesn’t?
ANDRE WARD: If Khan is not KOed, I still believe Terence has more than enough ability to get the job done because of his style. He’s able to make adjustments in the ring. That’s why he’s considered among one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the game.
Amir Khan has that amateur pedigree. He’s fought some tough guys. He does have a better resumé than Terence Crawford as far as opponents goes. But Amir Khan hasn’t really performed at the welterweight level, like Jake was saying, just yet. This is the big test at the welterweight division.
And if it does go the distance like I told you I think that Terence Crawford will win the decision without a doubt.
Bradley: I think I’ll answer the question. But I’ll reiterate what I said a few minutes ago. Obviously, a win is all that matters to Team Crawford. That’s what it’s about. That’s where the next payday comes. That’s where the next opportunity comes. You have to win. That’s first and foremost.
And I don’t believe personally that — obviously a knockout is better than a decision. That goes without saying. But I don’t think he feels like it’s a knockout or bust.
What I’m saying is in the eyes of most media members, and in the eyes of a lot of the fans, based on Amir Khan’s history, he’s going to be compared — the performance Saturday night is going to be compared to the other guys that stopped, the other three guys that stopped Amir Khan. And I still believe that if he dominated every round, he’s still at the top of the pound-for-pound list. But once again the reality is that the Crolla-Loma fight, whether you agree or not, whether I agree or not, is going to be compared to the Crawford-Khan fight.
So he’s in a tricky position, but this is a good position to be in. These are the waters you want to be in if you’re in the discussion, if you are dealing with the scrutiny of arguably being the best fighter in the world. That’s not something haphazard. That’s not something you just gloss over. That’s a big deal. But this is the kind of pressure that comes with it. We’ll see how the fight comes out.
TIM BRADLEY: And to piggyback off what Dre is saying, if you look at any of the top welterweights in the division — you know, you’ve got Errol Spence, Thurman and Shawn Porter — you look at these guys — Danny García, García has already knocked out Kahn.
If you match them with Kahn, you would bet that they would knock Kahn out. So it puts a lot of pressure on Terence Bud Crawford to get the knockout Saturday night.
ANDRE WARD: I’ll throw one more thing in there. If Canelo would have won a decision against Amir Kahn there would have been some boo birds. There would have been some people, a lot of critics saying, hey, this guy moved up to 160 — and I know it was two weight classes — but he moved up to 160 and you couldn’t stop him when he’s been stopped in the past?
Again, this is the reality of the situation. He’s going to be — this performance Saturday night is going to be compared not just to the other fights that Amir’s fought, but specifically the guys who have knocked him out. Everybody is going to match that up to the Crawford performance and say, oh, this is your pound-for-pound best. Well he didn’t do XYZ and that’s the name of the game and that’s how it goes.
Q. Tim, being that you’ve done big Pay-Per-Views and a lot of pressure has been on you, how much pressure is it on the Terence Crawford to deliver a spectacular performance even though he’s already knocked out the guy that knocked out Amir Kahn?
TIM BRADLEY: You know, being at the top level and to be mentioned in the top pound-for-pound, there’s always a lot of pressure. You know, this is Crawford’s second Pay-Per-View. There’s a lot of expectations from not only the media but also the boxing fans, the boxing world, (indiscernible) that he’s facing, Amir Khan, and the history of Khan in big fights and him being knocked out. So there’s a lot of pressure on Terrance Crawford going into this fight.
I have to say this, man. Khan is not as easy as everybody thinks. This fight is not going to be as easy as everybody thinks it’s going to be. Khan is highly motivated. He’s at a point in his career where he needs a fighter to get him up, and Terence Crawford is that guy. He’s that guy that, he has to dream about every single night for three months. And a guy that he should fear, because he knows what can happen because of the history that Khan has been in and has gone through. So Khan’s going to be ready more than what everybody thinks that he’s going to be.
He’s going to fight smart. He’s going to fight hard. He’s going to give Terence Crawford a challenge. There’s one thing that Terence Crawford does that kind of worries me a little bit is that when he’s in close, sometimes he pulls away with his hands out leaving himself exposed for a left hook from a little bit too close.
You can’t do that against a guy like Khan who is an Olympian, who has been in there with some top guys in the world without paying the price.
So I’m curious to see if Terence Crawford has fixed that. And I’m curious to see if Khan can make him pay for his mistakes.
Q. How much does a fighter think about doing a big Pay-Per-View like this leading up to the fight, how much does it factor into his psyche?
TIM BRADLEY: His psyche? Well, if you’re real, just put it this way, if you’re real you’ve got to be able to deal with the pressure. But I could tell you this: My first Pay-Per-View, when I fought against the best fighter pound-for-pound, Manny Pacquiao, at the time, I could tell you what Khan’s feeling right now, being the B side of things.
I felt like I was fighting against King Kong. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. Everybody was expecting me to get knocked out against Manny Pacquiao. It was a lot of pressure, man.
I just had to relax, put it that way. I spoke to some of my friends who have been around boxing for a long time. They told me, Tim, just relax.
But the lead-up, in your hotel room, when you step foot on the scale, after that, man, it becomes a reality, man. And it can definitely hinder your performance when you step foot in the ring.
I have to say, another thing is that last week when we saw Lomachenko against Crolla — Crolla can say whatever he wants about not being nervous and not being scared, he didn’t fight that way from the opening bell.
Crolla fought scared. The bright lights got to him. And that can happen. That could very well happen.
But I don’t think it’s going to happen in this fight. Khan’s been here before. He’s been here before. He’s been in big events. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think he’ll be fine.
Q. Andre, you said Crawford has a willingness to exchange, and this could be one of his emphasis. How can Amir Kahn exploit and capitalize on this?
ANDRE WARD: I think what I said was something to the effect of, Terence Crawford gets overeager at times, or if he gets hit he wants to get the punch back right away. So, instead of Terence in a particular instance showing 2s and 3s or a 3 and a 4, he’ll try to throw a 5 and 6. And on the 5 and 6 punch, he’ll exchange with the guys and he’ll tend to get caught at times.
That could be good and bad. The negative is you get hit. The positive is you were in range to do damage as well.
To sum this fight up in a nutshell, this fight is about the second and third adjustment. The first game plan they might match up evenly in the first round or two. But it’s the second adjustment that Terence is going to make, and the question and the burden and the onus is going to be on Khan — can he keep up, can he make the other adjustments?
And when Terence makes another adjustment, can Amir Khan make that adjustment? That’s where Amir sometimes gets left in the dust in those bigger fights against better competition, is they make the second or third adjustment. He doesn’t realize the process that, yo, this guy is setting me up for a big shot. Amir is going along to get along. He’s being sassed, he’s being what he is, he’s doing what he normally does, using a lot of athleticism, a lot of skill, the things he woke up and came out of the crib with.
But when it comes to digging deep mentally and saying, whoa, this guy is trying to set me up because he wants me to throw that right hand so he can come over the top with a left hook.
That’s what he’s been unable to do. I’m not sure if he can get that at this stage in his career. I know my godfather and my former coach has been working on that. He’s been doing his part on that. But, again, the issue with Amir Khan is not the information. It’s the application. He has the information. He’ll say the right things. He’s been in camp 10 weeks or 12 weeks, whatever it’s been.
I don’t have the entourage anymore. I’m focused. I know how important this fight is. So when the lights come on and the bell rings, and you get past that first adjustment where Terence starts to get out a little bit, what is Amir Kahn going to do?
Q. You mentioned you already met with Khan and Crawford. Anything standing with them looking in their eyes that changes or confirms your outlook for Saturday?
JOE TESSITORE: I’ll just reinforce the one observation I made a few times when we’ve had Bud in these production meetings. But there is a surly, mean streak that grows within him as you get closer to a fight like this, with Bud Crawford. And it was festering already today.
We usually have these production meetings on Friday where it’s very, very pronounced when you’re with him. It was already there today.
The other observation I would have is both guys are physically primed. When we throw, you know, the fit and ready around, they are fit and ready. So they’ve been on weight. So they’re comfortably eating, comfortably hydrating. You’re getting a very good physical version of both guys.
I would also say that Amir Khan as well as Virgil Hunter talked plenty about focus and discipline and attentiveness to what’s happening here. And Amir going so far as saying how much he’s even changed his fightweek norm, that last night that he found himself staying in and watching fights, watching some of his past fights, watching some of his sparring on tape and watching some of Crawford’s old fights. And he said in previous big fightweeks that would not be the case as to how he spent a Wednesday night. It would be family, it would be friends, it would be the gathering of everybody coming into town for the fight
So my personal takeaway is that you’re getting guys who are at their physical prime prepared peak and their mental prime prepared peak. That was my biggest takeaway.
Listen, we sit there, we go deep. I tend to think he’s conversations that we have in production meetings go far more philosophical and reflective than most any sport I do. And when I’m sitting there with Bill Belichick or Sean McVay getting ready to do Monday Night Football, it’s all scheme, all XO, it’s all personnel, it’s all where you are in the prep for the week.
These conversations go far deeper into the psyche, into the essence of somebody’s being. And with both of these guys you’re saying they’re A to A-plus, where they are right now.
ANDRE WARD: Just my takeaway, I’ll start with Amir Khan. You have to give Amir Khan credit because there’s not a lot of fighters that could have gone through what he’s gone through in the boxing ring and also the scrutiny he’s dealt with outside the ring.
And I’m talking about the personal scrutiny he gets, I’m talking about his in-ring performances. And he’s still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He’s still hopeful. He’s still fighting to make the necessary adjustments in his personal life, as a fighter.
I wasn’t around his training camp. I personally stayed away. I wasn’t around Terence’s camp either. I’m friends with both guys. I wanted to stay neutral as possible.
But I know instinctively that Amir Khan didn’t have an easy camp with his sparring partners. I know he had to fight every single day to keep these guys off of him. And I respect that. And I know that there’s been a disconnect between the information and application, like I said earlier,
but he truly believes he’s going to win. Amir Khan, even in his worst outing, you haven’t seen a guy turn tail and go the other way.
You haven’t seen a guy quit like — if you beat him, if you even stop him, you’re going to do have to do what a Canelo did, what a Danny García did. That’s literally what you’ll have to do to make him stop fighting. And even though stylistically and technically things aren’t perfect all the time and that’s the reason why those things happen, I respect the moxie and the willingness. And Amir Khan has shown more willingness by taking this fight than a lot of champions have shown over the last three or four or five years. And their efforts or lack of efforts to face the other top guys in their division.
Terence Crawford, I don’t mean to inject myself into this — but I see a lot of myself in him when I look at him two days before a fight, a day before a fight.
He’s not a guy that’s just fighting for bills, he’s not just fighting for money. That’s fine. That’s part of it. It’s prize fighting. He comes to get that as well. But he’s fighting for respect.
And when you have that chip on your shoulder, when you have that inclination that you’re not getting what you feel like you’ve rightfully earned, that’s a different type of fuel. That’s like what you saw in Aaron Pryor when he fought Alexis Arguello the first time and even the second time.
Alexis came in as the golden boy and everyone praised him. And Aaron Pryor was the young guy who had done a lot but yet didn’t have the respect. He came from the ghetto of Cincinnati. And it was one thing that set him off. And that really led to Arguello’s demise in that fight, if you watch “Legendary Nights,” is the ring announcer said, “Mr. Arguello” when he announced Alexis, and he just said “Aaron Pryor.”
It was that small thing that 99 percent of the people watching on television, the people inside the stadium would have missed, but because he felt marginalized, because he felt slighted, because he felt like the just due had never really been there even though he earned it, it was that little bit of fuel that caused him to do what he did to Alexis. And that’s the same material that Terence Crawford has inside of him.
Q. For Amir, fighting late in your career as an underdog, what’s going to be the physical/mental mindset to succeed on Saturday? And also in the blog world, people are saying even the best Amir Khan, Amir in his prime, that they would still pick Crawford over him. But is this version of Amir, the veteran that’s hungry to return, is this the best version that has the best chance of winning against Crawford?
TIM BRADLEY: Absolutely. At this point in Amir Khan’s career, when you have won championships, when you have earned the money, like I’ve said before, you need these type of fights to get you up for it, to get you back doing what you used to do.
And he went back with Virgil to get that education to be ready for this fight against Terence Crawford.
I can’t praise Khan enough, just like Dre (Andre Ward) said, his willingness to fight the best fighters in the world all the time is hard, fighting against Danny García, who is undefeated, and Marcos Maidana, and still, Khan passed on a big fight with Kell Brook for millions and millions of dollars to face the pound-for-pound, my number one pound-for-pound fighter in the game, Terence Bud Crawford. So that speaks volumes for a guy like Amir Khan. And what I saw during the fighters meeting, I saw a focused, very determined Amir Khan — kind of changed my outlook on the fight.
This fight I think is going to be a tougher fight than what everybody are saying. I think that Amir understands what he has to do and what he has to be. I think he had great preparation for this fight, after talking with him, after speaking with him.
And I think it’s going to be a very competitive fight very early. He just can’t get caught with the big shots. Amir Khan, I believe, will be in this fight if he doesn’t get caught with the big shot from Crawford.
And as far as Crawford goes, it’s always the same with him. He can destroy. That’s the only thing on his mind right now. It’s fightweek. He’s a very humble guy. But you don’t want to get under Crawford’s skin the week of the fight. One of my colleagues here asked the wrong question or said the wrong thing to him and Crawford snapped off at him and said, “Don’t you disrespect me. Don’t you disrespect me.” And it was just as simple as, hey, this is your first Pay-Per-View fight. And he’s, like, no, no, no. It’s my second.
He’s determined to hold onto his status as one of the top fighters in the game. No other welterweight wants to step up and face Bud Crawford. They keep saying that they’re the best, and Crawford is willing to prove it and to step up in the ring with him.
But these guys, they keep running from him. They don’t want to fight Terence Bud Crawford. So Crawford is fighting Khan now because he is the only one man enough to stand up, to face Bud Crawford. And like I said, I think it’s going to be a great fight. I think everybody’s sleeping on this one.
Q. Tim and Andre, what did you find the toughest thing about making the transition from the ring to being ringside calling the fights and doing commentary?
TIM BRADLEY: For me, the toughest thing was not giving away the fighter. When you break the fighters down, sometimes we can say a little bit too much about the fighter and expose them. That’s been the hardest transition for me.
And also just the flow. The flow alone has been really tough, the commentary, the flow — getting your words together, saying things the right way has been a challenge, very challenging for me.
ANDRE WARD: You mean more like what the actually craft of being an analyst or just personally, like what did you mean exactly?
Q. Craft first but personal observation is welcome.
ANDRE WARD: I’ve had the opportunity throughout the years to do this. I worked at HBO for many, many years, Showtime back in the day. I actually started off with the “World Series of Boxing.” I would fly out to LA. I did it for free just to get the reps in.
But this is a whole other level in terms of the platform. This is a whole other level as far as, like, how many shows I’m actually calling. Like, I would do maybe five shows a year with HBO. This is on a whole other level.
And the quality of the product that ESPN is demanding that we put out, it causes you to have to get better, have to raise the bar. Joe Tessitore, I tell him all the time, I’m just so grateful for just a mentorship. Joe Tess is who he is. We all know who he is and what he’s accomplished and what he’s currently doing.
But he’ll be in the middle of his prep, he’ll stop typing and look over to us and talk to us for however long we need to talk and then he’ll resume his preparation.
So the standard is high. The product should be high. But it’s also a good thing, too, for — I’ll speak for me and I’ll probably venture to speak for Tim, too, tell me if I’m wrong — like, this is good for us, coming from where we came from, the competitiveness, the need to have a mark and try to meet that mark. It’s been good for me, because that same competitiveness, I like to call myself a recovering perfectionist.
ANDRE WARD: But I have moments in here where one thing will be off and they’ll see me just be hypersensitive over it. And Joe will just look at me and say, ha, I got a glimpse of the fighter Andre Ward and what his trainer had to deal with.
That part is good. And then just emotionally I would say it’s good that — I would say that I have some nights where I’m calling a fight, and I’m, like, huh, I’m glad I’m on this side of the ropes and not inside the ring. I don’t want to have to deal with that anymore.
And there’s other nights where I’m, like, man, I wish I was the one walking out from that curtain and I wish I was the fighter they were talking about.
So it’s a process. But it’s a process that all of us — guys who were going to retire at some point — we’ve got to go through this, whether we’re over the hill and retired too late or we retired at the right time.
So I’m embracing it. I’m happy to be a part. But it’s a good thing for me to have a challenge at this point in my life.
TIM BRADLEY: Yeah, this is definitely keeping me out of the ring and returning back. And also, one more thing, it’s hard sometimes not to be a little bit too critical on the fighters coming up and the fighters in the ring.
It’s hard to really find the balance for me, being just kind of, just a little bit too critical on what they’re not doing or what they can improve on. So I’ve got to — I’m still trying to find that balance where I’m giving praise and I’m also being a little bit critical.
Q. Joe, you’ve worked with a lot of athletes turned commentators. Give these gentleman a grade.
JOE TESSITORE: It’s interesting you say that, because this is obviously our first full year of being a broadcast team together in a three-man booth, and I’m just coming off a Monday Night Football season with a three-man booth, which was highly scrutinized as has been a cottage industry off to the side of Monday Night Football, going back to the days of Cosell and Meredith and Gifford.
And in the span of one year I’ve had this experience of “retired hall of famer coming to broadcasting three-man booth in one sport and retired hall of famers coming to broadcast in a three-man booth in another.”
And the greatest difference with Andre and Tim is how comfortable and natural they are meshing and grooving together like the same way they would be sitting on a couch watching a fight. And it happened right away with them. It didn’t have to evolve. It didn’t have to grow.
Yes, as every week goes by there’s refinement and things are smoothed out and the TV acumen and skill set and television IQ fully develops. But, right from the start you’re dealing with two guys who understand how to mesh together, and their boxing brains are so elite and they’re so comfortable that it makes my job really, really easy.
They’re very coachable. They both want to be coached. They both sit back and they broadcast — as I often talk to my analysts, no matter what sport I’m doing — of broadcasting with your eyes up, of just looking, being aware and reacting.
The reason that they’re hired is because they’re two of the foremost experts in the world. They’re two of the best that have ever done it generationally recently. And when they broadcast with their eyes up and see and say and tell us the why and how and the what to look for, they’re excellent, which is what they’ve done.
I sit back oftenand if you listen to our broadcast style as a crew right now, what you often get is I sit back and listen to these two great champions just talk and observe.
And then when it’s necessary I will get in and give you the blow-by-blow or advance the storyline, as was the case with our Lomachenko fight the other day, where we have the great flurry by Lomachenko, the punishment against the ropes, the technical knockdown scored, the confusion, was it a TKO or not? And these guys are smart enough to lay out, let me do my job and get out of the way.
But with how young they are and how hard they work and the positions they now hold in boxing, because the broadcast landscape of the sport drastically changed in the course over the last 12 months. HBO World Championship Boxing is out of business. ESPN Top Rank is in business.
So these seats that had been held by years and years by so many familiar faces from Larry Merchant on through are now held by these two men. And they’re more than worthy of it, and I have a feeling that we’re going to be having this conversation 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, as now multiple generations will go forward as fight fans with Tim and Andre being the voices and the brains and the faces of the sport.
And that’s a very good thing for the sport because they celebrate the athlete. They’re able to be critical. They are able to be analytical.
They give you a reason to watch. Tim is one of the ultimate characters, so joyful, absolutely irreverent, he doesn’t care what he says or how he says it, he’s going to be his natural self.
Andre is so analytical and so smart and so cerebral and has a boxing computer for a brain. And I would tell you what he’s doing now with his ESPN+ work, which is ESPN’s commitment akin to what we have with Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez and Peyton Manning, he’s as good as I’ve seen the sport put forth in my years of being in the sport.
And the more you watch that material, the higher education you have as a fight fan and the more interests you have in watching the fight. I couldn’t be more thrilled with both of these guys.
You want to sincerely grade them out right now, I would tell they’re B pluses to A minuses with, in a sense and a trajectory that undoubtedly will have them as straight A broadcasters for years and years to come.
And I truly believe that. And I’m just honored to be able to work with them at this stage of my career, where I can play a little bit of a role of mentor and lodestar and educate them on television production and be by their side as colleagues and friends.
So that’s a very long answer to say you’re about to see a long run of the two biggest guys who are going to be kicking ass in broadcasting boxing on television for the next 20 years.
Q. Andre, you had a great point about Amir Khan, how fighting is more — he has the information, but it’s more about the implementation. Why do you think that is? For both of you guys, if you want to piggyback that question, why do you think that is?
ANDRE WARD: You can focus outside the ring. Lack of focus outside the ring will lead to a lack of focus inside the ring. You can point to efficiency, in the way you start. You can rope and pull for a lot of different things, but nobody really fully knows what that missing link is.
But it’s clear when there’s a link missing, a wire missing that’s stopping the whole mental functionality that he needs to go from round 1 to round 12, the way he needs to. Doesn’t mean he won’t get hit or dropped or have moments, but it’s not a catastrophe all of a sudden. That’s a lack of focus.
Personally, I know it’s easier said than done, but I actually did it so I can say it. I saw what Canelo was doing before he did it. I knew that was the shot he wanted.
And I could see Amir Khan slowly getting drained by the body shots, by the foot pressure, by Canelo cutting the ring off. Even the shots that Canelo missed took a lot out of Amir because he was able to work so hard to get out of the way, but then he could hear the punch whizzing by his face.
That’s all for us to dream. And then I would see Canelo doing the things he likes to do where he’ll slick a jab out to the side just to get your attention over there as a diversion but the shot he really wants is the right hand.
So I saw it coming, but for whatever reason in that moment, or in those moments, it’s been very, very difficult for Amir Khan to process what’s happening, compute it, and then make the adjustment.
TIM BRADLEY: What he just said, I think it’s a technical flaw in that Amir Khan still has that amateur pedigree, never really escaped it. He throws combinations. He opts in, opts out with combinations. He’s a one-trick pony. He has the speed, he has good punching power in his right hand, but for some apparent reason, he doesn’t have the sense of judging distance. So you see Amir Khan every now and then, there’s knockouts. You see him standing still, coming in, getting out, trying to escape from a shot and gets hit in the process or gets hit while in the process of punching.
And that has a lot to do with how he was taught. As far as discipline goes, staying focused, staying concentrated, that’s just something that you have to practice. You have to practice that in the gym.
That’s the reason why I think going back to Virgil, Virgil Hunter is more cerebral. He’s about the fundamentals and getting into his fighter’s head and controlling them to do what they need to do to win a fight, a round like this.
And that’s the reason why I think Kahn has a really good chance of winning this fight because he’s with Virgil. And if he can just stay focused for every minute of every round, I think he can compete with Terence Crawford with the skill set that he brings and also the hand speed and power.
Q. Both you guys have had signature wins in your careers. Obviously you guys are a first round hall of famers. For Terence Crawford to obviously legitimize himself as number one pound-for-pound, is this fight with Amir Kahn, is this the signature win that you guys think he needs to solidify himself as number one?
ANDRE WARD: I think that both these guys, I think Khan and Crawford needs this fight. The reason why Crawford needs this fight is he needs a marquee name on his resume.
And the fact that Amir Khan was the only that was willing to step up and face him in the welterweight division, you can’t dismiss the fact that Crawford, hey, I’m stepping up, this is what I get. None of these other guys want to fight me. So if it’s Amir Khan, then so be it. But the fact that Khan hasn’t lost in the welterweight division yet, the fact that Khan has a good name, you know, he’s fighting Crawford, I don’t think that — just put it this way, if Crawford doesn’t get rid of Khan, then there’s going to be a lot of people talking.
A lot of people are going to be talking. And probably including yourself, because when you really look at the landscape, when you really look at the landscape of the welterweight division — you know, Danny García, Thurman and Errol Spence — all these guys should, if you match them up with Khan, should knock him out. There’s a lot of pressure on Crawford to get this knockout.
TIM BRADLEY: I already have Terence Crawford at the top of my list, so I don’t think he’s this victory to solidify. In my mind he solidified at least at the moment. But I do think this is good for the naysayers. This is good for the record to have a guy like Amir Khan on the record if he’s successful on Saturday. I think it does a lot for just popularity. There are some Amir Khan fans that if Terence wins will become Terence Crawford fans. And there’s some people who loosely follow the sport that will tune in because they like Amir, they’re hearing a lot about the promotion, and they’ll tune in and become a Terence Crawford fan.
When you’re facing a guy with a big name, even though, like Tim said, Khan hasn’t fought a top welterweight to this point, he still has the name recognition from the Olympics, to everything he’s done as a pro. He still brings the UK with him. He still brings the European market. I think it will do more for his namesake than it will for anything else.
Q. Terence Crawford a while back made a very, very strong claim about black fighters having to be more vociferous or more boisterous to get the recognition. What do you guys think on that? Do you think that he was fair in that statement?
ANDRE WARD: Listen, I’ll say this, and I’ve talked about this in the past, there has been a difference. If you look — it’s not every media outlet. It’s not the order of the day as it pertains to boxing, but there are times, and I’ve experienced it, and studied the sport long before I became a professional, I’ve studied the Floyd Mayweathers and studied certain things in certain fighters throughout the course of their careers.
And obviously I had my own experience when I turned pro. There are moments where smiling and waving and being soft-spoken doesn’t seem to be enough at times for African-American fighters and then you will have fighters who may come from another country who come to the United States, the land of opportunity and maybe they don’t speak English and they’re still learning their English, they get promoted and they get pushed. You don’t always see that with an African-American fighter and some of that has to do — some of that is not on the press. Some of that is not on the media, it’s on African-Americans. Its on, you know when you look at like Floyd Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather was Pretty Boy Floyd for many years. He wasn’t accepted as Pretty Boy Floyd. He didn’t sell Pay-Per-Views as Pretty Boy Floyd. But when he became the villain and became Money Mayweather, then all of a sudden this is a guy we’d love to hate and we’ll tune in to watch him lose. It worked for him.
Personally, me, I wasn’t willing to compromise my beliefs. I wasn’t willing to compromise who I was as a person, and I was — I always fought in my career with the end in sight. I knew — I knew instinctively the day is going to come when I walk away from this sport, and what am I left with? I wasn’t willing to sacrifice being able to go to my kids’ school and be respected.
I wasn’t willing to create some monster that I was going to have to live with when my career was over for the sake of selling a few more Pay-Per-Views and selling a few more seats.
That was my stance on it. So now you have Terence Crawford who kind of feels the same way. He’s a soft-spoken guy, and I think the question he’s asking — that’s not for me to answer — is why don’t I get this? Why don’t I get the respect I deserve or at least to the level in which I feel I deserve it, even though I’m soft-spoken when maybe guys over here get it and they’re soft-spoken.
So yes, I have seen some of this. I’ve spoken about this in the past. But I want to make it clear, it is not for every media outlet. And it’s not for every fan. There are a lot of objective fans. And there are media members who do a great job and they’re objective and race never comes into the equation; it’s just about the fighters and how good they are and what they’ve done and haven’t done, and that’s where it should be and that’s where it should stay.
TIM BRADLEY: I just think it’s funny you say that because Floyd Mayweather got criticism for many years and still is getting criticism because he’s a defensive fighter and people say the style he runs, he’s always running, he’s not entertaining.
But you’ve got a good like Terence Bud Crawford that’s knocking out everybody he gets in the ring with and still not getting the exposure he feels and some people feel that he deserves, rightly deserves. All I can tell you is that all he needs to continue to do is do his job and he can worry about everything else, let somebody else worry about everything else because Terence Crawford continuously delivers and it doesn’t matter who he fights or what he does, he still doesn’t get the recognition that he feels and that I feel as well.
It’s just a process, man. I’ve been in it. When I fought, I fought guys — still my career right now, after my career people try to downplay what I’ve done in the sport of boxing. And I gotta bring it to their attention and tell them like, hey, I’ve done this, I’ve done this, you must have forgotten.
It’s really quick for people to not remember, to forget once you leave the sport, what a person did at their time, at their era. In their generation. So I don’t know what it is, bro. I don’t know why it’s this way, but it is.
ANDRE WARD: And I’ll just add to what Tim said and also add to what I said earlier, the race thing is very tricky. And you have to be very, very sensitive, because you may not be getting credit for a particular fight you won or just in general you may not be getting your just do, and it’s not always race. You have to be very careful. That’s a heavy coat to put on any one person.
That’s a heavy coat to put on a particular writer or a particular website or particular YouTube blogger. If you don’t have real proof that that person is a racist, you have to be very careful to put that kind of thing out there. I personally try to give people the benefit of the doubt.
And I may have a thought about something but it’s not something that I’m going to speak about, because again you’ve got be very careful about that.
But that being said, I stand by what I said earlier throughout the course of my life and how I’ve studied the sport in that particular area about guys, some guys being soft-spoken.
And let me just sum it up this way: There’s a notion that if you don’t do a certain thing, if you’re not Floyd Mayweather-esque, if you’re not throwing money at the camera, you’re not Tim Bradley (laughter), talking about a fighter, building up a fighter, if you’re not doing that and not showing us your house, you’re not showing us your Bentley, if you’re not showing us your jewelry then, you know what, you’re boring; we shouldn’t tune in to watch you.
But then it’s not always the case on the other side. That’s what Terence is saying. I have seen some of that. I can subscribe to some of it. But I will not say that every piece of criticism, every critique, every person that’s not giving you your just due is a racial issue. They just may not like you as a fighter.
And you have to live with that. So it’s a very fine line to walk. And I’ll personally try to be very, very careful about this. Listen, I’ve spoken about this, I’m a biracial kid, like I’m not pro black and people get mad at me when I say that. I don’t have a preference towards people. I prefer everyone. And I love everyone. And if there’s a white person that’s in the wrong, well, that needs to be addressed. If there’s a black person that’s in the wrong, they need to be addressed. So it’s a very fine line — I know it’s uncomfortable for people to talk about, but Terence has some points in what he’s saying, for sure.
Q. How close do you think is Teofimo Lopez to being the same level of Lomachenko? And how good is it for boxing that these young guys are calling out the big guys like Lomachenko?
ANDRE WARD: We don’t know how close he is. This is unscripted. You don’t know until they fight the fight. And this is something that I told Teofimo’s father today in the fighters meeting, I said, I respect what you guys are saying.
And the eagerness to want to face not just another champion but to face arguably the best fighter in the world in Lomachenko. I said but you do know that it’s — I said — I think I prefaced it by saying, phrased it by saying: Do you know the magnitude of what you’re demanding? In other words, I can give you a list of young fighters who took that big step up one fight too soon and they were ruined.
You see some guys like Muhammad Ali when he fought Sonny Liston. He was The Big Bear. He was feared. Everybody thought Ali was going to get killed. And look at Floyd Mayweather and Genaro Hernandez.
You look at those types of fights where they took the leap, people thought they were crazy but they were actually the ones that were right and they were geniuses.
It’s a very fine line between being right and being wrong, but they’re great consequences or there’s great reward if you’re right. We don’t know. He has to fight the fight. I hope he’s seeing what he’s telling everybody he’s seeing. I’m talking about Teofimo’s father.
But it’s not going to be an easy task for him to face Lomachenko. Lomachenko is who he is, and he’s in the discussion as one of the best in the world for a reason. It’s not easy, but I do respect the fact that he’s willing to take that leap. He just better be right about it.
TIM BRADLEY: For me, I like what Teofimo is doing. I like the fact that he wants to challenge the best guys out there. I think it’s too premature.
I think he needs to win a world championship first and then move in position if he wants to fight Loma, then he can fight him.
You have to earn your stripes before you get that praise from me. I see the skill set. He’s very skillful. He’s been in there with memorable competition.
The competition hasn’t been that great. He’s going to get tested Saturday night and see how well he performs. And then from there we’ll make our assessment and go from there. But, like I said, he needs a championship first in order to get a shot at Vasiliy Lomachenko in the near future.
Amir Khan and Terence Crawford Discuss Their Showdown
By: Hans Themistode
With the big Welterweight showdown between Amir Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) and Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) less than one month away, both fighters joined a conference call to discuss several topics including how their preparation for the fight has been going and just how important this fight is for their respective careers. Promoter Bob Arum also chimed in on why he feels as though this will be a compelling matchup as well.
For Crawford he will be looking to defend his WBO Welterweight title for the second time. Amir Khan will at least on paper pose the biggest threat to his current title reign. Crawford fully understands the risk that Khan presents.
“He’s a top Welterweight,” said Crawford. “He has a big name in the sport of boxing so why not give him a shot at the title. He has never lost at the Welterweight division.”
Crawford is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world. At this stage in his career a loss would be devastating. That sense of urgency helps fuel Crawford to not allow such upsets to occur.
“I’m never going to be complacent in the ring. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
Sure Crawford has praised Khan and his abilities while acknowledging the threat that he is. However, Crawford is not short on confidence.
“Yeah Khan might be fast and have good movement but I believe in my skill. I don’t believe that it will just be my punching power that will lead me to victory but its my overall skill and mindset that will lead me to victory.”
Whenever Crawford is in the presence of the media there is a major elephant in the room. The name of that elephant would be Errol Spence Jr. When asked if he believes that the fight can happen and how big it is Crawford did not mince words.
“Of course it’s makeable. I believe that’s the biggest fight in the Welterweight division.”
Fans all around the world would agree with those sentiments. A Spence vs Crawford showdown is huge. The talks surrounding those two fighters are getting louder and louder. Khan hears the chatter and offered his warning to Crawford.
“There is a lot of talk of Crawford fighting Spence but he’s got his hands full against me. If he’s overlooking me he’s going to have a big shock. I hope he’s going to be ready in this fight,” said Khan.
Say what you what about Khan but he is right. If Crawford comes into this fight not fully focused then he could be in for a rude awakening.
When Khan was last seen he was picking himself up off the deck against journeyman Samuel Vargas. It was a fight that Khan ultimately won but he did not look sharp.
“I know that my last performance against Vargas was a very bad performance but it is hard to get motivated against guys like that because all you have to do is turn up and you know your going to win the fight but in this fight I have to be on my A game.”
Fans shouldn’t worry. Khan has repeatedly raised his game to the level of his competition. The better the opponent the better he performs. That in part is one of the reasons why Bob Arum choose Khan as an opponent for Crawford.
“I have always been an amir khan fan. I’ve been around over 50 years so I know what makes a good fight. Khan vs Crawford is a hugely competitive fight. Styles make fights,” said Arum.
With all of the talk between these two fighters the anticipation for the matchup is building. April 20th couldn’t get here fast enough.
Crawford vs Khan- Khan’s Road to Redemption or Another Reality Check?
By: Rahat Haque
2019 is turning out to be a very good year for boxing. Pacquiao showed he is here to stay after his victory over Broner. Keith Thurman made a comeback after a long layoff against Josesito Lopez, but he has shown enough vulnerability where it may convince some of the other top names in the division to get in the ring with him. After his victory over Ocampo, Errol Spence Jr is once again involved in a mega fight that is actually worth watching where no one is writing off the challenger just yet. Canelo, after fighting GGG twice, had accepted a much easier fight last December against the relatively inexperienced Rocky Fielding. But is once again involved in a legitimate scrap against one of the few tests left for him in Daniel Jacobs. But out of all the great fights that are lined up in 2019, the one to watch out for is Terence Crawford vs Amir Khan. Reason being, Khan never fails to entertain. With his style of boxing, he will always dazzle the opponent with a flurry of punches, but also leave his chin exposed and risk being knocked down or knocked out. Both of these occurrences happen in every Khan fight, where he bedazzles with speed, but also risks getting caught.
After all these years of seeing Khan go into fights with a shaky defense and susceptible chin, it is still frustratingly difficult to count him out. The fast hand speed foot speed combo style is tailor made for winning rounds, which he often does. Only time when he does not bag the rounds, is when he is hit flush with a power shot, leaving him vulnerable for further power shots. In the case of the Canelo fight, one left hook is all it took! But that was in 160. In 140 and 147, Khan usually takes the power shots well, but his legs give out, and he is left trying to grab the opponent or push them out using his forearms.
Before his loss against Danny Garcia, he was never perceived to be as much of a weak chinned opponent as he is now. His loss against Peterson was both close and controversial. No one judged him for that, and he was still one of the biggest names in boxing till then. But it was what happened versus Danny when he became the butt of all jokes. It should be noted that with the exception of the Canelo loss, Khan has not lost a fight till then! For a guy who has become the poster boy of weak chins, one would expect him to suffer another loss by now that was in either 140 or 147. The Canelo fight was a strategic low risk high reward fight. His fight against Crawford is Khan’s first major test since the Danny Garcia fight. A rematch with Danny Garcia, who himself has been taken down from his high horse in recent years with back-to-back losses, is also a future possibility. If victorious, it would be redemption for the former Olympic silver medalist.
But has he bitten off more than he can chew in terms of skills in choosing Terence Crawford? He did so versus Canelo, but that was in terms of weight and perhaps also skill, this is in terms of skill only. Certainly, he will not be able to use weight as an excuse this time as he has had five fights at 147 already, compared to Terence’s two. On the flipside, if victorious, nobody can say Terence was an easy opponent for Khan as they might with the Collazo and Alexander bouts, two of his most notable victorious after the Garcia slip up. This victory would put Khan’s name back in the list of an elite 147 fighters, a division which has improved even further despite Mayweather’s retirement! It can be called boxing’s flagship division, a praise once reserved for the heavyweight division.
In the welterweight division, you have three undefeated big names with outstanding resumes in Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr, and Terence Crawford. Then you also have the legendary Manny Pacquiao, and the very game Shawn Porter, who like Khan makes every fight entertaining, not with his hand speed but with his dogged work rate. Then you also have the very game Jessie Vargas, whose only two losses to date have been against Pacquiao and now retired Tim Bradley. Thus a victory in this division would mean everything for Khan. But this is a man who was dropped by Julio Diaz and in more recent times, Sammy Vargas. While the knockdown versus Diaz is understandable, as he is a battle-tested veteran with a style known for generating power, the knockdown he suffered versus Vargas was more questionable. Boxing fans all over the world are wondering, if Sammy Vargas was able to do that to Khan, what will Crawford do to him? It is safe to say that Crawford is more technical and ruthless than Vargas, who is still very much a Canadian name, and has not been tested in the world arena yet. We will get a better picture of how good Vargas really is when he takes on experienced Luiz Collazo in his next fight.
One of the reasons this fight is so exciting is that the stakes are so high for both fighters. Only fighter to knock Khan out at 147 was Garcia, and Terence believes his skills are far superior to the Philly man, so he fancies his chances to knock Khan out clean, or in the same fashion as Garcia where the referee will stop the fight after judging Khan’s inability to continue. But if Terence loses, his value as a fighter will take a hit for sure, and Khan would have laid out a blueprint on how to get the better off the Nebraska native. For Khan, it is his first step to redemption if he wins this one. Though many will argue that the Alexander and Collazo victories were redemption enough, the amount of clowning Khan had to face from media and fans alike after the Garcia bout will be in the back of his mind. He was the favorite in that fight, and perhaps was too overconfident. For Khan, this is the chance to erase all those mistakes he made, both mental and physical. As far he is concerned, he is probably treating this as his pathway to avenge his loss against Garcia. If Khan loses, there is no way Danny’s team will risk rematching someone they beat already. If he wins however, his increased value gives them reasons to rematch him on the self-belief that Danny can replicate his strategy and find success again. The excitement is palpable for this one! It is long wait until April 20th. The tension is rising!
Crawford Won’t Get Spence Until……
By Rich Mancuso
The boxing fan deserve this fight as do Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.. This is asking the improbable with these obstacles of duel promotions and televised streaming rights. However a fight of this magnitude to unify portions of the welterweight titles and determine the pound-for-pound best is bound to happen.
Because it’s boxing, and the promotional fight has picked up a bit, they have to come to an agreement. Or do they?
But for this to happen there also needs to be unity with the respective promoters and of course the personnel who would be involved with networks and rights to televise this potential mega fight.
Photo Credit: Terence Crawford Twitter Account
And with boxing, a fight like this can be done. Then again it becomes a waiting game of back-and-forth and someone giving in with a late punch in the final round. With Top Rank and the PBC, obviously the main principals to deliver this also falls into the lines of boxing politics.
Boxing politics has never stopped Bob Arum and Top Rank from delivering. When the back-and-forth of politics concludes the fight is delivered. It has to be done and will be because Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. is as huge as Mayweather and Pacquiao was.
Perhaps this is bigger in magnitude because they are two champions, one with Top Rank and the other with the PBC, champions in the welterweight division. This elite division of welterweights that also generates the revenue and interest for boxing is shown in the ratings.
An this past Saturday, Terence Crawford, who could be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the business and Jose Benavidez Jr. established the highest rating boxing telecast on Broadcast and Cable television this year.
So now, it is time to deliver a fight that boxing needs. A fight that the boxing fan will demand. Delivering this fight, according to sources, and that back-and forth talk has commenced.
Moments after Crawford disposed Jose Benavidez Jr. in the final round Saturday night, his first defense of the WBO Welterweight title, Bob Arum was asked the questions. The fight boxing needs will have to wait but how long will it be?
Arum does have the leverage here because Crawford delivers the numbers for ESPN and the Hall of Fame promoter has the platform. Spence Jr. also has the numbers with Showtime and the PBC has that history of also delivering the numbers for the network seen in previous fights Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter opposing Danny Garcia for the Welterweight title.
In line with all of this, Tuesday Bob Arum made his pitch. Showtime, he said will soon be out of boxing just like HBO.
“So I’m predicting also that within the next year Showtime will be exiting from boxing because as great as they’ve been for boxing, they don’t belong,” he said. This was possibly the beginning of a bargaining point of view because Showtime is committed to continue their involvement with boxing, and the PBC continues to thrive with all the rumors to the contrary.
Arum is known to make some outrageous statements. This one, and only because he said Showtime is throwing more money into programming, does offer a line of truth. For the past few years it was HBO that lost the roster of fighters that put the network on top. But putting more of their budget into popular programs did boxing in for the network.
This is the Haves and Have Not of boxing. However, with Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. in the picture, it is about having the best fight for the boxing fan. Showtime and the PBC are moving along and so is Bob Arum and his deal with ESPN.
Just a matter of time and the fight will happen. Arum, in the meantime will go back-and-forth but is looking at other opponents for his champion. Similar to Mayweather and Pacquiao and how long it took, at some point next year this fight will be a reality.
And because this is boxing, it only works this way.
Comment: [email protected] [email protected] Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
Terence Crawford Answers Critics and Delivers Message with Thrilling Win
By Jake Donovan
On a Saturday where college football saw seven Top 25 teams all suffer shocking upsets—including four in the Top 10—boxing needed to do a lot better than simply go chalk.
As an unbeaten prizefighter whose home base is deep in football country, Terence Crawford had to understand that better than anyone else. It took more than 11 rounds for Nebraska’s one man pro sports franchise to deliver, but in the end Crawford gave the hometown fans in Omaha plenty to cheer about and sports outlets something better to write about than a routine title defense.
An explosive stoppage finish of Jose Benavidez Jr. with 18 seconds to go in their ESPN-televised headliner sent the sold-out crowd at CHI Health Center Omaha into a frenzy, a reaction par for the course whenever Crawford fights at home.
Photo Credit: Top Rank Twitter Account
That it nearly went the full 12-round distance would not have been a good look for the sport’s reigning pound-for-pound king, or for boxing in general.
It was already a rough day in the industry, with the second week of World Boxing Super Series Season Two offering a pair of unwatchable quarterfinal matchups from Russia and with ESPN’s headlining act coming with Crawford as a 33-1 favorite by the opening bell.
Rising featherweight prospect Shakur Stevenson did his part to break from the norm, exploding in a 1st round knockout over a normally durable Viorel Simion, who’d never previously been dropped. It set the stage for Crawford, and for much of the night proved to be a tough act to follow.
Crawford was never in any real danger of losing, although Benavidez Jr.—who’d traded harsh words with the unbeaten champ all week and nearly blows at Friday’s weigh-in—made things far too interesting through the first six rounds. In fact, the unbeaten challenger from Phoenix was ahead one card after five rounds and just one point down on another.
Much of the pre-fight talk around the industry focused less on this matchup and more on when Crawford would start facing welterweights “on the other side of the street” like Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia. To put it mildly, Crawford was expected to blow through Benavidez Jr.—who returned to the sport earlier this year after suffering a gun shot and came in to the bout with his right knee in a supporting brace—and send a message to the wolves starting to circle the corral.
The unbeaten switch-hitter finally began to pull away in the second half of the night, although still failing to manage any better than a solid boxing performance. It’s not enough when you are hailed as the best boxer in the world and defending against a perceived overmatched opponent.
Crawford sensed it as the bout wore on, perhaps never more than when his mother Debra shouted from ringside at the start of round 10 that he needed to end the fight. That moment wouldn’t come for another two rounds, and it even took for the 31-year old to ignore the theme of his corner’s instructions during the one-minute rest period, where he was told to play it safe and leave with the win—but to take his shot if he saw an opening.
The manner in which he fought the rounds suggested that Crawford wasn’t interested in waiting for an opening; he instead punched a hole through the wall.
After missing twice earlier in the round with right uppercuts, it was that very punch which functionally put an end to Benavidez’s brave stand. It produced the lone knockdown of the night, coming with less than a minute to go in the fight, but just enough time for Crawford to register his fight straight stoppage victory.
A flurry along the ropes left the normally elusive Benavidez Jr. out on his feet, leaving referee Celestine Ruiz no choice but to end the fight with 0:18 left on the clock.
Had Benavidez Jr. managed to bob and weave just long enough to hear the final bell, Crawford would’ve cruised to a landslide decision victory. He was up 107-102, 108-101 and an unacceptable 110-99 at the time of the stoppage, but on a night where—by his own admission—he had a hard time early on solving his opponent’s deceptively slick style.
Mind you, it’s not as if decision wins are commonplace for Crawford, who has now scored five straight stoppages and with nine of his 12 career title fights ending inside the distance. But going the full 12 rounds against a largely immobile opponent who’d never lived up to his full career promise wasn’t going to be good enough on this night.
It wasn’t going to be good enough for industry fans who continue to grow frustrated over the politics of the sport depriving the talent-rich welterweight division of the best fights.
It wasn’t going to be good enough in the eyes of the top PBC welterweights who—between lucrative network deals on Showtime and Fox prime—can continue to face each other, and now with former eight-division champ Manny Pacquiao sweetening the pot.
It certainly wasn’t going to be enough to sports fans in a crazed college football town are in dire need of a new hero, as the still winless Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-6) are off to their worst start in their 129-year history.
With that final offensive explosion, Crawford didn’t just do his job but showed off his ability to deviate from the norm. Serving as the hero to so many of those around him means everything, a feeling you can sense whenever he speaks to the outpouring of support he receives at home and every time he climbs the turnbuckle at fight’s end.
On a night when there was so much else to talk about in the sports world—the slew of college Football Top 25 upsets, Major League Baseball playoffs—Terence Crawford found a way in the end to once again keep boxing at the heart of discussion.
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Unity, Support and Power: Failure of Palestinian Nationhood
Note: This is a paper that was written for a Modern Middle East undergraduate history course. The paper was supposed to be five pages long, but I went a little overboard. Even so, I don’t think I even came close to fully covering the topic, not that I really could in a semester, or in one short research paper. Nonetheless, this paper received an A.
Zionist Military Operations Outside UN-proposed Jewish State, 1 April to 15 May 1948. (Source: Greenpolitics)
At the end of World War I, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the entire Middle East was in a state of flux. What used to be a single sovereign entity was carved up into modern nation states by the victorious European powers. At a conference in San Remo in 1920 Britain and France, according to an arrangement known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916), drew the borders for four new states: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. In 1922, Palestine was further divided into Palestine and Transjordan. These new countries were legitimized as mandates of the League of Nations, states that would be protectorates of European powers and eventually gain independence. Thus, Britain retained control of Iraq, Palestine and Transjordan and France retained control of Syria and Lebanon, directly and indirectly.[1]
Over the following decades, each of the mandate states threw off the shackles of colonialism and won independence, with the exception of Palestine. The pursuit of national independence for Palestinians has been impeded by a series of complications, starting with the Balfour Declaration of 1917:
His Majesty’s Government [of England] view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.[2]
The Balfour Declaration is a letter that was issued by the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to Baron Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community. British government officials believed that the Jewish ‘vote’ needed to be won to ensure victory in World War I. If the British didn’t secure Jewish backing, the Germans would “buy them” and use them to influence Russia into signing a separate peace treaty with Germany, allowing the Germans to focus on the western front.[3] The Balfour Declaration was a response both to the fear of the supposed power of world Jewry and the sympathetic nature of some British government officials to the Zionist cause.[4] Zionist leaders did their best to encourage these feelings, resulting in the inclusion of the wording of the Balfour Declaration in the League of Nations sanctioned British mandate for Palestine in 1922.[5]
Contrary to the popular idea that Palestine was a land without a people for a people without a land, the area was well populated. At the beginning of the Zionist influx into the Palestine Mandate area, there were approximately 450,000 Arab and 20,000 (Arab) Jewish residents.[6] Direct British rule and British efforts to fulfill the obligations of the Balfour declaration combined with the influx of European Jews created a volatile situation that retarded the national development of Palestine. Instead of developing modern governing institutions like other newly formed Middle Eastern nations, Palestine’s residents spent the mandate period in conflict and constant competition between British, Jewish and Arab interests.
The major conflict between the two groups was based on the meaning of the Balfour Declaration. The Zionist interpretation of the Balfour Declaration was that it intended the creation of a Jewish state that, as Chaim Weizmann (Chair of the Zionist Commission and later first president of Israel) said, would be as Jewish as England is English.[7] Critics of the Zionists interpreted the Balfour Declaration’s goal as the creation of a Jewish cultural center inside an independent Arab state. The ambiguity was introduced into the document to give the British room for diplomatic maneuvering, but in the end, all it did was complicate their position in Palestine. They were never able to resolve the contradiction inherent in their promise.[8]
The confusion in policy created by the Balfour Declaration led one senior British official to say, just prior to leaving the country, that Britain had “nothing but fluctuations of policy, hesitations…no policy at all.”[9] The British alternately supported Jewish development of a national home and Arab national aspirations in a precarious balancing act intended to maintain the status quo. This remained true until their withdrawal from Palestine in 1948, twenty five years later. When the last British High Commissioner departed Haifa, there was no formal transfer of powers to a new local government because there was no government in Palestine. When the mandate ended, the Jews and Arabs were left to struggle for supremacy.[10]
The internal struggle for power in the years and months leading up to the end of the British mandate for Palestine and the subsequent war that started on May 15th, 1948 with the end of British mandatory rule between Jewish and Arab irregular forces from the surrounding nations saw the birth of the state of Israel and the failure of the Palestinians to establish a nation. The reason for the success of the Jews over the Arabs boils down to three key differences: unity, external support and military power. The Jews entered Palestine with a unified goal, if not a unified ideology. They enjoyed wide support from Jewish and Christian communities around the world, as well as the backing from Britain guaranteed by the Balfour Declaration. They also took advantage of their ties to Europe to advance their military prowess, which proved decisive in the 1947-1948 conflict with the Arabs, also known as the first Arab-Israeli War. The Palestinian Arabs, on the other hand, were completely unprepared for the task ahead of them.
During the early years of the mandate, the Arab notables felt it was only natural that they should govern the land they had lived on for centuries.[11] They were convinced that at some point the British would come to their senses and stop supporting the Jews. In the meantime, the Arab notables in Palestine did what they could to maintain their social status, including working with the British mandate authorities, who supplied them with positions of authority.[12] For example, the British created the office of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and assigned al-Hajj Amin al-Husayni to the role. Later the British created the Supreme Muslim council, which Husayni headed.
The reliance of Arab leadership on the British caused them to mostly work with, rather than against, the mandate government, which also meant that they were indirectly supporting the Zionist occupation of what they considered to be Arab land. The Arab notables attempted to negotiate with the British privately while condemning British support of Zionism publicly, all the while working to ensure there would be no disruptive mass political demonstrations that could destabilize their social and political positions.[13] The need to stay on good terms with the British undermined the authority of the Arab notables in the eyes of the public.[14] Further complicating the Arab political atmosphere in Palestine was the constant rivalry between the two prominent families in the region: the Husaynis and the Nashashibis. Their attempts to create rival power bases in Palestine prevented Arab unity. The inter-Arab rivalries and reliance on the British, together with the need to suppress popular movements to maintain their positions, caused the Palestinians to never be capable of forming a unified front, which effectively neutered the Palestinian political body and Palestinian aspirations of nationhood. It would be fair to say that the goals of the Arab leadership (to maintain their positions) did not match the goals of the Palestinians, but due to the Ottoman top-down power structure, the average Palestinian had no way to directly influence the decision making process until later in the mandatory period, when guerilla leaders like al-Qassim began to rally popular support.
Compounding the problem was the lack of any meaningful external support for the Palestinian Arabs. To start with, none of the Arab political institutions formed in mandate Palestine were recognized by any international authority, not even by the Arab states, who took it upon themselves to speak for the Palestinian Arabs.[15] But, their motives weren’t entirely pure either. Throughout the mandate period, the surrounding Arab states had, despite repeated requests, failed to supply the Palestinian Arabs with arms, food, or any financial support. The Arab states each had different agendas in terms of what they wanted to accomplish in Palestine, but the rights of the Palestinians themselves probably ranked very low on their list of priorities. Most of the surrounding states were solely interested in land grabs to increase the power of their respective states in terms of inter-Arab regional politics.[16]
By the time hostilities broke out in Palestine after the November 1947 announcement of the UN Partition Plan, the Arabs felt a distinct sense of abandonment. They had no effective leadership and they had been isolated by the surrounding Arab states. According to Rashid Khalidi,
The Palestinians entered the fighting which followed the passage of the UN Partition Resolution with a deeply divided leadership, exceedingly limited finances, no centrally organized military forces or centralized administrative organs, and no reliable allies.[17]
According to a Haganah Intelligence Service – Arab Division executive, the average Palestinian had come to the conclusion that they could not hold their own against the Jews.[18] HIS – AD further reported that most of the Arab public would be willing to accept the 1947 UN Partition Plan and lacked a desire to engage in a war with the Jews because of a lack of weapons and internal organization.[19] Many were unwilling to fight because if they died, there would be no compensation for their widows and/or orphans.
Posted byBradley April 20, 2012 August 27, 2013 Posted inCollege Papers, History, Religion, Undergraduate WorkTags:British, Israel, Jews, Mandate, Middle East, Nationhood, Palestine, Politics
Boka Bon Chon & Wafels and dinges
God and Isaiah 2: Historical Analysis
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The Fellini Award
Previous Winners & Finalists
Script Library
Script Consultations
2015 Summer Action Movies Retrospective
by BlueCat | Sep 3, 2015 | The BlueCat Screenplay Competition Blog | 0 comments
Summer is the season of superheroes and explosions, daring stunts (Did you see Tom Cruise hanging off of an airplane?) and gigantic budgets. It’s not hard to find a good action flick during the summer months, if that’s what you’re into. But, now with the summer winding down, we move on to more dramatic, Oscar worthy fare. (However, the action movie gods, A.K.A. Disney at this point, let’s be honest, have yet to grant us what could very well be the biggest movie of the year, this winter’s Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.) So, in honor of the season’s end, let’s take a look back at the good ol’ popcorn movies that this summer had to offer. I present to you my personal ranking of this year’s best performing action flicks.
6.) Jurassic World
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Box Office: $643.0M
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
There seems to be little stopping Chris Pratt on his path to stardom at this point. He leads in the biggest film of the summer, which went on to crush records and dominate the global box office. However, the Steven Spielberg produced sequel does little to improve, or even add to, the franchise. It mostly works as fan service, particularly that absurd, yet still awesome, third act. Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard exhibit palpable chemistry, and her character is one of the film’s most entertaining, despite controversy regarding her less than practical footwear. I don’t often care for such criticism, but even I couldn’t help but frown in frustration seeing her sprint in five-inch heels. I digress, even creating a terrifying dinosaur hybrid isn’t enough to reinvigorate a franchise, and Jurassic World suffers from a severe lack of creativity, and, dare I say it, excitement.
5.) Avengers: Age of Ultron
Directed by Joss Whedon
It breaks my heart to place a Joss Whedon scribed and directed film so low on this list, but there is no denying that the Avengers sequel is wrought with problems. Yet, unlike Jurassic World, Age of Ultron still manages to be thoroughly entertaining. It would be an understatement to say that this film is bloated. It is nearly bursting with excess, adding three new heroes to the Avengers’ roster, introducing a new, though not well utilized, villain, and serving as exposition for future films. A tip of the hat to Black Panther is great, and I won’t complain about another glimpse of Thanos, but diverting a sizeable portion of the film’s plot to set up next year’s Captain America: Civil War and the Avengers’ two-part follow up Infinity War is a bit much.
The film’s release wasn’t without its own drama as the standard press tour devolved amid a myriad of unfortunate interviews and early criticism regarding one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best characters, Black Widow. Whedon even expressed frustration with the studio regarding specific scenes, including some of the quieter moments, which the film could have used more of. In the end, it seems that Age of Ultron suffered most from a seemingly insurmountable level of expectation. Perhaps Marvel will learn from its mistakes and return to more character driven stories akin to Iron Man or Guardians of the Galaxy (not to mention a particular ant-sized film), though what we’ve seen thus far from production of the third Captain America installment may suggest otherwise.
4.) San Andreas
Directed by Brad Peyton
I went into the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vehicle expecting disappointment and left the theater with a huge grin on my face. Perhaps setting such a low bar allowed me to enjoy San Andreas even more than I wanted to, but there is something to be said for its sheer simplicity. There isn’t even an antagonist. It is the Rock versus Earth, Mother Nature, in all of her destructive glory. Sure, the dialogue is garishly cheesy, and the performances are over the top (A nod to Paul Giamatti for delivering some cringe-worthy dialogue with the dramatic force of an Oscar nominee.), but the film is noticeably self-aware, never taking itself too seriously. Don’t dwell too much on the absurdity, just sit back and savor the CG spectacle, best enjoyed in IMAX 3D.
3.) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Tom Cruise returns in the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise and in no way disappoints. If you doubted his ability to carry a genuinely exciting action flick, think again. In typical Mission Impossible fashion, the film opens with a jaw dropping stunt, and the action rarely lets up from there. Cruise may be the lead, but Simon Pegg steals the comedic beats, and Rebecca Ferguson runs away with the show as a disavowed British agent. That opera scene had me on the edge of my seat, and the motorcycle chase should go down as one of the best sequences in the entire series. The plot is fairly simple, with some of the attempted twists and turns becoming a bit convoluted, but not once did I feel let down, and Rogue Nation is easily my favorite installment in the respectably solid Mission Impossible franchise.
2.) Ant-Man
Directed by Peyton Reed
Ant-Man is Marvel’s little movie that could, pun intended. Early speculation didn’t look good for the film. It was one of the first titles Marvel Studios began developing, even before Iron Man, under the stewardship of Edgar Wright, who boasts a cult following for his popular Cornetto Trilogy. However, it took nearly a decade for the film to actually arrive in theaters, and without Wright at the helm. Peyton Reed stepped in to direct after Wright left the project during pre-production due to creative differences. Fans immediately wrote Ant-Man off as a failure even before production began.
Boasting an all-star cast, including Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Michael Peña, Ant-Man opened to moderate success, for a typical film. But, this is a Marvel movie and, as noted above, the expectation is higher due to past success and a typically high standard of quality. The film’s marketing made it seem as if the studio had little faith in Ant-Man, and it saw the lowest turnout of any Marvel movie to date. Yet, it is, in my humble opinion, one of Marvel Studios’ best films, ranking amongst the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Ant-Man succeeds in many of the ways that Age of Ultron failed. It is for the most part self-contained with few references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large. The references that are made serve as Easter eggs, rather than blatant set-up for future films.
It is also a character story, with much of the focus on the relationships, paternal relationships in particular. Recently released from prison, Rudd’s Scott Lang wants desperately to be a part of his young daughter’s life. Douglas’ Hank Pym seeks forgiveness from his own daughter, Hope, portrayed by Lilly, while Stoll’s villainous Darren Cross desires the approval of his estranged mentor, Pym. The film’s story thrives on these relationships and adds an element to Ant-Man missing from previous Marvel films. Rudd is loveable as the hero seeking redemption, and Peña provides much of the film’s comedy with impeccable delivery and timing. If you haven’t seen Ant-Man yet, whether because of Wright’s departure or its seemingly absurd premise, go ahead and give it a shot. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
1.) Mad Max: Fury Road
Directed by George Miller
I don’t think there was any question as to which of this year’s summer action movies would take the top spot, on this list or, most likely, anyone else’s. George Miller’s long awaited return to the Mad Max franchise was met with high praise from critics and moviegoers alike. This is the standard to which summer action movies should be held. CGI is used to enhance the images, rather than as a crutch. Tom Hardy gives an undeniably fantastic performance as Max, despite having few words to actually say. But, it is to Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa that much of the praise has been directed. Two of the six films noted in this list found themselves mired in controversy surrounding the portrayal of their female characters. It’s debatable if such criticism is deserved, but Fury Road shows how to showcase genuinely awesome, strong female characters. Furiosa is a warrior who rebels against the patriarchal post-apocalyptic society and liberates a group of women who are essentially being held captive as slaves to bear children. The film’s plot revolves around their escape and quest for freedom, pursued by Immortan Joe and his loyal followers.
The opening sequence, in which Hardy’s Max is captured, feels like a punch to the gut, with a relentless chase sequence, both by car and foot. And, that is even before the opening title. The action rarely lets up from there, and the film feels almost like an assault on the senses, in a good way. On top of it all, Fury Road is a gorgeous film, playing with color and lighting in imaginative and exciting ways that feel truly unique, something of a rarity in contemporary cinema. Director of Photography, John Seale, and editor, Margaret Sixel, both deserve exceptional praise for their work on the film. Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road could find itself in the company of awards nominees this winter, a rarity for a summer action flick. But, whether it gets such coveted recognition from the Academy or not, Fury Road is deservedly an instant classic.
Do you agree or disagree? Are there any movies I’ve left out that you think should be included? Let us know in the comments section below!
Founded in 1998, the BlueCat Screenplay Competition seeks to develop and discover unknown screenwriters. For 2016 BlueCat Screenplay Competition submission information, click here.
31 Days Around the World With BlueCat
The BlueCat Screenplay Competition Blog
7 Things to Do Before You Rewrite Your Script
How the Writer Starts Over
Late Deadline – December 13th, 2020
Final Deadline – October 25th, 2020
What The Writer Owes Every Character
ACAD-Profy on 7 Things to Do Before You Rewrite Your Script
Alkyoni Valsari on 5 Ways to Start a New Screenplay
Henrietta Hardy on 5 Ways to Start a New Screenplay
Phyllis K Twombly on Resolutions for Screenwriters: Change Your Storytelling
Danica on How the Writer Starts Over
© 2017 BlueCat Screenplay Competition | All Rights Reserved | [email protected]
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ARMORED SAINT's JOEY VERA Was 'Honored' To Be Asked To Fill In For Late MERCYFUL FATE Bassist TIMI HANSEN
In a recent interview with Matt Coe of Dead Rhetoric, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera was asked how he planned to juggle the proposed 2021 touring responsibilities between ARMORED SAINT and reformed Danish metal legends MERCYFUL FATE. In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away last November and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances have since been rescheduled for 2021.
"[That] is a very good question, and I don't have an answer for that," Joey said. "I just hope it can all work out, I don't want to piss anyone off, and if it can work within reasonable schedules I will certainly make every effort to make everyone happy. I know that you can't always do that, so I'm prepared to cross those bridges when I get there.
"I've been friends with [MERCYFUL FATE vocalist] King [Diamond] for some time," he continued. "ARMORED SAINT did a tour with King back in 1988-89; we have been friends and labelmates forever. And so, he came to see me when I was on tour with FATES WARNING supporting QUEENSRŸCHE in Dallas where he lives. He came to see the show. [Metal Blade Records owner] Brian Slagel was in town. King pulled me aside backstage and told me the story of Timi going through chemotherapy and had a summer tour booked and wasn't sure he was going to be well enough to do it. If he wasn't, would I consider stepping in and helping out. Of course, I was flabbergasted and honored, yeah. I didn't have anything else going on — it was supposed to happen this summer. To honor Timi and help them out, thank you for asking me.
"In the back of my mind, I was thinking Timi would pull through, he would get enough energy to make it," Joey added. "I was sadly mistaken and it was devastating. They still wanted to do these dates and I said, 'Of course.' Then COVID hit and it got canceled until next year. We'll see if it actually happens. It seems like we will have some kind of medical breakthrough before the end of the year comes around, but the jury is still out on customer confidence and attendance as far as who will go to a show. How many people are still going to feel confident after getting a vaccine? Are promoters and artists going to be willing to take a hit? I really don't know what's going to happen. I was already learning halfway through the set and I have to go back to refreshing my memory and learning the set."
You can read the interview at Dead Rhetoric.
MERCYFUL FATE's last studio album, "9", was released in 1999.
ARMORED SAINT's new studio album, "Punching The Sky", will be released on October 23 via Metal Blade Records.
Tags: armored saint
THE DARKNESS Frontman Wants Next Album To Be 'Really Uplifting'
BLACK VEIL BRIDES' ANDY BIERSACK: EDDIE VAN HALEN 'Singularly Created The Idea Of A Guitar Hero'
URIAH HEEP's MICK BOX: 'As Long As I've Got My Health, I'll Continue To Play And Record'
DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN Says He Is 'Really Confident' 'Stadium Tour' Will Happen In 2021 'If They Get The Vaccine Rolled Out'
NOFX Announces 'Single Album', Drops 'Linewleum' Video Featuring AVENGED SEVENFOLD
WINTERAGE
The Inheritance Of Beauty
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And the Award for best Super Hero Movie of the year goes to.........
..... Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Hey there Scarred Fans,
Yes its been a while, but I'm back like I never left. Without further ado, I'd have to say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best action Movie of 2014, and Superhero movie ever, and here's what made that recipe possible: Action, Story, Pacing and Writing. Marvels past movie predecessors have made attempts in making this possible, but nothing comes close to what Disney/Marvel did with Captain America the Winter Soldier.
The choreography of the fight scenes is something that no one expected from this sequel. Captain America: The first Avenger just scratched the surface in terms of depicting Cap' in his "Super serumness", but this sequel displays it with grandeur. On that note, I hand this award to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as the best Super Hero Movie of the Year. Until then, Stay scarred.
THE YEAR SO FAR IN COMIC MOVIES
What up Scarred Fans!!
Yes I'm back in all my scarred glory. And yes I've been scarred by certain Comic movies so far in the 7th month of the year. But not bad scarred. Good Scarred. Man of Steel( despite its so, so reviews by some non optimistic viewers and critics) scarred me in a good way. A good depiction of Supes that's we've been waiting for for a long time; mass destructions and demolitions by kryptonians, action packed fight scenes, etc. Not bad Mr. Snyder. You made my childhood dreams come true seeing Super man go ham on screen. Thanks for scarring me in a positive way.
Shane Black didn't go easy on me either with Iron Man 3, and gave MOS a run for its money, not too much a distance though, they both did pretty good at the box office. If I could pick one over the other, I wouldn't. They both left some lashes on me I can learn from as an artist in terms of story structure, plot, pacing, and action.
The next on my list of anticipated comic movies for the year are "The Wolverine" and "Kick Ass 2", and honestly I don't know what to expect from director James Mangold. And given the History of Wolverine in the past X Men movies, and his solo movies, I don't think Logan has been depicted.....right, rather, depicted true to his comic roots. The PG 13 rating doesn't help either, in my opinion. I know Fox executives have money to be made and could really care less about us Fan boys, but does it really take a lot to give us the Logan we deserve? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
As for Kick Ass 2, its refreshing to see a comic book movie staying true to its R rated and mature comic roots with no compromise ( Cough, you wack for that Jim Carrey). And I can't wait to see how R rated it gets. But until we get an R rated Wolverine to the big screen, stay scarred.
What readers should expect from Black Scar Comics.
I believe that every reader should be entitled to some level of expectation in regards to the types of stories they are about to read in comics, rather than subjecting them to one dimensional characters, poor plot structure, overdone cliches, and wasting minutes of their lives which they won't be getting back. That's why I've taken the responsibility to assure readers that they should expect-Action, Suspense, Horror, Courage, Fear, Good and Evil stripped down to its purest form throughout the pages of Black Scar Comics.
Nothing says good story telling like a story you can feel, and be immersed in, and that's a guarantee to my readers of what to expect, unadulterated real life, written through a lens of fiction, and interpreted through the eyes of the world we live in. Stay tuned, and
Have you seen me?
So we've got our Spawn( Al Simmons), John Stewart ( Black Green lantern), Blade, Luke Cage, Falcon, Storm, Brother Zulu, War Machine, Black Panther and Ummmmmmm........that's exactly the response you'd here when it comes to naming Black or Minority mainstream super heroes. How come? Do creators think Black Superheroes aren't as marketable as their counterparts? Or are the stories not relatable? What would you like to see or not see in your Black Superheroes?
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Poppy Harlow Gives a “Voice to the Voiceless”
CNN Journalist Poppy Harlow ’01 balances motherhood, unexpected career in journalism
Shira Aronow, Staff Writer|April 18, 2019
Harlow hosting a 2019 CNN Town Hall Forum with presidential candidate Howard Schultz
When Poppy Harlow ‘01 was asked to conduct an interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg the same week that her son was born, she was unsure whether she could realistically do it. But there she was, sitting with a Supreme Court Justice while wearing an adult pregnancy diaper. Harlow’s experiences have helped to shape her resilience and unrelenting desire to tell other people’s stories, and her own life journey has a lot of valuable lessons that Blake students can learn from as well.
Harlow is a CNN news anchor on her daily morning show as well as the host of the podcast “Boss Files with Poppy Harlow.” She learned at the age of 15, when her father passed away, that “time is the most valuable thing you have.” To this day, she continues to ask herself and urges others to ask, “Are you doing something just to go somewhere, to be seen… to check something off the list or to really connect with someone?”
Harlow with her children, Luca (1) and Sienna (3).
Through her reporting, she aims to build connection with her audience and help them to find empathy. Prior to interviewing Michigan governor Rick Snyder during the Flint water crisis, she asked mothers in the area, some whose children would have lifelong disabilities, what they would want to know from the governor. “That’s my job, to be a voice and a platform for the voiceless,” she explains. Her own two children have given her a deeper sense of empathy. When covering stories, Harlow asks herself, “What if that were my child?”
Harlow volunteers at the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club because she believes in giving back to her community. She wants to help provide opportunities “for remarkable children who just haven’t been born [in] the same zip code as I was.” Harlow feels that everyone has a responsibility to
help those who have less and to be a part of creating a more just world.
In the midst of Harlow’s success, she is still working on finding a balance in her own life. She reveals, “I have truly had some really reckoning moments crying in my office alone and just feeling like I can’t do it anymore, I cannot do it all. I’m so tired… and yet here I am so privileged. I have childcare, I have a great husband who is truly an equal parent and partner, and I still am struggling.” Nonetheless, everything Harlow does comes down to being there for her children. She shared a recent example of negotiating with her producer and agreeing to travel for a story she was covering as long as she could be home in time to tuck her children into bed.
Harlow is grateful for her experiences at Blake, and she credits the school for nurturing her perseverance and work ethic. She states, “I was never the smartest in the class, but I would work really hard…” She continues, “Giving back to the community, volunteering… our senior projects for example. All of that Blake instilled in me.”
All photos submitted by Poppy Harlow.
Harlow interviews Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in February 2018.
A phrase Harlow lives by is, “Find your side door.” Her dream of becoming an attorney like her father fell apart after being rejected from the top law schools, despite having graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University in 2005. Changing her career goal to journalism was a gamble, but it was one that she was willing to take. Reflecting on her own path, Harlow advises Upper School students, “Don’t just do what you think you should do or the safe option because that’s ultimately
Harlow with members of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club.
not going to make you happy… And so for me, the fact that that door to law school didn’t open was the greatest gift.”
For young women specifically, she says, “raise your hands, speak up, sit at the table, don’t sit on the sidelines, find a champion, find a mentor. It doesn’t have to be another woman. There are a lot of great men that can be our champion along the way.” Moreover, she believes that women in turn should help raise people up
and that there is more than enough room in the world for success.
Harlow is steadfast in her commitment to serving others, and there is much that Blake students can learn from her example, “I think the most important value to me is compassion. That’s what I hope I can do through the stories we tell and the way we do our work… In terms of my goals, I hope at the end of the road, whenever that is professionally, I’ll be able to say I told stories that mattered and made people’s lives a little bit better.”
poppy harlow
Shira Aronow
One Response to “Poppy Harlow Gives a “Voice to the Voiceless””
Tess on January 25th, 2020 6:51 am
When I was told that I was die in the classroom I adjusted my sails by connecting Blake kiddos to Jamaican kids in Robins Bay. St. Mary’s Parish. I recall you engagement in my student art courses Poppy. We do have much to give after disappointing changes in our lives out of our control. I enjoyed your story. SP. IR. IT.
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Tea Culture Around the World
written by Olga
Many beverages are known only to a certain area of the World, but one took over all of the continents. Tea is, after water, second most popular drink on Earth. But while we all know and love it, not every nation enjoys it the same way. Tea culture is fascinating and gives you a glimpse of the region’s customs. That’s why today we will have a very special trip around the World.
Chinese Rituals
First records of drinking tea date back to ancient China in the 3rd century AD. Hua Tuo wrote about tea as a medicine. That was the beginning of an incredible journey. Many records imply, that its history is actually much longer and more complex. According to a legend, the idea of the brew comes from the Emperor Shennong, who came up with it in 2737 BC.
For millennia, the tea culture was a major part of the Chinese lifestyle, and still is to this day.
There are six main types of the Chinese tea – green tea, black tea, white tea, Oolong tea, yellow tea, and dark tea.
The tea lore there is old and complex. The drinking process relays on the environment, atmosphere, serving and infusing techniques and even music. The tea itself is judged on not only its taste, but also fragrance, colour, water quality, and in many cases the tea set. That’s why Chinese porcelain is so beautifully made and decorated.
Apart from China, Japan is the most popular place in terms of the tea culture. The Japanese came up with specific tea ceremonies and rules of drinking this beverage.
The most common type is the green tea. Just like in Italy, when one asks for “coffee”, he’ll get an espresso, in Japan if you ask for “tea”, you’ll get a green tea.
The type associated with the country is the matcha. It is also the one used in the tea ceremonies. It is a finely ground green tea, grown and processed in a special way. Due to that, it contains higher amounts of caffeine, making it a slightly energizing drink. During the ceremony, the tea is prepared and drunk in a way resembling a meditative state.
In fact, matcha is so popular in Japan, that hundreds of sweets and snacks are now available in the matcha flavour.
First mentions of tea in English come from the 17th century. That’s when the British East India Company’s traders got to taste this drink. They liked it so much, that they introduced it to the British monarchy.
By the 1657 tea was already being sold on a wider range, mostly as a remedy. However, in the beginning, it was too expensive for anyone but the richest to buy. It became a fashion. With time its prices became lower and tea was drunk all over the nation.
The most popular in the United Kingdom is the black tea. There is even a special type called the English Breakfast tea. It is so important in the United Kingdom, that the phrase ‘my cup of tea’ signifies something familiar.
Maghrebi mint tea is popular in northwest Africa. It is the go-to hot drink for countries of Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. Made with green tea, mint leaves and sugar, It is rather simple but very flavourful.
Drinking tea in those countries is a similar event to drinking alcohol in Europe. It is a social activity, often enjoyed by larger groups of friends and family.
The brewing style and content of sugar vary depending on the region. But it is generally strong and very sweet.
Russian Zavarka
While in many countries the tea culture revolves around what the people drink, in some it is how they drink it that matters. This is the case with Russia.
Zavarka is essentially a tea brew concentrate. The item used for this purpose is the samovar. This device is especially characteristic for Russia and Iran. The classic design consists of a water tank which a tube for inserting charcoal with the grate at the bottom. In the lower part of the samovar tank there is a tap to pour the water out, and at the top, there is a place for a teapot with the tea concentrate. The drinker can control the strength of the tea by adding more or less concentrate (zavarka) to the boiled water.
Tea is a very important part of the life of not only the Russian people but the entire Eastern Europe region.
South American Yerba Mate
Not as much a tea, as it is a tea-like beverage, yerba mate deserves a place on this list. It is made from the leaves of the South American rainforest holly tree, Ilex paraguariensis. While it is made like a tea, brewed with hot water, it is actually somewhere between tea and coffee. The leaves of the mate tree contain many vitamins and minerals, making it an incredibly nutritious drink. But mate also has caffeine, making it an energizing drink. Yet it is a lot healthier and much more balanced.
Yerba Mate is most popular in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. However, its values are appreciated in many other countries of South America.
India’s Masala Chai
India is the World’s second largest producer of tea. The country is also the largest consumer of tea, using nearly 30% of its the entire production. The first mentions of tea in India come from the Ramayana, between 750 and 500 BCE.
Today, the most popular way in which people use tea it to make the masala chai. It is a mix of black tea with Indian spices and herbs. The spices and their quantity vary depending on the region, however, all of them use milk, sugar, cardamom, and ginger in their chai. It is becoming increasingly more popular all around the World. Its popularity transmitted into the creation of the chai latte, a coffee made similarly to the masala chai.
Sometimes, all it takes to go on a journey to a foreign land is to try its flavours. And that is what we recommend you do.
Filed under: TGIF
Tagged with: China, England, Featured, India, Japan, Morocco, Russia, South America, Tea, Tea Culture
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Elvis United kingdom says
Artwin says
Very interesting article, thanks!
I will add something interesting about Tea in Kazakhstan. They call it shai instead of chai and drink it from small white ceramic bowl. People do not like Indian tea, they drink Chinese tea, as we have the same border with China
Halal Holidays says
I’ve tried Maghrebi mint tea from other countries too but I found the Maghrebi mint tea of Morocco incomparable.
Berry says
Well just came to know about Russian Zavarka, thanks to you.
Henry says
I got the chance to be astounded at every one, so something like the lodging in revolt having a ruler of the rings room…
Such a wonderful & nice article. I can’t think about a day without coffee or without tea. You have described some important issue here. Love that. Thanks a lot. Enjoy your time.
Tina@matcha tea says
What a brilliant article this is! Just love this. So much informative & valuable. Thanks for sharing.
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Patriots playoff picture: How New England can still make NFL playoffs in 2020
December 10, 2020 by admin 0 Comments
With a 6-6 record going into Week 14’s Thursday night game against the Rams in Los Angeles, the Patriots are alive in the NFL playoff picture. New England, however, still has the odds stacked against it to make the NFL playoffs for an 18th consecutive season.
The Patriots currently are No. 10 in the conference with their .500 record. Before thinking about catching either the No. 6 Dolphins (8-4) or No. 7 Colts (8-4) for one of the final two AFC wild-card spots, they also need to jump both the No. 8 Raiders (7-5) and No. 9 Ravens (7-5).
The bad news is two games are a lot of ground to make up in only four weeks. The good news is the Patriots already have the right kind of wins that can help them extend their postseason streak with Bill Belichick and without Tom Brady.
Here’s a look at New England’s schedule and resume and what help it will need to get into the playoffs:
MORE: Complete NFL playoff picture for Week 14
How will the Patriots fare in the final month?
The NFC West-leading Rams (8-4) on the road are a tough way to start. Then it’s all division game rematches, at the Dolphins (8-4) in Week 15, vs. the Bills (9-3) in Week 16 and vs. the Jets in Week 17.
Although it’s unreasonable for the Patriots to run the table at 4-0 to finish 10-6, there’s a fair shot at 3-1 and 9-7. Going 2-2 or worse simply won’t cut it to get in by at best remaining .500 at 8-8 as that would require a lot of help to jump three teams.
Which team ahead of the Patriots is in most trouble?
The Raiders will host the Colts in Week 14 and host the Dolphins in Week 16 as their toughest games left. The Colts have to go to the Steelers in Week 16 two weeks after their trip to Las Vegas.
While that seems pretty daunting, there’s no doubt the Dolphins have it worst. They need to host the Chiefs in Week 14, go to Las Vegas in Week 16 and close at the Bills in Week 17. The missing game there in between is the home game against the Patriots.
On the flip side, the Ravens have it by far the easiest after getting back above .500 in Week 13. They do play at the Browns in Week 14, but that’s balanced by vs. Jaguars, vs. Giants and at Bengals in the final three weeks.
Looking at all that, the Raiders, Colts and Dolphins can all do damage to each other while also having it rough in their other games.
The Patriots should root for the Raiders to lose both the Colts and Dolphins games to finish 2-2 and 9-7 or worse. In that case, the Colts would likely finish 3-1, getting in at 11-5. The Dolphins, even with the Raiders win, are a good bet to lose the Chiefs and Bills games. The Ravens have a good shot to finish 3-1 or better, putting them at either 10-6 or 11-5.
Having the Colts and Ravens surge to double-digit wins may not sound great for the Patriots, but it makes more sense to try to beat out the Raiders and Dolphins at 9-7 for No. 7.
What key AFC playoff tiebreakers do the Patriots have?
Three-quarters of the answers are easy. The Patriots beat the Dolphins at home in Week 1, the Raiders at home in Week 3 and the Ravens at home in Week 10. They hold all the tiebreakers there and can maintain those by sweeping the Dolphins in Week 15.
So if the Raiders, Dolphins and Patriots all end up 9-7, the Patriots would be the last team in behind the Ravens and Colts. It also can’t be ruled out the Ravens also go 9-7, which could push the Patriots up to the No. 6 seed.
Now let’s put the Patriots head-to-head with the Colts. The Rams game won’t affect the Patriots’ conference record. So if the Patriots go 3-1 with that being their lone loss, they would have a 8-4 mark in AFC play. The Colts would need to go 1-3 to finish 9-7. That would put their conference record at 5-7, so the Patriots would win that tiebreaker, too.
The Titans, other than at the Packers in Week 16, have a very favorable schedule. However you look at it with them the Colts in the AFC South, both the division winner and the wild card should have double-digit wins, which doesn’t do the Patriots any good.
When removing the Titans, Colts and Ravens out of equation based on future win probability, there’s a good chance the Patriots will get the right kind of help beyond their own direct second shot at the Dolphins. At 9-7, the Patriots would be slight favorites to get in, assuming there aren’t more than six AFC playoff teams with 10 wins or more. If the Patriots can somehow take care of the Rams, too and finish the season on a six-game winning streak to get to 10-6, they would be near locks to get in.
The Patriots need multiple events to break their way, starting with their own improved performance, but based on whom they’ve beaten, whom they play and whom their playoff competition plays, everything can add up nicely for the calculated Belichick.
This article was originally published by Sportingnews.com. Read the original article here.
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About Arts
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The legacy of Anthony Burgess
Housing a theatre, cinema and art gallery, HOME Manchester is a major new arts centre in the north west. In 2012, two of the city’s best-loved cultural institutions, Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company, merged to form the Greater Manchester Arts Centre. Soon afterwards in 2015, the company moved into a purpose-built premises under the name of HOME, a new international centre for contemporary visual art, theatre and film.
The vision for this new venture was to continue and build on the legacy of its parent organisations while expanding its international reach. With two theatre spaces and five cinemas, HOME seeks to produce and host outstanding, challenging and provocative work, and its gallery has become one of Manchester’s primary spaces for contemporary visual arts.
Check out the film at the bottom of the page for an introduction to the range of work put on by HOME this year.
Before HOME was formed, both Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company enjoyed strong relationships with the local area, providing a platform for talent from Manchester as well as bringing broader cultural experiences into the heart of the city.
Visitors became loyal members, and the sense of community was tangible. For HOME, as its name suggests, it is important to retain this valuable sense of community; at the core of its remit is to present “the world, seen through Mancunian eyes”.
Emoji-inspired art: Rachel Maclean's Wot u :-) about?
This year, HOME hosted the Manchester edition of Scottish artist Rachel Maclean’s touring exhibition Wot u :-) about?, an installation featuring an array of grotesque, emoji-inspired creatures and internet-addicted rats.
In the trailer below, you can get a sense of the grimly funny characters she created for the exhibition, fusing the cuddly and the creepy in a truly unsettling imagined world.
In an interview with the team at HOME, Maclean talks about the process of making the work – and why she decided to personally play every single role in the films that form part of the installation. The choral voices emanating from the futuristic creatures epitomise the blending of high and low influences within the work, further underlined by Maclean’s straightforward explanation of the piece.
Find out more in the interview below.
Reimagining the classics
HOME’s theatre space has recently hosted a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic gothic play Ghosts. Directed by Olivier Award winner Polly Findlay and starring Niamh Cusack, the play can be previewed in the trailer above.
With themes of self-deception and family secrets, the play remains relevant to contemporary audiences, and Findlay’s direction draws out these resonances in novel ways. In an interview for HOME’s online channel, Findlay and Cusack explain the significance – both personal and social – of the play in today’s climate. You can watch the full interview in the video above.
"People make Glasgow" - Exploring Glasgow's visual art scene
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Find out more about Rachel Maclean's 'Wot u :-)' about?
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A brief introduction to the poetry of Burma
By Maung Day
'My poems are concerned with many different things, from local realities to the personal'. Image ©
Peter Hershey, used under licence and adapted from the original [link expired].
We asked Maung Day, Burmese poet and writer in residence at Edge Hill University in the UK, about poetry in Burma today, and the influences on his own writing.
What role has poetry played in Burma over the years?
Burma has always had a great poetry tradition. It is an integral part of Burmese society, and something poets have carried with them across generations. In the 1930s, the khitsan poetry movement came out of Yangon University. Khitsan is sometimes translated as ‘testing the times’ and sometimes as ‘renewal of times’. Khitsan poets were involved in the independence struggle during British rule, through their poetry and political activism.
Poets in Burma have often been associated with some form of political activism. So it's no wonder that today, quite a few poets and writers serve in various capacities within the current government. The president himself is the son of a poet, and known for his literary inclinations.
However, poetry transcends politics. Most Burmese people grow up reading poetry from kindergarten until university, both in Burmese and English. A lot of young people dabble in writing poetry, and some continue to do so: a few well-known poets say they started to write poetry after their first loves broke their hearts.
Today, the poetry scene in Burma is thriving. Poets write in various styles and traditions, from khitpor (meaning modern), which emerged in the 1970s, to conceptual forms including Flarf and visual poetry. As the country opens up, the outside world has become curious about Burmese arts and culture. Young Burmese poets are writing experimental poetry about social justice issues, and collaborating with artists and writers from other countries. The poetry anthology Bones Will Crow: 15 Contemporary Burmese Poets, is a good example of this.
What does it mean to be a poet in Burma today?
It used to be really difficult to write poetry without being censored by the previous military regimes. Some poets were incarcerated because they wrote poems that the military government deemed ‘subversive’ or ‘dissenting’. That is all over now. Today, poets enjoy much greater freedom of speech.
As well as collaborating with other international artists, some young poets who read a lot of poetry in English want to publish their work internationally. Be Untexed is a Yangon-based online journal that publishes poetry in English – the first of its kind in Burma. I hear that it is gaining a lot of interest and submissions from poets outside Burma.
Is it difficult to get published as a Burmese poet?
No, I wouldn't say so. The Burmese poetry scene is alive with small independent presses, and many poets publish their work by themselves. There are always poetry readings and seminars around the country. The Irrawaddy Literary Festival has concentrated on Burmese poetry, and PEN Myanmar often invites poets to organise readings and symposiums. These events are important in the sense that they can contribute to discussions and exchanges between Burmese poets and their counterparts from other countries. They influence each other’s work, and their poetry evolves.
What inspired you to become a poet?
I developed an interest in poetry when I was a kid. There wasn’t a writer or poet in my family back then, but books were always around: novels, short stories, travelogues and, of course, poetry. I was familiar with Burmese classical poetry: Min Thu Won, Zaw Gyi, and poets that came before them. I was also fascinated by the poems of A-Chote-Tan Sayar Pe. Among the Burmese classic poets, he wrote with great urgency, strong imagery and straightforward social criticism. Then I discovered Romantic poetry. I was exposed to it when I was a middle school student as part of the school curriculum. We had two English textbooks: one with grammar lessons, essays and stories; the other with English poems, including poems by John Keats, Lord Byron, Christina Rossetti, Alexander Pope, and later, Robert Frost.
I am sure many poets writing today have admired Romantic poets at some point. Htinn Yuu Pin Yeik (The Shade of the Pine Tree, 1968), a collection of translations of Western poetry put out by Burmese scholar and linguist Maung Tha Noe, includes Romantic and modern poetry. This book has influenced many Burmese poets and contributed to the development of khitpor poetry.
Which contemporary poets in Burma do you recommend?
I really like poets such as Aung Cheimt, Phaw Way, Win Myint, Moe Way and Aung Pyi Sone. Aung Cheimt writes with such an admirable precision and care in terms of syntactical structure and sound design. I am also impressed by his use of irony and humour. His poems have a particular kind of swagger; they excite me – all the more so because many of the poems being written today wear a thick coat of dullness, rigid technicality and deal with straightforward political themes.
What kind of poetry do you write?
I have written six books of poetry in Burmese and one in English. My poems are concerned with many different things, from local realities to the personal. References from global pop cultural to local spiritual practices cut across my poems. I want to call my poetry ‘bizarre, associative and contemporary.’
You're going to the UK soon to spend two weeks working with creative writing graduates. What do you hope to get out of the experience?
This is really exciting for me as I look forward to learning more about English poetry and sharing contemporary Burmese poetry in exchange. I know that the creative writing graduates of Edge Hill and I will have a lot to talk about. I am also looking to save some time for writing my own poetry and reflecting on my past work. I am sure this trip will be the first of many more collaborations.
Maung Day is writer in residence at Edge Hill University in England this November.
Find out more about the British Council's work in Burma.
How do you 'invest' in Burma's writers?
Burma’s ethnic writing is emerging after years of exclusion
About the Voices Magazine
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Bryn Mawr Stories ›
Besty Hodges '91
Opportunity for Women
Pathways to Purpose
Community of Individuals
Alumna/us: Besty Hodges '91
As mayor of Minneapolis, Betsy Hodges ’91 was the perfect choice to kick off the President’s Office lecture series that showcases Mawrters making significant change in their communities. Dr. Judith Porter made the introductions and, as Hodges’s thesis advisor at Bryn Mawr, took some justifiable pride in her former student. Describing Hodges “as a leader in creating a positive social impact,” Porter described the mayor’s remarkable rise—she was elected last year by an 18 percent margin after running a classic 21st-century, social-media campaign—and progressive administration. “She focuses on three clear goals,” explained Porter, “running the city well, growing a great city, and increasing equity. Her priorities are economic and educational equity, ensuring that the city works well for everybody and that all people in the city can contribute to and benefit from the growth and prosperity of Minneapolis.”
For her part, Hodges prepared for her speech, held in Old Library in September, like a true Mawrter. As she explained to the packed house, “I did make my offering to Athena about 20 minutes ago, so this is going to go just fine.”
Following are excerpts from her remarks—which, no surprise, did indeed go just fine.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRYN MAWR: I am deeply grateful every single day for the education that I got here because I learned things about the world that have proven useful as I’ve moved forward. I was one class shy of a theater minor and a double major in psychology and sociology. And, frankly, if you’re going to do politics, sociology, psychology, and theater are three very useful things to have some experience with.
HER CLASS RING: This ring has been with me when I have been in a meeting with the president of the United States. It’s been with me as I sat on a couch holding hands with the Dalai Lama. It was with me this summer when I was in Rome at the Vatican having an audience with the Pope. It was with me on election night in 2013 when I won by a wide margin in a race that people told me I could not win.
EQUITY EQUALS GROWTH: The IMF [International Monetary Fund] did a study that found that countries that reduced their inequities 10 percent increased their growth spurt by 50 percent. Any political leader, any economic leader in the country would love to expand their growth spurt by 50 percent. And there’s a way to do it with just a 10 percent reduction in inequalities. Equity is a growth strategy in and of itself.
THE COLLECTIVE GOAL: Imagine that, for some reason, our collective goal [is] that everybody is able to watch a baseball game. There’s a six-foot fence between you and the baseball game. Let’s say Bill de Blasio is standing there, and I’m standing there. And let’s say there’s a kid standing next to us. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, is about 6-foot-7. I am 5-4, 5-5 or 5-6 if I’m wearing heels. The kid next to me, he’s 4-feet. Equality means we all get a box. Bill gets a box, I get a box, the kid gets a box. Equity is Bill doesn’t get a box, I get one box, the kid gets two.
If we want a growing and prosperous city and we want to maximize that growth and prosperity, then we need equity as the framework, not equality.
MINNEAPOLIS BY THE NUMBERS: Our [public] schools are 70 percent kids of color, 30 percent white kids. Graduation rates? White kids have close to 67 percent, American-Indian kids about 27 percent, Latinos and African-Americans about 37 percent. That gap is one of the biggest gaps in the entire country. The unemployment rates? The numbers past 2012 paint an even starker picture with white unemployment rates going lower and lower [not so with] African-American and Native American folks. We have a housing gap: 86 percent of white people own their own home; 14 percent of people of color own their own home.
If we just eliminated the gaps between now and 2040, there would be 171,000 more people with a high school diploma, 124,000 more people with jobs, and $32 billion more in personal income. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, we’re leaving $32 billion on the table. That is the price we’re paying for inequity and inequality.
PUBLIC DOLLARS FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD: My philosophy is about investing public dollars in the public good. I’m less about picking winners and losers in the private market. I don’t pay people to come build their business in my city. What I do is I build a city that people want to start their business in.
In general, when you invest in transit, you get 31 percent more jobs than when you invest in roads and bridges—it’s a growth strategy. When we were opening our second light rail line, which goes between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis, $2 billion worth of investment happened along that line before it even opened.
THE EDUCATION SOLUTION: My Cradle to K Cabinet is designed to get to the first opportunity gap a kid faces. There is a 15 to 17 percent return on investment annually for investments in early childhood education. It’s one of the best investments you can make if you care about the future of your community. … The cabinet has come up with a set of recommendations about making sure kids are housed, that they have a healthy start, and that they have child development-centered childcare.
Minneapolis has a STEP-UP youth summer jobs program, [which works] with our civically minded corporate community as well as other employers. We have about 2,100 internships that high school juniors and seniors can get in the summers that give them soft skills, hard job skills, work experience.
JOBS FOR THE FUTURE: In Minneapolis, an employment training program called Build Leaders works with young men, African-American men mostly, age 18 to 24. They’ve gone part way down a wrong path, are eager to get back on a different path. We train them, and they meet with young men in middle school so they never start down the path. So there’s a lot of wins: the older men get job experience, job training—they have a job while they’re doing it—and the younger men get mentorship.
We have TechHire, which is focused on tech jobs [STEAM, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math]. We know that women, in particular, and people of color are significantly underrepresented in those fields. TechHire is a partnership with the White House and local employers to do accelerated training in these tech programs and then the employers agree to take graduates of those programs.
The City of Minneapolis was making it very hard to open and maintain a small business. So I spent a year going around the community with small business owners saying, “How have we made a hassle for you?” They were very happy to tell me the things the city was not doing right, and the stories were invaluable. We have a set of recommendations, and now we’re implementing them.
LAW AND ORDER: We have 25 percent of the world’s imprisoned population in this country—largely men of color. So what can we do about that?
Instead of putting a ding on a kid’s record, [Minneapolis takes] him to the supervision center where he gets an assessment. We find out what he needs—or we take him home first—but we don’t just take him to jail, especially not for a status offense like curfew or truancy.
I tripled money for restorative justice, where instead of going to court, a young person or an older person has a face-to-face process with the people against whom he or she committed the crime. It’s an extraordinarily powerful tool, and it works really well.
And then community relations. It is part of public safety to make sure the community feels safe calling the police. If you feel like you’re more at risk from the police coming than from whatever’s happening in front of you, that’s a problem.
PRESIDENT: I had just been elected and somebody called and said, “The president would like to meet with you and other mayors on December 13. Can you please check and see if you’re available?” And I said, “I will be available.” She said, “Don’t you need to check?” I said, “No. I do not need to check to see if I can have a private meeting with the president of the United States, Barack Obama.”
The president asked each one of us, “What are you doing? Why did you run? What are you about? What are you looking for?” I told him that I wanted Minneapolis to be the beacon for the country on how to get this right in terms of issues of racial equity and the gaps that we face in terms of growth and prosperity being inclusive growth and prosperity. I laid that marker down with the President of the United States, which felt pretty good.
Thanks, Bryn Mawr.
Mayor of City of Minneapolis MN
Atiqua Hashem '92 Joins the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Environmental Studies Major Claire A. Hampton '21 Interns with Renewable Energy Group
Emma Yoder '21 Supports Expecting Families as a Birth and Postpartum Doula
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Fenland talent lands two spots in Kings Lynn production of Guys and Doll
Published: 2:26 PM October 3, 2011 Updated: 9:27 PM October 31, 2020
TWO artists from Fenland have landed themselves leading roles in the next King’s Lynn Players musical Guys and Dolls which will be performed at the King’s Lynn Corn Exchange from October 12-15.
Jo Sherry from Long Sutton will be taking on the role of Sarah Brown in this classic musical. She joined KLP last year and has performed in productions across the country, so she has plenty of experience in taking on challenging roles. Jo has also directed and choreographed a number of productions.
John West from March takes the role of Arvide Abernathy. John is fast becoming a stalwart member of the KLP, as he enters his 12th year with the society and has taken on many parts of varying sizes. John is also a member of MADOS.
Sharon Fox, director, said: “We are delighted to have two such experienced actors taking part in our production. Whilst the Players are based in King’s Lynn, we do attract people from outside the immediate area to perform in our productions.”
Tickets for Guys and Dolls are available now at the Corn Exchange Box Office at �14.50, or �13.50 concessions. Call 01553 764864 to book your ticket!
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“Mere Conduit” Defense is Alive and Well in the Eleventh Circuit
Providers of services acting as mere conduits for parties transferring money remain protected from fraudulent conveyance actions under the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), at least according to a recent bankruptcy court decision in the Eleventh Circuit.1 In Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Plan Trust v. ADP, Inc. (In re Taylor, Bean, & Whitaker Mortg. Corp.) 2018 WL 5784699 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. Nov. 1, 2018) (“Taylor Bean”), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida (the “Bankruptcy Court”) expanded the application of the mere conduit defense to protect a transferee-payroll company.2
In Taylor Bean, the bankruptcy trustee for Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (“TBW”) attempted to avoid and recover transfers to ADP, Inc. (“ADP”), TBW’s payroll services company, as fraudulent conveyances under Sections 544, 548(a)(1)(A), (B), and 550 of the Bankruptcy Code. Under Section 550 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, an avoided transfer may be recovered from, inter alia, “the initial transferee of such transfer or the entity for whose benefit the transfer was made.”3 The case turned on whether ADP constituted an initial transferee of the transfer of $34 million by TBW to ADP to pay TBW’s payroll and tax withholdings. Had the trustee established that ADP was the initial transferee of the $34 million, the trustee could have recovered from ADP some or all of the amount that had been transferred.
The Mere Conduit Defense in a Nutshell
A literal interpretation of the interpretation of “initial transferee” as used in Section 550(a)(1) would include those entities that merely accept money from one party and thereafter pass it along to a third party. Using their powers of equity, however, courts have created a defense known as the “mere conduit” defense, to exclude “pass through” entities from the scope of Section 550, and thereby deeming the entity or entities receiving funds remitted by the pass-through entity as the initial transferee. As set forth by the Bankruptcy Court, to establish a mere conduit defense, the party asserting the defense must prove that (a) it did not have control over the funds received from the debtor-transferor (i.e., the “conduit” merely served as a conduit for the funds that were under the actual control of the debtor), and (b) the “conduit” acted in good faith and as an innocent participant in the fraudulent transfer.4 The analysis should consider the totality of the circumstances and is meant to be practical and fair, the Bankruptcy Court noted.
The First Element - Lack of Control
The first element of the test that courts in the Eleventh Circuit have created is whether or not the entity had control of the funds. “A defendant is an initial transferee only if it ‘exercise[s] legal control over the assets received, such that [it] ha[s] the right to use the assets for [its] own purposes, and not if [it] merely served as a conduit for assets that were under the actual control of the debtor-transferor or the real initial transferee.’”5 In reviewing the transactions which are the subject of the defense, [t]he court is directed to consider all aspects of the transaction . . . in [a] “flexible, pragmatic, equitable approach.”6
The Second Element - Good Faith
Thereafter, the party seeking mere conduit status must show that it acted in good faith and as an innocent participant in the transfer. Upon making this showing, the debtor must rebut the the conduit’s assertion of good faith by demonstrating that the recipient had actual knowledge of the fraudulent purpose in making the transfer or had knowledge of the facts and circumstances that would have put the defendant on inquiry notice.7
Examples of Mere Conduits
Relationships where the alleged initial transferee have been determined by other courts to be a mere conduit include where (i) the person acted as a courier, delivering a certified check to a third party,8 (ii) a bank was an intermediary to a transaction, such as when accepting a deposit for the account of a third party (as opposed to accepting a payment as a creditor such as for payment on a loan),9 or (iii) funds are transferred to an insurance broker to pay the premium due an insurer under an insurance policy.10 Extending the defense to a payroll processing company, however, was new ground in the Eleventh Circuit.
ADP’s Relationship with the Debtor
ADP’s relationship with TBW was more complex and sophisticated than the typical relationship between a bank and its account depositors, or an insurance broker and its client. ADP’s role, obligations and limitations were set forth in a Master Services Agreement that incorporated a number of service annexes, and involved the payment of TBW’s payroll and related expenses.
Specifically, the Trustee’s claims were based on approximately $34 million that had been transmitted to ADP by TBW for the payment of TBW’s wages, garnishments, and taxes and passed through to TBW’s employees and various state and federal taxing authorities. TBW’s payroll department generated a Payroll Master File (the “Master File”) which tracked hours and gross pay and was updated by TBW each payroll period with new hires, terminations, transfer and pay rate changes using information provided by TBW’s human resources department. The Master File was then provided to ADP by uploading the information to an ADP software application. After processing the information, ADP provided a “preview” of the Master File for the pay period to TBW, which was reviewed and corrected. Once approved, TBW’s payroll department requested wire transfers to ADP from TBW’s cash management department to fund the payroll with instructions to ADP for the application of the wire, including, but not limited to, the total wages, taxes, and garnishments to be disbursed. Upon receipt of the wire, ADP would release the payroll and tax payments to the appropriate taxing authorities. A distribution report was generated by ADP and provided to TBW.
The wires received from TBW by ADP were deposited into a client account and comingled with transfers received from other clients. Fees received by ADP for services were deposited in a separate account maintained by ADP for such purpose. Funds in the comingled client account were used solely for the purpose of satisfying clients’ obligations (such as payroll). ADP maintained a ledger system to account for each individual client’s deposits into the account. ADP also loaned money from time to time to clients from the client account to cover any shortfalls in the amount transferred to make payroll with the expectation of an immediate wire payment from such client to cover the “overdraft.” Finally, ADP refunded certain amounts deposited by clients for items such as uncashed payroll checks or tax refunds.
Based on these and other facts, the Bankruptcy Court found that TBW, and not ADP, maintained control of the funds throughout the process. The essence of the transactions set forth in the Master Services Agreement was that ADP was obligated to use TBW’s funds to pay wages, garnishments, and taxes as directed by TBW. TBW’s control over the the funds was facilitated by ADP’s software. ADP followed TBW’s instructions in moving TBW’s funds to the tax authorities, designated employees, and respective garnishees. The funds merely passed through ADP to the intended recipients, and the short time the funds spent in ADP’s client account did not change that fact, according to the Bankruptcy Court. Further, the use of funds of other clients to cover temporary shortfalls, the Bankruptcy Court found, was no different than a bank temporarily covering an overdraft.
Finally, the court found no basis in the facts adduced during discovery to find that ADP had any actual knowledge or fact that would put ADP on inquiry notice with respect to fraud at TBW. As a result, the Bankruptcy Court dismissed the trustee’s fraudulent conveyance claims against ADP as ADP was a mere conduit and not the initial transferee for purpose of the avoidance actions.
The case is another confirmation on the availability of the “mere conduit” doctrine defense to parties whose business is to “pass through” funds to other parties. Although the Bankruptcy Court indicated that the analysis should consider the totality of the circumstances and is fact-specific, the decision should provide additional comfort to banks, insurance brokers, couriers and similar businesses that they are not subject to initial-transferee liability under the Bankruptcy Code when facilitating pass-through transfers in their normal business operations.11
11 U.S.C. §101 et seq.
This decision has been appealed.
Id. § 550(a)(1).
Taylor Bean, at *2 (citing Martinez v. Hutton (In re Harwell), 628 F.3d 1312, 1323 (11th 2010)).
at *12 (citing Andreini & Co. v. Pony Exp. Delivery Services, Inc. (In re Pony Exp. Delivery Services, Inc.), 440 F.3d 1296 (11thCir. 2006)). In the Second and Seventh Circuits the test is described as whether the transferee has “dominion and control” over the transferred funds.
Luria at page 27, citing Menotte v. USA (In re Custom Contractors, LLC)745 F.3d 1342 at 1350 (11th 2014).
at *15 (citing Welch v. Regions Bank (In re Mongelluzzi)587 B.R. 392, 411 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2018)).
Rupp v. Markgraf, 95 F.3d 936 (10th 1996)
See, e.g., Bonded Financial Services, Inc. v. European American Bank, 838 F.2d 890 (7th 1988).
Andreini, 440 F.3d at 1298; see also In re Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Heine, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey, 130 F.3d 52 (2nd 1997).
The decision has been appealed to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
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Download a PDF of this alert.
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Hampton set to open Class A State Tournament against Loretto
Hampton now knows their road through the TSSAA Class A State Boys’ Basketball State Tournament.
The Bulldogs will open the tournament against Loretto on Thursday, March 19 at 3:45p ET/2:45p CT.
The tournament is set to be held at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
The Hampton/Loretto winner will advance to play the winner of Monterey and Booker T. Washington at 5:30p ET/4:30p CT on Friday.
In the bottom half of the bracket, MAHS will take on Clay County and East Robertson will take on Oneida.
Loretto enters the tournament with a 27-5 record. The Mustangs have won 22 straight games – including a 39-29 substate victory over Richland on Monday night.
Loretto is just two years removed from a state championship in 2018.
Hampton advanced to the state tournament after dispatching Harriman 67-28 in Monday’s substate action. The Bulldogs are 26-10 on the season.
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Chlorpyrifos FAQs
Human Exposure
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Health Questions
Chlorpyrifos New Studies and Data
Although EPA determined at the start of registration review in 2009 that the database of information on chlorpyrifos was largely complete, new testing was required in several areas to meet evolving regulatory guidelines and to supplement regulatory requirements. Chlorpyrifos registrants have conducted new toxicology studies, providing new data for the Agency’s consideration and its estimates of potential effect levels. Initial consideration of these studies has been incorporated into the EPA’s preliminary human health assessment for chlorpyrifos registration review, and a summary of proposed revisions in EPA’s health standards is available.
When EPA lacks data, the Agency may be compelled to make highly precautionary decisions to account for uncertainties in their assumptions. In some cases, the conservatism can be magnified from one assumption to the next until the regulatory model no longer resembles real world events.
With chlorpyrifos, however, the database is data-rich from many years of extensive study, including availability of new data. This allows EPA to use more refined methods and techniques, including the following:
Benchmark Dose Modeling
New statistical modeling techniques are available to evaluate data across all available studies and identify with greater accuracy the internal dose required to produce a biological response (known as the regulatory “endpoint” for safety evaluations). The Benchmark Dose Modeling approach results in more accurate determination of the “point of departure” or dose below which no biological effect is anticipated. In the past, data had to be analyzed on a study-by-study basis using the old “No Observable Effect Level” approach, and the NOEL was selected based on the single study showing the most sensitive results. As a result, data from other available studies was not fully utilized. The Benchmark Dose Modeling approach for chlorpyrifos has been effectively applied to make better use of all available studies supporting EPA’s registration review.
Age-Related Sensitivity
EPA is required as per the Food Quality Protection Act (FPQA) to determine potential differences in sensitivity to exposures between immature and mature individuals. Evaluation of findings from a recently-completed comparative cholinesterase assay (CCA) study has provided the Agency with specific information on biological responses to chlorpyrifos exposure to immature and mature organisms, and allowed estimation of the appropriate uncertainty factor for consideration of age-related differences in sensitivity. In the past, a standard FQPA uncertainty factor of 10X was applied to assessments in the absence of such data; EPA believes it may now be appropriate to reduce this factor based on the availability of new data .
Source-to-Outcome Modeling
Based on availability of chlorpyrifos metabolism data from animal studies as well as human tissue and human volunteer studies, a state-of-the-art model following disposition and effects of chlorpyrifos following dietary exposures has been developed. The model simulates processes such as absorption, enzymatic detoxification, excretion, and blood cholinesterase inhibition so as to better characterize person-to-person variability across the human population.
In the past, a standard uncertainty factor of 10X was applied to assessments as a default to account for individual differences, but the source-to-outcome modeling approach allows a more specific determination of this variability to be made. The source-to-outcome model for chlorpyrifos was reviewed by EPA’s Scientific Advisory Panel during February of 2011.
Marty, M.S. et al. “Cholinesterase inhibition and toxicokinetics in immature and adult rats after acute or repeated exposures to chlorpyrifos or chlorpyrifos-oxon.” Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2012, Volume 63(2): 209-224
Reiss, R. et al. “Acetylcholinesterase inhibition dose-response modeling for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon.”Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2012, Volume 63(1):124-131.
Price, P.S. et al. “Application of a source-to-outcome model for the assessment of health impacts from dietary exposures to insecticide residues.”, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2011, Volume 61(1): 23-31.
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Evangelicals Help Elect Catholic President in Brazil
Scott Slayton | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Tuesday, October 30, 2018
#world
When Jair Bolsonaro addressed his supporters after they elected him as President of Brazil, he began by saying “I first want to thank God.” According to polls and grassroots efforts, he can also thank a large portion of Brazil’s evangelical community who eagerly supported his candidacy.
Evangelicals in Brazil were energized for this election because of many frustrations with Brazil’s government. The nation faced increasing crime, economic decline, and rampant government corruption. In addition, evangelicals reacted strongly to the country’s liberalization on issues related to sexuality. One pastor, Bishop Robson Rodovalho, told Reuters that, “The left went too far,” adding, “Indoctrinating school children on sex revolted many parents. Today we are seeing a boiling over of reaction.”
Bolsonaro skyrocketed to prominence in the election through a promise to promote family values, to restore law and order, and to clean out government corruption. The 27-year congressman ran as a political outsider who was uniquely qualified to deal with Brazil’s problems. He has a history of controversial statements and unpopular stands that bolstered his credibility.
This approach resonated with evangelicals. Pastor Silas Malafaia, who leads 50 Brazilian churches, told the Associated Press that Bolsonaro was the kind of man who should lead the nation’s 210 million residents. He said, “In Brazil, we need a macho like him,” saying the new President would “defend all the values and principles of the Christian family.”
Brazilian evangelicals, who comprise 20 percent of the population, organized grassroots efforts to support Bolsonaro. They passed out flyers and expended great energy to promote him to the people in their social circles.
While Catholics in Brazil outnumber Evangelicals by 80 million, one Brazilian political observer, Antonio Lavareda, said that Evangelicals are more adept at organizing politically. He told the Associated Pressthat, “The evangelical vote is very organic in that pastors and bishops have a relationship with followers that influences how they vote. It’s the opposite in the Catholic Church, where, despite having more congregants, priests have less direct influence.”
Both Bolsonaro’s promise to get tough on crime and his appeal to evangelical voters reminded many of President’s Trump’s 2016 campaign. Bolsonaro expressed his admiration for Trump and followed some of the strategies that he employed. He attacked the Brazilian media, saying that he is “totally in favor of a freedom of the press. But if it’s up to me, press that shamelessly lies will not have any government support.”
President Trump tweeted his congratulations to Bolsonaro Sunday, saying that he looks forward to working with him. “Had a very good conversation with the newly elected President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who won his race by a substantial margin. We agreed that Brazil and the United States will work closely together on Trade, Military and everything else! Excellent call, wished him congrats!”
Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Buda Mendes/Staff
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What These Former Doctor Who Cast Members Are Doing Now
Philip Sledge
Published: Jun. 6. 2020 9:00 AM
For nearly 60 years (including some extended breaks), the BBC science-fiction spectacle Doctor Who has provided some of the most highly regarded and well-versed actors to ever grace television sets around the world. People like Matt Smith, David Tennant and Karen Gillan all became international superstars after they appeared on the global phenomenon. But what are they up to now?
Actually, you could ask that question for any number of the former Doctor Who cast members, whether they played one of the Doctors or their trusty companions. And while it would be ideal to catch up with all of the previous Doctors (the ones who are still alive, that is) and the rest of the cast, there simply isn't enough time in the world or a TARDIS large enough to handle the dozens upon dozens of actors who have taken part in Doctor Who over the years. But that doesn't mean we can't highlight some of the most notable figures from the sci-fi/fantasy show. So without wasting any more time, let's get started, shall we?
Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)
Perhaps one of the most popular actors to take on the role of The Doctor since the 2005 Doctor Who revival, Matt Smith played the titular from 2010 and 2014 before handing things off to his successor. Since leaving the BBC series, Smith has gone on to have a successful career on television with his turn as Prince Philip on Netflix's The Crown, as well as on stage with Lungs. The English actor has two major film projects set to hit theaters in 2021: the Marvel movie Morbius and Edgar Wright's next feature Last Night In Soho, both of which had their releases delayed in the last several months.
David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Despite handing of the role of The Doctor to Matt Smith in 2010, David Tennant has remained attached to the franchise in a number of ways since then. He appeared in the 2013 special The Day of the Doctor alongside several other incarnations of the iconic character, as well as in several Doctor Who radio dramas over the years, with the most recent coming out in 2019. In the years following his departure from the series, Tennant has made a name for himself with his depictions of more villainous roles, like Kilgrave in Jessica Jones and the upcoming Dennis Nilsen biographical miniseries Des, which will follow the Scottish serial killer's reign of terror. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his time as Scrooge McDuck on the new DuckTales.
Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor)
Peter Capaldi found himself in the unenviable position of replacing Matt Smith as The Doctor in 2013, a role he would fill until 2017, when he his successor and current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, joined Doctor Who. A veteran actor of theatre, television and film, Capaldi has continued providing engaging and powerful performances since leaving the BBC series. With appearances in films ranging from the Paddington franchise to The Personal History of David Copperfield, Capaldi has done a little bit of everything. The Scottish actor will next appear in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, but the identity of Capaldi's character has yet to be revealed.
Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor)
Rounding out this first secton section of this list is Christopher Eccleston, who had the distinction of being the first Doctor when the series was brought back to television in 2005. Even though he only served as the Time Lord for 13 episodes before David Tennant stepped in, Eccleston is still fondly remembered for the charm and wit he brought to the role. We still don't know when or if Eccleston will ever return to Doctor Who for a one-off appearance, but the actor who brought the Ninth Doctor to life has remained quite busy in the decade and a half since leaving the series. With appearances on The Leftovers, Thor: The Dark World, and most recently in 2019: A Year in the Life of a Year, Eccleston is busy to say the very least.
Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
In terms of recent companions, there is arguably none more well-regarded and popular as Karen Gillan's Amy Pond. Since leaving the show in 2012, Gillan has gone on to have one of the most successful careers out of anyone tied to the Doctor Who franchise since its return in 2005. Starting with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, Gillan has portrayed Thanos' cybernetic daughter Nebula in multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. With momentum from her successful MCU run, the Scottish actress has gone on to headline the rebooted Jumanji franchise and will next appear in the female-led assassin film Gunpowder Milkshake, where she will star alongside Lena Headey and Angela Bassett.
Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald)
From 2012 to 2015, and briefly popping up again two years later, Jenna Coleman played the Doctor's companion, Clara Oswald, making her the longest-serving character and actor to accompany the time-traveling alien since the show's 2005 revival. Since leaving the BBC program, Coleman has gone on to appear in a number of television series (most notably leading Victoria), stage productions, films and even video games. Coleman's next confirmed project is the upcoming Netflix serial killer drama The Serpent, where she will play Marie-Andrée Leclerc, a known accomplice of the French serial killer Charles Sobhraj.
Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)
Billie Piper primarily appeared on Doctor Who in the first two seasons of the show's 2005 revival, where she played the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. Piper would go on to portray the character in a number of specials all the way to 2013, but she has since moved on to shows like Penny Dreadful and Collateral, as well as films like Eternal Beauty and Rare Beasts. In addition to keeping busy with her various acting roles, Piper is politically vocal in her native England, especially when it comes to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness)
Although he has only appeared on a total of 12 episodes of Doctor Who over the years, John Barrowman's portrayal of Captain Jack Harkness remains one of the most popular performances on the long-running series. Captain Jack is so popular in fact that he got his own spinoff series, Torchwood, one year after the character appeared on the 2005 Doctor Who revival. Fans of the series were delighted to see Captain Jack return for "Fugitive of the Judoon" in early 2020, but who knows if Barrowman is back for good. And in addition to his acting (which includes his stint as Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow), Barrowman has quite a successful music career, with his latest album A Fabulous Christmas being released in 2019.
Alex Kingston (River Song)
Alex Kingston has gone on the record stating that she still can't watch the final episode featuring her character River Song, but she isn't against the idea of returning to Doctor Who as the Time Lord's wife one of these days. Since leaving the BBC series, Kingston has remained busy with a number of different projects including Arrow, The Widow and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. The actress is currently on the television series A Discovery of Witches, where she portrays Sarah Bishop, the aunt of the show's main character, Diana Bishop.
Matt Lucas (Nardole)
Matt Lucas came into fame with appearances on shows like Little Britain and Rock Profile, but portraying Nardole on Doctor Who didn't hurt at all. An alien from the far future with some pretty impressive cybernetic implants, Nardole is one the Twelfth Doctor's companions. Since leaving the show in 2017, Lucas has gone on to further his career with notable performances in the 2019 production of Les Misérables, where he portrayed Thénardier. In 2020, the English actor, comedian, and writer was named co-host of The Great British Bake Off.
Pearl Mackie (Bill Potts)
Pearl Mackie's portrayal of Bill Potts, one of the Twelfth Doctor's companions on Doctor Who, is one of the most memorable in recent memory. With an offbeat energy not seen by many of The Doctor's previous companions, Potts was a breath of fresh air. Since leaving the show in 2017, Mackie, who is a singer, actor, and dancer by trade, has continued to have small roles in a number of projects, including the Urban Myths episode about Donald Trump meeting Andy Warhol, as well as the upcoming film Horizon Line, which is currently in production.
Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)
Arthur Darvill may be known as Rory Williams from his time as the Eleventh Doctor's companion on Doctor Who, but the actor/musician has done much more than that. Darvill appeared on the show from 2010 to 2012, but has since gone on to portray Paul Coates in Broadchurch, Rip Hunter in Legends of Tomorrow, Guy in the 2013 stage production of Once and a number of other roles. In addition to acting, Darvill is also an accomplished musician and was part of the #zoologicalsociety album that was released in early 2020.
Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones)
Freema Agyeman first appeared as Torchwood One tech Adeola Oshodi in the 2006 episode "Army of Ghosts," but would go on to play the character's cousin and the Doctor's companion Martha Jones after Adeola's death. Agyeman would remain on the show through 2010, during which time she also appeared in three episodes of the Torchwood spinoff series. The English actress then focussed her time on Law and Order: UK, The Carried Diaries, and Sense8 over the following decade. She is currently on the main cast of the medical drama New Amsterdam, where she portrays Dr. Helen Sharpe. And no one ever truly leaves Doctor Who as Agyeman recently appeared in the Torchwood: Dissected audio drama.
Catherine Tate (Donna Noble)
English actress, comedian, and writer Catherine Tate appeared on Doctor Who from 2006 to 2010 during which time she portrayed Donna Noble, one of the many companions of the Tenth Doctor. Initially terrified by the time-traveling Doctor, Donna quickly became one of the Time Lord's most trusted companions. After leaving Doctor Who in 2010, Tate jumped over to The Office where she became one of the show's stars until its 2013 finale. In addition to that, Tate has produced her own stage show, The Catherine Tate Show: Live! as well as voicing Magica De Spell in the 2017 DuckTales reboot.
Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith)
And then there is Noel Clarke, who portrayed Mickey Smith on Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010. Introduced as Rose Tyler's (Billie Piper) boyfriend, Mickey later became a companion of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors before Clarke left the franchise. Since then, Clarke has gone on to take on a number of roles in television and film, including Parenthood, an ongoing project in which the actor also serves as writer and director, and Star Trek Into Darkness.
Those are just a few of the former Doctor Who cast members. Like I said at the beginning, this list could have been much longer and included literally dozens upon dozens of actors, but maybe there'll be time for that in the future.
Philip Sledge View Profile
Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop yelling at the mailman, or yelling about professional wrestling to his wife. If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.
news 2d Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Karen Gillan Got A New Look Ahead Of Thor: Love And Thunder Filming Corey Chichizola
television 3d All The Marvel Actors Returning For Disney+'s What If? Jason Wiese
news 1w Looks Like Thor: Love And Thunder Is About To Get Rolling As Chris Pratt Is Latest Celebrity To Head Down Under Erik Swann
Feb 19, 2021 Nomadland 9
Anthony Mackie Reveals Why He Hasn't Been Able To Watch Chadwick Boseman In Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Yet news
television When Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker Is Reportedly Exiting The Sci-Fi Show
television Game Of Thrones' House Of The Dragon Spinoff Adds A Doctor Who Star And More
television Doctor Who Is Bringing A Key Character Back For The Next Holiday Special
television Doctor Who Season 13 Has Begun Filming, But There's Some Bad News
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► Asheville Mall redevelopment approved by planning board, now heads to City Council
► Would you live at the Asheville Mall? Redevelopment plan raises questions, intrigue
► Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will join Asheville Mall in redevelopment project
Still, the report notes the plan doesn't incorporate a compact street or any transportation framework "upon which future development can occur," in addition to requiring modifications to city development and design standards.
"(It) fails to optimize the efficient use of land with excessive surface parking and numerous one-story buildings," the report says.
If approved, the plan is scheduled to be built upon roughly 16 acres of the former Sears property, which is owned and managed separately from the rest of the mall. In total, it calls for constructing seven new buildings and preserving the existing automotive center building, a project summary dated March 4 shows.
The largest part of the project is the five-story residential housing building totaling some 225,000 square feet. It is planned to be split between studios and one, two and three-bedroom units with common areas and other amenities.
Other features of the project include:
707 parking spaces, including 562 spaces on the surface lots and 145 spaces in a new parking garage;
Three new, one-story buildings measuring 5,000 square feet apiece and one smaller building of roughly 1,400 square feet;
A courtyard-plaza, a privately owned open space with small scale venues for entertainment, "a water feature," as well as hardscape and landscape;
Recharging stations for electric vehicles and bike paths into the development from White Pine Drive;
The theater has been discussed by Seritage as being an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Alamo repeatedly has declined to comment about its involvement.
Project attorney Bob Oast of Asheville-based McGuire, Wood & Bissette told the planning board this year the proposal has the opportunity to "enliven this property." Oast called the repurposing of shopping centers an "important and emerging development practice," one that could lend a new lease on life for the mall at a time when others are struggling.
"Our economy is transitioning to one where brick and mortar stores are not as heavily trafficked as they used to be," he said.
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Ladbrokes owner Entain names Jette Nygaard-Andersen as first female boss
Friday 11 December 2020 10:13 am
Mastercard loses £14bn class action ruling in UK Supreme Court for overcharging 46m Brits
Michiel Willems
A £14bn class action against Mastercard for allegedly overcharging more than 46m people in Britain over a 15-year period has been given the go-ahead by the UK Supreme Court this morning.
The ruling means the case will now head for a second hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal so a decision can be made on a so-called Collective Proceedings Order.
The judgment, which upholds last year’s Court of Appeal decision, sets the scene for Britain’s first mass consumer claim brought under a new legal regime and offers guidance for a string of other class actions that have been stalled in its wake. Almost every adult in the UK could receive a payout of up to £300 from Mastercard.
Read more: UK signs free-trade deals with Vietnam and Singapore
Mastercard response
Minutes after the decision, James Thorpe, vice president communications at Mastercard in London, told City A.M. that the company “fundamentally disagrees” with this claim.
“No UK consumers have asked for this claim. It is being driven by ‘hit and hope’ US lawyers, backed by organisations primarily focused on making money for themselves,” Thorpe said.
“Mastercard will be asking the Competition Appeal Tribunal to avert the serious risk of the new collective action regime going down the wrong path with a case which is fundamentally flawed,” he added.
Former Ombudsman Merricks
The legal action was initiated by former ombudsman Walter Merricks after claims emerged that 46m consumers across Britain had paid higher prices in shops over a period of 16 years due to excessive transaction fees charged by Mastercard.
“I am very pleased with today’s decision,” Merricks reportedly said. “It is nearly 12 years since Mastercard was clearly told that they had broken the law by imposing excessive card transaction charges, damaging consumers over a prolonged period.”
Read more: BRC: Businesses face £3bn ‘tariff bombshell’ on no-deal
“When challenged, all they have done is to raise technical legal arguments that turn out to have no merit – as the court of appeal has shown today. It’s now time for Mastercard to admit the damage they did, to apologise to the British public, and to agree to pay the compensation they owe,” Merricks added.
He stressed that the maximum payout would be about £300 for anyone who can demonstrate that they were present in Britain between 1992 and 2008.
Legal responses
“This case has a shock factor,” said Kenny Henderson, a litigation partner at law firm CMS. “It is frankly a huge decision, encompassing 46.2m people and seeking a sum in the region of £14bn.”
Claims of this scale cannot be brought other than as class actions and they are of major concern to even the largest companies, Henderson told City A.M.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal will now have to re-consider whether this claim should be certified as a class action, he explained.
“But the bigger concern for business more generally is that the Supreme Court ruling will encourage claimant law firms to file more class actions against other large companies. We could see many more large claims being filed – and a shift towards the class action culture that we associate with the US,” Henderson added.
Meanwhile, Mark Sansom, lead partner on the case from Freshfields, told City A.M. the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal rather than carry out a re-hearing in these very unusual circumstances.
“However, it is important to note that there was a 2-2 split between the judges on a number of the key issues, with two of the judges accepting that the Competition Appeal Tribunal had been entitled to reject the proposed claim rather than certify it to proceed,” Sansom said, adding that the Tribunal will now engage with the implications of that at a future hearing.
Read more: UK tourists banned from EU travel from 1 January
Also commenting on the decision this morning, Richard Raban-Williams, a solicitor at Seddons, said that although Mastercard denies the validity of any such action, it is likely to now face collective proceedings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
“Legal professionals will await any such proceedings with interest, as they would represent the first mass claim of this nature in Britain,” Raban-Williams told City A.M.
“The general public is also likely to be interested – if Mastercard is found liable then every adult in the UK, regardless of whether they had a Mastercard during the relevant period, is in line to potentially recover in the region of £300 each,” he concluded.
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About the Grand Jury
The Civil Grand Jury is a judicial body composed of 19 citizens. It is impaneled to act as an “arm of the court,” as authorized by the State Constitution, to be a voice of the people, and conscience of the community.
Forty-two states have some form of Grand Jury. California is still one of the states that allows prosecution to be initiated by either a Criminal Grand Jury indictment or judicial preliminary hearing.
California impanels County Civil Grand Juries every year to conduct civil investigations of county and city government and to hear evidence to make recommendations or to decide whether to return indictments. In Merced County, if indictments need to be made, a separate criminal grand jury is impaneled.
The Evolution of the Grand Jury
The present Grand Jury system evolved from earlier ecclesiastical courts beginning in 1164 when Henry II of England impaneled the first 16-man Grand Jury to remove criminal indictments from the hands of the church. In 1635, the first American Grand Jury was impaneled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and by 1638, Grand Juries were present in all the colonies.
These early Grand Juries began the practice of returning “presentments,” which were primarily against public officials and different from criminal indictments.
Contact the Grand Jury
Grand Jury Members
History of Grand Jury
Who Can Serve
Who Would Make a Good Grand Juror
Receive E-mail
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Modern Slavery Bill Passes Senate
Australia has moved a step closer to having a Modern Slavery ACT. After a period of debate, the Modern Slavery Bill was passed in the Senate yesterday.
ACRATH 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence Campaign 2018
Human trafficking is an extreme form of violence against women and girls. Join us for the 16 days of action and reflection against gender-based violence from 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to 10 December
A Place to Call Home: 'Social Justice Sunday' Statement
The Australian Catholic Bishops' Social Justice Statement "A Place to Call Home", confronts Australia's growing homelessness and housing insecurity, affirms that secure housing is a human right and a public good, and draws inspiration from Jesus.
ACRATH Advocating in Federal Parliament
A fourteen-member ACRATH advocacy team including Columban Peace, Ecology & Justice Coordinator for Australia Fr Peter O'Neill SSC will be walking the halls of Federal Parliament between 13-16th August.
Australia’s aid program in terms of strategic and development goals
Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia’s aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role in supporting Australia’s regional interests.
National appeal supports ministry to seafarers
On July 8, the Catholic Church will celebrate the work of those men and women who work on the seas and those who minister to seafarers.
Sr Patricia loses appeal to stay in Philippines
Australian missionary Sr Patricia Fox will exhaust all legal options in an effort to stay in the Philippines after the Bureau of Immigration denied her appeal to stay.
Sr Mary O’Shannassy, CatholicCare’s Director of Prison Ministry, continues to garner recognition for her outstanding contribution to the Victorian community.
A Fair Day’s Pay - for the dignity of workers and the good of all
Bishop Vincent Long releases Pastoral Letter, A Fair Day’s Pay – for the dignity of workers and the good of all, to mark the Feast of St Joseph the Worker.
Philippines child brides are sex slaves
We have to be aware of the suffering of millions of children and talk about it and raise a louder voice to end the reprehensible practice.
World Day of Social Justice and remembering Asma Jehangir
When the judge asked her why she had brought such people into his court, she replied, bluntly, that he was there precisely for them.
Following the footsteps
I was just there not even a month and was showing signs of giving up because of the heat, but remembered they have struggled for years, and still manage to smile. They taught me a lesson.
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What Happened in Vermont: Implications of the Pullback from Single Payer
Steffie Woolhandler, David Himmelstein
Vermont Statehouse Rally for Healthcare, May 2011
Gov. Peter Shumlin’s Dec. 17, 2014, announcement that he would not press forward with Vermont’s Green Mountain Care (GMC) reform arose from political calculus rather than fiscal necessity. GMC had veered away from a true single payer design over the past three years, forfeiting some potential cost savings. Yet even the diluted plan on the table before Shumlin’s announcement would probably have lowered total health spending in Vermont, while covering all of the state’s uninsured.
Decades of exemplary grassroots organizing (and strong labor union support) in Vermont put single payer on the agenda. During Shumlin’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, he promised to implement a single payer reform, which was a factor in the Progressive Party’s decision not to field a candidate. But the details of Shumlin’s plan weren’t fleshed out during the campaign.
After his victory, Shumlin and the legislature commissioned economist William Hsiao to study options for health reform in Vermont, including single payer. Rejecting a fully public single-payer plan, Hsiao instead proposed a “public-private hybrid” model and projected $580 million in savings, including large administrative cost savings, in the program’s first year.
Spurred by Hsiao’s positive projections, in 2011 the legislature passed a health reform law that laid out plans for implementing the Affordable Care Act in the short term, and called for a later transition to a single payer GMC plan. But while the law gave a detailed prescription for implementing the ACA (including construction of an exchange whose final cost was about $250 million), the sections on single payer were vague, and punted decisions on critical issues to the GMC Board to be appointed by the governor. That board would determine whether critical services like long-term care would be covered; the amount of copayments; how hospitals and doctors would be paid; and whether capital funds would be folded into operating budgets or allocated through separate capital grant (the sine qua non of effective health planning). Critically, the bill included no plan for funding the single payer program.
An early signal of trouble was Shumlin’s appointment of Anya Rader Wallack to chair the new GMC board. Wallack had deep ties to the private insurance industry, having held key positions (including the presidency) at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. That foundation played a central role in designing and pushing for Massachusetts’ 2006 Romneycare reform, and subsequently issued a series of glowing evaluations of Romneycare that helped buttress the case for replicating its structure in the ACA.
From the outset, Shumlin's team embraced an Accountable Care Organization payment strategy that would enroll most Vermonters in large hospital-based, HMO-like organizations that would be overseen by a “designated entity” – presumably Blue Cross. To-date, ACOs have shown little or no overall cost savings, have increased administrative costs, and have driven hospitals to merge and gobble up physician practices. The consolidation of ownership triggered by ACO incentives has raised concern that regionally dominant ACOs will use their market power to drive up costs. In Vermont, Dartmouth Hitchcock and the University of Vermont’s Fletcher Allen system dominate the market, and have initiated a for-profit, joint venture ACO.
The design for GMC incorporated several other features that increased the administrative complexity, and hence administrative costs of the proposed reform. The plan never envisioned including all Vermonters in a single plan, instead retaining multiple payers. Hence, hospitals, physicians’ offices, and nursing homes would still have had to contend with multiple payers, forcing them to maintain the complex cost-tracking and billing apparatus that drives up providers’ administrative costs. It proposed continuing to pay hospitals and other institutional providers on a per-patient basis, rather than through global budgets, similarly perpetuating the expensive billing apparatus that siphons funds from care. And hospitals would have continued to rely on surpluses from day-to-day operations as their main source of capital funds for modernization and expansion. This undermines health planning and raises bureaucratic costs by forcing hospital administrators to undertake the additional work needed to identify and pursue profit opportunities.
Some of this complexity was forced on Vermont by federal statutes that may preclude folding Medicare and the military’s Tricare program into a state single payer plan, and restrict states’ ability to outlaw private employer-provided coverage that duplicates the public plan. But the decisions to abandon lump-sum hospital payment, and separate grants for capital came from the governor and his advisers.
The End Game of Vermont’s Reform
Vermont’s November 2014 gubernatorial election had very low voter turnout, a circumstance that generally favors the right. Gov. Shumlin – who had hedged on health reform during the campaign – eked out a narrow plurality, leaving the state legislature to decide between him and the Republican candidate and greatly weakening Shumlin’s position. A month later, while awaiting the legislature’s decision (they elected him to a third term on January 9), Shumlin announced his pullback from reform.
Shortly thereafter, he released the detailed cost projections which he said had convinced him not to go ahead. The report by his staff estimated zero administrative savings from its proposed plan. It also projected zero savings on drugs and medical devices, tacitly acknowledging that GMC wouldn’t use bargaining clout to rein in prices, and ignoring the fact that Quebec, its neighbor to the North, has gotten big discounts.
The Shumlin administration’s cost estimates also incorporated an old (too high) estimate of the number of uninsured Vermonters, inflating the projected increase in utilization and cost. Finally, it assumed that doctors would expand their work hours (and incomes) to care for the newly insured, rather than maintaining their current work hours by seeing their other patients a little less frequently – as happened with the implementation of single payer coverage in Quebec.
But even the administration’s inflated cost estimates indicate that universal coverage under its quasi-single payer plan would cost somewhat less overall than the current system. The voluminous report includes detailed tabulations of new costs to the state treasury under the proposed reform. But the report scrupulously avoids providing any figures for the impact of reform on the total cost of health care (public and private) in the state. Economist Gerald Friedman has estimated these overall impacts using the report’s data, previous estimates of health expenditures in Vermont, and CMS figures on Medicare spending and expected health care inflation under the ACA. He estimates that even the diluted reform proposed by the governor's team would cut overall health spending in Vermont by about $500 million annually.
So why did Gov. Shumlin declare the reform unaffordable? Many have noted that the $2.5 billion in new state expenditures required under the reform would nearly double the state’s previous budget. But these numbers are meaningless absent an accounting of the savings Vermont households would realize by avoiding private insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. As detailed above, these savings would more than offset the new taxes.
But although the total costs of care would have fallen even under the GMC plan, some – mostly higher-income, healthy Vermonters whose taxes would go up the most – would have paid more. Although the GMC tax plan was far from progressive, it was far less regressive than the current pattern of health care funding in the state. The GMC Board estimated that most of the 340,214 families earning less than $150,000 annually would have gained, while most of the 24,102 families above that income level would have lost. Overall, employers’ costs would have risen by $109 million – with many small businesses experiencing cost increases, a political sore point.
It’s a misnomer to label Vermont’s Green Mountain Care plan “single payer.” It was hemmed in by federal restrictions that precluded including 100 percent of Vermonters in one plan, and its designers further compromised on features needed to maximize administrative savings and bargaining clout with drug firms, and improve health planning.
But even the watered-down plan that emerged could have covered the uninsured, improved coverage for many who currently face high out-of-pocket costs, and actually reduced total health spending in the state – albeit far less than under a true single payer plan. A true single payer plan would have made covering long-term care affordable, and allowed the elimination of all copayments and deductibles.
Vermont’s experience holds important lessons for single payer advocates.
1. Effective grassroots organizing makes a difference. It got real health care reform on the political radar screen in Vermont, and can get it back on the radar there and elsewhere. Indeed, single payer forces in Vermont are already rallying to reverse Shumlin’s decision. The virtues, value, and simplicity of a single payer approach have broad popular appeal.
2. Federal restrictions impose significant compromises on state-level single payer plans. For this, as well as other reasons, organizing for single-payer state plans and organizing for national legislation are not competing strategies, but complementary ones. The ultimate goal for both is a single, inclusive program for the entire nation.
3. As single payer work advances, we need to anticipate that corporate opposition will mobilize – often behind the scenes. The only effective antidote is continued grassroots mobilization. Delayed implementation and punting key decision to the future opens the door for corporate influence and smear campaigns.
4. Beware of “experts” with a track record unsympathetic to single payer. Economic projections are always based on assumptions, which are often highly political.
5. Even when we don’t get the whole pie, demanding it often yields a significant piece. Although a major single payer effort was stymied in Vermont, it achieved substantial progress. It’s no accident that Vermont’s uninsurance rate has come down to 3 percent; that virtually all children in that state are covered; that its Medicaid program is among the best; that its hospitals have come under tighter fiscal regulation; and that single payer remains in the limelight there. Even as he backed off from single payer for now, the governor promised to press for future health reform.
Steffie Woolhandler
Dr. Steffie Woolhandler is a co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. She is a professor of public health at the City University of New York and visiting professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is also a primary care physician at Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, Mass.
David Himmelstein
Dr. David Himmelstein is a co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. He is a professor of public health at the City University of New York and visiting professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has served as the chief of the division of social and community medicine at Cambridge Hospital where he practices primary care internal medicine, and co-founded the Center for a National Health Program Studies at Harvard.
Economy, Solutions, U.S.
Single-Payer, Healthcare, Vermont, People Power
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The School Shooters of the Planet
Linking gun violence at home to America’s wars abroad
Allegra Harpootlian
This one-sided view of America’s never-ending air wars fails everyone, from the people being asked to carry out Washington’s decisions in those lands to ordinary Americans who have little idea what’s being done in their name to the many people living under those drones. (Photo: Shutterstock)
In the wake of the February 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 students and staff members, a teacher said the school looked “like a war zone.” And to many young Americans, that’s exactly what it felt like. But this shooting was different. Refusing to be victims, Parkland survivors disrupted the “thoughts and prayers” cycle by immediately rallying student activists and adults across the country, mobilizing them around such tragedies and the weapons of war that often facilitate them.
Recent history suggested that such a movement, sure to be unable to keep the public’s attention or exert significant pressure on lawmakers, would collapse almost instantly. Yet, miraculously enough, the same fear -- of their school being next -- that had kept young Americans paralyzed for almost 20 years was what drove these newly impassioned activists not to back down.
Let me say that, much as I admire them, I look at their remarkable movement from an odd perspective. You see, I grew up in the “school-shooting era” and now work for a non-profit called ReThink Media tracking coverage of the American drone war that has been going on for 17 years.
The U.S. military and CIA drones that hover constantly over eight countries across the Greater Middle East and Africa, and regularly terrorize, maim, and kill civilians, including children, are the equivalents of the disturbed shooters in American schools.
To me, the U.S. military and CIA drones that hover constantly over eight countries across the Greater Middle East and Africa, and regularly terrorize, maim, and kill civilians, including children, are the equivalents of the disturbed shooters in American schools. But that story is hard to find anywhere in this country. What reports Americans do read about those drone strikes usually focus on successes (a major terrorist taken out in a distant land), not the “collateral damage.”
With that in mind, let me return to those teenage activists against gun violence who quickly grasped three crucial things. The first was that such violence can’t be dealt with by focusing on gun control alone. You also have to confront the other endemic problems exacerbating the gun violence epidemic, including inadequate mental health resources, systemic racism and police brutality, and the depth of economic inequality. As Parkland teen organizer Edna Chavez explained, “Instead of police officers we should have a department specializing in restorative justice. We need to tackle the root causes of the issues we face and come to an understanding of how to resolve them.”
The second was that, no matter how much you shouted, you had to be aware of the privilege of being heard. In other words, when you shouted, you had to do so not just for yourself but for all those voices so regularly drowned out in this country. After all, black Americans represent the majority of gun homicide victims. Black children are 10 times as likely to die by gun and yet their activism on the subject has been largely demonized or overlooked even as support for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students rolled in
The third was that apathy is the enemy of progress, which means that to make change you have to give people a sense of engagement and empowerment. As one of the Parkland students, Emma Gonzalez, put it: “What matters is that the majority of American people have become complacent in a senseless injustice that occurs all around them.”
Washington’s Expanding Drone Wars
Here’s the irony, though: whilethose teenagers continue to talk about the repeated killing of innocents in this country, their broader message could easily be applied to another type of violence that, in all these years, Americans have paid next to no attention to: the U.S. drone war.
Unlike school shootings, drone strikes killing civilians in distant lands rarely make the news here, much less the headlines. Most of us at least now know what it means to live in a country where school shootings are an almost weekly news story. Drones are another matter entirely, and beyond the innocents they so regularly slaughter, there are long-term effects on the communities they are attacking.
As Veterans for Peace put it, “Here at home, deaths of students and others killed in mass shootings and gun violence, including suicide gun deaths, are said to be the price of freedom to bear arms. Civilian casualties in war are written off as ‘collateral damage,’ the price of freedom and U.S. security.”
And yet, after 17 years, three presidents, and little transparency, America’s drone wars have never truly made it into the national conversation. Regularly marketed over those years as “precise” and “surgical,” drones have always been seen by lawmakers as a “sexy,” casualty-free solution to fighting the bad guys, while protecting American blood and treasure.
According to reports, President Trump actually expanded the U.S. global drone war, while removing the last shreds of transparency about what those drones are doing -- and even who’s launching them. One of his first orders on entering the Oval Office was to secretly reinstate the CIA’s ability to launch drone strikes that are, in most cases, not even officially acknowledged. And since then, it’s only gotten worse. Just last week, he revoked an Obama-era executive order that required the director of national intelligence to release an annual report on civilian and combatant casualties caused by CIA drones and other lethal operations. Now, not only are the rules of engagement -- whom you can strike and under what circumstances -- secret, but the Pentagon no longer even reveals when drones have been used, no less when civilians die from them. Because of this purposeful opaqueness, even an estimate of the drone death toll no longer exists.
Still, in the data available on all U.S. airstrikes since Trump was elected, an alarming trend is discernible: there are more of them, more casualties from them, and ever less accountability about them. In Iraq and Syria alone, the monitoring group Airwars believes that the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS is responsible for between 7,468 and 11,841 civilian deaths, around 2,000 of whom were children. (The U.S.-led coalition, however, only admits to killing 1,139 civilians.)
In Afghanistan, the U.N. recently found that U.S. airstrikes (including drone strikes) had killed approximately the same number of Afghan civilians in 2018 as in the previous three years put together. In response to this report, the U.S.-led NATO mission there claimed that “all feasible precautions” were being taken to limit civilian casualties and that it investigates all allegations of their occurrence. According to such NATO investigations, airstrikes by foreign forces caused 117 civilian casualties last year, including 62 deaths -- about a fifth of the U.N. tally.
And those are only the numbers for places where Washington is officially at war. In Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, and Libya, even less information is available on the number of civilians the U.S. has killed. Experts who track drone strikes in such gray areas of conflict, however, place that number in the thousands, though there is no way to confirm them, as even our military acknowledges. U.S. Army Colonel Thomas Veale, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, put it this way last year: “As far as how do we know how many civilians were killed, I am just being honest, no one will ever know. Anyone who claims they will know is lying, and there’s no possible way.”
After a U.S. strike killed or injured an entire Afghan family, the trauma surgeon treating a four-year-old survivor told NBC, “I am sad. A young boy with such big injuries. No eyes, brain out. What will be his future?”
In other words, while America’s teenagers fight in the most public way possible for their right to live, a world away Afghanistan’s teenagers are marching for the same thing -- except instead of gun control, in that heavily armed land, they want peace.
Trauma Is Trauma Is Trauma
Gun violence—and school shootings in particular—have become the preeminent fear of American teenagers. A Pew poll taken last year found that 57% of teens are worried about a shooting at their school. (One in four are “very worried.”) This is even truer of nonwhite teens, with roughly two-thirds of them expressing such fear.
As one student told Teen Vogue: “How could you not feel a little bit terrified knowing that it happens so randomly and so often?” And she’s not exaggerating. More than 150,000 students in the U.S have experienced a shooting on campus since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, considered the first modern mass school shooting.
And in such anticipatory anxiety, American students have much in common with victims of drone warfare. Speaking to researchers from Stanford University, Haroon Quddoos, a Pakistani taxi driver who survived two U.S. drone strikes, explained it this way:
“No matter what we are doing, that fear is always inculcated in us. Because whether we are driving a car, or we are working on a farm, or we are sitting home playing... cards -- no matter what we are doing, we are always thinking the drone will strike us. So we are scared to do anything, no matter what.”
Similar symptoms of post-traumatic stress, trauma, and anxiety are commonplace emotions in countries where U.S. drones are active, just as in American communities like Parkland that have lived through a mass shooting. Visiting communities in Yemen that experienced drone strikes, forensic psychologist Peter Schaapveld found that 92% of their inhabitants were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, with children the most significantly affected. Psychologists have come up with similar figures when studying both survivors of school shootings and children who have been psychologically affected by school-lockdown drills, by the media’s focus on violence, and by the culture of fear that has developed in response to mass shootings.
The Voices Left Out of the Conversation
The Parkland students have created a coherent movement that brings together an incredibly diverse group united around a common goal and a belief that all gun violence victims, not just those who have experienced a mass shooting, need to be heard. As one Parkland survivor and leader of the March For Our Lives movement, David Hogg, put it, the goal isn’t to talk for different communities, but to let them “speak for themselves and ask them how we can help.”
The Parkland survivors have essentially created an echo chamber, amplifying the previously unheard voices of young African-Americans and Latinos in particular. At last year’s March For Our Lives, for instance, 11-year-old Naomi Wadler started her speech this way: “I am here today to acknowledge and represent the African-American girls whose stories don't make the front page of every national newspaper, whose stories don't lead the evening news.”
In 2016, there were nearly 39,000 gun deaths, more than 14,000 of them homicides and almost 23,000 suicides. Such routine gun violence disproportionately affects black Americans. Mass shootings accounted for only about 1.2% of all gun deaths that year. Yet the Parkland students made headlines and gained praise for their activism -- Oprah Winfrey even donated $500,000 to the movement -- while black communities that had been fighting gun violence for years never received anything similar.
As someone who spends a lot of her time engrossed in the undercovered news of drone strikes, I can’t help but notice the parallels. Stories about U.S. drone strikes taking out dangerous terrorists proliferate, while reports on U.S.-caused civilian casualties disappear into the void. For example, in January, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command claimed that a precision drone strike finally killed Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. Within a day, more than 24 media outlets had covered the story.
Few, however, focused on the fact that the U.S. command only claimed al-Badawi’s death was “likely,” despite similar reports about such terrorists that have repeatedly been proven wrong. The British human rights group Reprieve found back in 2014 that even when drone operators end up successfully targeting specific individuals like al-Badawi, they regularly kill vastly more people than their chosen targets. Attempts to kill 41 terror figures, Reprieve reported, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,147 people. That was five years ago, but there’s no reason to believe anything has changed.
In contrast, when a U.S. airstrike -- it’s not clear whether it was a drone or a manned aircraft -- killed at least 20 civilians in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in December, 2018, only four American media outlets (Reuters, the Associated Press, Voice of America, and the New York Times) covered the story and none followed up with a report on those civilians and their families. That has largely been the norm since the war on terror began with the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. In the Trump years so far, while headlines scream about mass school shootings and other slaughters of civilians here, the civilian casualties of America’s wars and the drone strikes that often go with them are, if anything, even more strikingly missing in action in the media.
When Safa al-Ahmad, a journalist for PBS’s Frontline, was asked why she thought it was important to hear from Yemenis experiencing American drone strikes, she responded:
“I think if you’re going to talk about people, you should go talk to them. It’s just basic respect for other human beings. It really bothered me that everyone was just talking about the Americans... The other civilians, they weren’t given any names, they weren’t given any details. It was like an aside to the story... This is part of the struggle when you construct stories on foreign countries, when it comes to the American public. I think we’ve done [Americans] a disservice, by not doing more of this... We impact the world, we should understand it. An informed public is the only way there can be a functioning democracy. That is our duty as a democracy, to be informed.”
This one-sided view of America’s never-ending air wars fails everyone, from the people being asked to carry out Washington’s decisions in those lands to ordinary Americans who have little idea what’s being done in their name to the many people living under those drones. Americans should know that, to them, it’s we who seem like the school shooters of the planet.
Waking Up An Apathetic Nation
For the better part of two decades, young Americans have been trapped in a cycle of violence at home and abroad with little way to speak out. Gun violence in this country was a headline-grabbing given. School shootings, like so many other mass killings here, were deemed “tragic” and worthy of thoughts, prayers, and much fervid media attention, but little else.
Until Parkland.
What changed? Well, a new cohort, Generation Z, came on the scene and, unlike their millennial predecessors, many of them are refusing to accept the status quo, especially when it comes to issues like gun violence.
Every time there was a mass shooting, millennials would hold their breath, wondering if today would be the day the country finally woke up. After Newtown. After San Bernadino. After Las Vegas. And each time, it wasn’t. Parkland could have been the same, if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids. Having witnessed the dangers of apathy, Gen-Z seems increasingly to be about movement and action. In fact, in a Vice youth survey, 71% of respondents reported feeling “capable” of enacting change around global warming and 85% felt the same about social problems. And that’s new.
For so long, gun violence seemed like an unstoppable, incurable plague. Fed up with the “adults in the room,” however, these young activists have begun to take matters into their own hands, giving those particularly at risk of gun violence, children, a sense of newfound power -- the power to determine their own futures. Whether it’s testifying in front of Congress in the first hearing on gun violence since 2011, protesting at the stores and offices of gun manufacturers, or participating in “die-ins,” these kids are making their voices heard.
Since the Parkland massacre, there has been actual movement on gun control, something that America has not seen for a long time. Under pressure, the Justice Department moved to ban the bump stocks that can make semi-automatic weapons fire almost like machine guns, Florida signed a $400 million bill to tighten the state’s gun laws, companies began to cut ties with the National Rifle Association, and public support grew for stricter gun control laws.
Although the new Gen Z activists have focused on issues close to home, sooner or later they may start to look beyond the water’s edge and find themselves in touch with their counterparts across the globe, who are showing every day how dedicated they are to changing the world they live in, with or without anyone’s help. And if they do, they will find that, in its endless wars, America has been the true school shooter on this planet, terrorizing the global classroom with a remarkable lack of consequences.
In March 2018, according to Human Rights Watch, American planes bombed a school that housed displaced people in Syria, killing dozens of them, including children. Similarly, in Yemen that August, a Saudi plane, using a Pentagon-supplied laser-guided bomb, blew away a school bus, killing 40 schoolchildren. Just as at home, it’s not only about the weaponry like those planes or drones. Activists will find that they have to focus their attention as well on the root causes of such violence and the scars they leave behind in the communities of survivors.
More tolerant, more diverse, less trustful of major institutions and less inclined to believe in American exceptionalism than any generation before them, Generation Z may be primed to care about what their country is doing in their name from Afghanistan to Syria, Yemen to Libya. But first they have to know it’s happening.
Allegra Harpootlian is a media associate at ReThink Media, where she works with leading experts and organizations at the intersection of national security, politics, and the media. She principally focuses on U.S. drone policies and related use-of-force issues. She is also a political partner with the Truman National Security Project. Find her on Twitter @ally_harp
© 2021 TomDispatch.com
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TCCB July 20, 2017
Texas bishops disappointed by Texas attorney general’s request to terminate DACA
The Catholic bishops of Texas expressed disappointment in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s movement to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, forcing 117,000 young people to be deported from the United States.
AUSTIN — The Catholic bishops of Texas expressed disappointment in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s movement to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, forcing 117,000 young people to be deported from the United States.
“These individuals contribute to the economy, serve honorably in our armed forces, excel in our schools and universities, minister in our churches, and volunteer in our communities. Texans should be proud to claim them as our own” instead of deporting them, said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S., who wrote in their role as metropolitan archbishops of Texas on behalf of their brother bishops.
Paxton and nine other state attorneys general recently petitioned the federal government to terminate DACA, which was created in 2012 to provide legal recognition to young adults who were brought to the United States unlawfully when they were children.
Please click here to be redirected to full story
Image Source: flickr / Ed Schlpul (The Texas Capital building in Austin Texas.)
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Carmelite Order
One of the mendicant orders
Carmelite Order, THE, one of the mendicant orders.—
A. Origin
—The date of the foundation of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been under discussion from the fourteenth century to the present day, the order claiming for its founders the prophets Elias and Eliseus, whereas modern historians, beginning with Baronius, deny its existence previous to the second half of the twelfth century. As early as the times of the Prophet Samuel there existed in the Holy Land a body of men called Sons of the Prophets, who in many respects resembled religious institutes of later times. They led a kind of community-life, and, though not belonging to the Tribe of Levi, dedicated themselves to the service of God; above all they owed obedience to certain superiors, the most famous of whom were Elias and his successor Eliseus, both connected with Carmel, the former by his encounter with the prophets of Baal, the latter by prolonged residence on the holy mountain. With the downfall of the Kingdom of Israel the Sons of the Prophets disappear from history. In the third or fourth century of the Christian Era Carmel was a place of pilgrimage, as is proved by numerous Greek inscriptions on the walls of the School of the Prophets: “Remember Julianus, remember Germanicius”, etc. Several of the Fathers, notably John Chrysostom, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and Jerome, represent Elias and Eliseus as the models of religious perfection and the patrons of hermits and monks. These undeniable facts have opened the way to certain conjectures. As St. John the Baptist spent nearly the whole of his life in the desert, where he gathered around him a number of disciples, and as Christ said he was endowed with the spirit and virtue of Elias, some authors think that he revived the institute of the Sons of the Prophets. The glowing descriptions given by Pliny, Flavius, Josephus, and Philo, of the manner of life of the Essenes and Therapeutes convinced others that these sects belonged to the same corporation; unfortunately their orthodoxy is open to serious doubts. Tacitus mentions a sanctuary on Carmel, consisting “neither of a temple, nor an idol, but merely an altar for Divine worship”; whatever its origin may have been, it certainly was at the time of Vespasian in the hands of a pagan priest, Basilides. Pythagoras (500 B.C.) is represented by Jamblichus (A.D. 300) as having spent some time in silent prayer in a similar sanctuary on Carmel, a testimony of greater force for the time of Jamblichus himself than for that of Pythagoras. Nicephorus Callistus (A.D. 1300) relates that the Empress Helena built a church in honor of St. Elias on the slopes of a certain mountain. This evidence is, however, inadmissible, inasmuch as Eusebius is witness to the fact that she built only two churches in the Holy Land, at Bethlehem and at Jerusalem, not twenty, as Nicephorus says; moreover the words of this author show clearly that he had in view the Greek monastery of Mar Elias, overhanging the Jordan valley, and not Carmel as some authors think; Mar Elias, however, belongs to the sixth century. These and other misunderstood quotations have enfeebled rather than strengthened the tradition of the order, which holds that from the days of the great Prophets there has been, if not an uninterrupted, at least a moral succession of hermits on Carmel, first under the Old Dispensation, afterwards in the full light of Christianity, until at the time of the Crusades these hermits became organized after the fashion of the Western orders. This tradition is officially laid down in the constitutions of the order, is mentioned in many papal Bulls, as well as in the Liturgy of the Church, and is still held by many members of the order.
The silence of Palestine pilgrims previous to A.D. 1150, of chroniclers, of early documents, in one word the negative evidence of history has induced modern historians to disregard the claims of the order, and to place its foundation in or about the year 1155 when it is first spoken of in documents of undoubted authenticity. Even the evidence of the order itself was not always very explicit. A notice written between 1247 and 1274 (Mon. Hist. Carmelit., 1, 20, 267) states in general terms that “from the days of Elias and Eliseus the holy fathers of the Old and the New Dispensation dwelt on Mount Carmel, and that their successors after the Incarnation built there a chapel in honor of Our Lady, for which reason they were called in papal Bulls “Friars of Blessed Mary of Mount Carmel“. The General Chapter of 1287 unedited) speaks of the order as of a plantation of recent growth (plantatio novella). More definite are some writings of about the same time. A letter “On the progress of his Order” ascribed to St. Cyril of Constantinople, but written by a Latin (probably French) author about the year 1230, and the book “On the Institution of the First Monks” connect the order with the Prophets of the Old Law. This latter work, mentioned for the first time in 1342, was published in 1370 and became known in England half a century later. It purports to be written by John, the forty-fourth (more accurately the forty-second) Bishop of Jerusalem (A.D. 400). However, as Gennadius and other ancient bibliographers do not mention it among the writings of John, and as the author was clearly a Latin, since his entire argument is based upon certain texts of the Vulgate differing widely from the corresponding passages of the Septuagint, and as he in many ways proves his entire ignorance of the Greek language, and, moreover, quotes or alludes to writers of the twelfth century, he cannot have lived earlier than the middle of the thirteenth. A third author is sometimes mentioned, Joseph, a Deacon of Antioch, whom Possevin assigns to about A.D. 130. His work is lost but its very title, “Speculum perfectas militias primitivae ecclesiae”, proves that he cannot have belonged to the Apostolic Fathers, as indeed he is entirely unknown to patristic literature. His name is not mentioned before the fourteenth century and in all probability he did not live much earlier.
The tradition of the order, while admitted by many of the medieval Schoolmen, was contested by not a few authors. Hence the Carmelite historians neglected almost completely the history of their” own times, spending all their energy on controversial writings, as is evident in the works of John Baconthorpe, John of Chimineto, John of Hildesheim, Bernard Olerius, and many others. In 1374 a disputation was held before the University of Cambridge between the Dominican John Stokes and the Carmelite John of Horneby; the latter, whose arguments were chiefly taken from canon law, not from history, was declared victorious and the members of the university were forbidden to question the antiquity of the Carmelite Order. Towards the end of the fifteenth century this was again ably defended by Trithemius (or whoever wrote under his name), Bostius, Palaonydorus, and many others who with a great display of learning strove to strengthen their thesis, filling in the gaps in the history of the order by claiming for it numerous ancient saints. Sts. Eliseus and Cyril of Alexandria (1399), Basil (1411), Hilarion (1490), and Elias (in some places c. 1480, in the whole order from 1551) had already been placed on the Carmelite calendar; the chapter of 1564 added many more, some of whom were dropped out twenty years later on the occasion of a revision of the Liturgy, but were reintroduced in 1609 when Cardinal Bellarmine acted as reviser of Carmelite legends. He, too, approved with certain reservations the legend of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, which had been instituted between 1376 and 1386 in commemoration of the approbation of the rule by Honorius III; it now (1609) became the “Scapular feast”, was declared the principal feast of the order, and was extended to the whole Church in 1726. The tendency of claiming for the order saints and other renowned persons of Christian and even classical antiquity came to a climax in the “Paradisus Carmelitici decoris” by M. A. Alegre de Casanate, published in 1639, condemned by the Sorbonne in 1642, and placed on the Roman Index in 1649. Much that is uncritical may also be found in the annals of the order by J.B. de Lezana (1645-56) and in “Decor Carmeli” by Philip of the Blessed Trinity (1665). On the publication, in 1668, of the third volume of March of the Bollandists, in which Daniel Papebroch asserted that the Carmelite Order was founded in 1155 by St. Berthold, there arose a literary war of thirty years’ duration and almost unequalled violence. The Holy See, appealed to by both sides, declined to place the Bollandists on the Roman Index, although they had been put on the Spanish Index, but imposed silence on both parties (1698). On the other hand it permitted the erection of a statue of St. Elias in the Vatican Basilica among the founders of orders (1725), towards the cost of which (4064 scudi or $3942) each section of the order contributed one fourth part. At the present time the question of the antiquity of the Carmelite Order has hardly more than academical interest.
B. Foundations in Palestine
—The Greek monk John Phocas who visited the Holy Land in 1185 relates that he met on Carmel a Calabrian (i.e. Western) monk who some time previously, on the strength of an apparition of the Prophet Elias, had gathered around him about ten hermits with whom he led a religious life in a small monastery near the grotto of the prophet. Rabbi Benjamin de Tudela had already in 1163 reported that the Christians had built there a chapel in honor of Elias. Jacques de Vitry and several other writers of the end of the twelfth and the beginning of the thirteenth centuries give similar accounts. The exact date of the foundation of the hermitage may be gathered from the life of Aymeric, Patriarch of Antioch, a relative of the “Calabrian” monk, Berthold; on the occasion of a journey to Jerusalem in 1154 or the following year he appears to have visited the latter and assisted him in the establishment of the small community; it is further reported that on his return to Antioch (c. 1160) he took with him some of the hermits, who founded a convent in that town and another on a neighboring mountain; both were destroyed in 1268. Under Berthold‘s successor, Brocard, some doubts arose as to the proper form of life of the Carmelite hermits. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Albert de Vercelli, then residing at Tyre, settled the difficulty by writing a short rule, part of which is literally taken from that of St. Augustine (c. 1210). The hermits were to elect a prior to whom they should promise obedience; they were to live in cells apart from one another, where they had to recite the Divine Office according to the Rite of the church of the Holy Sepulchre, or, if unable to read, certain other prayers, and to spend their time in pious meditation varied by manual labor. Every morning they met in chapel for Mass, and on Sundays also for chapter. They were to have no personal property; their meals were to be served in their cells; but they were to abstain from flesh meat except in cases of great necessity, and they had to fast from the middle of September until Easter. Silence was not to be broken between Vespers and Terce of the following day, while from Terce till Vespers they were to guard against useless talk. The prior was to set a good example by humility, and the brothers were to honor him as the representative of Christ.
C. Migration to Europe
—As will be seen from this short abstract no provision was made for any further organization beyond the community on Carmel itself, whence it must be inferred that until 1210 no other foundation had been made except those at and near Antioch, which were probably subject to the patriarch of that city. After that date new communities sprang up at Saint Jean d’Acre, Tyre, Tripoli, Jerusalem, in the Quarantena, somewhere in Galilee (monasterium Valini), and in some other localities which are not known, making in all about fifteen. Most of these were destroyed almost as soon as they were built, and at least in two of them some of the brothers were put to death by the Saracens. Several times the hermits were driven from Carmel, but they always found means to return; they even built a new monastery in 1263 (in conformity with the revised rule) and a comparatively large church, which was still visible towards the end of the fifteenth century. However, the position of Christians had become so precarious as to render emigration necessary. Accordingly colonies of hermits were sent out to Cyprus, Sicily, Marseilles, and Valenciennes (c. 1238). Some brothers of English nationality accompanied the Barons de Vescy and Grey on their return journey from the expedition of Richard, Earl of Cornwall (1241), and made foundations at Hulne near Alnwick in Northumberland, Bradmer (Norfolk), Aylesford, and Newenden (Kent). St. Louis, King of France, visited Mount Carmel in 1254 and brought six French hermits to Charenton near Paris where he gave them a convent. Mount Carmel was taken by the Saracens in 1291, the brothers, while singing the Salve Regina, were put to the sword, and the convent was burnt.
D. Character and Name
—With the migration of the Carmelites to Europe begins a new period in the history of the order. Little more than the bare names of the superiors of the first period has come down to us: St. Berthold, St. Brocard, St. Cyril, Berthold (or Bartholomew), and Alan (1155-1247). At the first chapter held at Aylesford, St. Simon Stock was elected general (1247-65). As the oldest biographical notice concerning him dates back only to 1430 and is not very reliable, we must judge the man from his works. He found himself in a difficult position. Although the rule had been granted about 1210 and had received papal approbation in 1226, many prelates refused to acknowledge the order, believing it to be founded in contravention of the Lateran Council (1215) which forbade the institution of new orders. In fact the Carmelite Order as such was only approved by the Second Council of Lyons (1274), but St. Simon obtained from Innocent IV an interim approbation, as well as certain modifications of the rule (1247). Henceforth foundations were no longer restricted to deserts but might be made in cities and the suburbs of towns; the solitary life was abandoned for community life; meals were to be taken in common; the abstinence, though not dispensed with, was rendered less stringent; the silence was restricted to the time between Compline and Prime of the following day; donkeys and mules might be kept for travelling and the transport of goods, and fowls for the needs of the kitchen. Thus the order ceased to be eremitical and became one of the mendicant orders. Its first title, Fratres eremitae de Monte Carmeli, and, after the building of a chapel on Carmel in honor of Our Lady (c. 1220), Eremitae Sanctae Mariae de Monte Carmeli, was now changed into Fratres Ordinis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae de Monte Carmeli. By an ordinance of the Apostolic Chancery of 1477 it was further amplified, Fratres Ordinis Beatissimae Dei Genitricis sempergue Virginis Mariae de Monte Carmeli, which title was rendered obligatory by the General Chapter of 1680.
Having obtained the mitigation of the rule, St. Simon Stock, who was altogether in favor of the active life, opened houses at Cambridge (1249), Oxford (1253), London (about the same time), York (1255), Paris (1259), Bologna (1260), Naples (date uncertain), etc. He strove especially to implant the order at the universities, partly to secure for the religious the advantages of a higher education, partly to increase the number of vocations among the undergraduates. Although the zenith of the mendicant orders had already passed he was successful in both respects. The rapid increase of convents and novices, however, proved dangerous; the rule being far stricter than those of St. Francis and St. Dominic, discouragement and discontent seized many of the brothers, while the bishops and the parochial clergy continued to offer resistance to the development of the order. He died a centenarian before peace was fully restored. With the election of Nicholas Gafficus (1265-71) a reaction set in; the new general, being much opposed to the exercise of the sacred ministry, favored exclusively the contemplative life. To this end he wrote a lengthy letter entitled “Ignea sagitta” (unedited) in which he condemned in greatly exaggerated terms what he called the dangerous occupations of preaching and hearing confessions. His words remaining unheeded, he resigned his office, as did also his successor, Radulphus Alemannus (1271-74), who belonged to the same school of thought.
E. Habit
—The approbation of the order by the Second Council of Lyons secured its permanent position among the mendicant orders, sanctioned the exercise of the active life, and removed every obstacle to its development, which thenceforth went on by leaps and bounds. Under Peter de Millaud (1274-94) a change was made in the habit. Hitherto it had consisted of a tunic, girdle, scapular, and hood of either black, brown or grey color (the color became subject to numberless changes according to the different subdivisions and reforms of the order), and of a mantle composed of four white and three black vertical stripes or rays, whence the friars were popularly called Fratres barrati, or virgulati, or de pica (magpie). In 1287 this variegated mantle was exchanged for one of pure white wool which caused them to be called Whitefriars.
F. The Thirteenth Century
—Besides the generals already mentioned, the thirteenth century saw two saints of the order, Angelus and Albert of Sicily. Very little is known of the former, his biography, purporting to be written by his brother Enoch, Patriarch of Jerusalem, being a work of the fifteenth century; in those portions in which it can be controlled by contemporary evidence it is proved to be unreliable, e.g. when it establishes a whole Greek hierarchy at Jerusalem during the period of the Crusades; or when it gives the acts of an apocryphal Council of Alexandria together with the names of seventy bishops supposed to have taken part in it. These and some other particulars being altogether unhistorical, it is difficult to say how much credence it deserves in other matters for which there is no independent evidence. It is, however, worthy of notice that the Breviary lessons from 1458, when the feast of St. Angelus first appears, until 1579 represent him simply as a Sicilian by birth and say nothing of his Jewish descent, his birth and conversion at Jerusalem, etc. Nor is there any positive evidence as to the time when he lived or the year and the cause of his martyrdom. According to some sources he was put to death by heretics (probably Manichaeans), but, according to later authors, by a man whom he had publicly reproved for grave scandal. Again, the oldest legends of St. Francis and St. Dominic say nothing of a meeting of the three saints in Rome or their mutual prophecies concerning the stigmata, the rosary, and the martyrdom. The life of St. Albert, too, was written a long time after his death by one who had no personal recollection of him and was more anxious to edify the reader by an account of numerous miracles (frequently in exaggerated terms), than to state sober facts. All that can be said with certainty is that St. Albert was born in Sicily, entered the order very young, in consequence of a vow made by his parents, that for some time he occupied the position of provincial, and that he died in the odor of sanctity on August 7, 1306. Though he was never formally canonized, his feast was introduced in 1411.
G. Foundations in the British Isles
—The English province, to which the Irish and Scotch houses belonged until 1305, made rapid progress until about the middle of the fourteenth century, after which date foundations became less numerous, while from time to time some of the smaller houses were given up. The Carmelites enjoyed the favor of the Crown, which contributed generously towards several foundations, particularly that of Oxford, where the royal residence was handed over to the order. The site is now occupied by the Beaufort Hotel, but there may still be seen Friars’ Walk, and the little church of St. Mary Magdalen which for a time was served by the Carmelites. Other royal foundations were Hitchin, Marlborough, etc. John of Gaunt was a great benefactor of the order and chose his confessors from amongst its members; the House of Lancaster, likewise almost always had Carmelites as royal confessors, a post which corresponded to some extent to that of royal almoner or minister of public worship. These confessors were as a rule promoted to small bishoprics in Ireland or Wales. The order became very popular among the people. The life was one of deep poverty, as is proved by various inventories of goods and other documents still extant. During the Wycliffite troubles the order took the leadership of the Catholic party, the first opponent of Wyclif being the Provincial of the Carmelites, John Cunningham. Thomas Walden was entrusted by Henry V with important missions abroad, and accompanied Henry VI to France. During the wars with France several French convents were attached to the English province, so that the number of English Carmelites rose to fifteen hundred.. But ultimately there remained only the house at Calais, which was suppressed by Henry VIII. At the end of the fifteenth century the province had dwindled down to about six hundred religious.
None of the various reforms seems to have been introduced into England, although Eugene IV and the general, John, Soreth, took steps in this direction. The peculiar constitutions in vigour in England, and the excellent organization of the province rendered the spread of abuses less to be feared than elsewhere. At the beginning of the Reformation a number of the junior religious, affected by the new learning, left the order; the remainder were compelled to sign the Act of Supremacy, which they apparently did without hesitation, a fact not much to be wondered at if it be borne in mind that Cardinal Wolsey had already obtained power from the Holy See to visit and reform the Carmelite convents, a measure which left no alternative but blind submission to the royal will or suppression. Separated from the rest of the order, the Carmelites were for a time subjected to the rule of George Brown, general of all the mendicants, but gained a comparative independence under John Byrd, first provincial and then general of the English section of the order. At the time of the final suppression there were thirty-nine houses, including that of Calais. The suppression papers are very far from complete, exhibiting the names of only about 140 religious, and containing the inventories of less than a dozen houses. These were in a state of abject poverty. At Oxford the friars had been obliged to sell the benches of the church and the trees in the road, and the commissioner stated that soon they would have to sell the tiles off the roof, to buy a few loaves of bread. Yet one of the novices, Anthony Foxton, nothing daunted by this trying situation, fled to Northallerton to continue his novitiate, whence a few weeks later he was expelled for the second time. .The property of the order was squandered with the same recklessness as other ecclesiastical goods. The library of the London house, considered one of the finest in England (this applies in all probability to the building, not to its contents, which bear no comparison with other monastic libraries of that period), came into the possession of Dr. Butt. The other buildings were sold in parcels. Only two Carmelites are known to have suffered death, Lawrence Cook and Reginald Pecock; others seem to have recanted in prison. But as practically nothing is known of the fate of a large number of convents, especially those of the North, it is more than probable that during the different risings some were burnt and their inmates hanged. Among the few remains of the English Carmelite convents must be mentioned the first two foundations, Hulne, now a ruin, and Aylesford, in a fairly good state of preservation, and also the beautiful cloister in what is now the workhouse for male paupers at Coventry. An attempt to revive the English province during the reign of Queen Mary was unsuccessful.
The history of the Irish and Scotch provinces has never been exhaustively studied, owing chiefly to the loss of many documents. The total number of Irish convents is variously given as twenty-five or twenty-eight, but in all probability some of these had but a short-lived existence. The fact that the general chapters repeatedly appointed Englishmen as provincials for Ireland seems to indicate that the province was frequently troubled by disunion and strife. At an early epoch the Dublin house was designated a studium generale, but as it is never mentioned as such in the official lists it probably served only for the Irish students, foreign provinces not being required to send their contingent. For the pursuit of higher studies special facilities were given to the Irish and Scotch in London and at the English universities. The Irish convents fell without exception under the iron hand of Henry VIII.
The Scotch province numbered at the utmost twelve convents, of which that of South Queensferry at the foot of the Forth Bridge is still extant. Here again we have to content ourselves with stray notices, from which, however, it is manifest that the order was in high favor with the Crown. Some Scotch Carmelites played an important part at the University of Paris, while others were among the chief promoters of the Reform of Albi. At the suppression of the English convents many religious betook themselves to Scotland where convents were allowed to exist as best they could until 1564.
H. Constitutions
—The oldest constitutions that have come down to us are dated 1324, but there is evidence of a former collection begun about 1256 to supplement the rule, which lays down only certain leading principles. In 1324 the order was divided into fifteen provinces corresponding to the countries in which it was established. At the head of the order was the general, elected in open scrutinium (ballot) by the general chapter; at each successive chapter he had to render an account of his administration and if no serious complaints were made he was confirmed in his office until he was removed by the nomination to a bishopric, or by death, or until he resigned of his own accord. He chose his own residence which from 1472 was usually Rome. He was given two companions (generally of his own choice) to accompany him on his journeys and to assist him with advice. The whole order contributed annually a fixed amount towards the maintenance of the general and the costs of the administration. In theory, at least, the power of the general was almost unlimited but in practice he could not afford to disregard the wishes of the provinces and provincials. The general chapter assembled fairly regularly every third year from 1247 to the end of the fourteenth century; but from that period onward the intervals became much longer, six, ten, even sixteen years. The chapters had become a heavy burden, not only for the order but also for the towns which accorded them hospitality. Each province (their number was constantly increasing) was represented by the provincial and two companions. In addition to these there was a gathering of masters in divinity and promising students who held theological disputations, while the definitors discussed the affairs of the order; as the Holy See usually granted indulgences on the occasion of chapters. the pulpits of the cathedral and parochial and conventual churches were occupied several times a day by eloquent preachers; travelling being performed on horseback, each province sent a number of lay brothers to care for the horses.
Thus the general chapters were always attended by large numbers of friars, from five hundred to a thousand and more. To defray the costs each provincial was bound to ask his sovereign for a subsidy, the English Crown contributing as a rule ten pounds, while boardand lodging for the members of the chapter were found in other religious houses and among the townspeople. In return the order used to grant the town letters of fraternity and to place its patron saints on the Carmelite calendar. For the election of the general all the provincials and their companions assembled, but the remaining business was entrusted to the definitors, one for each province; these were chosen at the provincial chapter in such a way that no one could act in this capacity in two successive chapters. The duty of the definitors was to receive reports on the administration of the provinces; to confirm provincials or to depose them, and elect others in their stead; to audit the accounts and fix the annual taxation; to nominate those who were to lecture on Scripture and the Sentences at the universities, especially Paris; to grant permission for the reception of academical honors at the expense of the whole order; to revise and interpret existing laws and add new ones; and finally, to grant privileges to deserving members, deal with those guilty of serious offenses by meting out adequate punishment, or, if cause were shown for leniency, by relaxing or condoning previous sentences. This done, the whole chapter was again called together, the decisions of the definitors were published and handed in writing to each provincial. Of the records of the earlier chapters only fragments are now to be found, but from 1318 the acts are complete and have partly been printed.
The provincial chapters were held as a rule once a year, but there were complaints that some provincials held only two in three years. Each convent was represented by the prior or vicar and by one companion elected by the conventual chapter to take complaints against the prior. Out of the whole number of capitulars four definitors were chosen who together with the provincial performed much the same duties on behalf of the province as did the definitory of the general chapter on behalf of the whole order. Among other things they had full authority to depose priors and to elect new ones; they also selected students to be sent to the various studia generalia and particularia, and to the universities, and made adequate provision for their expenses. They decided—subject to the approval of the general and the Holy See—on the foundation of new convents. They dealt with delinquents. Attempts were made from time to time to limit the duration of the office of provincials, but so long as the general legislation of the Church tolerated an indefinite tenure of office these endeavors were practically unavailing.
The superior of a convent was the prior, or in his absence and during a vacancy the vicar. The prior was controlled in his administration by three guardians who held the keys of the common chest and countersigned bills and contracts. Complaints against the prior were sent to the provincial or to the provincial chapter. There was no limit to the tenure of office of the prior; he might be confirmed year after year for twenty or more years. In the case of convents in university towns, especially Paris and the Roman Curia (Avignon, afterwards Rome) the nomination belonged to the general or the general chapter; and there appears to have been an unwritten law that at Cambridge, Louvain, and other universities the priorship should, be filled by the bachelor who in the course of the year was to take his degree as Master in Divinity. From about the middle of the fourteenth century it became customary to fill the offices of general, provincial, and prior (at least in the larger convents) exclusively with those who had taken degrees. Almost the only systematic exception to this rule is to be found in the province of Upper Germany.
I. Sources of Membership
—When St. Simon Stock established convents in university towns he obviously counted upon the undergraduates as the future recruits of the order; nor was he deceived in his expectation. True, the time had passed when in one day sixty or more students with their professors flocked to the Dominican convent at Paris to receive the habit from the hands of Blessed Jordan. But there were still many applicants, notwithstanding the severe bylaws of the universities regulating the reception of students in mendicant convents. It was perhaps chiefly the poor scholars who by joining one of these orders secured for themselves the necessaries of life as well as the means of education. Not only in the time of St. Simon but even much later a good deal of trouble was caused by these young men, who had recently exchanged the free and easy life of the scholar for the discipline of the cloister. In many convents we find numerous instances of members of the families of the founders and chief benefactors becoming conventuals; in some cases. the relationship of uncle and nephew may be traced through several centuries; just as the prebends of cathedrals and collegiate churches were often in the gift of the founder and his family and were handed down from generation to generation, the more humble cells of a Carmelite convent remained frequently in the hands of one and the same family who considered it their duty as well as their right to be ever represented by at least one member. Again, it frequently happened that a father desirous of settling his son in life bought or endowed a cell for him in a convent. It was probably due to the ardent piety of former times and the careful preservation from dangerous society that such casual calls ripened into solid vocations. In places where the Carmelites had public or semi-public schools they found little difficulty in choosing suitable boys. But there remained a good many convents in small places, where the recruiting was evidently not so easy and where with a decreasing number of inmates a dangerous relaxation of religious observance went hand in hand. For, throughout the Middle Ages a friar belonged to the convent in which he had taken the habit, although through force of circumstances he might be absent from it for the greater part of his life. Hence, the general chapters repeatedly commanded the priors to receive every year one or two promising young men even if they brought no endowment, so as to gradually increase the number of religious. In other cases where provinces were numerous enough but lacked the means of subsistence the reception of novices might be stopped for several years.
J. Probation and Formation of Members
—The clothing of novices was preceded by certain inquiries into their antecedents and the respectability of their families. The year of probation was spent in the convent which they entered, the “native convent” as it was called, and a father was commissioned to take personal care of a novice, teaching him the customs of the order and the ceremonies of the choir. According to the oldest constitutions, each novice might have a special master, but in practice one master, assisted, if necessary, by a substitute, was appointed for all. The novices were not allowed to mingle with the rest of the community or with the boys of the convent school; no office that in any way could interfere with their chief duty, viz. learning the Divine Office, was given them. On the other hand the prior was not to allow anyone to reprehend the novices or find fault with them, except the novice-master himself, whose business it was to teach, correct, guide, and encourage them. Towards the end of the novitiate the probationer was voted on; if he had given satisfaction he was allowed to make his profession, otherwise he was dismissed. One of the conditions for profession was that the novice should be able to read fluently and write correctly. Those who might smile at such elementary requirements should remember that reading and writing implied a complete mastery of the Latin grammar and a practical knowledge of the system of abbreviations and contractions, a knowledge of palaeography which is not now required either of schoolboys or advanced scholars.
After profession the provincial decided what was to be done with the young religious. He might stand in need of further training in grammar and rhetoric, or he might begin at once the study of physics and logic. If his own convent offered no facility for these pursuits, which was probably seldom the case, he would be sent to another. Once a week or a fortnight the teacher would hold a repetition with his scholars in presence of the community so that it might become known who had studied and who had been negligent. Special convents were assigned for the study of philosophy and theology; in England the former was taught at Winchester, the latter at Coventry. The higher studies were, however, pursued at the studia generalia of which in 1324 there were eight: Paris, Toulouse, Bologna, Florence, Montpellier, Cologne, London, and Avignon. Their number was gradually increased until each province had its own, but in earlier times every province was bound to send a certain number of students to each of these studia, and to provide for their maintenance; they were even free to send a larger number than prescribed, but they had to pay for the full number even if they sent less. In addition to the students sent to the studia at the expense of their provinces, others might be sent at the expense of their parents and friends, provided the superiors had given their consent. Thus the number of students at the Carmelite convent at Paris averaged three hundred, in London over a hundred. The majority of students were sent pro simplici forma, that is just to complete their course, after which they returned to their provinces. Only the most promising were allowed to study for degrees, because this involved a prolonged residence at the universities, ten, twelve or more years, and a corresponding outlay. (For the course of studies and the various steps leading to the degree of Master in Divinity see Universities.) The provincial and general chapters regulated the succession of lecturers on Scripture and the Sentences; particularly at Paris, the foremost university, provision was often made for ten years in advance, so as to ensure a steady supply of able readers and to distribute as far as possible the honors among all the provinces. For the universities would allow only one friar of each of the mendicant orders to take degrees in the course of a year, and each order was naturally anxious to put its most capable men in the foreground. It was therefore not an idle boast when it was said, as we read sometimes, of one or other of the Carmelites, that he was the best lecturer of his term at Paris. As Paris was the most celebrated university, so the doctors of Paris had precedence over those of the other universities. During the schism Paris took sides with the Clementist party whose most powerful support it was. The Urbanist party in the Carmelite Order transferred the prerogatives of the graduates of Paris to those of Bologna, a poor makeshift. There exists a fairly complete list of the Masters of Paris, but only fragmentary information concerning other universities. Unfortunately the register of the English province was destroyed during the Reformation, while the greater part of the archives of Oxford and Cambridge were lost during the Civil War, so that the priceless notices collected by John Bale are the chief sources for our knowledge of Carmelite activity at the English universities. This is the more regrettable as the position of Carmelite friars was regulated by special statutes often alluded to, but nowhere preserved. On their return from the universities the religious were usually appointed to some readership, care being taken that in every convent there should be a daily lecture on Scripture and theology.
K. Penalties Established by Rule
—The constitutions deal very fully with the faults committed by religious and their punishment. A few words will not be out of place with regard to more serious breaches of discipline, especially the violation of the religious vows. Faults against chastity were punished with six months’, or, if notorious, with a year’s, imprisonment, and the loss of voice and place in chapter for from three to five years. If special circumstances required it this punishment was increased, and in the case of a grave scandal the culprit was sent to the galleys for hard labor for a number of years or even for the remainder of his life. If serious suspicion existed against anyone which it was impossible either to prove or to disprove, the accused was allowed the benefit of canonical purgation, i.e. having himself denied the charge on oath, he produced six other religious of good name and high standing to affirm on oath that they considered the charge unfounded and the accused innocent. If unable to find such witnesses, he was punished as though he had been convicted. Other faults that recur frequently were open disobedience and rebellion against the commands of the superiors, the undue exercise of proprietorship, theft, apostasy (by which was understood any absence from the convent without proper permission, even if there was no intention of quitting the order permanently). Thus, if a religious, being sent from one place to another, tarried on the road without proper cause, or went out of his way without necessity, he was punished as an apostate; again, a lecturer at the universities leaving town before the end of the course was judged guilty of the same crime, his action being prejudicial to the honor of the order. In all these matters it must be borne in mind that the penal system of the Middle Ages was far less humane than the modern one, and that many faults were ascribed to perversity of will where we should make allowance for weakness of character or even mental derangement. The more serious faults were judged and punished by the provincial and general chapters, to whom also was reserved the absolution of the culprits and their reinstatement. The general chapters frequently granted free pardon to all prisoners except those recently condemned and there were occasional complaints that some of the superiors showed undue leniency; but the material before us proves that on the whole discipline was well maintained. With an average of twenty thousand friars or more during the fifteenth century, the “Chronique scandaleuse” is singularly unimportant, a fact that tells in favor of the order, all the more as a large percentage of this number consisted of students at the great universities exposed to many temptations.
L. Constitutional Revisions
—These constitutions underwent numerous changes. Almost every chapter made additions which were frequently cancelled or qualified by subsequent chapters. John Balistarius (1358-74) published a revised edition in 1369 (inedited) and the mitigation of the rule by Eugene IV necessitated a further revision under John Soreth (1462, printed in 1499). Nevertheless it must be admitted that the legislation of the order moved too slowly, and that many measures were out of date almost as soon as they were passed. Moreover, laws that may have been excellent for Norway or England were hardly applicable in Sicily or at Seville. These simple facts account for many complaints about relaxation or want of discipline.
From the approbation of the order by the Council of Lyons until the outbreak of the great Western Schism (1274-1378) there was a steady increase in provinces and convents, interrupted only temporarily by the Black Death. At the time of the schism it was not left to the provinces, much less to individuals, to choose their own party; they necessarily followed the politics of the country to which they belonged. A census taken in 1390 shows the following provinces on the Urbanist side: Cyprus (number of convents not stated); Sicily, with 18 convents; England with 35; Rome with 5; Lower Germany with 12; Lombardy with 12 or 13; Tuscany, with 7; Bologna with 12; Ireland with 8; and Gascony with 6. The Clementist party with the Scotch, French, Spanish, and the greater number of the German houses, was rather more powerful. The general, Bernard Olerius (1375-83) being a native of Catalonia, adhered to Clement VII, and was succeeded first by Raymond Vaquerius and next by John Grossi (1389-1430), one of the most active generals, who during the schism made numerous foundations and maintained excellent discipline among the religious belonging to his party, so that at the union in 1411 he was unanimously elected general of the whole order. The Urbanists had been less fortunate. Michael de Anguanis who succeeded Olerius (1379-86) having become suspect, was deposed after a long trial; the financial administration was far from satisfactory, and the loss of Paris proved a serious blow to that section of the order. Soon after the reestablishment of the union a radical change of the rule became necessary. This, as has been seen, was originally composed for a handful of hermits living in a singularly mild climate. Notwithstanding the few changes made by Innocent IV, the rule had proved too severe for those who spent one half of their life in the intellectual turmoil of the university and the other half in the exercise of the sacred ministry at home. Accordingly Eugenius IV granted in 1432 a mitigation allowing the use of flesh meat on three or four days a week, and dispensing with the law of silence and retirement. But even so the chief abuses that had crept in during the fourteenth century were by no means abolished.
M. Abuses, Irregularities
—It is indispensable to have a clear idea of these abuses in order to understand the reforms called into life to counteract them. (1) The permanency of superiors. Even an excellent superior is liable to lose his first energy after a number of years while an indifferent superior seldom improves. This is one of the most difficult problems in the history of monasticism, but the experience of fifteen hundred years has turned the scales in favor of a limited tenure of office. (2) The right of private property. Notwithstanding the vow of poverty many religious were allowed the use of certain revenues from hereditary property, or the disposal of moneys acquired by their work, teaching, preaching, the copying of books, etc. All this was fully regulated by the constitutions and required special permission from the superiors. It was, therefore, quite reconcilable with a good conscience, but it necessarily caused inequality between rich and poor friars. (3) The acceptance of posts of honor outside the order. From the middle of the fourteenth century the popes became more and more lavish in granting the privileges of papal chaplaincies, etc., to those who paid a small fee to the Apostolic chancery. These privileges practically withdrew religious from the rule of their superiors. Again, after the Black Death (1348) thousands of benefices fell vacant, which were too small to provide a living for an incumbent; these were eagerly sought after by religious, among others by Carmelites, who, for an insignificant service, such as the occasional celebration of Mass in a chantry, obtained a small but acceptable income. The papal dispensation ab incompatibilibus and the necessary permission of the superiors were easily obtained. Others again were empowered to serve high ecclesiastics or lay people “in all things becoming a religious” or to act as chaplains on board ship, or to fill the post of organist in parish churches. All such exceptions, of which many instances could be quoted, tended to loosen the bonds of religious observance; they filled with pride those who had obtained them and with envy those who were less fortunate. (4) A further source of disorder was found in the small convents with only a few religious, who, naturally, could not be expected to keep up the full observance and sometimes appear to have kept hardly any.
N. Reforms
—These and other abuses were by no means peculiar to the Carmelites; they occurred, to say the least, in an equal degree in all the mendicant orders, and awakened everywhere loud cries for reform. In point of fact, long before the end of the Western Schism nearly every order had inaugurated that long series of partial and local reforms which constitutes one of the most refreshing elements in the history of the fifteenth century; but though it seems to have remained unknown to the strenuous reformers, no lasting improvement was possible so long as the root of the evil was not removed. This was not in the power of individual reformers, even of saints, but required the concerted action of the whole Church. It required a Council of Trent to raise the whole conception of religious life to a higher level. The first step towards reform in the Carmelite Order dates from 1413, when three convents, Le Selve near Florence, Gerona, and Mantua, agreed to adopt certain principles, among which were the limitation of the tenure of office to two years, with an enforced vacation of four years between each two terms of office, the abolition of all private property, and the resignation of all posts necessitating the residence of religious outside their convents. After considerable difficulty, the congregation of Mantua, as it was called, obtained in 1442 quasi-autonomy under a vicar-general. It gradually brought under its authority several other houses in Italy, but it was only after the death of the general, John Soreth, himself an ardent reformer but an enemy of all separatist tendencies, that it began to spread with rapidity. In 1602 it counted fifty-two houses.
The most celebrated member of this reform was Blessed Baptista Mantuanus (Spagnoli) (q.v.) who filled the office of vicar-general six times and became general of the whole order. The statutes of this congregation were printed in 1540 and again in 1602. After the French Revolution it was amalgamated with the remains of the old stock of the order in Italy.
Blessed John Soreth (1451-71) throughout his long generalship carried out a similar reform, but on the basis of the constitutions. His own life and work are a proof that under certain circumstances a protracted tenure of office can be most profitable. While officially visiting numerous provinces he established in each of them several reformed houses whither the most fervent religious flocked. For these he obtained many privileges; no superior could refuse permission to one desirous of joining such a convent; the very fact of entering a reformed house dispensed a religious from penalties previously incurred, which, however, would revive should he return to a non-reformed convent. No superior could withdraw a member of a reformed community except for the purpose of reforming other houses through his instrumentality. If Soreth was, on the whole, successful in his enterprise he also encountered a certain amount of systematic opposition on the part of graduates who were loth to give up their privileges of not attending choir, of taking their meals privately, and of having lay brothers and “fags” for their personal attendance, and who preferred to withdraw to distant convents rather than submit to the rules of the general. The latter obtained leave from the Holy See to fill up the gaps by bestowing the title of doctor on those who were not qualified by a proper course at the universities, a most dangerous proceeding, which before long led to fresh and serious abuses. It has often been asserted that Soreth died of poison, but there is no foundation for such a calumny. Even after his death the movement so happily inaugurated did not lose all vigour, but neither of his two immediate successors understood the art of appealing to the higher nature of his subjects, whereby Soreth had gained his marvellous influence. Christopher Martignon (1472-81) was considered an intruder, his election being ascribed to the pressure exercised by Sixtus IV, his personal friend, and Pontius Raynaud (1482-1502) had the reputation of being a martinet. Peter Terasse (1503-13) visited most of the provinces and has left in his register (unedited) a vivid picture of the condition of the order immediately before the Reformation. Many convents, he is able to state, were thoroughly reformed, while others were far from perfect. He himself, however, was too generous in granting licenses and privileges, and, though strict in punishing, he contributed not a little to the very abuses he intended to abolish. His successor, Blessed Baptista Mantuanus (1513-16), was too old and worn out to exercise any lasting influence. He obtained, however, the recognition and approbation of the congregation of Albi.
This congregation had been established in 1499 by Bishop Louis d’Amboise, who, there being no reformed convent in the province of France, obtained from Mantuanus two religious, one of whom died on the road; the survivor found in the College Montaigu in Paris some twenty students willing to embrace the religious life. They were placed in the convent of Albi, while the legitimate inmates were dispersed. Soon other convents, Meaux, Rouen, Toulouse, joined the movement, at the head of which was Louis de Lyra. It is related, though hardly credible, that the general died of grief when he heard of this new rift in the unity of the order. The General Chapter of 1503 excommunicated Louis de Lyra on the ground that the right of reforming belonged to the general and not to self-constituted reformers. But the congregation was already strong enough to offer resistance and had even found an entrance into the most important convent of the order, that of Paris. The next year Terasse spent five months there trying to win back the dissidents. At last, by a strange error of judgment, he ordered the lecturers to leave Paris at the conclusion of the term and the students to return to their native convents within three days. The natural result was that many of them formally joined the congregation of Albi which now obtained complete control at Paris. A compromise was then reached whereby the vacancies were alternately filled by the order and by the congregation of Albi. Baptista Mantuanus obtained for the latter papal approbation and an extension of the privileges of his own congregation. Notwithstanding this victory the new congregation became a prey to disunion and was unable to make much headway. The evils brought about by the Reformation and the civil and religious wars weighed heavily upon it until, in 1584, it was dissolved by the Holy See.
A further reform of somewhat different nature was that of the convent of Mount Olivet near Genoa, 1514; it consisted in a return to the purely contemplative life and the ancient austerity of the order. he general, Giovanni Battista Rubeo, has left a record that during his visit there in 1568, which lasted only three days, he abstained from flesh meat. This reform continued well into the seventeenth century. A later reform modeled upon that of St. Teresa was inaugurated at Rennes in 1604 by Philip Thibault (1572-1638) and nine companions. With the assistance of the Discalced Carmelites he was able to give it a solid basis, so that before long it embraced the whole province of Touraine. Unlike the other reforms it remained in organic union with the bulk of the order, and enjoyed the favor of the French Court. Among its greatest ornaments were Leo of St. John, one of the first superiors, and the blind lay brother, John of St. Sampson, author of various works on the contemplative life.
O. Affiliations, Carmelite Sisters
—About the middle of the fifteenth century several communities of Beguines at Gueldre, Dinant, etc., approached John Soreth with the request that they be affiliated to the order (1452). He gave them the rule and constitutions of the friars, to which he added some special regulations which unfortunately do not appear to be preserved. The prestige of the Carmelite Sisters grew rapidly when the Duchess of Brittany, Blessed Frances d’Amboise (1427-85), joined one of the convents, which she herself had founded. Before the end of the century there were convents in France, Italy (Blessed Jane Scopelli, 1491), and Spain. Especially in the latter country the manner of life of the nuns was greatly admired, and several convents became so crowded that the slender means available hardly sufficed for their maintenance.
St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross.—The convent of the Incarnation at Avila was destined to fashion the brightest ornament of the Carmelite Order, St. Teresa of Jesus. Born in 1515 she entered the convent in 1535 and made her profession in the following year. Shortly afterwards she fell ill and, unable to fulfil the usual duties of a religious, gave herself to the practice of mental prayer. Frightened by her directors, who believed her trances to be diabolical illusions, she passed through a period of interior trials which awakened in her the desire for a more perfect life. Learning that the primitive rule aimed at the contemplative life and prescribed several austerities which had since been dispensed with, she resolved upon the foundation of a convent for thirteen nuns in her native town, which after many difficulties was established on August 24, 1562. The general, Rubeo (1564-78), who at that time visited Spain, approved of what St. Teresa had done and encouraged her to make further foundations. In a letter written from Barcelona (unedited) he enlarged on the blessings of the contemplative life and granted permission for the establishment of two convents for reformed friars within the province of Castile. But warned by what had happened in the case of the congregation of Albi he made some very stringent regulations so as to suppress from the outset any separatist tendencies. In the course of fifteen years St. Teresa founded sixteen more convents of nuns, often in the teeth of the most obstinate opposition.
Among the friars she found two willing helpmates, the prior Anton de Heredia who had already filled important posts in the order, e.g. that of auditor of civil causes at the General Chapter of 1564, and St. John of the Cross, who had just completed his studies. They entered with supernatural courage upon a life of untold hardships and were joined not only by a number of postulants, but also by many of their former brethren in religion. The province of Castile being numerically weak, it stands to reason that the provincial resented the departure of so many of his subjects, among whom were the most reliable and promising. The papal nuncio, Hormaneto, was favorably disposed towards the reform. As Apostolic visitor of the religious orders he wielded papal powers and considered himself entitled to overrule the restrictions of the general. He granted leave for the foundation of other convents of friars, besides the two stipulated by the general, and for the extension of the reform to the province of Andalusia. By an almost incomprehensible error of judgment he appointed visitor of the Calced Carmelites of this last named province Jerome of the Mother of God (Jerome Gratian, 1545-1615) who had just made his profession among the Reformed or Discalced. Carmelites, and who, however zealous and prudent, could lay no claim to much experience of the religious life. The Calced Carmelites appealed to Rome, and the result was that the general took a great dislike to the new reform. He himself was a reformer, and had favored the foundation of a convent of reformed nuns at Alcala de Henares by Mary of Jesus (1563), and of a reformed convent of friars at Onde in Aragon under James Montanes (1565), and in his visitations he frequently resorted to drastic measures to bring about improvements; moreover he was a strict disciplinarian, punishing faults with a severity which to us seems inconceivable. When he found that the dangers he had striven to avert, viz. a repetition of the disorders caused by the congregation of Albi, had actually occurred, he resolved to root out the new reform. The General Chapter of 1575 decided to abolish the Discalced Carmelites, threatened to send Mariano del Terdo, formerly a hermit, and Baldassare Nieto, an ex-Minim, to their former abodes, ordered the three Andalusian convents of Granada, Seville, and Penuela, to be closed, and the friars to return to their proper convents within three days. The acts of the chapter (unedited) are silent as to the nuns, but it is known from the correspondence of St. Teresa that she received orders to choose one of her convents there to remain, and to abstain from further foundations.
The Discalced friars, however, relying upon the powers they had received from the nuncio, resisted these commands and went so far as to hold a provincial chapter at Almodbvar (1576). The general sent a visitor with ample powers, Girolamo Tostado, who for some years had been his official companion and was fully acquainted with his intentions. At this juncture the nuncio died and was succeeded by Sep, who at first remained impartial but soon began to proceed vigorously against the reform. A second chapter having been held at the same place (1578), the nuncio excommunicated all the capitulars; St. John of the Cross was seized in the convent of the Incarnation at Avila where he was confessor and hurried to Toledo, where he was thrown into a dungeon and cruelly treated; others were imprisoned elsewhere. The persecution lasted for nearly a year until at length Philip II intervened. The reform having thus proved too strong, it was resolved to give it a legal standing by establishing a special province for the Discalced friars and nuns, but under obedience to the general (1580). The first provincial was Jerome Gratian who throughout had been the chief support of St. Teresa. To her it was given to see the triumph of her work, but dying on October 4, 1582, she was spared the pain which the disunion among the friars of her own reform must have caused her. When founding her first convent she had a definite object in view. Not only was she anxious to reintroduce the contemplative life, but knowing how many souls were daily being lost through heresy and unbelief she wished the nuns to pray and offer up their mortifications for the conversion of infidels and heretics, while the friars were also to engage in active work. She was delighted when St. John of the Cross and his brethren went from village to village instructing the ignorant in Christian doctrine, and her joy knew no bounds when, in 1582, missioners of the order were sent out to the Congo. This first missionary expedition, as well as a second, came to an abrupt end through misadventures at sea, but a third was successful, at least so long as it received support from home.
Jerome Gratian, the provincial, was heart and soul in these undertakings. When his tenure of office expired he was replaced by a man of a very different stamp, Nicolo Doria, known in religion as Nicholas of Jesus (1539-94), a Genoese who had come to Spain as the representative of a large banking house, in which capacity he was able to render important services to the king. Aspiring after a higher life, he distributed his immense fortune among the poor, took Holy orders and joined the reformed friars at Seville (1577). He rapidly rose from dignity to dignity, and while engaged in the foundation of a convent in his native town, was elected provincial of the Discalced Carmelites. Endowed with an iron will and indomitable energy, he at once began to fashion his subjects after his own ideas. Having known only the old stock of the order during the troublous times preceding the separation of his province, he was not attached to the order as such. He widened rather than lessened the breach by laying aside, on a mere pretext and against the wishes of the friars, the venerable Carmelite Liturgy in favor of the new Roman Office books, and by soliciting useless privileges from Rome; he withdrew the missioners from the Congo, renounced once for all every idea of spreading the order beyond the frontiers of Spain, restricted the active work to a minimum, increased the austerities, and without consulting the chapter introduced a new form of government which, as it was said at the time, was more fit for the policing of an unruly Italian republic than for the direction of a religious order. He relegated St. John of the Cross to an out-of-the-way convent and on the flimsiest pretext expelled Jerome Gratian. Finally at the General Chapter of 1593 he proposed “for the sake of peace and tranquility and for many other reasons”, the total separation of the Discalced Carmelites from the rest of the order, which was granted by a Bull of December 20, of the same year. Doria now became the first general of the Discalced Carmelites. He died a few months later. It would be unjust to belittle his merits and talents, but it must be acknowledged that in many respects his spirit was diametrically opposed to the lofty conceptions of St. Teresa and the generous dispositions of St. John of the Cross, while the unwarranted expulsion of Jerome Gratian is a blot on his reputation. It was, he said on his deathbed, the only thing that troubled him. The Spanish Carmelites having practically renounced all exterior work and interest, the further history of that branch of the order reduces itself to notices on the foundations of convents, and the truly edifying life of numerous friars and nuns. At the end of the eighteenth century Spain possessed eight provinces with about 130 convents of friars and 93 of nuns. The greater number of these convents were suppressed in 1836, but many have been restored since 1875, when the old Spanish congregation was united with the Italian congregation. They now constitute the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, without subdivision. The Portuguese province was separated from the Spanish congregation in 1773 for political reasons; it possessed twenty-one convents of friars and nine of nuns, nearly all of which were secularized in 1834.
P. Missionary Work
—As has been said, the first two missionary undertakings came to a premature end, one on account of shipwreck, the members of the other being captured by privateers. When set free the missioners, instead of resuming their journey to the west coast of Africa, proceeded to Mexico, where they laid the foundation of a province which in the course of time embraced twenty convents of friars and ten of nuns, but was finally suppressed by the Government. As early at 1563 Rubeo had granted leave to the Calced friar, Francisco Ruiz, to make foundations in Peru, Florida, and elsewhere, nominating him at the same time vicar-general. By 1573 there were convents at Sante Fe (New Mexico), New Granada, and other places, and provision was made for further increase. The Chapter of 1666 took the matter seriously in hand and after certain reforms had been carried out the provinces of Bahia, Pernambuco, and Rio de Janeiro were erected in 1720. There were also convents in Guadeloupe and San Domingo, and there is evidence that foundations were contemplated, if not actually made, in the Philippine Islands as far back as 1705. The Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Spanish congregation found their way to the states of South America as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century; several of their convents are still in existence, and others have lately been erected in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The congregation of St. Elias of Discalced Carmelites, otherwise called the Italian congregation was erected at the instigation of Clement VIII. By a strange irony of fate Nicolo Doria, who afterwards resisted the spreading of the order beyond the Peninsula and the Spanish colonies, had been commissioned in 1584 to establish a convent at Genoa. This was followed by one in Rome, Santa Maria della Scala, destined to become the nursery of a new congregation and the living example of perfect observance, and another at Naples. Several of the most prominent members of the Spanish congregation had been sent to these foundations, among them Ven. Peter of the Mother of God (1565-1608), and Ferdinand of St. Mary (1538-1631), who became the first superiors; Ven. John of Jesus Mary (1564-1615), whose instructions for novices have become authoritative, and whose incorrupt body is still preserved in the convent of St. Sylvester near Monte Compatri; Ven. Dominic of Jesus Mary (1559-1630), the great wonderworker of his time, and Thomas of Jesus (1568-1627) to whose genius for organization not only the order but the Catholic Church is deeply indebted. With men such as these at its head the congregation spread rapidly, not alone in Italy but through the length and breadth of Europe, and attracted men of high social position. The Archduke Albert of Austria and his consort, the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia of Spain having applied in Rome for a colony of Discalced Carmelites, the pope nominated Thomas of Jesus founder of the Belgian province. So successful was he that in the course of twelve years he erected ten convents of friars and six of nuns. The establishment in France was more difficult; systematic opposition from various quarters rendered each foundation a hard task, yet from 1611 till the end of the century almost every year saw the foundation of one or two new convents. Germany, Austria, Poland, even distant Lithuania, were opened to the disciples of St. Teresa. The spread of the congregation may perhaps best be illustrated by statistics. In 1632 the reform counted 763 priests, 471 clerics and novices, and 289 lay brothers, total 1523. In 1674 there were 1814 priests, 593 clerics and 747 lay brothers, total 3154. In 1731 the total had risen to 4193 members. No later statistics are available, but it may be taken that the increase continued for another twenty years until the spirit of Voltaire began to make itself felt. Comparatively little has been published about the foundations, the annals of the order reaching only as far as 1612, and much manuscript material having been lost, but a great deal is still waiting for the hand of the chronicler.
Although the exercise of the contemplative life was given prominence even by the Italian congregation, the active life received far wider scope than in the Spanish fraction of the order. Almost from the beginning it was decided on principle and in full harmony with the known intentions of St. Teresa, that missionary undertakings were quite reconcilable with the spirit of the congregation. The pope himself suggested Persia as the first field of labor for Carmelite missioners. Such was the zeal of the fathers assembled in chapter that each of them declared himself ready to lay down his office and go forth for the conversion of unbelievers as soon as his superiors should give him permission to do so. This promise is made to the present day by every member of the order. It was not until 1604 that the first expedition led by Paul Simon of Jesus Mary was actually sent out to Persia. Three fathers, a lay brother, and a tertiary, proceeded through Germany, Poland, and Russia, following the course of the Volga, sailing across the Caspian Sea, until after more than three years of great hardship they reached Ispahan on December 2, 1607. They met with surprising success, and being speedily reinforced were soon able to extend their activity to Bagdad, Bassora, and other towns, penetrating into India where they founded flourishing missions at Bombay, Goa, Quilon, Verapoly, and elsewhere, even at Peking. Some of these missions are still in the hands of the order, although the political events of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries proved fatal to others. Another field of labor was the Near Orient, Constantinople and Turkey, Armenia and Syria. To these was added in 1720 “a new mission in America in the district called Mississippi or Lusitania, which was offered by Captain Poyer in the name of the French company, but under certain conditions”. If indeed this mission was accepted, it does not seem to have been long prosperous.
One of the happy results of the establishment of missions in the Levant was the recovery of Mount Carmel, which had been lost to the order in 1291. Prosper of the Holy Ghost on his journeys to and from India had repeatedly visited the holy mountain and convinced himself that with prudence and tact it might be recovered. For a time the superiors were by no means favorably disposed towards the project, but at last they furnished him with the necessary powers, and a contract to the said effect was signed at Caiffa, November 29, 1631. Onuphrius of St. James, a Belgian, and two companions were commissioned to reestablish religions life on the spot where the Carmelite order had had its origin. They reached Alexandrette on November 5, 1633, and at the beginning of the following year took possession of Mount Carmel. For cells, oratory, refectory, and kitchen they used caverns cut in the living rock, and their life in point of austerity and solitude was worthy of the prophets who had dwelt on Cannel. At length it became necessary to construct a proper convent, in which they were installed December 14, 1720, only to be plundered a few days later by the Turks, who bound the fathers hand and foot. This convent served as a hospital during Napoleon’s campaign; the religious were driven out, and on their return, 1821, it was blown up by the Turks. An Italian lay brother, John Baptist of the Blessed Sacrament (1777-1849), having received orders to rebuild it, and having collected alms in France, Italy, and other countries, laid the foundation stone of the new fabric in 1827. But as it became necessary to do the work on a larger scale than formerly, it was completed only by his successor, Brother Charles, in 1853. It forms a large square block, strong enough to afford protection against hostile attempts; the church is in the center with no direct entrance from outside; it is erected over a crypt sacred to the Prophet Elias, and has been elevated by the pope to the rank of minor basilica. There are few travellers of any creed who in the course of their journeys in the Holy Land do not seek hospitality on Mount Carmel.
It must not be supposed that the Carmelites were spared the perils to which the missionary life is exposed. John of Christ Crucified, one of the first band of missioners sent out to Persia met with a hostile reception in the neighborhood of Moscow, and was thrown into a dungeon where he remained for three years. At last he was released and, nothing daunted, continued his journey to Ispahan. Another lay brother Charisius a Sancti, Maria, suffered martyrdom in 1621 on the Island of Ormuz; he was tied to a tree and cut open alive. Blessed Dionysius of the Nativity (Pierre Bertholet), and Redemptus a Crime, a Portuguese lay brother, suffered for the Faith in Sumatra on November 28, 1638. The former had been pilot and cartographer to the Portuguese viceroy, but gave up his position and became a Carmelite novice at Goa. Soon after his profession the viceroy once more demanded his services for an expedition to Sumatra; Dionysius was ordained priest so that he might at the same time act as chaplain and as pilot, and Redemptus was given him as companion. No sooner had the ship cast anchor at Achin than the ambassador with his suite was treacherously apprehended, and Dionysius, Redemptus, and a number of others were put to death with exquisite cruelty. The two Carmelites were beatified in 1900. Other members of the order suffered martyrdom at Patras in Achaia in 1716.
In order to ensure the steady supply of missioners the order established some missionary colleges. The original idea had been to found a special congregation under the title of St. Paul, which should entirely devote itself to missionary work. The Holy See granted permission and placed the church of St. Paul in Rome (now Santa Maria della Vittoria) at the disposition of the congregation; but on second thought the project was allowed to drop, and the missionary career was opened to all members of the Italian congregation. Those who manifested a talent in this direction, after having completed their ordinary studies were sent to the college of S. Pancrazio in Rome (1662) or to that of St. Albert at Louvain (1621) to study controversy, practical theology, languages, and natural sciences. After a year they were allowed to take the missionary oath, and after a second year they returned to their provinces until a vacancy in one of the missions necessitated the appointment of a new laborer; by these means the order was prepared to send out efficient subjects at very short notice. The seminary of the Missions etrangeres in Paris was founded by a Carmelite, Bernard of St. Joseph, Bishop of Babylon (1597-1663).
An attempt in this direction had been made soon after the Council of Trent, but was not followed up. The pope, struck with the missionary zeal of the Carmelites, consulted Thomas of Jesus as to the best means of bringing about the conversion of infidels. This religious, in his works “Stimulus missionum” (Rome, 1610) and especially “De procuranda salute omnium gentium” (Antwerp, 1613), laid down the principles upon which the Holy See actually instituted and organized the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda; other fathers, particularly Vert. Dominic of Jesus Mary, contributed towards its success by collecting funds; the Bull of institution by Gregory XV pays a just tribute to the zeal of the Carmelites. In establishing missions the order had in view not only the conversion of infidels but also that of Protestants. St. Teresa herself had been deeply afflicted by the spread of Lutheranism; hence the foundation of the Dutch, English, and Irish missions. The history of the first of these is only partly known; of the three it was the least beset with difficulties, and although obstacles were never wanting, it did not pass through the dangers which were a matter of almost daily occurrence in England and Ireland. The most prominent members were Peter of the Mother of God (Bertius, d. 1683) and his brother Caesar of St. Bonaventure (d. 1662), the sons of Peter Bertius, rector of the University of Leyden, a famous convert to the Catholic Faith.
Q. Missions in the British Isles
—The establishment of a mission in England dates back to the year 1615. Thomas Doughty of Plombley, Lincolnshire (1574-1652), probably himself a convert, entered the Carmelite novitiate of La Scala in 1610 after having spent some years at the English College where he had taken Holy orders. After a few months he was obliged by ill-health to return to England, but remained in correspondence with the order and sent some postulants to Belgium. Finally he resumed the religious life and after profession proceeded to London, where he had charge of important negotiations. Having become acquainted with the Spanish ambassador and having secured a chaplaincy for himself and his successors, he was introduced at Court and gained the confidence of Queen Anne of Denmark. Nevertheless he was never secure from priest-hunters and had many hair-breadth escapes. Other missioners having joined him, he withdrew to a country place near Canterbury where he died after a long illness. He was the author of several controversial and spiritual books much appreciated in his time. For years he loudly advocated the establishment of an English novitiate on the Continent, for which he collected the necessary funds, but unfortunately the superiors did not see their way to take up the idea and when at last it was carried out it came too late to be of much practical use.
The next missioner, Eliseus of St. Michael (William Pendryck, 1583-1650), a Scotchman and a convert, who had received his religious training at Paris and Genoa, arrived in London with letters patent constituting him vicar-provincial and superior of the mission, He led for the most part a very retiring life but did not escape persecution; towards the end of his activity he became involved in one of the innumerable disputes as to the extent of the pope’s powers; compelled to justify his attitude before the nuncio in Belgium, he returned to England crushed with disappointment. Among the prominent missioners must be mentioned Bede of the Blessed Sacrament (John Hiccocks, 1588-1647), a converted Puritan, who had been the first superior of the missionary college at Louvain. Soon after his arrival in London he was offered a mission on the estates of Lord Baltimore in Newfoundland, which he appears to have been inclined to accept, but when the faculties from Rome arrived, he was in prison, having been surprised by the priest-hunters while writing to his superiors. For several months his fate as well as that of a brother religious and fellow-prisoner was uncertain, but being at last set free through the intervention of the French ambassador he returned to Belgium. He underwent imprisonment for a second time in Holland, but after a long interval came back to London where he resumed his missionary work. Francis of the Saints (Christopher Leigh, 1600 41) died of the plague contracted in prison. John Baptist of Mount Cannel (John Rudgeley, 1587-1669) spent a considerable portion of his life in prison. Joseph of St. Mary (Nicholas Rider, 1600-82), after many years of fruitful activity, devoted his old age to the training of aspirants to the order; these were sent abroad for their novitiate and studies and on their return were appointed to one or other of the missionary stations belonging to the order.
The most remarkable men in a long series of missioners were Bede of St. Simon Stock (Walter Joseph Travers, 1619-96) and his half brother, Lucian of St. Teresa (George Travers, 1642-91). The son of a Devonshire clergyman, Walter Travers was articled to a London solicitor. An elder brother having become a Catholic and a Jesuit, Walter, desirous of guarding himself against a like fate, began to study controversial works with the result that he became convinced of the truth of the Catholic Church which he went to Rome to join. He became a student at the English College and afterwards entered the Carmelite Order in which he filled various offices. He was active in London during the whole period of the Restoration and has left a record of his manifold experiences. At the outbreak of the Oates’ Plot he was obliged to return to Italy, but after some years resumed his work in London, until old age and grief over his brother’s death compelled him to retire to Paris where he died in the odor of sanctity. He had had the consolation of solemnly inaugurating a chapel in Bucklersbury in London, as well as those at Hereford and Worcester, but the Orange Revolution undid the work begun by him. George Travers, after a dissolute life, accidentally met his brother in London, was rescued by him, instructed, and received into the Church. He made his studies under Joseph of St. Mary, and entered the novitiate at Namur. At the outbreak of the plot he was sent to London, where he passed through many thrilling adventures. Some time after the Orange Revolution he was betrayed by a false friend, and thrown into prison, whither his accuser, on a different charge, followed him. This man was suffering from a contagious disease which Lucian, while nursing him, contracted, and of which he died, June 26, 1691.
Much less is known of the missioners of the eighteenth century than of those of the seventeenth. Their lives, though still exposed to dangers, were as a rule quiet; moreover, the art of memoir writing seems to have been lost under the House of Orange. One of the more prominent missioners of this period was Francis Blyth (q.v.). In 1773 the English mission acquired the college of the Society of Jesus, recently suppressed, at Tongres, where a number of missioners were prepared for their work before the French Revolution swept over Belgium. The disappearance of this short-lived establishment dealt the death-blow to the Carmelite mission in England. A few missioners remained stationed in various places, but they received no fresh help and little encouragement; the property of the mission as well as its library and archives were lost through the iniquitous laws which rendered the last will of a Catholic illegal. On the occasion of the Catholic Emancipation, Francis Willoughby Brewster was obliged to fill up a parliamentary paper with the laconic remark: “No superior, no inferior, being the last man”. He died at Market Rasen in Lincolnshire January 11, 1849. Cardinal Wiseman, anxious to introduce the Discalced Carmelites into his archdiocese, obtained in 1862 an order authorizing him to select some suitable subjects. His choice fell upon Hermann Cohen (Augustine Mary of the Blessed Sacrament, 1820-71), a converted Jew of Hamburg, originally a brilliant musician, whose conversion and entrance into a strict order had caused considerable stir in France. He opened a small chapel in Kensington Square, London, August 6, 1862, where the new community struggled against many difficulties, not the least of which was their deep poverty. Before long a convenient site was found for a spacious church, designed by Pugin and inaugurated by Cardinal Manning in 1866, and a convent, completed in 1888. A second house having been founded in a remote country district in Somerset, the English semi-province was canonically established in 1885. Father Hermann did not see the completion of his work; having been called to Spandau to minister to the French prisoners of war, he died of smallpox and was buried in Berlin.
Soon after the English mission a similar undertaking was begun in Ireland by Edward of the Kings (Sherlock, 1579-1629) and Paul of St. Ubaldus, both of whom had made their novitiate in Belgium and had in all probability studied at the missionary college at Louvain. Although the persecution in Ireland was, if possible, more brutal than that in England, Catholic missioners had the support of the poorer classes, who clung tenaciously to their Faith, and from among whom they were recruited. Besides a convent at Dublin they founded residences in the ruins of several former Carmelite abbeys (as they were called), viz. at Athboy, Drogheda, Ardee, Kilkenny, Loughrea, Youghal, and other places. Many of these were but of ephemeral existence. About the same time the Calced Carmelites returned to Ireland, and there arose a dispute as to the ownership of these convents. At the separation of the orders it had been stipulated that the Discalced Carmelites were not to take away any of the convents of their Calced brethren. The Holy See decided in 1640 that the former should retain possession of the four ancient convents they then inhabited, as there still remained twenty-eight houses for the Calced Carmelites to revive. No sooner had this decision reached Ireland than the Cromwell persecution put a stop to any further increase and necessitated the dissolution of the communities that had been erected. Several friars earned the crown of martyrdom, viz. Thomas Aquinas of St. Teresa, who was put to death at Ardee in 1642; Angelus of St. Joseph, cleric (George Halley), an Englishman who was shot August 15, 1642; and Peter of the Mother of God, lay brother, who was hanged at Dublin, March 25, 1643. There is reason to believe that others met with a similar fate, but no particulars have been preserved; many, however, suffered imprisonment. Such events told on the life of the province. Canonically erected in 1638, it was dissolved in 1653 but reestablished during the comparatively quiet time of the Restoration. In 1785 a chapel and convent were built near the ruins of the Abbey of Loughrea, founded in 1300, and from 1640 in the hands of the Teresian friars, who, nevertheless, were several times obliged to abandon it. Further building operations were carried out in 1829 and again towards the end of the century. The year 1793 witnessed the laying of the foundation stone of St. Teresa’s church, Clarendon Street, Dublin. This church, which also underwent frequent alterations and enlargements, served as a meeting room during Daniel O’Connell‘s campaign, which ended in the Catholic Emancipation Act. It was felt that in this case the interests of the Church were identical with those of the country. A third convent was built at Donnybrook near Dublin in 1884.
The Calced Carmelites appear to have attempted a mission in England at the beginning of the seventeenth century when George Rainer was put to death (c. 1613). No particulars are known about his life and the missionary project seems to have died with him. In Ireland, however, they carried on a flourishing mission from the early part of the same century, and they have at present six convents and a college which is well attended. Their church in Whitefriars Street, Dublin, is well known to Catholics and is an architectural curiosity.
Steps were taken about 1635 to make a foundation in America, and a petition was presented to the pope for approbation of the mission founded there, but for some reason or other it does not seem to have had a lasting result. The Dutch province, however, founded houses at Leavenworth (1864) and Scipio, Anderson Co., Kansas (1865); Englewood, Bergen Co., New Jersey (1869); New Baltimore, Somerset Co., Pennsylvania (1870); Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (1875); Niagara Falls, Canada (1875); and St. Cyril’s College, Illinois (1899); while the Irish Calved Carmelites settled in 1888 in New York City and at Tarrytown, New York, and the Bavarian Discalced Carmelites at Holy Hill and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (1906).
R. Daily Life
—The life of a Carmelite is somewhat different according to the branch of the order to which he belongs, and the house in which he lives. The life in a novitiate, for instance, is different even for those who have taken their vows, from that in a college, or in a convent intended for the care of souls. It is also stricter among the Discalced Carmelites, who keep perpetual abstinence (except in case of weakness or illness) and who rise in the night for the recitation of the Divine Office, than among the Calced Carmelites, who have adapted their rule to the needs of the times. Formerly the whole Office was sung every day, but when in the sixteenth century the exercise of mental prayer became more and more universal, particularly through the influence of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, the singing was abandoned for a recitation in monotone except on certain feasts. The Calced Carmelites still adhere to the liturgy of the church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, a Gallo-Roman Rite, practically identical with that of Paris in the middle of the twelfth century. It underwent certain changes during the Middle Ages and was completely and satisfactorily revised in 1584. The Discalced Carmelites, for reasons already stated, adopted the new Roman Liturgy in 1586. In all convents a certain time is given to mental prayer, both in the morning and the afternoon. It is generally made in common, in the choir or oratory, and is intended to impress the soul with the presence of God and the everlasting truths. Other religious exercises and private devotions supplement those already mentioned. The rule of fasting, somewhat less severe among the Calced Carmelites, is preserved everywhere, although the Church has in many respects mitigated her legislation in this matter. The Discalced Carmelites (Teresians) are generally bare-footed; otherwise the only distinction in the habit of the two branches consists in the fashioning of the various garments. The habit of the lay brothers is like that of the choir religious, except that among the Discalced Carmelites they wear a brown mantle and no hood; but in the Spanish congregation they use the hood, and, since 1744, a white mantle. The correct color of the habit has often been made the subject of somewhat animated discussions among the different branches of the order.
S. Desert Convents
—A peculiar institution is that of “deserts”. The recollection of Mount Carmel and the purely contemplative life, as well as the word of the rule, which prescribes that the brothers should dwell in their cells or near them, meditating day and night on the Law of the Lord, except when other necessary occupations call them away, had awakened in many a desire for an exclusively spiritual life. It has been noticed that some of the first generals resigned their offices in order to dedicate the remainder of their life to contemplation, and in the constitutions and other documents exceptions are sometimes made in favor of convents “situated in forests”, far away from human habitations. Among such convents were, to mention only two, Hulne in England and Liedekerke in the Netherlands. One of the first Discalced Carmelites in Spain, Thomas of Jesus, who has already been mentioned in connection with the missions, conceived the idea of founding a “desert” where the religious should find the opportunity for devoting their whole time and energy to the cultivation of a spirit of contemplation. With the exception of four or five who were to remain there permanently, each friar was to spend but a year in the “desert” and afterwards return to the convent whence he had come, so that, the whole community being composed of strong and healthy members, no relaxation however slight should become necessary. After some hesitation the superiors took up the idea, and a suitable site having been found, the first “desert” was inaugurated June 28, 1592, at Bolarque, on the banks of the Tagus in New Castile. The result was so encouraging that it was decided to found such a house in every province, so that there have been altogether twenty-two “deserts”, many of which, however, have been swept away during periods of political agitation. They were constructed after the manner of a charterhouse, but on a smaller scale. A number of cells, each forming a little house of four rooms with a garden attached, were built in the shape of a quadrangle, one wing of which contained the chapel, sacristy, library, etc. In the older “deserts” the chapel was placed in the center of the quadrangle. The refectory, kitchen, robery and other dependencies were connected with the principal cloister; all the buildings were plain, imposing on account of their austerity rather than their ornamental character. The manner of life, too, resembles that of the Carthusians, but is far more severe. The chant of the Divine Office is more solemn than in other convents; more time is devoted to mental prayer; the fast is extremely strict, the silence all but uninterrupted; only once a fortnight the hermits after the manner of the ancient anchorites, assemble for a conference on some spiritual subject; many volumes of such conferences are still preserved and some have been printed. An hour’s social intercourse follows the conference. The time not devoted to prayer and reading is spent in manual labor, the religous finding occupation in the cultivation of their gardens. Study, strictly speaking, is not allowed, lest the strain upon the mind should become too severe.
Each “desert” possessed extensive grounds which were laid out as forests with numerous rivulets and ponds. At equal distances from the convent and from each other there were small hermitages consisting of a cell and chapel, whither the friars retired at certain periods of the year, as Advent and Lent, in order to live in a solitude still more profound than that of the convent. There they followed all the exercises of the community, reciting their Offices at the same time and with the same solemnity as the brothers in choir, and ringing their bell in response to the church bells. Early in the morning two neighboring hermits served each other’s Mass. On Sundays and feasts they went to the convent for Mass, chapter, and Vespers, and returned in the evening to their hermitages, with provisions for the ensuing week. While in the hermitage they fared, on bread, fruit, herbs, and water, but when in the convent their meals were less frugal, although even then the fast almost equalled that of the early monks. Notwithstanding this rigorous observance the “deserts” were never used as places of punishment for those guilty of any fault, but on the contrary as a refuge for those aspiring after a higher life. No one was sent to the “desert” except upon his own urgent request and even then only if his superiors judged that the applicant had the physical strength and ardent zeal to bear and to profit by the austerity of the hermit life. Among the more celebrated “deserts” should be mentioned those of San Juan Bautista, founded in 1606 at Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bussaco (1628), near Coimbra, Portugal, now a horticultural establishment and recreation ground; Massa (1682), near Sorrento, Italy, well known to visitors to Naples on account of the marvellous view of the gulfs of Naples and Salerno to be obtained from the terrace of the convent; and Tarasteix (1859), near Lourdes, France, founded by Father Hermann Cohen.
The Calced Carmelites tried to introduce a similar institute but were less successful. Andre Blanchard obtained in 1641 the papal approbation for the foundation of a convent at La Graville near Bernos, in France, where the original rule of St. Albert, without the mitigations of Innocent IV should be kept, and the, life led by the hermits on Mount Cannel copied; all went well until the arrival, in 1649, of a pseudo-mystic, Jean Labadie, formerly a Jesuit, who in an incredibly short time succeeded in so influencing the majority of the religious, that at length the bishop had to interfere and dissolve the community. Another “desert” was founded by the Calced Carmelites in 1741 at Neti near Syracuse in honor of the Madonna dells Scala. A suggestion made in the course of the seventeenth century to the Discalced Carmelites of the Italian congregation to introduce perpetual mental prayer after the manner in which in some convents the perpetual chant of the Divine Office, or Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is practiced, namely by relays of religious, was decided against by the chapter as being altogether unsuitable.
T. Exterior Occupations
—Apart from the purely contemplative life led in the “deserts”, and the specific religious exercises practiced in all convents (though in different measure), the chief occupation of the order consists now in the care of souls and missionary work. So long as the Carmelites occupied a well-defined position at the universities and took part in the academic work, a large number cultivated almost exclusively the higher studies. During the Middle Ages the subjects of Carmelite writings were almost invariable, including the explanation of a certain number of Biblical writings, lectures on the various books of Aristotle, the Sentences, and canon law, and sermons De tent pore and De sanctis. In the long list of Carmelite writings preserved by Trithemius, Bale, and others, these subjects occur over and over again. Several friars are known to have cultivated the study of astronomy, as John Belini (1370) and Nicholas de Linne (1386); others concerned themselves with the occult sciences, e.g. William Sedacinensis, whose great work on alchemy enjoyed considerable vogue during the Middle Ages; Oliver Golos was expelled the order on account of his too great knowledge of astrology (1500). There were poets, too, within the order, but while many were justly praised for purity and elegance of style, as Lawrence Burelli (c. 1480), only one secured lasting renown, Blessed Baptista Mantuanus. The other fine arts were also represented, painting chiefly by Filippo Lippi of Florence, whose life, unfortunately, caused him to be dismissed with dishonor. Although many friars cultivated music, no really prominent name can be mentioned. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries allusion is frequently made to Carmelite organists serving various churches outside the order while one obtained leave from the general to repair organs wherever his services might be required.
U. In the University
—When the Carmelites first appeared at the universities, the two great schools of the Dominicans and Franciscans were already formed, and there remained no room for a third. Some attempts to elevate the teaching of John Baconthorpe to the rank of a theological school came to naught. The majority of lecturers and writers belonged to the Thomistic school, especially after the great controversies on grace had compelled various orders to choose sides. This tendency became so intense that the Carmelite Salmanticenses made it their duty to follow the teaching of the Angelical Doctor even in the minutest details. Controversy was inaugurated by Guy de Perpignan, general from 1318-20, author of “Summa de haeresibus”; the subject was taken up anew at the time of the Wycliffite troubles and ultimately led to the important works of Thomas Netter de Walden, the “Doctrinale” and “De Sacramentis et Sacramentalibus”, which proved a gold-mine for controversialists for several centuries. No epoch-making work was done at the time of the Reformation, and the order lost all its northern and the greater part of its German provinces. Although few Carmelite controversialists are to be found on the Catholic side (the best known being Evrard Billick), there were hardly any prominent members among those who lost their faith.
W. Mystical Theology
—Although Scholastic philosophy and theology, as well as moral theology, have found some of their chief exponents among the Carmelites (e.g. the Salmanticenses), other branches of science being less generally cultivated, the field on which absolutely fresh ground was opened by them is mystical theology. During the Middle Ages this subject had been treated only in so far as the ordinary course of studies required, and those of the friars who wrote on it were few and far between, nor do they seem to have exercised much influence. All this was changed with the establishment of the Teresian Reform. As has already been said, St. Teresa was led, unknown to herself, to the highest planes of the mystical life. With her marvellous gift of introspection and analysis, and her constant fear of swerving, be it ever so little, from the teaching of the Church, she subjected her own personal experiences to severe scrutiny, and ever sought the advice and direction of learned priests, chiefly of the Dominican Order. When St. John of the Cross joined the reform, he, fresh from the lecture-rooms at Salamanca and trained in the philosophy and theology of St. Thomas, was able to give her light on the phenomena of psychology and Divine grace. Both of these saints have left writings on mystical theology, Teresa recording and explaining in simple but telling words her own experiences, John taking up the matter more in the abstract sense; still some of his writings, particularly the “Ascent of Mount Carmel“, might almost be considered a commentary on the life and the “Interior Castle” of St. Teresa. There is no evidence that he had derived his knowledge from study; he was unacquainted with the works of St. Bernard, Hugh of St. Victor, Gerson, and the Low German mystics, and knew nothing of the mystical school of the German Dominicans; he appears to have known St. Augustine and the other fathers only in so far as the Breviary and theological textbooks contained extracts from their writings. He was therefore in no way influenced by the views of earlier mystics, and had no difficulty in keeping aloof from the beaten track, but he evolved his system from his own and St. Teresa’s personal experience as seen in the light of Scholastic theology, and with constant reference to the words of Holy Scripture. For the analogies and allegories of previous mystics he had no taste, and nothing was farther from him than the wish to penetrate the secrets of Heaven and gaze behind Divine revelation.
An order which gives such prominence to the contemplative life could not but take up the subject and study it under all its aspects. The experimental part, which of course does not depend on the will of the individual, but which, nevertheless, is assisted by a certain predisposition and preparation, found at all times a home not only in the “deserts” and the convents of Carmelite nuns, but in other houses as well; the annals of the order are full of biographies of profound mystics. Considering the danger of self-deception and diabolical illusion which necessarily besets the path of the mystic, it is surprising how free the Carmelite Order has remained from such blots. Rare instances are on record of friars or nuns who left the safe ground for the crooked ways of a false mysticism. Much of this indemnity from error must be ascribed to the training directors of souls receive, which enables them to discern almost from the outset what is safe from what is dangerous. The symptoms of the influence of good and evil spirits have been explained so clearly by St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, and a prudent reserve in all that does not tend directly to the advancement of virtue has been so urgently counselled, that error can creep in only where there is a want of openness and simplicity on the part of the subject. Hence, among the great number of mystics there have been but very few whose mysticism is open to question. Several great theologians endeavored to reduce mystical theology to a science. Among these must be reckoned Jerome Gratian, the confessor and faithful companion of St. Teresa; Thomas of Jesus, who represented both sides of the Carmelite life, the active part as organizer of the missions of the Universal Church as well as of his order, and the contemplative part as founder of the “deserts”. His great works on mystical theology were collected and printed at the bidding of Urban VIII; Philip of the Blessed Trinity (1603-71), whose “Summa theologiae mysticae” may be taken as the authoritative utterance of the order on this subject; Anthony of the Holy Ghost, Bishop of Angola (d. 1677), author of a handbook for the use of directors of souls, entitled “Directorium mysticum”; Anthony of the Annunciation (d. 1714), and, finally, Joseph of the Holy Ghost (d. 1739), who wrote a large work on mystical theology in three folio volumes; all these and many more strictly adhered to the principles of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross and to the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. The ascetic part was not less cultivated. For elevation of principles and lucidity of exposition it would be difficult to surpass Ven. John of Jesus-Mary. The difficult art of obeying and the more difficult one of commanding have been dealt with in a masterly manner by Modestus a S. Amabili (d. 1684). The Calced Carmelites, too, have furnished excellent works on different branches of mystical theology.
X. Foundations of Women
—The Carmelite nuns established by St. Teresa spread with marvellous rapidity. Such was the veneration in which the foundress was held in Spain during her lifetime that she received more requests for foundations than she could satisfy. Although very careful in the selection of superiors for new convents she had not always the most capable persons at her disposal and complained in several instances of the lack of prudence or the overruling spirit of some prioresses; she even found that some went so far as to tamper with the constitutions. Such incidents may be unavoidable during the first stage of a new order, but Teresa strove to counteract them by detailed instructions on the canonical visitation of her convents. She desired one of her favorite subjects, Ven. Anne of Jesus (Lobera, b. 1545; d. March 4, 1621), prioress of Granada to succeed her in the position of “foundress” of the order. Hence, when Nicolo Doria changed the manner of government of the Discalced Carmelites, Anne of Jesus submitted the Constitutions of St. Teresa (already revised by the General Chapter of 1581) to the Holy See for approbation. Certain modifications having been introduced by successive popes, Doria refused to have anything further to do with the nuns. His successors, however, reinstated them, but maintained the prohibition in vigour for the friars against making foundations outside Spain and the Spanish colonies. A convent, however, had already been inaugurated at Genoa and another was in contemplation in Rome, where some ladies, struck with the writings of St. Teresa, formed a community on the Pincian Hill under the direction of the Oratorians, one of the members being a niece of Cardinal Baronius. On the arrival of the Discalced friars in the Holy City it was found that the nuns had much to learn and more to unlearn. Other convents followed in rapid succession in various parts of Italy, the beatification and canonization of St. Teresa (1614 and 1622) acting as a stimulus. Not all convents were under the government of the order, many having been from the first subject to the jurisdiction of the local bishop; since the French Revolution this arrangement has become the prevailing one. In 1662 the number of nuns under the government of the Fathers of the Italian Congregation was 840; in 1665 it had risen to 906, but these figures, the only ones available, embrace only a very small fraction of the order.
About the beginning of the seventeenth century Mme Acarie (Blessed Marie of the Incarnation, 1565-1618) was admonished in an apparition by St. Teresa to introduce her order into France. Several attempts were made to obtain some nuns trained by the holy foundress herself, but the Spanish superiors declared themselves unable to send subjects beyond the Pyrenees. M. (afterwards Cardinal) de Berulle, acting on behalf of Mme Acarie and her friends, received a Brief from Rome empowering him to proceed with the foundation; but as it contained some clauses distasteful to him, e.g. that the new foundations should be under the government of the friars as soon as these should be established in France, and as it did not contain some others he had counted upon, he obtained through the French ambassador an order from the king commanding the general to send certain nuns to Paris. Among these were Anne of Jesus, and Ven. Anne of St. Bartholomew (1549 to June 7, 1626), then a lay sister, who had been St. Teresa’s attendant during the latter years of her life. Altogether seven sisters left Spain for Paris, where they arrived in July, 1604, being received by Princesse de Longueville and of her ladies of the Court. As it soon became manifest that M. de Berulle had his own ideas about the government of the order, which he was anxious to associate with the French Oratory founded by him, pending the establishment of an “Order of Jesus and Mary” had in contemplation, six of the foundresses left France within a few years, while the seventh remained only under protest.
The French Carmelite nuns were placed (with few exceptions) under the government of the Oratorians, the Jesuits, and secular priests, without any official connection either with the Spanish or the Italian congregation of Discalced Carmelites, forming a congregation apart from the rest of the order. They spread very rapidly, being held in high esteem by the episcopate, the Court, and the people. Unfortunately the mother-house in Paris (Couvent de l’Incarnation, Rue d’Enfer) became for some years one of the centers of the Jansenists, but otherwise the French Carmelites have reflected glory on the Church. Among the most celebrated French Carmelite nuns may be mentioned Louise de la Misericorde (1644-1710), who as Duchesse de la Valliere had taken an unfortunate part in the court scandals under Louis XIV, which she expiated by many years of humble penance; Ven. Therese de Saint Augustin (Mme Louise de France, 1737-87) daughter of Louis XV, notwithstanding her exalted birth, chose for herself one of the poorest convents, Saint-Denis near Paris, where she distinguished herself by the exercise of heroic virtue. During the Revolution all the communities were dissolved; one of them, that of Compiegne, endeavored to keep up, as far as circumstances allowed, the observances prescribed by the rule, until the sixteen nuns were all apprehended, cast into prison, dragged to Paris, tried, condemned to death, and consigned to the guillotine, July 17, 1794; they were beatified in 1906. Another Carmelite nun, Mother Camille de l’Enfant Jesus (Mme de Soyecourt) underwent with her community long imprisonment, but being at last liberated she became instrumental in reestablishing not only her own but many other convents. When at the beginning of the twentieth century the law on religious associations was passed, there were over a hundred Carmelite convents in France with several offshoots in distant parts of the world, even Australia and Cochin China. In consequence of the French legislation many communities took refuge in other countries, but some are still in their old convents.
Quitting Paris for Brussels, Ven. Anne of Jesus became the foundress of the Belgian Carmel. At her instigation the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia called the friars from Rome, with the result that foundations increased rapidly. One of these, at Antwe was due to Ven. Anne of St. Bartholomew, who, while in France, had been promoted from lay sister to prioress, having learned to write by a miracle; she was instrumental in delivering Antwerp from a siege. The Belgian Carmel sent out colonies to other countries, Germany and Poland, where Mother Teresa of Jesus (Marchocka, 1603-52) became celebrated. Another convent was founded at Antwerp for English ladies (1619), who were reinforced by Dutch sisters; in 1623 it was detached from the order and placed under the bishop, and in its turn made foundations at Lierre in 1648, and Hoogstraeten in 1678, all of which became the abode of many noble English ladies during the times of penal laws. At the outbreak of the French Revolution the nuns had to flee the country. After a short stay in the neighborhood of London the community of Antwerp divided into two sections, one proceeding to America, the other settling ultimately at Lanherne in Cornwall, whence they sent out an offshoot which finally settled at Wells in Somerset (1870); the community of Lierre found a home at Darlington, Co. Durham (1830), and that of Hoogstraeten, after much wandering, settled at last at Chichester, Co. Sussex, in .1870. Not counting the French refugees, there are at present seven convents of Carmelite nuns in England. An earlier project for a convent in London, with Mary Frances of the Holy Ghost (Princess Elenore d’Este, 1643-1722, aunt of the Queen of James II) as prioress, came to naught owing to the Orange Revolution, but it appears that about the same time a community was established at Loughrea in Ireland. At times the nuns found it difficult to comply with all the requirements of the rule; thus they were often compelled to lay aside the habit and assume secular dress. Several convents were established in Ireland in the eighteenth century, but in some cases it became necessary for the nuns to accommodate themselves so far to circumstances as to open schools for poor children. There are at present twelve convents in Ireland, mostly under episcopal jurisdiction.
The second section of the English community at Antwerp, consisting of Mother Bernardine Matthews as prioress and three sisters, arrived at New York, July 2, 1790, accompanied by their confessor, Rev. Charles Neale, and Rev. Robert Plunkett. On the feast of St. Teresa, October 15 of the same year, the first convent, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, was inaugurated on the property of Mr. Baker Brooke, about four miles from Port Tobacco, Charles Co., Maryland. Want of support compelled the sisters to seek a more convenient site, and on September 29, 1830, the foundation-stone was laid for a convent in Aisquith Street, Baltimore, whither the community migrated the following year, Mother Angela of St. Teresa (Mary Mudd) being then prioress. In 1872, during the priorship of Mother Ignatius (Amelia Bandy), the present (1908) convent, corner of Caroline and Biddle Streets was inaugurated. This community made a foundation at St. Louis, October 2, 1863, first established at Calvary Farm, and since 1878 within the city. The foundation at New Orleans dates back to 1877, when Mother Teresa of Jesus (Rowan) and three nuns took a house in Ursuline Street, pending the construction of a convent in Barrack Street, which was completed on November 24, 1878. The convent at Boston was founded August 28, 1890, and in its turn established that of Philadelphia, July 26, 1902, Mother Gertrude of the Sacred Heart being the first prioress. In May, 1875, some nuns from Reims arrived at Quebec and found a convenient place at Hochelaga near Montreal, where they established the convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Another Canadian foundation attempted from Baltimore in the same year was unsuccessful, and had to be given up after a few years.
Life of the Nuns.—The life of a Carmelite nun is somewhat different from that of a friar, as there is an essential difference between the vocation of a priest and that of a lay person. Active work, such as nursing the sick and teaching, are out of the question in a cloistered convent. The Carmelite sister leads a contemplative life, a considerable portion of her time being devoted to Divine service, meditation and other pious exercises, the rest occupied with household work and other occupations. The life is necessarily strict, the fasting severe, and there are many opportunities for exercising virtue.
Y. Various Carmelite Institutions
—Several religious institutions have gathered round Cannel. In the Middle Ages we find attached to many convents and churches anchorages, that is, hermitages for recluses who at their own request were walled up by the bishop and who exercised a great influence over the populace by reason of their example, their austerities, and their exhortations. Among the more celebrated Carmelite recluses may be mentioned Thomas Scrope of Bradley, at Norwich, afterwards titular Bishop of Dromore in Ireland and Apostolic legate in Rhodes; and Blessed Jane of Toulouse (beginning of the fifteenth century) whose cultus was approved by Leo XIII.
Probably ever since the coming of the friars to Europe, founders of convents and benefactors were admitted to the order under the title of Confratres, which gave them a right to participation in the prayers and good works of a section or of the entire order, and to suffrages after their death. Neither the constitutions nor the ceremonial of admission of such Confratres, nor even the text of confraternity letters, contain any mention of obligations incumbent on them. The letters were at first granted only after mature consideration, but from the end of the fifteenth century it was less difficult to obtain them; in many cases the general handed numerous blank forms to provincials and priors to be distributed by them at their own discretion. Out of this confraternity, which stood in no organic connection with the order, arose in the sixteenth century, according to all probability, the Confraternity of the Scapular.
Another confraternity was a guild established in 1280 at Bologna, and perhaps elsewhere, which held its meetings in the Carmelite church and from time to time made an offering at a certain altar, but otherwise was entirely independent of the order. As has been seen, some communities of Beguines in the Netherlands asked, in 1452, for affiliation to the order, and thus gave rise to the first convents of Carmelite nuns. At a later period Herman of St. Norbert (d. 1686), preaching in 1663 at Termonde, determined five Beguines, among them Anne Puttemans (d. 1674), to sell their property and found the congregation of Maricoles or Maroles, which was aggregated to the order March 26, 1672; they occupy themselves with the education of poor girls and with the care of the sick in their own homes, and have still many convents in the Dioceses of Mechlin, Ghent, and especially Bruges. A community of thirty-seven hermits living in various hermitages in Bavaria and the Tyrol having asked for aggregation, the General Chapter of the Discalced Carmelites of 1689 granted their wish under certain conditions, among others that not more than four or five should live in each hermitage, but the decree was rescinded in 1692, for what reason is not known, and all connection between these hermits and the order was severed.
Z. Carmelite Tertiaries
—Tertiaries or members of the Third or Secular Order may be divided into two classes, those living in their own homes and those living in community. The former class is first met with in the middle of the fifteenth century, when the Holy. See granted permission to the Carmelites to institute a Third Order of secular persons, after the model of similar institutions attached to other mendicant orders. The oldest printed Missals and Breviaries contain the rite of admission of such persons; these were then known by the term of bizzoche, which has since acquired a somewhat unpleasant meaning. They were bound to recite certain prayers (in the Teresian Reform also to practice meditation), to keep certain fasts and abstinences, refrain from worldly amusements, and to live under obedience to the superiors of the order; they might wear a distinctive habit resembling that of the friars or nuns. Tertiaries living in community observe a rule similar to, but less austere than, that of the friars; there are two communities of Tertiary brothers in Ireland, one at Clondalkin, where they have a boarding-school established previous to 1813, and another, in charge of an asylum for the blind, at Drumcondra near Dublin. There are also Tertiary fathers (natives) in the Archdiocese of Verapoly in India, established in 1855, who serve a number of missions.
Tertiary sisters have a convent in Rome founded by Livia Vipereschi for the education of girls; they were approved by Clement IX in 1668. The Austrian congregation has had, since 1863, ten houses partly for educational purposes, partly for the care of servants. In India, too, there are native Tertiary sisters in Verapoly and Quilon with thirteen houses, boarding schools, and orphanages. A Tertiary convent was founded in Luxemburg in 1886. Finally, mention must be made of the Carmelite Tertiaries of the Sacred Heart lately established in Berlin, with orphanages and kindergartens in various parts of Germany, Holland, England, Bohemia, and Italy.
Statistics.—At the present time there are about 80 convents of Calced Carmelite friars, with about 800 members and 20 convents of nuns; 130 convents of Discalced Carmelite friars, with about 1900 members; the number of convents of nuns, including the French previous to the passing of the Association law, was 360.
BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN
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Billy Graham and the Americanization of religion
Why I thought of Will Herberg and his book Protestant, Catholic, Jew when I heard of the passing of Graham, the famed American evangelist.
March 15, 2018 Russell Shaw The Dispatch 10 Print
Mourners line up Feb. 28 to pay final respects to the Rev. Billy Graham lying in honor in Capitol Rotunda in Washington. (CNS photo/Aaron P. Bernstein, Reuters)
In 1955 a Jewish sociologist named Will Herberg published a book that caused a stir in religious circles. The book’s title was Protestant, Catholic, Jew, and its premise was that by the time of the postwar religious boom then going strong in America, the country had become religiously tripartite.
Most people probably took this as welcome affirmation from social science of the toleration and mutual acceptance accompanying religious pluralism that by then were well along in becoming established parts of American life.
That, however, was a simplistic reading of Herberg. His further point, one he by no means welcomed himself, was that Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism in the U.S. had been reduced to expressions of basically the same “great overarching commitment”—a commitment to the American Way of Life. Now, he added, all three were at risk of losing their distinctive religious identities in the great American melting pot.
I thought of Will Herberg and his book when I heard of the passing of Billy Graham, the famed American evangelist who died last month at the age of 99. Graham was a sincere believer and by all accounts an eminently decent man. His personal commitment to Christ and Christianity was transparently evident and highly edifying. Undoubtedly he did a great deal of good.
But along with all the pluses, Billy Graham also was a de facto embodiment of the broad-based, non-dogmatic, undifferentiated version of religion that Herberg, who wrote as Graham’s star was on the rise, had in view in warning of the growing assimilation of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews into American secular culture in a process that involved a thinning out of religious identity.
Mainline Protestants had of course been first to travel that particular road, even as evangelicals and fundamentalists were retreating into largely self-imposed cultural isolation following the disaster of the Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’ trial in 1925. But by the mid-1950s the Catholics, Jews, and, increasingly, popular evangelicals like Graham were catching up with the mainline Protestants while, as Herberg put it, “losing their capacity to resist dissolution in the culture.”
Much has changed in the world of American religion since then. The religious boom has long since faded. Other religious bodies, notably including Muslims, have become a presence on the American religious scene. And the number of religiously non-affiliated Americans has risen dramatically.
But one thing hasn’t changed. The constant is ongoing cultural assimilation, and the accompanying loss of religious identity, that was and today continues to be a central part of the American religious experience, described by Herberg as “essentially the ‘Americanization’ of religion in America, and therefore also its thorough-going secularization.”
To make his point, Herberg quoted a remark attributed to President Dwight Eisenhower: “Our government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don’t care what it is.” To which Herberg added: “And why didn’t he care what it was? Because, in his view, as in the view of all normal Americans, they ‘all say the same thing.’”
Much was said in praise of Billy Graham after his death, and much that was said was well deserved. But along with praising Graham the individual Christian, one must also express reservations concerning the limitations of the version of culturally assimilated religion he stood for.
Protestants, Catholics, and Jews haven’t yet worked out a viable response to the challenge of cultural assimilation in secular America. And Billy Graham, for all his decency and personal commitment, was not much help in doing that.
Protestant Catholic Jew
Will Herberg
About Russell Shaw 219 Articles
Russell Shaw was secretary for public affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference from 1969 to 1987. He is the author of 20 books, including Nothing to Hide, American Church: The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America, and, most recently, Eight Popes and the Crisis of Modernity.
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The ultimate purpose of Christian revelation was not to improve the world but to explain the final destiny of each existing person. The purpose of […]
Robert Haddad
All are not similarly talented. One person plants, another waters, another harvests. Mr. Graham’s calling from God was obviously to call people to Jesus. He did that extremely well. It is for others to be the teachers, and for the individuals to find their way to the Church established by Jesus over 2,000 years ago.
Larry Donlan
While gushing praise for Billy Graham, one should also remember that he was the first to show that millions could be made peddling religion to the masses. He also believed that the murder of pre-born children could be justified in the cases of rape and incest, a demonic political position if ever there was one.
Carl E. Olson
Not sure this piece is “gushing praise”. Regardless, it should be noted that Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) often preached to crowds of 10,000 or more, and Billy Sunday (1862-1935) is estimated to have preached to over 100 million people face-to-face, mostly without modern technology/amplification. Graham, of course, looked to both for inspiration, although his own style differed in various ways. Your point about abortion is well taken; it is, alas, a common position for many (but not all) Evangelicals.
argle bargle
The responsibility of the success or failure of authentic Catholicism in the United States (or anywhere else) rests squarely with the Church leadership.
As goes the Church, so goes the culture – not the other way around.
The state has a stake in making sure those under its power assimilate its ideology to keep it in place. Who can resist the power of the state, and how?
What happened to ecumenism? St. Pope John Paul II encouraged its use. The concern is the conflict between evangelism and ecumenism. How can I honor another’s faith if my mission is to convert him?
You misunderstand what ecumenism means from a Catholic perspective, I think. It does not imply ecclesial relativism.
Joe M
A fascinating piece to appear on a Catholic website since all most recent Catholic voices seem as ‘assimilation’-oriented as Graham, even given the Church’s unique clams to authority. It seems to raise as many questions in my mind as it answers… The impression I get is Graham was so successful that Church leaders felt compelled to keep up.
And then there was John Vianney who probably preached to hundreds of thousands without ever playing center field or travelling outside his parish – just on account of his sanctity.
Billy Graham and the Americanization of religion -
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Man of Steel and Cross of Wood
Nick Olszyk June 19, 2013 0
MPAA Rating, PG-13 USCCB Rating, A-III (Adults) Reel Rating, (5 Reels out of 5) Among the great Christ figures of world literature, Superman is our country’s best such figure by, literally, leaps […]
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Cardinals’ Wainwright will look to continue success vs. Pirates
Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals will try to maintain their edge over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday in Game 2 of their three-game series.
After winning 14 of 19 games against the Pirates last season, the Cardinals beat them 5-4 on Opening Day at Busch Stadium.
Wainwright (14-10, 4.19 ERA last season) was 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts against the Pirates in 2019. He is 16-7 with a 4.24 ERA in 42 career games against them, including 36 starts.
First-year Pirates manager Derek Shelton will counter with starting pitcher Trevor Williams (7-9, 5.38 ERA last season). Williams was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals last season and he is 4-4 with a 5.19 ERA in 14 career games against them.
Wainwright drew the season’s second start on the strength of the throwing program he maintained during the pandemic shutdown.
“I’m going to petition the league to see if these innings are going to count on the back of my baseball card,” Wainwright said. “There’s no question in my mind I would have won June Pitcher of the (Month). I got every one of those ghosts out every single time. When I was throwing bullpens off wood platforms earlier this year, I was hitting every spot. I had to have won Pitcher of May. April, probably, too.”
He reported to Summer Camp with enough arm endurance to work deep into games. That put him ahead of younger members of the starting rotation who were still building up their arms.
“I think every pitcher is feeling pretty good about the time we had off,” Wainwright said. “Unfortunately, you had time off but it does give you time to prepare more and rest up and get your body strong.”
Josh Bell (6-for-20, double, homer, four walks, three runs, five RBIs, .900 on-base-plus-slugging percentage) and Adam Frazier (6-for-22, three walks, two homers, five runs, three RBIs, .906 OPS) are among the Pirates who have done damage against Wainwright.
Like Wainwright, Williams has been eager to work in a real game after the long pandemic shutdown.
“Once we get the competitive juices flowing pitching against another team, that’s when all the switches are flipped,” Williams said. “I think we had enough time in our three-week buildup to get everybody ready. I feel ready to go. I think everybody feels ready to go, and there’s just extra buzz in the clubhouse, especially, on the road.”
He pitched Monday night in an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians and threw six curveballs. This was a new wrinkle because he threw just 27 of them during the previous two regular seasons combined.
“We were able to execute it in situations where we wanted to execute it and get a feel for it early in the game, both from the windup and the stretch,” Williams said. “We’re gonna see how it (works) as a weapon for me. It could change start to start. It just kind of depends on what our scouts tell us.”
Cardinals Paul DeJong (6-for-17, three doubles, homer, four RBIs), Matt Carpenter (8-for-23, two doubles, three homers, six walks, 1.309 OPS), Dexter Fowler (6-for-16, two walks, two runs, two RBIs), Kolten Wong (6-for-13), and Paul Goldschmidt (5-for-13) have all hit well against Williams.
Wong had missed Wednesday’s exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals with a stiff neck, but he was in the leadoff spot on Opening Day. The Cardinals opened with an unclaimed spot on their 30-man roster with reliever Giovanny Gallegos not quite ready for active duty.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP)The Minnesota Twins and veteran starting pitcher J.A. Happ agreed Wednesday to an $8 million, one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
The person confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced it.
HOUSTON (AP)Outfielder Michael Brantley has agreed to a $32 million, two-year contract with the Houston Astros, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
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CONTACT CRI
VIEW THE APPEAL INFO
CLICK TO DONATE NOW
DR. AMALIA IRINA JAHN
Chair (interim)
Dr. Irina Jahn brings with her experience attained over more than 22 years in the medical field.
She was born in Bogotá, Colombia and from an early age she decided she wanted to become a doctor.
She was awarded a scholarship to study medicine in the Soviet Union and trained at the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. She moved to Copenhagen once she concluded her studies and after gaining permanent authorization from the Danish board of health she worked for a while in hospitals in Copenhagen. She later relocated to Kyiv, Ukraine and was appointed as the doctor of confidence of several diplomatic missions as well as the United Nations. She is fluent in Spanish, Russian, Danish and English
Dr Jahn is an active member of the Kyiv Lions Club (KLC) and was the chairman of the donations committee from 2014-2016. She continues to serve in this committee which is responsible for selecting and overviewing the projects. She has also participated in the organization of fundraising events for the KLC which have raised and donated over 3 million dollars to projects in Ukraine involving children, handicapped, elderly and the donation of lifesaving medical equipment to hospitals.
Having lived in Colombia and Ukraine for many years, Dr Jahn has first hand experience of the devastation armed conflict can cause to a country and the important role organizations like Conflict Recovery International, play not only in the clearance of explosive hazards, but in providing effective education to the population on safety around landmines and other remaining explosive remnants of war.
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31 May UK Hospitals rely on Contacta Speech Transfer systems for conveying critical patient information through glazed screens
Posted at 22:04h in by blogcontacta
Contacta have been manufacturing Speech Transfer Systems since 1985. Over the years a variety of models have been introduced and the performance of the systems has been improved continuously. Today, Contacta is a world leader in this category and a recognised leader in solutions for transmission of sound through barriers such as glazed screens.
This success has been firmly evident in many UK hospitals. The preference from hospitals and their facility management companies has been clear when it comes to choosing a reliable, long lasting system to serve both patients and staff at interaction points.
Over time, systems have been supplied and installed at hundreds of hospitals in critical locations such as A&E, waiting areas and receptions desks.
Contacta Speech Transfer systems are preferred due to their robustness, sound quality and flexibility. The systems deliver both clear sound whilst maintaining privacy in areas of close proximity. All systems combine a hearing loop system, making environments accessible for people who wear a hearing aid.
In Bristol Royal Infirmary hospital, two STS-K001 systems have been installed by Contacta engineers at the patient access welcome desk, where glass screens are in place.
The hospital had old competitor systems installed at this location, however, these stopped working thus causing serious communication problems for both patients and staff at the welcome desk.
Due to the large size of the waiting area in this location, the STS-K001 was recommended. This model consists of two speakers ensuring sound can be loud enough to overcome surrounding background noise, ensuring clear and concise communication.
The STS-K001 model is often the preferred choice at hospital A&E reception areas due to the loud ambient noises. It offers a particularly effective solution for these environments.
Other examples for hospitals where this system has been installed include the well-known Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, the state of the art Omagh Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkstone and many more.
In 2020 hospitals continue to prefer Contacta Speech Transfer Systems, new models are being introduced to adapt to the ever-changing environments of healthcare facilities.
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WTR 1000 2020 – Paula Clancy Among World’s Leading Trademark Professionals
By Alina Cartan
We are delighted to announce that Clancy PC’s Managing Partner, Paula Clancy, has been ranked among the world’s leading trademark practitioners by the World Trademark Reporter’s Top 1000 (“WTR 1000”) for the 10th consecutive year.
The WTR 1000 is a publication that ranks the top firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in the practice of Trademark Law. In order to do so, the World’s Trademark Reporter undertakes an exhaustive four-month qualitative research project in more than 80 jurisdictions.
To learn more about WTR 1000, click here.
To view the official rankings, click here.
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Prostate Cancer Basics
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi > Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi > Health Hub > Health Library > Prostate Cancer Basics
Patient education
The prostate is a muscular, walnut-sized gland that surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that transports urine and sperm out of the body. (A gland is a group of cells that secretes chemicals that act on or control the activity of other cells or organs.)
The main function of the prostate is to produce semen, the milky fluid that transports sperm. Sperm is produced in the testicles, which also produce the main male hormone testosterone. Testosterone stimulates the growth and function of the prostate during puberty, as well as the production of prostatic fluid for semen.
During sexual climax (orgasm), the muscles of the prostate contract to push the semen through the urethra and out through the penis. The urethra also carries urine, a waste product made by the kidneys and stored in the bladder. When the penis is erect during sexual intercourse, the flow of urine is blocked from the urethra, allowing only semen to be ejaculated at orgasm.
Where is the prostate located?
The prostate is located directly beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Because the upper portion of the urethra passes through the prostate, if the gland becomes enlarged it can obstruct the passage of urine or semen through the urethra.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. More than 180,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and more than 40,000 will die of the disease. Eighty percent of men who reach age 80 have prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that usually begins in the outer part of the prostate. In most men, the cancer grows very slowly. In fact, many men with the disease will never know they had the condition. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself, and the majority of patients with this type of cancer can live for years with no problems.
Prostate cancer is characterized by both “grade” and “stage.” The size and extent of the tumor determine its stage. Early stage prostate cancer, Stages T1 and T2, are limited to the prostate gland. Stage T3 prostate cancer has advanced to tissue immediately outside the gland. Stage T4 prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
What causes prostate cancer?
Like many cancers, the cause of prostate cancer is unknown. But doctors do know that it is more common in African-American men and men with a family history of the disease. The male sex hormone testosterone also contributes to its growth.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer, by nature, is silent in its initial stages. Its symptoms don’t appear until later, when patients may notice a need to urinate frequently, particularly at night. Prostate cancer may also cause a difficulty or inability to urinate, a weak or interrupted flow of urine or painful and burning urination. Other symptoms may include painful ejaculation, blood in urine or semen, and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or extremities.
Who is at risk for prostate cancer?
The number of cases of prostate cancer has declined among white American men. The incidence of the disease in black men and the mortality rate among black men is more than twice that of white men, according to the American Cancer Society.
The following are some of the risk factors for prostate cancer:
Age. The greatest risk factor for prostate cancer is age. More than 75 percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men older than 65 years.
Family history. Men whose relatives have had prostate cancer are considered to be at high risk. Having a father or brother with the disease doubles your risk for prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Therefore, screening for prostate cancer should be started at age 40 in men with a family history of the disease. To date, two genes have been identified that predispose a man to prostate cancer. Experts estimate that the hereditary form of prostate cancer accounts for just 9 percent of all cases.
Race. African-Americans have the highest incidence of prostate cancer. They are 30 to 50 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than other races in the U.S. Japanese and African men living in their native countries have a low incidence of prostate cancer. Rates for these groups increase sharply when they immigrate to the U.S. African-Americans, therefore, represent another group of men for whom prostate cancer screening should begin at age 40. The increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men suggests an environmental connection, possibly related to high-fat diets, inadequate exposure to the sun, exposure to heavy metals such as cadmium, infectious agents, or smoking.
Diet. Research also suggests high dietary fat may be a contributing factor. The disease is much more common in countries in which meat and dairy products are dietary staples, compared with countries in which the basic diet consists of rice, soybean products, and vegetables.
Male hormones. High levels of male hormones called androgens may increase the risk of prostate cancer for some men, according to the American Cancer Society. Research is currently under way to determine whether medicines that lower androgen levels can lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Sedentary lifestyle. You may be able to reduce your risk for prostate cancer by getting regular exercise and maintaining your optimal weight.
How is prostate cancer detected?
The most effective means of detecting prostate cancer early is through a screening, which involves a digital rectal exam and measuring the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood.
The PSA test is believed to detect most prostate cancers. PSA is a protein secreted by the prostate into the bloodstream. Elevated levels of this antigen may indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
If cancer is suspected, a prostate biopsy (removal of tiny pieces of prostate tissue) will be performed. By removing a tissue sample from the tumor and examining it, doctors can confirm or rule out a diagnosis of cancer and determine whether the disease has spread to other organs.
What if prostate cancer is diagnosed?
Fortunately, most prostate cancers have not spread at the time they are diagnosed, and the cancer is most often confined to the prostate gland.
To help predict the aggressiveness of the prostate cancer, your physician will look at your PSA levels before the biopsy and will also calculate the “Gleason Score.” The Gleason Score is a sum of the grades of the two most common prostate tumors. After looking at microscopic sections of the biopsied prostate tissue, the pathologist assigns a grade (from 3 to 5, with 3 being closest to normal appearance and 5 being least normal) to the tumors based on their appearance. The Gleason Score is therefore a score that ranges from 6 to 10, with 6 representing the least aggressive form (confined to the gland) and 10 representing the most aggressive form of cancer (highest risk of spreading outside the gland).
From the PSA levels and the Gleason Score, a treatment plan is devised. For men with a low risk of the cancer having spread outside the gland, staging studies such as bone scans and computed tomography scans are not needed. Men with cancer with a higher likelihood of spreading may require these staging studies to determine where the cancer may have spread.
What are the treatment options for prostate cancer?
Physicians tailor prostate cancer treatment plans to their patient’s needs, taking into account the type of cancer, the age of the individual, the degree to which the cancer has spread and the general health of the patient.
Observation or surveillance. For men with low-risk cancer, observation may be an initial strategy.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. A minimally invasive procedure, laparoscopic prostatectomy removes the prostate gland. Laparoscopic prostatectomy is offered at only a handful of medical centers in the country. Unlike conventional surgery, a laparoscopic prostatectomy requires only five button-hole incisions. Through these incisions, a surgeon uses a laparoscope—a tiny camera—and surgical instruments to conduct the operation and remove the prostate.
Robotic radical prostatectomy. Robotic prostate cancer surgery is offered at some institutions. During the procedure, surgeons use robotic arms to guide the laparoscope through small incisions to remove the cancerous prostate and affected tissue. Various robotic systems are available, which may consist of a 3-armed robot connected to a remote console. The surgeon operates the system while seated at the console. Foot pedals are used for control, and 3-dimensional displays provide a unique depiction of the surgical field.
Open radical prostatectomy. Open radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate with an incision in the lower abdomen. Since the prostate wraps around the urethra, once it is removed the surgeon must reconnect the bladder with the urethra.
Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation can be produced from a machine outside the body (external radiation) or by putting materials that produce radiation (radioisotopes) through thin plastic tubes into the area in which the cancer cells are found (internal radiation).
Interstitial brachytherapy (seed implantation). Interstitial brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy. A radiation oncologist and urologist implant radioactive pellets or “seeds” into the prostate, and the pellets radiate the prostate and surrounding tissue over time.
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy. An advanced form of radiotherapy called intensity-modulated radiotherapy has shortened the duration of prostate cancer treatment by several weeks. With computer guidance, high doses of radiotherapy can be delivered precisely to the tumor, reducing the risk to normal tissue.
Cryotherapy. Small needle-shaped probes can be inserted into the prostate to freeze the gland to temperatures lethal to a prostate cancer. This minimally invasive, incision-free procedure is performed either on an outpatient basis or with a one-night hospital admission. Patients recover in a matter of days and usually experience minimal after effects.
Hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is a prostate cancer treatment that alters the body’s hormone balance to prevent certain cancers from growing. Hormone therapy may be accomplished using drugs that alter the way hormones work or with surgery that removes hormone-producing organs such as the testes.
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken orally or injected into a vein. Chemotherapy is usually a systemic treatment, which means that the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells anywhere in the body, including the prostate.
What is the outlook for prostate cancer?
Eighty-nine percent of the men diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive at least 5 years, while 63% will survive 10 years or longer.
Because prostate cancer is a slow-growing disease, many affected men will die from other causes. Evidence also indicates that many patients detect their prostate cancer, at a curable stage, because of annual screening.
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10 July 2017 by Aadil Patel Employment Alert
Security on security – Review applications
Snyman AJ recently provided some clarity on issues relating to the payment of security in review applications in the case of Rustenburg Local Municipality v South African Local Government Bargaining Council and others (Case No. J 779/2017).
The court was called on to consider this matter with special consideration of the recent amendments to s145 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). It was emphasised that the introduction of s145(7) and (8) of the LRA was to discourage review applications that have little prospects of success. This came about as a result of employers reviewing arbitration awards even if the review application had little merit, merely to obstruct or delay compliance with an arbitration award.
This matter involved the issue of when and on what terms, the execution of arbitration awards issued in terms of the dispute resolution processes under the LRA can be suspended or stayed, especially in light of the s145 amendments.
Section 145 of the LRA states that the institution of review proceedings does not suspend the operation of an arbitration award unless the applicant furnishes security to the satisfaction of the court. Subsection 8 sets out the amounts required as security to be 24 months’ remuneration in the case of an award for reinstatement or re-employment, and in the case of awarded compensation, an amount equivalent to the compensation.
Despite the pending review application in this matter, the CCMA certified an arbitration award for purposes of the execution and issued a writ of enforcement. The employer applied to the Labour Court to stay the execution and to be absolved from providing security as required by the LRA. In essence, the employer held that because it was subject to the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), it should be exonerated from furnishing security under the LRA because such payment was not budgeted for and it was not possible to provide it.
The Labour Court emphasised that arbitration awards are final and binding and that it is trite that arbitration awards remain executable, despite a pending review. It held, that the duty is directly on the applicant in review proceedings to seek relief to stay the execution of the award pending the conclusion of the review.
The court held that the suspension of execution of an award can either be effected by way of security or obtained by leave of the court, in terms of s145(7) of the LRA. However, this does not prescribe how or in what form this security must be provided. It simply provides that this security must be to the satisfaction of the court. In considering what this means, the Labour Court concluded that security can be provided by payment into the court or the Sheriff’s trust account, or by the issuing of a security bond by a legal practitioner or a registered banking institution. Once such satisfactory security has been provided, the simple process of serving and filing of a bond document would satisfy the Court.
Where an applicant for review does not wish to furnish security for the suspension of the enforcement of the award, then it must secure a suspension of enforcement from the Labour Court by way of an application under s145(3), which states ‘[t]he Labour Court may stay the enforcement of the award pending its decision.’ The Court exercises a discretion in this regard, and may even impose conditions, including reducing the amount of security required or even dispensing with it all together.
However, a proper case must always be made out by the applicant, in seeking to dispense with the requirement of providing security. In simple terms, the court will require security to be provided, unless the applicant can show good and proper cause why this should not be the case. The explanation cannot be that it will be hard to set security, but that it would be unduly onerous and harmful to be required to set the prescribed security.
The court concluded that all employers, whether in the public service or the private sector, should be subject to the same requirement of providing security. Importantly, it held that the previous case of Free State Gambling and Liquor Authority v Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration & Others, setting precedent to the effect that public service entities subject to the provisions of the PFMA or related legislation are exempt or exonerated from providing security under s145, was wrong.
In this regard, the court held that the LRA must prevail, in line with s210, which states that if any conflict relating to the matters dealt with in the LRA arises between it and the provisions of any other law (save for the Constitution or any Act expressly amending the LRA), the provisions of the LRA will prevail. Therefore, the LRA prevails above other legislation such as MFMA, as in this case.
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Aadil Patel National Practice Head, Director Johannesburg Full Profile
An Employer's Guide to Adjusted Level 3 Regulations
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Latest episodes on electronic signatures and the risk associated therewith
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https://www.cliffedekkerhofmeyr.com/en/en/news/publications/2017/employment/employment-alert-10-july-security-on-security-review-applications.html
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Political Op-Eds Social Commentary
A reality check for Chuck Hagel bashers
John Avlon, CNN Contributor
Updated 7:46 AM EST, Thu January 31, 2013
John Avlon: Critics targeted Hagel since he was nominated for secretary of defense
Avlon: Hagel wrongly called anti-gay, anti-Israel, but it's really about opposing Iraq war
Hagel is a mainstream conservative and Vietnam vet, wary of calls to war, he says
Avlon: Unfounded attacks show "you're with us or against us" neoconservative view
John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is co-editor of the book “Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns.” He is a regular contributor to “Erin Burnett OutFront” and is a member of the OutFront Political Strike Team. For more political analysis, tune in to “Erin Burnett OutFront” at 7 ET weeknights.
At Thursday’s Capitol Hill confirmation hearing, Chuck Hagel will finally get to answer his critics.
The decorated Vietnam veteran and two-term Republican senator from Nebraska is President Obama’s choice to be the next secretary of defense. But the bipartisan pick hasn’t brought the two parties together.
Instead, a cadre of conservative activists have been trying to drum up opposition to Hagel ever since his name was first floated in what has amounted to a pre-emptive attack on not just his policies but, too often, his character. It’s time for a reality check.
The anti-Hagel campaign has accused him of being everything from “out of the mainstream” to anti-Israel to anti-Semitic to anti-gay – serious charges, if true.
Politics: Five things Hagel may be asked
John P. Avlon
But let’s be honest: Hagel’s cardinal sin among neo-conservatives was his outspoken opposition to Bush-era foreign policy in Iraq and his decision to break Republican ranks and not support the 2007 Iraq surge.
Good people can disagree on policy and personnel; my wife and I disagree on the Hagel nomination. A confirmation hearing can usefully clear up any sincere questions. But a look at the facts, armed with a sense of perspective, suggests that it might be Hagel’s most vociferous critics who are outside the historic mainstream, not Hagel himself.
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Hagel’s unvarnished independence is well-known in Washington, but his opposition to the quagmire of the Iraq war is not idiosyncratic. It is philosophically consistent with being a small government conservative and a Vietnam veteran, suspicious of calls to war by people who won’t have to serve in the combat zone.
He still carries shrapnel in his chest from being wounded in Vietnam. After his war service, he said, “I made myself a promise that if I ever got out of that place and was ever in a position to do something about war – so horrible, so filled with suffering – I would do whatever I could to stop it. I have never forgotten that promise.”
This doesn’t mean Hagel is some kind of pacifist. But as the first enlisted man to serve in combat to be nominated for secretary of defense, he does have a grunt’s-eye view of war and a commitment to making it a last resort, consistent with our national interest – hence his reasonable regrets about the invasion of Iraq and his caution about charging into a war with Iran.
Politics: McCain moves from backer to skeptic on Hagel
“We blundered into Iraq because of flawed intelligence, flawed assumptions, flawed judgments, and ideologically driven motives,” he wrote in his 2008 memoir, “America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers.”
“We must not repeat these errors with Iran and the best way to avoid them is to maintain an effective dialogue. Preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon is in the interest of both the United States and the world community.”
He also repeatedly calls Iran a state sponsor of terrorism. As part of the effort to contain Iran’s ambitions, Hagel believes that multilateral sanctions are more effective than unilateral sanctions, a belief largely borne out by experience. This policy disagreement is worthy of debate, but it is far from a disqualification.
Top generals back Hagel
McCain's 'serious concerns' about Hagel
Zakaria: Hagel a 'brave nomination'
In 2012, Hagel co-wrote an opinion piece with a bipartisan group of former congressmen and military leaders on stopping Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. It said, “our position is fully consistent with the policy of presidents for more than a decade of keeping all options on the table, including the use of military force, thereby increasing pressure on Iran while working toward a political solution.”
This policy is common sense, consistent with that of both President Bush and Obama, and entirely within the mainstream. And yet, the accusation that Hagel is out of the mainstream on Iran and Israel percolates because it is in the talking points. An early broadside came from The Weekly Standard, which published an anonymous e-mail, allegedly from a Senate aide, reading, “Send us Hagel and we will make sure every American knows he is an anti-Semite.”
This is a serious accusation and a transparent attempt to intimidate. Anti-Semitism is a rightfully toxic charge. Israel is America’s closest ally in the world, along with the UK. But in a recent interview with his hometown paper in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hagel said that his record demonstrates “unequivocal, total support for Israel.”
In his memoir, Hagel devotes an entire chapter to “The Holy Land: Israel and The Arabs,” full of calls for negotiated peace with statements like this: “There is one important given that is not negotiable: A comprehensive solution should not include any compromise regarding Israel’s Jewish identity, which must be assured. The Israeli people must be free to live in peace and security.”
For what it’s worth, five former ambassadors to Israel have endorsed Hagel’s nomination, and former Israeli Consul Gen. Alon Pinkas has clarified that Hagel is “not anti-Israel.”
Politics: Why some conservatives are still going after Hagel
The anti-gay charge has been pushed by the Log Cabin Republicans as well as some liberal groups for Hagel’s opposition to Bill Clinton’s 1998 nomination of the openly gay James Hormel to serve as ambassador of Luxembourg. At the time, Hagel questioned the wisdom of having an “openly, aggressively gay” ambassador – a statement that reflects the unevolved times on this issue.
Hagel has since apologized. Christopher Barron of the gay conservative group GOProud questioned the RNC’s aggressive promotion of this line of attack, tweeting, “The RNC website uses the Hagel is anti-gay smear, anyone told them to take a look at the GOP platform recently?”
The final reality check relates to the conservative senators who have criticized their former colleague. In 2006, John McCain said he’d be “honored to have Chuck with me in any capacity. He’d make a great secretary of state.” But after Hagel was nominated by Obama, McCain questioned Hagel’s “overall attitude toward the United States and the world.”
Republican leader Mitch McConnell also broadly praised Hagel as recently as 2009, saying, “Chuck has earned the respect of his colleagues and risen to national prominence as a clear voice on foreign policy and national security.” This generous perspective is unlikely to be recollected by conservatives during the confirmation hearings.
Since his nomination, Hagel has been diligently working the corridors of Congress, trying to address concerns directly. He’s also met with leaders of organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to address the accusations behind closed doors.
Consider the attacks on Hagel against the backdrop of facts, with a sense of perspective. And then look at the staunch defenders of Hagel’s nomination: Republican Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell, Reagan’s respected Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci and the first President Bush’s national security adviser Brent Scowcroft.
The bottom line: Chuck Hagel is squarely in the Main Street Republican tradition. That he is being relentlessly attacked by some neoconservatives reflects how much their “you’re either with us or against us” attitude has strayed out of the historic mainstream.
Listen: Hagel’s other war
Policy differences can and should be debated, but stooping to personal smears smacks of desperation. It is doubly ironic because Hagel’s appointment by a Democratic president is designed to help re-center American foreign policy, reminding us all of some forgotten Cold War era wisdom articulated by Republican Sen. Arthur Vandenberg during the Truman administration: “Partisan politics ought to end at the water’s edge.”
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.
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Yale School of Management course enriches local publisher
In 2017, the Managing Director of Insight Publications, Mizz De Zoysa-Lewis, received an IGNITE grant of $4000 to attend a Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing course at the Yale School of Management.
The intensive week-long program helps publishing professionals understand the challenges and opportunities created in an increasingly global and digital publishing landscape. “By attending this course, I was hoping to extend my knowledge on how successful international publishers handle every aspect of their business,” says Ms De Zoysa-Lewis. “I was able to test and challenge my current strategies, my leadership style, and to gain new ideas relating to innovation and consumer behaviour.”
Participants in the highly-coveted course heard from industry leaders such as Marcus Leaver (The Quarto Group Inc.), Kirsty Melville (Andrews McMeel Universal), Nihar Malaviya (Penguin Random House) and Rick Joyce (formerly Perseus Books Group). They spent up to 12 hours a day in discussions about the industry and solutions to challenges such as the impact of Amazon. Attendees were also encouraged to share personal experiences, forming strong relationships with publishing colleagues from all over the world.
“Attending this course at Yale University has been one of the most satisfying and enriching learning experiences I’ve ever had,” says Ms De Zoysa-Lewis. “It has pushed me to become actively involved in passing on my knowledge to my staff by delivering workshops and to seek opportunities where I can help students in publishing as well.”
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund IGNITE grants support individuals working in the writing, publishing and visual arts sectors to acquire professional development through mentorships, internships, residencies and leadership opportunities.
Cultural Fund and Reading Australia Officer, Nicola Evans, says, “The Yale program is a fantastic opportunity to engage in important and relevant conversations about the future of the publishing industry on a global level.
“As we mark International Women’s Day 2018 this week, it’s important to support opportunities for leadership skills for publishers and to celebrate success.
“We are thrilled to have supported Mizz with this opportunity which has helped her bring back insights she can share with her publishing peers in Australia.”
Learn more about the IGNITE grants and apply for 2018 funding before 20 April.
Tags: cultural fund, IGNITE, International Women's Day, learning, opportunities, publishing
« Previous: Editing mentorships target diverse new writers Next: Copyright Agency launches online help centre for members »
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Crystal W. Guinther
Contributed | February 5, 2018
COSHOCTON – Crystal Wright Guinther, 76, of Coshocton died Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 at the Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus.
She was born Feb. 20, 1941 in Coshocton to the late Avery Jack and Dollie (Wright) McCoy.
Crystal was a 1959 graduate of Warsaw High School. She worked as a personal secretary at Pretty Products in Coshocton and also Herco in Newcomerstown from which she retired.
She is survived by her husband, John T. Guinther, whom she married Jan. 15, 1960. A sister-in-law, Joann Guinther and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by a brother and three sisters.
No visitation was observed. Burial was in the Valley View Cemetery at Warsaw. The Fischer Funeral Home in Warsaw handled the arrangements. www.fischerfuneralhome.com
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
« Sheriff’s Office Morning Report for Feb. 03, 2018
Sheriff’s Office Morning Report for Feb. 04, 2018 »
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Report: Ky's drop in uninsured poor leads U.S.
Laura Ungar
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 AM Wednesday, Dec. 21
Kentucky saw the nation’s biggest recent drop in low-income working-age adults without health insurance, a report released on Wednesday says.
The Commonwealth Fund report found that Kentucky’s rate dropped from 38 percent in 2013 to 13 percent in 2015, following full implementation of Obamacare in 2014. Nationally, the rate dropped from 38 percent to 25 percent during those years.
“I think this proves again what we already knew – that Kentucky has been a national model in getting folks covered,” said Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health.
Researchers also ranked states on access to health care, looking at measures such as dental visits and out-of-pocket health spending relative to income. Kentucky ranked 18th nationally on health care access, moving up 10 spots from last year’s rankings, which is the largest gain in the nation. Kentucky also improved more than any other state on a measure looking at the numbers of people who forgo health care because of costs.
In recent years, about 440,000 Kentuckians gained health coverage through an expansion of Medicaid enacted by former Gov. Steve Beshear under the Affordable Care Act, which allowed coverage for anyone earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. That’s about $16,200 a year for an individual. Medicaid now covers more than 1.3 million Kentuckians, which is more than a quarter of the state’s population.
Gov. Matt Bevin — who has called Obamacare “a disaster” — is now working to scale back the Medicaid expansion. He’s asked federal officials for permission to restructure the program so that the state can charge co-pays and premiums and require people to work or volunteer up to 20 hours a week to keep their benefits. The governor has said his plan will improve residents’ health while controlling the soaring costs of Medicaid in Kentucky.
MORE HEALTH NEWS:
► 'Orphan' utilities skip water tests for decades
► Teen adjusts to life with Type 2 diabetes
►Hepatitis skyrockets in Ky women, drugs blamed
Doug Hogan, a spokesman for Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said it’s misleading to look at the uninsured rate without additional context. He said the number of people enrolled in private health insurance is about the same as it was before the ACA took effect. “What we saw was an unsustainable growth of 68 percent in the state’s Medicaid program,” he said.
Beauregard argues that scaling back the Medicaid expansion and repealing the ACA — as many Republicans on a national level promise they will try to do — will be terrible for Kentucky, one of the poorest and unhealthiest states in the country.
“The gains that we’ve made are at risk,” she said, adding that charity and uncompensated care at hospitals will go up if people lose their health insurance. “There will be real consequences for the entire state of Kentucky.”
But Hogan said Bevin’s proposal, called Kentucky HEALTH, is “an innovative common-sense approach that will improve the health of our citizens and encourage self-sufficiency” while keeping Medicaid sustainable.
“Simply having a Medicaid card does not equate to better health outcomes,” Hogan said. “One in three Kentuckians are obese, we have the second-highest smoking rate in the nation and we rank first for cancer deaths. We owe it to our citizens to do more than simply enroll people in social welfare programs.”
Reporter Laura Ungar, who also reports for USA TODAY, can be reached at 502-582-7190 or lungar@courier-journal.com.
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EMS squad faces $108K fine for sending unlicensed ambulance to 90 emergencies, New Jersey says
Source: NJ.com
New Jersey officials have issued a $108,000 fine to a Burlington County ambulance squad after finding the crew drove an ambulance to 90 emergencies even though the vehicle was not licensed through the state’s Department of Health. Shamong Medical Services, which is part of the Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Company, responded to those calls between Oct. 7, 2018 and Oct. 9, 2019, according to a Feb. 19 notice from the state to EMS Chief Dave Taylor. The squad is licensed to provide basic life support within the state and operates two vehicles that are licensed with the state, according to the notice. However, an audit prompted by an anonymous complaint found a third ambulance “responded to 90 emergency assignments over 72 days, even though (the ambulance) was unlicensed (through the state health department),” the notice states.
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White Collar Roundup - December 2011
Publisher: Day Pitney Newsletter
Don't Count Your Chickens
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has broadly interpreted the Computer Fraud and fAbuse Act (CFAA), 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(4). The court reversedthe district court's dismissal of an indictment that charged a firm's former employee with conspiring to violate the CFAA by having current employees send information to him. The Ninth Circuit held that "an employee 'exceeds authorized access' under § 1030(a)(4) when he or she violates the employer's computer access restrictions--including use restrictions." But that ruling has been vacated because the court decidedto hear the case en banc on December 15, 2011.
Skilling Alone Can't Keep <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><?xml:namespace prefix = st2 />Bruno Out of Jeopardy
The Second Circuit heldthat the honest-services-fraud conviction of former New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno should be vacated in light of United States v. Skilling. But that was a Pyrrhic victory because Mr. Bruno now faces a retrial. Mr. Bruno argued "that the government adduced insufficient evidence at his first trial," such that re-prosecution is barred by the Double Jeopardy Clause. The court engaged in a sufficiency-of-the-evidence review, finding a reasonable jury could convict Bruno for honest-services fraud if properly charged in light of Skilling, and rejected Bruno's argument.
A Lawyer's "Privilege" to Produce
The First Circuit rejecteda series of arguments from the client of an attorney who received a grand-jury subpoena for the client's records. The client tried to avoid production by making every conceivable argument that the documents were privileged, but the First Circuit disagreed with them all.
Mo' Money, Mo' Years in the Hoosegow ... Sometimes
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer addressed sentencing disparities, including white-collar sentencing disparities, in a recent speech. He noted that "[w]ith increasing frequency, federal judges have been sentencing fraud offenders--especially offenders involved in high-loss fraud cases--inconsistently." He continued that "a defendant in one district may be sentenced to one or two years in prison for causing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, while a defendant in another district is sentenced to ten or 20 years in prison for causing much smaller losses."
<?xml:namespace prefix = v />Madoff: A Scandal That Keeps Making Waves
The SEC shook up its reporting structure by issuing a final ruleto make the Office of the Ethics Counsel a stand-alone office that reports to the chairman of the commission instead of its general counsel. This change reflects the recommendationof the SEC's Office of the Inspector General in light of the purported conflict of interest between the SEC's former general counsel and the Madoff-related investigations by the agency.
Blowing the Whistle Loud and (Not Necessarily) Often
The SEC also reportedit received a total of 334 tips from individuals in 37 states and foreign countries in the seven weeks since the creation of the Office of the Whistleblower. California and New York led all states with the most tips. More tips were expected in the wake of the creation of the office.
Add Forfeiture to the Inevitability of Death and Taxes
The Ninth Circuit heldthat if an indictment properly includes forfeiture allegations for an offense that authorizes criminal forfeiture, the sentencing court must impose forfeiture of the proceeds of the crime. As the court explained, "[c]riminal forfeiture is separate from the discretionary sentencing considerations under 18 U.S.C. § 3551." The court also noted that "[c]riminal forfeiture is also separate from restitution, which serves an entirely different purpose"; a district court is empowered to impose both.
Corporate Officers Take Heed
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania imposed jail sentences on three officers of a medical-device company who had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor offenses under the controversial corporate-officer doctrine, which can hold executives criminally liable for failing to prevent or promptly correct certain corporate violations. According to the press releasefrom the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which prosecuted the case, "[t]he Department of Justice is committed to holding individual corporate officers accountable for their criminal conduct."
Best Government-Report Title Ever
The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive issued its biennial report, titled "Foreign Spies Stealing US Economic Secrets in Cyberspace," to Congress. The report noted that "[t]he proliferation of malicious software, prevalence of cyber tool sharing, use of hackers as proxies, and routing of operations through third countries make it difficult to attribute responsibility for computer network intrusions." The report includes "Best Practices in Data Protection Strategies," which are worth a look.
White Collar Roundup - September/October Edition
Day Pitney Newsletter
HCLA Webinar: Perspectives on Practicing in the Age of COVID-19
Judge Christopher Droney presented a webinar, "Perspectives on Practicing in the Age of COVID-19" for the Holy Cross Lawyers Association (HCLA).
White Collar Roundup - July/August 2020
White Collar Roundup - May/June Edition
Barr’s Special Counsel Pick Known For Not Caving To Politics
Stan Twardy was quoted in the Law360 article, "Barr's Special Counsel Pick Known For Not Caving To Politics."
Face the State: Former U.S. Circuit Judge Weighs in on Supreme Court Nomination Process
Judge Christopher Droney (ret.) appeared on the WFSB 3 News program "Face the State" on Sunday, October 24, to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court nomination process and the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Top Aide in Review of Russia Inquiry Resigns From Justice Dept.
Stan Twardy was quoted in the New York Times article, "Top Aid in Review of Russia Inquiry Resigns From Justice Dept."
Arrests of Perez, Dunn raise concern that FBI probe is just the beginning
Stan Twardy was quoted in CT Post article, "Arrests of Perez, Dunn raise concern that FBI probe is just the beginning."
Steven Cash Speaks on Recent Reports Regarding Russian Bounty Payments
In an interview by NEWSY, Steven Cash discussed reports concerning intelligence indicating Russia had paid bounty payments to the Taliban for killings of U.S. troops, and the response by the Administration.
Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense
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Don’t hesitate to consult with a criminal defense attorney
by On behalf of Lindsey & Ferry, P.A. | Oct 26, 2016 | Sex Offenses
Sex crimes are some of the most serious criminal offenses in our justice system.The people who are accused of these crimes stand to lose a lot. Their livelihoods and, indeed, their futures are on the line. Alleging such crimes against someone is also a very serious...
Life in prison a possibility for man charged with drug crime
by On behalf of Lindsey & Ferry, P.A. | Oct 21, 2016 | Drug Sales & Distribution
A man from Florida is facing life in prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution charges related to 121 pounds of heroin and cocaine earlier this year. Another person was also charged in the case on conspiracy charges. A court date has yet to be announced for...
Reform for sex offender registration is slow
by On behalf of Lindsey & Ferry, P.A. | Oct 20, 2016 | Sex Offender Registration, Sex Offenses
Registering as a sex offender isn't just embarrassing and punishing, it also leaves the individual with little room to make improvements to his or her life. This isn't a topic that many people like to discuss because the matter of sexually-based crimes are inherently...
Prescription drugs can trigger criminal charges too
by On behalf of Lindsey & Ferry, P.A. | Oct 6, 2016 | Drug Trafficking
Drug charges are very serious. The people accused of these crimes are placed in a very difficult situation, because if they are convicted of what they are accused of, their lives will change forever. They may not be able to retain their driver's license, or obtain...
How Annie Dookhan opened up Pandora’s box for prosecutors
You may not know the name Annie Dookhan, but she has become an important figure in the world of criminal justice. A former lab technician at a drug testing facility, Dookhan was eventually charged with misconduct, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice,...
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24.2 | Populism
Ashis Nandy tackles populism’s double-bind; Sindre Bangstad presents three propositions on right-wing populism in Europe; Leyla Jagiella argues that Germany is no stranger to far-right sentiments; Sughra Ahmed visits the US Bible belt; Shanon Shah reads a new assessment of Maulana Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami; short stories by Hasan Manzar; poems by Omair Bhat; and our list of ten populist moments.
The Netherworld Ashis Nandy
Until recently, populism hid a double-bind. For it carried with it two perfectly contradictory sets of associations.
Three Poems Omair Bhat
Three poems by Omair Bhat
Name Your Innovation Shanon Shah
How much do the multitude of Muslims and non-Muslims hate the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)? Let us count the ways.
A Brit in the Bible Belt Sughra Ahmed
Posters depicting hordes of people queuing, snake-like – we would be forgiven for thinking that these were produced by deeply intolerant regimes of times gone by. Sadly, these images made their rounds in 2016, in the midst of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.
Three Propositions Sindre Bangstad
With the resurgence of the far right across wide swathes of the European continent, Brexit and the US Elections of November 2016, populism has become a publishing cottage industry.
Frauke Petry’s Dream Leyla Jagiella
The AfD’s sudden rise has much to do with the specific history of German politics in recent decades and also with a very specific German-ness of its agenda. But its rise would never have been possible without the previous rise of other right-wing populist parties in Germany’s neighbouring countries.
The List: Ten Populist Moments The List
There are many unexamined assumptions about populism that don’t stand up to scrutiny. Bearing this in mind, here is a List of ten populist moments that can balance the current Brexit- and Trump-dominated headlines.
Short Story: The Ingrate Hasan Manzar
At the age of 22, I travelled to those regions of the world that I had read about, and heard about since childhood; how strange and novel their ways of life were! That included the people of Pacific Islands, extreme north and extreme south of India, the inhabitants of thick African jungles and gypsies from Alaska to Siberia.
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Milford teen faces larceny counts
Aug. 31, 2009 Updated: Nov. 9, 2009 10:02 a.m.
MILFORD -- A Milford teen was arraigned Wednesday on burglary and attempted larceny charges after he was caught trying to open car doors on Joy Road early that morning, police said.
A complainant told police she saw Robert Marrero, 18, of 168 Harrison Ave., sitting inside her parked car in the wee morning hours. He'd also been trying to open other vehicle doors, she told police.
Over the last two to three weeks, city police said they've investigated numerous thefts from cars. Stolen from unlocked cars in many areas of the city have been at least two laptops, GPS units, cell phones, loose change and music CDs, police said.
Locals are warned to lock car doors even if parked in a driveway, and remove valuables from inside, police said.
Marrero was charged shortly after 2 a.m. with two counts each third-degree burglary and criminal attempt at sixth-degree larceny, according to police and court records.
He was held in lieu of $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Aug. 5 in Milford Superior Court.
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Man pleads guilty in plot to attack White House, Trump Tower
SAN ANTONIO -- A South Carolina man has pleaded guilty to a terror charge for plotting to bomb or shoot up sites including the White House and Trump Tower in New York City in attacks inspired by the Islamic State group, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Kristopher Sean Matthews, 34, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge to provide material support to IS in a hearing before a U.S. magistrate judge in San Antonio.
Matthews acknowledged that since May 2019, he had conspired with 22-year-old Jaylyn Christopher Molina of Cost, Texas, to share bomb-making information for the purposes of domestic and foreign attacks on behalf of IS, and to radicalize and recruit other individuals to support the Islamic militant organization.
A grand jury indicted Molina and Matthews on Oct. 14 each with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Matthews faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on March 4.
He remains in federal custody.
Molina, who remains in federal custody, faces up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted.
White House staff, Secret Service eye virus with fear, anger
Prosecutors oppose release of Quebec woman accused of mailing poison to Donald Trump
Quebec woman accused of mailing poison to Trump to remain in jail until trial
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The Register’s editorial: Pharmacy Board forgets it’s to serve the public
Iowa has dozens of state boards responsible for licensing everyone from cosmetologists and doctors to hearing aid technicians and athletic trainers. The primary mission of these boards is supposed to be protecting the public health and safety.
That means they are supposed to ensure licensed workers meet the state’s educational requirements and abide by the regulations the state establishes for these occupations. The boards are supposed to issue cease-and-desist orders to those not abiding by the rules and respond to complaints from consumers.
Though these complaints are not public when they are initially filed, if the board investigates and decides to file a “statement of charges” against the license holder, those charges become a public document. The board’s subsequent decision in the case — whether that is dismissal of charges, the imposition of sanctions or the revocation of the person’s state license — are also public documents.
Most of the time, this information is posted on board websites and sometimes sent out by boards in news releases. Iowans who want to know whether their barbers or doctors have been sanctioned can easily check online. Just scroll through recent board actions or type in a name and see what the search yields.
But every once in a while, an Iowa licensing board forgets that it exists to protect the public and focuses, instead, on protecting the reputations of people and entities it is supposed to regulate.
That is exactly what the Iowa Board of Pharmacy did last November.
This board, which oversees thousands of pharmacists, pharmacies, drug wholesalers and controlled-substance handlers, removed a link on its website that connected the public with the board’s past statements of charges and disciplinary action.
One day all the information was available online. The next day, it wasn’t there.
Instead of being able to easily access information on discipline against pharmacists or pharmacies, Iowans were met with this message: “Please contact Lloyd Jessen for a list of licensees and registrants who have been disciplined by the Board.”
Jessen is the pharmacy board’s executive director, and his email was provided with the message on the website.
Why would the board remove information that was previously, easily available?
Why would it require Iowans to take the extra step of emailing him to find out about potential problems with a specific pharmacist or a certain pharmacy?
This wouldn’t be an attempt to protect pharmacists and pharmacies from embarrassment, would it, because that’s what it appears to be.
“A couple pharmacists have had statements of charges and then the board dismissed the charges,” Jessen told the Register. “Those pharmacists went to their legislators and complained we shouldn’t be putting that on the website.”
It turns out there was one lawmaker, Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, who was inquiring about updating information on the board’s website on behalf of a constituent, pharmacist Diane Heiken.
In November emails provided to the Register, Jessen informed legislative staff that the board’s website had been updated and if someone contacted the board office to inquire about discipline or charges related to pharmacies and pharmacists licensed by the board, “a printout of an entire list will not be provided,” Jessen said.
That means the public cannot know who or how often the board is sanctioning pharmacists or discern any patterns in that disciplinary action.
Interestingly, when the Register’s editorial board called Jessen this week to ask about the absence of the disciplinary information, he said his staff planned yet this week to repost a link to disciplinary action. What a coincidence.
The Board of Pharmacy promotes itself as an entity that “protects the public health, safety and welfare through effective regulation.” Taking steps, as the board did last November, to limit public access to information about health practitioners does not fulfill that mission.
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Rupert Wyatt, Matthew Vaughn wanted for 'Apes', 'X-Men' sequels
Fox plans the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: First Class follow-ups.
By Hugh Armitage
20th Century Fox wants Rupert Wyatt and Matthew Vaughn to return for the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: First Class follow-ups.
Tom Rothman, Fox's chairman and CEO of filmed entertainment, has said that the company is trying to get the two directors back for their respective sequels.
"Both of them were really great scripts and so we have to be sure to get great scripts again," he told ComingSoon.net.
"We're working hard on the scripts for both of them, but we have every hope of moving forward with them."
X-Men director Vaughn is currently on board to film adaptations of Mark Millar's Superior and Secret Service comics.
Rothman was speaking following his reception of a special tribute at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
Watch a trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes below:
'Planet of the Apes' Wyatt off sequel?
Matthew Vaughn won't helm X-Men sequel
Wyatt to direct 'Planet of the Apes'?
Vaughn wants 'X-Men: First Class' sequel
Matthew Vaughn adapting 'Bloodshot' comic?
Matthew Vaughn directing 'Kick-Ass'
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Louis Theroux has made a film about Scientology: "I hoped to see it from the inside and make a human connection"
It's been 10 years in the making - and he got A LOT of hassle.
By Bea Mitchell
Freddie ClaireBBC
Louis Theroux has finally managed to make a film about Scientology, entitled My Scientology Movie.
The documentary filmmaker collaborated with director John Dower and double Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn on the gruelling project.
"More than 10 years ago, I approached the Church to see if they might let me in to make a documentary," Theroux said in a statement.
"I thought I might be able to bring a sense of nuance and perspective to people's understanding of a faith that has been much ridiculed.
"Just as I have done with other non-mainstream stories, I hoped to see it from the inside and make a human connection with its clerics and congregants. But I was repeatedly turned down."
Eventually, Theroux was helped by ex-members of the Church and used actors, who re-enacted the incidents former members claimed they had experienced.
It became clear, however, that during Theroux's filming, the Church was also making its own film about him.
"In the course of making my film I came to believe I was being tailed by private investigators, someone in Clearwater, Florida attempted to hack my emails, we were filmed covertly, I also had the police called on me more than once, not to mention a blizzard of legal letters from Scientology lawyers," he explained.
"And yet, at every step I remained open to Scientology's good points and tried to see it for what it is: a system of belief that is not so different from other religions, capable of enlarging the soul as well as crushing the spirit."
My Scientology Movie premiered at last year's London Film Festival and will be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, April 17. A wider release date has yet to be confirmed.
Watch an exclusive clip from the documentary on Entertainment Weekly.
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Louis Theroux has amazing Drinking to Oblivion update
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Ivory Coast: "Very Worrying" Levels of Access to Patients
Salha Issoufou, MSF’s Head of Mission in Abidjan, explains the difficulty teams are encountering when trying to treat patients in Abidjan and in the West of Ivory Coast.
Salha Issoufou, the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Head of Mission in Abidjan, explains the difficulty teams are encountering when trying to treat patients in Abidjan and in the West of Ivory Coast.
How do MSF teams manage to work in Abidjan?
We have been stuck in the offices and at the hospital for the last three days. We can hear gun shots. There are blockades on the streets, and violence continues. The situation is extremely tense and we cannot get out. No cars can move. This morning five wounded arrived very near our offices; we have been able to treat four, but the fifth one died.
Despite these obstacles, MSF continues working. Another MSF team working in the Abobo Sud hospital [in the Abidjan neighborhood of Abobo Sud] has been providing care for 72 hours non-stop. In partnership with the health authorities, the team treats patients with urgent medical or surgical needs. But we cannot go there to change personnel or deliver drugs. Our pharmacy is in the south of Abidjan and our hospital in the north.
Yesterday and the day before, the team treated 97 emergency patients, including 75 with bullet wounds. Injured people came by themselves or were brought to the hospital by neighbors on carts as no ambulance can circulate. The situation in terms of accessing patients remains very worrying.
What problems do hospitals in Abidjan face?
The Abobo Sud hospital is the only one functioning normally in the northern neighborhoods of the city, Abobo and Anayama. That’s where all the patients with urgent needs go. There is also Abobo Nord hospital, but it has only one surgeon. It has no anesthetist. And, like others parts of Abidjan and in other conflict areas, many health staff fled because of insecurity.
Hospitals that are open in other neighborhoods in Abidjan are struggling because of a lack of drugs and food. Since December, MSF had been providing drugs to different University and State hospitals because the economic sanctions disrupted the normal supply system. We have not been able to deliver any anesthetics or consumables for surgery since the beginning of the week. Furthermore, food is now lacking for patients. Shops in Abidjan are closed or have been looted.
What is the situation for displaced people in Abidjan?
In Abobo and Anyama, the northern neighborhoods of Abidjan, there are 11 sites for displaced people where between 10,000 and 12,000 have sought refuge from other parts of the city. People in those sites receive practically no aid at all. Individuals have given them bags of rice. MSF donated bandage kits to private health centers and clinics in the area. We were also getting ready to provide consultation, but it is impossible at the moment. The problem in Abidjan is that we cannot move around, reach our drug stocks, or bring our orders into town.
MSF is also working in Guiglo in the West of the country. What is the situation there?
An MSF team is based in Guiglo where it provides primary health care. It also refers patients who need surgery to the town of Bangolo, where MSF is also working. Guiglo hospital was looted but considering the circumstances, we have had to treat seven patients there anyway. The situation is now calmer in Guiglo, but it is not the case in other western regions.
The team also provides consultations in a clinic in Guiglo as well as a displaced camp near a church. But people need more support, including water supply and latrines. More than 1,000 people have sought refuge there—many of whom arrived in the beginning of the week—but others keep arriving. Population movements are ongoing in the west of the country.
There is a big camp for displaced people near the Catholic Mission of the town of Duékoué. The population increased fourfold in the space of a few days. The MSF team has been able to resume its consultations in the camp as well as one in one neighborhood of the city. Between March 29 and April 1, another MSF team treated 240 wounded in very difficult conditions at the General Hospital.
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Una Noche De Flamenco with Gabriel Ayala, Domingo DeGrazia and Ismael Barajas
Friday, December 14, 2018 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm MST
« Rob Mathes Joined by STING, Vanessa Williams & David Sanborn at Holiday Concerts
17th Annual Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Ballet” »
On Friday, December 14th, the Sea Of Glass—Center For The Arts presents Una Noche De Flamenco with Gabriel Ayala, Domingo DeGrazia and Ismael Barajas – three of Tucson’s finest guitarists.
Gabriel Ayala, a member of the Yaqui people of southern Arizona, performs regularly throughout the United States and has appeared at the Poway Center for Performing Arts, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Museum for the American Indian, and Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Not only is Gabriel recognized nationally, he has also been the featured performer at the “Festival Internacional de la Guitarra Academica” in Venezuela with Performances in Caracas, Guarenas, Guatire and on National Public Television throughout Venezuela. Ayala is a multiple award-winning guitarist and has had the honor to share the stage with some of the greatest such as Motown living legends The Four Tops, The Temptations, Richie Havens, Dr. John and many others.
Domingo DeGrazia, known and loved by the Tucson community, is an Arizona native and the youngest son of famed Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia. Among his many talents and projects (which includes flying airplanes, racing motorcycles, and currently running for the Arizona House of Representatives!), Domingo has become a widely recognized guitarist and song writer known for blending Spanish, Latin and Flamenco styles. Appearing on film and television and performing throughout the U.S., his music has reached across the globe and inspired music for “Dancing with the Stars”. Born and raised among the music and landscape of the Sonoran desert, DeGrazia’s music embodies the experience of the Southwest and weaves a delicate tapestry through sound. Domingo plays lead guitar, blending Spanish guitar passion with the flair of Flamenco music. His unique sound couples dynamic rhythms with vibrant Latin, Salsa and rock drum beats.
Ismael Barajas began to study guitar in the Classical and Flamenco styles at the age of thirteen. Less than one year later, he gave his first public concert. The response was so overwhelming that art patrons formed an organization to sponsor his formal training.
Ismael’s introduction to advanced learning was to study under the Romeros, known as “Spain’s Royal Family of the Guitar.” He was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Arizona, School of Music. Through the years, Ismael has appeared on many radio and television programs in the United States and Mexico, and has performed in clubs throughout Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Nevada.
Age 16 & up = $25 advance / $30 day of show; Age 12-15 = $22 advance / $27 day of show; Age 4-11 = $4. Proceeds benefit scholarships for the University of Ascension Science and the Physics of Rebellion and internships for Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage. The Sea Of Glass—Center For The Arts is located at 330 E. 7th St., Tucson, Arizona next to the Hippie Gypsy. For tickets or more information call (520) 398-2542 or visit http://theseaofglass.org.
To assist those in financial need, the Sea Of Glass offers an Avalon Gardens Hands-In-The-Soil work reciprocation program where forms of non-monetary reciprocation can be exchanged for services. Reciprocation must be made in advance of show. Call 520-603-9932 to inquire.
Arizona Events, Tucson, Tucson Entertainment, Tucson Music
Sea of Glass
Tucson, AZ United States + Google Map
http://theseaofglass.org
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You are here: Home > D.R. Congo
D.R. Congo Economical Facts
Economical overview
With its vast natural riches of especially minerals, Congo-Kinshasa could be one of the most prosperous countries in the world. In addition, there are huge assets on water and forest. But the country has long been characterized by economic devastation, neglect and armed conflicts. Congo is today one of the world's most deprived states. However, increased demand for minerals has boosted growth, even though it has leveled off in recent years due to world market prices falling.
For the most part, Congo-Kinshasa's economy is based on agriculture, but the colonial era's large commercial crops have almost disappeared. Most of the population is outside the formal economy and live on what they can grow themselves. In the conflict-affected areas, hundreds of thousands of people have been driven away from their homes and forced to survive on aid.
Countryaah.com: Major imports by Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering a full list of top products imported by the country and trade value for each product category.
SONGAAH: Find lyrics of national anthem and all songs related to the country of D.R. Congo
Much of the other economic activity goes on in the cloud, without accounting or taxation, without transparency and not infrequently illegal. This applies not least to lucrative mining. A large part of the minerals are extracted in areas and by groups that the state power does not control. The situation has improved somewhat since the end of the war in 2003 (see Modern History), but the state is still losing out on great wealth. Since 2005, several initiatives have been taken in the outside world to regulate trade. Among other things, attempts are made to trace the origin of the minerals to prevent trade in "conflict minerals" and "blood diamonds". One problem, however, is that even high-ranking representatives of the authorities and the military are often involved in the illegal handling (see also Natural Resources and Energy).
At the time of independence, Congo was the second most industrialized country on the continent, after South Africa. However, the failure of the national government and corruption, as well as the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko's looting of the country (see Modern History), gradually contributed to an economic collapse. At the beginning of the 1990s, payments on foreign debt were set at over US $ 10 billion. According to recent estimates, Mobutu itself had embezzled around $ 5 billion from the Treasury. During the 1990s, GDP fell on average by just over 6 percent per year.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Check this abbreviation website to find three letter ISO codes for all countries in the world, including DRC which represents the country of Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite the neglect, the influx of foreign aid continued for decades, including from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). One reason was that the US saw Mobutu as an important ally against communism in Africa. The aid was withdrawn in the early 1990s, when the Cold War had ended and Mobutu's eccentric personal cult began to appear troublesome in the western world. The World Bank declared the then Zaire bankruptcy in 1994. The political turmoil in the 1990s also frightened many foreign experts and prevented foreign companies from investing in the country. The corruption made sustainable business impossible. The riots and looting contributed to the collapse of the economy.
In the early 2000s, donors returned after a peace agreement was concluded and then-President Joseph Kabila had initiated economic reforms. Among other things, a liberalization of the mining industry was carried out. Some described it as a sale of national assets: in 2004-2005, 75 percent of copper assets were sold to foreign interests.
In addition to the World Bank, the EU, Belgium and France are among the most important donors.
China's ever-stronger presence and large commodity famines have caused concern among Western countries. In February 2009, it became clear that Congo-Kinshasa would receive a $ 200 million crisis loan from Western donors. The clear sign of the loan was given despite the fact that many of these donor countries opposed an agreement between Congo-Kinshasa and China that would give Chinese mining rights in exchange for infrastructure investments worth $ 9 billion. Chinese companies promised, among other things, to build roads, railways and hospitals to share copper and cobalt deposits. Objections from the IMF in November of the same year prompted a revision of the settlement with the Chinese, which meant it was cut to $ 6 billion. The IMF and Western donors would instead ease Congo-Kinshasa's debt burden.
In 2010, Congo also received clarification from the World Bank and the IMF on a debt cancellation program under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Congo-Kinshasa was considered to have fulfilled the conditions through efforts to reduce corruption and increase transparency in the mining and oil sectors. Later in the year, Congo also got clear with a debt write-off of the so-called Paris Club (an informal association of 19 rich countries) and Brazil.
The vast natural resources continue to attract foreign companies. But new struggles in 2011–2013 reminded us of the uncertain situation. The legitimacy of the government appears to many to be questionable. Congo is in the bottom tier of the world's countries when the World Bank ranks investors' risks (see Democracy and Rights).
Previously long periods of high inflation have led to a dollarization of the economy. US Dollars are the only currency in demand in all contexts except in ordinary, everyday trading. However, inflation has fallen to just over 1 percent. Growth was around 7 percent in 2010-2013 and was up 9 percent in 2014. Subsequently, growth slowed down, much as a result of low world market prices for minerals. But even though GDP has continued to grow, people are not getting much better, as the population is growing at almost the same rate as the economy.
FACTS - FINANCE
GDP per person
US $ 562 (2018)
Total GDP
US $ 47 228 million (2018)
5.8 percent (2018)
Agriculture's share of GDP
19.1 percent (2018)
Manufacturing industry's share of GDP
The service sector's share of GDP
Government debt's share of GDP
US $ 5 128 million (2017)
Merchandise exports
- US $ 2,169 million (2018)
Commodity trade's share of GDP
30 percent (2018)
Main export goods
diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, wood, crude oil, coffee
Largest trading partner
China, South Africa, Belgium, USA
Hundreds of dead in LRA massacres
The LRA guerrillas are massacring hundreds of civilians in villages in the Haut-Uélé province in the northeast.
UN force is criticized
UN force Monuc receives criticism from human rights organizations for not sufficiently protecting the civilian population during the army's offensive against the Hutu militia FDLR. Sexual violence was even more brutal than before in the areas where the offensive took place.
The situation in the east is getting worse
360,000 people in Orientale province are reported to have escaped attacks from the Ugandan LRA guerrilla since the beginning of the year.
Violence is increasing in Nordkivu
The violence between the FDLR hutumilis and the army is increasing in Nordkivu.
New peace agreement
The government and the CNDP conclude a peace agreement, which means that the CNDP will be transformed into a political party, the former rebels will be granted amnesty and former rebels will be included in the national army and a new police force. The agreement will also allow hundreds of thousands of refugees to return home.
Rwandan troops leave
The Rwandan troops begin to leave Congo-Kinshasa. Hutumilisen FDLR is rapidly recovering lost land and over 30,000 civilians are fleeing.
Nkunda is arrested in Rwanda
Several thousand Rwandan government soldiers enter Congo-Kinshasa to fight the FDLR, according to an agreement with the Congolese government. Two days later, CNDP leader Laurent Nkunda (see August 2007) is arrested in Rwanda.
Copyright 2021 e Tenant-Landlord Law Directory All Rights Reserved
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Sun 21st Nov 2021, 7:30pm
at Lyceum Theatre, Crewe
Supplied by Ticketmaster UK. Customers with disabilities please call 01270 368 242 to book.
20th Anniversary Of The Voice
This show was rescheduled from 7th February 2021 (originally 11th September 2020).
Singing sensation, Russell Watson, has announced a UK tour for 2020, celebrating 20 years since his debut album ‘The Voice’ was released.
'The Voice’ entered the Official Classical Artist Album Chart at No 1, becoming the biggest selling classical album of 2000 and establishing the tenor as one of the Britain’s most popular classical stars. In a very special concert, Russell will be joined live on stage by a 33-piece orchestra and choir to perform some of his most loved songs and career highlights from the past two decades.
Salford's answer to Pavarotti whose debut album 'The Voice' established him as a major international tenor. After starting in the pubs and working men's clubs of the north west of England, he soon notched up unprecedented chart success on both sides of the Atlantic; sang for the likes George W Bush and the Pope; and performed more times at Wembley than Beckham and Owen. To date, Russell has released eleven albums, won four Classical BRIT Awards and has sold over eight million records worldwide. He is also the first British male artiste to hold simultaneous number ones in the USA and the UK.
See 38 tour dates featuring Russell Watson
> Crewe Music
> Lyceum Theatre
Heath Street
CW1 2DA
crewelyceum.co.uk
Find places to stay on Sun 21st Nov 2021
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The German-born, Czech based composer André Kellerberg is in strong favour of letting the music speak for itself. After four self-released projects, the musician has teamed up with the Italian label Blue Spiral Records to release in March 2020 The Way Out Is Through. Kellerberg describes it as a dystopian soundtrack, carrying through the sound of the piano the underlining message of the constant option to avoid failure. In the album notes, the composer gives an advice about recording: “When you book a studio for a day you want to make sure you are ready and prepared, because here time is really money.” Indeed, the recording process has been a challenge for the performer — including physical issues with his hands and an out-of-tune piano — and adds to the atmosphere of the album.
“And There it Is” is based on a motif that evolves in temper and quality, from peaceful to agitated. The imperfect sound of the piano as well as Kellerberg’s aggressive and percussive style of playing is well understood as soon as the piece reaches its conclusion. “Deep Breath” explores the contrast between the intentions of the composer — perhaps to bring some sort of serenity — and his contrasting performance, reflecting a sort of catharsis. “Nobody Noticed” explores the use of different instruments, including electronic ones, as well as the layering of piano parts over a simplistic and haunting harmonic trinity. In addition, “Honesty” develops the repetitive element introduced in “Deep Breath” and explores the concept of sheet of sounds, through reiteration. The aggressiveness of the performance, as well the fact that the piano was not tuned to perfection resulted in a particular chorusy sound, well exposed in “The Chorus of Desolation Blues” — although here, the expression chorus is meant in a compositional way. “Cracks in Flux” is an obvious second — the first one being “Honesty” — homage to the music of Frahm (namely “Said and Done” and “Hammers”). “Volcano” brings interesting harmonies to the album, and surprises with more impressionistic flavours, and “Beacon” is a suggestive piece, especially through the addition of the synth illustrating the flashing of the light. “On Thin Ice” surprises by its full use of electronic instruments — giving it a post-progressive rock underlining shadow, and represents one of the highlights of the album. Finally, “Of Laughter and Forgetting” finishes by going back to some of the ideas presented earlier, such as the wall of sound and continuous music.
Although some of the music sounds familiar, it is the approach of the performance that really sets The Way Out Is Through apart. Whether the musician’s playing — which he describes as intense, passionate, and not very tender — or the limitations of the context of the recording — which reminds the listener of other well know situations, such as the recording of The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett. There are some elegant surprises, such as the penultimate track “On Thin Ice”, or “The Chorus of Desolation Blues”. The artwork, by Nico Fontana, was directly created in response to the music and acts as a very good illustrator to Kellerberg’s music.
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Letting Go of Your Grown Child
We come now to the final task assigned to mothers and fathers, that of releasing grown children and launching them into the world of adulthood. It is also one of the most difficult. Some years ago, we explored this topic by conducting another informal poll of the Focus on the Family radio listeners. I asked them to react to this question: "What are the greatest problems you face in dealing with your parents or in-laws, and how will you relate differently to your grown children than your parents have to you?" An avalanche of mail flooded my offices in the next few days, eventually totaling more than 2,600 detailed replies.
We read every letter and catalogued the responses according to broad themes. As is customary in such inquiries, the results surprised our entire staff. We fully expected in-law complaints to represent the most common category of concerns. Instead, it ranked fifth in frequency, representing only 10 percent of the letters we received. The fourth most commonly mentioned problem, at 11 percent, related to sickness, dependency, senility and other medical problems in the older generation. In third place, at 19 percent, was general concern for the spiritual welfare of un-Christian parents. The second most common reply, representing 21 percent, expressed irritation and frustration at parents who didn't care about their children or grandchildren. They never came to visit, wouldn't baby-sit, and seemed to follow a "me-first" philosophy.
That brings us to the top of the hit parade of problems between adults and their parents. May I have the envelope please? (Drum roll in background.) And the winner is, the inability or unwillingness of parents to release their grown children and permit them to live their own lives. An incredible 44 percent of the letters received made reference to this failure of older adults to let go. It was as though some of the writers had been waiting for years for that precise question to be asked. Here are a few of their comments:
1. "Mother felt my leaving home was an insult to her. She couldn't let go, couldn't realize I needed to become an independent person, couldn't understand that I no longer needed her physical help, although I did need her as a person. Quite unintentionally she retarded my growing up by 35 years."
2. "One of the greatest problems is to have my parents see me as an adult, not as a child who doesn't know the best way to do things. As a child, I played a specific role in my family. Now as an adult, I wish to change my role, but they will not allow it."
3. "Our parents never seemed able to grasp the reality of the fact that we had grown from dependent children, to capable, responsible adults. They did not recognize or appreciate our abilities, responsibilities or contributions to the outside world."
4. "I am 54 years old but when I visit my mother I am still not allowed to do certain things such as peel carrots, etc. because I do not do them correctly. Our relationship is still child-parent. I am still regularly corrected, criticized, put-down and constantly reminded of what terrible things I did 50 years ago. Now we are not talking about major criminal acts, just normal childish disobedience during the pre-school years. I was the youngest of five and the only daughter and I still hear, 'I would rather have raised another four boys than one daughter.' Pray for me, please. I need Jesus to help me forgive and forget."
We received literally hundreds of letters expressing this general concern. The writers wanted desperately to be free, to be granted adult status, and especially, to be respected by their parents. At the same time, they were saying to them, "I still love you. I still need you. I still want you as my friend. But I no longer need you as the authority in my life."
I remember going through a similar era in my own life. My parents handled me wisely in those years and it was rare to have them stumble into common parental mistakes. However, we had been a very close-knit family and it was difficult for my mother to shift gears when I graduated from high school. During that summer, I traveled 1,500 miles from home and entered a college in California. I will never forget the exhilarating feeling of freedom that swept over me that fall. It was not that I wanted to do anything evil or previously forbidden. It was simply that I felt accountable for my own life and did not have to explain my actions to my parents. It was like a fresh, cool breeze on a spring morning. Young adults who have not been properly trained for that moment sometimes go berserk in the absence of authority, but I did not. I did, however, quickly become addicted to that freedom and was not inclined to give it up.
The following December, my parents and I met for Christmas vacation at the home of some relatives. Suddenly, I found myself in conflict with my mom. She was responding as she had six months earlier when I was still in high school. By then, I had journeyed far down the path toward adulthood. She was asking me what time I would be coming in at night, and urging me to drive the car safely, and watching what I ate. No offense was intended, mind you. My mother had just failed to notice that I had changed and she needed to get with the new program, herself.
Finally, there was a brief flurry of words between us and I left the house in a huff. A friend picked me up and I talked about my feelings as we rode in the car. "Darn it, Bill!" I said. "I don't need a mother anymore!"
Then a wave of guilt swept over me, as though I had said, "I don't love my mother anymore." I meant no such thing. What I was feeling was the desire to be friends with my parents instead of accepting a line of authority from them. My wish was granted by my mom and dad very quickly thereafter.
Most parents in our society do not take the hint so easily. I'm convinced that mothers and fathers in North America are among the very best in the world. We care passionately about our kids and would do anything to meet their needs. But we are among the worst when it comes to letting go of our grown sons and daughters. In fact, those two characteristics are linked. The same commitment that leads us to do so well when the children are small (dedication, love, concern, involvement), also causes us to hold on too tightly when they are growing up. I will admit to my own difficulties in this area. I understood the importance of turning loose before our kids were born. I wrote extensively on the subject when they were still young. I prepared a film series in which all the right principles were expressed. But when it came time to open my hand and let the birds fly, I struggled mightily!
Why? Well, fear played a role in my reluctance. We lived in Los Angeles where weird things are done by strange people every day of the year. For example, our daughter was held at gunpoint on the campus of the University of Southern California late one night. Her assailant admonished Danae not to move or make a noise. She figured her chances of survival were better by defying him right then than by cooperating. She fled. The man did not shoot at her, thank God. Who knows what he had in mind for her?
A few days later, my son was walking his bicycle across a busy road near our home when a man in a sportscar came around the curve at high speed. Skid marks later showed he was traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour. Ryan saw that he was going to be hit, and he jumped over the handlebars and attempted to crawl to safety. The car was fishtailing wildly and careening toward our son. It came to a stop just inches from his head, and then the driver sped off without getting out. Perhaps he was on PCP or cocaine. Thousands of addicts live in Los Angeles, and innocent people are victimized by them every day.
Such near-misses make me want to gather my children around me and never let them experience risk again. Of course, that is impossible and would be unwise even if they submitted to it. Life itself is a risk, and parents must let their kids face reasonable jeopardy on their own. Nevertheless, when Danae or Ryan leave in the car, I'm still tempted to say, "Be sure to keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down!"
What are your reasons for restricting the freedom of your grown or nearly grown children? In some cases, if we're honest, we need them too much to let them go. They have become an extension of ourselves, and our egos are inextricably linked to theirs. Therefore, we not only seek to hold them to us, but we manipulate them to maintain our control. As described in Chapter 7, we use guilt, bribery, threats, intimidation, fear and anger to restrict their freedom. And sadly, when we win at this game, we and our offspring are destined to lose.
Many of the letters we received in response to our poll were written by young adults who had not yet broken free. Some stories they told were almost hard to believe in a culture which legally emancipates its children at such a young age. Consider this excerpt from a young lady with very possessive parents:
I'm 23 and the eldest of 3 children. My parents are still overprotective. They won't let go. I have a career and a very stable job but they will not allow me to move out on my own. They still try to discipline me with a spanking using a belt and hold me to a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Even if it is a church activity, I must be home by 10:00 p.m. If it's out of town or impossible for me to be home by that time, I'm not allowed to go. I have high Christian moral standards and they trust me, but they are just overprotective.
Can you imagine these parents spanking this twenty-three-year-old woman for her minor infractions and disobediences? Though I do not know the girl or her parents, it would appear that they have a classic dependency problem occurring commonly with a very compliant child. No self-respecting strong-willed individual would tolerate such dominance and disrespect. A compliant girl might, while harboring deep resentment all the while.
In a sense, this twenty-three-year-old is equally responsible for her lack of freedom. She has permitted her parents to treat her like a child. First Corinthians 13:11 says, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." What could be more childish than for a woman in her twenties to yield to a physical thrashing for arriving home after 10:00 p.m.? Of course, I believe young adults should continue to listen to the accumulated wisdom of their parents and to treat them with respect. However, the relationship must change when adolescence is over. And if the parents will not or cannot make that transformation, the son or daughter is justified in respectfully insisting that it happen. For the very compliant child, that tearing loose is extremely difficult to accomplish!
Parents who refuse to let go often force their sons or daughters to choose between two bad alternatives. The first is to accept their domination and manipulation. That is precisely what the twenty-three-year-old girl had done. Instinctively, she knew her parents were wrong, but she lacked the courage to tell them so. Thus, she remained under their authoritative umbrella for a couple of years too long. She was like an unborn baby in the tenth or eleventh month of pregnancy. Granted, the womb was safe and warm, but she could grow no more until she got past the pain and indignities of childbirth. She was overdue for "delivery" into the opportunities and responsibilities of adulthood.
To repeat our now familiar theme, it is the very compliant child who often yields to the tyranny of intimidation. Some remain closeted there for forty years or more. Even if they marry, their parents will not grant emancipation without a struggle, setting the stage for lifelong in-law problems.
The other alternative is to respond like a mountainous volcano which blows its top. Hot lava descends on everything in its path. Great anger and resentment characterize the parent-child relationship for years, leaving scars and wounds on both generations. The strong-willed individual typically chooses this response to parental domination. He isn't about to let anyone hem him in, but in the process of breaking free, he loses the support and fellowship of the family he needs.
The legendary Beatles rock group often sang about drug usage and revolution, among other antiestablishment themes. But occasionally, their music was devastatingly incisive. One of their best renditions was recorded in 1967. It went to the heart of this matter of breaking free. The lyrics described a young woman whose parents had held on too long, forcing her to steal away in the early morning hours. Perhaps you will feel the pain of her confused parents as you read the words to "She's Leaving Home."
Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more
She goes downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside, she is free.
She (We gave her most of our lives)
Is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
Home (We gave her everything money could buy).
She's leaving home after living alone (Bye-bye)
for so many years.
Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that's lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband,
"Daddy, our baby's gone!"
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly?
How could she do this to me?
She (We never thought of ourselves)
Is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
Home (We struggled hard all our lives to get by).
Friday morning at nine o'clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade
She (What did we do that was wrong?)
Is having (We didn't know it was wrong)
Fun (Fun is the one thing that money can't buy).
Something inside that was always denied (Bye-bye)
She's leaving home. Bye-Bye.
There must be a better way to launch a post-adolescent son or daughter, and of course there is. It is the responsibility of parents to release the grip and set the fledgling adult free to make it on his own.
From Dr. Dobson's book Parenting Isn't for Cowards.
Dads Moms Parenting
Question: Dr. Dobson, are adopted children more likely to be rebellious than children raised by biological parents? If so, are there any steps I can take to prevent or ease the conflict? My husband
The old debate about which is best for your children, "quantity time" or "quality time," shouldnt be a debate at all. Its not the quantity of time that you spend with your children, it's the quality
Dads Parenting
Fathers have an incalculable impact on their daughters. Most psychologists believe, and I am one of them, that all future romantic relationships are influenced positively or negatively by the way a
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Farm Credit Rates
Vanuatu Island Exodus Continues
10/2/2017 | 6:40 AM CDT
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- The evacuation of a Vanuatu island was continuing on Monday even after scientists said an erupting volcano had stabilized.
A makeshift fleet of vessels ranging from tiny water taxis to large landing craft was moving thousands of people from Ambae island to nearby islands in the Pacific archipelago.
Vanuatu officials last week ordered the complete evacuation of the island's 11,000 residents, fearing the Manaro volcano might blow in a major eruption.
But Brad Scott, a New Zealand volcanologist who is helping in Vanuatu, said the volcano had stabilized over the last few days. He said lava is continuing to erupt from Manaro but is no longer interacting with water as it was in the volcano's earlier and more explosive stage.
Government spokesman Hilaire Bule said the latest scientific information it had received was that the volcano was stable and no longer a threat. But he said government ministers would need to meet and agree to lift the evacuation order before the exodus would be stopped or reversed.
He said ferries and commercial ships were helping move people from the island and most should have left by Monday. He said about 7,000 people were making the 100-kilometer (60-mile) ocean trip to the island of Espiritu Santo, another 3,000 were being transferred to Pentecost island and about 1,000 to Maewo island.
Ambae resident Lilian Garae said she, her husband and three children were at home packing after being told they would be moved at 6 a.m. Tuesday to Maewo. She said they would have to leave behind their animals, including a pig and three cows, as well as books and belongings. She said they had no family on Maewo.
"I'm worried about walking away from the village and the animals and everything in our homes, because we are just leaving them behind," she said.
Garae said the volcano was no longer making the booming noises it had last week and was emitting less steam and ash. She said officials had told her she needed to be prepared to leave for two or three weeks.
The ash could be smelled in the air and was polluting water supplies, said Joe Cropp, a spokesman with the International Federation of the Red Cross who has been helping on Ambae.
He said people were leaving with what they could carry and making the half-day boat journey, in some cases with 400 others in the military-style landing vessels and at other times with just a couple of dozen others in the zipping water taxis.
He said the evacuation seemed to be progressing well, although some people were afraid of what awaited them on the other islands. He said on Espiritu Santo, people were being housed in churches, schools and tents.
"Their main fear is they won't be able to return home," he said.
The government has deployed about 100 police officers to Ambae to prevent looting, and Cropp said they had a noticeable but low-key presence there.
Cropp said most people on Ambae live a subsistence lifestyle by farming and fishing, and few own cars to traverse the dirt roads. Many people live in tin or thatch huts, he said, with perhaps one brick building per village.
Vanuatu's government says the evacuation will be completed by Friday and has set aside 200 million vatu ($1.9 million) for the effort. Other countries including Australia and New Zealand are contributing money and supplies.
Ambae island is about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) and has long been volcanically active. A previous eruption in 2005 forced about 3,300 residents to temporarily leave their homes and relocate elsewhere on the island.
Ambae is one of about 65 inhabited islands in Vanuatu, which is home to 280,000 people. The nation is prone to natural disasters, with a half-dozen active volcanoes as well as regular cyclones and earthquakes. It sits on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire," the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.
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Ad Costs Rising!
It’s hard to believe that we’re quickly approaching the busiest online shopping season of the year! The good news is that this means an increase in sales for almost all eCommerce stores. The bad news is that it also means an increase in ad costs.
In this episode of the eCommerce Lifestyle Podcast, Anton shares what to do NOW to keep your ad costs down throughout the end of the year.
1. Plan Promotions Now
2. Select The Correct Campaign Type
Automatic & manual advanced matching
Account simplification
Campaign budget optimization
Automatic Placements
3. When in Doubt, Schedule it Out
If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The eCommerce Lifestyle Podcast! The podcast is also available on all major podcast players including, Stitcher and Spotify.
The Power of Five
This podcast is also available in video form. Click ‘Play’ below to start watching. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for weekly updates and insights!
What's up everybody? Anton Kraly here from e-commercelifestyle.com, and welcome back to the podcast. This is our show that comes out every single Monday and Thursday morning. And every episode is designed to help eCommerce store owners to increase their revenue, automate their operations and become the authority in their niche. And I would recommend, even if you don't own a store yet, still stick around, listen to this episode, because this can help you prepare and actually show you that even if you don't have a store built yet, this is a great time to do so. Because at the time I'm recording this, we still have about a month to prepare to make sure we are in the best shape possible to end the year with a bang.
So, I'll also say with ad costs rising now, which they are going to be, they're getting there now, but it's going to get a lot more prevalent in about the next month or so, this is something that happens every single year, right? Why does it happen? Because at the end of the year, we go in to Black Friday and Cyber Monday and people buying for the holidays for Christmas, and then everybody's having New Year promos. So, every single year we're getting into this point, right about now, from about mid to late October through the end of the year, you'll see ad costs go up because everybody knows, all retailers, everybody that sells online knows that that is the busiest shopping season of the year. And everybody that runs an online business wants to capitalize on that.
And I should say, it's offline businesses too that are advertising online during this period. But basically everyone's trying to maximize their revenue. So everyone is spending more, which means auction systems costs go up, right? So what can you do now, again, at least a month before this starts happening to make the most out of it? Well, the first thing that we do and that I recommend you do as well, is plan your promotions now. So again, the time I'm recording this it is September 10th, the date I'm recording this. So we're getting to the point where Black Friday is what? Two months away, over two months away. But with that being said, we're still planning our promotions now for our businesses, for Black Friday, for Cyber Monday, for the weeks leading up to Christmas. So that it's not a scramble when it gets there like, "Oh, let's have a Black Friday sale or let's have a Cyber Monday sale. Oh, what should we offer? Should it be a bonus gift or a percent off?"
So, plan that now. It shouldn't take you that long. Spend a few days, if you're a member of any of my programs over at e-commercelifestyle.com, specifically my program Get Money Now, or if you're a member of Drop Ship Lifestyle and my program Drop Ship Blueprint, you already know how we plan promotions. So again, do that now, like today, when you're listening to this. Hopefully, you're not listening to this the day before Black Friday or Cyber Monday though. Now, once you have your promotion planned, it's time to get better at ads. And I'm saying that like, Oh yeah, click a button, whatever. And you're better at ads. No. But what you should do if you're not doing this already, specifically in your Facebook Ad account, is simplify your account structure so that you can give Facebook's algorithm more control.
Again, I know that sounds scary, but the way that Facebook works right now, it's night and day compared to where it was even a year ago. And the part of the algorithm I'm talking about, is once you have data in your account already, once there is some history with your Facebook Ad account spending money, it gets really good at doing what you want it to do without you having to manipulate a million different things within that account. So, I'm going to post the link in the podcast description, that's going to go to a part of Facebook's website and their business section about their Power5 structure. I've talked about this in the past, but a brief overview of it is, you're turning on automatic advanced matching at a minimum. If you can figure this out technically, then manual advanced matching works great too. We do that as well.
But first of all, what that does, is make sure that when Facebook is sending people to your website, or even when Google is sending people to your website and Facebook knows who they are because the Facebook pixel is there, it's going to start gathering more information about those people to give you a better chance to know who they are to be able to re-market to them later. Also, just simplifying your account structures. So right now, if you log in to your Facebook Ad account, let's say during or after this episode, and it doesn't even make sense to you how everything is configured and all the ad campaigns you have, I'd recommend cutting down and trying to combine as many as possible.
What we do typically, is have a Facebook Ad campaign that is more for like interest targeting. Then we have a Facebook Ad campaign that is for a lookalike targeting. And then we have a Facebook Ad campaign for remarketing. So, not 50 campaigns, but really three sometimes more, and then multiple ad sets within those campaigns. So, I would recommend that. If you're not already leveraging campaign budget optimization, I've talked about this for years now, I recommend you do that. I also recommend you're using automatic placements for all of your ads. Meaning Facebook will have the ability to show your ads on Facebook in the newsfeed, or in Facebook audience network, or on Instagram or any of the placements available.
And the reason this is really important to do now, is because, let's just say, you have an ad campaign on Facebook that is currently targeting desktop newsfeeds, which usually is the most valuable because that is something people will see. They're on the desktop computer. It's big, it's right in the middle. So typically, that is where we want to be. But if you have your ad campaigns now set up to only target that, what's going to happen is, as everybody else starts bidding on that, again, maybe eight, 10 weeks from now, the costs are just going to skyrocket for you. But if you leverage automatic placements and costs start to go up there, then Facebook can start showing you in the right hand column, and on the audience network, and again, on Instagram, and in stories and in marketplace ads. So, it really gives you the potential to have Facebook decide, where can we get this person? Meaning you, the best results for the best price.
And as ads start to scale up and ad costs start rising, yours will not rise as much as everybody else's that's not using automatic placements. Also, Dynamic Ads. This is something if you're more experienced with Facebook Ads and you've been doing them for a while, then I would recommend using dynamic ads as well. Now on Google, what should you do with ads there? At this point, same thing, try to simplify what it is you're doing so you have a clear picture every day of how things are working, but also I recommend scaling now. So, let's just say, hypothetically, you are running, just say between all your Google campaigns, right? Between search text, Google Shopping, Google Display Network, Google Discovery Ads, you're spending, it's going to choose a easy number, $10,000 a month, right? And that's what you're spending consistently on ads, and you're doing $100,000 in sales every month. And that's been stable.
Well, I would recommend literally today you start testing scaling. So don't wait until costs go up, start scaling now. Because what that is going to allow you to do, is scale at today's prices, at today's auction rates, because all of these ad platforms are auctions, we're bidding against other people. So, if you go to scale now, what's going to happen is your cost per acquisition, your cost to get a customer might go up slightly, but you're also going to get a lot more traffic. And this is the key, both with Facebook, the reason we're trying to simplify our campaigns now and scale them, and with Google, the reason we're trying to simplify our campaigns literally right now, I mean this, do this today. And scale them, is because as we do this and we're paying today's auction rates, we're going to have more clicks, more website visitors, more people pixeled, meaning that when the time comes to run promotions, again, in about eight to 10 weeks from now, you're going to have these bigger audiences and then you can use your remarketing campaigns and rely heavily on them.
And what that means, is you're going to be paying less, because it's always cheaper to target your remarketing campaigns. It's always a better return on ad spend when you're targeting your remarketing campaigns. And if you do this now, you're building those audiences, so that, boom, the time comes, your audiences are bigger than they would have been if you just do what you're currently doing for the next eight to 10 weeks. Right? So, hopefully that makes sense. We're on the same page there. And finally, I want to give you one more tip that is not directly related to ad costs rising, but it's directly related to planning your promotions and making sure you get the most out of this holiday season. So again, Facebook and Google, more and more advertisers are upping their budgets as we get closer to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, that whole season.
So, what you want to do now as you plan your promotions, is also create the ads. So, if it's an image ad, make that image ad now, if it's a video ad, make that video ad now. And go a step further and actually create the campaigns now. So even, let's just say, next week on, I don't know, September 17th, you upload literally to Facebook Ads and Google Ads, your Black Friday campaign, your Cyber Monday campaign, your three weeks before Christmas campaign, two weeks, one week, your New Year's eve sale, do that now, and just upload them and then turn them off or pause them. And what's good about this, is for the time it takes for Google and Facebook to review ads, they do that even if the campaigns are paused. Meaning that if you upload it now, everything can get approved and you don't have to worry about any delays or any possible rejections.
And then you can either just set a rule inside Google and Facebook, or you can do it yourself manually. A few days before Black Friday, go in there, turn it on, everything's already been approved for weeks now. And boom, just like that, it starts spending and you can capitalize on this holiday season even while the majority of people are like, "Why are my ad costs so high now?" You'll already be well aware of it. And you've already had eight to 10 weeks to prep. So, that's basically what I wanted to cover in today's episode guys, that's exactly what we're doing now. That's exactly what we do every year. It always does lead to us not overspending. And it leads to extremely profitable holiday seasons, which by the way, I think this is going to be one of the most profitable seasons we've had in a long time. Simply because ad costs have been low for so long.
And a couple of other points I'll make, if anybody's like, "Oh no, ad costs are going up." Again, this happens every single year, especially this year, because now we have the election. So we have political spending going out of control plus the holiday, just a rush of everybody spending online. But just know when we go into the beginning of Q1 of 2021, ad costs are going to nose dive again, things get back to normal. But even with that being said, it's not like you should worry about it now, because do what I just said. And this is an opportunity for you to have the best couple months in sales that you've probably ever had.
Also, I want to say for anybody listening, that does not have an eCommerce store yet, don't freak out and think like, "Well, I might as well wait six months." There is still plenty of time to go to dropshipwebinar.com, that's where I have my free training class. Go through my Drop Ship Blueprint. I give you my 21 step launch plan, where within 21 days you're up and running. And that still gives you plenty of time to build your audiences for remarketing. So, at the time I'm recording this, again, you can definitely do that this year. You can still have an extremely profitable holiday season, but be sure you don't wait on it. Just go to dropshipwebinar.com. You can get my free training there, and then I'll make you a special offer for my flagship program, the Drop Ship Blueprint.
So, if you got value guys from this episode, as always, I would really appreciate it if you can go to Apple podcasts or whatever podcast player you use, give it a review, ideally five stars, and let me know what your main take-away was. And if you know anybody that's running an online business, do them a favor and share this episode with them so that they're not overspending and freaking out for the next couple months. So, appreciate you guys. And with that being said, I will talk to you in the next episode of the podcast. See you.
Previous Post Is Dropshipping Allowed On Google? Next Post 10 Minutes To Change Your Year
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EGADD Meeting Documents
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Home » News » Older News
2020 News Archive >>
Why is China Introducing New Export Controls? >>
Why is China Introducing New Export Controls?
China Briefing
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress will deliberate on China’s new export control law at a session starting Tuesday, October 13, 2020, with the goal of safeguarding national security interests and could ban Chinese suppliers from doing business with specific foreign companies. This law is expected to be enacted next year. Details are awaited on what will be the scope of these restrictions, what constitutes a threat to national security, guidance for firms to establish internal compliance mechanisms, and what happens in case export controls are violated.
Further Details – Why is China Introducing New Export Controls?
US National Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies >>
US National Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies
The National Security Strategy (NSS) lays out a vision for promoting American prosperity; protecting the American people, the homeland, and the American way of life; preserving peace through strength; and advancing American influence in an era of great power competition. It calls for the United States to lead in research, technology, invention, and innovation, referred to here generally as science and technology (S&T), by prioritizing emerging technologies critical to economic growth and security. The NSS also calls for the United States to promote and protect the United States National Security Innovation Base (NSIB), which it defines as the American network of knowledge, capabilities, and people – including academia, National Laboratories, and the private sector – that turns ideas into innovations, transforms discoveries into successful commercial products and companies, and protects and enhances the American way of life.
Full report – National-Strategy-for-CET
Paying Ransomware Demands May Violate Sanctions, US Treasury Warns >>
Paying Ransomware Demands May Violate Sanctions, US Treasury Warns
Silicon – Tom Jowitt
Never pay. Insurers and others are warned by US Treasury Dept that cyberattack payouts to hackers may violate US sanction rules
US officials have issued a stark warning to financial institutions and insurers who have paid hackers following cyberattacks…more
EU companies selling surveillance tools to China’s human rights abusers >>
EU companies selling surveillance tools to China’s human rights abusers
European tech companies risk fuelling widespread human rights abuses by selling digital surveillance technology to China’s public security agencies, a new Amnesty International investigation reveals. The findings are published ahead of a crucial meeting in Brussels on 22 September where the European Parliament and EU member states will decide whether to strengthen lax surveillance export rules…more
Written Statement – Trade Update - Made by: Elizabeth Truss (Secretary of State for International Trade) >>
Written Statement – Trade Update – Made by: Elizabeth Truss (Secretary of State for International Trade)
I want to update the House on the steps that have been taken to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 20 June 2019 regarding licences for military exports to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen.
The legal proceedings concerned the decisions of the then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills of 9 December 2015:
Not to suspend extant export licences for the sale or transfer of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen; and
To continue to grant further such licences.
The legal proceedings concerned Criterion 2c of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria – which requires the Government to assess Saudi Arabia’s attitude towards relevant principles of international law and provides that the Government will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law (IHL).
The Divisional Court found in favour of the Government in its judgment of July 2017, noting that we applied a rigorous and robust, multi-layered process of analysis to making our licensing decisions. Our approach has focused on a predictive evaluation of risk as to the attitude and future conduct of the Saudi-led coalition, recognising the inherent difficulties of seeking to reach findings on IHL for specific incidents where we do not have access to complete information. Even so, this analysis has always incorporated a detailed and careful review of past allegations of incidents of concern. This included analysis, to the extent possible, of whether there were patterns of concern, in particular arising from trends in the number of allegations of civilian casualties and of damage to key civilian infrastructure. The Court of Appeal broadly endorsed this decision-making process.
The principal issue in the Court of Appeal was whether this analysis needed to go further. In the Court’s judgment, the question of whether there was an historic pattern of breaches of IHL was a question which required to be faced. Even if it could not be answered with reasonable confidence for every incident, at least the attempt had to be made. It was because we had not reached findings on whether specific incidents constituted breaches of IHL as part of our assessment of clear risk, under Criterion 2c, that the Court of Appeal concluded that our decision-making process was irrational and therefore unlawful.
To address the Court of Appeal’s judgment, we have developed a revised methodology in respect of all allegations which it is assessed are likely to have occurred and to have been caused by fixed wing aircraft, reflecting the factual circumstances that the court proceedings concerned. Each of those allegations has been subject to detailed analysis by reference to the relevant principles of IHL and in the light of all the information and intelligence available. An evaluation has then been made, in respect of each incident, whether it is possible that it constitutes a breach of IHL or whether it is unlikely that it represents a breach. For a number of incidents, as envisaged by the Court of Appeal, there is insufficient information to make this evaluation. Where an incident is assessed as being a “possible” breach, it is regarded – for the purposes of the Criterion 2c analysis – as if it were a breach of IHL. By setting the threshold as “possible” the IHL analysis has captured the widest range of relevant potential IHL breaches, to provide a base from which to assess the prospective risk for Criterion 2c.
The IHL analysis has now been applied to all credible incidents of concern of which we are aware. Some of these incidents have been assessed as “possible” violations of IHL. These have therefore been factored into the overall Criterion 2c Analysis on the basis that they are violations of IHL.
We have sought to determine whether these “violations” are indicative of:
(i) any patterns of non-compliance;
(ii) a lack of commitment on the part of Saudi Arabia to comply with IHL; and/or
(iii) a lack of capacity or systemic weaknesses which might give rise to a clear risk of IHL breaches.
We have similarly looked for patterns and trends across the incidents which have been assessed as being unlikely to be breaches of IHL and those for which there is insufficient information to make an assessment.
This analysis has not revealed any such patterns, trends or systemic weaknesses. It is noted, in particular, that the incidents which have been assessed to be possible violations of IHL occurred at different times, in different circumstances and for different reasons. The conclusion is that these are isolated incidents.
I want to emphasise that the IHL analysis is just one part of the Criterion 2c assessment. In re-taking these decisions, I have taken into account the full range of information available to the Government. In the light of all that information and analysis, I have concluded that, notwithstanding the isolated incidents which have been factored into the analysis as historic violations of IHL, Saudi Arabia has a genuine intent and the capacity to comply with IHL.
On that basis, I have assessed that there is not a clear risk that the export of arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.
Having now re-taken the decisions that were the subject of judicial review on the correct legal basis, as required by the Order of the Court of Appeal of 20 June, it follows that the undertaking that my predecessor gave to the Court – that we would not grant any new licences for the export of arms or military equipment to Saudi Arabia for possible use in Yemen – falls away. The broader commitment that was given to Parliament, relating to licences for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, also no longer applies.
The Government will now begin the process of clearing the backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners that has built up since 20 June last year. Each application will, of course, be carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and a licence would not be granted if to do so would be a breach of the Criteria. It may take some months to clear this backlog.
Finally, as indicated in the statement made to the House on 20 June 2019, we sought permission to appeal to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal’s judgment. Permission was granted by the Court of Appeal on 9 July 2019. In light of the revised methodology which I have just described, I will now be taking steps to withdraw this appeal.
See online here
US BIS – Tightening Restrictions on Exports to China, Russia and Venezuela >>
US BIS – Tightening Restrictions on Exports to China, Russia and Venezuela
Expansion of Export, Reexport, and Transfer (in-Country) Controls for Military End Use or Military End Users in the People’s Republic of China, Russia, or Venezuela. Final Rule. (85 FR 23459) (April 28, 2020)
>> FAQs EAR 744.21 26 June 2020
Current Export and Trade Control Licensing Delays >>
Current Export and Trade Control Licensing Delays
As many UK companies are already aware, the UK Government has been working hard to try to address the current delays that are being widely experienced with the UK export and trade control licensing system. The situation is extremely challenging for all involved, and is fundamentally a knock-on from the 20th June 2019 Appeal Court ruling (on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its coalition allies in Yemen) and the 15th October 2019 Ministerial announcement to Parliament (on licences for Turkey). ECJU is well aware of the issues that have been caused for companies, as a result, and the intense frustration that many of you are experiencing. The good news is that it is anticipated that ECJU should be able to start clearing the backlog in the near future, which will likely take at least c.3 months.
However, in the meantime, and to assist the Government in its efforts to work its way through the backlog in a rational, thoughtful and strategic way, it has requested help from Industry to try to prioritise its efforts, and focus its finite resources on those cases which are really urgent and need to be expedited, so as to try to minimise the extent of any damage to UK Industry’s commercial interests. This will be a new, temporary approach which is going to be put in place to try to help to clear the current backlog of held up licence applications in a measured and controlled way, with companies seeking to try to highlight to HMG any REALLY urgent cases, which HAVE to be prioritised for processing, and where this claim for urgency can be fully and rationally justified by the applicants. Other cases will continue to be dealt with in chronological order on the basis of when they were received by the ECJU
To that end, the UK Government, first and foremost, will be seeking to try to focus on the most urgent priority cases, by working with the major prime contractors to see if it might be possible to coral together a number of relevant licence applications which are related to the same project, so these can be dealt with in small batches. These major prime contractors are to be directly contacted separately and individually by the UK Government.
Whilst this is going on, ADS had been asked to assist in the implementation of a temporary triage system whereby other UK exporters, outside of the major prime contractors, can seek help to prioritise their applications which are part of the backlog on the basis of perceived urgency. Such prioritisation efforts must be fully justifiable. If a company is able to provide sufficient justification that their case is really urgent and needs to be prioritised, then these cases can be raised with the ECJU for possible expediting. We need to be fair to all parties, but, especially if some justification can be provided as to why particular cases need to be expedited, that would be extremely useful for the ECJU. However, approaches by individual companies to ECJU need to be done sparingly and in an informed way, as seeking to expedite any particular licence through the system will, of necessity, result in diversion of resources from the processing of other cases. However, it must be made clear that cases will continue to be reviewed and decisions made on a strict case-by-case basis against the consolidated criteria – this is purely a prioritisation exercise to help manage the processing of cases, and it will not influence the decision, itself.
Clearly potential risk to contracts that have been awarded and where the company concerned has evidence it can share that business may about to be lost will be one key reason for possible prioritisation. The size of the order is not an issue, as what might be small, low-level business to a prime, might represent an existential threat to a smaller company, who is likely to have a much smaller financial tolerance level to losing business. Also, what might be a very small value contract could be for trial and demonstration purposes, and potentially lead on to significantly larger future business, and the establishment of a long-term, strategically-important commercial relationship. There will be other criteria for prioritisation.
The focus at the moment is on those licences which have been impacted by the 20th June 2019 Appeal Court ruling on Yemen, covering licences for any of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition partners active in Yemen (including: UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan and Egypt), and I will be in touch separately regarding Turkey, in due course.
If any companies want to raise any cases that they feel need to be expedited due to their perceived urgency, they should send the details of their most urgent and pressing cases, including: the relevant licence application numbers; end user; date when the licence application was submitted; date when the contract was signed; and whether it relates to an item that is part of a wider supply chain, along with justification as to why your case(s) need to be expedited, to Brinley.Salzmann@adsgroup.org.uk so he can see if he may be able to raise them with the Government for early resolution over the coming weeks.
EGADD TCCG Members Survey 2020 >>
EGADD TCCG Members Survey 2020
The Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use (EGADD) and techUK’s Trade & Customs Compliance Group (TCCG) are jointly conducting a survey to enable them to assess the scale of the problems (and lost business) which have and are being experienced by UK firms as a direct result of the current delays and “issues” with export licensing that have been being experienced since the 20th June 2019 Appeal Court ruling. This does NOT just relate to KSA, its allies in Yemen, and Turkey, but is seeking details of wider problems that have been experienced by UK exporters. This will then enable ADS and techUK to consider making effective representations to senior officials of the UK Government.
This survey will consider all aspects of the export/trade control licensing process. We are seeking feedback on companies’ practical experiences of dealing with the UK’s export and trade control licensing system over the past 8 months (ie in the period 20th June 2019 to 20th February 2020).
The intention would be to produce a consolidated summary report with any major generic, common issues or concerns being put to the ECJU for their response.
All supplied information will be treated in extreme confidence, and will be anonymised as far as practicable, unless companies specifically state that they are happy to be quoted.
This Survey seeks inputs from Members concerning their current experiences when working with the existing system.
Please answer all that are relevant to you. If they are not, just skip them.
Please provide in free-form text any additional and/or innovative ideas and suggestions you might wish to share with us.
Members are requested to download, complete and return the survey form by Friday 20th March to Brinley.Salzmann@adsgroup.org.uk
CFIUS, FIRRMA and Emerging Technology Update >>
CFIUS, FIRRMA and Emerging Technology Update
CFIUS-FIRRMA-and-Emerging-Technologies-Update
August 2018, John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA) (H.R. 5515, 115th Cong. (2018))
Companion legislation: approaching the problem from different angles
– Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA)
– CFIUS – Reviews foreign investment in the US
– Export Control Reform Act (ECRA)
– BIS – Reviews exports, reexports and transfers (in country)
Policy Objectives
– Slowing down Chinese leadership in emerging technology
– Maintaining the integrity of supply chains
– Identifying trusted investors aligned with US national security and foreign policy interests
FIRRMA
– On November 10, 2018, the CFIUS Pilot Program came into effect, implementing mandatory declaration filings
– On February 13, 2020, comprehensive new regulations came into effect implementing FIRRMA (and ending the pilot program)
– Two rules defining control parameters for certain emerging technologies
On-Demand Trade Compliance Training Launched for Exporters >>
On-Demand Trade Compliance Training Launched for Exporters
Immediate Release – Wednesday 15 January
New on-demand trade compliance training has been launched by the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use (EGADD), and online trade compliance training provider Content Enablers, have partnered to produce new training.
The new training is the result of extensive work by EGADD – the UK’s only dedicated national industrial body dealing exclusively with export control issues – and Content Enablers to identify and address the training needs of exporters of controlled goods. It is designed to increase robust understanding of the regulations and promote compliance in export control mechanisms.
Created in an engaging, self-paced format, the training programme is designed to reflect both job function and compliance responsibility with specific modules for professional staff as well as compliance practitioners.
The new online training products are now available to EGADD members who are encouraged to use the subscription-based model to complete their training, reinforcing and extending their trade compliance knowledge. Upon completing the training, participants will receive Certificates of Continuing Professional Development from King’s College London.
Brinley Salzmann, Director of Overseas and Exports at EGADD and ADS, said:
“Our member companies operate an increasingly complex global trade environment. Ensuring that their leadership and employees in marketing and business development, engineering, human resources, and other roles understand how to spot potential red flags is critical to avoiding potential fines, penalties, and reputational damage.
“We wanted to make certain that our member companies have access to the best trade compliance training possible, and Content Enablers has a proven track record of providing training to leading companies in the aerospace and defence industry.”
Brad Kabanuk, President of Content Enablers said:
“Content Enablers has supported the compliance training needs of UK companies for two decades, but the need for effective training has never been more pronounced. This partnership with EGADD leverages our expansion into on-demand learning-as-a-service and our collaboration with King’s College London for continuing professional development units for our courses.”
“We are truly excited to partner with EGADD to create a unique trade compliance training offering for their member companies. Given our extensive experience in the UK aerospace and defense industry, combined with our unique learning model and industry-first partnership with King’s College London, we are well positioned to add significant value as a partner for EGADD.”
ADS is the UK trade organisation representing the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, with more than 1,100 member businesses.
About EGADD
The Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use (EGADD) is a not-for-profit-making special interest industry group, founded in September 2004, focusing exclusively on all aspects of export and trade control matters. EGADD is the only dedicated national industrial body in the UK dealing exclusively with export control issues. EGADD operates under the joint auspices of ADS, British Marine, the British Naval Equipment Association (BNEA), the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI), and techUK.
About Content Enablers
Recognized as the most comprehensive online global trade compliance training solution, our platform is used by leading companies around the world, ranging from the Fortune 500 to small businesses that create the products and services that drive business forward and affect our everyday lives. Whether you’re looking for a solution to train your professional staff, trade compliance practitioners, or suppliers, you can rely on Content Enablers to help you move global trade forward efficiently and compliantly.
New Interim Final Rule Creates End-to-End Encryption Carve-Out for ITAR Technical Data >>
New Interim Final Rule Creates End-to-End Encryption Carve-Out for ITAR Technical Data
By: Olga Torres and Derrick Kyle
The Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) has published an interim final rule (“the Interim Final Rule”) seeking public comments and clarifying that certain transfers of encrypted technical data are not exports, reexports, or retransfers subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”).
The new definition of “activities that are not Exports, Reexports, Retransfers, or Temporary Imports, is found at 22 C.F.R. § 120.17 and reads, in its entirety, as follows:
(a) The following activities are not exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports:
(1) Launching a spacecraft, launch vehicle, payload, or other item into space.
(2) Transmitting or otherwise transferring technical data to a U.S. person in the United States from a person in the United States.
(3) Transmitting or otherwise transferring within the same foreign country technical data between or among only U.S. persons, so long as the transmission or transfer does not result in a release to a foreign person or transfer to a person prohibited from receiving the technical data.
(4) Shipping, moving, or transferring defense articles between or among the United States as defined in § 120.13 of this subchapter.
(5) Sending, taking, or storing technical data that is:
(i) Unclassified;
(ii) Secured using end-to-end encryption;
(iii) Secured using cryptographic modules (hardware or software) compliant with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 140-2 (FIPS 140-2) or its successors, supplemented by software implementation, cryptographic key management, and other procedures and controls that are in accordance with guidance provided in current U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) publications, or by other cryptographic means that provide security strength that is at least comparable to the minimum 128 bits of security strength achieved by the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128);
(iv) Not intentionally sent to a person in or stored in a country proscribed in § 126.1 of this subchapter or the Russian Federation; and
(v) Not sent from a country proscribed in § 126.1 of this subchapter or the Russian Federation.
NOTE TO PARAGRAPH (a)(5)(iv): Data in-transit via the Internet is not deemed to be stored.
(b)(1) For purposes of this section, end-to-end encryption is defined as:
(i) The provision of cryptographic protection of data, such that the data is not in an unencrypted form, between an originator (or the originator’s in-country security boundary) and an intended recipient (or the recipient’s in-country security boundary); and
(ii) The means of decryption are not provided to any third party.
(2) The originator and the intended recipient may be the same person. The intended recipient must be the originator, a U.S. person in the United States, or a person otherwise authorized to receive the technical data, such as by a license or other approval pursuant to this subchapter.
(c) The ability to access technical data in encrypted form that satisfies the criteria set forth in paragraph (a)(5) of this section does not constitute the release or export of such technical data.
>>Click Here for full article
CISTEC – On the Revision of Japan’s Application of Export Controls to the Republic of Korea and Compliance of Japan’s Security Export Control Systems with WTO Rules >>
CISTEC – On the Revision of Japan’s Application of Export Controls to the Republic of Korea and Compliance of Japan’s Security Export Control Systems with WTO Rules
The following explanatory document by Powerpoint is the latest one of Nov. 1, 2019, which has comprehensively reflected the recent situations as well.
◎On the Revision of Japan’s Application of Export Controls to the Republic of Korea and Compliance of Japan’s Security Export Control Systems with WTO Rules（November 1, 2019) – http://www.cistec.or.jp/service/kankoku/191101-e.pdf
The points of this explanatory document of Nov. 1, 2019 are as follows.
This latest document summarizes the results of CISTEC’s review from the standpoint of “a non-governmental organization specializing in export controls” regarding the revision of Japan’s application of export controls measures to Republic of Korea(ROK).
CISTEC has been supporting ROK for nearly 20 years since their development of export control systems and organizations, and has been researching the ROK’s export control system operations and publishing guidance books on these for industries every year. Therefore, we are fully aware of the differences between Japan’s in export control system operations and ROK’s ones.
Based on the above-mentioned understanding and knowledge as a professional export control organization, CISTEC has understood not only the backgrounds and purposes of the measures taken by the Japanese government on exports to ROK but also the reasons why ROK has misunderstood it.
Although ROK insists Japan’s measures are political ones as retaliation against the “forced labor” issue, Japan’s measures are not such political ones at all but they are faithful measures to the basic requirements of export control to identify end-use and end-users, and to prevent items being used for purposes other than the authorized purpose or for unauthorized reexports or for export circumvention.
However, since ROK has misunderstood and frequently criticized it both in ROK and abroad, it seems that the above-mentioned facts have not been precisely understood outside of Japan.
As ROK has admitted recently, it has been clarified there is no “damage” from the measures taken by the government of Japan. It is fruitless for ROK to repeat criticism against Japan regarding the export control measures and continue the tense relationship between Japan and ROK in spite of the above-mentioned facts of no damage. It is also an unfortunate story for South Korea itself to such situations are causing negative domestic impacts.
This explanatory document was prepared in order to promote accurate understanding of the above-mentioned facts and normalize the relationship. We do hope this document would contribute to the correct understanding of all of the parties who have interests in these issues.
Thank you again for your various cooperation and we look forward to hearing from you.
Yasushi Tagami,
Deputy General Manager (International Affairs) of Research Department,
& Director of Center for International Cooperation on Security Export Control,
CISTEC (Center for Information on Security Trade Control)
Australia: The Defence export licence timeline >>
Australia: The Defence export licence timeline
By Katherine Ziesing
Former Minister for Defence Christopher Pyne released the Defence Export Strategy in January 2018, which aims to make Australia one of the top ten global defence exporters within the next decade. News in the past month that Australia has dropped in Defence exports rankings since that announcement needs some context….
…While Defence does not publish detailed analysis of the applications received (for example the number of joint applications between industry and academia), high-level data can be accessed to get a high level overview of the data. These figures clearly show that 89 per cent of the applications that Defence receives are not complex. The remaining 11 per cent therefore are complex, and so take up much more time, not unlike complex programs in the acquisition/sustainment space….
Read more at https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/the-defence-export-licence-timeline#D3B6XF0kjg135z05.99
CISTEC’s Explanation in English on Japan METI’s update of the legal application of export controls to South Korea >>
CISTEC’s Explanation in English on Japan METI’s update of the legal application of export controls to South Korea
As you know, Japanese government METI published the update of the legal application of export controls to South Korea on July 1 and August 2.
On this subject there have been many medias’ articles, however, unfortunately, there are lots of articles which are totally wrong or incorrect under the serious misunderstanding of the above-mentioned Japanese update.
Therefore, although CISTEC, a non-profit and non-government organization, is not in charge of the above-mentioned update, we CISTEC have recently made and published the following 3 kinds of explanatory materials on the basis of the facts on our open websites in order to be able to resolve such misunderstanding and confusion.
◎CISTEC’s brief explanatory materials in English by Powerpoint slides:
“On the Update to the Application of Export Controls to the Republic of Korea Misconceptions Regarding the Implementation of Export Controls ―Accurate Understanding Avoids Confusion!―”
http://www.cistec.or.jp/service/kankoku/190805setumeishiryo_e.pdf
◎CISTEC’s detailed explanatory materials in English:
“On the Update of the Application of Export Controls to the Republic of Korea Basic Interpretation Regarding the Implementation of Japan’s System of Export Controls”
http://www.cistec.or.jp/service/kankoku/190802kankoku_e.pdf
“On the Revision to the Application of Export Controls Dated August 7” (Preliminary Report)
http://www.cistec.or.jp/service/kankoku/190807houkatu_e.pdf
○CISTEC’s Open Website in English
http://www.cistec.or.jp/english/index.html
Notice to Exporters 2019/08: 3 open general licences updated >>
Notice to Exporters 2019/08: 3 open general licences updated
Three open general licences relating to Iraq, maritime anti-piracy and export of military goods after exhibition or demonstration have been updated.
Read more about this important news in Notice to Exporters 2019/08.
For general export control queries please contact our Helpline on 020 7215 4594 or exportcontrol.help@trade.gov.uk
What happens if I violate export controls in the UK? (January – December 2019) >>
What happens if I violate export controls in the UK? (Jan – Dec 2019)
Notice to exporters 2019/05: UK company fined more than £80,000 for illegal exports
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recently issued a heavy penalty to a UK exporter.
Business Awareness Unit Export Control Joint Unit
What happens if I violate export controls in the USA? (January – December 2019) >>
What happens if I violate export controls in the USA? (Jan – Dec 2019)
Ghaddar Machinery Co., SAL, in Lebanon Agrees to Pay a $368,000 Civil Penalty to Settle EAR Violations
The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has announced that Ghaddar Machinery Co., SAL, in Ghazieh, Sidon, Lebanon, has agreed to pay a US$368,000 civil penalty (five instalments of US$100,000 no later than 30 days from the date of the BIS Order; US$67,000 not later than May 1, 2020; US$67,000 not later than November 1, 2020; US$67,000 not later than May 1, 2021; and US$67,000 and not later than November 1, 2021) to settle charges that it committed 20 violations of EAR § 764.2(a) ( Engaging in prohibited conduct by re-exporting items subject to the EAR to Syria without the required BIS licenses). Specifically, on twenty (20) occasions between on or about January 23, 2014, and on or about September 20, 2016, as described in additional detail in the Schedule of Violationsto the Settlement Agreement, Ghaddar engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR when it reexported generator sets, items subject to the EAR and worth approximately US$736,236 in total, from Lebanon to Syria without the required BIS reexport licenses. At all times pertinent to the transactions at issue, the generator sets were designated EAR99 under the EAR and controlled for reexport to Syria. The generator sets were assembled in Lebanon incorporating US-origin engines and were subject to the EAR when reexported to Syria because they contained more than 10% of controlled US-origin content. Click here for a copy of the Settlement Agreement and related documentation.
State/DDTC: AeroVironment Inc, of Simi Valley, CA, Agrees to $1 Million Fine and Corrective Actions to Settle AECA and ITAR Charges
(Source: DDTC Penalties & Oversight Agreements) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: AeroVironment, 900 Innovators Way, Simi Valley, CA
* Charges: Ten violations of the AECA and ITAR, consisting of unauthorized export of defense articles, to include technical data; failure to properly maintain records involving ITAR-controlled transactions; and violations of the provisos, terms, and conditions of export authorizations.
* Civil Settlement: $1 million fine ($500,000 suspended if spent on corrective actions)
* Debarred or Suspended from Export Transactions: Not if penalty is paid and corrective actions are completed as agreed.
* Result of Voluntary Self-Disclosure: Yes (14 VDs)
* Date of Order: 19 Nov 2019
* Available documents:
– Proposed Charging Letter: HERE
– Consent Agreement: HERE
– Order: HERE
* Mitigating Factors:
– Voluntary disclosure of violations.
– Waiver of Statute of Limitations
– Respondent’s self-initiated comprehensive remedial compliance measures before and during the course of government review.
– Respondent’s responsiveness and cooperation with DDTC.
– No indication that Respondent’s violations caused harm to U.S. national security.
* Aggravating Factors:
(a) A systemic lack of authorization management and attention to provisos, terms & conditions of export authorizations;
(b) an unknown number of instances where Respondent failed to properly maintain records as required by the ITAR; and
(c) the involvement of Significant Military Equipment (SME).
* Required Corrective Actions (CAs): (Excerpts.)
– Retain a Special Compliance Officers who will report directly to DDTC: SCO for 1 year, followed by Internal SCO for 1 year
– Perform a comprehensive jurisdiction/classification review of products and services.
– Incorporate CAs upon acquisition of any new business entity engaged in ITAR-regulated activities.
– Notify DDTC 60 days before sale of any entity engaged in ITAR-regulated activities and inform purchaser of CA requirements.
– Ensure adequate resources are dedicated to ITAR compliance, including lines of authority, staffing increases, performance evaluations, career paths, promotions, and compensation.
– VP/General Counsel to brief Board annually re findings and recommendations of ISCO.
– Retain independent consultant to conduct comprehensive audit of ITAR-regulated business operations.
State/DDTC: “Darling Industries, Inc. Fined $400,000 to Settle Alleged AECA and ITAR Violations, Including Failure to Appoint a Qualified Empowered Official”
(Source: State/DDTC, 28 Feb 2019.)
Darling Industries, Inc., of 3749 N. Romero Road, Tucson, AZ, settled allegations that it violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) in connection with unauthorized exports of defense articles; provision of defense services; and failure to appoint a qualified Empowered Official.
* Respondent: Darling Industries Inc., 3749 N. Romero Rd., Tucson, AZ 85705
* Charges: Six violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), for unauthorized exports; unauthorized defense services; and failure to appoint a qualified Empowered Official (EO), between 9 Feb 2012 and 3 Mar 2014. A self-initiated compliance review described decades of systematic, reoccurring violations involving R.E. Darling’s manufacture and sale of ethylene propylene diene monomer compound (EPDM), a Kevlar-filled, raw material used as a missile case insulator and missile motor insulator, controlled under USML IV(h) and breathing hoses, controlled under USML VIII(h). EPDM is also designated on MTCR Annex, Category II- Item 3. Specifically:
– Violation of ITAR § 127.1(a)(1) by unauthorized exports of defense articles and furnishing of defense services to Canada for the production of Black Brant rocket motors.
– Violation of ITAR § 127.1(a)(1) by unauthorized exports of Cat VIII(h) breathing hoses to the UK and Italy.
– Violation of ITAR § 127.1(b)(1) by appointing an unqualified EO who did not meet § 120.25 requirements. “R.E. Darling’s Empowered Official was not in a position of having authority for policy or management within R.E. Darling’s organization, as required by 22 CFR 120.25(a)(1). Also, the Empowered Official did not understand the provisions and requirements of the various export statutes and regulations, as described in 22 CFR 120.25(a)(3).” Charging Letter, pp. 3-4.
* Civil Settlement: $400,000 ($200,000 will be suspended if penalty is paid and corrective actions are undertaken as agreed).
* Result of Voluntary Disclosure: Yes.
* Date of Order: 26 Feb 2019.
* Available documents: Proposed Charging Letter; Consent Agreement; Order.
– Respondent submitted a Voluntary Disclosure.
– Respondent entered into an agreement with DDTC.
– Respondent instituted a number of self-initiated compliance program improvements.
– Delayed disclosure (22 months after discovery of the violation).
* Corrective Actions (CAs) include:
– Incorporate CAs into any of future business acquisitions that are involved in AECA and ITAR-regulated activities.
– Ensure adequate resources are dedicated to ITAR compliance, including lines of authority, staffing increases, performance evaluations, and career paths.
– Appoint Internal Special Compliance Officer (ISCO) who will:
(1) Report directly to DDTC and to VP/GM;
(2) Conduct ITAR compliance review throughout ITAR-regulated business units;
(3) Oversee implementation of all compliance measures;
(4) Have authority to hire staff and outside consultants to assist.
(5) Review and verify export control jurisdictions and classifications.
(6) Perform, under supervision of ISCO, one audit by an outside consultant during the term of the Consent Agreement.
Commerce/BIS Denies Export Privileges to 8 Persons
(Source: Commerce/BIS, 29 Jan 2019.)
* Respondent (1): Alexander Fishenko of Three Rivers, TX
* Charges: Fishenko was convicted of violating the Internal Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701, et seq. (2012)) and section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Part 2778 (2012)) (“AECA”). Specifically, Fishenko was convicted of knowingly and intentionally exporting from the U.S. to Russia microelectronics without the required U.S. Department of Commerce licenses. Fishenko was also convicted of knowingly, intentionally, and wilfully exporting from the U.S. to Russia power amplifiers designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List, namely five TriQuint parts TGA2517, without the required U.S. Department of State licenses, in violation of the AECA. Fishenko was sentenced 120 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,900 assessment, and forfeited over $500,000 in criminal proceeds in the United States. Fishenko was also placed on the U.S. Department of State Debarred List.
* Debarred: 10 years from the date of Fishenko’s conviction.
* Date of Order: 31 Dec 2018.
* Respondent (2): Asim Fareed of Boca Raton, FL
* Charges:
– 15 C.F.R. Part 764.2(d) – Conspiracy. Specifically, Fareed conspired to export a Humboldt Bending Beam Rheometer and a Humboldt Pressure Aging Vessel subject to the EAR from the United States to Iran, via the United Arab Emirates, without the required U.S. Government authorization.
* Penalty:
– Fareed shall provide two annual reports of all export and reexport transactions involving items subject to the EAR in which he participates in any way.
* Debarred: 3 years from the date of the order.
* Respondent (3): Eduard Roel Vazquez of Beaumont, TX
– Vazquez was convicted of violating section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Part 2778 (2012)). Specifically, knowingly and wilfully aided and abetted the export, and attempt to export, two 7.62x39mm rifles and a 5.56mm rifle, items designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List, from the U.S. to Mexico, without the required U.S. Department of State licenses. Vazquez was sentenced 38 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment.
* Debarred: 10 years from the date of the order.
* Respondent (4): Joel Prado, Jr. of Beaumont, TX
* Charges: Prado was convicted of violating section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Part 2778 (2012)). Specifically, conspired to knowingly and wilfully export and cause to export from the U.S. to Mexico .223 caliber rifles, items designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List, without the required U.S. Department of State licenses. Prado was sentenced to 96 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and an assessment of $200.
* Debarred: 10 years from the date of respondent’s conviction.
* Respondent (5): Jose Jesus Campos-Flores of Bastrop, TX
* Charges: Campos-Flores was convicted of violating section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Part 2778 (2012)). Specifically, the respondent knowingly exported and attempted to export from the U.S. to Mexico firearms designated on the U.S. Munitions List, without the required U.S. Department of State licenses. Campos-Flores was sentenced to 36 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment.
* Debarred: 7 years from the date of Campos-Flores’ conviction.
* Respondent (6): Shavkat Abdullaev of Philipsburg, PA
– Abdullaev was convicted of violating the Internal Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701, et seq. (2012)). Specifically, Abdullaev was convicted of knowingly and intentionally exporting from the U.S. to Russia microelectronics without the required U.S. Department of Commerce licenses. Abdullaev was sentenced to 36 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and a $400 assessment.
* Respondent (7): Veronica Trujillo of Phoenix, AZ
– Trujillo violated section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Part 2778 (2012)). Specifically, Trujillo attempted to wilfully and knowingly export and cause to be exported from the U.S. to Mexico 2000 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39mm ammunition and 1,000 rounds of Wolf 9MM luger ammunition, items designated on the U.S. Munitions List, without the required U.S. State Department licenses. Trujillo was sentenced 46 months in prison, with credit for time served, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment. Trujillo was also placed on the U.S. Department of State Debarred List.
* Debarred: 7 years from the date of Trujillo’s conviction.
* Respondent (8): Folasade Omowanile of Brooklyn, NY
– Charge 1: 15 C.F.R. 764.2(b) – Causing, Aiding, or Abetting a Violation. Specifically, respondent caused, aided and/or abetted one or more violations of the EAR in connection with the export of handcuffs and leg cuffs, subject to the EAR, to Nigeria. Respondent filed no Electronic Export Information (“EEI”) for the export of the items, nor was a license sought or obtained for export.
* Penalty: Civil penalty in the amount of $10,000.
* Debarred: 3 years from the date of this Order.
* Date of Order: 17 Jan 2019.
Commerce/BIS Fines Ithaca-based Company $80,000 for Engaging in Prohibited Conduct
* Respondent: Multiwire Laboratories, Ltd. of Ithaca, NY
* Charges: BIS has notified the respondent of its intention to initiate an administrative proceeding pursuant to EAR Part 766.3. Specifically, BIS believes that Multiwire committed the following two violations:
– Charge 1-2: 15 C.F.R. Part 764.2(a): Engaging in Prohibited Conduct. Specifically, Multiwire exported Real-Time Back Reflection Laue Camera Detectors and Accessories, designated EAR99, to the University of Electronic Science and Technology China in Chengdu, China, without the required BIS licenses. The Chinese entity was at all relevant times listed on the EAR’s Entity List. Multiwire did not have an export control compliance program.
* Penalty: Civil penalty of $80,000.
The Export Compliance Journal: “Florida-Based Business Man Handed Largest Civil Penalty in BIS History”
(Source: The Export Compliance Journal, 24 Jan 2018.)
Eric Baird, former CEO of the Sarasota-based package consolidation and shipping service Access USA Shipping, has agreed to pay $17M for willful violations of Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regulations.
The civil penalty is the largest to be paid by an individual in BIS history.
On December 18, 2018, Baird entered a guilty plea to 166 counts of U.S. export control laws administrative violations, stemming from Access USA intentionally misrepresenting values and descriptions of items on export documentation, and shipping items listed on the Commerce Control List (CCL) without the appropriate licenses. For example, the Federal Register lists at least once instance where laser sights were identified as “tools and hardware.”
In addition to his own willful export violations, Baird also caused, aided, or abetted Access USA employees, forwarders, and carriers to make false or misleading SED/AES filings with the U.S. Government, and, in some cases, failure to submit any filings for an export shipment.
Under Baird’s direction, employees of Access USA also purchased items for client using Baird’s personal credit card and their own personal cards. They were also instructed to have items delivered to their personal addresses for the express purpose of obscuring the intended recipient of the good purchased.
“Willfully and Intentionally”
Baird and other members of Access USA’s management were aware that their conduct constituted violations of export controls. They had previously received an outreach visit from the BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement, during which they were provided with detailed information related to complying with Export Administration Regulations (EAR), as well as the penalties for violating these regulations. Additionally, in an email to Baird relating to the company’s practice of intentionally undervaluing shipments, his sister, Access USA’s Chief Technology Officer, made it known to Baird that she was not willing to continue being part of the practice of “WILLINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY breaking the law.”
As part of his plea, Baird has been assessed a civil penalty of $17M, and faces a five-year suspension of his export privileges-including not being allowed to apply for export licenses, become involved in negotiations related to any transaction involving any export; or benefiting from any export transaction.
Baird is set to face sentencing on January 30, 2019, where it is expected he will be sentenced to two years of probation on a single criminal count.
UK Notice to Exporters on Fines and Penalties – issued 29th January 2019 >>
UK Notice to Exporters on Fines and Penalties – issued 29th January 2019
Over the last 7 months, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued compound penalties ranging between £1,000 and £4,000 to 3 separate UK Exporters. These related to unlicensed exports of dual use goods and export breaches controlled by The Export Control Order 2008.
Export control legislation is enforced by HMRC, working with the Crown Prosecution Service. Where appropriate, HMRC can use their powers to offer a compound penalty in lieu of prosecution.
2018 News Articles >>
What happens if I violate export controls in the USA? (January – December 2018)
Former Florida CEO Pleads Guilty To Export Violations And Agrees To Pay Record $17 Million To Department Of Commerce(Source: Justice, 14 Dec 2018.) [Excerpts.]
Eric Baird, the former owner and Chief Executive Offer (CEO) of a Florida-based package consolidation and shipping service, has pleaded guilty to one count of felony smuggling and admitted to 166 administrative violations of U.S. export control laws as part of a global settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
On December 12, 2018, Baird’s criminal plea was accepted by a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and BIS issued an Order outlining the administrative violations and imposing civil penalties of $17 million, with $7 million suspended, and a 5-year denial of export privileges, of which one year is suspended. The civil penalty is the largest to be paid by an individual in BIS history. In February 2017, Access USA settled with BIS and agreed to an administrative civil penalty of $27 million, with $17 million suspended.
As part of the administrative settlement, Baird admitted to violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed from August 1, 2011, through January 7, 2013, during his tenure as CEO of Access USA Shipping, LLC d/b/a MyUS.com (“Access USA”). Baird founded Access USA and developed its business model, which provided foreign customers with a U.S. address that they used to acquire U.S.-origin items for export without alerting U.S. merchants of the items’ intended destinations. Under Baird’s direction, Access USA developed practices and policies which facilitated concealment from U.S. merchants. Access USA would regularly change the values and descriptions of items on export documentation even where it knew the accurate value and nature of the items. Among the altered descriptions were some for controlled items listed on the Commerce Control List (CCL). For example, laser sights for firearms were described as “tools and hardware,” and rifle scopes were described as “sporting goods” or “tools, hand tools.”
Additionally, Baird established and/or authorized Access USA’s “personal shopper” program. As part of this program, Access USA employees purchased items for foreign customers from a shopping list while falsely presenting themselves to U.S. merchants as the domestic end-users of the items. In some cases, Baird directed or authorized Access USA employees to use his personal credit card information, and in others Baird personally asked Access USA employees to apply for and use personal credit cards of their own to make such purchases and have the items sent to their personal addresses. As a result, in addition to being misled to believe that a domestic customer and end-user was involved when the items were in fact intended for export, the U.S. merchant would be misled to believe that Access USA itself was not involved in the transaction.
The activities that Baird knowingly authorized and/or participated in resulted in unlicensed exports of controlled items to various countries, as well as repeated false statements on Automated Export System (AES) filings. As early as September 2011, Baird was made aware that undervaluing violated U.S. export laws, including the EAR. In fact, Baird received e-mails on this subject from his Chief Technology Officer, who stated, “I know we are WILLINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY breaking the law.” (Emphasis in original). In the same email chain, Baird suggested that Access USA could falsely reduce the value of items by 25% on export control documentation submitted to the U.S. government and if “warned by [the U.S.] government,” then the company “can stop ASAP.”
“It was through the outstanding investigative skills and dedication of the special agents of the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security, that enabled us to protect our country’s national security by detecting, disrupting and prosecuting a complex illegal export scheme led by Access USA’s former owner and CEO, Eric Baird. The message must be received that individuals, as well as companies, are equally liable for their illegal activities,” said BIS Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Luzzi. “BIS brought this action because of the serious potential harm to national security inherent in a business model where companies consolidating or forwarding packages abroad conceal from U.S. merchants the location of foreign customers and the fact that items are intended for export. As a result of these deceptive practices, U.S. merchants’ compliance programs may be unable to detect potential unlicensed exports and other violations.”
“We expect companies and individuals to adhere to our nation’s strict import and export laws,” said U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez. “Shipping and freight forwarding companies must take sufficient steps to ensure that they are always in compliance with United States law, in order to protect our borders and prevent potentially dangerous items from reaching the hands of our adversaries.”
Commerce/BIS: Spider Camera of Lansing, NY, to Pay $8,500 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS, 11 Dec 2018.)* Respondent: Shai Gear LLC, d/b/a Spider Camera Holster, d/b/a Spider Camera of Lansing, NY (“Spider Camera”)
* Charges: Engaging in Prohibited Conduct (15 CFR Part 764.2(a)), specifically the respondent exported camera accessories to Iran via the United Arab Emirates without the required U.S. Government authorization.
* Penalty: Civil penalty of $8,500.
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid as agreed.
Details: The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has announced that Shai Gear LLC, d/b/a Spider Camera Holster and Spider Camera and located in Lansing, New York, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of US$8,500 to settle charges that it committed one violation of EAR § 764.2(a) (Engaging in Prohibited Contact). BIS charged that on or about July 5, 2017, Shai Gear exported camera accessories to Iran via the United Arab Emirates without the required US Government authorization. The camera accessories were subject to the Regulations, designated EAR99, and valued in total at approximately US$6,058.3 The items were subject to the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (“ITSR”) administered by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). Absent prior authorization by OFAC, the ITSR prohibit, as they did at all times pertinent in this case, the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States of any goods, technology, or services to Iran, including the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply of such items to a third country undertaken with knowledge or reason to know that the items were intended for supply, trans-shipment, or re-exportation, directly or indirectly, to Iran. See 31 C.F.R. § 560.204 (2017, 2018). Pursuant to EAR § 746.7, no person may export or reexport any item that is subject to the Regulations if such transaction is prohibited by the ITSR and has not been authorized by OFAC. See 15 C.F.R. § 746.7(e) (2018).
BIS Reaches Settlement with Mohawk Global Logistics Corp.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has announced that Mohawk Global Logistics Corp. (f/k/a Mohawk Customs and Shipping Corp.) of North Syracuse, New York, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $155,000 to settle charges that it committed thee violations of EAR § 764.2(b) (causing, aiding, or abetting a violation). BIS alleged:
Charge 1: On or about August 16, 2012, Mohawk caused, aided, and/or abetted a violation of the Export Administration Regulations, namely, the export of an LNP-20 Liquid Nitrogen Plant, an item subject to the Regulations, designated EAR99, and valued at $33,587. Mohawk forwarded the item for export from the United States to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF), a.k.a Russian Federal Nuclear Center-VNIIEF (RFNCVNIIEF) in Sarov, Russia. VNIIEF and its RFNC-VNIIEF alias (collectively, “VNIIEF”) were at all relevant times listed on the Entity List, Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Regulations. A BIS license was at all relevant times required to export any item subject to the Regulations to VNIIEF. See 15 C.F.R. § 744.11 and Supp. No. 4 to 15 C.F.R. Part 744 (2012). Mohawk was at all relevant times aware of the Entity List and maintained a screening program designed to detect and prevent shipments to restricted parties. Mohawk compared the name of the ultimate consignee to entries on the Entity List using their screening software, which correctly identified VNIIEF as being listed on the Entity List and “flagged” the shipment. However, as Mohawk has acknowledged to BIS during this matter, a Mohawk export supervisor erroneously overrode or ignored this red flag and Mohawk proceeded without further inquiry or due diligence to forward the items for export on or about August 16, 2012. Mohawk prepared and filed Electronic Export Information (“EEi”) with the U.S. Government on or about that date indicating that the shipment was “NLR,” that is, “No License Required.”
Charges 2-3: On two separate occasions, on or about February 12, 2014, and on or about August 12, 2015, Mohawk caused, aided, and/or abetted a violation of the Regulations, namely, the export of Real-Time Back Reflection Laue Camera Detectors and Accessories, items subject to the Regulations, designated EAR99, and valued at $177,156, to the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (“UESTC”) in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, without the required BIS license. At all relevant times, UESTC was listed on the Entity List, and a BIS license was required to export any item subject to the Regulations to that entity. See 15 C.F.R. § 744.11 and Supp. No. 4 to 15 C.F.R. Part 744 (2014-2015). Mohawk provided freight forwarding services for the initial unlicensed export of these items to UESTC on or about February 12, 2014. Documents provided to Mohawk by the exporter clearly identified UESTC’s full name as it is listed on the Entity List, along with a near-exact match for the entity’s address. Mohawk used screening software in connection with this transaction, but failed to flag the transaction, assertedly because it failed to use UESTC’s full, unabbreviated name. Without further inquiry or due diligence, Mohawk proceeded with the transaction and prepared and filed EEi that falsely indicated the export was “NLR.” On the second occasion, on August 12, 2015, Mohawk caused, aided, and/or abetted the unlicensed export to UESTC of the same exact items, which had been returned to the U.S. manufacturer for warranty repair. Documents provided to Mohawk by the exporter again identified UESTC’s full name and a near-exact match for the entity’s address. For this second export, Mohawk failed to screen the transaction and proceeded to forward the item for export to UESTC. No EEi was filed in connection with this second export of the items to UESTC.
Mohawk is to pay the $155,000 civil penalty in three instalments as follows: $45,000 no later than September 15,2018; $45,000 no later than February 1, 2019; and $45,000 no later than June 15, 2019. Payment of the remaining $20,000 shall be suspended through December 15, 2019, and thereafter shall be waived, provided that during this payment probationary period: Mohawk has timely paid $135,000 to the Department of Commerce as set forth above; has otherwise complied with the provisions of the Agreement and this Order; and has committed no other violation of the Act or the Regulations or any order, license or authorization issued thereunder.
Commerce/BIS: “Merit Aerospace and Yanghong Zhou of Pasadena, CA, Denied Export Privileges for 4 Years, to Pay Civil Penalty of $221,000” (Source: Commerce/BIS, 30 May 2018.) [Excerpts.]* Respondent: Merit Aerospace and Yanghong Zhou of Pasadena, CA.
– 15 CFR Part 764.2(g) – Mispresentation and concealment of facts
– Civil penalty in the amount of $221,000
– Completion of two external audits
* Date of Order: 25 May 2018.
FLIR Systems Inc is fined US$30m for ITAR ViolationsThe US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has entered into a Consent Agreement with FLIR Systems, Inc., to settle charges that it committed over 300 violations of the ITAR, including unauthorized export of defence articles, including: technical data; the unauthorized provision of defence services to various countries, including proscribed destinations; violation of the terms and conditions or other limitations of license authorizations; and failure to provide accurate and complete reporting pursuant to Part 130 of the ITAR involving sensitive thermal imaging systems. FLIR Systems agreed to pay a US$30m civil penalty (US$15m of which may be suspended if it implements the remedial compliance measures set forth in the Consent Agreement) and, among other measures, the appointment of a Special Compliance Official/Internal Special Compliance Official for four years.
BIS Settles Enforcement Case Against FedEx
The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has announced that it has settled the following EAR enforcement case:
Federal Express Corporation d/b/a FedEx Express has agreed to pay a civil penalty of US$0.5m and complete external audits of its export controls compliance program cover FedEx fiscal years 2017-2020 to settle charges that it committed 53 violations of EAR § 764.2 (Causing, aiding, or abetting exports to entities on the Entity List without the required licenses). BIS alleged that on fifty-three occasions between on or about July 1, 2011, and on or about January 19, 2012, FedEx caused, aided or abetted acts prohibited by the Regulations when it facilitated the export of civil aircraft parts and equipment used for electron microscope manufacturing, items subject to the Regulations and classified under Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 9A991 or 7A994 and controlled for Anti-Terrorism (“AT”) reasons, or designated as EAR99, 3 and valued in total at approximately $58,091, from the United States to Aerotechnic France SAS (“Aerotechnic”) in France, or to the Pakistan Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (“PINSTECH”) in Pakistan, without the required BIS licenses.
BIS Settles Enforcement Case Against Weiming Zhang
Weiming Zhang, a.k.a. John Zhang and Seasia Enterprises (USA), Inc. have jointly and severally agreed to pay a civil penalty of US$100,000 ($50,000 payable within 30 days and the payment of the remaining $50,000 suspended for five years and thereafter waived if the parties commit no further violations of the Order or the EAR) and denial of their export privileges for five years (suspended for a probationary period of five years and thereafter waived if the parties commit no further violations of the Order or the EAR) to settle charges that they committed one violation of EAR § 764.2(d) (Conspiracy to export items controlled for national security reasons from the United States to China without the required BIS licenses). Specifically, BIS alleged that Zhang/Seasia obtained electronic equipment from U.S. manufacturers, in what Zhang/Seasia made to appear to the U.S. manufacturers as domestic transactions. After Zhang/Seasia received the equipment at Seasia’s address in Huntington, New York, they exported the items while taking various additional actions designed to avoid export control scrutiny and detection by U.S. law enforcement, including, for example, concealing the type of equipment involved, its value, and/or ultimate destination. Zhang/Seasia used packaging that they deliberately re-labeled to identify falsely the items inside as, for example, low-value computer motherboards, which would not have required a BIS license to export to China. In addition, on at least one occasion, Zhang/Seasia did not export the equipment directly to China, but instead transshipped it to China via Hong Kong, while falsely stating or causing to be stated on export transaction documents that Hong Kong was the ultimate destination. Zhang/Seasia used Beijing Onsky Technologies, a.k.a. Beijing Lingtian, a Hong Kong company that, like Seasia, Zhang owned and controlled, to facilitate the transshipment of the equipment to China after it arrived in Hong Kong from the United States.
Commerce/BIS: Trilogy International Associates, Inc., of Altaville, CA, and William Michael Johnson of Angels Camp, CA, to Pay Each $100,000 for Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS, 1 Mar 2018.)
* Respondents:
– Trilogy International Associates, Inc., Altaville, CA; and
– William Michael Johnson, Angels Camp, CA
– Three Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a) – Engaging in Prohibited Conduct:
On or about January 23, 2010, April 6, 2010, and May 14, 2010, respectively, Trilogy International engaged in conduct prohibited by the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) by exporting items subject to the EAR and controlled on national security grounds to Russia without the required BIS export licenses.
The items involved were an explosives detector and a total of 115 analog-to-digital converters. The items were classified under Export Control Classification Numbers 1A004 and 3A001, respectively, controlled as indicated above on national security grounds, and valued in total at approximately $76,035. Each of the items required a license for export to Russia pursuant to Section 742.4 of the EAR.
– Three charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(b) – Causing, Aiding, or Abetting a Violation:
Between on or about January 20,2010, and May 14,2010, Johnson caused, aided, and/or abetted three violations of the EAR, specifically, three exports from the United States to Russia of items subject to the EAR without the required BIS export licenses.
The items involved were an explosives detector and a total of 115 analog-to-digital converters, classified under Export Control Classification Numbers 1A004 and 3A001, respectively, controlled on national security grounds, and valued in total at approximately $76,035. Each of the items at issue required a BIS license for export to Russia pursuant to Section 742.4 of the EAR.
– Civil penalty of $100,000 against Trilogy International Associates, Inc.; and
– Civil penalty of $100,000 against William Michael Johnson.
* Debarred: Both Trilogy International Associates, Inc. and William Michael Johnson are denied export privileges for a period of 10 years from the date of this Order, until 26 February 2028.
* Date of Order: 26 February 2018
Commerce/BIS: Pilot Air Freight LLC of Lima, PA, to Pay $175,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS, 27 Nov 2017.) [Excerpts.]* Respondent: Pilot Air Freight LLC a/k/a Pilot Air Freight Corp. of Lima, PA.
* Charges: On one occasion, in or about February 2015, Pilot Air Freight LLC a/k/a Pilot Air Freight Corp. (“Pilot”) of Lima, PA, caused, aided, and/or abetted a violation by the Regulations by facilitating the attempted unlicensed export of items subject to the Regulations from the United States to IKAN Engineering Services (“IKAN”), an entity in Pakistan listed on BIS’s Entity List. The items included an ultrasonic mill cutting machine, which is classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 2B991 and controlled for Anti-Terrorism reasons, and related electronical equipment, designated as EAR99, and were valued in total at approximately $250,287.
– A civil monetary penalty in the amount of $175,000. The payment of $100,000 shall be made to the U.S. Commerce Department within 30 days of the order. Payment of the remaining $75,000 shall be suspended through March 31, 2020 and thereafter shall be waved, provided that during the probationary period under the Order: Pilot has timely paid $100,000 to the Department of Commerce; has otherwise complied with the provisions of the Settlement Agreement and this Order; and has committed no other violation of the Act, or any regulation, order, license or authorization issued thereunder.
– Pilot shall complete two external audits of its export compliance program.
* Date of Order: 21 Nov 2017.
Commerce/BIS: MHz Electronics, Inc. of Phoenix, AZ, to Pay $10,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS, 16 Jan 2018.) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: MHz Electronics, Inc., Phoenix, AZ
* Charges: Two charges of 15 C.F.R. 764.2(a) – Engaging in Prohibited Conduct:
On two occasions between on or about 15 January 2013, and on or about 3 October 2013, MHz Electronics engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR when it exported pressure transducers, items subject to the EAR and classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 2B230, to China and Taiwan without the BIS export licenses required pursuant to Section 742.3 of the EAR. Item classified under ECCN are controlled under the EAR for nuclear nonproliferation reasons and can be of significance for nuclear explosive purposes. …
– Civil penalty of $10,000, which shall be suspended for two-years and afterwards waived if no further violations are committed.
– Complete an external audit of its export control compliance program. The results of the audits, including any relevant supporting materials, shall be submitted to Commerce/BIS.
* Debarred: Not if the audit is completed and submitted as agreed.
* Date of Order: 11 January 2018.
More Than a Trade War: What the Huawei Arrest and Investigation Means to Your Business >>
More Than a Trade War: What the Huawei Arrest and Investigation Means to Your Business
ONPOINT / A legal update from Dechert’s International Trade Group
On December 1, 2018, acting at the request of the United States, Canadian authorities arrested a senior officer of Huawei Technologies Co. (“Huawei”), the Chinese telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics device manufacturer. The arrest is the most recent escalation in the relationship between the United States and Huawei and in U.S.-Chinese relations. The new arrest goes beyond prior concerns that Huawei products may be used by the Chinese government to collect information on users. Now, the U.S. government is alleging fraud in the diversion of products to Iran, in violation of U.S. economic sanctions programs. According to public reporting, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) commenced a criminal investigation into Huawei’s potential violation of U.S. sanctions in early 2017. This investigation impacts Huawei’s business partners, including U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions as well as participants in Huawei’s supply chain.Beyond the impact of what could be a wide-reaching investigation, this recent development signals an escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and China, with particular focus on Huawei.
Huawei has struggled to access global markets, as the U.S., Australia, Japan and New Zealand have prohibited public procurement of the company’s products. While those governments have cited security concerns, the procurement bans arise against the backdrop of the economic struggle for dominance in the telecom market. With the emergence of super-fast fifth generation (“5G”) mobile phone networks, telecoms will have to make critical decisions about whose network infrastructure to buy, thus designing particular suppliers into their systems.
The U.S. and China also are engaged in a high-profile trade standoff, with both sides imposing escalating tariffs. The Trump Administration recently announced a 90-day tariff cease-fire (expiring March 1, 2019), during which a planned tariff increase has been suspended while the U.S. and China negotiate to end the tariffs. However, in light of the Huawei arrest, there is concern about whether the cease-fire can be sustained.
The U.S. government already exercises heightened scrutiny of Chinese investment into U.S. businesses through the CFIUS process, and with recent CFIUS reform giving the U.S. government broader discretion, investors that have any potential, even indirect, link to Huawei (or other Chinese telecom connections) will face even greater scrutiny now in the CFIUS review process.
Finally, given the precedent of mutual escalation in the trade war, U.S. companies should be prepared for retaliation by the Chinese government, including possible arrests of senior officers of U.S. companies travelling in China.
Ultimately, this latest development with Huawei plays into the broader political dispute for economic leadership in the world. How the Huawei investigation proceeds may be determined by how it fits into the resolution of larger economic disputes between the U.S. and China.
Latest Allegations against Huawei
Wanzhou Meng, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, and daughter of the company’s founder, was arrested in Canada and is facing extradition to the United States. U.S. authorities reportedly allege that between 2007 and 2014, Huawei operated Skycom Tech (“Skycom”), a Hong Kong company, as an unofficial subsidiary. During that time, Huawei is alleged to have used Skycom to provide U.S.-origin items to the Iranian market, in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and export controls.News of the Huawei-Skycom connection was reported in 2013.1 At that time, Skycom was alleged to have offered, on Huawei’s behalf, U.S.-origin IT equipment to telecommunications providers in Iran. Following news reports, certain of Huawei’s banking partners inquired about the potential connection between Huawei and Skycom. The U.S. alleges Ms. Meng made fraudulent statements to HSBC that there was no link between Huawei and Skycom, and that Huawei’s transactions processed through the bank were compliant with applicable sanctions law. HSBC reportedly relied on those statements to continue processing transactions. HSBC reportedly became aware thereafter of transactions that drew suspicion of diversion and shared information with U.S. prosecutors about the apparent connection between Huawei and Skycom.2 HSBC recently announced that it is not under investigation in connection with Huawei’s alleged violations.
With cooperation from HSBC (and perhaps other financial institutions), the U.S. government already has significant information about the parties involved in Huawei’s operations. Accordingly, companies that directly or indirectly supply products and technology to Huawei, and financial institutions that process financial transactions for Huawei, should assess their internal records to determine their potential legal and commercial exposure. As the U.S. demonstrated in its settlement agreement with PayPal arising out of sanctions violations, liability can arise when previously segregated information is aggregated, and the aggregated information gives rise to a claim that a company knew or had reason to know of a violation. And as the recent investigation of Huawei’s competitor, ZTE, demonstrated, major customers can disappear in a hurry.As the U.S. government moves to build its case against Huawei, and Ms. Meng individually, the recent investigation into ZTE may prove instructive. During the ZTE investigation, the U.S. government issued subpoenas to companies throughout the ZTE supply chain. Companies that sell to or partner with Huawei should take the opportunity now to assess their potential legal exposure. It should be noted in this regard that U.S. enforcement authorities welcome voluntary disclosures of violations of U.S. economic sanctions and export controls, offering significant mitigation of potential penalties as an incentive. At the same time, voluntary disclosure credit is not available if a potential violation is disclosed in response to a subpoena or other U.S. government investigation.In addition to legal liability, companies should evaluate how their commercial operations could be impacted if Huawei is made subject to export restrictions. When ZTE was placed on the Commerce Department’s Denied Party List, global companies were prohibited from providing ZTE with any U.S.-origin goods or technology. Before any equivalent action may be taken against Huawei, companies should assess if they are providing Huawei with any goods or technology subject to U.S. export controls and sanctions, bearing in mind the U.S. government’s de minimis rule. (Pursuant to this rule, the U.S. government asserts export control jurisdiction over certain foreign-made commodities and technology that include or incorporate a specified percentage of U.S.-origin items or technology.)Should the U.S. impose export restrictions on Huawei, specific areas that may be impacted include:
Supply of U.S.-origin parts and components, including foreign items that incorporate a specified percentage of U.S.-origin items or technology;
Return and repair agreements;
Continuation or renewal of IP licensing agreements; and
Provision of software updates or patches.
The U.S. government is investigating Huawei’s compliance with U.S. sanctions and export control regulations. The investigation likely will encompass Huawei’s supply chain and partner financial institutions. Impacted companies should consider conducting internal assessments now – before they are contacted by the U.S. government – to gauge their legal and commercial exposure. Identification of any violations and implementation of corrective actions before a government inquiry, with or without an accompanying disclosure, can help to mitigate potential government enforcement.
How Dechert Can Help
Dechert frequently assists clients in internal risk assessments, internal investigations and the defense of economic sanctions and export controls matters. When appropriate, Dechert assists with disclosures to enforcement authorities and settlements. For further information or assistance, please contact the authors.
1) Steve Stecklow, Reuters, Exclusive: Huawei CFO linked to firm that offered HP gear to Iran (Jan. 31, 2013), available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-skycom/exclusive-huawei-cfo-linked-to-firm-that-offered-hp-gear-to-iran-idUSBRE90U0CC20130131
2) Rachel Louise Ensign, The Wall Street Journal, HSBC Monitor Flagged Suspicious Huawei Transactions to Prosecutors (Dec. 6, 2018), available at https://www.wsj.com/articles/hsbc-monitor-flagged-suspicious-huawei-transactions-to-prosecutors-1544122717
The update was authored by:
F. Amanda DeBusk
Partner, Washington, D.C.
amanda.debusk@dechert.com
Jeremy Zucker
jeremy.zucker@dechert.com
Melissa L. Duffy
melissa.duffy@dechert.com
Sean Kane
Counsel, Washington, D.C.
sean.kane@dechert.com
Darshak S. Dholakia
Associate, Washington, D.C.
darshak.dholakia@dechert.com
Michael A. Grant
michael.grant@dechert.com
The CFIUS Reform Legislation—FIRRMA—Will Become Law on August 13, 2018 >>
The CFIUS Reform Legislation—FIRRMA—Will Become Law on August 13, 2018
CFIUS will continue to have broad jurisdiction to conduct national security reviews of foreign investments that could result in foreign control of a U.S. business. When regulations implementing FIRRMA become effective within the next 18 months, CFIUS will have additional jurisdiction over (a) real estate transactions near sensitive government locations and ports, and (b) noncontrolling investments in U.S. businesses associated with critical technology, critical infrastructure or sensitive personal data. Certain covered transactions involving foreign government investors and, potentially, U.S. critical technology companies will trigger mandatory CFIUS filings.
To address concerns regarding the transfer of uncontrolled critical emerging and foundational technologies to foreign persons, FIRRMA requires an interagency process to identify and, after public notice and comment, control such technologies in the export control regulations. (This identification process has already begun.) Unlike the bill as introduced, FIRRMA does not expand CFIUS’s authority to review outbound investments to address this issue.
The timelines for CFIUS review of filings will be extended when the law goes in to effect. The Treasury Department is, however, required to publish regulations to create a quicker short-form “declaration”—“light filing”—process that could be used in place of full filings.
FIRRMA leaves many key details and definitions to the Treasury Department to address through implementing regulations. Those potentially affected by the new CFIUS authorities will likely want to monitor and eventually comment on them, particularly:
U.S. businesses that might receive noncontrolling foreign investments and that are involved in critical technology, critical infrastructure or sensitive personal data;
funds with foreign limited partners that might have access to such information or the ability to influence what is done with it; and
those involved, directly or indirectly, with covered investments by foreign governments and involving U.S. critical technology companies because of the mandatory filing requirements that will be created.
FURTHER DETAILS >
BREXIT: Customs, Sanctions and Export Controls >>
BREXIT: Customs, Sanctions and Export Controls
Summary notes from the Joint Event by ADS / EGADD and techUK held on Tuesday 27th March 2018.
Brexit Customs Sanctions and Export Controls_ Summary Note
CISTEC Joint Comments on Draft China Export Control Law >>
CISTEC Joint Comments on Draft China Export Control Law
Towards the end of 2017 EGADD was approached by the Japanese Center for Information on Security Trade Controls or CISTEC (http://www.cistec.or.jp/english/index.html) – essentially the Japanese equivalent of EGADD relationship – which had been seeking to put together a multinational response to export control developments in the People’s Republic of China. The Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) published China’s New Export Control Law Draft on their website on 16th June 2016 to seek public comments. Attached is a copy of the resulting joint EGADD/CISTEC letter to MOFCOM on the proposed New Export Control Law Draft.
EGADD CISTEC Joint Comments on Draft China Export Control Law
China Releases Draft Export Control Law for Public Comment – Covington – July 21, 2017
Change is Coming: China Proposes New Export Control Law (IRB No. 563) – Lexology – July 24 2017
Change is Coming: China Proposes New Export Control Law – World Trade Controls – 8 September 2017
China Prepares New Export Control Law – World ECR – August 2017
China – What to Watch: Draft Export Control Law of China – Baker McKenzie – January 17, 2018
A guide to China’s new Export Control Law – MiC – 3 November 2017
Significant changes to export control laws proposed – Deloitte Tax@Hand – 07/19/2017
Draft Chinese Export Control Law Would Make Significant Changes – STR Trade – June 29, 2017
HMRC goes public on CDS go-live date & timetable to replace CHIEF >>
HMRC goes public on CDS go-live date & timetable to replace CHIEF
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will begin a phased launch of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) in August 2018. CDS will replace the existing Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system, with all declarations taking place on CDS from early 2019. Read more …
What Happens if I Violate Export Controls in the USA? (Jan - Dec 2017) >>
Commerce/BIS: Ali Eslamian and Equipco (UK) Ltd of London, UK, Denied Export Privileges for 4 Years, Ordered to Pay $250,000 to Settle Alleged Violation of TDO
(Source: Commerce/BIS)
* Respondent: Ali Eslamian and Equipco (UK) Ltd. of London, UK.
* Charges: Between in or about October 2011, and in or about February 2012, Eslamian took actions prohibited by a BIS temporary denial order issued as to Eslamian on 24 August 2011 (“TDO” or “24 August 2011 TDO”). The TDO was issued pursuant to Section 766.24 of the Regulations, was effective upon issuance, and was published in the Federal Register on 31 August 2011… The TDO was a renewal of an existing BIS temporary denial order, the primary respondent was Mahan Airways, an Iranian airline…
Eslamian violated the TDO by participating in a transaction subject to the Regulations between in or about October 2011, and in or about February 2012, by carrying on negotiations concerning and ordering an aircraft engine subject to the Regulations during that time period… In doing so, Eslamian acted at least in part through Equipco (UK) Ltd. (“Equipco”), a company owned and directed by Eslamian.
The U.S. origin International Aero Engine (“IAE”) aircraft is an item subject to the Regulations, classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 9A991.d, and controlled for anti-terrorism reasons. …
* Debarred: Four (4) years from the date of this Order, provided that Eslamian has made full and timely payment of the civil penalty.
* Date of Order: 28 September 2017.
Commerce/BIS: Miltech, Inc. of Northampton, MA, to Pay $230,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.
* Respondent: Miltech, Inc., Northampton, MA
* Charges: 18 Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a): Engaging in Prohibited Conduct
On eighteen occasions between on or about 14 October 2011 and or about 24 July 2014, Miltech engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR when it exported items subject to the EAR from the United States to China and Russia without the required BIS licenses. Specifically, Miltech exported active multiplier chains, items classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 3A001.b.4, controlled on national security and anti-terrorism grounds, and valued in total at approximately $364,947, without seeking or obtaining the licenses required for these exports pursuant to section 742.4 of the EAR. …
* Penalty: Civil penalty of $230,000, of which $180,000 needs to be paid within 30 days, and the remaining $50,000 will be suspended and waived after two years if Miltech complies with the terms of its settlement agreement and this order.
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid as agreed, and Miltech complies with the other terms of its settlement agreement and this order.
American Shipper: “New Jersey Firm Fined $400,000 for Export Violation”(Source: American Shipper, 15 Sep 2017) [Excerpts.]
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) this week imposed a $400,000 civil penalty against Barrington, N.J.-based Bright Lights USA for exports of unauthorized defense components and technical data in violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Bright Lights notified DDTC of two ITAR violations in voluntary self-disclosures filed with the agency in April 2013 and June 2016.
The primary reason for the violations relates to the company not staying current with the former Obama administration’s Export Control Reform (ECR) regarding transition of ITAR-related commodities/technology from the State Department’s U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List. The wrong commodity jurisdiction resulted in the incorrect export licensing classification, which further resulted in export violations for both the physical export of the items and the illegal transfer of technology made by the company.
State/DDTC: Bright Lights USA, Inc., Barrington, NJ to Pay $400,000 to Settle Alleged AECA and ITAR Violations(Source: State/DDTC)
* Respondent: Bright Lights USA, Inc., 145 Shreve Ave., Barrington, NJ
* Charges: Eleven charges of violations of the AECA and ITAR between 2010 and 2012, and 2014 and 2015
– Four Charges of Unauthorized Export of Defense Articles to a Proscribed Destination
– One Charge of Unauthorized Export of Defense Article (Technical Data)
– One Charge of Failure to Maintain and Provide Required Records
– Five Charges of Unauthorized Export of Defense Articles (Parts and Components)
* Civil Settlement: $400,000
* Result of Voluntary Self-Disclosure: Yes
* Date of Order: 11 September 2017
– Proposed Charging Letter
– Consent Agreement
– Submitting two voluntary disclosures;
– Cooperating with the Department’s review of the disclosed events and signed multiple agreements tolling the statutory period;
– Provided information suggesting that the violations were not wilful in nature; and
– Significant improvements to its export compliance program that reduce the likelihood of future violations.
– Central role of an individual with a prior AECA conviction;
– Significant ITAR training and compliance program deficiencies that directly contributed to the violations;
– Unauthorized export of technical data to a proscribed destination.
Justice: “CEO of International Metallurgical Company Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Export Specialty Metals to Iran”(Source: Justice) [Excerpts.]
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, Erdal Kuyumcu, the chief executive officer of Global Metallurgy, LLC, based in Woodside, New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison following his June 14, 2016 guilty plea to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by exporting specialty metals from the United States to Iran. The sentencing proceeding was held before Chief United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry. …
According to court documents, Kuyumcu, a U.S. citizen, conspired to export from the United States to Iran a metallic powder primarily composed of cobalt and nickel, without having obtained the required license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As established during a two-day presentencing evidentiary hearing, the metallic powder has potential military and nuclear applications. Such specialized metals are regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce to combat nuclear proliferation and terrorism, and exporting them without the required license is illegal.
In furtherance of the illegal scheme, Kuyumcu and others plotted to obtain more than 1,000 pounds of the metallic powder from a U.S.-based supplier. To hide the true destination of the goods from the supplier, Kuyumcu arranged for the metallic powder to be shipped first to Turkey and then to Iran. Kuyumcu used coded language when discussing shipment of the powder with a Turkey-based co-conspirator, such as referring to Iran as the “neighbor.” Shortly after one of the shipments was sent from Turkey to Iran, a steel company in Iran sent a letter-sized package to Kuyumcu’s Turkey-based co-conspirator. The Iranian steel company had the same address as an OFAC-designated Iranian entity under the Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferators sanctions program that was associated with Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. …
Commerce/BIS: Narender Sharma and Hydel Engineering Products of Rampur Bushahr, India, to Pay $100,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Narender Sharma and Hydel Engineering Products of Rampur Bushahr, India
* Charges: 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(d) – Conspiracy to Export Items from the United States to Iran, Including to an Iranian Government Entity, without the Required U.S. Government Authorization:
Beginning no later than in or around May 2009, and continuing through in or around January 2012, Hydel/Sharma conspired and acted in concert with others, known and unknown, to violate the Regulations and to bring about an act or acts that constitutes a violation of the Regulations. The purpose of the conspiracy was to evade the long-standing and well-known U.S. embargo against Iran in order to sell and export U.S.-origin waterway barrier debris systems and related components to Iran via transshipment through third countries, including to Mahab Ghodss, an Iranian Government entity, without the required U.S. Government authorization.
The conspiracy led to the attempted export of a waterway barrier debris system, an item subject to the Regulations, designated EAR99,3 and valued at $420,256, from the United States to Mahab Ghodss in Iran, via transshipment through the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”). This item also was subject to the Iranian Transactions Regulations (“ITR”), administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). …
– A civil penalty in the amount of $100,000 for which they are jointly and severally liable
– Narender Sharma and Hydel Engineering Products may not, directly or indirectly, participate in any way in any transaction involving any commodity, software or technology exported or to be exported from the United States that is subject to the Regulations, or in any other activity subject to the Regulations. … The five-year denial period set forth above shall be suspended during a probationary period of five years under this Order, and shall thereafter be waived, provided that Hydel and Sharma have made full and timely payment as set forth above, have otherwise complied with the terms of the Settlement Agreement and this Order, and have committed no other violation of the Act or the Regulations or any order, license, or authorization issued thereunder.
* Date of Order: 31 August 2017.
Commerce/BIS: Cryofab, Inc. of Kenilworth, NJ, to Pay $35,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Cryofab, Inc., Kenilworth, NJ
* Charges: 2 Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a) — Engaging in Conduct Prohibited by the Regulations:
On two occasions, on or about July 19, 2012 and December 4, 2012, respectively, Cryofab engaged in conducted prohibited by the Regulations by exporting gas storage containers and related tools and accessories, items subject to the Regulations, designated EAR99, and valued in total at $21,570, from the United States to the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), an Indian Department of Atomic Energy entity located in Mumbai, India, without the BIS licenses required by Section 744.11 and Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Regulations. On the first occasion, Cryofab exported a liquid helium storage container and accessory (total value: $16,275), and on the second occasion, it exported a liquid nitrogen storage container and operating tool (total value: $5,295). BARC is and at all times pertinent hereto was an organization listed on the Entity List set forth at Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Regulations. BARC was added to the Entity List on June 30, 1997.
Although an experienced exporter, Cryofab failed to screen the Entity List in connection with these two transactions and failed to seek or obtain the BIS licenses required pursuant to Section 744.11 and Supplement No. 4. It also erroneously listed the items as eligible for shipment without a license (“NLR,” or No License Required) on the Shipper’s Letter of Instructions for each shipment. …
– Civil penalty of $35,000;
– Cryofab shall complete an external audit of its export controls compliance program; and
– Cryofab shall hire an unaffiliated third-party consultant with expertise in U.S. export control laws to conduct the external audit of its compliance with U.S. export control laws (including recordkeeping requirements).
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid, and the audit completed as agreed.
Commerce/BIS: Harold Rinko/Global Parts Supply of Hallstead, PA, to Pay $100,000 and Debarred for Ten Years to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Harold Rinko/Global Parts Supply, Hallstead, PA
* Charges: One charge of 15 C.F.R. §764.2(d)- Conspiracy
Beginning in at least September 2007, and continuing through at least May 2011, Rinko/Global Parts Supply conspired and/or acted in concert with others, known and unknown, to bring about an act that constitutes a violation of the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). The purpose of the conspiracy was to procure U.S.-origin goods, items subject to the EAR, from suppliers in the United States for export from the United States to Syria without the required authorization from BIS.
Rinko/Global Parts Supply’s co- conspirators included Moawea Deri, a citizen and resident of Syria, and his brother, Ahmad Feras Diri, also known as Feras Diri, a citizen and resident of the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), who both operated d-Deri Contracting & Trading, a business located in Damascus, Syria that also transacted business in and through the U.K. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Rinko/Global Parts Supply procured items subject to the EAR from U.S. suppliers and exported or attempted to export them to Syria through a third country. These items were either specifically listed on the Commerce Control List or designated as EAR99. …
* Penalty: Civil penalty in the amount of $100,000. However, all of which shall be suspended for a period of five years from the date of this Order, and thereafter shall be waived, provided that during this five-year payment probationary period, Rinko has fully and timely complied with the quarterly reporting requirements described in the Order and has not committed a violation of the Act, or any regulation, order, license, or authorization issued thereunder.
* Debarred: For a period of ten years from the date of the Order. However, the ten-year denial period shall be suspended for a period of ten years from the date of the Order, and shall thereafter be waived, provided that during this ten-year probationary period Rinko has timely completed and submitted each of the quarterly reports as set forth above, and has not committed any violation of the Act or the Regulations or any order, license or authorization issued thereunder.
* Date of Order: 26 July 2017
DHS/ICE: “New Zealand Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Export Sensitive Parts to China”
(Source: DHS/ICE) [Excerpts.]
A New Zealand man who traveled to Seattle last year to take possession of export-restricted parts designed for missile and space applications was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison for conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
William Ali, 38, has been in federal custody since his arrest April 11, 2016, by HSI special agents. At Thursday’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly said, “You knew that if you did it you could go to jail and you proceeded to do it…you laughed and you were undeterred in your decision to come here.” …
According to records in the case and testimony presented at trial, Ali emailed several companies and distributors in April 2015 about purchasing certain accelerometers that are designed for use in spacecraft and missile navigation. These accelerometers cannot be exported from the United States without a license from the U.S. State Department, which Ali did not have. HSI learned of Ali’s inquiries and began an investigation. …
Over the next year, Ali communicated by phone and email with an HSI undercover special agent, and with a person in China known in his emails as “Michael.” Michael was the person seeking the accelerometers, as well as certain gyroscopes that are designed for military use. Ali was working to find a way to purchase the devices and transport them secretly to Michael in China. In multiple emails, Ali made clear he was aware that export of the accelerometers and gyroscopes was illegal. Ali sent the undercover agent nearly $25,000 for the devices – money he got from Michael. Ali traveled to Seattle and met with the undercover HSI special agent April 11, 2016, at a downtown hotel. Shortly after Ali took possession of the devices he was arrested. Ali had with him an airline ticket to Hong Kong and a visa to travel to China.
Commerce/BIS: Hassan Zafari of Brentwood, CA, to Pay $52,500 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Hassan Zafari, Brentwood, CA.
* Charges: One Charge of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(b): Causing, Aiding, or Abetting an Unauthorized Export to Iran:
In or about September and October 2014, Hassan Zafari, a.k.a. Sam Zafari (“Zafari”), caused, aided, or abetted a violation ofthe Regulations. Specifically, Zafari caused, aided or abetted the export from the United States to Iran, via the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), of a used industrial laser system subject to the Regulations and valued at approximately $12,000, without the required U.S. Government authorization.
* Date of Order: 28 June 2017.
Commerce/BIS: Axis Communications, Inc. of Chelmsford, MA, to Pay $700,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Axis Communications, Inc., Chelmsford, MA
– Thirteen Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a), Export of Thermal Imaging Cameras Without the Required Licenses:
On 13 occasions between on or about 16 March 2011, and on or about 15 July 2013, Axis engaged in conduct prohibited by the Regulations when it made unlicensed exports from the United States to Mexico of thermal imaging cameras, items subject to the Regulations, classified under Export Control Classification Number 6A003.b.4, controlled for national security and regional stability reasons, and valued in total at $391,819. These exports to Mexico required BIS licenses pursuant to Sections 742.4 and 742.6 of the Regulations.
– Two Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(i): Failure to Comply with Recordkeeping Requirements:
On two occasions, on or about 17 June 2013, and on or about 15 July 2013, respectively, Axis failed to comply with the recordkeeping requirements set forth in Section 762.2 of the Regulations in connection with exports from the United States to Mexico of thermal imaging cameras, items subject to the Regulations, classified under Export Control Classification Number 6A003.b.4, and controlled for national security and regional stability reasons. Axis failed to retain documents required to be retained under Section 762.2, including, but not limited to, invoices relating to these exports.
– Civil penalty of $700,000
– Complete an external audit of its export controls compliance program
– Hire an unaffiliated third-party consultant with expertise in U.S. export control laws to conduct the external audit of its compliance with U.S. export control laws
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid as agreed, the audit is completed, and the audit results submitted.
* Date of Order: 9 June 2017.
Commerce/BIS: Cryomech, Inc. of Syracuse, NY, to Pay $28,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Cryomech, Inc., Syracuse, NY
* Charges: 1 Charge of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a): Engaging in Prohibited Conduct:
On one occasion, on or about August 16, 2012, Cryomech engaged in conduct prohibited by the Regulations when it exported an LNP-20 Liquid Nitrogen Plant, an item subject to
the Regulations, designated EAR99, and valued at $33,587, from the United States to the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) a.k.a Russian Federal Nuclear Center-VNIIEF (RFNC-VNIIEF) in Sarov, Russia, without the required BIS license. …
DHS/ICE: Four Arizona Residents Receive Lengthy Prison Terms for Exporting Firearms and Ammunition to Hong Kong(Source: DHS/ICE) [Excerpts.]
Four Arizona residents have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their role in a scheme to illegally export weapons and ammunition to Hong Kong, following a multiagency probe that included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Peter Steve Plesinger, 55, of Sahuarita, and Stephen Edward Smith, 63, of Tucson, were sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto. Plesinger received a term of 87 months. Smith was sentenced to 102 months in prison. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to exporting munitions to Hong Kong, dealing firearms without a license, and money laundering. Two other defendants, Irina Cvetkovic and Earl Richmond, both of Sahuarita, were charged and convicted for lessor roles in the conspiracy.
In 2014, law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong intercepted a package containing 139 rounds of ammunition that had been shipped from Arizona by Plesinger. A search of the intended recipient’s Hong Kong residence resulted in the recovery of three rifles, two pistols, four rifle barrels, a silencer, and at least 9,000 rounds of ammunition. Further investigation revealed Plesinger had previously shipped those items to Hong Kong in packages with innocuous labels. Additionally, investigators determined Plesinger had been paid at least $64,500 to ship large quantities of firearms, ammunition, and silencers to Hong Kong, and that Smith had been paid at least $59,550 for making similar shipments.
“The sentences imposed in this case should send a strong message to those who would consider illegally exporting firearms, ammunition, or silencers to other countries,” stated Acting United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. “We will continue to work diligently with our national and international partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute such conduct.”
“I wish to compliment the tenacity of the ATF agents and prosecuting attorneys who brought this case to a successful conclusion,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mark Murray. “Our agents left no stone unturned as they doggedly pursued these criminals and brought them to justice. ATF will continue our role in enforcing violations of the federal firearms and explosives laws both domestically and in this case internationally.”
“HSI, together with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, is dedicated to making communities safer by bringing criminals to justice,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “The successful outcome of this case is a direct result of the steadfast efforts of federal agents to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad.” …
Justice: California Bay Area Residents Charged In Scheme To Export Components For Production Of Night Vision Rifle Scopes(Source: Justice) [Excerpts.]
New charges supplement bank fraud conspiracy charges filed against the defendants in September of last year
Naum Morgovsky and Irina Morgovsky were charged today for their respective roles in an alleged scheme to export components for the production of night vision rifle scopes in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The superseding indictment supplements bank fraud charges that were leveled in September of last year against Naum Morgovsky and Mark Migdal.
According to the superseding indictment, Naum and Irina Morgovsky owned night vision businesses in the United States and purchased numerous scope components including image intensifier tubes and lenses. The superseding indictment alleges the Morgovskys conspired to ship these items to a night vision manufacturing company in Moscow, Russia that was partly owned by Naum Morgovsky. The United States Munitions List prohibits export of the items unless the exporter obtains a license from the Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. According to the superseding indictment, the Morgovskys did not have such a license.
In addition, the superseding indictment alleges the Morgovskys took steps to conceal their crimes so that they could continue to run their illegal export business undetected. According to the superseding indictment, Naum Morgovsky laundered the proceeds of the export conspiracy, used a bank account in the name of a deceased person to conceal the ownership and control of the scheme’s proceeds. The superseding indictment further alleges that Irina Morgovsky allegedly used a passport that she fraudulently obtained in the name of another individual to travel to Russia three times in 2007.
The superseding indictment includes the charges against Naum Morgovsky and Mark Migdal in the indictment filed in September of 2016. Specifically, the superseding indictment repeats that between June 2009 and April 2016, Morgovsky and Migdal conspired to defraud two federally-insured banks, now Bank of America and EverBank, by seeking those banks’ approval for a short sale of two condominiums owned by Migdal. The two condominium units were in the same building in Kihei, Maui. The superseding indictment alleges that Morgovsky and Midgal conspired to convince the banks to allow the properties to be sold in a short sale to an individual who was, in reality, deceased. A short sale is a sale in which a lender allows a property to be sold at a price that is less than the amount owed on the loan. According to the superseding indictment, the conspiracy also involved submission of false statements to the bank about Midgal’s employment status and income. After the banks approved the short sales in 2009 and 2010, Migdal continued to treat the property as his own, including collecting rent and paying taxes and homeowners’ association dues. The properties allegedly were transferred to Migdal’s wife in 2016.
In addition, the superseding indictment alleges that, during 2009 and 2010, Migdal submitted false statements to a federally insured bank. According to the superseding indictment, Migdal sought to obtain loan modifications for his residence in Portola Valley and his rental property in Mountain View by falsely stating he had rented part of his residence, by submitting a false employment offer letter, and by falsely stating his rental property in Mountain View was his principal residence. …
Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. The Superseding Indictment also seeks forfeiture of the false passport, a residence in Portola Valley, a condominium in Mountain View, and the two Hawaii condominiums.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. …
[Editor’s Note: an overview of the charges and maximum statutory sentences against Naum Morgovsky, Irina Morgovsky, and Mark Migdal is available here.]
Justice: Singapore Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Plot Involving Exports to Iran of U.S. Components(Source: Justice) [Excerpts.]
Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 43, a citizen of Singapore, was sentenced today (Thursday) to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the U.S. to Iran, at least 14 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. …
Lim was extradited in 2016 from Indonesia, where he had been detained since October 2014 in connection with the U.S. request for extradition. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2016, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by dishonest means. Lim will be deported upon completion of his sentence.
Lim and others were indicted in the District of Columbia in June of 2010 on charges involving the shipment of radio frequency modules made by a Minnesota-based company. The modules have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings. These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna. These same modules also have potentially lethal applications. Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules made by the Minnesota firm that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs. According to the plea documents filed in the case, between 2001 and 2007, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.
In a statement of offense submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Lim admitted that between August 2007 and February 2008, he and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran was a violation of U.S. law. In each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods; at no point in the series of transactions did Lim or any of his co-conspirators inform the company that the modules were destined for Iran. Similarly, according to the statement of offense, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the U.S. government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules. Lim and his co-conspirators were directly aware of the restrictions on sending U.S.-origin goods to Iran.
Shortly after the modules arrived in Singapore, they were kept in storage at a freight forwarding company until being aggregated with other electronic components and shipped to Iran. There is no indication that Lim or any of his co-conspirators ever took physical possession of these modules before they reached Iran or that they were incorporated into another product before being re-exported to Iran.
According to the statement of offense, 14 of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later recovered in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems. …
[Editor’s Note: this release was also published on the DHS/ICE Newsroom website.]
Commerce/BIS: Access USA Shipping, LLC of Sarasota, FL, to Pay $27,000,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [Excerpts.]
* Respondent: Access USA Shipping, LLC, Sarasota, FL
– Charges 1-129: 15 C.F.R. §764.2(h) – Evasion:
On one hundred twenty-nine (129) occasions beginning on or about 21 April 2011, and continuing through on or about 7 January 2013, Access USA Shipping, LLC (“Access”) engaged in transactions or took other actions to evade the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR” or “Regulations”). Specifically, Access took actions that enabled foreign customers to purchase items subject to the EAR through Access without U.S. merchants knowing the items were intended for export and that were designed at least in part to avoid detection by the U.S. Government and law enforcement. These actions included mis-describing and undervaluing the items in false export control documents; undervaluing the items improperly to avoid the filing of the required export control documents; allowing foreign customers to place orders through Access employees to avoid export scrutiny; destroying or altering export control documents; and failing to maintain records related to export transactions. …
– Charges 130-146: 15 C.F.R. §764.2(a) – Engaging in Conduct Prohibited by the Regulations by Exporting or Attempting to Export Crime Control Items without the Required License:
On seventeen (17) occasions between on or about 23 August 2011, and or about 24 January 2013, Access engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR when it exported or attempted to export items classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 0A987 and controlled for Crime Control reasons without the BIS export licenses required pursuant to Section 742.7 of the EAR. The destinations included Argentina, Austria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Libya, South Africa, and Sweden. …
– Charges 147-150: 15 C.F.R. §764.2(a) – Engaging in Conduct Prohibited by the Regulations by Exporting or Attempting To Export Items Subject to the Regulations to a Listed Entity Without the Required License:
On four occasions between on or about 17 October 2012, and on or about 15 February 2013, Access engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR when it exported or attempted to export items subject to the Regulations from the United States to Transsphere Oy in Finland without the BIS license required pursuant to Section 744.11 and Supplement No. 4 to Part 744 of the Regulations. The items were classified under ECCN 5A991 and controlled for anti-terrorism reasons, or were designated as EAR99. Transsphere Oy is a Finish entity listed on the Entity List …
* Penalty: Civil penalty of $27,000,000, of which $17,000,000 shall be suspended for two years from the date of this Order, and waived provided that during this two year payment probationary period, Access has committed no violations of the Export Administration Act, or any regulation, order, license or authorization issues thereunto, has made full and timely payment of the $10,000,000, and has complied with all the other terms of its Settlement Agreement, and has committed no violation of the Non-Prosecution Agreement that Access has entered with U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid as agreed, Access has complied with all the other terms of its Settlement Agreement, and has not failed to comply with the terms of the Non-Prosecution Agreement.
* Date of Order: 9 February 2017
Commerce/BIS: ZTE of Shenzhen and Hi-New Shenzhen, China, to Pay $661,000,000 for Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS) [See related items #10, #13, and #16.]
* Respondents: Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation, Shenzhen, China, and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd., Hi-New Shenzhen, China, collectively known as ZTE
* Charges: 380 violations of the EAR:
– One Charge of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(d) -Conspiracy
– 283 Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(e) – Acting with Knowledge of a Violation in Connection with Unlicensed Shipments of Telecommunications Items to North Korea via China
– 16 Charges 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(h) – Evasion
* Penalty: Civil penalty of $661,000,000. The payment of $361,000,000 shall be made to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce within 60 days of the date of this Order. Payment of the remaining $300,000,000 shall be suspended for a probationary period of seven years provided that all the requirements set out in the Order are met.
* Main requirements:
– ZTE shall complete and submit six audit reports of its compliance with U.S. export control laws, with respect to all exports, reexports, or transfers (in-country) that are subject to the EAR;
– ZTE shall hire an unaffiliated third party consultant with expertise in U.S. export control laws to conduct the external audits;
– The audits required shall be in substantial compliance with the Export Management Program sample audit module, available on the BIS website;
– ZTE will ensure that all records required to be kept or retained under the EAR are stored in or fully accessible from the United States;
– ZTE will allow the U.S. government to verify ZTE’s adherence to its export control compliance program and the EAR
– ZTE shall provide extensive training on applicable export control requirements to its leadership, management, and employees, including the leadership, management and employees of its affiliates, subsidiaries, and other entities worldwide over which it has ownership or control
* Debarred: Not if penalty is paid as agreed and all requirements set out in the Order are met.
* Date of Order: 7 March 2017
Commerce/BIS: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. of Brookfield, WI, to Pay $301,000 to Settle Alleged Export Violations(Source: Commerce/BIS)
* Respondent: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, Brookfield, WI
* Charges: 25 Charges of 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a) – Engaging in Prohibited Conduct:
On 25 occasions between April 2012 and May 2014, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (“Milwaukee Electric”) engaged in conduct prohibited by the EAR by exporting thermal imaging cameras, items subject to the EAR, from the United States to various countries, including Hong Kong, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Mexico, without the required Department of Commerce export licenses. The items are classified under Export Control Classification Number (“ECCN”) 6A003.b.4, controlled for National Security and Regional Stability reasons, and valued in total at approximately $129,284. Pursuant to Sections 742.4 and 742.6 of the EAR, a BIS export license is required before the items can be exported to each of the destinations at issue. By exporting these items without the required export licenses, Milwaukee Electric committed 25 violations of Section 764.2(a) of the EAR.
* Penalty: Milwaukee Electric shall be assessed a civil penalty in the amount of $301,000.
Commerce/BIS: Dane Francisco Delgado of Eden, TX, Denied Export Privileges for 10 Years(Source: Commerce/BIS)
* Respondent: Dane Francisco Delgado, Eden, TX
* Charges: On 4 November 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Dane Francisco Delgado (“Delgado”), was convicted of violating Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. § 2778 (2012)) (“‘AECA”). Specifically, Delgado knowingly and willfully conspired with persons known and unknown to export, furnish, and cause to be exported from the United States to Mexico defense articles designated on the United States Munitions List without having first obtained from the Department of State a license or written authorization for such export. Delgado was sentenced to 60 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment.
* Debarred: Delgado’s is denied export privileges under the Regulations for a period of 10 years from the date of Delgado’s conviction, until 4 November 2024.
* Date of Order: 29 December 2016.
Commerce/BIS: Robert Luba of Waymart, PA, Denied Export Privileges for 10 Years(Source: Commerce/BIS)
* Respondent: Robert Luba, Waymart, PA
* Charges: On 25 April 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Robert Luba (“Luba”), was convicted of violating Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. § 2778 (2012)) (“AECA”). Specifically, Luba knowingly and willfully exported and caused to be exported from the United States to India a defense article, that is, the technical drawing for the NSSN Class Submarine, Torpedo Tube, Open Breech Door, Gagging Collar A, Drawing Number 7072856, which was designated as a defense article on the United States Munitions List, without having first obtained from the Department of State a license for such export or written authorization for such export. Luba was sentenced six months in prison, three years of supervised release, $173,736.67 in restitution, and a $200 assessment.
* Debarred: Luba is denied export privileges under the Regulations for a period of 10 years from the date of Luba’s conviction 25 April 2026.
Commerce/BIS: Kamran Ashfaq Malik of Joint Base MDL, NJ, Denied Export Privileges for 5 Years(Source: Commerce/BIS)
* Respondent: Kamran Ashfaq Malik, Joint Base MDL, NJ
* Charges: On 29 June 2015, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Kamran Ashfaq Malik (“Malik”), was convicted of violating Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. § 2778 (2012)) (“AECA”). Specifically, Malik knowingly and willfully exported and caused the exportation of firearm parts and accessories designated as defense articles in Category I of the United States Munitions List, to wit: a .223 caliber rifle lower receiver, a .334 caliber rifle lower receiver, two .223 caliber rifle bolt carriers, and two .223 10 round magazines, from the United States and destined for Pakistan without having first obtained the required licenses or authorizations from the Department of State. Malik was sentenced to 24months in prison, three years o f supervised release, and a $100 assessment.
* Debarred: Malik is denied export privileges under the Regulations for a period of 5 years from the date of Malik’s conviction, until 29 June 2020
Reality Check: BREXIT - The Effect on Export Control - Aug 2017 >>
The following represent the considered views of the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use, and, as such, is proprietary to EGADD and should not be copied or otherwise used without seeking prior permission.
There had been much debate since the Referendum decision to leave the EU. The EGADD Executive committee thought that it could be useful to produce a short paper on the risks and opportunities created by this decision, as far as reasonably possible, ahead of the invoking of Article 50 and the necessary diplomatic negotiations with our former partners in the EU to achieve our desired ends. Much of the legislation in place in relation to Export Controls and Sanctions will not be impacted; however, there will be need for negotiation in relation to EU legislation pertaining to Dual-Use goods and the Intra Community Transfers Directive for Military Goods.
The issues surrounding Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and the Union Customs Code (UCC) will not be addressed here as there are other, more relevant committees focused on these issues….
Reality Check – BREXIT – The Effect on Export Controls
Announcing Global Trade Controls, The Leading International Venue for Discussing Export Controls, Sanctions and the Regulations for Trading Duel-use Goods - Aug 2017 >>
The challenges for exporters are multiplying. Economic protectionism in the USA, ever stricter sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, and escalating cybercrime are all important considerations for the export market. In the UK however, Brexit is the looming question. Without knowing which form Britain’s separation from the European Union will take, it is difficult for exporters to anticipate what the effects will be on their business. And yet preparedness is essential if they intend to land on their feet.
Stephen Osborne, Research Associate at Project Alpha – King’s College London’s centre for developing countermeasures to illicit trade – outlines two possible versions of Brexit. In one scenario, he told Global Trade Controls’ correspondent, more permissive export controls in the UK could lead to a competitive advantage for UK exporters. The downside, however, is that the UK could “become a target for procurement networks looking to acquire goods for military or WMD programmes,” which would in turn lead to a “reluctance by EU member states and their respective licensing authorities to export dual-use goods to the UK.” What at first sight appears to be a benefit to UK exporters could therefore harm the economy as a whole. The alternative? A stricter UK export control regime which places British exporters at a disadvantage, but preserves the EU’s confidence in the UK as a responsible importer of dual-use goods.
Across the channel, European regulators are also facing tough choices. In their recent proposal for modernising export controls, the EU Commission acknowledged the risks posed to the privacy and security of EU citizens by the increasing proliferation of potentially invasive cyber surveillance technologies. Their response was to expand the definition of dual use items to include “software and technology… which can be used for the commission of serious violation of human rights or international humanitarian law”. By the time the proposals come into effect, most likely in the Spring of next year, exporters will need to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines to ensure that they remain compliant.
Taking place in London this November, the Global Trade Controls conference will convene to discuss these issues and many others. Join an international roster of export compliance professionals, as well as over forty expert speakers, to discuss the implications of Brexit, the modernisation of EU export policy, sanctions under the Trump administration, considerations for exporters in Asia, technology transfers in the cloud, and much more.
Exchange ideas with your peers in a range of interactive sessions including close knit roundtable discussions, networking lunches, and practical case studies on recent developments including ZTE and Epsilon Electronics. On the first day of the conference is the Export Licensing & Trade Controls Seminar, which will provide a comprehensive introduction to trade controls and the process of export licensing.
Speakers for Global Trade Controls 2017 include representatives from Google, IBM, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, Deloitte, Thomson Reuters, PricewaterhouseCoopers and many others. Among the confirmed speakers are:
Ian Stewart, Head of Project Alpha, King’s College London
Lillian Norwood, Manager of IBM Governmental Programs, Export Regulation Office, IBM Corporation
Brinley Salzman, Director of Overseas and Exports, ADS Group Ltd
Michael Lutz, Director of Global Trade Compliance, Google
Katja Stockburger, Legal Counsel for Foreign Trade Governance, ZF Friedrichschafen AG
Laurence Carey, Group Control Manager, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group
Join us at Global Trade Controls this November to hear what they have to say. Find out more here: https://goo.gl/csdYvw
SIPRI Study Examines the Challenges Associated with Implementing Effective Internal Compliance Programmes - Aug 2017 >>
SIPRI is pleased to draw attention to a recently published Concept Paper and set of Good Practice Guides examining the challenges facing the establishment and implementation of an effective Internal Compliance Programme (ICP) by companies and research institutes subject to dual-use and arms export controls.
An ICP is an arrangement that an entity affected by dual-use and arms export controls puts in place to ensure that it is complying with both these controls and its own internal policies. In recent years, the European Union (EU) and national governments have been encouraging companies and other stakeholders to adopt ICPs and to allow those that do so to benefit from reduced administrative requirements. However, while the requirement to have an ICP is being increasingly mainstreamed, the guidance and tools available to companies and other affected stakeholders on how one should be established and maintained is often deficient and not targeted at those most in need of assistance.
This SIPRI Concept Paper maps the key challenges faced by many of the sectors and actors most impacted by the EU’s dual-use and arms export controls, and the steps that have been taken—and could be taken—to help those affected to set up and run an effective ICP. The paper builds on past research by SIPRI in this area as well as information collected from export compliance officers, experts affiliated with industry associations and representatives of European licensing authorities.
The five accompanying SIPRI Good Practice Guides present available sector and actor-specific compliance-related guidance material. They cover the nuclear, defence and aerospace, and information and communication technology sectors, as well as academic and research, and transport and distribution service providers. Each Guide includes guidance material produced by national governments, the EU and other bodies, as well as publicly available ICPs produced by companies and research institutes.
SIPRI would be glad to receive feedback on the Concept Paper and accompanying Good Practice Guides. For more information about SIPRI’s work on dual-use and arms export controls please visit Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme homepage or contact Sibylle Bauer or Mark Bromley.
DOWNLOAD THE CONCEPT PAPER AND GOOD PRACTICE GUIDES:
Challenges and good practices in the implementation of the EU’s arms and dual-use export controls: A cross-sector analysis
Internal compliance and export control guidance documents for actors from academia and research
SIPRI Good Practice Guide: Export Control ICP Guidance Material no. 1
Internal compliance and export control guidance documents for the information and communications technology sector
Internal compliance and export control guidance documents for the nuclear sector
Internal compliance and export control guidance documents for transport or distribution service providers
Internal compliance and export control guidance documents for the defence and aerospace sector
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.
Crown Exemption - July 2017 >>
Following a query, on behalf of a Member Company, it has been confirmed to EGADD by the UK Ministry of Defence that the ONLY people who are authorised to issue Crown Exemption/Immunity letters to companies to move items on the UK Government’s behalf, are the UK MoD staff who are embedded within the Export Control Joint Unit. No other letters, from any other sources, can or should be relied upon, as we are aware of a number of instances in which companies, who have done so, have been found to be in breach of the regulations. The current information (at the time of writing) on this on the GOV.UK website was not up-to-date, and its guidance was wrong, and should NOT be relied upon. It must also be noted that Crown Immunity does not cascade down through the supply chain, despite comments to the contrary.
If any companies need any further clarification on this issue, they should contact: Brinley.Salzmann@adsgroup.org.uk.
Project Alpha Newsletter - Mar 2017 >>
Some of the items covered in the March newsletter include:
Meet the Project Alpha Staff
Study of WMD Proliferation Financing Typologies: Interim Report
Examining Intangible Technology Controls
DPRK Successful Missile Test
Putin, Trump and the JCPOA
Project Alpha – March 2017 Newsletter
What happens if I violate export controls in the USA - January - December 2016 >>
What happens if I violate export controls in the USA – January – December 2016
BIS: Transparency in Export Licensing - Government Response - Jul 2012 >>
Transparency is a key theme of the Coalition Government and plays a vital role in enabling the public to hold the Government to account. It is particularly important in a high profile area such as export control – confidence in the workings of the export licensing system needs to be shared by Parliament and by the public.
> Transparency-in-Export-Licensing–Government-Response—BIS—July-2012
Import / Export Licensing Service - Mid-discovery Show & Tell - Jan 2016 >>
The Export Control Organisation has just commenced consultations with Industry aimed at the replacement, in 2017, of the current SPIRE electronic licensing system, to produce a new, improved and more user-friendly system for companies to use to apply electronically for import licences, export licences, exhibition clearances, security gradings, F680s, etc, etc. The first formal consultation meeting with Industry took place on 13th January, and a copy of the blog that has been created on this project is available at: www.egadd.org.uk/useful-guidance/. All Members are encouraged to get involved in this process and provide inputs to these consultations.
Blog: https://importexportlicensing.blog.gov.uk
Slides: Mid-discovery Show & Tell (Jan 16)
Please respond with feed back to:
James Curran | Delivery Manager | Digital | Department for Business, Innovation & Skills |1 Victoria St Level 6 Orchard 1 | Mobile 07584 618 200 |www.bis.gov.uk
SIPRI Work on Duel-use Export Controls and Cyber-surveillance Technologies - Dec 2015 >>
Data and information collection for EU dual-use export control policy review
As part of the ongoing review of the EU dual-use export control system, the European Commission is conducting an impact assessment. This study supports the impact assessment through the collection and analysis of data and information. The April
2014 Communication ‘Ensuring security and competitiveness in a changing world’, which outlines the review options, issues and actions provides the overall rationale and framework for this study. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) implemented the project jointly with Ecorys during January to September 2015.
The project included three main Actions:
(1) development of the methodology for data collection;
(2) analysis of the baseline scenario through the collection of data and information, both on the structure and performance of directly affected sectors,and with regard to the impact of current controls and related problems; and
(3) the analysis of the review options and corresponding review actions.
The project combines EU- and sector-wide data with case studies on the machine tools, chemical and aerospace sectors. A strong focus of the study has been the implementation and future expansion of controls on exports of cyber-surveillance technologies and related review options.
FINAL REPORT ANNEXES FINAL REPORT – Data and information collection for EU dual-use export control policy review
FINAL REPORT ANNEXES
Indian Arms Export to get a Boost as Ministry of Defence Okays 16 Broad Categories of Products - Oct 2015 >>
The Economic Times of India
By Manu Pubby
A formal list of defence items that can be exported has been endorsed by the ministry of defence, bringing India at par with international laws governing arms trade. The move – which identifies 16 broad categories of products that can be exported after clearance – is expected to boost military trade with experts saying that it brings clarity to private companies pursuing export orders.
FULL ARTICLE >
BIS: Republishing of Consolidated UK Strategic Export Control - Aug 2015 >>
Notices to Exporters 2012/25 and 2012/26 – Republishing of consolidated UK Strategic Export Control List along with number of Open General Export Licences…
Notices-to-Exporters-2012-25-and-2012-26—Republishing-of-consolidated-UK-Strategic-Export-Control-
Alpha - Export Compliance - Jul 2015>>
Alpha’s new web platform to bring you the latest news on the implementation of trade controls to prevent proliferation. As you know, the Alpha team has been working hard for two years now to improve the implementation of trade controls both from the perspective of what governments are trying to achieve and from the business perspective of how to implement compliance requirements in practice.
The culmination of this research is the new alpha web platform. As Alpha is hosted at the Centre for Science and Security Studies of King’s College London, the site is called @csss, pronounced “access”. Through @csss Alpha has made available information, guidance, training and other resources intended to help implement trade controls. The Alpha team stand ready to discuss trade control implementation.
HMRC: Aircraft Infraction Update - Nov 2010 >>
We have agreed to circulate the draft pages of the HMRC Officers Guidance (VTRANS) for information- please see 3 attached documents. These pages will update the guidance currently published here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/vtransmanual/index.htm
Other pages (not included) will have consequential amendments to fit the numbering and cross referencing and other minor tweaks.
VTRANS110000PUBLICDRAFT4NOV2010
EGADD is the only dedicated national industrial body in the UK dealing exclusively with export control issues in the aerospace and defence industries.
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U.S. Imports from Thailand of Total Petroleum Products (Thousand Barrels per Day)
1999 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0
2000 1 0 15 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 11
2001 28 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
2004 1 0 0 0 10 1
2006 13 3 5 1 7 0 0 1 4
Products Imports from Thailand
U.S. Imports from Thailand
U.S. Products Imports
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| 0.506815
| 0.493185
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In SatellitesEntire Website
Distributing Data
Operating Satellites
Our satellites orbit the Earth at the same speed as the Earth rotates, thus observing systematically the same part of the Earth.
Monitoring the atmosphere
Observations of EUMETSAT satellites are critical inputs to monitoring and forecasts of air quality, which are increasingly important for the health of European citizens.
Developing Satellites
As an operational agency, EUMETSAT needs to plan and develop the future satellite systems.
Monitoring Weather
Accurate weather predictions start from the best possible knowledge of the initial state of the Earth's atmosphere.
Monitoring Oceans
EUMETSAT supports the development of operational oceanography through the delivery of ocean data.
Monitoring Climate
Climate services need to be developed to meet the challenge of mitigating and adapting to climate change.
EUMETSAT delivers satellite data and products in real-time to users worldwide.
31, August 2020
The data from EUMETSAT’s satellites are processed on the ground to extract a wealth of meteorological, environmental and climate products, the number of which are steadily increasing as a result of scientific innovation.
Data and products are then distributed in real-time to users in Europe, Africa and worldwide, primarily via EUMETCast, our satellite-based broadcast service for environmental data. EUMETSAT also makes data available online through our Earth Observation Portal (EOP) and the Data Centre.
Delivering real-time data to users on three continents
EUMETCast is a multi-service distribution system based on standard Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) technology. It uses commercial telecommunication satellites to multicast files (data and products) in real-time, over three continents (Europe, Africa, the Americas) to users equipped with inexpensive VSAT terminals.
EUMETCast is used to distribute EUMETSAT data and products but also a wide range of third-party meteorological and environmental products from our Member States and international partners, including in situ observational data, numerical weather forecasts, and global and regional marine meteorological andocean surface products. The one-stop-shop delivery mechanism allows users to receive many data streams via one low cost reception station.
After registering on the EOP, users are able to access the service and manage their data subscriptions through an application to the EUMETCast Key Unit.
EUMETCast currently delivers data streams to more than several thousands of users and VSAT terminals, in a fully operational and secure manner, with high flexibility to handle various formats and scalability to accommodate additional data.
EUMETCAST in global partnership
EUMETCast forms the basis of EUMETSAT's contribution to the Integrated Global Data Dissemination Service (IGDDS), a component of the World Meteorological Organization's Information Service (WIS).
It also underpins EUMETSAT’s contribution to GEONETCast, a global intergovernmental network of satellite-based Earth Observation data dissemination systems, and is connected in this framework to the Chinese CMACast system, thus enabling dissemination of EUMETSAT data in the Asia-Pacific region.
Within GEONETCast, EUMETCast will also be used in the future in the frame of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, of which EUMETSAT became a member in 2012. The objective is to support the management of crises arising from natural or technological disasters, in all phases, from prevention to rescue operations. This is achieved through the real-time delivery to Charter beneficiaries of EUMETSAT observations, other meteorological information, and post-disaster maps elaborated by other Charter members.
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