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__label__wiki	0.876743	0.876743	Home About Us Condition of Use News for 2014 Your Wants! Bookmark Us Tell a friend Contact Us Latest Acquisitions Economics Social Credit Major C.H. Douglas Green Shirts/Kibbo Kift Anti-Fascism Politics & Military Conspiracies, Freemasonry, Secret Societies Anti-Semitism Duke of Bedford British Fascist & Patriotic Groups (1920-1945) British Fascist & Patriotic Groups (1945-Present) International Fascist & Patriotic Groups Germany 1919-1945 Race & Culture Foreign Language Autographed & Unique Archive/Sold Items Archive/Sold Items Prod Id: 4507 Morgan, Captain William - Mysteries of Free Masonry Prod Id: 821 Morgan-Webb, Sir Charles. The Rise & Fall of the Gold Standard. Morgenthau Era Letters - Austin J. App 1966. Morris, Elizabeth Keith. (SOLD) Hungary - The Land of Enchantment Morse, Jedediah. (SOLD) A Sermon Exhibiting The Present Danders, and Consequent Duties of the Citizens of the United States of America Mosley Speaks (SOLD) THE VOICE THEY CANNOT SILENCE Series No.1 Part 1-4 MOSLEY! - Selwyn Watson - E.D. Randall. BUF Mosley's Kampf - (SOLD) Der Sturmer - Nurenberg. September 1937 Mosley, Oswald. Unemployment. - Speech in the House of Commons, 28th May, 1930 on His Resignation. HMSO Mr Sieff's Plan for Britain - John Mitchell - Social Crediter 1941 Mr. Benton Mr. Calhoun's Disbursement of the Public Moneys Murchin - Britain's Jewish problem - Hurst & Blackett 1939. Murphy, James. Adolf Hitler 1934 MY STRUGGLE - ADOLF HITLER -1933 -1ST.ENGLISH EDITION - ILLUSTRATED Nantes, The Abbe George de. (SOLD) Russia Before and After 1983 NATINFORM - John Ashworth - Original Letter 1954. Nation Europa - August 1951 & 1953. Nation on Fire - Voice of British Youth -Number 2 Nationaal Socialistische Beweging In Nederland. 1931 National Action - National Action Party 1980s « previous 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 \| 8 \| 9 \| 10 \| 11 \| 12 \| 13 \| 14 \| 15 \| 16 \| 17 \| 18 \| 19 \| 20 \| 21 \| 22 \| 23 \| 24 \| 25 \| 26 \| 27 \| 28 \| 29 \| 30 \| 31 \| 32 \| 33 \| 34 \| 35 \| 36 \| 37 \| 38 \| 39 \| 40 \| 41 \| 42 \| 43 \| 44 \| 45 \| 46 \| 47 \| 48 \| 49 \| 50 \| 51 \| 52 \| 53 \| 54 \| 55 \| 56 \| 57 \| 58 \| 59 \| 60 \| 61 \| 62 \| 63 \| 64 \| 65 \| 66 \| 67 \| 68 \| 69 \| 70 \| 71 \| 72 \| 73 \| 74 \| 75 \| 76 \| 77 \| 78 \| 79 \| 80 \| 81 \| 82 \| 83 \| 84 \| 85 \| 86 \| 87 \| 88 \| 89 \| 90 \| 91 \| 92 \| 93 \| 94 \| 95 \| 96 \| 97 \| 98 \| 99 \| 100 \| 101 next » © 2008 Blog Rare Books	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line340
__label__wiki	0.949798	0.949798	In Minn. redistricting battle, powerful players clash with citizens on sidelines Michael Olson November 17, 2011, 10:01 AM Nov 17, 2011 by Lois Beckett and Olga Pierce ProPublica As they have across the country, Democrats and Republicans are fighting in Minnesota over redistricting. The battle has big backers and money on both sides. The Democratic strategy is funded by a trial lawyer PAC and powerful unions. And as ProPublica has previously reported, the Republican effort is being funded by an opaque group with ties to the Koch brothers [1], the billionaire energy magnates and powerful backers of conservative politics. But while the parties are working to redraw communities’ political maps, the communities themselves are struggling to be heard. An unfolding legal fight in the state highlights how difficult it is for anyone outside of political professionals to have an impact in redistricting. The stakes in redistricting are high: Parties that secure favorable district lines can lock in a political advantage for a decade, with voters often losing out in the process. (See our guide [2] for more about the dirty tactics of redistricting [3].) Because Minnesota’s state legislators and governor could not agree on a new map, the critical task of the once-a-decade redrawing of district lines is in the hands of a special panel of five judges [4] appointed by the state supreme court. The case is being argued by Democratic Party lawyers on one side and Republican lawyers on the other, each pushing for maps likely to benefit their party. This year, it seemed that the public would also get a meaningful say: The redistricting panel held hearings and invited citizens to submit their own maps. But public comment closed in October [5], before the court-appointed panel even announced the criteria it would use to determine Minnesota’s districts. The political parties, on the other hand, have until Nov. 18 [6] to submit their final maps. And only the parties involved in the formal redistricting lawsuit are able to comment on each other’s map plans and make their final arguments directly to the panel of judges. “The critical state in the process is when there are actually maps, to review the maps and say what’s good and what’s bad,” said Mike Dean, the head of Common Cause Minnesota. But at this point, “the public can’t weigh in.” As part of Common Cause’s nationwide effort to encourage more citizen participation in redistricting, the organization’s Minnesota branch will solicit public comment on the parties’ plans, and has also sponsored a contest [7] for citizen-drawn district maps. Dean said the contest is being judged on widely accepted principles [7] of redistricting, including compactness and the preservation of both existing city boundaries and community lines. With 35 viable entries, the winning map will be chosen by a bipartisan panel [8] that includes three former state politicians and a prominent professor of political science. Common Cause has asked the court for permission to submit the public comments along with the winning map for consideration alongside the maps and arguments produced by party insiders. The move has been opposed by Republican lawyers, who have argued that the period for public comment has closed. “Common Cause wants to come in after everyone else has shot their wad, so to speak,” the lawyer for Minnesota’s Republicans, Eric J. Magnuson, told ProPublica. “They have already had a lot of input, and now they want to have additional input.” Common Cause has asked to submit both map and commentary in the form of an amicus brief, a way outside parties can weigh in on legal matters. Some of those involved in the lawsuit were skeptical that Common Cause could bring an unbiased public perspective into the deliberations. Magnuson, a former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, said Common Cause has been inaccurately portrayed as nonpartisan. “I don’t think of them as independent.” The Democrats’ redistricting point person, Ken Martin, chairman of the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor party and one of the plaintiffs in the case, was traveling out of the country and unavailable for comment. “This is [Common Cause’s] partisan position. To pretend it’s somehow a 2018friend of the court’ is nonsense,” said Alan Weinblatt, a former attorney for the state Democratic Party who is involved in the suit. Weinblatt said he is representing not the party but rather “the best progressive interests.” The day after Common Cause filed its amicus request [9] Nov. 8, Magnuson filed an objection to the request [10], arguing that Common Cause should have either become party to a lawsuit as the Republicans and Democrats did, or timed its contest so that the winning map could have been submitted during public comment period. Dean said Common Cause waited to submit its citizen-drawn map because it wouldn’t have made sense to do so before the state’s redistricting panel released its criteria for judging the maps, even though that meant waiting until after the window for public comment passed. “I wanted to give people a chance to amend their maps in light of the new criteria. Otherwise, they were trying to do it in the dark without knowing what the principles would be,” Dean said, arguing that the input is crucial. “The court is not an expert on every part of Minnesota. When you divide a community, the only people who know a community is divided is the community itself.” He said the group doesn’t have the kind of money it would need to intervene in the redistricting lawsuit as a plaintiff. “You have to hire a full-time attorney, and it can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Dean said. The group’s redistricting efforts are funded with a $50,000 grant from The Joyce Foundation [11], whose public policy efforts include the overhaul of campaign finance, as well as $30,000 in dues from its more than 3,000 Minnesotan members, he said. Like the state Republican Party, Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party [12] also has big pockets behind it. Mark Elias [13], one of the attorneys representing the state Democratic Party before the panel, is general counsel of the National Democratic Redistricting Trust, an entity established by the national party that sought and was granted permission [14] by the Federal Election Commission to keep its donors secret. Although the trust does not have to disclose how much money it has raised or the identity of its donors, a few donors have listed the trust on their own campaign-finance disclosure forms, including a committee funded by the Carpenters and Joiners Union [15], which gave the trust $250,000; an anti-tort-reform [16] PAC funded by trial lawyers [17], which gave $100,000; and the International Longshoremens Association PAC [18], which gave $15,000. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi obtained permission from the House Ethics Committee to raise unlimited, undisclosed amounts of money for the trust, Politico reported [19] earlier this year. As well as raising money, the trust’s lawyers are playing a direct role in redistricting battles on the ground. Elias has also been on Democratic legal teams in redistricting battles in Nevada [20] and Texas. “Let’s face it,” said Larry Jacobs, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, “the insiders have all the cards, and the people on the outside have pea shooters.” Jacobs will be judging Common Cause’s map contest along with three state politicians: one Democrat, one Republican and one independent. He called the redistricting battle “an unfair fight.” “You have a party establishment with the highest-quality, best-paid lawyers in town 2014 and across the country 2014 showing up to make these persistent arguments,” Jacobs said. “Even on the rare occasions when you have a citizens group that can get organized and get their paperwork in, the reality is that there’s already someone who’s beat them to it.” Whether an amicus brief to the court is the correct vehicle for the kind of input Common Cause wants to provide is still an open question. Amicus curiae, or “friend of the court” briefs, provide additional information that would not be contributed by any of the parties in a lawsuit. “To suggest that citizens shouldn’t be heard is probably a fine legal argument, but as a moral question, it’s a little offensive,” said Keesha Gaskins, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice and former executive director of the League of Women Voters Minnesota. “Is it a proper format? The court will decide that.” “I think it’s unfortunate that this is really one of the few avenues left for us to get the citizens’ voice in there,” said Laura Fredrick Wang, who now heads the League of Women Voters Minnesota. “The fact that this is what it comes down to speaks volumes about why we need to reform the process.” The League had helped set up another effort to get citizens’ input on the redistricting process, collecting opinions from roughly 300 people. Although they worked with a mapping consultant, they didn’t have enough time to make a definitive map based on the perspectives they had gathered, Wang said. The map they submitted by the public comment deadline had to be more tentative. While members of the public were invited to submit maps, former state senate Democratic majority leader Larry Pogemiller said some individuals who had the technological sophistication to create viable maps were asked not to do so by the political parties 2014 with what he assumed was the goal of minimizing the alternatives to the parties’ own maps. Pogemiller, who has advocated the creation of an independent redistricting commission, said that while he could not provide details, “absolutely there’s an attempt to try to get fewer maps submitted.” The chairman of the state Republican Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Around MN ‹ Older Coyotes, cops and sidelined voices Newer › Lake George residents unhappy about post office plan molson@mpr.org • @publicmic Editor, MPR News Embattled former Mankato college football coach gets new job Trial date set in battle to preserve historic Kasson school Demolition of Kasson’s historic school on hold	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line341
__label__cc	0.647886	0.352114	Microsoft releases additional updates to protect against potential nation-state activity Adrienne Hall On May 12, 2017, the WannaCrypt ransomware served as an all too real example of the danger of cyber attacks to individuals and businesses globally. In reviewing the updates for this month, some vulnerabilities were identified that pose elevated risk of cyber attacks by government organizations, sometimes referred to as nation-state actors or other copycat organizations. To address this risk, today we are providing additional security updates along with our regular Update Tuesday service. These security updates are being made available to all customers, including those using older versions of Windows. Due to the elevated risk for destructive cyber attacks at this time, we made the decision to take this action because applying these updates provides further protection against potential attacks with characteristics similar to WannaCrypt. For more technical information and links to related articles, visit our Microsoft Security Response Center blog. It is important to note that if you’re running a supported version of Windows, such as Windows 10 or Windows 8.1, and you have Windows Update enabled, you don’t need to take any action. As always, we recommend customers upgrade to the latest platforms. The best protection is to be on a modern, up-to-date system that incorporates the latest innovations. Older systems, even if fully up-to-date, lack the latest security features and advancements. If you’re unsure what version of Windows you’re running, or whether you have Windows Update enabled, there are links at the bottom of this page to help you check. We appreciate your business and are committed to delivering the most secure and trusted technology possible in today’s complex and interconnected world. Visit this link for help determining which Windows operating system you’re running. Visit this link if you’re running a version of Windows that no longer receives extended support. Visit this link for help enabling Windows Update. For more technical information and links to updates for products no longer in extended support see our Microsoft Security Response Center blog. Announcing Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line342
__label__cc	0.665831	0.334169	chrislang.org Indonesia: The insatiable appetite of the pulp industry Not satisfied with destroying vast areas of forests on Sumatra, the pulp industry in Indonesia is expanding to Kalimantan. By Chris Lang. Published in WRM Bulletin 101, December 2005. Based on a presentation by Rully Syumanda and Rivani Noor at an International Meeting on Plantations, 21-25 November 2005 in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil (organised by WRM/FASE-ES/GJEP). Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies. The company is responsible for large-scale deforestation of Indonesia’s forests. APP has also generated a number of not-yet-settled conflicts with local communities in Indonesia. Forthcoming research by Rully Syumanda, Friends of the Earth Indonesia/WALHI’s forest campaigner and Rivani Noor of the Community Alliance for Pulp Paper Advocacy (CAPPA) documents the company’s grim record in Sumatra. “We in Indonesia are facing so many battles about forest destruction, including tree plantations and the oil palm industry,” said Syumanda at the start of his presentation. There are seven pulp mills, 65 paper mills and 10 pulp and paper mills in Indonesia. We are focussing on the biggest – APP’s pulp and paper mill in Riau. “We face problems because of APP’s plans to become the world’s biggest pulp and paper exporter,” said Syumanda. “The Indonesian government supports the growth of this industry.” Foresters working in APP argue that the company is rapidly developing plantations in order to supply its pulp mills without continuing to cut down old-growth forests. “APP is the golden boy of the Forest Department,” said Syumanda, “because logging, plantations, pulp and paper dominate all.” But this industry is not serious about developing plantations. Plantations still supply only 30 per cent of the raw material needed. Destructive logging and/or illegal logging provides much of the rest. APP is converting forest to plantations. The company has used subsidies from the rehabilitation fund, which should have been used for recovering forest areas. Vast areas of APP’s concessions overlap with community lands. The main problem, Syumanda explained, is the over-capacity of the industry. The sheer scale of the industry means that land tenure conflicts cannot be resolved equitably. There is no protocol for solving the problems caused. But the government is not concerned about overcapacity. Instead it likes to keep the attention on illegal logging. “This has impacts,” explained Syumanda. “Several peasants and farmers have been arrested for clearing their farmland for their own needs.” Any idea of restructuring the industry, including reducing its size, has been brushed aside by the need for fast money, at least partly to repay the company’s huge debts. APP’s debt, at almost US$14 billion, is the largest debt of any company in Southeast Asia. Violence, human rights abuses, water and air pollution, forest fires and floods have become business as usual for the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia. “Now we face the next challenge”, said Syumanda. The government plans to develop another five million hectares of acacia pulp wood plantations. This is in addition to the two million hectares it plans to plant to oil palm in the middle of Borneo, and perhaps another eight million hectares of oil palm around the archipelago. “It’s crazy,” Syumanda concluded. During the 1970s, the Indonesian government declared 140 million hectares of land as state forests, “thus asserting state control over forest resources traditionally managed by tens of thousands of local communities,” added Patrick Anderson, Policy Advisor at WALHI. As with industrial logging concessions, the government gives out concessions to the pulp and paper industry regardless of who lives there and who traditionally used the forest. One of the few rules by which the pulp and paper industry operates in Indonesia is that you build the pulp mill first – the plantations follow. “So for at least the first ten years, while the plantations are planted and growing, the mill will use natural forests as raw material,” explained Anderson. Indonesia has about 50 million indigenous people, with about 1,000 different languages. Although in theory indigenous land rights are recognised in Indonesia, the government does not follow its laws that recognize customary rights. Now that the plywood industry is in decline due to lack of big trees, the government is doing all it can to create an export economy in the pulp and paper sector. Rivani Noor pointed out that on Sumatra there simply isn’t enough forest left for the pulp industry to keep expanding. So APP has started pulp mills and plantation operations in China. But as with the mills in Sumatra, APP failed to secure raw material supplies before starting up its mills in China. As a result, woodchips from Sumatra’s forests will be exported to supply APP’s operations in China. APP also has a new concession in Kalimantan. There are an additional three pulp mills proposed for Kalimantan. The South Korean Korindo Group has produced a feasibility study for a pulp and paper mill in Central Kalimantan. A group of Indian and Malaysian investors have filed a proposal with the Ministry of Forestry for a US$1.3 billion pulp and paper mill. If it goes ahead, the project would convert about 300,000 hectares of forest into plantations. Singapore-listed firm United Fibre Systems (UFS) is planning a project for South Kalimantan and is looking to secure European financial support. UFS is also in the process of taking over the existing Kiani Kertas mill in East Kalimantan, with Deutsche Bank acting as financial advisor to the company. Not willing to limit its forest destruction to the island of Sumatra, the pulp and paper industry is busy planning its expansion into Kalimantan. If it does so, the results will be predictable and disastrous for people and forests. Categories Pulp & Paper ← Cambodia: Plantations and the death of the forests South Africa: Plantations – Green gold or green deserts? → Forests & rights GE Trees	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line345
__label__wiki	0.591252	0.591252	Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features (click on broll or dschwartz for all his posts) Out of My Head: Migraine “Frequently, when they come to the office they say, ‘I want my migraine cured.’ I would look at them and say, ‘If I can cure your migraine, I’m going to get the Nobel Prize.’ That’s how big that is.” Dr. Allan Purdy, Prof. of Neurology, Dalhousie University Written, directed, and narrated by Susanna Styron, “Out of My Head” is a powerful, provocative cinematic essay about migraine. You may note I did not write ‘migraine headaches.’ I learned from the film that there are multiple components to migraines—including abdominal issues—and that this painful, disturbing condition should be seen as a whole body condition rather than limited to the brain. Styron became deeply involved with migraines when her daughter Emma developed the condition. The mother used her filmmaking talents to shine much more light on the condition, and, especially the life-changing, debilitating impact it has on the one billion sufferers around the world. Styron also includes stories of celebrated artists who have lived with migraine including Hildegard of Bingen, Lewis Carroll, and Joan Didion. The film features interviews with sufferers, physicians, and researchers—as well as still and moving images capturing the agony these one billion people endure. Finding a silver lining, Styron also covers the mysterious relationship between art, artists, spirituality and migraine. That relationship could be another feature documentary. “Out of My Head” makes it abundantly clear that migraine has not been given the attention needed to find effective treatments for its sufferers. I refer you to the film’s Take Action page which gives us the opportunity to make a small contribution which could make a big difference. A Kino Lorber release, “Out of My Head” is an expertly produced film which brings vital attention to the subject of migraine, and, especially to the people who suffer its impacts. It is currently available for educational and non-profit institutions, and will be available for commercial sales June, 2020. What a beautiful, loving gift Susanna Styron has given her daughter—and to all who suffer. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themigraineproject/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/migraineproject?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OutOfMyHeadTheFilm/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/migraineproject/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6856594/reference D. Schwartz May 11, 2020	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line347
__label__wiki	0.692772	0.692772	MCA soccer team did more than just score goals The Mount Carmel Academy soccer team achieved much more than the Division I state title against St. Scholastica Feb. 25 at Tad Gormley Stadium. Throughout the year, the team gave back to the community through numerous service projects, including working with the Miracle League Foundation and the ARC of New Orleans. One special project raised money and awareness for the Ashlee Stokes Foundation’s Ashlee’s Angels program. Team members had met Ashlee Stokes, a young woman whose life was forever changed after she was hit by a drunk driver in 2008, and they were inspired to help her. Free designated drivers Since 2010, Ashlee’s Angels has provided a free designated driver service in St. Tammany Parish on Friday and Saturday nights to citizens who have been consuming alcohol. The program’s motto – “Swallow your pride and call for a ride” – encourages drivers not to put anyone’s life in danger by getting behind the wheel of a car after consuming harmful substances. “It would be a good thing to expose all of the girls to Ashlee and her story,” Mount Carmel coach Pavlos Petrou said. “I think Ashlee’s story is something that the girls can directly relate to.” “Meeting Ashlee for the first time was an eye opener for me,” said junior Caitlin Robert. “We had heard her story, but actually meeting her put things on a whole different level. She is just like us; she was so spirited and loving toward our team.” Ashlee Stokes’ mother, Karen Stokes, detailed the interaction between Ashlee and the team from a different perspective. “Ashlee loves being around young people and sharing her story,” Karen Stokes said. “She is out there trying to make a difference because she doesn’t want to see anyone else go through what she’s been through.” More goals, more money Throughout the season, team members collected donations from family members, friends and members of the Mount Carmel Academy community. Donors had the option of pledging a certain amount per goal or making a flat contribution. The team scored a total of 168 goals by the end of the season. At the first playoff game on Feb. 2, the Cubs presented Ashlee with a $6,500 check. “Looking at Ashlee, you realize that soccer is just a game and that there are much more serious things in life,” Petrou said. “We were very happy and excited that the team actually did work for us,” Karen Stokes said. “It was great that the team went out there and hustled and got donations from people and explained why they were doing what they were doing.” The fund-raising goal had a positive effect on the team’s momentum. “Ashlee inspired us to play to our best potential, knowing that every goal we scored would raise money for her foundation,” senior Brooke Gros said. It also provided team players with a perspective on drinking and driving. For details on Stokes or the foundation, visit www.ashleestokes.com or www.ashleesangels.com. Tags: Mount Carmel Academy, soccer, Uncategorized	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line348
__label__cc	0.548392	0.451608	Some of the reasons we're your favourite coffee Our Lattes Hand-crafted and made to order just for you. Amazing prizes make your favourite coffee even better! Every cup tells a story, what’s yours? Tims® at Home Brew the Tim Hortons taste you love at home! Double Double™? We've always got a fresh pot on. Treat yourself to one of Tims Café Favourites. Breakfast Anytime. Any Tims. Sandwiches, Wraps & More Prepared fresh to order with delicious fillings and toppings. Pair your sandwich, wrap, or soup with one of our savoury sides. Soups & Hot Bowls A variety of options made to warm and fill you up. Got a crowd to feed? What’s new at your local Tims? Find out. Enjoy Tims® at Home! From single-serve to beans, find it all here. Browse for all the great Tim Hortons products you can enjoy from the comfort of your own kitchen. Shop for Tim Hortons products online from the comfort of your home. About TimCard® All you need to know about your favourite card. Tim Card In-restaurant seating Drive-thru Open 24 Hours WiFi Catering Tap-to-Pay Mobile Payment Scan-to-Pay Mobile Payment Every Cup Tells A Story® Behind every cup of Tim Hortons coffee is a fellow Canadian, helping to make our communities stronger. We’re travelling across Canada to hear their unique stories. Here is just a few of them. “I want to turn a family legacy into a community legacy.” Chris, Restaurant Owner from Hamilton, ON Read Chris' Story “The confidence I gained impressed my family.” Michael, Tim Horton Camper from Ottawa, ON Read Michael's Story “This experience changed my life. Now it’s my duty to pay it forward.” Vania, Team Member from Burlington, ON Read Vania's Story “We are here every day for more than just the coffee.” Steve and Bessie, Guests from Barrie, ON Read Steve and Bessie's Story “With Tim Hortons, we’re able to give back on a whole other scale.” Greg, Restaurant Owner from Cowichan Valley, BC Read Greg's Story “We always wanted to do something as a team.” Paul and Sharlene, Restaurant Owner from Calgary, AB Read Paul and Sharlene's Story “It’s amazing to see the next generation starting to give back.” Alex, Guest from Calgary, AB Read Alex's Story “One of the biggest things I can thank camp for is confidence.” Gustavo, Camper from Vancouver, BC Read Gustavo's Story “My favorite part is seeing our regular guests happy.” Troy, Team Member from Vancouver, BC Read Troy's Story “It wasn’t success that motivated me, it was my love for the people.” Ken, Restaurant Owner from Winnipeg, MB Read Ken's Story “We aren’t just helping the community, we’re helping the kids learn their culture.” St. Michaels Community School, Guests from Saskatoon, SK Read the St. Michaels Community School's Story “We’re just looking to make a difference in the community.” Rhonda, Restaurant Owners from Brandon, MB Read Rhonda's Story “It’s like you’re serving coffee to your family every morning.” Muhki, Guests from Regina, SK Read Muhki's Story “Everyone should speak up and use their voice.” Peace, Camper from Saskatoon, SK Read Peace's Story “If you have passion for what you do, people will take notice.” Ambrish, Restaurant Owner from Toronto, ON Read Ambrish's Story “Giving back is in the fabric of our community and our company.” Chris, Restaurant Owner from Windsor, ON Read Chris's Story “There’s something special about hockey that brings communities together.” Bill, Restaurant Owner from Ottawa, ON Read Bill’s Story “My family’s grown up with Tim Hortons. And so has our community.” Theresa, Restaurant Owner from Midland, ON Read Theresa's Story “It’s a passion for me, seeing people flourish.” Danielle, Restaurant Owner from Longueuil, QC Read Danielle’s Story “We wanted to support the little guys.” Gary, Restaurant Owner from Moncton, NB Read Gary’s Story “Every single person deserves to feel part of their community.” Donna, Guest from Windsor, NS Read Donna’s Story “I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to.” Justin, Team Member from Bathurst, NB Read Justin’s Story “I feel fortunate that I have the ability to be a leader in my community.” Andrea, Restaurant Owner from St. John’s, NF Read Andrea’s Story “Giving back is my favourite part of the job.” Danny, Restaurant Owner from Charlottetown, PEI Read Danny’s Story “I just do what I can to make somebody else’s life better.” Joan, Restaurant Owner from Windsor, NS Read Joan’s Story “I work from the heart, every day.” Stéphan, member of the corporate team, Lévis, QC Read Stéphan’s Story “The Tim Horton camp counsellors change the way you see life.” Zakary, former camper and current camp counsellor from Québec, QC Read Zakary’s Story “We participate in the cause for the love of children.” Claudette and Maman Dion, clients, Lanaudière, QC Read Claudette’s Story ® Every Cup Tells A Story is a registered trade mark of The TDL Marks Corporation in Canada. Used under license. As a third-generation Restaurant Owner, it isn’t surprising that Chris spent much of his childhood inside a Tim Hortons. Helping out with jobs in the restaurant, he learned the ins and outs of business operations. And while working with the Team Members and interacting with Guests, he learned that the business is about much more than serving cups of coffee. It’s about care. Now Chris owns restaurants of his own. And with recurring projects like a monthly lunch program at a neighbouring school, to spur-of-the-moment events like hosting birthdays at his restaurants, he wakes up each morning excited to create a better community for his team and his guests He also involves his children whenever he can, hoping they’ll continue in his legacy of giving back. Thank you, Chris. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. After years at a refugee camp in Tanzania, Michael and his family had the opportunity to immigrate to Canada. They settled into their new home in Ottawa where Michael started school as a fifth-grade student. Although thrilled to start his new life in Canada, he knew only a little English and was often shy and nervous in his new surroundings. It wasn’t until he attended Tim Horton Camp in Parry Sound that he came out of his shell. The friends he made there immediately took him under their wings and challenged him to different experiences. Whether it was trying new activities like canoeing and zip-lining, or new foods like chili and banana splits, Michael came home after his 10 days of camp with a new confidence. Understanding the power of a helping hand, Michael has become a leader at home, in his school and his community, doing things like working with incoming students at his school to help them find their place in their new surroundings just as he found his. Thank you, Michael. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Vania arrived in Canada from Cuba with little more than a couple of dollars in her pocket and a few words of English in her vocabulary. Without any previous knowledge of the brand or even what a donut was, a Manager recognized her work ethic and passion and gave Vania her first job at Tim Hortons. Grateful for this chance, she challenged herself to learn a new word of English each day with the help of her coworkers, and worked her way from the kitchen to the cash to General Manager. Now Vania’s in charge of her own store, and spends her time learning the coffee orders of the regulars who come in each day. To her, Tim Hortons represents chance and change. And whenever possible, she looks to hire new Canadians at her restaurant, giving them the same life-changing opportunity she received 17 years ago. Thank you, Vania. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Steve and Bessie have been visiting the same Tim Hortons together for over 20 years. And when you see these two at their usual spot, they aren’t just two familiar faces. They’re a set of ears for staff to confide in. A pair of hands to help at community events. And even a team of recruiters getting neighbourhood kids their first jobs. They’re more than just loyal Guests of the restaurant, they’re honorary Owners. Thank you, Steve and Bessie. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Greg retired from a 17-year career in the NHL but knew he needed to keep busy, finding new ways to give back. So, he and his wife opened the first Tim Hortons in the small town they grew up in. Already heavily involved with community events of his own through his years as a professional athlete, Greg’s transition to the world of Tim Hortons was a seamless one. Now with the support of a national brand, his and his wife’s contributions have been taken to the next level. Where they once sponsored a single Timbit hockey team, they now sponsor over 75 across the Cowichan Valley. Thank you, Greg. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Best friends make the best teams. That’s why Paul and his wife Sharlene left their jobs to open up a Tim Hortons restaurant. Having fallen in love with the Tim Hortons’ brand values of generosity and community, they started to live those values themselves. Now, Paul and Sharlene try to participate in as many community events as possible. Every year they support the Calgary Stampede breakfast, feeding the locals and tourists. They also participate in community cleanups to keep their city beautiful. Thank you, Paul and Sharlene. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Alex grew up in a lower-income neighbourhood of Calgary and attributes much of his success to the role models in his community. Now Alex is a role model himself, and with the strong relationship he’s built with his local Tim Hortons, he’s been able to give back in amazing ways, like organizing the world’s longest hockey game, which raised over four million dollars for Alberta Children’s Hospital. But no matter how much money he raises, the thing he’s most proud of is that he inspires the youth in his community to want to give back, too. Thank you, Alex. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Gustavo was thrilled at the opportunity to attend the Tim Horton Children’s Ranch in Kananaskis, Alberta. While he had always been passionate about the arts, he was eager to explore other activities outside his comfort zone. Be it hiking or rafting, he discovered exciting new activities he’d never tried before. And by pushing his boundaries, he also developed a passion for helping others do the same. Now whether he’s doing volunteer work for students with disabilities, sharing his passion for art with his peers, or advocating for LGBTAQ+ issues, Gustavo has the courage to be the change he wants to see in his community. Thank you, Gustavo. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Not only is Troy a Special Olympics champion, he’s a champion of his community too. Troy has won gold medals in powerlifting and track and field while at the Special Olympics. Working at Tim Hortons has helped him build the confidence that he credits with his athletic success. Now Troy tries to give back to his community by doing the little things like holding the door open for customers and putting a smile on people’s faces. Not only does Troy love the food he serves, he loves the people he serves it to as well. Thank you, Troy. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Rising to a Manager position at the impressively young age of 16, Ken was always extremely driven. Even in high school, the prospect of owning his own business and inspiring others excited him, and he knew that Tim Hortons would be the perfect fit. Ken opened his first Tim Hortons Restaurant when he was just 25 years old. But it was never the desire for success that kept him going. It was his love for the people he worked with and served. And with his fun-loving, energetic personality, he helps brighten the days of all those who step into his Restaurants. Thank you, Ken. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. With hopes of broadening the experiences of their senior students, the St. Michaels School sent them to the Tim Hortons Community Leadership Camp. The students returned home inspired to create an outreach program of their own and decided to embrace the history of their hometown by reading Métis books to groups in their city. They started by reading to students with disabilities, and their program has grown to include new Canadians and Métis elders. The initiative has given these kids the chance to form bonds with members of their community, all while learning about the history that helped form it. Thank you, to all the students. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. St. Michaels Community School, Guests from Regina, SK Rhonda and her husband Craig moved to Brandon with a dream of opening up the first Tim Hortons in their new hometown. After months of hard work, their dream finally came true. Blessed with this opportunity, they felt it was their responsibility to give back. With initiatives like running a soup kitchen, their community involvement ended up being the thing they both took the most pride in. And although Craig has since passed away, Rhonda’s nephew and two children have since joined the business, ensuring a piece of Craig and the dream they had together continues to live on. Thank you, Rhonda. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Two days after being offered a position at a Tim Hortons in a new province, Muhki and her family moved from their home in Abbottsford, BC to Saskatoon. The move was quick, but everyone at her new Restaurant immediately welcomed them into their community, and inspired her to always bring a warm, open-hearted approach to everything she does. Now, whether she’s starting someone’s day with a cup of coffee and a smile or helping recent immigrants into their new homes through the Temple she volunteers at, Muhki hopes to pass along this passion of care to everyone she can. Thank you, Muhki. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Although Peace has only been in Canada for five years, she’s already making a difference in her community. When Peace first attended Tim Horton Camp she was encouraged by her counselors to try public speaking, and in this moment Peace found her passion. She now uses her voice to energize and motivate audiences at Spoken Word shows. Coming from a place where she felt her voice was limited to today, Peace’s voice is one that can be heard throughout the community. Thank you, Peace. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Ambrish emigrated from India to find a safe and accepting place to raise his family. For years he worked across the street from a Tim Hortons, and noticing its popularity with Canadians, decided to find out why. He discovered that the same values that drew him to Canada were deeply rooted in the brand and knew this was the place for him. Now a Restaurant Owner, Ambrish inspires his Team Members daily to bring more than themselves to work, but to bring their heart and souls. Because a cup of coffee can be found at any store but a welcoming atmosphere can’t. Thank you, Ambrish. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Immigrating to Windsor as a child, Chris became familiar with the ups and downs of living in an automotive city. Although times weren’t always easy, he noticed the local Tim Hortons were always a source of support for the communities during economic challenges. Now an Owner himself, Chris continues Tim Hortons’ legacy of giving back, doing things like providing soup at the local mission. He understands that it’s the people in the community that keep his store thriving, so when they’re in need, it’s his and his staff’s responsibility to help however they can. With over 20 years of experience in sports management, Bill was looking for a new challenge and a new way to give back to his community. When a friend suggested he look into purchasing a Tim Hortons Restaurant, things fell perfectly into place. Tim Hortons’ presence in youth hockey immediately gave him the chance to get involved in sports again, but this time in his local community. Now whether he and his staff are volunteering at Timbits hockey jamborees or supporting Junior A games, there’s no event, or player, too small that isn’t deserving of a helping hand. Thank you, Bill. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. For Theresa, Tim Hortons has always been in her blood. Working at the original Tim Hortons camp in Parry Sound as a teen, to helping her mom open the first Tim Hortons in their small town, she’s been involved with the brand for over 40 years. And as she prepares to hand the franchise onto her daughter, just as her mother did for her, she’s noticed that it hasn’t just been generations of her family that have passed through the doors of the restaurant, it’s been generations of loyal Team Members and Guests. Thank you, Theresa. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. For more than thirty-five years, Danielle has dedicated herself to motivating her teams to reach their full potential, both at work and in life. This desire to make a difference in people’s lives led her to take Annick, the daughter of one of her employees, under her wing — by sending her to Tim Horton Children Foundation Camp. That experience gave Annick the courage and perseverance to realize her dreams. Annick has been running her own Tim’s franchise for 10 years, now, and she’s making a difference in her own community, thanks to Danielle’s support. Thanks, Danielle. And thanks to all of you who help make our community stronger. In 1982, Gary’s five-year-old son Craig was playing his first season of hockey. With an underfunded and unsponsored team, his jersey was down to his ankles and filled with holes. Gary knew there was a better way. So, he met with the local hockey organization and created the Timbits program. His son was so thrilled with the brand-new jersey that he wore it to school and to bed. Thanks to Gary’s initiative, Timbits Sports now supports 300,000 kids a year. He’s helped create a legacy that will live on in Canadian sports for years. Thank you, Gary. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. In a town of only 3,500 people, it can be hard for the homeless to find a meal, let alone a place to lay their head. That’s why Donna and her husband started Harvest House. By providing a safe and welcoming space for the homeless in her small town, she’s already helped hundreds of people get back on their feet. And with coffee and snacks provided by Tim Hortons, she’s able to regularly host events like Thanksgiving dinners and Friday night drop-ins to help her guests feel part of the community. Thank you, Donna. And thanks to all of you who help make our community stronger. After college, Justin was on the hunt for a workplace where he could be part of a supportive team. His first job at Tim Hortons was the perfect fit and helped him grow as a young man. Once shy and secluded, Justin has become a social butterfly, gaining confidence and independence while discovering a sense of purpose within his community. Now, with the help of his mom, he runs a Facebook page that showcases his journey, showing that autism won’t stop him from accomplishing his dreams. He regularly meets with other young adults on the autism spectrum, inspiring them to realize their full potential. Thank you, Justin. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. With the help of a few four-legged friends, Andrea has helped change her community forever. Over 20 years ago, she began sponsoring the Rainbow Riders program, helping children with disabilities develop through therapeutic horseback riding. But she was determined to do even more. Using proceeds from the annual Tim Hortons Smile Cookie™ program, Andrea and her fellow Tim Hortons Owners together raised over $250,000 in donations for Rainbow Riders in just three years. Now a generation of children can experience the progressive form of therapy that’s bringing the community together. Thank you, Andrea. And thanks to all of you who help make our community stronger. Danny spent his childhood as a counsellor at the Oak Acres Camp outside Charlottetown. Shortly after purchasing his first Tim Hortons restaurant, he heard the camp was shutting down for financial reasons. Noticing the amazing effects camps have within communities, and with his own fond memories from Oak Acres, Danny decided to lease the camp himself to keep it open. For the past 25 years, he’s worked closely with schools from across the island to send deserving kids to Oak Acres Camp. And with a new 50-year lease, he’s thrilled that the wonders of camp will be available for generations to come. Thank you, Danny. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Singing and connecting with the community are the only things Joan loves more than Tim Hortons. In her spare time, she and her band visit local retirement centres, serving up great songs and delicious Tim Hortons snacks. Some of the residents have been so thrilled with the performances that they’ve invited their family members to attend. Every day, Joan strives to put smiles on people’s faces, give back to her community, and connect with people through her singing. Thank you, Joan. And thanks to all of you who help make our community stronger. As a District Manager, Stéphan stops at nothing when it comes to encouraging his franchisees to get involved in their community. Even if it means getting a pie in the face or dumped into a tub of cold water to raise money on Camp Day! His passion for people began at the age of 15, during his very first job at a Tim’s. For the past 26 years, he has worked tirelessly to inspire his teams to do their best to serve the members of their community as if they were all part of the family. Thanks, Stéphan. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. As a child, Zakary had a lot of dreams — but he had neither the confidence nor the means to achieve them. Participating in one of the Tim Horton camps allowed him to develop his sense of leadership, and to gain confidence. But what he wanted above all was to one day be able to give back to the camp by becoming a counsellor himself, to recreate for others what he had experienced himself while he was there: to be a positive role model for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, to give them confidence in themselves and, above all, hope for the future, which he will do this summer at Tim Horton Onondaga Farms. Thanks, Zakary. And thanks to all of you who help make our community stronger. Whether it’s through a stay at the camp or a donation of school supplies, the THCF and Maman Dion Foundations share a common mission: foster children’s self-esteem and equip them for the future. Inspired by the generosity of the Tim Hortons franchisee in their neighborhood, the Dion family has been involved with Camp Days for years. Their generosity and renown help make the event a success. The guests take the opportunity to come greet and thank the one and only Maman Dion, for whom the cause of disadvantaged children is a true calling. Thanks, Claudette and Maman Dion. And thanks to all those who make our community stronger. Carbohydrates[%=menu_item.nut_info.carbs%]g Carbohydrates[%=(menu_item_carbs_total).toFixed(1)%]g Franchising Program See if you have what it takes to join the world’s fastest growing restaurant brand.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line350
__label__cc	0.563471	0.436529	Cancer Research News Crisis in Health Care Despite the moments of quiet satisfaction that bring joy to those who answered the call to care for others, it is becoming harder to fill nursing vacancies. Even with nearly 4 million nurses nationwide — the largest segment of health care workers — the United States is experiencing a nursing shortage that is expected to expand over the next 10 years. READ MORE UF and FSU receive $29 million to speed research discoveries UF and FSU will expand their research partnership with the five-year award, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program. Led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the nationwide network of more than 50 CTSA hubs develop, demonstrate and disseminate advances in translational science, a field devoted to turning research discoveries into new approaches that improve health. READ MORE Printing Cancer’s End The ability to study tumors in 3D is a key to cancer engineering but required a new tool. That tool emerged from the lab of engineering researcher Thomas Angelini, Ph.D., who had been working on a method to create 3D structures out of cells when he began using a granular microgel, which has properties of both solids and liquids. READ MORE Unpacking Inflammation Inflammation plays a role in almost every disease, as well as the aging process, but quantifying various forms of inflammation and identifying their molecular effects in human disease is challenging. Learning more about inflammation could lead to better health outcomes for a host of ailments, say Lyle Moldawer, Ph.D., and Michael Clare-Salzler, M.D., who are the leaders of the UF Health initiative called Creating the Healthiest Generation. READ MORE Fourth Annual Lemon Ball Helps Fund Childhood Cancer Research The fourth annual Lemon Ball took place on Oct. 4 at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention. All of the proceeds raised at the event help fund the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation grant at UF Health’s Brain Tumor Immunotherapy program. Here in North Central Florida at the University of Florida Catherine Flores, Ph.D., is working on research to help brain cancer. READ MORE Seeking patient stories for cancer-related marketing The Cancer Center marketing manager, Jessica Barton, is looking for physicians and other clinicians to identify potential patients whose stories we can share on social media and other platforms. Multi-D care Not a clinical trial participant Good outcome, at least six months out of treatment Please email jessbarton@ufl.edu if you have a candidate for consideration. Please do not include detailed patient info, just an outline of their case. Free Professional Portrait UF Health Creative Services offers open studio hours at Communicore C2-20 every month. Simply stop by during one of the time slots listed on the bottom of their webpage — there’s no need to sign up beforehand, and it only takes five minutes! Here are some of the upcoming sessions: 11/05 \| 9-10 a.m. 11/07 \| 3-4 p.m.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line351
__label__wiki	0.674176	0.674176	Album Review: Built to Spill – Untethered Moon B+ Album Review: Various Artists – Dylan in the 80s: Volume One B- Album Review: Built to Spill – There is No Enemy A- Built to Spill Side-Project Boise Cover Band Share Recording of David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes”: Stream Taken from their rare album Unoriginal Artists, due for digital and vinyl release in March. on January 15, 2021, 11:46am Built to Spill Reveal New Daniel Johnston Tribute Album: Stream Doug Martsch & co. served as the backing band on Johnston’s final tour. on June 12, 2020, 10:41am Livestream Built to Spill’s Career-Spanning Set at Pickathon Music Festival Head to our Facebook at 4:00 p.m. ET to catch the indie rock godfathers. on May 14, 2020, 9:37am Livestream Phosphorescent’s Haunting Set at Pickathon Music Festival Also stay tuned for future sets from Built to Spill, Warpaint, and Joseph. Built to Spill Share “Life in Vain” From Daniel Johnston Tribute Album: Stream Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston arrives on May 1st. on March 02, 2020, 10:59am Built to Spill Announce New US Tour Indie rock veterans continue to expand their live schedule. on February 26, 2020, 2:54pm Built to Spill announce Daniel Johnston tribute album, cover “Bloody Rainbow”: Stream The 11-track effort arrives in May. on February 03, 2020, 12:35pm Built to Spill announce Keep It Like a Secret 20th anniversary tour The expansive tour consists of three separate legs spanning over 80 dates. by Alex Young Built to Spill’s Keep It Like a Secret Remains a Celebrated Distillation of ’90s Indie Rock Founder Doug Martsch reflects on making the album and playing it live. by Brian Coney on February 12, 2019, 1:55am Primavera Sound reveals 2019 lineup: Robyn, Janelle Monáe, Cardi B, Tame Impala Plus, Solange, Jarvis Cocker, Courtney Barnett, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kurt Vile, Interpol, and more. on December 05, 2018, 2:25pm Cymbals used by Blondie, Built to Spill, and Spoon are being made into jewelry Finally, you can carry a piece of Clem Burke with you all day long. The 30 Most Anticipated Tours of 2018 As music festivals disappoint, these gigs look more enticing.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line352
__label__wiki	0.66236	0.66236	Secrets of Success on Forex Airbnb Vs. Long-Term Rental: Which One Is More Beneficial? Why Is A Funeral Pamphlet So Important? Four Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Bittorrent VPN – Benefits of Using It Why You Should Invest in Northern Powerhouse Property Igor Mazepa: Find Out How Famous Banker Makes Money with His Friends Easily 'Steam' fined for geo-blocking video games in Europe Nifty, Sensex edge up along with Asian peers after Yellen boost Markets end at fresh lifetime highs; Sensex above 49,700 US stocks gain ahead of Biden inauguration Gold price rises as focus turns to Biden administration MORE NEWS THIS CATEGORIES US Senators introduce Russian Federation sanctions bill Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. The bipartisan effort to move sanctions and other legislation through Congress is ... £58m lottery win nearly in tatters \| Scotland But he quickly retrieved it from the refuse when the lottery machine told him the prize was bigger than the shop could pay out. Sean said both he and Mr Hig... Conor McGregor will fight against Russian Khabib Nurmagomedov for UFC lightweight title Conor McGregor will finally make his long awaited Octagon return as he takes on newly-crowned lightweight champion and rival Khabib Nurmagomedov (26-0) at UFC... Amazon's corporate tax bill was just £4.6m in 2017 The online retail giant's UK bill came in at £4.6 million last year, down from £7.4 million a year earlier, Amazon UK Services Limited accounts show. "We've i... Starbucks Will Accept Bitcoin For Lattes Later This Year The firm, which previously dove into the market for digital assets via a data feed product earlier this year, had reportedly been exploring a cryptocurrency exc... FDA: Nearly 400 now sickened by McDonald's salads Infected people shed unsporulated (non-infective; immature) Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts in their stool; immature oocysts usually require at least 1-2 week... Almond Milk Recalled In 28 States, May Have Dairy Milk In It So far, the FDA has received a report of one allergic reaction in connection with the recalled almond milk . The people at Blue Diamond announced yesterd... Canadian low-priced carrier Swoop starting routes to Orlando International Airport Then, on October 27, Swoop will add service from Edmonton to Mesa, twice weekly, operating on Wednesday and Saturday. Swoop announced it's expanding service b... Spontaneous California office lottery pool wins $543 million jackpot The one identified member of the group, Ronald Reyes, said that the lucky 11 work in the financial industry, but declined to release the name of the company. We... FCA makes official trade complaint to block Jeep-like Mahindra Roxor The implications of FCA's complaint on the Mahindra Roxor are now unclear. "In fact, the accused product was modelled after the original Willys Jeep ", FCA... EU imports of US soybeans were rising before deal with Trump Traders were happy to hear President Trump's announcement that the USA and European Union have agreed to work toward zero tariffs, barriers and subsidies. "I th... Adult-dose EpiPen expected to be in short supply during August: Pfizer EpiPens in Canada are in very limited supply. Greg Bueckert, owner of Greg's Remedy's, said on Tuesday they now have four Epipens (three for adults, one Epip... Boy's lemonade stand closed: Gov. Andrew Cuomo steps in to reopen it By Monday afternoon, however, the agency said the inspector found the lemonade stand was more elaborate than a kid merely selling lemonade from a folding tabl... Will Apple retain its trillion-dollar bite? The company reached the milestone today when its stock exceeded $207.04 per share, ultimately reaching an all-time high of more than $208. The company on Tues... China Won't Stop Buying Iranian Crude Oil Despite US Request A decision by U.S. President Donald Trump in May to back out of the deal means U.S. sanctions will snap back into place later this month and in November. Iran... Huawei forecasts 200 million shipments, hopes to take No. 1 spot But global tablet shipments for the whole 2018 are forecast to reach 150 million units, down 4-5% on year. He added that "the past six months have been incred... Molson Coors producing cannabis beer through joint venture Molson Coors Canada is the Canadian business unit of Molson Coors Brewing Company, with a portfolio including Belgian Moon, Coors Light and Molson Canadian. ... Tesla gains, US$1 trillion Apple lift Nasdaq Neowin mentioned a few days ago that Apple was likely to pass the $1 trillion threshold thanks to the huge $53.3 billion in revenues it made in the last qua... Australia home prices fall most in 7 years in July-CoreLogic Values slipped in five of the eight capital cities just in the past three months, while regional areas where the market has generally been more resilient have a... Construction industry in 'impressive turnaround' as confidence improves The purchasing managers' index for construction in July unexpectedly recorded the biggest rise in output since last May as housebuilding increased at its fastes... Monthly jobs growth disappoints, but jobless rate meets expectations The jobs figures follow second quarter data last week showing the USA economy grew at an annualised rate of 4.1%. Trump also discussed how his administration ha... China says it's ready to retaliate on latest United States tariff threat The U.S. trade war with China just got kicked up another notch. The statement said the date of implementation of the taxes will depend on the "actions of th... 'Grim Export Market' Knocks Caixin Manufacturing PMI to Eight-Month Low The pace of growth in Canada's manufacturing sector eased in July but remained at a robust level, data showed on Wednesday, while USA trade tariffs contribute... Apple is first public company worth $1 trillion Jeff Carbone, co-founder of Cornerstone Financial Partners in Charlotte, North Carolina, has included Apple in his clients' portfolios for about a decade. Con... Ryanair passengers face more chaos in new strike Forsa announced the news earlier today after little progress had been made between trade unions and the airline. Ryanair, which operates from 86 bases in 37 c... Govt bonds rally after BOJ vows to keep rates 'very low' Spreadbetters pointed to a dour mood elsewhere, with London's FTSE futures FFIc1 off 0.7 percent and E-Minis for the S&P 500 down 0.3 percent. He was refe... Ocasio-Cortez could learn a thing or two about socialism from Trump A meeting with a Nobel Prize economist was likely warranted given that Ocasio-Cortez faced intense criticism for getting basic facts about the unemployment ra... UK house prices pick up a bit of speed in July - Nationwide British house prices gained momentum in July after slipping to growth slipped to its slowest annual rate in five years the month before, according to Nationwid... Pompeo presses Turkey on detained USA pastor after sanctions USA media reported there had been a deal with Turkey to free Brunson after Washington's ally Israel released a Turkish woman held on terror charges. Ahead of th... New leave for domestic violence victims When the Act comes into force, employees will be entitled to 10 days per year of domestic violence leave . A family member can include: a spouse or former sp... 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year, says IEA The European Union Wants To Become Less Dependent On The Dollar Brexit protest: Shellfish drivers block roads near 10 Downing Street Bitcoin overtakes ‘long tech’ as most crowded trade United Kingdom inflation jumps in December Future of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant to be decided in ‘a few weeks’ WEF warns of economic, geopolitical risks Ethereum Beats Bitcoin in Daily Transactions, ETH Price Reaches $1,340 Microsoft teams up with GM-backed self-driving technology startup Cruise Samsung's Lee receives 30-month prison term in bribery trial It's a dual-edged announcement but it's definitely a positive thing fo... 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__label__wiki	0.57192	0.57192	Remarks by the President, Rep. Kasich, Rep. Pelosi, & Archbishop McCarrick at HIPC Debt Relief Metting (10/2/00) Immediate Release October 2, 2000 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT, REPRESENTATIVE JOHN KASICH, AND ARCHBISHIOP THEODORE McCARRICK IN PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AT HIPC DEBT RELIEF MEETING Cabinet Room THE PRESIDENT: Just before you all came in, I looked around this table and I said, I imagine this is the most amazing group of Americans who has gathered together here in this room since Theodore Roosevelt inaugurated it in 1902. And I thank them all for coming. I think it shows you the depth and breadth of commitment of congressional, religious and civic leaders to convince Congress to appropriate the entire $435 million that we pledged in debt relief to the world's poorest countries, and to authorize the International Monetary Fund to do its share, as well. It's not often we have a chance to do something that economists tell us is the financial imperative, and religious leaders say is a moral imperative. It's not often that we find an issue that puts John Kasich and Maxine Waters on the same side, economists and evangelicals in the same room. All of us feel a common obligation to do the right thing. In the most indebted countries, one in ten children dies before his or her first birthday; one in three is malnourished; the average adult has only three years of schooling. This is a terrible omen for our shared future on this planet, and it is wrong. More than a year ago, religious leaders organized a very successful global campaign for debt relief. It touched many of us here today and generated strong bipartisan support in the Congress. The United States developed a plan with other creditor nations to triple debt relief available to the world's poorest nations, provided they agreed to put the savings from debt payments into health and education. Here are the results Last year, Bolivia saved $77 million and spent it on health and education. Uganda used its savings to double its primary school enrollment. Honduras now intends to offer every child nine years of schooling, instead of six. Mozambique is buying much needed medicines for government clinics, especially important there in light of the terrible floods they experienced. Now, other nations are watching to see if the United States will do its part. If we don't, it's possible that some nations will do all the work that we should have done to qualify, or that they needed to do to qualify, but they won't get any relief at all. Now, let me remind you, we are talking here about one-five-thousandth of our budget to lift the burden of debt around the world for years to come. We're talking about giving as many as 33 nations a chance for a new beginning, and about doing good works that our different faiths demand of us. This is a remarkable opportunity that we must seize now. And we must not let other issues divert us from it. Again, I'm profoundly grateful to all of you for coming and to you, especially, Representative Kasich, for making sure that this is a broad bipartisan group. So I'd like to open the floor to you to say a few words. REPRESENTATIVE KASICH: Thank you, Mr. President. You know, I've been involved in a lot of coalitions in the 18 years I've been here, but it has almost always been to fight against a common enemy. That seemed to be what united Republicans and Democrats and liberals and conservatives. But, now, this is a coalition that is really designed to advance a wonderful common good, which is to take some of the bounty of the United States in the 21st century and say we've got to share it with some other people. You know, we just got done with the Olympics and we could tell that, when we won so many medals, we had to work extra hard to not build resentment in the minds of people in other parts of the world. Now, with the economic and the military and political dominance we have, I think it's essential for the United States to share its bounty and open its heart to people who are the poorest of the poor. And, as you say, it is not a lot of money for us to have a very big impact in the world. I want to thank Bono, who, basically, I called over there on Friday and told him it was Paul McCartney -- (laughter) -- and he took the call anyway. And Bono flew from Ireland to be here; he got to New York last night. He has been, without question, the most dedicated and driving force behind this whole initiative, from day one. And I also want to thank Pat Robertson, who came here, who changed everything that he had. I called him on Friday and said I thought it was important that he be here with everyone else. And I want to thank my colleagues. And Maxine did a great job in the House advancing the issue. But, Mr. President, this man right here, Gene Sperling, has been unrelenting in his efforts to try to secure this. So I hope we can get it done. And if we do, we will have made a meaningful contribution in this 21st century to the rest of the world. THE PRESIDENT: Nancy. REPRESENTATIVE PELOSI: Thank you very much, Mr. President. First, I want to thank you and commend the Clinton administration: Secretary Summers, Gene Sperling, also, for your leadership and your determination to make this happen. I'm pleased to work with Mr. Kasich, our chairman, Mr. Leach, and so many in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion. And it's also bilateral, I mean, many other countries -- multilateral -- many other countries of the world are participating. We have a golden opportunity -- pun intended -- now to show the greatness of our country by being philanthropic, but in our own interest. I have a special responsibility, Mr. Chairman, because, as the ranking on foreign operations, I have to fight this fight in our committee; Senator Leahy leads the charge. But, actually, we're hoping to have bipartisan agreement on this. But in my caucus we're blessed with a strong congressional Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, members of Congress in a bipartisan way who understand the cultures, the needs, the possibilities of the southern hemisphere and other areas in the third world, who know how essential this money is. And it's not a great deal of money, as you said. We had a three year plan; we're in the second year. How wonderful in this year of Jubilee, the year 2000, if we could finish it off. I want to just mention Barney Frank, because he's representing some of us in Philadelphia on hate crimes, the event in Philadelphia, but he and Maxine has been mentioned, have been just great working in a bipartisan fashion on this issue. We cannot fail. We cannot have the poorest people in the world held hostage to any deliberations that we have here that may have barriers for other reasons. We're almost there; we're not there on the money yet. We're trying to get rid of some of the onerous conditions. We are trying to have a compromise, so that whatever we decide on, with its strong bipartisan agreement will stand for a long time to come and we will understand what our responsibilities are as a great country. And, again, I want to commend you, Mr. President, and your administration for your leadership on this. It is the Gospel of Matthew, but it's Old and New Testament, it's every faith. Cardinal law has been active in this, almost as much as Bono. Bono has been a hero in all of this, and he's made us heroes to our families with his wonderful knowledge of this issue. So, again, thank you, Mr. President, and I thank my colleagues. And most of all, thank the religious community for stepping up on this, because you have made all the difference in the world. Thank you. ARCHBISHOP McCARRICK: Mr. President, on a day when all of us in government and in religion are pained and troubled about violence in the Holy Land and so many other places in the world, our thoughts turn now to another kind of violence -- the endemic violence against human dignity that is caused by oppressive poverty. We believe that this violence can be alleviated in the poorest countries of the world through debt relief, and generous debt relief. We're deeply grateful to you, Mr. President, for your unwavering commitment to this goal. And we're grateful also to the members of Congress, notably through many -- through the leadership of many who are present here today from both Houses and from both sides of the aisle, who have helped to fashion legislation which seeks to accomplish what would fittingly be one of the great achievements in the Jubilee Year of this new millennium. You already know how united and dedicated the religious leadership of our country has been in support of this effort. We believe it's the right thing to do, and we believe that this is the right time to do it. We in the Catholic community have been inspired by the leadership of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who has eloquently and repeatedly called for urgent action to relieve the heavy burden of debt which is afflicting so many of the poorest nations in the world. The religious leaders present representing different faith communities join in a common call to this great nation of ours to play a leading role in making a difference today in raising the burden of poverty from our brothers and sisters in countries around the world and giving them new hope and a new beginning. Mr. President, you called attention to the specifics and, of course, we were pleased this summer when the House, with significant bipartisan support, voted $225 million for poor country debt relief. Nevertheless, as you mentioned, this falls significantly short of the $435 million required of the United States to meet its fair share of the debt relief program which was approved in Cologne, at the G-8 meeting, the G-8 summit. We ask Congress also to authorize the IMF to use all the earnings from the investment of gold sale profits for debt relief. Otherwise, we're told, the IMF will fall short of the funds for making the debt relief commitments. It appears, however, that this authorization may be held up over issues concerning reform of the IMF. Of course, I understand the desire for further IMF reform, but I would urge that this issue be de-linked from debt relief funding. It would be tragic if the effort to resolve complex issues about the role and policies of the IMF became a cause for delay in granting debt relief to the poorest of the poor. We urge the Congress and the administration to continue to work together in these coming days to achieve full funding for debt relief. It's our fervent prayer that a few years from now we'll be able to look back at this Jubilee Year and say that the United States made it a year of hope for millions of poor people throughout the world. So I thank you, Mr. Q Thank you. I'd just like to make one more point that I think none of us made, but it's worth making. And, again, I want to say this is an amazing group. Rabbi, we thank you for coming. Reverend Robertson and all the members of Congress. Bono, thanks for coming back from Ireland. There is another point that should be made here. Some of the people who have not supported us have said, well, so many countries have problems of their own making, they've got to solve their own problems. The unique thing about this debt relief initiative is that the money has to go to meet the human needs of the people. It cannot go to pad the government, it cannot go to pad private pockets, it cannot go to build military arsenals. It can only go to meet long-term human needs. So that if we can do this, one of the best long-term benefits will be we will be providing a breathtaking incentive for good governance in these countries, which will enable them to do things for their own people that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. So that's another reason that I am profoundly grateful to all of you for this. Now, we'll take a couple of questions and we've got to -- Q Mr. President, two questions. First, over the weekend, did you personally see the videotape of the 12 year old Palestinian boy who was shot over the weekend and have you got a reaction to it? And, secondly, sir, what assurances have you received in the last 24 hours from either Prime Minister Barak or Chairman Arafat that they are doing all that they can to bring a cessation to the violence? THE PRESIDENT: The answer to your first question is, I did see it. Q Your reaction, sir? THE PRESIDENT: The first time I saw it I didn't know what the result was, and I kept wondering if there was something else that the father could do to shield the child. I mean, I was literally watching as if it were someone I knew. It was a heartbreaking thing to see a child like that caught in the cross fire. I've talked to Chairman Arafat. I've talked to Prime Minister Barak. We've had virtually constant contact with them. I am convinced that they must do everything in their power to stop the violence and I think they are now trying. And we're going to do everything we can. We have -- as you know from the statement I put out yesterday, we've offered some ideas and we've been working on this all day. So we'll just have to see if we make some more progress tomorrow morning over there. I think it will be better tomorrow. I hope it will. Q On the debt relief issue, the hold-up seems to be Senators Gramm and McConnell. What can you offer them to get this moving? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't know what else we can offer them but the evidence. I think if we just keep working at it, we might get there. We have such a good, broad bipartisan group here that I think in the end that we'll be able to work it out with them. And we're certainly working on it. Q Mr. President, in your talks with the Israelis and Palestinians, do you get the impression that the recent violence is helping them move along towards wanting to reach an agreement? Or is it hurting things? THE PRESIDENT: Well, in the short run it's hurting them, because they can't do anything on the peace process until people stop dying, and the violence stops. But when the smoke clears here, it might actually be a spur to both sides as a sober reminder to what the alternative to peace could be. So we have to hope and pray that will be the result. Thank you all very much. END 3:55 P.M. EDT Gateway to Government \| Contacting the White House \| White House for Kids White House History \| White House Tours \| Help	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line357
__label__wiki	0.811962	0.811962	BFTP/CNP Central & Northern Pennsylvania The BFTP Network Client Directory Startup Business Support: Transformation Business Services Network Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center BF TechCelerator Program TechCelerator @ SouthernAlleghenies TechCelerator @ State College TechCelerator @ South Central Venture Investment Forum eMarketing Learning Center SBIR/STTR Grants Penn Venture Partners Startup Funding in Erie PA – The Erie Innovation Fund Ben Franklin Awarded SBA Grant To Develop Women’s eBusiness Center BLIND TIGER SWEEPS BEN FRANKLIN’S $50,000 BIG IDEA CONTEST Gov. Thornburgh’s Legacy Spans Generations, Provides a Blueprint for Pennsylvania’s Future GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF $50,000 ANNOUNCED IN BEN FRANKLIN’S BIG IDEA CONTEST! THE BF TECHCELERATOR FALL 2020 ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF PITCH NIGHT! Ben Franklin “Alum” Company’s Journey from the Kitchen Table to the NASDAQ Exchange! YORK, PA – In the early 1990’s, a small company founded in York, PA, called Turtle Beach Systems, approached Ben Franklin’s office in South Central Pennsylvania, for funding. Roy Smith and his partner, Robert Hoke needed the money to help bring a digital audio recording system to market. Turtle Beach’s innovation gave personal computers the ability to record and play back high-quality sound, and their 56K Digital Recording System allowed recording studios, radio stations, and film producers to record and edit CD quality sound – which was a “first” then. Roy Smith commented, “At a time when there was literally no infrastructure to help technology startups in our area, Ben Franklin’s support of Turtle Beach was key to our success in launching our product. Local banks would not meet with us and venture capitalists would not drive from New York or DC to talk to us.” With the successful commercialization of the 56K under its belt, Turtle Beach began developing its first PC sound card called “MultiSound” and soon attracted a buyer, Integrated Circuit Systems (ICS). The company made clock chips for the PC market and wanted to broaden its market to include the new multimedia chips and peripherals. With the addition of ICS’s resources, Turtle Beach was able to offer a full line of PC accessories and released eight new products within the next 18 months. “We had about 12 employees at this time and grew to 65 before the company that bought us moved the business to California. We were generating about $16 million in revenue.” – Roy Smith As often happens with corporate acquisitions, the original founders left the company when the operations were moved to San Jose, California in 1996. ICS ended up selling Turtle Beach to Voyetra Technologies who subsequently sold millions of sound cards to Dell Computer under the Turtle Beach brand. In 2001, Voyetra Turtle Beach developed one of the first stand-alone Internet audio receivers. The device enjoyed tremendous success in the first year of its release, but was soon faced with tremendous competition from similar products. The company re-grouped and decided to opt out of the network audio market. Turtle Beach diversified its product line to include USB audio devices, video-capture products and a wide variety of headphones, including the Ear Force line of multi-channel PC and gaming headphones. Their products include headsets for current and previous generation consoles of Xbox and PlayStation, and they also sell headsets compatible with PC/Mac, mobile platforms and Nintendo consoles. These are not your ordinary headsets. They are all designed for two-way communication for those who want to speak with their fellow gamers in multi-player games. So, where is Roy Smith and the company he and his partner started nearly thirty years ago? “In September of this year, the company that was literally started on my kitchen table, Turtle Beach, merged with Parametric Sound and is now publically traded (NASDAQ:HEAR). The company has more than a 50% market share in headphones for computer gaming, and recent sales forecasts for 2018 are at $1 billion. When we went to Ben Franklin for help, I knew we had a good product, but I never dreamed the company would someday end up being traded on the stock exchange.” As for Smith, the kitchen table planning sessions seem like a life time ago. But the then “up-and-coming” entrepreneur turned out to be a successful serial entrepreneur who has started several more companies. After cashing out of Turtle Beach, Roy continued to create new, tech-based startups through an incubator he co-founded, WellspringFV (http://wellspringfv.com). One of their most successful products, appMobi, sold its development tools to Intel in 2013. His most recent company, AgeCheq (www.agecheq.com) developed a cloud-based technology that enables mobile app and game developers to easily comply with COPPA laws that protect the privacy of children online. The Ben Franklin office in South Central, Pennsylvania is still there, and Roy’s latest startup company recently received a $125,000 investment from Ben Franklin. https://cnp.benfranklin.org/newsroom/bftp-news/member-ben-franklin-family-makes-gaming-safer-family/ Ben Franklin’s CEO, Stephen Brawley, commented, “In 1990, when I first met Roy and the Turtle Beach Team, they needed $50,000 in seed money to get their product to market, and they repaid the investment in just two years. To see this company now forecasting $1 billion in sales is gratifying not only to the original owners, but to us at Ben Franklin as well. With his years of business startup experience, I am confident Roy’s new company, AgeCheq (www.agecheq.com), will also take-off in a big way, especially with the FTC’s recent enforcement of child privacy laws in gaming.” About Ben Franklin Technology Partners: Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, provides funding, operational assistance, and entrepreneurial support to emerging tech-based companies and small, existing manufacturers for the purpose of creating and retaining jobs in Pennsylvania. Contact the Central office of Ben Franklin in University Park at (814) 863-4558 or see our website at www.cnp.benfranklin.org. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA values diversity in its programs and encourages women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to submit applications or business plans for consideration. Designed and Developed by Altitude Marketing \| Privacy Policy 200 Innovation Boulevard info@cnp.benfranklin.org	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line358
__label__cc	0.736966	0.263034	Tag Archives: survive Poverty Changes £14,000 is quite a large amount of money. Enough for 70,000 Freddos, a decade’s worth of holidays, two new Nissan Pixo’s, several thousand potatoes or a gold standard racing pigeon. However, if you’re trying to live off just that amount in modern Britain, it quickly seems quite a lot smaller. Half of that could easily disappear on rent, whilst the average British family will spend a further £4,000 on food (significantly greater than the European average, for one reason or another). Then we must factor in tax, work-related expenses, various repair bills, a TV license, utility & heating bills, petrol money and other transport expenses, and it quickly becomes apparent that trying to live on this amount will require some careful budgeting. Still, not to worry too much though; it’s certainly possible to keep the body and soul of a medium sized family together on £14k a year, if not absolutely comfortably, and in any case 70% of British families have an annual income in excess of this amount. It might not be a vast amount to live on, but it should be about enough. However, there’s a reason I quoted £14,000 specifically in the figure above, because I recently saw another statistic saying that if one’s income is above 14 grand a year, you are one of the top 4% richest people on planet Earth. Or, to put it another way, if you were on that income, and were then to select somebody totally at random from our species, then 24 times out of 25 you would be richer than them. Now, this slightly shocking fact, as well as being a timely reminder as to the prevalence of poverty amongst fellow members of our species, to me raises an interesting question; if £14,000 is only just about enough to let one’s life operate properly in modern Britain, how on earth does the vast majority of the world manage to survive at all on significantly less than this? More than 70% of the Chinese population (in 2008, admittedly; the rate of Chinese poverty is decreasing at a staggering rate thanks to its booming economy) live on less than $5 a day, and 35 years ago more than 80% were considered to be in absolute poverty. How does this work? How does most of the rest of the world physically survive? The obvious starting point is the one stating that much of it barely does. Despite the last few decades of massive improvement in the living standards and poverty levels in the world in general, the World Bank estimates that some 20% of the world’s populace is living below the absolute poverty line of surviving on less than $1.50 per person per day, or £365 a year (down from around 45% in the early 1980s- Bob Geldof’s message has packed a powerful punch). This is the generally accepted marker for being less than what a person can physically keep body and soul together on, and having such a huge proportion of people living below this marker tends to drag down the global average. Poverty is something that the last quarter of the century has seen a definitive effort on the part of humanity to reduce, but it’s still a truly vast issue across the globe. However, the main contributing factor to me behind how a seemingly meagre amount of money in the first world would be considered bountiful wealth in the third is simply down to how economics works. We in the west are currently enjoying the fruits of two centuries of free-market capitalism, which has fundamentally changed the way our civilisation functions. When we as a race first came up with the concept of civilisation, of pooling and exchanging skills and resources for the betterment of the collective, this was largely confined to the local community, or at least to the small-scale. Farmers provided for those living in the surrounding twenty miles or so, as did brewers, hunters, and all other such ‘small businessmen’, as they would be called today. The concept of a country provided security from invasion and legal support on a larger scale, but that was about it; any international trade was generally conducted between kings and noblemen, and was very much small scale. However, since the days of the British Empire and the Industrial Revolution, business has got steadily bigger and bigger. It started out with international trade between the colonies, and the rich untapped resources the European imperial powers found there, moved on to the industrial scale manufacture of goods, and then the high-intensity sale of consumer products to the general population. Now we have vast multinational companies organising long, exhaustive chains of supply, manufacture and retail, and our society has become firmly rooted in this intense selling international economy. Without constantly selling vast quantities of stuff to one another, the western world as we know it simply would not exist. This process causes many side effects, but one is of particular interest; everything becomes more expensive. To summarise very simply, the basic principle of capitalism involves workers putting in work and skill to increase the value of something; that something then gets sold, and the worker then gets some of the difference between cost of materials and cost of sale as a reward for their effort. For this to work, then one’s reward for putting in your effort must be enough to purchase the stuff needed to keep you alive; capitalism rests on the principle of our bodies being X% efficient at turning the food we eat into the energy we can use to work. If business is successful, then the workers of a company (here the term ‘workers’ covers everyone from factory floor to management) will gain money in the long term, enabling them to spend more money. This means that the market increases in size, and people can either sell more goods or start selling them for a higher price, so goods become worth more, so the people making those goods start getting more money, and so on. The net result of this is that in an ‘expensive’ economy, everyone has a relatively high income and high expenditure, because all goods, taxes, land, utilities etc. cost quite a lot; but, for all practical purposes, this results in a remarkably similar situation to a ‘cheap’ economy, where the full force of western capitalism hasn’t quite taken hold yet- for, whilst the people residing there have less money, the stuff that is there costs less having not been through the corporation wringer. So, why would we find it tricky to live on less money than the top 4% of the world’s population? Blame the Industrial Revolution. Standard \| \| Tagged absolute poverty, annual income, £14 000, bills, Bob Geldof, booming economy, brewers, Britain, British Empire, budgeting, business, capitalism, chains of supply, China, civilisation, colonies, concept, consumer products, cost of sale, country, Earth, economics, efficient, effort, energy, European average, exchanging, expenses, expensive, fact, family, farmers, food, Freddos, free market, general population, global average, goods, heating, high intensity, holidays, humanity, hunters, income, industrial revolution, industrial scale, industry, interesting question, international economy, international trade, invasion, keep body and soul together, kings, law, legal, live, living standards, local community, majority, manufacture, marker, materials cost, modern britain, money, multinational companies, Nissan Pixo, noblemen, People's Republic of China, petrol, pooling, potatoes, poverty, poverty levels, poverty line, practical purposes, prevalence, price, quarter of a century, racing pigeon, reminder, rent, repair, resources, retail, reward, richest, security, shocking, side effects, small businessmen, small-scale, species, spending money, statistic, summarise, survive, tax, transport, TV license, untapped resources, utilities, west, western economy, western world, work, work-related expenses, workers, world bank \| 0 comments The Offensive Warfare Problem If life has shown itself to be particularly proficient at anything, it is fighting. There is hardly a creature alive today that does not employ physical violence in some form to get what it wants (or defend what it has) and, despite a vast array of moral arguments to the contrary of that being a good idea (I must do a post on the prisoner’s dilemma some time…), humankind is, of course, no exception. Unfortunately, our innate inventiveness and imagination as a race means that we have been able to let our brains take our fighting to the next level, with consequences that have got ever-more destructive as time has gone by. With the construction of the first atomic bombs, humankind had finally got to where it had threatened to for so long- the ability to literally wipe out planet earth. This insane level of offensive firepower is not just restricted to large-scale big-guns (the kind that have been used fir political genital comparison since Napoleon revolutionised the use of artillery in warfare)- perhaps the most interesting and terrifying advancement in modern warfare and conflict has been the increased prevalence and distribution of powerful small arms, giving ‘the common man’ of the battlefield a level of destructive power that would be considered hideously overwrought in any other situation (or, indeed, the battlefield of 100 years ago). The epitomy of this effect is, of course, the Kalashnikov AK-47, whose cheapness and insane durability has rendered it invaluable to rebel groups or other hastily thrown together armies, giving them an ability to kill stuff that makes them very, very dangerous to the population of wherever they’re fighting. And this distribution of such awesomely dangerous firepower has began to change warfare, and to explain how I need to go on a rather dramatic detour. The goal of warfare has always, basically, centred around the control of land and/or population, and as James Herbert makes so eminently clear in Dune, whoever has the power to destroy something controls it, at least in a military context. In his book Ender’s Shadow (I feel I should apologise for all these sci-fi references), Orson Scott Card makes the entirely separate point that defensive warfare in the context of space warfare makes no practical sense. For a ship & its weapons to work in space warfare, he rather convincingly argues, the level of destruction it must be able to deliver would have to be so large that, were it to ever get within striking distance of earth it would be able to wipe out literally billions- and, given the distance over which any space war must be conducted, mutually assured destruction simply wouldn’t work as a defensive strategy as it would take far too long for any counterstrike attempt to happen. Therefore, any attempt to base one’s warfare effort around defence, in a space warfare context, is simply too risky, since one ship (or even a couple of stray missiles) slipping through in any of the infinite possible approach directions to a planet would be able to cause uncountable levels of damage, leaving the enemy with a demonstrable ability to destroy one’s home planet and, thus, control over it and the tactical initiative. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to focus on a strategy of defensive warfare and any long-distance space war becomes a question of getting there first (plus a bit of luck). This is all rather theoretical and, since we’re talking about a bunch of spaceships firing missiles at one another, not especially relevant when considering the realities of modern warfare- but it does illustrate a point, namely that as offensive capabilities increase the stakes rise of the prospect of defensive systems failing. This was spectacularly, and horrifyingly, demonstrated during 9/11, during which a handful of fanatics armed with AK’s were able to kill 5,000 people, destroy the world trade centre and irrevocably change the face of the world economy and world in general. And that came from only one mode of attack, and despite all the advances in airport security that have been made since then there is still ample opportunity for an attack of similar magnitude to happen- a terrorist organisation, we must remember, only needs to get lucky once. This means that ‘normal’ defensive methods, especially since they would have to be enforced into all of our everyday lives (given the format that terrorist attacks typically take), cannot be applied to this problem, and we must rely almost solely on intelligence efforts to try and defend ourselves. This business of defence and offence being in imbalance in some form or another is not a phenomenon solely confined to the modern age. Once, wars were fought solely with clubs and shields, creating a somewhat balanced case of attack and defence; attack with the club, defend with the shield. If you were good enough at defending, you could survive; simple as that. However, some bright spark then came up with the idea of the bow, and suddenly the world was in imbalance- even if an arrow couldn’t pierce an animal skin stretched over some sticks (which, most of the time, it could), it was fast enough to appear from nowhere before you had a chance to defend yourself. Thus, our defensive capabilities could not match our offensive ones. Fast forward a millennia or two, and we come to a similar situation; now we defended ourselves against arrows and such by hiding in castles behind giant stone walls and other fortifications that were near-impossible to break down, until some smart alec realised the use of this weird black powder invented in China. The cannons that were subsequently invented could bring down castle walls in a matter of hours or less, and once again they could not be matched from the defensive standpoint- our only option now lay in hiding somewhere the artillery couldn’t get us, or running out of the way of these lumbering beasts. As artillery technology advanced throughout the ensuing centuries, this latter option became less and less feasible as the sheer numbers of high-explosive weaponry trained on opposition armies made them next-to impossible to fight in the field; but they were still difficult to aim accurately at well dug-in soldiers, and from these starting conditions we ended up with the First World War. However, this is not a direct parallel of the situation we face now; today we deal with the simple and very real truth that a western power attempting to defend its borders (the situation is somewhat different when they are occupying somewhere like Afghanistan, but that can wait until another time) cannot rely on simple defensive methods alone- even if every citizen was an army trained veteran armed with a full complement of sub-machine guns (which they quite obviously aren’t), it wouldn’t be beyond the wit of a terrorist group to sneak a bomb in somewhere destructive. Right now, these methods may only be capable of killing or maiming hundreds or thousands at a time; tragic, but perhaps not capable of restructuring a society- but as our weapon systems get ever more advanced, and our more effective systems get ever cheaper and easier for fanatics to get hold of, the destructive power of lone murderers may increase dramatically, and with deadly consequences. I’m not sure that counts as a coherent conclusion, or even if this counts as a coherent post, but it’s what y’got. Standard \| \| Tagged 9/11, airport security, AK-47, alive, animal skin, artillery, atom bomb, atomic bomb, attack, big guns, black powder, bow, bow and arrow, cannons, castles, cheapness, clubs, consequences, control, counterstrike, creature, dangerous, dead, deadly, defence, defend, defending, defensive warfare, destroy, destructive, destructive power, detour, dug in, Dune, durability, Earth, Ender's Shadow, fast, fighting, firepower, First World War, fortifications, get lucky, goal of war, gunpowder, high-explosive weaponry, humankind, imbalance, intelligence, James Herbert, Kalashnikov, land, life, lone murderers, military, missiles, mode of attack, modern age, modern warfare, moral, moral argument, morality, mutually assured destruction, Napoleon, nuclear bomb, occupation, offence, Orson Scott Card, people, physical violence, planet, population, rebels, risky, running away, sci-fi, science fiction, shields, small arms, space weapons, spaceships, survive, tactical initiative, theoretical, trenches, walls, war, warfare, weapons, wipe out, world trade centre \| 0 comments Why the chubs? My last post dealt with the thorny issue of obesity, both it’s increasing presence in our everyday lives, and what for me is the underlying reason behind the stats that back up media scare stories concerning ‘the obesity epidemic’- the rise in size of the ‘average’ person over the last few decades. The precise causes of this trend can be put down to a whole host of societal factors within our modern age, but that story is boring as hell and has been repeated countless times by commenters far more adept in this field than me. Instead, today I wish present the case for modern-day obesity as a problem concerning the fundamental biology of a human being. We, and our dim and distant ancestors of the scaly/furry variety, have spent the last few million years living wild; hunting, fighting and generally acting much like any other evolutionary pathway. Thus, we can learn a lot about our own inbuilt biology and instincts by studying the behaviour of animals currently alive today, and when we do so, several interesting animal eating habits become apparent. As anyone who has tried it as a child can attest (and I speak from personal experience), grass is not good stuff to eat. It’s tough, it takes a lot of chewing and processing (many herbivores have multiple stomachs to make sure they squeeze the maximum nutritional value out of their food), and there really isn’t much of it to power a fully-functional being. As such, grazers on grass and other such tough plant matter (such as leaves) will spend most of their lives doing nothing but guzzle the stuff, trying to get as much as possible through their system. Other animals will favour food with a higher nutritional content, such as fruits, tubers or, in many cases, meat, but these frequently present issues. Fruits are highly seasonal and rarely available in a large enough volume to support a large population, as well as being quite hard to get a lot of down; plants try to ‘design’ fruits so that each visitor takes only a few at a time, so as best to spread their seeds far and wide, and as such there are few animals that can sustain themselves on such a diet. Other food such as tubers or nuts are hard to get at, needing to be dug up or broken in highly energy-consuming activities, whilst meat has the annoying habit of running away or fighting back whenever you try to get at it. As anyone who watches nature documentaries will attest, most large predators will only eat once every few days (admittedly rather heavily). The unifying factor of all of this is that food is, in the wild, highly energy- and time-consuming to get hold of and consume, since every source of it guards its prize jealously. Therefore, any animal that wants to survive in this tough world must be near-constantly in pursuit of food simply to fulfil all of its life functions, and this is characterised by being perpetually hungry. Hunger is a body’s way of telling us that we should get more food, and in the wild this constant desire for more is kept in check by the difficulty that getting hold of it entails. Similarly, animal bodies try to assuage this desire by being lazy; if something isn’t necessary, then there’s no point wasting valuable energy going after it (since this will mean spending more time going after food to replace lost energy.) However, in recent history (and a spectacularly short period of time from evolution’s point of view), one particular species called homo sapiens came up with this great idea called civilisation, which basically entailed the pooling and sharing of skill and resources in order to best benefit everyone as a whole. As an evolutionary success story, this is right up there with developing multicellular body structures in terms of being awesome, and it has enabled us humans to live far more comfortable lives than our ancestors did, with correspondingly far greater access to food. This has proved particularly true over the last two centuries, as technological advances in a more democratic society have improved the everyman’s access to food and comfortable living to a truly astounding degree. Unfortunately (from the point of view of our waistline) the instincts of our bodies haven’t quite caught up to the idea that when we want/need food, we can just get food, without all that inconvenient running around after it to get in the way. Not only that, but a lack of pack hierarchy combined with this increased availability means that we can stock up on food until we have eaten our absolute fill if so we wish; the difference between ‘satiated’ and ‘stuffed’ can work out as well over 1000 calories per meal, and over a long period of time it only takes a little more than we should be having every day to start packing on the pounds. Combine that with our natural predilection to laziness meaning that we don’t naturally think of going out for some exercise as fun purely for its own sake, and the fact that we no longer burn calories chasing our food, or in the muscles we build up from said chasing, and we find ourselves consuming a lot more calories than we really should be. Not only that, but during this time we have also got into the habit of spending a lot of time worrying over the taste and texture of our food. This means that, unlike our ancestors who were just fine with simply jumping on a squirrel and devouring the thing, we have to go through the whole rigmarole of getting stuff out of the fridge, spending two hours slaving away in a kitchen and attempting to cook something vaguely resembling tasty. This wait is not something out bodies enjoy very much, meaning we often turn to ‘quick fixes’ when in need of food; stuff like bread, pasta or ready meals. Whilst we all know how much crap goes into ready meals (which should, as a rule, never be bought by anyone who cares even in the slightest about their health; salt content of those things is insane) and other such ‘quick fixes’, fewer people are aware of the impact a high intake of whole grains can have on our bodies. Stuff like bread and rice only started being eaten by humans a few thousand years ago, as we discovered the benefits of farming and cooking, and whilst they are undoubtedly a good food source (and are very, very difficult to cut from one’s diet whilst still remaining healthy) our bodies have simply not had enough time, evolutionarily speaking, to get used to them. This means they have a tendency to not make us feel as full as their calorie content should suggest, thus meaning that we eat more than our body in fact needs (if you want to feel full whilst not taking in so many calories, protein is the way to go; meat, fish and dairy are great for this). This is all rather academic, but what does it mean for you if you want to lose a bit of weight? I am no expert on this, but then again neither are most of the people acting as self-proclaimed nutritionists in the general media, and anyway, I don’t have any better ideas for posts. So, look at my next post for my, admittedly basic, advice for anyone trying to make themselves that little bit healthier, especially if you’re trying to work of a few of the pounds built up over this festive season. Standard \| \| Tagged acting, ancestors, animal bodies, animals, apparent, behaviour, benefit, biology, bread, break, calorie content, calories, chewing, civilisation, comfortable, consume, cookery, cooking, democratic society, dig, dug up, eat, eating, eating habits, energy-consuming, everyday, everyman, evolution, evolutionary pathway, exercise, farming, fighting, fighting back, fill, fish, food source, fruit, fun, furry, grass, guzzle, herbivores, history, homo sapiens, human being, hunger, hungry, hunting, instincts, interesting, kitchen, large predators, laziness, lazy, leaves, life, life functions, losing weight, meat, media, media scare stores, multiple stomachs, muscles, nature documentaries, noodles, nutrition, nutritional content, nutritional value, nutritionists, nuts, obese, obesity, obesity epidemic, overweight, own sake, pasta, pooling, population, predilection, presence, processing, protein, quick fixes, ready meals, reason, recent history, resources, rice, rigmarole, running away, salt content, satiated, scaly, seasonal, seeds, sharing, skill, smash, societal factors, spread seeds, stomach, stuffed, success story, survive, taste, tasty, technological advances, texture, time, time-consuming, tough, trend, tubers, whole grains, wild, world \| 0 comments	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line360
__label__wiki	0.605488	0.605488	January 31, 2007 Johanna Oni Press / Lion Forge Leave a comment I sought out this older graphic novel because I so much enjoy Ross Campbell‘s art (as seen in Wet Moon). It was a worthwhile quest. Writer Antony Johnston has often worked with crime, horror, and suspense, and in Spooked he blends the three in the story of artist Emily Spook. She’s a kind of medium, able to host and converse with spirits. It’s unsurprising to note that she considers this a curse more than a gift, but it’s the way her character is slowly developed through conversation and art that makes this an enjoyable read. Campbell’s character designs make his creations solidly real, which helps immensely in making this ghost story more plausible. Simon Firth has been leading a coven in conversing with spirits. (Given how often Johnston’s worked with Alan Moore, rewriting his work and otherwise, I admit I found all the magician stuff secretly amusing, especially when they were acting pretentious.) Now he’s dead, without a mark on him, and his ghost wants Emily to warn the rest of his group that someone’s after them. There’s also the mystery to solve of who’s actually behind the murder. Campbell’s unique style is well-suited to telling the story of a painter; his work reminds me of “fine art” expressed as pulp genre. The lettering also supports the story in an obvious but subtle way: the ghost’s thoughts are lowercase lettering in raggedy tail-less balloons, while “real” people are traditional comic uppercase. It’s a well-paced, engrossing story that moves along quickly, maintaining the suspense. One of the characters can be read as making a bit of fun of the ending during the conclusion, but that just added to the appeal for me, that it wasn’t too serious about its philosophy.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line361
__label__cc	0.638515	0.361485	Why I Think Spider-Man: Far From Home is NOT a Spoiler for Avengers: Endgame Alright, I assume that most people reading this already knows about the Marvel Cinematic Universe or at least the Avengers films in general. So I will spare no time for introductions and jump right into why I think the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer spoils probably nothing about Avengers: Endgame. I’ve been thinking about the Far From Home trailer since it was released last week. A lot of people liked it, are hyped about the movie, but are also concerned about what it means for Endgame. We all know that at the end of Infinity War (spoiler alert), Peter Park, along with many of the heroes disintegrated into dust and faded away from existence. Nick Fury and Maria Hill were also shown to be victims of this in a post-credits scene. Moviegoers were left to presume that these characters have died and were wiped out together with half of all living creatures in the world. This made Infinity War‘s sequel – Endgame highly anticipated as fans just couldn’t wait to find out how the remaining Avengers are going to fix or undo Thanos’ destruction. In fact, it was still a mystery whether they do so or not. This kind of changed last week with the release of the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is known that Far From Home is going to be set after the events of Endgame and will kick off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That poses a problem because we now know that Peter Parker, his friends, Nick Fury, Maria Hill all survived/came back to life. It kinda tells us how Endgame is going to play out – or does it? First of all, I trust the people at Marvel and Sony. Ever since Avengers: Infinity War, I am convinced that not everything shown in trailers are going to be in the actual movie itself. It is highly unlikely, but what if the scenes we have seen so far in the Far From Home trailer aren’t going to be part of the movie? Even if my optimism is misplaced, and the trailer does eventually prove to have spoiled certain scenes, character developments and plot points in the upcoming films, I believe these details will not be important. What do I mean by that? I mean that these so called “spoilers” that people are talking about from the trailer will not reveal the most important plot points or key moments in Endgame. Hence, even if we have watched the Far From Home trailer, it will not ruin or take away from our enjoyment of the Avengers film. Just think about Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sure, there were things that I wished wasn’t shown in its trailers – like how Tony intervened Peter’s heroic attempts. But that eventually still did nothing to diminish my positive experience of the movie (spoiler alert). Some of the biggest twists and moments for me turned out to be the reveal of Vulture’s true identity as Liz’s father, Peter’s journey as a hero without his suit, and even how Pepper showed up at the end. Now, recall Avengers: Infinity War. The trailers were stitched together in such a clever way and even included scenes not in the film. That gave fans a general idea of what the movie was going to be like, revealing certain information, yet doing so without giving away the important parts of the movie. For example, fans could guess from the trailers that Thor was going to forge Stormbreaker. You could say that was a spoiler! However, so many people still enjoyed Infinity War and see it as one of the best superhero films of all time. Why was that so? Because though we sort of knew that Stormbreaker was going to be forged, we didn’t know how it was going to be forged with Groot’s arm. We didn’t know that Thor was going to make an epic entrance into Wakanda, eventually driving his powerful new axe into Thanos’ chest, yet still failing to save the universe. A lot of us enjoy movies not just because we don’t know what is going to happen, but how it is going to happen. The best stories and plots aren’t just those that present to us scenario after scenario, but brings us through a thought-provoking, unexpected and beautiful process of getting from one point in the narrative to another. And that is why I think the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer or even the fact we know the movie exists, is not a spoiler for Avengers: Endgame. Because while we now know that some characters made it out of Endgame, it is only a snapshot and preview of its real story. A real spoiler is one that tells us something way too important, like a twist or a turning point in the narrative that would reveal how things are going to play out. And honestly, the possibilities are endless. We only know that there is a Spider-Man film set after Endgame, and Spider-Man and some allies are going to be in it. How do we know for sure that they do get resurrected and return from The Snap? With recent speculations about time travel apparently being a huge part of Endgame, how do we know for sure that Spider-Man: Far From Home isn’t set on an alternate timeline where The Snap didn’t happen at all? For all we know, that could be why everything and everyone seems so normal in the Spider-Man trailer, like as if not half of everyone just disappeared and reappeared. Everyone is like “Oh, Let’s move on with life!” Man, I hope I didn’t just spoil myself. LOL. Anyway, until April comes and the real, final cut of Avengers: Endgame is released in its entirety and we see something from that, nothing is a spoiler. In fact, nothing can be a spoiler for any film unless we believe it is one. p.s. Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio is the coolest Marvel villain to date. Change my mind. Posted on January 22, 2019 January 22, 2019 by Soh Zhen WeiPosted in InterestingTagged 2019, Avengers, comic books, Endgame, Far From Home, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, movies, Spider-Man, spoilers, story, superhero, trailer. Leave a comment	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line362
__label__wiki	0.931025	0.931025	Coronation Street actors, Actors who have played multiple roles, Regular cast members who previously appeared in guest roles Revision as of 21:31, 7 April 2013 by Kerry1983 (Message Wall \| contribs) Catherine Tyldesley was born in Salford in 1983. After leaving school, she trained as an actress and singer at the Birmingham School of Acting during which she played stage parts in Little Me, Blood Wedding, The Guid Sisters and Half a Sixpence. After graduating, she gained parts in Holby City and Sorted before gaining the leading role in the short-lived BBC serial Lillies. Since then she has played in a variety of series including Emmerdale (as Abi Peterson for two months in 2010), Shameless, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Drop Dead Gorgeous. Her film roles are in Human Nature and The Book Collector. As well as being an actress, she is an accomplished singer and has been a model. She joined Coronation Street in June 2011 as Eva Price, daughter of new Rovers landlady Stella after previously appearing in the programme as a Midwife in January 2006. Actress's website Retrieved from "https://coronationstreet.fandom.com/wiki/Catherine_Tyldesley?oldid=149175" Coronation Street actors Actors who have played multiple roles Regular cast members who previously appeared in guest roles	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line364
__label__cc	0.608094	0.391906	Born in Chicago (IL); a Lutheran until he joined the People’s Church in ca. 1908-1909; earned a Ph.B. [his words] in Efficiency Engineering at the University of Chicago in 1914; very much influenced by his father; registered as a C.O. on June 5, 1917; after enlistment, was sent to Jefferson Barracks for a few weeks, and then to Ft. Leavenworth to appear before the Board of Inquiry, which judged him as sincere and classified him as 1-A; nevertheless, he was transferred to Ft. Riley where he was expected to do noncombatant work and when he refused to participate in the “camp police” he was court-martialed at Camp Funston (KS) on Oct. 15, 1918, and sentenced to 25 years of hard labor at Ft. Leavenworth; his father, Theodore Lunde, was part of Dec. 1918 delegation that visited Secretary of War Baker to plea for release of C.O.s in prison at Ft. Leavenworth; reasons for being a C.O. = at first, because he was an independent Christian pacifist, then because of political, moral and economic reasons; not part of any political party; according to Julius Eichel: "By the time Erling Lunde was imprisoned, he was already married to Laura, a pacifist activist who barnstormed across the country denouncing conscription and war. Erling, Laura and her father-in-law were an active effective trio, and their Chicago home was open to all Conscientious Objector sympathizers." (p. 75 or 76 of The Judge Said "20 Years"). ← Harry Lee Lazarus Baer Marcowitz →	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line365
__label__wiki	0.992991	0.992991	Updated Lineup Coming Soon Eric Church The three-time Country Music Association and six-time Academy of Country Music Award winner released his highly-anticipated album Desperate Man atop the Billboard Country Albums chart in late 2018, earning praise as one of the year’s top albums by American Songwriter, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Stereogum, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, USA Today and Vulture, among others. The album, featuring his most recent No. 1 hit “Some Of It,” also debuted at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Rolling Stone describes it as “classic Church: expertly crafted and country-radio-friendly, while also pushing boundaries in a way that sounds natural and unforced” and American Songwriter notes that it “sublimates the pain of a tumultuous year into his most adventuresome album yet.” Church also returned to the road this year for his critically-acclaimed Double Down Tour, with back-to-back nights of two unique shows sans-opening act giving fans 6+ hours of his iconic music in each city. The tour recently featured a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where he broke the venue’s concert attendance record with more than 56,000 fans just two weeks before awing the same stadium’s audience with a 30-minute, solo acoustic CMA Fest set featuring a medley of 17 hits. For more information visit www.ericchurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and on Instagram @ericchurchmusic. The Nashville-based multi-platinum recording artist and 2019 ACM Award nominee for “Song of the Year,” Russell Dickerson, celebrated another no. 1 single with “Blue Tacoma” (featured in the hit “X-Men” franchise film “Logan”), shortly following his debut at no. 1 for “Yours” off his album by the same name. With a deep appreciation for the importance of authentic connection, People Magazine’s “One to Watch” who recently launched his own fan experience app (Russell Dickerson’s: RD app), spends as much time on the road and with the fans who made “Yours” the “biggest love song of the year.” The “hypnotic” (CMT) crooner is currently on tour with Thomas Rhett this Summer following his 2019 Stagecoach debut. The singer/songwriter is the launch artist on Triple Tigers Records, a joint venture with Sony Music. Dickerson’s third single “Every Little Thing” is climbing country radio now. Rodney Atkins Rodney Atkins’ fifth studio album, Caught Up in the Country (5/10/19), reveals an artist who is confident enough to know that making your best music can require patience and experimentation. While his storied career has reached such heights as being named the Top New Male Vocalist at the 2006 ACM awards and seeing his single "Watching You" become the Number One Song of the Decade according to Country Aircheck, it’s been more than seven years since Take a Back Road, his last record of new material. But Atkins knew that this time, he wanted to bring his songs further than he had ever gone before. “I’ve never taken it lightly,” he says, “but with some of the other albums, I got to take my time for part of the album. But then when you get that first single finished, you gotta go, and you start working at a faster pace for the second half of the album. This time, I got to take that time with every song.” The results, he believes, are the most daring collection of his career, touching on emotions and sounds which continue to expand his range—from the twangy celebration of the album’s title track (featuring the roof-raising vocals of the Fisk Jubilee Singers) to the slow-burn cover of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up.” And with six Number One singles, eight Top Five singles, and over 13 million units sold, Atkins sees that his track record validates his approach. With Caught Up in the Country, one of country music’s biggest stars is starting his next chapter. LOCASH Scotty McCreery Travis Denning Parker McCollum Adam Doleac “I’m a go big or go home type guy, I don’t know how to stop in the middle.” Adam Doleac, dubbed “the hero country needs” by Popdust, has staked his claim as one to watch in Nashville. Recently No. 1 on Sirius XM’s Hot 30 Countdown with his single Famous - a successful follow-up to previous release Whiskey’s Fine reaching No. 3 on the countdown. Doleac’s music was described by Rolling Stone as “anchored not only in the trends of Top 40 radio, but also the blue-collar grit of Bob Seger and the bluesy influence of his Mississippi hometown.” Doleac made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2018 and has been captivating audiences nationwide while touring with some of the biggest names in the genre including Kane Brown, Chris Young, and Carrie Underwood to name a few. Rolling Stone praised that Doleac is “better suited to the stadium than the saloon.” All of this success caught the eye of Sony Music Group which lead to Doleac being signed to the prestigious label in October of 2019. However, if you’d asked a young Adam Doleac what he was going to do with his life, odds are high he would have said anything but ‘musician’. “I was the kid that played all the sports,” he says of his childhood in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His talent for baseball earned him a scholarship at the University of Southern Mississippi; an offer that would serendipitously bring him into the musical fold. “In college, my roommates all played guitar,” says Doleac, “So anytime they left the house I’d pick up one of them and start teaching myself.” Despite being untrained, he took naturally to the instrument. “I wrote about five songs with my baseball teammates… then I went and booked three shows around my hometown. Turns out a lot of people turned up. So I got the bug.” Adam recorded one of those songs in a YouTube video that rapidly accrued millions of views. It attracted the attention of the former head of Sony ATV. “He had me come into his office... I played him a couple of songs. He emailed Kenny Chesney the song. Five minutes later Kenny said ‘I wanna cut it.’” This began Doleac’s successful partnership with Sony as a songwriter; allowing him to craft tracks for acts like Kane Brown, Darius Rucker, and Hootie and the Blowfish. In 2017, however, everything changed when he made his first solo EP drop. The lead track, Whiskey’s Fine, sold 35,000 copies as an independent single and became Sirius XM’s ‘Highway Find’, which skyrocketed Doleac in to the wider Country Music consciousness. He followed ‘Whiskey’s Fine’ with ‘Famous’, which spent two weeks at the top of Sirius XM’s country chart, and has now outperformed ‘Whiskey’s Fine’ by every metric. All of this has lead to tectonic surge in public enthusiasm for the firebrand. Enthusiasm that Doleac returns to his base five-fold. “The reason, the drive, the passion behind the millions of hours of work... It’s for the love of the fans.” “For Adam, the sky’s the limit” (Hollywood Life), his latest drop Solo was described by Billboard as “mesmerizing,” he returned to his baseball roots by recording ‘Key to the City’ for the ESPN College World Series, and he shows no signs of slowing down. “My goal ultimately is to play stadiums and fill them suckers up,” Doleac states plainly. Go big or go home, indeed. Danielle Bradbery	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line366
__label__cc	0.70595	0.29405	Posts tagged ‘SAT’ Whether You Are "Allowed" To Discuss Genetic Variability Depends on Which Group You Are Studying Quillette had an interesting article about a scientific paper, that was mostly a presentation of math and statistical tools, that was essentially suppressed, apparently because it does not fit with current social justice talking points. In the highly controversial area of human intelligence, the ‘Greater Male Variability Hypothesis’ (GMVH) asserts that there are more idiots and more geniuses among men than among women. Darwin’s research on evolution in the nineteenth century found that, although there are many exceptions for specific traits and species, there is generally more variability in males than in females of the same species throughout the animal kingdom. Evidence for this hypothesis is fairly robust and has been reported in species ranging from adders and sockeye salmon to wasps and orangutans, as well as humans. Multiple studies have found that boys and men are over-represented at both the high and low ends of the distributions in categories ranging from birth weight and brain structures and 60-meter dash times to reading and mathematics test scores. There are significantly more men than women, for example, among Nobel laureates, music composers, and chess champions—and also among homeless people, suicide victims, and federal prison inmates. I am not an expert on this and don't really take a position on whether this is truly genetics or nurture, but it does tend to explain a lot of phenomena, like the distribution of boys vs. girls math SAT scores. But some feminists and SJW's are deeply, deeply invested in the hypothesis that differences in representation of men vs. women in the top tiers of anything are entirely due to misogyny and patriarchy and other bad cultural and societal things (not sure how they explain disproportionate numbers of men in the bottom of distributions). So a partial genetic explanation is not going to make them happy. So: But, that same day, the Mathematical Intelligencer’s editor-in-chief Marjorie Senechal notified us that, with “deep regret,” she was rescinding her previous acceptance of our paper. “Several colleagues,” she wrote, had warned her that publication would provoke “extremely strong reactions” and there existed a “very real possibility that the right-wing media may pick this up and hype it internationally.” For the second time in a single day I was left flabbergasted. Working mathematicians are usually thrilled if even five people in the world read our latest article. Now some progressive faction was worried that a fairly straightforward logical argument about male variability might encourage the conservative press to actually read and cite a science paper? In my 40 years of publishing research papers I had never heard of the rejection of an already-accepted paper. And so I emailed Professor Senechal. She replied that she had received no criticisms on scientific grounds and that her decision to rescind was entirely about the reaction she feared our paper would elicit. By way of further explanation, Senechal even compared our paper to the Confederate statues that had recently been removed from the courthouse lawn in Lexington, Kentucky. The interesting part to me is that I have heard a parallel theory of greater genetic variability applied to Africans, though from a different cause. Rather than being a selectivity phenomenon, it is argued that because Africa is likely the original birthplace of humanity, every other group of people was started by essentially an African splinter group, made up of just a portion of the range of African genetics. Thus on a global basis Africans should be disproportionately in the extremes -- tallest and shortest, smartest and dimmest, fastest and slowest, etc. Interestingly (and I admit I am not active in this field so I may be missing something here) the general reaction to this seems to be almost celebratory -- look at all this genetic diversity, to go along with the cultural diversity, in Africa! Tags: Africa, Mathematical Intelligencer, Professor Senechal, SAT, SJW, victims Category: Education, Science \| Comments Off on Whether You Are "Allowed" To Discuss Genetic Variability Depends on Which Group You Are Studying Failing at Fairness: Getting the Story 180 Degrees Backwards The other day the indispensable Mark Perry wrote: ....women have earned a majority of bachelor’s degrees for the last 36 years starting in 1982. Not shown here, but women previously earned a majority of associate’s degrees starting in 1978 and a majority of master’s degrees starting in 1981. By 2006, women earned a majority of doctoral degrees and the “takeover” of higher education by women was complete for degrees at all levels! But instead of declaring “victory” and moving on, many women are still claiming “victim status” in higher education with the need for special gender preferences in the form of funding, scholarships, centers, commissions, fellowships, awards, programs, and initiatives that are only available for women, or are primarily for women. I have annotated his chart (shown below) to amplify his last sentence. One of the seminal books on the topic of girls in education was "Failing at Fairness" by Myra P Sadker and published in 1994. The Google Books summary of the book is as follows: Failing at Fairness, the result of two decades of research, shows how gender bias makes it impossible for girls to receive an education equal to that given to boys. Girls' learning problems are not identified as often as boys' are Boys receive more of their teachers' attention Girls start school testing higher in every academic subject, yet graduate from high school scoring 50 points lower than boys on the SAT The book was very influential. I know it sat on my feminist wife's night table for quite a while. But note the publication date on Mark Perry's chart above. For kids in high school when that book was published, a fair median date for their college graduation would be 6 years later, or around the year 2000. It's fair to estimate that girls in high school at the time Sadker was writing were going to be 33% more likely to get a college degree than the boys in the same classes. Anyone who had read that book alone and nothing else on the topic would have called you a liar for predicting that. Look, I have no doubt that one could easily put together a book about all the ways the public education system fails girls because I think the public education system in many parts of this country fails EVERYONE. But we seem to keep obsessively questioning whether we are doing enough for girls in education when the problem seems to be boys. The New York Times actually talked about boys falling behind in education a few years ago, and had this telling chart about ways in which boys lagged in education. The article forced on poor boys, but note that boys of all socioeconomic classes lagged. And this is before we even get to the most disturbing metrics about boys and girls, such as youth crime. While girls have closed the gender gap in crime somewhat, boys are still 10 times more likely than girls to be arrested for a homicide, and boys are more than twice as likely to be arrested for any sort of crime than girls (source). Remember that last mass shooter who was female? Neither do I. I am not an expert on why this is. Shifting success norms from competition to cooperation, elimination of historic outlets for non-academic males like vocational programs, and huge amounts of money and counseling resources all dedicated to girls probably play a part. But the frustrating thing is you almost never see a discussion of this topic. Anyone who does try to address it is immediately pigeon-holed as some alt-right male rights extremist and defenestrated from the Overton Window. Tags: 1981, college, EVERYONE, gender, Mark Perry, Overton Window, SAT, teachers Category: Education \| Comments Off on Failing at Fairness: Getting the Story 180 Degrees Backwards The Teaching Company (Also Known as Great Courses) A while back I was writing about something -- the Civil War I think -- and I mentioned that I had been lucky enough to have James McPherson as a professor. I remember a comment on the post that said something like "yes, yes we know, you went to Princeton." I certainly was lucky, and that school contributed a lot to what I am. But as far as attributing sht I know to a source, Princeton is in at least second place. By far the greatest source of what I know about history, art, music and even about the sciences comes from the Teaching Company. And that is available to all of you, no SAT required. I just checked my account and I have taken 71 courses from them, including 54 history courses. I think I have taken, for example, pretty much all the courses on this list in a Tyler Cowen post. I began my journey taking courses on things that had always interested me but I knew a fair amount about already, such as the history of Ancient Rome or the Civil War or WWII. But the most fun I have had has been taking courses on periods I knew little about -- such as Daileader's great histories of the Middle Ages or the History of China. And I have had the most fun taking courses on things I knew NOTHING about, such as the history of India, of pre-Columbian American civilization, and of nomadic civilizations of Asia. The key thing to remember is: never pay rack rate. Everything goes on sale from time to time. Today until midnight, for example, they are having a 70% off sale on a subset of their stuff. You can still get cd's and dvd's if you want but I used to get the digital download for my iPod and increasingly just stream the audio from an android app and stream the video from their Roku app. * My family thinks I am weird because I listen to these courses as I run and work out (instead of music). But it turns out this was not nearly as weird as when I have done Pimmsleur language courses while I am running. If you want to really take your mind off your running, try to diagram a sentence in your head to figure out which of freaking German article you should be using. Also, it creates a nice reputation around the neighborhood for eccentricity if you babble in foreign languages as you run. Tags: art, Asia, India, Middle Ages, NOTHING, Princeton, running, SAT, Tyler Cowen, WWII Category: Education \| 10 Comments Why I Quit Recruiting for Princeton Princeton, like many top Universities, requires a face to face interview of every candidate. They do this mostly through their alumni network. I volunteered for this effort for well over a decade, and it was fun to meet and talk to a lot of bright kids. However, it was becoming clear to me that Asians, with the same qualifications, had a much worse chance of getting in than other similar kids of other ethnicities. I started getting Asian kids asking me about this and I had some canned answer from the University to give them, but that answer looked like BS to me. I felt like I was being asked to lie if I told Asian kids they did not face discrimination in the process. So I quit. Princeton is a private institution (though it accepts a lot of public money) so I suppose it can pick candidates any way it wants, but that does not mean I have to act as an agent for them if I disagree with what they are doing. The WSJ has a follow-up today on a couple of cases being made by Asians against Princeton and Harvard admissions: In 2006 Jian Li filed a complaint with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights after he was denied admission to Princeton University. Mr. Li, who emigrated from China at age 4, had a perfect score on the SAT and graduated in the top 1% of his high school class. He alleged that Princeton violated civil-rights laws banning discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin. The complaint was initially rejected, but Mr. Li appealed and the government reopened the investigation in 2008. Seven years later, in 2015, the Obama administration, which strongly supported the use of racial preferences in college admissions and obviously took its sweet time reviewing Mr. Li’s case, issued a report exonerating Princeton. Last year Mr. Blum’s organization filed a public records Freedom of Information Act request with the Education Department to gain access to the same documents that the federal government used to clear Princeton of any wrongdoing. Mr. Blum’s organization represents a group of Asian plaintiffs who are suing Harvard University over its admissions policies. The judge in that case has ordered Harvard to turn over six years of admissions records, and Mr. Blum suspects that the data will show that Harvard is unlawfully capping Asian enrollment. America’s Asian population has exploded in recent decades, and Asian attendance at highly selective schools with colorblind admissions, such the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, reflects this demographic trend. At Harvard, however, the percentage of Asian undergrads has remained remarkably consistent for an institution that claims race is not a determining factor in who is admitted. Mr. Blum suspects that Princeton engages in similar shenanigans, but the school has been pressuring the Education Department to deny him the information that he requested more than a year ago. Concerned that the government was finally going to fulfill the FOIA request, Princeton sued the Education Department on March 17 to block the release of the admissions documents. The suit argues that the material being sought is exempt from FOIA, a claim that the government has rejected. The school also maintains that releasing the data would compromise student privacy, and it likened its admissions process to “trade secrets” that, if exposed, would put Princeton at a competitive disadvantage in attracting students. Don’t believe it. Admissions officers switch schools all the time, presumably taking knowledge of admissions procedures with them, and the criteria used by elite institutions to evaluate applicants is not the equivalent of an iPhone patent. Nor is student privacy an issue since names, addresses and other personal information can be redacted. Mr. Blum’s organization simply wants the number of Asians who have applied to Princeton, their SAT scores and grade-point averages, and other information that the school used to analyze applicants academically. What really concerns Princeton is a potential discrimination lawsuit. What ought to concern the rest of us is the apparent determination of elite colleges to punish Asians students for their academic success. Asians have long been the forgotten victims of liberal affirmative-action schemes, subject to unwritten “just for Asian” admissions standards that recall the treatment of Jews in the first half of the 20th century. Princeton wants them to shut up about it. Let’s hope they don’t. I will say that the act of turning down a perfect SAT is not limited just to Asians, so I don't take that as necessarily proof of discrimination. Harvard and Princeton (and I suppose other Ivies but I really only know something about these two) seem to take a perverse pleasure in turning down perfect SATs. I don't have the facts, but I wouldn't be surprised if the admit rate for kids with SAT's one notch short of perfect is better than those with perfect SATs. My evidence of discrimination is based on years of actually meeting the kids, seeing their scores and resumes, and talking to them about their activities and passions -- and comparing who gets in and who does not. And, of course, one merely has to look at the percentage of kids with Asian heritage at Princeton and compare it to universities like Berkeley that have color-blind admissions systems. Tags: admissions, china, complaint, Education Department, FOIA, Harvard University, Jian Li, Princeton University, race, SAT Quick Thanks to Mark Perry I know Mark Perry reads this blog from time to time, so I thank him for not hammering me (specifically) in his annual grammar day post. I actually do know all this stuff (and had a uselessly high score on my verbal SAT all those many years ago, though my kids claim it was a much easier test then) but I seem to be the worst proofreader in the world. Tags: Mark Perry, SAT Category: Blogging, Computers & the Internet \| 7 Comments If Blacks on Campus are Mad about Institutional Racism, why aren't Asians exploding in anger? So if Yale and Amherst are institutionally racist despite giving African-Americans (on average) a 100+ point break on SAT requirements for entry, why aren't Asian Americans exploding given they start in a 100+ point hole? And can anyone imagine a college president turning around from her trip to London (as did Biddy Martin of Amherst) to talk to a group of aggrieved Asian students? I would contend that Asian Americans get stereotyped and discriminated against in far more meaningful ways on major college campuses than do Blacks and Hispanics. Bonus: watch Asian student get crushed by "tolerant" and "diversity-minded" protesters at Claremont McKenna. Using "diversity" to justify totalitarianism, and "tolerance" to justify speech restrictions. Tags: asian americans, college, london, SAT Category: Education \| 7 Comments Yale Literally Has Its Choice of Any High School Senior in the County. And It Picked These Folks? Via Reason, but the story is all over After giving Holloway his comeuppance, they moved on to Nicholas Christakis, master of Silliman College. What was Christakis’s crime? His wife, an early childhood educator, had responded to a campus-wide email about offensive Halloween costumes by opining that it was inappropriate for the college to tell students how to dress. According to The Washington Post: “Whose business is it to control the forms of costumes of young people? It’s not mine, I know that,” wrote Erika Christakis, an early childhood educator and the wife of Nicholas Christakis, the Silliman College master. Both later took to social media to defend the e-mail, incensing students by tying it to debates about free speech and trigger warnings. At a Wednesday night forum hosted by the Afro-American Cultural Center, Erika Christakis sought to leave the meeting during a discussion of her e-mail, further provoking student anger. … Students grew distressed, with one shouting at Nicholas Christakis to be quiet and questioning why he took the position at the university. “You are a poor steward of this community,” the student said. “You should not sleep at night.” I guess the question is whether colleges like Yale are preferentially choosing students with this authoritarian mindset, or whether they are training them to be authoritarian. In either case, they seem to be reaping what they sowed. This story reminds me of two past observations I have made about universities. The first is that their diversity programs, despite Universities being intellectual institutions, focus on absolutely everything (from skin pigmentation to reproductive plumbing) except diversity of ideas. Perhaps this is because the only way to achieve "safe space" as defined by these students is either to create an intellectual mono-culture (the opposite of diversity) or to suppress speech and idea sharing so much that no intellectual discourse happens at all. Definitely your classic "reap what you sow" situation. The second observation is that I once thought that a key goal of "diversity" was to eliminate the in-group/ out-group dynamic that has been so destructive through all of history. But I am increasingly convinced that the true objective of diversity programs as practiced on university campuses is to simply shift the "out-group" tag from one set of people to another. More horrible things are said on campus about whites, males, Asians, wealthy people, straights, frats, etc than I ever heard in my entire lifetime from anyone about, say, African Americans. Just look at how most Ivy League schools treat Asians. The discrimination that occurs against Asian students is amazing, with Asians having to produce SAT scores hundreds of points higher than any other group to have an equal chance of admission. This is why, despite all my support over the years for my alma mater, I quit doing college interviews for Princeton -- I got tired of being a part of hosing all the hard-working Asian kids I was interviewing. Tags: African Americans, Erika Christakis, free speech, Ivy League, media, Nicholas Christakis, SAT, Silliman College, universities College Tours Summarized in One Sentence The WSJ has an editorial on college tours, wherein they talk about the sameness (and lameness) of most college tours. Most colleges offer both an information session and a tour. We always found the tour, given by students, more useful than information sessions given by the admission department. I came to hate the information sessions in large part because the Q&A seems to be dominated by type A helicopter parents worried that Johnny won't get into Yale because he forgot to turn in an art project in 3rd grade. My kids and I developed a joke a couple of years ago about information sessions, in which we summarize them in one sentence. So here it is: "We are unique in the exact same ways that every other college you visit says they are unique." Examples: We are unique because we have a sustainability program, because we have small class sizes, because our dining plans are flexible, because we don't just look at SAT scores in admissions, because our students participate in research, because our Juniors go abroad, etc. etc. There you go. You can now skip the information session and go right to the tour. Actually, there is a (very) short checklist of real differences. The ones I can remember off hand are: Does the school have required courses / distribution requirements or not Is admissions need blind or not Is financial aid in the form of grants or loans Do they require standardized tests or not, and which ones If they do, do they superscore or not Do they use the common app, and if so do they require a supplement Do they require an interview or not My advice for tour givers (and I can speak from some experience having gone on about 20 and having actually conducted them at my college) is to include a lot of anecdotes that give the school some character. I particularly remember the Wesleyan story about Joss Whedon's old dorm looking out over a small cemetery and the role this may have played in the development of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The biggest fail on most tours is many don't show a typical dorm room, the #1 thing the vast majority of prospective admits want to see. Tags: admissions, art, college, Joss Whedon, SAT, sustainability, WSJ SAT Variation by Income: The Test Prep Fig Leaf I was not at all surprised to see that average SAT scores varied strongly by income bracket. What has surprised me is how quickly everyone has grabbed for the explanation that "its all due to test prep." It strikes me that the test prep explanation is a sham, meant to try to hide the real problem. First, Alex Tabarrok says that most of the research out there is that test prep explains at most 20% of the variation by income, and probably less. This fits my experience with test prep. I have always felt that 90% of the advantage of test prep was just taking a few practice tests so when the actual test days come, the kids are comfortable they understand how each section of the test works and are not thrown by the types of problems they will face. My feeling is that most of what you can learn in fancy test prep courses is in those books they sell for about $40. We sent our kids to a course that cost a lot more than $40, but frankly I did not do it because I thought they would get any special knowledge they could not get in the book, but because I was outsourcing the effort to get them to do the work. Seriously, I think a parent with $40 and the willingness to make sure their kids actually goes through the book would get most of the benefit. Which raises the question of whether test prep is correlated to income because of its cost, or whether it is correlated to income because high income folks are more likely to place value on their kids testing well and make them do the prep work. We will come back to this in a minute. So if its not test prep, what does drive the difference? I don't know, because I have not studied the problem. But I can speak for our family. My kids do well on SAT-type tests because they go to a tough rigorous private school. Let's take one example. When my daughter was a sophomore in high school, she scored a perfect 80 (equivalent of the SAT 800) on the writing and grammar section of the PSAT. Now, my daughter is smart but no Ivy-bound savant. She took no prep course. My daughter aced the PSAT grammar because her freshman teacher drove those kids hard on grammar. I am talking about a pace and workload and set of expectations that kids in our junior high school start talking about and dreading two years before they even get to the class, and this at a school already known for a tough work load. This teacher is legendarily fabulous, so obviously that is hard to replicate everywhere. But she is fabulous because my kids actually came away excited about Homer and other classics. This is what I pay private-school money for. But what she did in grammar, what got my daughter her perfect score, could be emulated by about any competent teacher...theoretically. But in fact it can't happen because such an approach could never survive in a public school. The work expectations are way too high -- parents and students would revolt. It only works for those who self-select. Well, it only works today for those who self-select and can afford a private school. Unfortunately, we have an education system where everyone is forced to pay tuition to what is at-best a teach-to-the-mean school. If one wants more, they have to be wealthy enough to pay tuition to a second school. Which is why school choice makes so much sense. Why should only the wealthy have the ability to self-select into more intensive programs? BUt this is a conclusion most the education establishment is desperate for people not to reach. Thus, the hand-waving over test prep. Of course, there are a million other wealth, genetic, and parental effects that come into this equation. For example, my kids read for fun, probably in large part because my wife and I read for fun. How many kids read 10+ books outside of school each year? They do this not because my kids are awesomer than other kids, but simply because that was the expectation they grew up with, that we spend free time reading books. Other families might spend their free time, say, doing home improvement projects such that their kids all grow up great woodworkers. I am not sure one set of activities is superior to another, but my kids end up testing well. Of course, I am not sure they can use a screwdriver. Seriously, over Christmas break I asked my 20-year-old son to pass me the Phillips head screwdriver and he had no idea which one that was. I was thinking about the question above of how one separates out parental expectations from all the other effects (like parental DNA and income and quality of schools, etc.) I interview high schoolers for Princeton admissions, so I have come to learn that some public high schools have advanced programs, to allow kids some self-selection into a more rigorous program within the context of public schools (this is usually either an AP program, an honors program, or an IB program). By the way, the existence of these programs at public schools correlates pretty highly with the average income of that school's district. Here would be an interesting study: Take high schools with some sort of honors program option. We want to look at the income demographics of the kids who chose the honors program vs. those who choose the standard program. We would therefore want to look only at high schools that take all comers into the honors program -- if they have some sort of admissions requirement, then this would screw up our study because we want to test solely for how demographics affect the choice to pursue a more rigorous, college-oriented program. I would love to see the results, but my hypothesis is that test-prep is a proxy for the same thing -- less about income per se and more about parental expectations. Tags: admissions, Alex Tabarrok, AP, bracket, college, DNA, IB, Princeton, PSAT, SAT If I Were a Billionaire: Coyote College My daughter and I did the whole college visit thing last week -- 8 colleges in five days. In doing so, I was struck by the fact that all these great schools we visited, with one exception, were founded by rich people no more recently than the 19th century. Seriously, can you name a college top students are trying to get into that was founded since 1900? I think Rice University in Houston was founded in the 20th century but it is still over 100 years old. The one exception, by the way, was SCAD, an art school in Savannah, Georgia. SCAD is new enough that it is still being run by its founder. I am not sure I am totally comfortable in the value proposition of an expensive art school, but I will say that this was -- by far -- the most dynamic school we visited. So here is what I would do: Create a new not-for-profit university aimed at competing at the top levels, e.g. with the Ivy League. I would find a nice bit of land for it in a good climate, avoiding big cities. The Big Island of Hawaii would be a nice spot, though that may be too remote. Scottsdale would not be a bad choice since its bad weather is during the summer out of the normal school year and land is relatively cheap. Then, I would take the top academic kids, period. No special breaks for athletes or tuba players. It would have some reasonable school non-academic programs just to remain competitive for students - maybe some intramurals or club sports, but certainly no focus on powerhouse athletics. We could set a pool of money aside to help fund clubs and let students drive and run most of the extra-curriculars, from singing groups to debate clubs. If students are passionate enough to form and lead these activities, they would happen. And now I need a reader promise here - if you are going to read the next sentence, you have to read the whole rest of the article before flying into any tizzies. And for the most part we would scrap affirmative action and diversity goals. We are going to take the best students. This does not mean its pure SAT's - one can certainly look at a transcript and SAT in the context of the school kids went to, so that smart kids are not punished for going to a crap public high school. Realize I say this with the expectation that the largest group of students who will be getting affirmative action over the next 20 years are... white males. What? How can this be? Well it is already nearly true. Sure, historically everyone has focused on reverse discrimination against white males when colleges were dealing with having twice as many men than women and they had few qualified black or hispanic candidates. But my sense is that few white males any more lose their spot in college due to competition from under-qualified minority candidates. That is because there is an enormous demographic shift going on in college. In fact there are three: Girls rule high school and higher education. Yes, I know that women steeped in "Failing at Fairness" will find this hard to believe, but undergraduates are something like 56% women nowadays. As we toured Ivy League schools, we were on tours with about 6 prospective female students for every one guy. Back when my son played high school basketball, on the walls of various high schools he played at were pictures of their honor societies. Time and again I saw pictures of 20 girls and one or two forlorn boys. If top schools want to keep their gender numbers even, then they are going to have to start affirmative action for boys, if they have not done so already (I suspect they have). Asians are being actively discriminated against. Schools will never ever admit it, because they are getting sued by Asian prospective students (I know Princeton has been sued) but reverse discrimination against Asian students is becoming more and more intense. The bar for Asia females already is way higher than the bar for white males in top schools, and it likely will only get worse Foreign students bring in the cash. Ivy League schools have a ton of international students, which makes sense as they strive to be international institutions. But one thing they will not tell you is that there is another reason for bringing in foreign students: For most schools, their need-blind admissions policies and increasingly generous financial aid packages do not apply to foreign students, or apply on a much more limited basis. The average tuition paid by international students is thus much higher. I suspect, but cannot prove, that under the cover of diversity these schools are lowering their standards to bring in students who bring the cash. So we scrap all this. If the school ends up 80% Asian women, fine. Every forum in one's life does not have to have perfect diversity (whatever the hell that is), and besides there are plenty of other market choices for students who are seeking different racial and ethnic mixes in their college experience. We just want the best. And whatever money we can raise, we make sure a lot of it goes to financial aid rather than prettier buildings (have you seen what they are building at colleges these days?) so we can make sure the best can afford to attend. Getting good faculty might be the challenge at first, but tenure tracks have dried up so many places that my gut feel is that there are plenty of great folks out there who can't get tenure where they are and would jump at a chance to move. You won't have Paul Krugman or Bill McKibben type names at first, but is that so bad? We know the business community hires from Ivy League schools in part because they can essentially outsource their applicant screening to the University admissions office. So we will go them one better and really sell this. Hire any of our graduates and you know you are getting someone hard-working and focused and very smart. I don't know if it would work, but hell, I am a billionaire, what's the risk in trying? Tags: admissions, art, Big Island, college, Ivy League, pictures, Rice University, risk, SAT, SCAD SAT Scores Are Bad Education Evaluation Data I am happy to see the public school system coming in for much-deserved criticism. I don't have anything to add to this article that I have not already said about schools many times. But I want to make one complaint about a chart used in the blog post: SAT scores are a terrible metric for measuring academic performance over time. First, I am not at all convinced that the test scoring does not shift over time (no WAY my son had a higher score than me, LOL). But perhaps the most important problem is that all students don't take the SAT -- it is a choice. Shifts in the mix of kids taking the test -- for example, if over time more kids get interested in college so that more marginal academic kids take the test -- then the scores are going to move solely based on mix shifts. Making this more complicated, there is at least one competitive test (the ACT) which enjoys more popularity in some states than others, so the SAT will represent an incomplete and shifting geographic mix of the US. Finally, as students have gotten smarter about this whole process, they gravitate to the ACT or the SAT based on differing capabilities, since they test in different ways. To me, all this makes SAT scores barely more scientific than an Internet poll. If you have not had a college-bound student recently, you will have to trust me on this, but parents can spend an astounding amount of time trying to out-think this stuff. And that is here in flyover country. Apparently private school parents on the East Coast can be absurd (up to and including hiring consultants for 6 figures). A few years ago it was in vogue to try to find your kid a unique avocation. Violin was passe -- I knew kids playing xylophone and the bagpipes. A friend of mine at a high profile DC private school used to have fun with other parents telling them his son was a national champion at falconry, the craziest thing he could make up on the spur of the moment at a cocktail party. Other parents would sigh enviously, wishing they had thought of that one for their kid. Tags: ACT, college, complaint, East Coast, Education, SAT, US Category: Education, Science \| 10 Comments Accountability to Forecasts of Doom Activists are always making exaggerated statements on current problems and extrapolate these into forecasts of doom. One thing activists really, really hate is when people come back later and hold them accountable for these forecasts. You can see it as NASA officials squirm and fire off condescension at skeptics who have the temerity to actually check their global warming forecasts against actual temperatures. If I had a newspaper, I'd have a special regular feature where I dig back 10-20 years in my archives to find such forecasts of doom and check them against reality (actually, if I had a paper, I would not allow activist's press releases to show up virtually unedited as "news" stories, but that is another matter). Heck, I could have a regular feature just reality-checking old Paul Ehrlich forecasts. Well, I don't have a newspaper, but I do have a blog, and this is a new feature I am working on. I am still trying to play with various search engines and news libraries (such as the NY Times) to see if I can come up with some kind of query format that efficiently digs up such predictions that are at least 10 years old. I am still a little stumped on this, but I am working on it. But, as a sort of beta-test of the feature, one such comparison fell into my lap today. I remember my feminist wife reading a book published in 1994 called "Failing at Fairness." This work was a big, big deal at the time. Media such as the NY Times fawned on it. I will let a 1994 review on the Society for Women Engineers' site summarize the book: Failing at Fairness: How American Schools Cheat Girls eloquently describes the results of years of research into sexism in schools. The study began as an examination of gender bias in textbooks, and evolved into a decade of painstaking classroom observation uncovering a "hidden curriculum" in classroom interaction. Authors Myra and David Sadker present a compelling tale of gender bias in education at all levels. Taken at face value, the book more than proves the point of the subtitle: our schools cheat girls out of an education equal to that received by boys. The authors do an excellent job of pointing out some of the more subtle ways of favoring boys over girls. However, so many descriptions of incidents of sexism -- blatant, subtle, by old teachers, young teachers, male teachers, female teachers, and even by one of the Sadkers' own "trained" researchers -- are included that it can seem like overkill at times. In addition, the wealth of statistics can be overwhelming, and yes, even slightly depressing. One of the more horrifying aspects of Failing at Fairness is the discussion about standardized tests, their historical deliberate design as culturally biased for exclusionary purposes, and the dive in the scores received by girls as they progress through their education. Current standardized test administrators claim to be more sensitive to cultural prejudices in today's tests, although minority students still score less than white students (at least on the SAT). Also, the book states quite plainly, "Regardless of ethnic or racial background, all American girls share a common bond: a gender gap in test performance that leaves them behind the boys." The prevailing opinion of the discussion group is that the tests are still exclusionary; they are not measuring achievement, but are rather reflecting the way students are taught. I don't doubt that they found their share of anecdotal issues. I am sure I could find them today. But their overall premise that girls were getting hosed by primary education and that standardized tests were structured to exclude girls from college education made no sense even at the time the book was published: The chart is from Mark Perry, and he shows a similar picture for bachelor's degrees, where women blew past men in 1981, and in PHDs, where women passed men in 2006. People would laugh at this book today, as most discussion is about under-performance of boys. I don't know the authors, but I would interpret this as the classic inability of activists to declare victory. I am fairly certain that their hypothesis was far more correct in 1969 than in 1994. But society really went through a step-change in the 1970s vis a vis attitudes about females. The previous generation of women's activists did great work to make these issues plain and help lead change in societal attitudes. But activists have a really hard time declaring victory. From a quite personal standpoint, declaring victory as an activist is exactly the same as walking into your boss and telling him that the company really doesn't need your job position. Money, prestige, academic advancement, and attention, and (self-esteem, for certain types of people) are all tied to there being a major problem. If there is no longer a big problem, then all this stuff goes away. Tags: college, gender, global warming, Mark Perry, NASA, NY, NY Times, paul ehrlich, review, SAT Category: Accountability \| 11 Comments Increase Ivy League Capacity There have been a number of articles of late about college admissions and Asians. For example, my alma mater Princeton is getting sued by a young man who says the school's admissions standards are discriminatory against Asians (he was forced to go to Yale instead, which in my mind represents substantial pain and suffering). David Bernstein at Volokh also had this: Liming Luo is a high school senior who is both a math prodigy and received a perfect 2,400 score on her SATs. New York Magazine asked Katherine Cohen, CEO and founder of IvyWise, a school-admissions consulting company, about her [and other students'] prospects for admission to MIT, the college of her choice. The answer: Her perfect SAT score is truly outstanding but not a free ticket. She is applying to many technical colleges, so she will be competing against a lot of other high-achieving math/science kids (and a lot of other Asian students in particular). While she may be admitted to MIT early, I am not convinced she's a shoo-in"â€I'd want to see more evidence that she's giving back to the community. I don't know enough to comment on the Asian issues, but I wanted to make a couple of other points. First, Bernstein is probably correct in wondering why there is such a focus on "giving back to the community" for an 18-year old girl who appears to be a math genius. But his question is naive. I can say from experience that everything on an application for college may be negotiable (e.g. good athletics allows for lower SAT scores) except for community service. That has become inviolable. Every college prep school I know have elaborate programs nowadays to make sure their kids get lots of community service hours. My son, at the age of eleven, missed on his first shot at National Junior Honor Society because he only had about 20 hours of community service. I can tell you that for college-bound high school kids, community service is longer about volunteering and giving back but about grimly checking off one of the most important boxes for college applications. My other thought is that you don't have to be Asian to worry nowadays that near-perfect SAT's and grades are not enough to get one into the Ivy League. As you can see here, placing in the 99th percentile on SAT's only gives one a 1 in 5 shot at getting in to Princeton. The other thing you can see is that top Ivy's are being honest when they say they want more than just good grades -- you can see at Princeton and Harvard that moving from 91st to 99th percentile on SAT's does little to improve a person's prospect of getting in. (On the Asian discrimination issue, that means that more than half of the kids in the top 1 percentile of SAT's will get turned down by Princeton, and some of these will be Asians. Whether that is discrimination or just brutally tough admissions is hard to say). Which leads me to my main point -- the Ivy League needs to find a way to increase capacity. The number of kids that are "ivy-ready" has exploded over the last decades, but the class sizes at Ivy schools have remained flat. For years I have been campaigning at Princeton for this, and I am happy to see they are increasing the class size, but only by a small amount. Princeton has an endowment larger than the GNP of most countries. To date, it has spent that money both well and poorly. Well, because Princeton is one of just a handful of schools that guarantee that if you get in, they will make sure you can pay for it, and they do it with grants, leaving every student debt free at graduation. Poorly, because they have been overly focused on increasingly what I call the "educational intensity" or the amount of physical plant and equipment and stuff per student. In this latter case, we have got to be near the limit of spending an incremental $10 million to increase the education quality by .01%. We should instead be looking for ways to offer this very high quality of education to more people, since so many more are qualified today. By the way, one of the reasons Ivy League schools don't take my advice is because of the faculty. The very first thing that the faculty wants is more endowed chairs, more equipment, more office space, etc. The very last thing most faculty wants is more students that would force them to actually teach more rather than publish and do research. Postscript: OK, I will make one comment about the Asian kids thing. I don't know if what Ivy admissions offices are doing is discriminatory or not. But I do know that among the white parents of college-bound high school students that I know, there is real undercurrent of anti-Asian resentment. I can't tell you how often I hear stuff like "Oh of course he does well, he's Asian" or "I don't know if my kid can get into X, all the Asian kids get the spots." Its a strange, resentful sort of racism I see all the time from parents who would never be caught dead uttering anything untoward about blacks. There is this funny feeling I get in some of these conversations that it's OK to dislike Asians in a way that would never be perceived as OK for blacks. Tags: admissions, college, GNP, Ivy League, Katherine Cohen, MIT, new york, Princeton, SAT Taliban at Yale, and Advice for Princeton Everyone seems worked up about Yale admitting an official of the Taliban as a student. While I find the guy in question pretty bankrupt, I'm not sure I am very excited about starting down the path of vetting potential college applicants against some political extremism standard. I am sure there are any number of Ivy League freshmen whose beliefs I would find horrifying, but I don't feel the need to start culling them out. I do find it odd that Yale would have recruited this guy like he was some kind of rock star, and celebrated his choice of Yale as if he was some prize. As I have written to my Alma mater Princeton on any number of occasions, I think that Ivy League schools are making a huge mistake which is tangentially related to Yale's Taliban student. If the University of Texas had accepted him as one of 10,000 or so in their freshman class, there would not be so much outcry. But this is an Ivy League school, with 20,000 or more kids competing for 1500 freshman spots. Every parent tends to think, "so my kid with straight A's and a 1350 SAT and 200 hours of community service got turned down at Yale so a misogynist fascist with a 4th grade education can attend?" Instead of arguing about admitting one less Taliban guy, I urge Ivy League schools to find a way to bring their higher quality of education to many more people. Princeton, Harvard, and Yale each have endowments over $10 billion each, and they use this money every year to increase the education intensity to the same 1500 people per class. Every time I go back to visit campus, I see more buildings, equipment, facilities, professors for the same 1500 folks. Enough! At some point there has got to be a diminishing return. It is time for someone in the Ivy League to take the leadership to redefine their mission away from the current facilities arms race with the other Ivy's and towards a mission to broaden their reach in the country. Instead of yet more molecular biology equipment for the same 1500 people per class, lets find a way to bring a Princeton education to, say, 6000 people a class. Lets quadruple the size of the Ivy League. Of course, the Ivy League conservatives (which means, in this context, everyone who graduated before this year and all of the faculty) fear this change. The last thing the faculty, who we know to be in charge of the asylum from the whole Sommers affair, want is to have more students to teach -- they want the toys. And alumni fear that somehow the "essential essence" of the university might be lost, though everyone made that same argument when these schools went coed and few today would argue to reverse this decision. Administrators argue that the freshman pool would be diluted, sort of like the argument about pitching in baseball after expansion. But one only has to look at admissions numbers to see that quadrupling the freshman class size would cause the Ivy's to lower their standards to... about where they were when I got in! (If your SAT scores are in the 98th percentile you still have only a 10% chance of getting into Princeton or Harvard.) The fact is that the pool of high school students in the upper echelons and Ivy-ready has grown tremendously in the past few years, causing Ivy's to narrow their admissions qualifications to near ridiculous levels, with average SAT scores in the stratosphere, hundreds of hours of community service, multiple sports letters, and consultant-aided choices of special activities to differentiate students from the crowd (e.g. bagpipes or falconry). I understand that this is difficult -- just the issue of physical space is daunting. But these are the leading Universities in the world. Surely there is enough brainpower to figure it out if the mission is accepted. The University of California has of late been doing a lot of interesting things to bring college education to the masses, and dealing with the fact that the number of people who can afford the cost and time of a college degree has increased exponentially. I think the Ivy League needs to work through the same exercise at the top end of the bell curve. They need to address a similar near exponential expansion in the number of students who are "Ivy-ready." Tags: admissions, college, Ivy League, pool, Princeton, race, SAT, Yale Taliban Getting Into Ivy League Schools June 3, 2005, 8:20 am Since I went to two Ivy League Schools (Princeton undergrad, Harvard MBA), I get asked by parents a lot about how to get their kids into an Ivy League school. My answer is the same one that I think many of my friends from college give: "I'm not sure I could have gotten into Princeton if I did it today, rather than 20 years ago". While the number of bright, qualified students seems to have gone up tenfold over the last decades, the number of admissions spots at Ivy League schools has hardly changed, and few new schools have emerged as Ivy League equivalents (if not in fact, at least in the perceptions of the public). I have recently discovered this really nice blog by Kurt Johnson, who recently got accepted to attend Wharton business school next year. He has several good posts about school rankings and admissions, including this one here. The curves showing that only about 20% of applicants in the top 1 percentile of test scores get into Princeton is scary. Yes, I had good SAT scores, somewhere in the 1500's (I would never have believed at the time I would have forgotten the number, but I seem to have). At the time, that was pretty much a layup for getting into the Ivy League, though I had some decent sports and activities as well. Now, the odds are I wouldn't make it. Today, parents are downright crazed in trying to figure out what it takes to get in. For example, any of the 11 year olds at our elementary school do community service, which I guess is fine though it seems to be driven more by setting up early resume wins rather than saving the world. Things like piano and violin are out: Parents are pushing their kids into more unique, differentiated instruments like bagpipes or the xylophone. My old college roommate, whose kids go to a college prep school in DC, joked that he planned to send the other school parents into a jealous hysteria by telling them his kids were competing in falconry. Kurt also makes a good point about one of my pet peeves of performance measurement: that is, measuring a process based on inputs rather than outputs. You see this all the time, for example, when the department of homeland security talks. They say things like we have xx thousand agents making xx checks with xx equipment blah blah. Yes, but are we safer? Postscript: By the way, after reading Kurt's work, he is basically going to Wharton for a piece of paper. He already appears to be at least as thoughtful an analyst of business issues as most poeple I know with Ivy League MBA's. OK, this is a bit unfair. I learned a lot that was useful in my first year of busienss school, then I entertained myself in the second year with a lot of material that was interesting but I never used much. My MBA was sort of a 1-year technical degree with an extra year in "business liberal arts". I have talked to lawyers that say the same thing about law school. Tags: admissions, college, Ivy League, Kurt Johnson, MBA, Princeton, SAT, security	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line368
__label__wiki	0.888494	0.888494	DEADBEAT JOE TV CREDITS BRACE FOR THE BRITS February 21, 2017 May 8, 2017 • Joe Aspinall London is getting ready for the UK’s biggest night in music. The BRITs 2017 are taking place at the O2 tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd February. The awards ceremony, which will be hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Emma Willis, will air live on ITV and to a worldwide audience on YouTube at 7.30pm. UK grime artist Skepta is up for three awards The night is always worth watching, with spectacular live performances, A-lister guests and of course the often political or controversial acceptance speeches and scandalous moments. Previous ceremonies have prompted concern for broadcasting both swearing and other adult content pre-watershed. James Cordon, who was a regular host for the event but just hosted the Grammys in the US, once cut Adele off during her 2012 acceptance speech, prompting the vocal powerhouse to flip her middle finger on national television in annoyance. The award nominations themselves have also come under fire in recent years for not accurately reflecting the diverse UK music scene reality. This has been addressed this year, with more recognition of various areas of music, with artists like grime sensation Skepta nominated for numerous awards. Katy Perry will perform at the 2017 BRITs. Here with Skip Marley at the Grammys Big performers of the evening will include UK artists Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran, Little Mix, Emeli Sande, The 1975 and Skepta. Due to the international appeal of the show, some high profile US guests are flying over to perform. Among them, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry. Perry’s stage appearance is hotly anticipated after she smashed her performance of new disco-vibed single Chained to the Rhythm, at the Grammys last week. During the song she brought out Bob Marley’s grandson Skip, who features on the track. She will be performing this again tomorrow night as her first UK TV appearance in three years. British Breakthrough nominee Anne-Marie Essex songstress Anne-Marie is expected to win the British Breakthrough Artist award. The Alarm singer had massive success in the lead up to Christmas, featuring as the lead vocals on Clean Bandit’s Rockabye, which spent nine weeks at the UK number one spot. Her new single Ciao Adios, which follows on from the narrative of Alarm, is out now. Her competition for the award includes Stormzy, Skepta, Blossoms and Human singer Rag’n’Bone Man, who has already received the BRITs critics’ choice award prior to tomorrow’s event. Winners of this acclaimed award tend to make it big, with past recipients including Adele, Sam Smith and Emeli Sande. His new album, also named Human, was released on 17th February and features new tracks produced by Two Inch Punch, who has previously worked with the likes of Mikky Ekko, Kwabs, Years & Years and Becky Hill. International Male nominee Drake As always, the BRITs biggest awards are hotly contested. Craig David, Kano, Michael Kiwanuka and the late David Bowie will all be competing for UK Male Artist of the Year. All eyes will be on Drake this year, who is nominated alongside Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, Leonard Cohen and The Weeknd in the International Male Solo Artist category, as he openly criticized the way the Grammys awarded him. The only award he received at this year’s ceremony was Best Rap Song for Hotline Bling, a song which doesn’t feature any rapping. The Canadian singer has since suggested the faux-par was a form of racism. For the girls, British Female Solo Artist nominees include Anohni, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande, Lianne Le Havas and Nao. Their international counterparts include Rihanna, Sia, Beyoncé and her sister Solange, as well as French artist Christine and The Queens, who won an equivalent award at the VO5 NME Awards last week. BRITs Icon Award Winner Robbie Williams Other honours to be handed out during the evening that are not to be missed are Best British Group, Best International Group, BRITs Global Success Award and, the big one, the Mastercard British Album of the Year. Robbie Williams has already been announced as the winner of the 2017 Brits Icon award ahead of the ceremony, joining only Sir Elton John and David Bowie as winners of this trophy. Zaha Hadid’s take on the BRITs gong This year’s gongs were designed by Zaha Hadid as one of her final commissions before her death last year. Artists from all over the world will be fighting for the curved awards, so make sure you tune in. If the main awards show is not enough for you, then fear not. Head over to ITV2, as they will be hosting the BRITs warm-up on the red carpet as well as the warm-down. Are you ready? Brace yourself for the BRITs 2017! This piece is also published at www.london360.org/author/josepha Posted in JOSEPH ASPINALLTagged awards show, brits, grime, JOSEPH ASPINALL, MUSIC, pop, rap, ukgrimeBookmark the permalink. TIME TICKS FOR TECH YOUNG MONEY BREAK OLD RECORDS https://deadbeatjoe.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/endorsements-naughty-boy-guvna-b-han.mp3	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line370
__label__wiki	0.742415	0.742415	Spanish government attacks democracy This video from Madrid in Spain says about itself: Spain: Activist covers herself in duct tape to protest ‘gag law‘ The activist and performer Jil Love made an unusual performance Thursday as a protest against a so-called ‘gag law’, which was approved last June. The performance was carried out in the middle of the well-known central street of Gran Via. For more than one hour, Love was covered in duct tape and her team invited people to write on her body. The law makes it possible for the government to fine activists who take part in unauthorised public protests. By Vicky Short and Alejandro López: Spanish government prepares new National Security Law Spain’s Popular Party (PP) government is stepping up its police-state measures. A draft Organic Law of National Security, drawn up by the Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, has been passed by the Council of Ministers and is awaiting final approval in parliament. Government sources stated that the objective of the new law is to strengthen the coordination between ministries in the face of an emergency situation and that it will consolidate the National Security Strategy passed in May last year. This video from Spain says about itself: Spanish Civil Protection Act or Gag Law (by ATXE) Video explaining the Spanish law which violates the right to demonstrate in Spain, creating a police state. The Vicky Short and Alejandro López article continues: The draft law declares that the “State may mobilise public and private resources to address crisis situations that put national security at risk” but does not specify how this would be done. Material resources such as vehicles and buildings can already be temporarily seized in a “Civil Protection” emergency or disaster, but not for cases of risk to national security. The draft law introduces a new category of what constitutes a national crisis, allowing the prime minister, without approval by parliament, to declare a crisis in the “interests of National Security” and the suspension of basic rights and public freedom. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said that the government will prepare an inventory of resources in public or private hands that are of interest to national security and that can be mobilised in a crisis. “The first thing to do in order to meet a catastrophe is knowing what you have, where it is and [to be able to use it] with due compensation,” she declared. Although Saenz denied that the law was linked to the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, the government took advantage of the hysteria to rush through the law after two years of back-door discussions. During the drafting of the new law, in July 2013, a National Security Council (CSN) was created, assuming the functions of the Government Commission for Crisis Situations and sitting at the apex of the National Security System. It is led by the prime minister and includes the deputy prime minister, the foreign minister, the ministers of defence and of interior, the Treasury, the secretary of state for security, the chief of staff of defence and the director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI). The theme of the first meeting after the Paris events was Plan Estratégico Nacional de Lucha contra la Radicalización Violenta (National Strategic Plan to Fight Violent Radicalisation). The strategic plan lists 12 risks to Spain’s security: armed conflicts, terrorism, cyber threats, organised crime, economic and financial instability, energy vulnerability, irregular migratory flows, weapons of mass destruction, espionage, natural emergencies and catastrophes, vulnerability in the maritime space and critical infrastructure, and essential services. The new law has all the hallmarks of that introduced by the leader of the fascist regime, Francisco Franco, in 1969. It was only repealed in 2007 by the Socialist Party (PSOE) government as a sop for its refusal to carry out proper government-backed investigations into Franco’s crimes. It is an indictment of the Spanish ruling class that the precedent for this law was one passed and used by the fascist regime to suppress the rise in working class militancy. Between 1970 and 1979, it was used against striking workers on the Madrid and Barcelona metros, railways and buses and in the shipyards, postal and fire services and the electricity system. Franco’s law began in these chauvinistic terms: “The defence of the nation is an honourable and foremost duty of all Spaniards and it is for the latter to contribute their efforts and sacrifice of their individual and collective interests to the extent that it [the nation] requires it.” It included not only the seizure of property, but also the forceful seizure of people. The PP government is organising the forces of the state to be used, not against jihadists or any other so-called terrorists, but for domestic repression under conditions of social unrest. The new law comes in the wake of other recent anti-working class legislation, passed with the agreement of the PSOE opposition or through the PP parliamentary majority. Approval of ‘Gag Law’ raises outrage in Spain Spanish citizens took to the streets to protest the approval of what they are calling a ‘Gag Law’ by the Congress. People in Spain are outraged by this law which includes fines for people who demonstrate in front of the government buildings, or for people who try to prevent evictions and for those who film police abuse against citizens. The law also includes immediate deportation of migrants. The Citizens Security Law, popularly known as the Gag Law, introduced fines of up to €600,000 for demonstrations not previously notified to the authorities, or anyone reporting on them, re-tweeting or posting a “like” on Facebook. Anyone videotaping the police during demonstrations faces a fine of up to €30,000. The PP government used the Charlie Hebdo attacks to introduce new amendments to the Gag Law and the Criminal Procedure Code, with the agreement of the PSOE, under the guise of a new “anti-terrorist pact” between both parties. One amendment provides for “imprisonment of between one to eight years for those who on a daily or regular basis access in online communication or acquire or are in possession of documents which target, or because of their content, result in inciting others to decide to join a terrorist organisation or group.” Other amendments include imprisonment for those who have shown interest in committing terrorist acts; for those who have received military training by a terrorist organisation; for whoever establishes contact with a terrorist organisation; for whoever moves to a foreign territory controlled by a terrorist organisation with the aim of collaborating with them; and for the praising or justification through any public means of terrorist crimes. The Charlie Hebdo attack has also been used to reintroduce life imprisonment and allow the Interior Ministry to compile an airline passenger database. The Ministry of Defence is increasing its expenditure this year by nearly 2 percent, with military units receiving special crowd control training by the military police, including in the use of anti-riot equipment. This video about Britain says about itself: What is the Gagging Law? A short film explaining what the government’s gagging law is all about and why it’s bad for democracy. Featuring 38 Degrees, Guido Fawkes, Friends of the Earth, Baston Legal & HOPE not hate. What’s Sacred In Spain? Satire, Journalism & Freedom Of Speech After The Charlie Hebdo Attack No tolerance for Islamophobia Don’t let this horror be used to stoke bigotry Charlie Hebdo: Middle East Blowback? Ted Cruz & the New McCarthyism: Inside A Dangerous Response to the Atrocity in Paris This entry was posted in Human rights, Peace and war and tagged Spain, UK by petrel41. Bookmark the permalink. 6 thoughts on “Spanish government attacks democracy” Pingback: Spanish prime minister’s corruption update \| Dear Kitty. 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__label__wiki	0.884352	0.884352	Difference between revisions of "How Historically Accurate is season 1 of Versailles?" Maltaweel (talk \| contribs) (→‎Main Characters) <i>This article contains spoilers</i> <i>Versailles</i> Season 1 follows the French king Louis XIV, the so-called Sun King, during the early years of his reign when he commissioned the construction of the palace of Versailles, a former hunting lodge. Construction of the palace began in 1661 and lasted, on and off, until 1715. Despite the objection of much of the nobility and even his court, Louis was determined to make the palace the greatest in the world and solidify his rule. Although later Louis was known as a strong and respected ruler in Europe, the early years of his reign were fraught with problems with the nobility, wars with the low countries, conspiracies, and ongoing conflict between Catholics and Protestants. It is this background that sets up the story in the first season. [[File:The-BBC-confirmed-the-news-to-fans-tonight-619209.jpeg\|thumbnail\|left\|Versailles Season 1 image.]] <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZJ13QN/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01LZJ13QN&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=556c34932c533cb589b4a4f1a60e0d64 Versailles]</i> <i>This article contains spoilers.</i> ==History and Key Events== <i>Check out our article on the historical accuracy of the 1st season of [[How Historically Accurate is season 1 of Versailles?\|Versailles]]</i>. [[File:The-BBC-confirmed-the-news-to-fans-tonight-619209.jpeg\|thumbnail\|Versailles Season 1 image.]] The story begins with Louis having a vision to build a great and grand palace at Versailles. The palace is depicted as a symbol for France and in the first season Louis attempts to instill in his nobility that the palace is to represent all of France and his role in building it is essentially to unify the country (Figure 1). Rebellion by nobles during the reign of his father was a major problem in France, weakening the country. The series rightly indicates that the construction of the palace was in part used as a way to control the government and put it more in the hands of the king. Paris had been rife with plots against the royal family, likely prompting Louis to move the court at a distance that allowed him to have better control of the government while not being trapped by the demands of the ever rebellious nobles. One major plot developments is Louis asks his nobles to produce papers to prove their nobility. Louis XIV is known to have instigated a major program that verified the lineage of the nobility.<ref>For more on Louis' early part of his reign and vision to build Versailles, see: Berger, Robert W. 1985. <i>Versailles: The Chateau of Louis XIV.</i> Monographs on the Fine Arts 40. University Park: Published for the College Art Association of America by the Pennsylvania State University Press.</ref> Another key event in the early episodes is his war in Holland and the Spanish Netherlands. While initially very successful, Louis was persuaded to make peace with the Dutch after the war threatened to become much larger and involve other major European powers. Louis could not afford, early in his reign, to fight a long and protracted war, particularly given his problems with the nobles and financial situation, where the construction of Versailles also became a drain on the treasury.<ref>For more on Louis' early wars and finances, see: Young, William. 2004. <i>International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great: A Guide to the Historical Literature.</i> New York, NY: Universe.</ref> By 1671, the war rekindled and this time France marched into Dutch territory along with English support. The war continued until 1678, by which time Louis had gain territorial concessions from the Spanish Netherlands. The series did not give much detail about this prolonged conflict, where much of the focus was more on Louis' domestic problems with his nobles. Nevertheless, Louis is shown as trying to make alliances and treaties with the English and even African nobles visiting so that French trade could be placed in a more superior position. These events were largely true and Louis did try to position French trade interests in the growing African and Atlantic trade networks.<ref>For more on trade and alliances under Louis, see: Nolan, Cathal J., and Cathal J. Nolan. 2008. <i>Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization.</i> Greenwood Encyclopedias of the Modern World Wars. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, pg. 210.</ref> Season 1 follows the French king Louis XIV, the so-called Sun King, during the early years of his reign when he commissioned the construction of the palace of Versailles, a former hunting lodge. Construction of the palace began in 1661 and lasted, on and off, until 1715. Despite the objection of much of the nobility and even his court, Louis was determined to make the palace the greatest in the world and solidify his rule. Although later Louis was known as a strong and respected ruler in Europe, the early years of his reign were fraught with problems with the nobility, wars with the low countries, conspiracies, and ongoing conflict between Catholics and Protestants. It is this background that sets up the story in the first season. One focus of the episodes is the rivalry between Louis and his brother Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Tension between the brothers was brewing because Louis would not let his brother join the war against the Dutch. Eventually Louis relents and Philippe proves to be a valiant warrior. Philippe was, in fact, a well known leader and proved to be a successful commander, earning the respect of his men for his bravery. While it is not clear what the rivalry was between the brothers, it is known that Philippe was a proven war leader.<ref>For more on Phillipe, see: Barker, Nancy Nichols. 1998. Brother to the Sun King--Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref> ====History and Key Events==== The story begins with Louis having a vision to build a great and grand palace at Versailles. The palace is depicted as a symbol for France and in the first season Louis attempts to instill in his nobility that the palace is to represent all of France and his role in building it is essentially to unify the country (Figure 1). Although the palace is known today for its grand opulence such as the Hall of Mirrors and other structures, the intent was to make this building project help centralize the state itself. Rebellion by nobles during the reign of his father was a major problem in France, weakening the country. The series rightly indicates that the construction of the palace was used as a way to control the government and put it more in the hands of the king by moving resources to Versailles. Paris had been rife with plots against the royal family, likely prompting Louis to move the court at a distance that allowed him to have better control of the government while not being trapped by the demands of the ever rebellious nobles. One major plot development is Louis asks his nobles to produce papers to prove their nobility. Louis XIV is known to have instigated a major program that verified the lineage of the nobility.<ref>For more on Louis' early part of his reign and vision to build Versailles, see: Berger, Robert W. 1985. <i>Versailles: The Chateau of Louis XIV.</i> Monographs on the Fine Arts 40. University Park: Published for the College Art Association of America by the Pennsylvania State University Press.</ref> [[File:Chateau de Versailles 1668 Pierre Patel.jpeg\|thumbnail\|left\|300px\|Figure 1. The Palace of Versailles in 1668 during the period represented in the series.]] Another key event in the early episodes is his war in Holland and the Spanish Netherlands. While initially very successful, Louis was persuaded to make peace with the Dutch after the war threatened to become much larger and involve other major European powers. Louis could not afford, early in his reign, to fight a long and protracted war, particularly given potential problems with the nobles and financial situation, where the construction of Versailles also became a drain on the treasury.<ref>For more on Louis' early wars and finances, see: Young, William. 2004. <i>International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great: A Guide to the Historical Literature.</i> New York, NY: Universe.</ref> By 1671, the war rekindled and this time France marched into Dutch territory along with English support. Perhaps the most prominent plot revolved around a group of nobles and others conducting a conspiracy to make the king loose power and control over the country. This involved poisoning of some of the characters, shooting prominent families on the road to Versailles, where even Philippe's wife and Louis' lover Henriette, who was the sister of the King of England Charles II, was killed in one of these attempts. This part of the story does differ from likely historical accounts, as it is not clear Louis ever faced any major threats to his kingdom from internal unrest despite having some troubles from the nobles as he centralized the state early in his reign. There were various plots, including a series of poisonings called the Affair of the Poisons, that lasted from the 1670s-1680s.<ref>For ore on the Affair of the poisons, see: Somerset, Anne. 2004. The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV. 1st U.S. ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press.</ref> The Huguenot, or French Protestants, also attempted to conduct a campaign against the king, although Louis' major persecution of them only began in the 1680s, a period after when the first season took place. The Huguenot's came closer to threatening the French crown long before Louis' reign in the 1620s.<ref>For more on the Huguenot revolts, see: Trim, David J. B., and Walter C. Utt, eds. 2011. The Huguenots: History and Memory in Transnational Context ; Essays in Honour and Memory of Walter C. Utt. Studies in the History of Christian Traditions 156. Leiden: Brill.</ref> The war continued until 1678, by which time Louis had gain territorial concessions from the Spanish Netherlands. The series did not give much detail about this prolonged conflict, where much of the focus was more on Louis' domestic problems with his nobles. Nevertheless, Louis is shown as trying to make alliances and treaties with the English and even African nobles visiting so that French trade could be placed in a more superior position, something that the war with the Dutch also allowed. These events were largely true and Louis did try to position French trade interests in the growing African and Atlantic trade networks.<ref>For more on trade and alliances under Louis, see: Nolan, Cathal J., and Cathal J. Nolan. 2008. <i>Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization.</i> Greenwood Encyclopedias of the Modern World Wars. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, pg. 210.</ref> [[File:Chateau de Versailles 1668 Pierre Patel.jpeg\|thumbnail\|Figure 1. The Palace of Versailles in 1668 during the period represented in the series.]] One focus of the episodes is the rivalry between Louis and his brother Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Tension between the brothers was brewing because Louis would not let his brother join the war against the Dutch. Eventually Louis relents and Philippe proves to be a valiant warrior. Philippe was, in fact, a well known leader and proved to be a successful commander, earning the respect of his men for his bravery. The rivalry between the brothers in the series may be more fiction than fact.<ref>For more on Phillipe, see: Barker, Nancy Nichols. 1998. <i>Brother to the Sun King--Philippe, Duke of Orléans.</i> Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref> ==Main Characters== Perhaps the most prominent plot in the series revolved around a group of nobles and others conducting a conspiracy to make the king loose power and control over the country. This involved poisoning of some of the characters, shooting prominent families on the road to Versailles, where even Philippe's wife and Louis' lover Henriette, who was the sister of the King of England Charles II, was killed in one of these attempts. This part of the story does differ from likely historical accounts, as it is not clear Louis ever faced any major threats to his kingdom from internal unrest despite having some troubles from the nobles as he centralized the state early in his reign. There were various plots, including a series of poisonings called the Affair of the Poisons, that lasted from the 1670s-1680s, but the reasons for this did not relate to plots by nobles.<ref>For ore on the Affair of the poisons, see: Somerset, Anne. 2004. The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV. 1st U.S. ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press.</ref> The Huguenot, or French Protestants, also attempted to conduct a campaign against the king, although Louis' major persecution of them only began in the 1680s, a period after when the first season took place. The Huguenot's came closer to threatening the French crown long before Louis' reign in the 1610s-1620s.<ref>For more on the Huguenot revolts, see: Trim, David J. B., and Walter C. Utt, eds. 2011. <i>The Huguenots: History and Memory in Transnational Context ; Essays in Honour and Memory of Walter C. Utt.</i> Studies in the History of Christian Traditions 156. Leiden: Brill.</ref> {{Mediawiki:TabletAd1}} ====Main Characters==== <u>Louis XIV</u> Louis is depicted as have a strong desire to centralized the state, which is true from known historical records. He was famously quoted as saying "I am the state," which he did in fact say and was one of his well known declarations. While, on the one hand, he considered himself to be a devote Catholic, he was also known for his numerous affairs. Louis voracious sexual appetite is a well known historical fact. However, one of his main lovers is shown to be Henrietta of England. While it is likely they were close, there is no proof they were ever intimate. At the very least, she was not likely to be his main lover. In fact, Madame de Montespan, who is depicted in the series as a smart and cunning character, did become Louis main mistress and he even fathered seven children with her. In France, it was typical for a king to have an official mistress, where this position even offered some official power, which was a role de Montespan seems to have had.<ref>For a detailed history of Louis XIV, see: Levi, Anthony. 2004. <i>Louis XIV.</i> 1st Carroll & Graf ed. New York: Carroll & Graf.</ref> Louis is depicted as have a strong desire to centralized the state, which is true from known historical records. He was famously quoted as saying "I am the state," which he did in fact say and was one of his well known declarations. The Sun King was what he was called throughout Europe and Louis did emphasize his symbol of the sun as a way of showing his power. While, on the one hand, he considered himself to be a devote Catholic, he was also known for his numerous affairs. Louis voracious sexual appetite is a well known historical fact. However, one of his main lovers in the series is shown to be Henrietta of England. While it is likely they were close, there is no proof they were ever intimate, as he may have respected his brother by not sleeping with Henrietta, despite the fact his brother was gay. At the very least, she was not likely to be his main lover. In fact, Madame de Montespan, who is depicted in the series as a smart and cunning character, did become Louis' main mistress and he even fathered seven children with her. In France, it was typical for a king to have an official mistress, where this position even offered some official power, which was a role that de Montespan had for much of Louis' early reign.<ref>For a detailed history of Louis XIV, see: Levi, Anthony. 2004. <i>Louis XIV.</i> 1st Carroll & Graf ed. New York: Carroll & Graf.</ref> <dh-ad/> <u>Maria Theresa of Spain</u> Maria was Louis' first wife, who was the daughter of the king of Spain and was a marriage made as part of a treaty with Spain to create peace between France and Spain. She is generally known to have been virtuous. However, one major possible scandal may have concerned her. In the series and in the first episode, she is shown giving birth to a dark colored baby. This may, in fact, have happened, although the reasons for this are not agreed upon. There may have been a baby born to Maria who was dark in color; however, this may have been due to oxygen deprivation. Another rumor, however, suggested that the queen had an affair with her black jester and this baby was the result of that affair. Years later, a black nun, whose parents were unknown, was rumored to be the child that Maria gave birth to. In effect, there were rumors about the events depicted in the series, but the circumstances are not clear and the French court was often full of often false rumors. Maria was Louis' first wife, who was the daughter of the king of Spain and was married to Louis as part of a treaty with Spain to create peace between France and Spain. She is generally known to have been virtuous. However, one major possible scandal may have concerned her. In the series and in the first episode, she is shown giving birth to a dark colored baby. This may, in fact, have happened, although the reasons for this are not agreed upon. There may have been a baby born to Maria who was of mixed race; however, this may have been due to oxygen deprivation, causing the skin color. Another rumor suggested that the queen had an affair with her black jester (Nabo) and this baby was the result of that affair. Years later, a black nun, whose parents were unknown, was rumored to be the child that Maria gave birth to. In effect, there were rumors about the events depicted in the series, but the circumstances are not clear and the French court was often full of false rumors.<ref>For more on Maria Theresa of Spain, see: Forester, C.S. 2007. <i>Louis Xiv: King of France and Navarre</i>. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, pg. 211</ref> <u>Philippe I, Duke of Orléans</u> Philippe, Louis' brother, is shown as being close but also competitive with his brother, where their rivalry often boils over in Philippe's defiance of the king. Philippe is shown as gay and this is a well known fact. Despite being married to Henrietta, Philippe had a lover named Chevalier de Lorraine, a French noble, who was a historical figure. In one episode, Philippe dresses in woman's clothing, which was known to have occurred, as since his childhood his mother was known to have dressed him as a girl. Philippe, Louis' brother, is shown as being close but competitive with his brother, where their rivalry often boils over in Philippe's defiance of the king. Philippe is shown as gay and this is a well known fact. Despite being married to Henrietta, Philippe had a lover named Chevalier de Lorraine, a French noble, who was a historical figure. In one episode, Philippe dresses in woman's clothing, which was known to have occurred, as since his childhood his mother was known to have dressed him as a girl. Philippe's prowess on the battlefield, despite what people thought of his sexulity, did earn him respect by many soldiers.<ref>For more on Philippe's character and personality, see: Barker, Nancy Nichols. 1998. <i>Brother to the Sun King--Philippe, Duke of Orléans.</i> Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pg. 315.</ref> <u>Henrietta of England</u> While Louis' affairs with Henrietta are in dispute, she was known to have largely tolerated her husband's homosexual relationship with the Chevalier. Henrietta's relationship with her husband was likely awkward, even by the French court's standards. She may have had an affair with one of her husband's lovers, Guiche, although Henrietta and Philippe did manage to have several children, but the paternity of the children was rumored to be from others. In the series, Henrietta and Philippe are depicted as a couple in name only. Historically, the Chevalier did join Phillippe's household, where she did have to compete with her husband's lover for attention in the royal household despite her status. Nevertheless, she proved to be instrumental to the French crown when she helped secure the Treaty of Dover between England and France, where Henrietta, the sister of the English king, having played an important role in negotiations in the treaty. The portrayal in the series is largely accurate, as it credits her with the success of the treaty. While Louis' affairs with Henrietta are in dispute, she is shown as tolerating her husband's homosexual relationship with the Chevalier. Henrietta's relationship with her husband was, more likely, awkward, even by the French court's standards. She may have had an affair with one of her husband's lovers, Guiche, although Henrietta and Philippe did manage to have several children, but the paternity of the children was rumored to be from others given Philippe's known homosexuality. In the series, Henrietta and Philippe are depicted as a couple in name only. Historically, the Chevalier did join Philippe's household, where she did have to compete with her husband's lover for attention in the royal household despite her status as a royal figure. Nevertheless, she proved to be instrumental to the French crown when she helped secure the Treaty of Dover between England and France, where Henrietta, the sister of the English king, having played an important role in negotiations in the treaty that allowed the English to ally themselves with the French. The portrayal in the series is largely accurate, as it credits her with the success of the treaty.<ref>For more on Henrietta, see: Lehman, H. Eugene. 2011. <i>Lives of England’s Reigning and Consort Queens: England’s History through the Eyes of Its Queens.</i> Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, pg. 452.</ref> ==Display of Culture== ====Display of Culture==== <div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'> ====Related DailyHistory.org Articles==== [[British Criminal and Legal History Top Ten Booklist]] [[How did Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in World War Two?]] [[Was Elizabeth I Justified in having her Cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland Executed?]] [[How does The Magna Carta influence the Modern Perceptions of Civil Rights?]] [[Privateering during the War of 1812: Interview with Faye M. Kert]] [[Did the Congress of Berlin create a more unstable Europe?]] Much of the series depicted extravagant opulence and parties at the palace, where show was critical in displaying power and status. The series depicts that Louis made it a requirement for the nobility to view him getting ready in the morning and watch his performances such as dances. This is known to have occurred, as Louis did try to keep many nobles in court at Versailles, using the palace as a virtual prison for the nobility and keeping them from their lands. Fashion became an area of excess, which was true and many prominent officials and nobles began spending enormous sums of money on the latest fashions and clothing. In fact, the opulence in Louis' court was known to have influenced court life throughout Europe, where monarchs and other nobility began to imitate Louis' behavior and display of fashion and opulence.<ref>For more on court life in Versailles, see: Duindam, Jeroen Frans Jozef. 2003. <i>Vienna and Versailles: The Courts of Europe’s Major Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780.</i> New Studies in European History. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref> Much of the series depicted extravagant opulence and parties at the palace, where show was critical in displaying power and status. The series depicts that Louis made it a requirement for the nobility to view him getting ready in the morning and watch his performances such as dances. This is known to have occurred, as Louis did try to keep many nobles in court at Versailles, using the palace as almost a prison for the nobility and keeping them from their lands. Fashion became an area of excess, which was true and many prominent officials and nobles began spending enormous sums of money on the latest fashions and clothing. In fact, the opulence in Louis' court was known to have influence court life throughout Europe, where monarchs began to imitate Louis' behavior in trying to control the court and display of fashion and opulence. The series also depicts Louis creating a series of complicated etiquette for his court to follow. There is some truth in this, as the French etiquette system became more complicated during the reign of Louis. This was depicted as a way to help keep the nobles under control through elaborate ritual that required display of obedience to the king to be part of their routine.<ref>For more on the ritual at Versailles, see: Behr, Harold. 2015. <i>The French Revolution: A Tale of Terror and Hope for Our Times.</i> Brighton ; Chicago: Sussex Academic Press, pg. 11.</ref> The series also depicts Louis creating a series of complicated etiquette for his court to follow. There is some truth in this, as the French etiquette system became more complicated during the reign of Louis. This was depicted as a way to help keep the nobles under control through elaborate ritual that required display of obedience to the king. The main cultural event was the development of the palace at Versailles, where its gardens were tended to by a former French army soldier. The gardens did command a lot of attention by Louis and several well known designers were employed by the king to help design the gardens, including their famous orangerie. Oranges had relatively recently been introduced into Europe and the garden in Versailles astonished visitors as these delicate plants were able to survive harsh winter conditions despite the tropical origin of the fruit.<ref>For more on the gardens of Versailles, see: Baridon, Michel. 2008. <i>A History of the Gardens of Versailles.</i> Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.</ref> The main cultural event was the development of the palace at Versailles, where its gardens were tended to by a former French army soldier. The gardens did command a lot of attention by Louis and several well known designers were employed by the king to help design the gardens, including their famous orangerie. Oranges had relatively recently been introduced into Europe and the garden in Versailles astonished visitors as these delicate plants were able to survive harsh winter conditions despite the tropical origin of the fruit. ====Conclusion==== <i>Versailles</i> is a series full of visually effective scenes that display the intrigues of court, conflict in European affairs, and innovation that began to transform France and Europe in the age of the Sun King. While events such as the poisoning of royalty and birth of a black baby by the queen may not have happened as depicted in the series, many events did happen and the main characters and their personalities did represent aspects that were known from various historical accounts. Some of the timeline of events did not follow a historical timeline, such as the conflict with the Dutch, while other aspects did prove to be true, in particular Louis' attempts to centralize the state through his personality and through court etiquette that developed. At the center of Louis' desire for central power was the building of Versailles. In effect, this was true and Versailles did become not only one of the world most opulent palaces but became the symbol of France's centralized, royal power. Something that the participants in the later French Revolution noted as they stormed the palace grounds to capture and later execute Louis' great grandson Louis XVI. {{MediaWiki:AmNative}} ==Conclusion== ====References==== <i>Versailles</i> is a series full of visually effective scenes that display the intrigues of court, conflict in European affairs, and innovation that began to transform France and Europe in the age of the Sun King. While events such as the poisoning of royalty and birth of a black baby by the queen may not have happened as depicted in the series, many events did happen and the main characters and their personalities did represent aspects that were known from various historical accounts. Some of the timeline of events did not follow a historical timeline, such as the conflict with the Dutch, while other aspects did prove to be true, in particular Louis' attempts to centralize the state through his personality and through court etiquette that developed. At the center of Louis' desire for central power was the building of Versailles. In effect, this was true and Versailles did become not only one of the world most opulent palaces but became the symbol of France's centralized, royal power. Something that the participants in the later French Revolution noted as they stormed the palace grounds to capture and later execute Louis' great grandson Louis the XVI. {{Contributors}} [[Category:Wikis]] [[Category:French History]] [[Category:Historically Accurate]] [[Category:Enlightenment History]] Versailles Season 1 image. Versailles This article contains spoilers. Check out our article on the historical accuracy of the 1st season of Versailles. History and Key Events The story begins with Louis having a vision to build a great and grand palace at Versailles. The palace is depicted as a symbol for France and in the first season Louis attempts to instill in his nobility that the palace is to represent all of France and his role in building it is essentially to unify the country (Figure 1). Although the palace is known today for its grand opulence such as the Hall of Mirrors and other structures, the intent was to make this building project help centralize the state itself. Rebellion by nobles during the reign of his father was a major problem in France, weakening the country. The series rightly indicates that the construction of the palace was used as a way to control the government and put it more in the hands of the king by moving resources to Versailles. Paris had been rife with plots against the royal family, likely prompting Louis to move the court at a distance that allowed him to have better control of the government while not being trapped by the demands of the ever rebellious nobles. One major plot development is Louis asks his nobles to produce papers to prove their nobility. Louis XIV is known to have instigated a major program that verified the lineage of the nobility.[1] Figure 1. The Palace of Versailles in 1668 during the period represented in the series. Another key event in the early episodes is his war in Holland and the Spanish Netherlands. While initially very successful, Louis was persuaded to make peace with the Dutch after the war threatened to become much larger and involve other major European powers. Louis could not afford, early in his reign, to fight a long and protracted war, particularly given potential problems with the nobles and financial situation, where the construction of Versailles also became a drain on the treasury.[2] By 1671, the war rekindled and this time France marched into Dutch territory along with English support. The war continued until 1678, by which time Louis had gain territorial concessions from the Spanish Netherlands. The series did not give much detail about this prolonged conflict, where much of the focus was more on Louis' domestic problems with his nobles. Nevertheless, Louis is shown as trying to make alliances and treaties with the English and even African nobles visiting so that French trade could be placed in a more superior position, something that the war with the Dutch also allowed. These events were largely true and Louis did try to position French trade interests in the growing African and Atlantic trade networks.[3] One focus of the episodes is the rivalry between Louis and his brother Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Tension between the brothers was brewing because Louis would not let his brother join the war against the Dutch. Eventually Louis relents and Philippe proves to be a valiant warrior. Philippe was, in fact, a well known leader and proved to be a successful commander, earning the respect of his men for his bravery. The rivalry between the brothers in the series may be more fiction than fact.[4] There were various plots, including a series of poisonings called the Affair of the Poisons, that lasted from the 1670s-1680s, but the reasons for this did not relate to plots by nobles.[5] The Huguenot, or French Protestants, also attempted to conduct a campaign against the king, although Louis' major persecution of them only began in the 1680s, a period after when the first season took place. The Huguenot's came closer to threatening the French crown long before Louis' reign in the 1610s-1620s.[6] Louis is depicted as have a strong desire to centralized the state, which is true from known historical records. He was famously quoted as saying "I am the state," which he did in fact say and was one of his well known declarations. The Sun King was what he was called throughout Europe and Louis did emphasize his symbol of the sun as a way of showing his power. While, on the one hand, he considered himself to be a devote Catholic, he was also known for his numerous affairs. Louis voracious sexual appetite is a well known historical fact. However, one of his main lovers in the series is shown to be Henrietta of England. While it is likely they were close, there is no proof they were ever intimate, as he may have respected his brother by not sleeping with Henrietta, despite the fact his brother was gay. At the very least, she was not likely to be his main lover. In fact, Madame de Montespan, who is depicted in the series as a smart and cunning character, did become Louis' main mistress and he even fathered seven children with her. In France, it was typical for a king to have an official mistress, where this position even offered some official power, which was a role that de Montespan had for much of Louis' early reign.[7] Maria Theresa of Spain Maria was Louis' first wife, who was the daughter of the king of Spain and was married to Louis as part of a treaty with Spain to create peace between France and Spain. She is generally known to have been virtuous. However, one major possible scandal may have concerned her. In the series and in the first episode, she is shown giving birth to a dark colored baby. This may, in fact, have happened, although the reasons for this are not agreed upon. There may have been a baby born to Maria who was of mixed race; however, this may have been due to oxygen deprivation, causing the skin color. Another rumor suggested that the queen had an affair with her black jester (Nabo) and this baby was the result of that affair. Years later, a black nun, whose parents were unknown, was rumored to be the child that Maria gave birth to. In effect, there were rumors about the events depicted in the series, but the circumstances are not clear and the French court was often full of false rumors.[8] Philippe I, Duke of Orléans Philippe, Louis' brother, is shown as being close but competitive with his brother, where their rivalry often boils over in Philippe's defiance of the king. Philippe is shown as gay and this is a well known fact. Despite being married to Henrietta, Philippe had a lover named Chevalier de Lorraine, a French noble, who was a historical figure. In one episode, Philippe dresses in woman's clothing, which was known to have occurred, as since his childhood his mother was known to have dressed him as a girl. Philippe's prowess on the battlefield, despite what people thought of his sexulity, did earn him respect by many soldiers.[9] Henrietta of England While Louis' affairs with Henrietta are in dispute, she is shown as tolerating her husband's homosexual relationship with the Chevalier. Henrietta's relationship with her husband was, more likely, awkward, even by the French court's standards. She may have had an affair with one of her husband's lovers, Guiche, although Henrietta and Philippe did manage to have several children, but the paternity of the children was rumored to be from others given Philippe's known homosexuality. In the series, Henrietta and Philippe are depicted as a couple in name only. Historically, the Chevalier did join Philippe's household, where she did have to compete with her husband's lover for attention in the royal household despite her status as a royal figure. Nevertheless, she proved to be instrumental to the French crown when she helped secure the Treaty of Dover between England and France, where Henrietta, the sister of the English king, having played an important role in negotiations in the treaty that allowed the English to ally themselves with the French. The portrayal in the series is largely accurate, as it credits her with the success of the treaty.[10] Display of Culture Related DailyHistory.org Articles British Criminal and Legal History Top Ten Booklist How did Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in World War Two? Was Elizabeth I Justified in having her Cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland Executed? How does The Magna Carta influence the Modern Perceptions of Civil Rights? Privateering during the War of 1812: Interview with Faye M. Kert Did the Congress of Berlin create a more unstable Europe? Much of the series depicted extravagant opulence and parties at the palace, where show was critical in displaying power and status. The series depicts that Louis made it a requirement for the nobility to view him getting ready in the morning and watch his performances such as dances. This is known to have occurred, as Louis did try to keep many nobles in court at Versailles, using the palace as a virtual prison for the nobility and keeping them from their lands. Fashion became an area of excess, which was true and many prominent officials and nobles began spending enormous sums of money on the latest fashions and clothing. In fact, the opulence in Louis' court was known to have influenced court life throughout Europe, where monarchs and other nobility began to imitate Louis' behavior and display of fashion and opulence.[11] The series also depicts Louis creating a series of complicated etiquette for his court to follow. There is some truth in this, as the French etiquette system became more complicated during the reign of Louis. This was depicted as a way to help keep the nobles under control through elaborate ritual that required display of obedience to the king to be part of their routine.[12] The main cultural event was the development of the palace at Versailles, where its gardens were tended to by a former French army soldier. The gardens did command a lot of attention by Louis and several well known designers were employed by the king to help design the gardens, including their famous orangerie. Oranges had relatively recently been introduced into Europe and the garden in Versailles astonished visitors as these delicate plants were able to survive harsh winter conditions despite the tropical origin of the fruit.[13] Versailles is a series full of visually effective scenes that display the intrigues of court, conflict in European affairs, and innovation that began to transform France and Europe in the age of the Sun King. While events such as the poisoning of royalty and birth of a black baby by the queen may not have happened as depicted in the series, many events did happen and the main characters and their personalities did represent aspects that were known from various historical accounts. Some of the timeline of events did not follow a historical timeline, such as the conflict with the Dutch, while other aspects did prove to be true, in particular Louis' attempts to centralize the state through his personality and through court etiquette that developed. At the center of Louis' desire for central power was the building of Versailles. In effect, this was true and Versailles did become not only one of the world most opulent palaces but became the symbol of France's centralized, royal power. Something that the participants in the later French Revolution noted as they stormed the palace grounds to capture and later execute Louis' great grandson Louis XVI. ↑ For more on Louis' early part of his reign and vision to build Versailles, see: Berger, Robert W. 1985. Versailles: The Chateau of Louis XIV. Monographs on the Fine Arts 40. University Park: Published for the College Art Association of America by the Pennsylvania State University Press. ↑ For more on Louis' early wars and finances, see: Young, William. 2004. International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great: A Guide to the Historical Literature. New York, NY: Universe. ↑ For more on trade and alliances under Louis, see: Nolan, Cathal J., and Cathal J. Nolan. 2008. Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization. Greenwood Encyclopedias of the Modern World Wars. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, pg. 210. ↑ For more on Phillipe, see: Barker, Nancy Nichols. 1998. Brother to the Sun King--Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ↑ For ore on the Affair of the poisons, see: Somerset, Anne. 2004. The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV. 1st U.S. ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ↑ For more on the Huguenot revolts, see: Trim, David J. B., and Walter C. Utt, eds. 2011. The Huguenots: History and Memory in Transnational Context ; Essays in Honour and Memory of Walter C. Utt. Studies in the History of Christian Traditions 156. Leiden: Brill. ↑ For a detailed history of Louis XIV, see: Levi, Anthony. 2004. Louis XIV. 1st Carroll & Graf ed. New York: Carroll & Graf. ↑ For more on Maria Theresa of Spain, see: Forester, C.S. 2007. Louis Xiv: King of France and Navarre. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, pg. 211 ↑ For more on Philippe's character and personality, see: Barker, Nancy Nichols. 1998. Brother to the Sun King--Philippe, Duke of Orléans. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pg. 315. ↑ For more on Henrietta, see: Lehman, H. Eugene. 2011. Lives of England’s Reigning and Consort Queens: England’s History through the Eyes of Its Queens. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, pg. 452. ↑ For more on court life in Versailles, see: Duindam, Jeroen Frans Jozef. 2003. Vienna and Versailles: The Courts of Europe’s Major Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780. New Studies in European History. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. ↑ For more on the ritual at Versailles, see: Behr, Harold. 2015. The French Revolution: A Tale of Terror and Hope for Our Times. Brighton ; Chicago: Sussex Academic Press, pg. 11. ↑ For more on the gardens of Versailles, see: Baridon, Michel. 2008. A History of the Gardens of Versailles. Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Maltaweel, Admin and EricLambrecht Retrieved from "https://dailyhistory.org/index.php?title=How_Historically_Accurate_is_season_1_of_Versailles%3F&oldid=18440" Historically Accurate Enlightenment History	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line373
__label__wiki	0.99228	0.99228	‘The power center has always been in LA’: Video goes full Hollywood October 16, 2017 by Sahil Patel This past summer, a Los Angeles-based digital studio executive was looking for new office space in the sprawling city. With Facebook and YouTube headquartered in Playa Vista, Verizon’s Oath and Go90 recently taking office space in the same neighborhood and Snapchat’s campus in nearby Venice, Playa Vista seemed like a good spot for a company that wanted to sell and make shows and movies for these buyers. But it would come at a price. With all those platforms cramming into the area, the price of office space had more than doubled in the past 18 months, to around $4 to $5 per square foot. “You’re basically doubling your rent to be close to these guys,” the studio exec said. “We ended up choosing a place that was adjacent to those areas — not super close but close enough to get to them.” Since before the first talkie, LA has been the hub for movies and TV. It’s Hollywood, after all. In the past couple of years, some of the attention in digital video shifted to New York, especially as Facebook, Snapchat and other big platforms courted news and magazine publishers and advertisers. But as the social platforms, along with streaming platforms, have moved in favor of entertainment content, LA has reclaimed its place as the center of the action. Seeing the market growing, digital media companies have built entertainment divisions for the express purpose of developing, selling and producing movies and shows. And everyone has set up shop in LA. BuzzFeed’s offices, which comprise mainly BuzzFeed Entertainment employees, are in Hollywood. Mashable’s LA division is based in Culver City. Refinery29 is close to central LA. Vox Media is on the border between Culver City and Santa Monica. Heading west Plenty of deals are in the works. In August, Stone Roberts, svp of global video strategy for Refinery29, moved to LA to build a video team there. At the same time, Refinery29 signed a deal with the Hollywood talent agency WME to look for opportunities in film and TV for Refinery29. Refinery29 is working on a show called “Who Run the World” (it’s a working title) for TNT, which has ordered six episodes of the show with Refinery29 serving as the executive producer. (Turner, which owns TNT, invested $45 million in Refinery29 last year.) PopSugar, meanwhile, has made 174 hours of TV, including shows such as “So-Me” for Fox TV stations and “PopSugar Now” for CBS- and Lionsgate-owned Pop TV, according to the company. Former Fox Entertainment exec David Grant leads its studio arm, which has 65 people in Culver City. Earlier this year, PopSugar invested in a new production company called Toy Rocket and has its own PopSugar Films division, which is co-producing a movie with Lionsgate Digital Studios. “One of the things I want to get into this company is the DNA of selling content, in addition to the DNA we already have in selling media,” Grant said. “Publishers are good at selling media, but they’re not great at selling content, per se. They’re different mindsets. If you can get the DNA to sell both, the two together can be very powerful.” Since forming Mashable Studios in 2015, Mashable has signed original content deals with partners including Facebook, NBCUniversal’s Bravo, Sony’s Crackle and National Geographic. Mashable is producing three shows for Facebook’s Watch and has three separate production deals with Bravo for multiple digital shows. It made two web series for Nat Geo last year. “Mashable Studios’ goal is to build audience on new platforms and diversify our revenue stream. For a native digital media company, TV, cable and OTT are those new platforms,” said Eric Korsh, president of Mashable Studios, which has 19 employees, including former MTV executive Polly Auritt as its head of programming and development. “Just as New York is the core of journalism, Los Angeles is the core of entertainment — so that is where you must be if entertainment content is a central part of your business strategy.” Two years ago, Vox Media launched Vox Entertainment to create more long-form programming for streaming platforms and linear TV. Since then, Vox Entertainment, which has six execs with backgrounds in both digital media and TV, has sold six shows, with four series in production. Two of those shows were sold to Go90 (SB Nation’s “Foul Play”) and Comcast’s Watchable (journalist Liz Plank’s “Divided States of Women”). Vox Media President Marty Moe wouldn’t name the two other shows in production but said one was a “major broadcast network series” and the other a “big-time OTT series.” The network show will be announced in a few weeks, while the other streaming show might be announced later this year or early next year, he said. “There has never been any doubt in our minds that our brands could one day end up on TV,” said Moe. “What we were waiting for is when the disruption in the TV market would be significant enough or real enough — because it’s been playing out for over decades — that it would be ripe for us to make a move.” A vibrant but tenuous market It’s understandable why many are making those moves now. Facebook is reportedly willing to spend up to a billion dollars on content through 2018. Apple is making TV shows and has the same reported content budget. Go90 and Spotify are spending less than those two companies but are working with all types of studios and digital media companies on original content. Netflix and Amazon, along with linear TV, continue to be the holy grail for many companies trying get into show business. YouTube is planning to grow its Playa Vista office, according to sources. And Apple has plans to open up an office in Culver City, according to a source. Sibyl Goldman, Facebook’s head of entertainment partnerships, co-runs the company’s Playa Vista branch. Mina Lefevre, a former MTV executive and now Facebook’s head of development for original programming, is based in that office. Ricky Van Veen, CollegeHumor co-founder and the person leading Facebook’s move into entertainment, is based in New York but goes back and forth between the coasts, a Facebook spokesperson said. Facebook will continue to invest in LA for its “strong talent pipeline, location and entertainment/partner ecosystem,” the spokesperson added. With these and other content buyers, it’s no wonder the number of studios and media companies — both in digital and traditional media — looking to sell content has ballooned. Here are the five major forces and trends that will shape the future of TV in 2021 “To do business with YouTube, or Facebook or Snapchat, you want to be by them,” said JC Cangilla, COO of Ron Howard-backed studio New Form. “At a macro level, it’s good news because if you didn’t have a healthy ecosystem and if people were not investing in this space, it would not be good.” It’s unclear how many of these buyers will be around or willing to buy content a few years down the road, though. Facebook has said its long-term plans for Watch don’t include subsidizing the costs of the shows. Spotify recently pulled back on its original content plans as it tries to figure out a new video strategy. Watchable recently stopped funding original content. Go90 has also tightened its focus. “The power center has always been in LA,” said a longtime content executive at a streaming platform. “For a period of time, all these new entrants came in on these platforms with a low barrier of entry to build audiences. But it proved hard to monetize those audiences, so now it’s reverting back to TV again — it’s just that now you’re getting that TV content in an app, as opposed to only a linear network.” In the meantime, digital media companies and studios will continue to invest in LA. The opportunity is still too large. “A lot still has to be sussed out,” said Cangilla. “If you’re one of the big companies and you have 600 people in New York and another 600 here in LA, can you sustain that over time? They’re super successful now, but in my mind, the next cycle of companies are like ours, studios that cap out at 40 or a 100 people. They’re programming for multiple platforms; some of it is highly monetizable, some of it is weakly monetized but brings in new audiences. Those are the companies that I think start to win, whether that happens in LA or New York. I think it’s LA — but I’m super biased.”	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line374
__label__wiki	0.610986	0.610986	A founder’s story: 7 lessons on building a modern media business April 1, 2015 by Nick Friese Nick Friese is the founder and CEO of Digiday. Every company has a founder’s story. Digiday’s goes back to April 1, 2008, when only a fool would start a media company. It was the second-worst economy since the Great Depression. There was a severe credit crunch. Many well-established media companies struggled to survive. It was a very bad time to start a media business. I was sleeping on my mom’s couch, with no job, in the midst of a challenging divorce, pretty much broke. What better time to go for it than when you have nothing and nobody thinks you have a next move? The somewhat blurry vision I had: build a multiplatform content business that would confront the truths in modern media and marketing. It would come with an edge and be fun. I had nothing to lose but the rest of my paltry 401(k). Here’s what I learned along the way. The first lesson: When you have nothing, you need help. After two months of planning, the Digital Publishing and Advertising Conference was launched in June 2008. The only way it came about was thanks to a good friend who believed in my vision. Doug Carlson had a tech company called Zinio, with some money, that needed to connect with publishers. I got 300 publishers and tech providers together in a New York City hotel. At the time, nobody was hosting publisher-focused events, so we gave a voice to an underserved area of digital media. Without my friend’s backing, the event might never have happened. After the first conference was over, we had about $3,000 left in the bank. But I had proven the idea. I teamed up with an old colleague, Karen Arieli, who believed in the vision, if not the name. At the time, the company was DM2 Events, Digital Media and Marketing Events. Karen and I came up with the name Digiday as we were spit-balling names back and forth over email one afternoon. She lived in Jerusalem, so we would mostly brainstorm over email. Her shorter and better version of my “Digital-Day” stuck. The Digiday brand was born. The laws of nature take hold when you’re bootstrapping and poor. You need favors. You need friends to help you. You’ll quickly find out who your real friends are. I think about them almost every day. The second lesson: You have to suffer to win. The next three years of Digiday was filled with a mixture of severe highs and lows. Every day was trying to making ends meet, dealing with mounting costs, struggling to find talent, and navigating an erratic company culture. There were sleepless nights of trying to figure out if I could make payroll the next week, and how we could find a way to push off bills to reinvest into the future business. Bootstrapping creates a raging hunger to survive. You have to have a viable business model. You’ve got to get down to the work and provide value to earn money. You can’t fake it. There’s no margin for error. No time for hand-wringing or endless white-boarding sessions. There’s a ton of silent suffering when you’re building a business. It’s very much like road-bike racing: You always suffer if you want to win. You can’t soft pedal. You have to push yourself and your team all the time. It’s always painful. It’s the race face everyday. The third lesson: Never settle. I knew we had a different and more modern voice. The conferences were expanding from 2008 to 2011. But our publishing business was going nowhere fast. We had a horrible site and content that was equally bad. I needed an editor-in-chief. I didn’t have too much offer to anyone to attract them, other than what Digiday could become. I set up a number of meetings with editors. These were frustrating encounters with people who had the wrong mindsets, made crazy salary requirements, seemed too corporate, lacked vision, or were not entrepreneurial enough. It was dead-end after dead-end. I was “friends” with Brian Morrissey, a writer at Adweek, on Facebook and decided to reach out as I knew things were chaotic at the trade magazine. It was a perfect opportunity to team up with the guy I thought was the best reporter and mind in the industry. Over the Christmas holiday in 2011, I sent him a message inviting him to grab lunch to discuss what we were up to at Digiday. At our first meeting, we talked about a vision for the business. Brian talked about the need to build the next great media company for the industry. I sensed his entrepreneurial spirit and drive to do great things. We had a shared vision. The fourth lesson: Teamwork pays off. From day one, Brian shook things up with the site, events and people with his sharp mind, wit and talents. The dynamic changed and so did our future when he joined. Brian knew what real journalism was. I knew what the business side could do around that. Two completely necessary skills required to build a media business. Plus, we were both going for broke, moved fast, and are hyper-competitive. Few partnerships have those traits as well as the work ethic to make progress no matter what gets in the way. Our motto was, get shit done. Once Brian was on, we were able to make some other key hires in editorial with Mike Shields and Jack Marshall. They helped give our content more edge and bite. We did some stories early on that shook things up, like pieces that exposed the video networks abusing autoplay, questioned choices of a new management team at Yahoo, and offered a video parody of “Hitler reacts to ad tech.” Some very different and potent content was getting play in some very influential circles. On a whim, we made WhatTheFuckisMyTwitterBio.com, which became a viral hit. This was stuff that nobody else would do. The fifth lesson: Don’t pay attention to detractors. There’s nothing like the truth to cut through bullshit. The truth hits you smack between the eyes when you read it. Brian and his team were writing the stories that everyone was talking about behind the scenes but weren’t discussing publicly. Early on, many people told me we were haters of the industry. We lost sponsors over some of our stories. I received many angry calls from other clients with threats of pulling their business. Members of “The Old Timers List” were split with a mix of colorful critiques and compliments. We were shining lights in areas people didn’t want us to go, and that made us dangerous but also started to become a must-read. When you love something or someone and you are honest and direct with them, it shows you actually care. Our mission at Digiday was to foster change in media and marketing. We love the business. Always have and always will. The sixth lesson: Always change. Digiday today is nothing like it was. In 2011, we completely changed our business model. We were organized around sectors — mobile, video, social, etc. — and we shifted to focus solely on brands, agencies, publishers and platforms. We invested heavily in editorial to make sure we had the best content in the industry. That was a gamechanger. The business at that point was nearly entirely dependent on one-day events focused on sectors. This was a successful model, but it wasn’t the future. There’s never enough time for holding a high-quality audience, networking, and getting participation with one-day conferences. We doubled down on high-level multiday summits. We found a model that provided value to attendees and sponsors. That was a second gamechanger. We launched a content marketing studio three years ago to serve our clients. We launched five award programs for agencies, brands, publishers and technology companies. A career hub was put into place to allow people to find their next move. We created a custom research group to give companies insights on digital media and marketing. We opened up an office in London and just signed a partnership deal to launch Digiday Japan. We made other important changes along the way. We’ve had to let go of people who didn’t fit the culture or the future of the company. And that’s really hard because we are human, and it’s the tough side of growth. We’ve transformed from an events company to a three-pillar global media company comprised of publishing, which stands in the center, a content agency, and a conference and awards business. The seventh lesson: Persistence wins. Building a media company from scratch is really fucking hard. There’s no way around it. I have far more gray hairs today than seven years ago. We built our audience and business by focusing on quality. That’s expensive and takes a lot patience and persistence. We’re doing it one story, one conference, one client at a time and trying to build the next great media company for our industry. Now we have a complete focus on how brands, agencies, publishers, platforms and culture are being transformed by digital. Our voice is our own. We make no apologies for being honest. This year, we’ve been named one of Fast Company’s top 10 most-innovative global media companies and one of Inc. Magazines fastest-growing companies. We just won two Neal Awards, including for best website. We are profitable and now 40 people strong. We have a great management team and talent in every corner of the company. We are uniquely Digiday because of the people in this company and the commitment to our mission and values, which I’ll share here: To continually reimagine and recreate media. We create content, services and community that foster change in media and marketing. Our values: Deliver quality, be honest, experiment, embrace change, never give up, have fun, be generous and do.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line375
__label__wiki	0.810912	0.810912	Racist Mass Public Shooting at Louisville (KY) Kroger stopped by concealed handgun permit holder The national media has picked up on this story because the killer, Gregory Bush, is racist. But they are ignoring the fact that a white civilian with a concealed handgun permit stopped the attack. Both the people murdered at the Koger — Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Jones, 67 — were black. Bush had apparently tried to carry out an attack at a black church before choosing to shoot up the Kroger. Apparently, he was trying to kill as many blacks as possible, and many more could have been killed if not for the concealed handgun permit holder. When confronted by the concealed handgun permit holder, Bush is said to have told the permit holder: “Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.” Immediately after exchanging shots with the permit holder, Bush left the grocery store parking lot. This story could easily have been played as a white man with a concealed handgun permit saving blacks from a racist killer. On Wednesday afternoon, according to the New York Times, Bush apparently first went to a black church: Billy Williams, the church administrator, said eight to 10 people were inside the church when Mr. Bush arrived after a midweek service. A church member in the parking lot grew alarmed when she saw him aggressively pulling on the historic church’s front doors. Mr. Bush drove away after less than 10 minutes. . . . The Louisville Courier Journal reports that after Bush had visited the church: The first call came into MetroSafe at 2:54 p.m. reporting that shots were fired inside the store. There were reports of “multiple injuries.” . . . According to the Jeffersontown police, the suspect, Gregory Alan Bush, entered the grocery store and “gunned down” the first victim, and then exited the store where he killed the second victim. While in the parking lot, a citizen who possessed a concealed carry permit engaged with the suspect, according to Jeffersontown police. “Multiple rounds were fired by both the suspect and the intervening citizen,” Jeffersontown police wrote in a statement. “Neither the suspect nor the involved citizen, nor any other bystanders were injured with this exchange of gunfire.” Bush fled the scene in his vehicle. Police located Bush and his vehicle on Hurstbourne Parkway, next to the Stony Brook Center, where he was taken into custody. . . . Another story notes: “The police chief clarified that . . . the woman killed in the parking lot was shot by the suspect before the exchange [with the permit holder] began . . . .” Our list of mass public shootings stopped by permit holders is available here. The New York Times mentions that, “Mr. Bush was stopped by an armed bystander who shot at him in the parking lot.” The Chicago Tribune was somewhat better, noting: “Ed Harrell told the paper he was waiting on his wife in the parking lot when he heard gunshots and grabbed his revolver. As he crouched down, he said he saw the gunman walk ‘nonchalantly’ by with gun by his side. He said he called out to ask what was going on, and the gunman replied: ‘Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.'” But neither of the publications mention that Harrell had a concealed handgun permit. Bush isn’t correct that “Whites don’t shoot whites.” In the overwhelming majority of cases, people are murdered by members of their own race. In 2015, 81% of whites were murdered by whites, and blacks murdered 89% of blacks. Blacks were more than twice as likely to murder whites than whites were to murder blacks, but those numbers pale in comparison to the shares of blacks and whites that are killed by members of their own race. Concealed Handguns Stopped Mass Public Shooting, Defensive Gun Use Defensive Gun Uses Where People Legally Carrying Concealed Guns Have Stopped Crime, Cases From Early December to Late December 2019 Chicago armed robbery thwarted as gun owner with concealed-carry permit kills suspect I’m curious about the headline and the description in the article. Headline- “Mass public shooter stopped by concdaled handgun permit holder. Though seems that shooter Bush already out of Kroger’s and on his way to his car in the parking lot. They exchanged gun shots… so it seems that Ed Harrell may have slowed him down, but didn’t “stop” him. The Chicago Trib article you said did a better job than the NY Times did a better job, sure didn’t clarify that Harrell stopped Bush. I appreciate your reporting this, but sound more like conjecture. Maybe more accurate to say something like maybe slowed him down. Maybe he just wasn’t a good shot. johnrlott says: Just because Bush had left the store doesn’t mean that the killing had ended. The second person that Bush killed was killed in the parking lot. It was clear that the killer was looking for blacks and anyone that he had come across he would have killed. Bush was obviously scared of the concealed handgun permit holder when he said: “Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you.” Bush obviously also left immediately after the permit holder engaged. It seems noteworthy that of the 3 people Bush shot at, the one that returned fire was the only one that didn’t get hit. Well the shooter.s name certainly caught my attention.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line382
__label__wiki	0.641304	0.641304	Johnny Cash Heritage Festival to Begin (From left) Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of Arkansas State University Heritage Sites program; Joanne Cash Yates, Johnny Cash’s sister; Tommy Cash, Johnny Cash’s brother and Dyess mayor Ken Gilmore. JONESBORO — After the immensely successful music events honoring international music icon Johnny Cash and benefitting restoration of his boyhood home, a new chapter begins in 2017 with the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival. The new event that combines educational activities in Dyess, as well as entertainment and special events, continues the legacy of the earlier concert series held in Jonesboro. “I am thrilled to join Arkansas State University in announcing the first Johnny Cash Heritage Festival,” said Rosanne Cash, who worked with the university in developing plans for the festival. “For the first time, we will hold a festival in Dyess, in the cotton fields surrounding my dad’s childhood home and in the town center of the colony. We foresee an annual festival that will include both world-renowned artists on the main stage and local musicians on smaller stages, as well as educational panels, exhibits and local crafts.” The inaugural Johnny Cash Heritage Festival is set for Oct. 19-21, 2017, in Dyess. It will be extended beyond music to become a “heritage” festival, thus creating a great sense of both time and place associated with Johnny Cash’s early years. “As anyone who has spent any time listening – truly listening – to Johnny Cash knows, his music was born of some of the most profound events of the 20th century,” said A-State Chancellor Tim Hudson. “A child of the Great Depression and an advocate for those without a voice in the 1960s, his legacy is point of entry for generations to come to understand America. By incorporating discussions of the societal and historical forces that shaped our nation into this celebration, we are broadening the understanding of Johnny Cash.” Johnny Cash’s two living siblings, Joanne Cash Yates and Tommy Cash, were present for the announcement. Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of the Arkansas State University Heritage Sites program, noted the event would become a true festival by extending from a one-evening concert event to a three-day event that includes both educational and entertainment components. She also stated that the Heritage Studies, Ph.D. program would coordinate the educational/academic events with overall coordination through Arkansas State University Heritage Sites. “Assisting in carrying out the Master Plan for making the Dyess Colony and Johnny Cash Boyhood Home a major tourism destination will continue as one of the key goals of the festival,” Hawkins said. “The next phase will be to re-create the farmstead buildings at the Cash Boyhood Home and to provide other needed services and amenities for heritage tourists who come to visit the site. “It is fitting to incorporate the New Deal heritage that was part of Johnny Cash’s formative years into a major annual event that shines light on a critical era that is fading from memory,” Hawkins continued. This three-day event will include entertainment events on Friday and Saturday, preceded by an educational conference on Thursday and Friday, she added. For further announcements regarding the October 2017 festival, visit the festival Website or Facebook page.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line384
__label__cc	0.728685	0.271315	Ross Douthat \| Obamanomics and Health Care Obamanomics and Health Care December 17, 2009 5:58 pm December 17, 2009 5:58 pm We’ve achieved an unusual left-right convergence in the health care debate: Both conservatives and liberals are attacking the current version of reform as an egregious giveaway to the insurance industry. (Both sides sound an awful lot like Tim Carney, in other words.) Suddenly, it’s hard to tell the difference between the right’s Yuval Levin (“The bill is basically a massive subsidy to the insurers — it is not a reform of the system”) and the left’s Markos “Daily Kos” Moulitsas (“it’s unconscionable to force people to buy a product from a private insurer that enjoys sanctioned monopoly status”). Ed Kilgore argues that the two sides’s concerns, while superficially similar, are actually contradictory: … on a widening range of issues, Obama’s critics to the right say he’s engineering a government takeover of the private sector, while his critics to the left accuse him of promoting a corporate takeover of the public sector. They can’t both be right, of course, and these critics would take the country in completely different directions if given a chance. He’s right about the gulf between the critics’ prescriptions, but I think he’s wrong about the incompability of their critiques. Here’s Reihan, explaining why: Actually, it is entirely possible for both sets of critics to be correct. The concern from the right isn’t that the Obama approach will literally nationalize for-profit health insurers. Rather, it is that for-profit health insurers will continue evolving into heavily subsidized firms that function as public utilities, and that seek advantage by gaming the political process. Profits, including profits governed by medical loss ratios, can and will then be cycled into political action, which leads to the anxiety concerning a “corporate takeover of the public sector.” Again, progressives don’t literally believe that such a takeover is happening. Instead, they believe, rightly, that subsidies without effective cost containment represent a massive windfall for the private insurance sector, including non-profit insurers that generate salaries for large numbers of politically active middle and upper middle class professionals. So yes, Obama does not intend to nationalize the private insurance industry and then turn around and auction off the new nationalized health agency to Rupert Murdoch or Monsanto. But the anxieties of critics on the left and right are, to italicize for a moment, perfectly compatible. The point is that the more intertwined industry and government become, the harder it is to discern who’s “taking over” whom — and the less it matters, because the taxpayer is taking it on the chin either way. Or to put it another way: The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which … The Pardoner’s Tale Weekend Links	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line387
__label__wiki	0.658129	0.658129	Ross Douthat \| Sympathy For Bart Stupak Sympathy For Bart Stupak March 24, 2010 11:34 am March 24, 2010 11:34 am Yes, the executive order that Stupak accepted as cover for his pivotal health care vote is probably meaningless. And yes, the health care bill, as passed, effectively tilts public policy in a more pro-choice direction: The fact that women are required to write a separate check for abortion coverage means that public money isn’t literally paying for abortion, but it doesn’t change the fact that federal dollars are being spent in ways that make it much easier to obtain abortion-covering insurance. (And that’s without getting into the tangled issue of community health centers.) But what struck me most, at the end, wasn’t the folly of Stupak’s decision to compromise his pro-life principles by voting “yes,” but the extraordinary loneliness of his position before he folded. Here was a politician who embodies what a half-century ago would have been considered the sensible center in American politics — economically liberal, socially conservative — and whose politics represent a good faith effort to live out the social teaching of America’s largest religious body, the Roman Catholic Church. Yet who, in the political arena, really seemed to be on his side? Not the pro-choice left, obviously, which was willing to sacrifice the entire health care bill to the principle that nobody should have to pay for an abortion out of pocket. Not Stupak’s fellow liberal Catholics (E.J. Dionne, the editors of Commonweal, etc.) whose attitude seemed to be, “c’mon, Stupak, just get with the program, and sign up for the compromise that a pro-choice White House wants you to live with.” And not anti-abortion conservatives, who backed him to the hilt not because they wanted him to succeed, but because they assumed that he would fail, and in failing, drag the whole health care package down to defeat. Given this isolation, I’m inclined to feel a certain sympathy for Stupak, rather than outrage at his perfidy. (Especially since liberal Catholics are right about this much: Without the existence of the Stupak bloc, the legislation could have turned out much worse for abortion opponents.) There’s been a lot of talk on the right about how his eleventh-hour surrender marks “the death of the pro-life Democrat.” But that possibility should be the occasion for serious soul-searching among conservative pro-lifers, rather than just satisfaction about having been right about the Democratic Party all along. After all, there are still pro-life Democrats for a reason: Because many abortion opponents can’t reconcile their views on social justice with the harder-edged, “any redistribution equals socialism” tendencies in the Republican Party. Some of these pro-lifers are older Catholic Democrats like Stupak; some of them are younger Americans who are hostile to abortion but don’t vote on the issue because they can’t imagine themselves being represented by the party of Limbaugh and Beck. A successful pro-life politics desperately needs these constituencies to find representation — and if there’s no place for anti-abortion sentiment among the Democrats, then pro-lifers need the Republican Party to feel hospitable to voters whose impulses on social policy tend in a more communitarian direction. This has happened in the past; it didn’t happen in the health care debate. There are conservative and market-oriented proposals on health care reform that are consonant, I think, with Catholic teaching on a just society. But the Republican Party’s leadership wasn’t interested in talking about them, and conservative pro-lifers didn’t seem particularly concerned about this lacuna in the debate. Where was the pro-family pressure on conservative lawmakers to propose reforms that actually leveled the playing field between workers with employer-provided health insurance and those without it? Where was the pro-life Republican lawmaker standing up for the funding necessary to make high-risk pools actually work? Where was the right-of-center health care proposal that an anti-abortion but otherwise center-left Democrat might have felt comfortable breaking with his party and backing? For pro-lifers, this problem isn’t about to go away. Over almost forty years of post-Roe v. Wade debate, the pro-life movement has helped midwide what at least resembles an anti-abortion majority in American politics. But that majority is worth nothing without a political party that’s worthy of its votes. Health Care Pessimism, Cont. The Influential Books Game	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line388
__label__wiki	0.501426	0.501426	Home Environment Rewilding European Landscapes Bauer, N., Wallner, A., & Hunziker, M. (2009). The change of European landscapes: Humannature relationships, public attitudes towards rewilding, and the implications for landscape management in Switzerland. Journal of environmental management, 90, 2910–2920. Borrini-Feyerabend, G., Dudley, N., Jaeger, T., Lassen, B., Pathak Broome, N., Phillips, A., & Sandwith, T. (2013). Governance of protected areas. From understanding to action. Switzerland: IUCN. Brooks, T. M., Mittermeier, R. A., da Fonseca, G. A., Gerlach, J., Hoffmann, M., Lamoreux, J. F., Mittermeier, C. G., Pilgrim, J. D., & Rodrigues, A. S. (2006). Global biodiversity conservation priorities. Science, 313, 58. Butchart, S. H. M., Walpole, M., Collen, B., van Strien, A., Scharlemann, J. P. W., Almond, R. E. A., Baillie, J. E. M., Bomhard, B., Brown, C., Bruno, J., et al. (2010). Global biodiversity: Indicators of recent declines. Science, 328, 1164–1168. CBD (2011). Aichi biodiversity targets. Coetzer, K. L., Witkowski, E. T. F., & Erasmus, B. F. N. (2014). Reviewing biosphere reserves globally: Effective conservation action or bureaucratic label? Biological Review, 89, 82–104. Crofts, R. (2014). The european Natura 2000 protected area approach: A practitioner's perspective. Parks 20, 75–86. Deinet, S., Ieronymidou, C., McRae, L., Burfield, I. J., Foppen, R. P., Collen, B., & Bohm, M. (2013). Wildlife comeback in Europe: The recovery of selected mammal and bird species. London: Final report to Rewilding Europe by ZSL, BirdLife International and the European Bird Census Council.). Dudley, N. (2008). Guidelines for applying protected area management categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. EEA. (2004). High nature value farmland: Characteristics, trends and policy challenges. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency. EEA. (2009a). State of progress by Member States in designating sufficient protected areas to provide for Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) Annex I habitats and Annex II species. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency. EEA. (2009b). Distribution and targeting of the CAP budget from a biodiversity perspective. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency. EEA. (2013a). Nationally designated areas (CDDA—1). Accessed on line April 2014. EEA. (2013b). Natura 2000 data-the European network of protected sites. Accessed on line April 2014. Enserink, M., & Vogel, G. (2006). The carnivore comeback. Science, 314, 746. European Commission. (2002). Commission Working Document on Natura 2000 (Brussels). European Commission. (2011). The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (Luxembourg). European Commission. (2013). Guidelines on Wilderness in Natura 2000. Management of wilderness and wild areas within the Natura 2000 Network. Technical Report 2013–069. European Parliament. (2009). European Parliament resolution of 3 February 2009 on Wilderness in Europe (2008/2210(INI)). Fisher, M., Carver, S., Kun, Z., McMorran, R., Arrell, K., & Mitchell, G. (2010). Review of status and conservation of wild land in Europe. (Project commissioned by the Scottish Government.). Fritz, S., Carver, S., & See, L. (2000). New GIS approaches to wild land mapping in Europe. In Wilderness Science in a Time of Change Conference. Gaston, K. J., Jackson, S. F., Nagy, A., Cantú-Salazar, L., & Johnson, M. (2008a). Protected areas in Europe. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1134, 97–119. Gaston, K. J., Jackson, S. F., Cantú-Salazar, L., & Cruz-Piñón, G. (2008b). The ecological performance of protected areas. Annual Review Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 39, 93–113. Halada, L., Evans, D., Romão, C., & Petersen, J.-E. (2011). Which habitats of European impor- tance depend on agricultural practices? Biodiversity and Conservation, 20, 2365–2378. Henle, K., Alard, D., Clitherow, J., Cobb, P., Firbank, L., Kull, T., McCracken, D., Moritz, R. F. A., Niemelä, J., Rebane, M., et al. (2008). Identifying and managing the conflicts between agriculture and biodiversity conservation in Europe—A review. Agricultural Ecosystem Environment, 124, 60–71. Henle, K., Kranz, A., Klenke, R. A., & Ring, I. (2013). Policy brief. In R. A. Klenke, I. Ring, A. Kranz, N. Jepsen, F. Rauschmayer, & K. Henle (Eds.), Human-wildlife conflicts in Europe (pp. 1–3). Berlin: Springer. Hochkirch, A., Schmitt, T., Beninde, J., Hiery, M., Kinitz, T., Kirschey, J., Matenaar, D., Rohde, K., Stoefen, A., Wagner, N., et al. (2013). Europe needs a new vision for a natura 2020 network. Conserv. Lett, 6, 462–467. Hochtl, F., Lehringer, S., & Konold, W. (2005). “Wilderness”: What it means when it becomes a reality-a case study from the southwestern Alps Landscape. URBAN Plan, 70, 85–95. IUCN. (1969). Tenth General Assembly-Volume II: Proceedings and Summary of Business. (Morges, Switzerland). IUCN. (2013). Guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations. (Version 1.0.). Switzerland: IUCN Species Survival Commission. Jones-Walters, L., & Čivić, K. (2010). Wilderness and biodiversity. Journal for Nature Conservation, 18, 338–339. Jones-Walters, L., & Čivić, K. (2013). European protected areas: Past, present and future. Journal for Nature Conservation, 21, 122–124. Jørgensen, D., Nilsson, C., Hof, A. R., Hasselquist, E. M., Baker, S., Chapin, F. S., Eckerberg, K., Hjältén, J., Polvi, L., & Meyerson, L. A. (2014). Policy language in restoration ecology. Restoration Ecology, 22, 1–4. LCIE. (2004). Status and trends for large carnivores in Europe (UNEP-WCMC Project). Leverington, F., Costa, K. L., Pavese, H., Lisle, A., & Hockings, M. (2010). A global analysis of protected area management effectiveness. Environmental Management, 46, 685–698. MacDonald, D., Crabtree, J. R., Wiesinger, G., Dax, T., Stamou, N., Fleury, P., Gutierrez Lazpita, J., & Gibon, A. (2000). Agricultural abandonment in mountain areas of Europe: Environmental consequences and policy response. Journal of environmental management, 59, 47–69. McGrory Klyza, C. (2001). An eastern turn for wilderness. In C. McGrory Klyza (Ed.), Wilderness comes home. Rewilding the Northeast (pp. 3–26). London: Middlebury College Press. Meijaard, E., & Sheil, D. (2011). A modest proposal for wealthy countries to reforest their land for the common good. Biotropica, 43(5), 524–528. Merckx, T., & Macdonald, D. W. (in press). Landscape-scale Conservation of Farmland Moths. In D. W. Macdonald & R. E. Feber (Eds.), Wildlife conservation on farmland. Oxford University Press. Merckx, T., & Pereira, H. M. (in press). Reshaping agri-environmental subsidies: From marginal farming to large-scale rewilding. Basic and Applied Ecology. doi:10.1016/j.baae.2014.12.003 Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., Brooks, T. M., Pilgrim, J. D., Konstant, W. R., Da Fonseca, G.A. B., & Kormos, C. (2003). Wilderness and biodiversity conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 100, 10309–10313. Nash, R. (1967). Wilderness and the American mind. New Haven Yale: Yale University Press. Phalan, B., Onial, M., Balmford, A., & Green, R. E. (2011). Reconciling food production and biodiversity conservation: Land sharing and land sparing compared. Science, 333, 1289–1291. Pinto, B., & Partidário, M. (2012). The history of the establishment and management Philosophies of the Portuguese protected areas: Combining written records and oral history. Environmental Management, 49, 788–801. Possingham, H., Wilson, K. A., Andelman, S. J., & Vynne, C. H. (2006). Protected areas: Goals, limitations, and design. In M. J. Groom, G. K. Meffe, and C. R. Carroll (Eds.), Principles of Conservation Biology (pp. 507–549). USA: Sinauer Associates, Inc. Queiroz, C., Beilin, R., Folke, C., & Lindborg, R. (2014). Farmland abandonment: threat or opportunity for biodiversity conservation? A global review. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment, 12(5), 288. Ramão, C., Reker, J., Richard, D., & Jones-Walters, L. (2012). Protected areas in Europe-an overview. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency. Rey Benayas, J. M., Martins, A., Nicolau, J. M., & Schulz, J. J. (2007). Abandonment of agricultural land: an overview of drivers and consequences. CAB reviews: Perspectives in agriculture, veterinary science, nutrition and natural resources, 2, 1–14. Rudd, M. A. (2011). How research-prioritization exercises affect conservation policy. Conservation biology: the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, 25, 860–866. Russo, D. (2006). Effects of land abandonment on animal species in Europe: conservation and management implications. University Degli Studi Napoli Federico Napoli Italy. Similä, J., Varjopuro, R., Habighorst, R., & Ring, I. (2013). Module 4: Legal and institutional framework. In R.A. Klenke, I. Ring, A. Kranz, N. Jepsen, F. Rauschmayer, & K. Henle (Eds.), Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Europe (pp. 251–260). Berlin: Springer. UNESCO. (1996). Biospheres reserves: The seville strategy and the statutory framework of the world network. Paris: UNESCO. US Congress. (1964). Wilderness Act—Public Law 88-577 (16 U.S.C. 1131–1136) Washington, DC. World Heritage Centre. (2013). Operational guidelines for the implementation of the world heritage convention. Paris: UNESCO. Academic library - free online college e textbooks - info{at}ebrary.net - © 2014 - 2021	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line389
__label__cc	0.677488	0.322512	by Millennium31 Social Studies Subject: American History Grade: Many people believed it was God's will that they expanded. Therefore, they thought that by destroying the Native American's land, they were carrying out their duty. What is Manifest Destiny?Manifest Destiny is a term used to describe the belief that the United States was destined to grow during the 1800s. Manifest Destiny"The Great Experiment of Liberty" This term first came into use in 1845. John L. O'Sullivan used this term in his newspaper article. To encourage people to move into Mexico, the Mexican government allowed all Americans to move in. They hated this idea, and rebelled until John Tyler brought them back. He did this because he needed votes. This led to the annexation of Texas, and the Mexican American war. This is the figure "Columbia,"who represented Manifest Destiny. After the U.S. government took their land to fulfill Manifest Destiny, they forced Native Americans on a hard journey to reservations. This journey was named the "Trail of Tears." Through Manifest Destiny, the U.S. successfully expanded the country. Sadly, thousands of Native Americans were forced out of their homes and 4,000 were killed in the process of expansion. The U.S. government was worried to conquer Texas because they were afraid Mexico would try to take it back and cause another war. The Mexicans believed the United States didn't have a right to take their land. However, the Americans thought anyone could take it. People who believed in Manifest Destiny thought that the U.S. should rule all of North America because of their political and economical power. People's attitude toward U.S. expansion fueled western settlement, Native American removal, and war with Mexico. Different people came up with different ideas to expand, and nearly every American thought it was necessary by 1823. After the war between Mexico and America, the phrase was directly pointed at Cuba, Hawaii, and South America. The philosophy behind Manifest Destiny had been consistent throughout American history, although it was never named until 1845. While James K. Polk was running for president, he promised Manifest Destiny. Abraham Lincoln was completely against it. Many southerners wanted to find more land suitable for cotton. When they expanded, they spread slavery, causing more problems later. Manifest Destiny caused the United States and its population to double in size. SourcesWorld Book Millennium 2000, Volume 13History.com "Manifest Destiny"www.let.rug.nl"The Mexican American War" by Matthew Kacher Even though the U.S. had plenty of land, they demanded that Flordia was conquered. Manifest Destiny was supposed to spread American democracy, freedom, and culture. John Gast	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line390
__label__wiki	0.535848	0.535848	Grand Lake High Beats Two Hurricanes on Way to State Title Game Google Maps/Google Streetview Yesterday in Natchitoches Louisiana the LHSAA Prep Football Classic got underway. No, the games weren't originally scheduled to be played on a Sunday and no they weren't originally scheduled to be played in Natchitoches. But when you consider all that the high school administrators, coaches, and players had to go through just to get to a championship game then you realize that just getting the chance to play is the important part of this story. However, one school had to go through a little bit more, no wait, a lot more than the other 17 schools that will compete for a state high school football title over the next few days. That school is Grand Lake High School. Today at 11 am the Hornets of Grand Lake will take on top-seeded and defending Class A champions Oak Grove. While that's a tough order. The Grand Lake Hornets out of Cameron Parish have been through worse this year. In fact, they have been through worse twice this year in the form of Hurricanes Laura and Delta. As you might imagine this year was already different because of COVID-19. It was made even more of a challenge by Mother Nature. Still, the Hornets and Coach Jeff Wainwright have prevailed. The team is 8 and 1 on the year and today's championship game at 11 will mark the school's first appearance in a state title game. If you'd like to watch the game Cox Sports Television will have the contest but they will not show it live. If you want to watch the game live you can do so online at nfhsnetwork.com. That online service does charge a subscription fee. Top 10 Rated Football Movies of All-Time Filed Under: high school football, hurricane season 2020, lhsaa Categories: State Sports	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line391
__label__wiki	0.672656	0.672656	Encourage development of new antimicrobials Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat, particularly given the modest activity in the pipeline of new antimicrobials in development, and emerging resistance to existing antibiotics. In 2016, Lord Jim O’Neill published a globally-focused review on AMR, which highlighted the lack of incentives for new antimicrobial development and encouraged a worldwide system of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ incentives to stimulate new drug development. Push incentives have gathered pace with combatting antibiotic-resistant bacteria via biopharmaceutical accelerator (CARB-X), global AMR innovation fund (GAMRIF), and other public/private investors funding early-stage research. However, effective pull incentives are still needed. The UK government, in response to the O’Neill report, started working with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), NICE, and NHS England to investigate a novel approach to value assessment of new antimicrobials, which would inform a scheme to pay companies primarily based on their value to the NHS as opposed to the volumes used. NICE recognised that current health technology assessment (HTA) methods generally do not fully assess the specific value of new antimicrobials beyond the benefit of curing a given patient’s infection. It has been argued that the value assessment needs to address additional attributes, such as the impact on transmission, spectrum effect, enablement, and diversity values, while also factoring in the impact of development of resistance to the new and existing antimicrobials. NICE and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned an academic group at the University of York that carried out an 18-month study researching how to design a new HTA approach using these principles, in order to facilitate such a payment scheme. Following on from the methodological research, the UK is now planning to test two antimicrobials with the novel HTA value assessment. This will be considered alongside a test of an innovative reimbursement approach that provides proportionate incentives to invest in research and development while supporting antimicrobial stewardship. By testing the feasibility of evaluating and reimbursing antimicrobials in a different way, the UK is sending a clear signal to the rest of the world that workable models can achieve the right sort of pull incentives for these vital medicines. To have a more significant impact on AMR globally, other countries will need to respond to this signal by developing similar incentives in their own domestic markets. I would like to acknowledge my co-authors Dr Nick Crabb, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK, and Tracy Parker, Health Protection Policy, Head of AMR, HCAI, and Sepsis policy at Department of Health and Social Care, UK, for their contribution. Dr Colm Leonard is a Consultant Thoracic Physician at University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust since October 2000 and, since 2008, spends 50% of his time as clinical adviser to the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at NICE. He leads the clinical input on the AMR work in NICE. A Graduate of the Medical School at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dr Leonard has a very broad experience in clinical care of immune-suppressed patients, basic science research, animal model work, and clinical trials, and his horizon-scanning work with NICE spans across all clinical specialties. First published in European Biotechnology, Spring 2019 Edition.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line392
__label__wiki	0.603851	0.603851	(-) Remove Outreach filter Outreach Reproduction (2) Apply Reproduction filter Margaret Higgins Sanger (1879-1966) Margaret Higgins Sanger advocated for birth control in the United States and Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although people used contraceptives prior to the twentieth century, in the US the 1873 Comstock Act made the distribution of information relating to the use of contraceptives illegal, and similar state-level Comstock laws also classified discussion and dissemination of contraceptives as illegal. Subject: People, Reproductive Health Arizona, Reproduction, Outreach People's Padre: An Autobiography (1954), by Emmett McLoughlin Emmett McLoughlin wrote People's Padre: An Autobiography, based on his experiences as a Roman Catholic priest advocating for the health of people in Arizona. The Beacon Press in Boston, Massachusetts, published the autobiography in 1954. McLoughlin was a Franciscan Order Roman Catholic priest who advocated for public housing and healthcare for the poor and for minority groups in Phoenix, Arizona, during the mid twentieth century. The autobiography recounts McLoughlin's efforts in founding several community initiatives throughout Phoenix, including the St. Subject: Outreach, People, Publications, Religion Julia Clifford Lathrop (1858–1932) Julia Clifford Lathrop was an activist and social reformer in the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and the first chief of the United States Children’s Bureau. In that capacity, she conducted demographic studies to identify links between socioeconomic factors and infant mortality rates. Lathrop mobilized the effort to increase birth registration and designed programs and publications to promote infant and maternal health throughout the US. Subject: People, Outreach	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line395
__label__wiki	0.546957	0.546957	(-) Remove Reproduction filter Reproduction Graphics (2) Apply Graphics filter Displaying 51 - 75 of 244 items. The Shettles Method of Sex Selection In the 1960s in the United States Landrum B. Shettles developed the Shettles method, which is a procedure for couples to use prior to and during an intercourse to increase their chances of conceiving a fetus of their desired sex. Shettles, a physician, who specialized in obstetrics and gynecology, found a difference in the size and shape of male sperm cells that he correlated with the different sex chromosomes they carry. Leon Richard Kass (1939- ) A PhD and medical doctor turned ethicist, Leon Kass calls himself an unlicensed humanist. Throughout his unique career he has sought to impact others and engage important cultural issues. This he has accomplished over the course of many years by studying biochemistry, teaching humanities, writing articles and books on ethics, and serving as chair of the President's Council on Bioethics. Subject: People, Ethics, Reproduction Gregory Goodwin Pincus (1903-1967) Gregory Goodwin Pincus, one of the original researchers responsible for the development of the first oral contraceptive pill, was born in Woodbine, New Jersey, on 19 April 1903 to Russian Jewish parents. In 1924 Pincus received his BS degree from Cornell University, and in 1927 he received his MS and PhD from Harvard University, having studied under William Ernest Castle and William John Crozier. Subject: People, Reproduction Images of Embryos in Life Magazine in the 1950s Embryonic images displayed in Life magazine during the mid-twentieth century serve as a representation of technological advances and the growing public interest in the stages of embryological development. These black-and-white photographs portray skeletal structures and intact bodies of chicken embryos and human embryos and fetuses obtained from collections belonging to universities and medical institutions. Subject: Outreach, Publications, Reproduction Multi-Fetal Pregnancy In humans, multi-fetal pregnancy occurs when a mother carries more than one fetus during the pregnancy. The most common multi-fetal pregnancy is twins, but mothers have given birth to up to eight children (octuplets) from a single pregnancy. Multiple fetusus can result from the release of multiple eggs or multiple ovulations, the splitting of a single fertilized egg, and fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) which involves the insertion of many fertilized eggs into the mother's uterus. Subject: Processes, Reproduction The Yale Embryo In 1934 a fourteen-day-old embryo was discovered during a postmortem examination and became famous for being the youngest known human embryo specimen at the time. The embryo was coined "the Yale Embryo," named after the location where it was discovered, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. During the early twentieth century, the rush to collect embryos as well as to find younger and younger embryos was at an all time high, and the Yale Embryo is representative of the this enthusiasm. Meiosis in Humans Meiosis, the process by which sexually-reproducing organisms generate gametes (sex cells), is an essential precondition for the normal formation of the embryo. As sexually reproducing, diploid, multicellular eukaryotes, humans rely on meiosis to serve a number of important functions, including the promotion of genetic diversity and the creation of proper conditions for reproductive success. Litowitz v. Litowitz [Brief] (2002) Pursuant to an express provision of the embryo disposition contract they both signed, a husband and wife had to petition the court for instructions because they could not reach an agreement about what to do with frozen embryos when they divorced. The trial court awarded the pre-embryos to the husband and the Court of Appeals affirmed this decision. However, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the pre-embryos should be thawed out and allowed to expire because the dispute had not been resolved within a five year time frame prescribed by the Cryopreservation Agreement. Neural Tube Defects (NTD): Folic Acid and Pregnancy In the US, one in 1000 births is affected by neural tube defects (NTD). A neural tube defect is a birth defect involving the malformation of body features associated with the brain and spinal cord. An NTD originates from and is characterized by incomplete closure of the neural tube, which is an organizer and precursor of the central nervous system. Subject: Disorders, Reproduction The Y-Chromosome in Animals The Y-chromosome is one of a pair of chromosomes that determine the genetic sex of individuals in mammals, some insects, and some plants. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the development of new microscopic and molecular techniques, including DNA sequencing, enabled scientists to confirm the hypothesis that chromosomes determine the sex of developing organisms. In an adult organism, the genes on the Y-chromosome help produce the male gamete, the sperm cell. Beginning in the 1980s, many studies of human populations used the Y-chromosome gene sequences to trace paternal lineages. Subject: Reproduction, Theories Free Hospital for Women Scrapbook by Harvard University Library This scrapbook is part of the Harvard University Library's collection on "Working Women, 1800-1930," which is itself part of the Open Collections Program. The print version is located at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine. It contains information about the hospital, including articles from newspapers, magazines, and other publications; photographs of the hospital, employees, and special events; lecture announcements; letters and other forms of correspondence; ration cards; tickets; forms; certificates; posters; programs; and playbills. Subject: Organizations, Ethics, Reproduction Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Cardiac Development A variety of developmental defects occur as a result of prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) in utero. In humans, those defects are collectively classified as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) representing the more severe defects. FAS is defined by pre- and post-natal growth retardation, minor facial abnormalities, and deficiencies in the central nervous system (CNS). In addition to those defects, prenatal exposure to alcohol impacts cardiogenesis, the developmental stage of heart formation. Plan B: Emergency Contraceptive Pill Plan B is a progestin-only emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) that can be taken within seventy-two hours of unprotected sex in order to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Plan B was created in response to the United States Food and Drug Administration's (US FDA) 1997 request for new drug applications (NDAs) for a dedicated ECP product, and was approved for sales in the US in 1999. Duramed, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, manufactures Plan B for The Women's Capital Corporation (WCC), which owns the patent for Plan B. J.B. v. M.B. [Brief] (2001) In a dispute over frozen embryos during a divorce case, the court decided the wife's fundamental right to not procreate mandated destruction of the pre-embryos in light of the husband's continuing ability to procreate with a different partner. The court also said embryo disposition agreements used by in vitro fertilization clinics were generally enforceable subject to either spouse's right to change his or her mind prior to use of the pre-embryos. Facial Abnormalities of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) results in a continuum of physical, neurological, behavioral, and learning defects collectively grouped under the heading Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was first defined in 1973 as a condition characterized by pre- and postnatal growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and defects of the central nervous system. The pattern of facial defects that occur as a result of ethanol exposure during development primarily affects the midline of the face, altering morphology of the eyes, nose, and lips. The Effects of Bisphenol A on Embryonic Development Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound that was first synthesized by Aleksandr Dianin, a Russian chemist from St. Petersburg, in 1891. The chemical nomenclature of BPA is 2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane. The significance of this synthesized compound did not receive much attention until 1936, when two biochemists interested in endocrinology, Edward Dodds and William Lawson, discovered its ability to act as an estrogen agonist in ovariectomized, estrogen-deficient rats. Robert Geoffrey Edwards's Study of in vitro Mammalian Oocyte Maturation, 1960 to 1965 In a series of experiments between 1960 and 1965, Robert Geoffrey Edwards discovered how to make mammalian egg cells, or oocytes, mature outside of a female's body. Edwards, working at several research institutions in the UK during this period, studied in vitro fertilization (IVF) methods. He measured the conditions and timings for in vitro (out of the body) maturation of oocytes from diverse mammals including mice, rats, hamsters, pigs, cows, sheep, and rhesus monkeys, as well as humans. Subject: Experiments, Reproduction Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) Caused by Fertility Treatment Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, abbreviated OHSS, is an atypical reaction that women may experience in response to excessive hormones, and often occurs during fertility treatments. OHSS is typically triggered by hormonal medications designed to mature eggs in the ovaries, which can cause blood vessels within the ovaries to leak fluid. Sometimes that can lead to painful tenderness or swelling. In severe cases of OHSS, that fluid can leak into the abdominal cavity in large amounts, causing vomiting, blood clots, and severe pain. Subject: Reproduction Jeter v. Mayo (2005) In Jeter v. Mayo, the Court of Appeals of Arizona in 2005 held that a cryopreserved, three-day-old pre-embryo is not a person for purposes of Arizona's wrongful death statutes, and that the Arizona Legislature was best suited to decide whether to expand the law to include cryopreserved pre-embryos. The Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by the Maricopa County Superior Court to dismiss a couple's wrongful death claim after the Mayo Clinic (Mayo) allegedly lost or destroyed several of their cryopreserved pre-embryos. Subject: Reproduction, Legal Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells (UCBSC) Umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells are hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that are recovered from the blood of the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Umbilical cord blood is rich in cells that express the CD34 molecule, a surface protein that identifies cells as stem cells. Prior to the discovery of UCB stem cells, it was standard procedure to discard the umbilical cord and placenta; now much effort is devoted to raising public awareness and to encouraging people to store or donate cord blood. Throughout history methods involving urine have been a popular way to test for pregnancy. Early ideas ranged from simply observing the color of a woman's urine to the notion that the urine of pregnant women contains special crystals or secretions. Indeed, pregnancy testing can be traced back to 1350 BCE in Ancient Egypt. A written document from the time describes a process in which a woman would urinate on wheat and barley seeds over several days and, depending on which plant grew, both the woman's pregnancy status and the sex of the fetus could be determined. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of a woman's uterus. For many women, a hysterectomy comes as a solution to health problems as diverse as abnormal bleeding to reproductive cancers. First performed in the early 1800s, this procedure has evolved in terms of both technique and popularity. The first successful abdominal hysterectomy was performed by Ellis Burnham in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1853, although earlier attempts were made in the 1840s. The Birth Control Pill The birth control pill, more commonly known as "the pill" is a form of contraception taken daily in pill form and consisting of synthetic hormones formulated to prevent ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of a fertilized egg. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first birth control pill, Enovid, in June 1960. It was the first contraceptive pill marketed worldwide. Since then a number of different pills have been developed, which differ in hormone type and dosage, and whether they contain one hormone (the minipill) or two (the combination pill).	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line396
__label__wiki	0.711076	0.711076	Assisted Human Reproduction Act (2004) The Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHR Act) is a piece of federal legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada. The Act came into force on 29 March 2004. Many sections of the Act were struck down following a 2010 Supreme Court of Canada ruling on its constitutionality. The AHR Act sets a legislative and regulatory framework for the use of reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization and related services including surrogacy and gamete donation. The Act also regulates research in Canada involving in vitro embryos. Subject: Legal, Reproduction, Ethics Tomorrow's Children (1934) Tomorrow's Children is a film that tells the story of Alice Mason, a young woman whom the US government forcibly sterilizes because she comes from a family with a history of alcoholism, mental illnesses, and physical disabilities, traits that they considered biologically determined and inferior. The film, released in 1934, was directed by Crane Wilbur, produced by Bryan Foy, written by Wilbur and Wallace Thurman, and released by Foy Productions Ltd. Plowman v. Fort Madison Community Hospital (2017) In June 2017, the Iowa Supreme Court decided the case Plowman v. Fort Madison Community Hospital, or Plowman v. FMCH, and ruled that women who gave birth to children with severe disabilities could sue for wrongful birth in Iowa. Specifically, after Plowman v. FMCH, a woman could sue for wrongful birth if she believed that her physicians failed to disclose evidence of fetal abnormalities that may have prompted her to terminate the pregnancy. Revive & Restore (2012– ) Revive and Restore is a California-based nonprofit that uses genetic engineering to help solve conservation problems, such as saving endangered species and increasing the biodiversity of ecosystems. To facilitate their solutions, Revive and Restore utilizes genetic engineering, which is the process of making changes to an organism’s DNA, or the set of instructions for how an organism develops and functions. Subject: Organizations, Theories Doe v. Bolton (1973) In the 1973 court case Doe v. Bolton, the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that a Georgia law regulating abortion was unconstitutional. The Georgia abortion law required women seeking abortions to get approval for the procedure from their personal physician, two consulting physicians, and from a committee at the admitting hospital. Furthermore, under the statutes, only women who had been raped, whose lives were in danger from the pregnancy, or who were carrying fetuses likely to be seriously, permanently malformed were permitted to receive abortions.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line397
__label__wiki	0.735313	0.735313	Commentary from the front lines: American physician assistants working in a United Kingdom emergency department J S Smith, B Tevis, K Murali Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital, NHS Trust, Lyndon, West Bromwich, West Midlands, UK Correspondence to: J S Smith Emergency Department Physician Assistant, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust, Lyndon, West Bromwich, West Midlands B71 4HJ, UK; Jamismith76hotmail.com Physician assistants (PAs) have been an integral part of the emergency medicine team in the USA for the past 30 years. This review outlines the reasons why PAs can play a vital role in UK National Health Service (NHS). The experience of American PAs working in one NHS trust are discussed, highlighting the cultural differences in the environment of the emergency departments in the two countries that will influence the scope of practice of PAs in the UK. A&E, accident and emergency PA, physician assistant SHO, senior house officer Since 2001 the National Health Service (NHS) has been investigating the feasibility of initially employing and ultimately incorporating a physician assistant (PA) educational programme to increase the medical workforce within its primary and secondary care trusts.1,2 Following the success of the primary care trust pilot programme in which two American PAs were employed in 2003, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust recruited six PAs with experience in emergency medicine. In April 2004, four full time and two part time PAs began working in the accident and emergency departments.3 This review will discuss (a) the role of the PA in the emergency department in the USA and (b) the integration of the profession into the NHS bearing in mind the differences in the cultural and practice styles of the two countries. WHO IS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT? PAs are mid-level health professionals qualified to provide medical care in conjunction with a physician. The profession began in the USA in the 1960s when there was a surplus of medically trained military veterans and a need for healthcare providers, especially in medically underserved rural and urban areas. However, the roots of the profession can be traced to a similar healthcare practitioner model that had been used during the seventeenth century in Europe and later by the Russian Army.4 In the USA, there are more than 40 000 PAs in clinical practice with approximately 4300 working in emergency medicine.5,6 TRAINING AND SCOPE OF PRACTICE OF PAS IN THE USA In the USA, PAs are qualified to conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat medical conditions, prescribe medications (in 48 US states), order and interpret diagnostic tests, counsel patients on preventive health care, refer to specialists, and assist in surgery. The duration of educational programmes for PAs is variable. The average time is 25 months after a four year undergraduate degree.6 The programmes place emphasis on family medicine but develop the foundation for PAs to work in any medical or surgical setting with increasing responsibilities as their experience and competence increase. Most PA programmes require applicants to have previous healthcare experience and a college degree. The typical applicant already has a bachelor’s degree in science and some healthcare experience. PAs come from a variety of backgrounds—many are nurses, emergency care workers, and laboratory technicians. Although most PAs have undergraduate science degrees, accredited PA programmes accept an undergraduate degree, such as psychology, and additional core science classes, such as biology, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and physics. PAs are trained in medical programmes accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). There are currently more than 130 accredited programmes, and all must meet the stringent ARC-PA standards. The average PA programme curriculum is covered in approximately 25 months. Education consists of classroom and laboratory instruction in the medical sciences (such as anatomy, pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical medicine, and physical diagnosis), followed by clinical rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Because of the close working relationship PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in a medical model designed to complement physician training. PA students are taught, often alongside medical students, to diagnose and treat medical problems.6 After completing the rigorous coursework and clinical rotations, a PA must pass the certifying examination of the National Committee for Certification of Physician Assistants. In addition, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and take a re-certification examination every six years.4 Although there are standards of education and qualifications to practise as a PA, the individual skills and abilities of PAs may vary according to the clinical setting, and their experience and scope of practice. A number of postgraduate PA programmes have also been established to provide practising PAs with advanced education in medical specialties, such as emergency medicine, surgery, and hospitalist training. However, most PAs advance their skills through on the job training. Requirements for a physician assistant (PA) to work in the USA Graduate of an accredited PA programme Successful completion of national certifying examination Licence and registration with individual state in which PA is employed Develop scope of practice with supervising physician Purchase malpractice insurance Complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and re-take examination every six years The scope of practice defines the role of a PA in a specific healthcare environment. Each PA and his or her supervisor agree upon a set of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities that the PA may employ with varying levels of supervision. The scope of practice allows for development and progression of skills of the PA.7–9 A key relationship is that of the PA and the supervising physician. It is a relationship built on experience, mutual trust, and reliance. The stronger the relationship the more positive the working environment is for both providers. The physician must feel comfortable delegating tasks to the PA, and the PA must know the physician is available when the complexity of a case or procedure exceeds his or her level of competence. Physician assistants in the emergency department The role of the PA in the emergency department depends on his or her experience and the practice preferences of the supervising physician. Together, they develop a scope for practice, defining the role of the PA in a specific emergency department setting. The types of cases seen by a PA depend on the scope of practice and include minor and major illness or injuries, including resuscitation.10 Some aspects of the role are: history taking and physical examination, and ordering diagnostic tests including radiographs, ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT) scans as needed and interpreting the tests. The PA then administers the necessary treatments as indicated, from prescribing medications, suturing, splinting, minor surgical procedures such as foreign body removal and incision and drainage of abscesses to more invasive procedures such as resuscitation, including central line placement, intubation, inserting chest tubes, and arterial lines. Patient disposition may involve discharge, admission, or referral to a specialist. Another aspect of variability of PA practice in the USA is level of physician supervision. Most PAs practise with a supervising physician on site, although there are PAs in rural areas who treat patients with a supervising physician available for consultations by phone only. WHY ARE PAS NEEDED IN UK? Physician assistants have the unique ability to fill a need within the NHS. With the limitations placed on the senior house officer (SHO) working hours by the European Working Time Directive, hospitals are pressed to find ways to provide experienced care to acute patients.11 Rotas in the emergency department rely heavily on the role of the junior doctor to diagnose and treat the high volume of patients. PAs in accident and emergency (A&E) can provide continuity of care in this setting, especially during those months when SHOs without A&E experience are posted in the department. In the USA, where residents (junior doctors/registrars) have also faced a mandatory cap on working hours, PAs have been a vital part of the healthcare team, allowing patient flow to run smoothly. PAs working in such areas as general and trauma surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, transplant surgery, vascular surgery, cardiovascular surgery, orthopaedics, and paediatrics have enabled hospitals to continue to provide much needed acute care while complying with national regulations on resident working hours.12–14 Staffing an emergency department with experienced PAs can free up consultants, registrars, and clinical assistants to attend to unstable or critical patients, as well as afford consultants time for teaching. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust has employed PAs to provide rota coverage while consultants teach medical students and junior doctors and registrars use dedicated education time. The NHS directive to assess, treat, and discharge or refer patients within a four hour time frame requires a team approach by skilled A&E staff.15 PAs in the A&E can be essential partners in reaching the four hour goal; their ability to see and treat patients can keep waiting times down, help to attain the four hour target, and increase patient satisfaction.16 The PA professional in the USA works closely and in parallel with the US nurse practitioners. With the nursing shortage in the UK, PAs are another alternative to providing skilled care. A UK based PA education programme could produce qualified graduates from a pool of school leavers, biomedical graduates, army medics, or second career students rather than drawing from the already short nursing supply.17,18 The demographics of the group of PAs working in the UK (table 1) demonstrates what a varied group of individuals PAs are. Profile of PAs working in UK in July 2004 EXPERIENCE OF WORKING IN UK AS A PA Although the UK and the USA appear from the outside to have basic similarities, further examination reveals that the two countries are indeed “divided by a common language”. American PAs have encountered many differences while working in A&E in the UK. Primarily, the largest obstacle to overcome is that of the lack of supervision from senior medical staff, including consultants. In the USA the emergency department is staffed 24 hours a day with a consultant level physician who works in the department and sees patients alongside the PA to provide on-site support as needed. In the UK, some supervisory responsibility has fallen on the registrars and staff grade doctors, who have been invaluable in sorting out the intricacies of the NHS system. However, a true test of this pilot programme will be the ability to preserve the essential PA–physician relationship as found in the USA that allows for adequate supervision, understanding, and autonomy of the PA. An integral part of working as a PA in the UK is explaining the PA role and scope of practice to the doctors and nursing staff. While working in the UK, the American PAs observed differences in the nursing role from that in the USA. Emergency nurses in the USA are the first point of contact for a patient. They record vital signs, insert an intravenous access as indicated, draw bloods, giving intravenous medications, and often initiating radiographs or treatments as per a standard protocol. Since most American PAs are not trained nurses, it not standard for PAs to carry out many of these tasks routinely. In the UK, most of these tasks are carried out by medical staff—although at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust the nursing role is expanding to include taking bloods and obtaining intravenous access. Nurses are a vital part of the healthcare team and it is crucial that they have an accurate understanding of the role of the PA for the PA–nurse relationship to be successful and patient care to be maximised. The emergency department environment varies greatly between the two countries. In the USA the goal is not only to stabilise emergencies, but also to diagnose and treat specific disease processes while the patient is in the department. The luxury of time allows for observation and more tests to be done while in the department so that a patient is admitted with a diagnosis. In the UK, it is more common for a patient to be admitted based on symptoms and further tests carried out over successive days. Targets and cost are two driving forces in the emergency department in the UK. In the USA more money is spent in the emergency department diagnosing and treating illness to avoid costly admission, and in the UK more is spent on diagnosing illness while admitted to the hospital. Sophisticated diagnostic modalities such as troponin testing, beta-type natriuretic peptide testing and CT scanning are routinely used by PAs in the emergency department in the USA. In addition, in the USA more medical staff time is spent examining patients and making a disposition as opposed to phlebotomy, establishing venous access, taking vital signs, and filling out requests for diagnostic tests, tasks which can be delegated to other individuals. Medicine in the UK is protocol driven with little variation accepted by policy makers. In addition to adapting to protocol medicine, American PAs working in the UK must master the names of a multitude of drugs that are different from the names used in the USA (for example acetaminophen/paracetamol). Although there are significant hurdles to overcome with staff, patients in the UK are very similar to those in the USA. Patients in the UK understand socialised medicine and are accustomed to the waiting periods and protocols of the NHS. They understand the limitations of the emergency department provider and have adjusted their expectations accordingly. Overall, the reception has been positive and the patients appear to appreciate the patient education or explanation of illness and treatment that is part of the PA standard of care. And although the American PAs are often mistaken for Canadians or Australians, many patients are interested in why they have come to their corner of the world, which allows a prime opportunity for education about the profession. PAs are healthcare providers who have proved their competence, skills, and usefulness over the past 30 years in the USA. The UK has a need PAs could fill well, but adapting the role to socialised medicine will test the perseverance and negotiation skills of all parties involved. However, it is a cause that is worthwhile and from which all parties will reap benefits in the end. J Smith had the idea for the article, carried out the literature search, wrote part of article, and is guarantor for the paper. B Tevis assisted in writing article. K Murali assisted in planning and critiquing article. Hutchinson L, Marks T, Pittilo M. The physician assistant: would the US model meet the needs of the NHS? BMJ2001;323:1244–7. Cawley JF, Hooker RS. Physician assistants: does the US experience have anything to offer other countries? J Health Serv Res Policy2003;8:65–7. Katikireddi V, Rushworth S. Using physician assistants in the United Kingdom. BMJ Career Focus2004;328:69. Mittman DE, Cawley JF, Fenn WH. Physician assistants in the United States. BMJ2002;325:485–7. Arnopolin SL, Smithline HA. Patient care by physician assistants and by physicians in an emergency department. JAAPA2000;13:39–40, 49-50, 53-54. American Academy of Physician Assistants. See the website (www.aapa.org) for information about PAs and Emergency Medicine and the PA profession. Sturmann KM, Ehrenberg K, Salzberg MR. Physician assistants in emergency medicine. Ann Emerg Med1990;19:304–8. American College of Emergency Physicians, Emergency Medicine Practice Committee. Guidelines on the role of physician assistants in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med2002;40:547–8. Davis A, Powe ML. Physician assistants: scope of practice, regulation and reimbursement. J Med Pract Manage2002;18:81–5. Hooker RS, McCaig L. Emergency department uses of physician assistants and nurse practitioners: a national survey. Am J Emerg Med1996;14:345–9. Rayner F. Is the Working Time Directive feasible? Hosp Doctor 11 April 2002:18–19. Staff Writer. Residents’ work limits challenge staffing. OR Manager2003;19:18 Boulder, Canada. Victorino GP, Organ CH. Physician assistant influence on surgery residents. Arch Surg2003;138:971–6. Mittman DE, Cawley JF, Fenn WH. Physician assistants in the United States. BMJ2002;325:485–487. Expert Group of the Working Time Directive. A compendium of solutions to implementing the Working Time Directive for doctors in training. Available at: www.dh.gov.uk (accessed 10 May 2004). Oswanski MF, Sharma OP, Raj SS. Comparative review of physician assistants in a level I trauma center. Am Surgeon2004;70:272–30. Revill J. Agencies drain NHS cash. The Observer 2 February 2003. Staff Writer. Nurse shortage threatens NHS. www.news.bbc.co.uk/health 19 February 2002; (accessed 6 August 2004). Competing interests: none declared Copyright 2005 by the Emergency Medicine Journal	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line399
__label__wiki	0.690122	0.690122	See more: Patio table Italian Neoclassical Iron and Marble Garden Patio Table Captivating Italian iron and marble garden patio dining table. Featuring a neoclassical style iron base decorated with sea horses and shells on the sides. Constructed from riveted wrought iron and supported by curved legs ending with round feet. Topped with a later black marble round top with heavy gold veining. Appears to originally had a glass top. The base is painted and has a rustic patina. Circa: Mid-20th Century, Italy Materials: Painted Iron, Marble Condition: Distressed, Wear consistent with age and use. Lovely distressed and patinated finish on iron base. Patio table McGuire Style Organic Modern Rattan Breakfast Dining Table Images / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 Iron and Stone Top Center Table or Drink Table Arthur Umanoff Style Spanish Revival High Back Chairs Images / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 Images / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line401
__label__wiki	0.861725	0.861725	Media Overblows Claims of “Human Evolution”: Examining the Newest “Missing Link” Casey Luskin Recently I highlighted how the coverage of Tiktaalik revealed the fascinating phenomenon that only after discovering a new “missing link” will evolutionists acknowledge the previously paltry state of fossil evidence for evolution. This behavior is again witnessed in coverage of the discovery of Australopithecus anamensis fossils in Ethiopia. The media has also exaggerated and overblown claims that this evidence supports “human evolution.” The latest “missing link” is actually comprised of a few tooth and bone fragments of Au. anamensis, an ape-like species that lived a little over 4 million years ago. Incredibly, claims of “intermediacy” are based upon 2-3 fragmented canines of “intermediate” size and shape. This has now led to grand claims in the media of finding a “missing link.” Because some bone fragments from Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus afarensis were also found in the area, MSNBC highlighted these finds on a front-page article calling this “the most complete chain of human evolution so far.” Media coverage of this find thus follows an identical pattern to that of Tiktaalik: incredibly overblown claims of a “transitional fossil” follow stark admissions of how previously bleak the evidence was for evolution. Moreover, claims that this find enlightens “human evolution” are misleading, as these fossils come from ape-like species that long-predate the appearance of our genus Homo, and thought to be far removed from the origin of “humans.” Evolution was “obscure” then and it’s obscure now: As noted, evolutionists only admit how weak the evidence was for evolution after they have some new allegedly “transitional” fossil in their hands. Compare how identical diction was used in Nature to concede the previously “obscure” evidence for tetrapod, and then now australopithecine evolution after recent fossil discoveries were made: Tiktaalik: “[T]he origin of major tetrapod features has remained obscure for lack of fossils that document the sequence of evolutionary changes” (Daeschler et al., “A Devonian tetrapod-like fish and the evolution of the tetrapod body plan,” Nature, Vol 440:757-763 (April 6, 2006); emphasis added) Australopithecus: “Until recently, the origins of Australopithecus were obscured by a sparse fossil record.” (White et al., “Asa Issie, Aramis and the origin of Australopithecus,” Nature, Vol 440:883-889 (April 13, 2006); emphasis added) Apparently the MSNBC article even felt comfortable enough to admit that we never previously had a continuous sequence of fossils documenting “human evolution” in one place: “Until now, what scientists had were snapshots of human evolution scattered around the world. Finding everything all in one general area makes those snapshots more of a mini home movie of evolution.” (Fossil discovery fills gap in human evolution, by Seth Borenstein, Associated Press, 4/12/06) Of course the lack of a “mini home movie” never bothered evolutionists before: critics have always been told not to request continuous fossil sequences exhibiting evolution because species can migrate, and often the evolution takes place in small, isolated populations that don’t get preserved as fossils. As Niles Eldredge once said, evolution seems to always be “going on somewhere else.” We wouldn’t expect to find a continuous sequence of fossil species evolving all in on place; at least, that’s what we were told before they found these fossil specimens. If the origin of Australopithecus was previously “obscured by a sparse fossil record,” then one would presume that now we have the answers. Turns out the evidence still remains very “obscure.” What did they really find? What has really been found has been said to be nothing “new,” just an interesting new “location”: “The species anamensis is not new, but its location is what helps explain the shift from one early phase of human-like development to the next, scientists say.” (MSNBC article, emphasis added) According to the National Geographic news article, the find consisted “mainly of jawbone fragments, upper and lower teeth, and a thigh bone”–not an impressive array of bones. The Nature article notes that the teeth they found are nothing new because they “definitively place the Asa Issie sample within expected ranges of Au. anamensis variation.” (Nature 440:883-889.) So in other words, they found a few tooth and bone fragments representative of a pre-existing species–nothing truly new! Missing Link or Missing Teeth? Incredibly, the entire claim that this species represents a “transitional form” is due to a couple teeth which have intermediate size: “‘This appears to be the link between Australopithecus and Ardipithecus as two different species,’ White said. The major noticeable difference between the phases of man can be seen in Australopithecus’ bigger chewing teeth to eat harder food, he said.” (MSNBC article) If this incredible new evidence isn’t about to make you a convert, then consider how impressive the media has stated this evidence is: “The latest fossil unearthed from a human ancestral hot spot in Africa allows scientists to link together the most complete chain of human evolution so far.” (MSNBC article) But here’s where the evolutionists make their public relations error: if this is “the most complete chain,” then their best “chain” has a lot of missing “links.” These bone fragments purportedly tell us how the ape-like genus Australopithecus evolved from the ape-like genus Ardipithecus. Let’s look at 3 graphics to asses just how impressive this evidence actually is: 1. Photo of the bone and tooth fragments from which came this “missing link”: (from MSNBC article) Associate Director, Center for Science and Culture Casey Luskin is a geologist and an attorney with graduate degrees in science and law, giving him expertise in both the scientific and legal dimensions of the debate over evolution. He earned his PhD in Geology from the University of Johannesburg, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Earth Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied evolution extensively at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His law degree is from the University of San Diego, where he focused his studies on First Amendment law, education law, and environmental law. Follow Casey Australopithecustiktaalik Atheist Christopher Hitchens: Best Evidence for Intelligent Design? The Messy Numbers that Signify Cosmic Design	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line403
__label__wiki	0.816246	0.816246	Reserves Disclosure Rules Revised February 2009 David K. Curtiss On Dec. 29, 2008, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it was revising and updating its disclosure rules for oil and natural gas reserves. Oil and natural gas professionals have been urging the SEC to modernize its disclosure rules for oil and natural gas reserves for many years. The principal criticism of the original rules is that they were introduced more than a quarter century ago, and were not updated regularly to remain current with industry practice and technological advancements. The result was an increasing divergence between the information investors and the market wanted and what companies could disclose in their official SEC reports. The vote by the bipartisan commission to adopt the amendments to the disclosure rules was unanimous, and completes a process that has taken more than a year. Division Column EMD Common Wording vs. Historical Terminology For more than 100 years, shale oil has referred to the prod... It began after AAPG and the Society of Petroleum Engineers held the Interdisciplinary Reserves Conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2007 with a Concept Release issued the following December, in which the SEC solicited feedback on a host of specific questions relating to reserves disclosure. Based on this feedback, the SEC developed a proposed rule (actually a series of amendments to the current rule) that it offered for public comment in June 2008. The SEC then used this additional feedback to develop the final amendments that the commission adopted in December 2008. In announcing the changes to the disclosure requirements, SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said, ”These updates to the SEC rules will help ensure more meaningful and comprehensive disclosure of information that, even though it does not appear on a company’s balance sheet, is of significance to investors in making informed investment decisions.” AAPG provided comments and feedback throughout the process, as did many of our sister societies. In our comments, AAPG urged the SEC to adopt the principles set out in the Petroleum Resources Management System – a set of guidelines and definitions for managing petroleum resources, prepared by the Society of Petroleum Engineers Oil and Gas Reserves Committee jointly with AAPG (represented by Ken Mallon), the World Petroleum Council and the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers. In many cases the SEC agreed with this suggestion, indicating repeatedly how the new disclosure requirements conform to PRMS guidelines. The complete final rule can be downloaded on the SEC Web site, but several major changes include: Use of 12-month average price, instead of a single-day, year-end price, in determining the economically producible volume of oil and natural gas classified as “proved reserves.” Inclusion of bitumen extraction and other non-traditional resources as oil and gas producing activities covered under the revised disclosure rules. The determinant of whether a particular non-traditional resource can be included as oil or natural gas reserves is based on final product. Thus, coal intended to be converted to oil and natural gas would be included, while other coal reserves would not. The revised definition of “proven reserves” permits the use of new reliable technologies in determining reserve volumes and enables the booking of reserves outside traditional spacing areas, which is particularly important for resource plays. The concept of “reasonable certainty” is central to the revised definition of proved reserves, and follows the PRMS. It permits the use of deterministic and probabilistic methods in meeting the standard. Uses a principles-based definition of “reliable technology” that permits a broader portfolio of technologies to estimate and categorize proved reserves. Enabling the use of new technologies, once they are established as reliable, is a significant step to ensuring that these new disclosure rules will remain current. The SEC will now permit (but not require) disclosure of probable and possible reserves. “It is gratifying to see the SEC make these changes to its disclosure requirements, and I congratulate and thank the many AAPG members and members of other professional associations who helped develop and communicate the PRMS principles,” said Peter R. Rose, a former AAPG president, co-chair of the reserves conference and chair of the AAPG ad hoc committee on SEC response. “The new disclosure rules demonstrate how scientific excellence and professional, ethical conduct in a regulatory context directly benefit society,” Rose continued. “Our challenge now, as a scientific and professional association, is to ensure that our members who are engaged in preparing and complying with these new rules can do so properly and effectively.” The SEC has set an effective date for the new rules of Jan. 1, 2010, and companies may not adopt the new disclosure requirements any sooner. Data Boom Boosts Stratigraphy Understanding “Sweet” smell of success: The Gulf Coast region... The Hunt for California Oil In the summer of 1865, Thomas Bard arrived in Ventura County, Calif., to begin exploration...	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line405
__label__wiki	0.587372	0.587372	CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 150 Questions MCQ Test Mock Test Series for CLAT \| CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 This mock test of CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 for CLAT helps you for every CLAT entrance exam. This contains 150 Multiple Choice Questions for CLAT CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 (mcq) to study with solutions a complete question bank. The solved questions answers in this CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 quiz give you a good mix of easy questions and tough questions. CLAT students definitely take this CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 exercise for a better result in the exam. You can find other CLAT Mock Test (New Pattern) - 5 extra questions, long questions & short questions for CLAT on EduRev as well by searching above. Read the given passage and answer the question that follows. Employment exchanges - one of the surviving bastions of babudom - face the prospect of becoming irrelevant in an era of reform. Even in the heart of the nation’s capital, the premises are often dilapidated structures with dirty passages and manned by surly staff. Not surprisingly, job-seekers hardly throng these exchanges. Paradoxically, when jobs are getting scarce due to pressure of liberalisation, job-seekers are spurning an institution intended to help them secure placements. The reasons are simply enough. Employment exchanges still concentrate on government and public sector placements, which are fast losing ground in the labour market. For most government jobs, the eligibility criterion is still registration with the employment exchanges. But what is the use of going through the formalities of registration when government jobs themselves are dwindling? The placement effected by all the 939-odd exchanges in the country in 2001 was of the order of 1.69 lakh against annual registration levels of 60 lakh. As there are too few jobs when compared to the number of job-seekers, the accumulated backlog of registrations is close to 4.16 crore. The latter of course doesn’t indicate unemployment levels as those registered with the employment exchanges are not necessarily unemployed. How can the employment exchanges be revamped? The thinking in the Union labour ministry is to transform them into employment promotion and guidance centres. The plan includes modernisation, changing the mindset of the staff and making them into an effective instrument for monitoring and coordinating various employment generation schemes. This objective calls for developing a better database on the fast changing employment situation with a comprehensive coverage of new economic establishments. For instance, the various economic censuses are an important source of information on the changing employment profile of, say, the nation’s capital. Far from being a bureaucrat-dominated city, Delhi over the years has become more of an industrial metropolis. According to the fourth economic census, manufacturing accounted for 40 per cent of jobs in the capital. The employment exchanges in the capital thus have their work cut out notably, to shift the focus away from government and public sector jobs more towards placements in the private sector, especially in manufacturing and services, including the burgeoning retail trade sector. By doing so, they will better reflect the imperatives of economic reform and remain relevant in today’s times. Q. Which of the revamped role can be entrusted to employment exchanges? Conducting economic surveys To modernise registration process through the Internet To conduct vocational training programme for the unemployed To reduce the number of exchanges Q. Choose the word that is same in meaning as the word “secure” as used in the passage. Q. Which of the following is not true in the context of the passage? The annual placement arranged by employment exchanges is less than 3% of the registration. Those who register with the employment exchanges inform them if they are able to get the job on their own. For government jobs, registration with employment exchanges is required. In Delhi, over the years more industries have started. In the second week of August 1998, just a few days after the incidents of bombing the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam, a high-powered, brain-storming session was held near Washington D.C. to discuss various aspects of terrorism. The meeting was attended by ten of America’s leading experts in various fields such as germ and chemical warfare, public health, disease control and also by the doctors and the law-enforcing officers. Being asked to describe the horror of possible bio-attack, one of the experts narrated the following gloomy scenario. A culprit in a crowded business centre or in a busy shopping mall of a town empties a test tube containing some fluid, which in turn creates an unseen cloud of germ of a dreaded disease like anthrax capable of inflicting a horrible death within 5 days on any one who inhales it. At first 500 or so victims feel that they have mild influenza which may recede after a day or two. Then the symptoms return again and their lungs start filling with fluid. They rush to local hospitals for treatment, but the panic-stricken people may find that the medicare services run quickly out of drugs due to excessive demand. But no one would be able to realise that a terrorist attack has occurred. One cannot deny the possibility that the germ involved would be of contagious variety capable of causing an epidemic. The meeting concluded that such attacks, apart from causing immediate human tragedy, would have dire long-term effects on the political and social fabric of a country by way of ending people’s trust on the competence of the government. The experts also said that the bombs used in Kenya and Tanzania were of the old-fashioned variety and involved quantities of high explosives, but new terrorism will prove to be more deadly and probably more elusive than hijacking an aeroplane or a gelignite of previous decades. According to Bruce Hoffman, an American specialist on political violence, old terrorism generally had a specific manifesto - to overthrow a colonial power or the capitalist system and so on. These terrorists were not shy about planting a bomb or hijacking an aircraft and they set some limit to their brutality. Killing so many innocent people might turn their natural supporters off. Political terrorists want a lot of people watching but not a lot of people dead. “Old terrorism sought to change the world while the new sort is often practised by those who believe that the world has gone beyond redemption”, he added. Hoffman says, “New terrorism has no long-term agenda but is ruthless sin its short-term intentions. It is often just a cacophonous cry of protest or an outburst of religious intolerance or a protest against the West in general and the US in particular. Its perpetrators may be religious fanatics or diehard opponents of a government and see no reason to show restraint. They are simply intent on inflicting the maximum amount of pain on the victim.” Q. According to the author of the passage, the root cause of terrorism is (A) Religious fanaticism (B) Socio-political changes in countries (C) The enormous population growth (A) only (B) only (C) only (A) and (B) only ‘Religious intolerance’ as cited in the last paragraph stands behind terrorism. Q. In what way would the new terrorism be different from that of the earlier years? (A) More dangerous and less baffling (B) More hazardous for victims (C) Less complicated for terrorists (A) and (C) only (B) and (C) only All the three “New terrorism has no long-term agenda but is ruthless in its short-term intentions”. This statement from the passage supports (C). While, in the light of passage, (B) also seem suitable. For many women, including myself, "wife" can feel like a loaded word. It carries a history. If you grew up in the 1960s and 1970s as I did, wives seemed to be a genus of white women who lived inside television sitcoms—cheery, coiffed, corseted. They stayed at home, fussed over the children, and had dinner ready on the stove. They sometimes got into the sherry or flirted with the vacuum-cleaner salesman, but the excitement seemed to end there. The irony, of course, was that I used to watch those shows in our living room on Euclid Avenue while my own stay-at-home mom fixed dinner without complaint and my own clean-cut dad recovered from a day at work. My parents' arrangement was as traditional as anything we saw on TV. Personally, as a kid, I preferred The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which I absorbed with fascination. Mary had a job, a snappy wardrobe, and really great hair. She was independent and funny, and unlike those of the other ladies on TV, her problems were interesting. She had conversations that weren't about children or homemaking. She didn't let Lou Grant boss her around, and she wasn't fixated on finding a husband. She was youthful and at the same time grown-up. If you were a girl with a brain and a dawning sense that you wanted to grow into something more than a wife, Mary Tyler Moore was your goddess. And here I was now, twenty-nine years old, sitting in the very same apartment where I'd watched all that TV and consumed all those meals dished up by the patient and selfless Marian Robinson. I had so much—an education, a healthy sense of self, a deep arsenal of ambition—and I was wise enough to credit my mother, in particular, with instilling it in me. She'd taught me how to read before I started kindergarten, helping me sound out words as I sat curled like a kitten in her lap, studying a library copy of Dick and Jane. She'd cooked for us with care, putting broccoli and Brussels sprouts on our plates and requiring that we eat them. The point was, she'd given diligently and she'd given everything. My considerable blessings in life were now causing a kind of psychic whiplash. I'd been raised to be confident and see no limits, to believe I could go after and get absolutely anything I wanted. And I wanted everything. I wanted to live with the hat-tossing, independent-career-woman zest of Mary Tyler Moore, and at the same time I gravitated toward the stabilizing, self-sacrificing, seemingly bland normalcy of being a wife and mother. Q. Why did the author suggest that 'wife' is a loaded word? Because there were many wives who were famous in history Because wives were featured primarily on television comedy shows Because she feels that it carries an underlying historical meaning Because she finds it ironic that TV shows do not represent the reality of wives The author states in the beginning of the passage that she finds 'wife' to be a loaded word because it carries history. She then describes what she used to perceive what a 'wife' really was by watching the TV shows. So, she feels that there is some underlying historical meaning to the word. Therefore, the correct answer is option 3. Q. Why does the author state that she liked watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show? Because Mary Tyler Moore was quite popular during the author's childhood Because Mary Tyler Moore as a character served as a role model for the author Because the author was fascinated by how Mary created real-life problems for herself Because Mary Tyler Moore presented a strange image of a woman in the society The author's description of Mary Tyler Moore in the second paragraph portrays an image of a woman that goes against the traditional image of a wife. Because of this, the author found the character fascinating and preferred to watch the show. Moreover, the author states 'If you were a girl with a brain and a dawning sense that you wanted to grow into something more than a wife, Mary Tyler Moore was your goddess' suggesting that Mary Tyler Moore served as a role model for the author. Therefore, the correct answer is option 2. Q. What does the word 'dawning' as used in the passage mean? To be realised later in life To first appear on the scene To indicate beginning of light To become evident to the mind The word 'dawning' in the context means something starting to happen or become known or obvious. Here the author has a growing realisation that she wanted to grow into something more than a wife. So the correct answer is option 4. Q. As mentioned in the passage, how does the author feel about her mother? Her mother had a healthy sense of self that she kept to herself Her mother cared for her and inspired her to become independent and ambitious Her mother didn't care for the author so she turned to Mary Tyler Moore for inspiration Her mother wanted to make the author feel obliged for taking care of her In the third paragraph, the author describes how much her mother did for her. This is clued by the author's statement about instilling her with independence, sense of self and ambition as well as by teaching her how to read and providing meals to her. This suggests that the mother focused on the author's learning and development, contributing to her development as a strong and independent woman. QUESTION: 10 Q. Why does the author think that her blessings are causing "a psychic whiplash"? She has become a different person than what she had dreamed of becoming She regrets that she didn't turn out to be like Mary Tyler Moore She is no longer confident in her abilities and talents She's surprised because she has turned into an independent woman The correct answer is option 1. This is derived from the following sentence: 'I wanted to live with the hat-tossing, independent-career-woman zest of Mary Tyler Moore, and at the same time I gravitated toward the stabilizing, self-sacrificing, seemingly bland normalcy of being a wife and mother'; which suggests that by becoming a wife and a mother, she becomes a different person than what she hoped for. Option 2 might seem correct, but there is nothing to suggest regret. Options 3 and 4 are not stated in the passage. It is a strange that, according to his position in life, an extravagant man is admired or despised. A successful businessman does nothing to increase his popularity by being careful with his money. He is expected to display his success, to have smart car, an expensive life, and to be lavish with his hospitality. If he is not so, he is considered mean and his reputation in business may even suffer in consequence. The paradox remains that if he had not been careful with his money in the first place, he would never have achieved his present wealth. Among the two income groups, a different set of values exists. The young clerk who makes his wife a present of a new dress when the hadn’t paid his house rent condemned as extravagant. Carefulness with money to the point of meanness is applauded as a virtue. Nothing in his life is considered more worthy than paying his bills. The ideal wife for such a man separates her housekeeping money into joyless little piles-so much for rent, for food, for the children’s shoes; she is able to face the milkman with equanimity and never knows the guilt of buying something she can’t able to face the milkman with equanimity and never knows the guilt of buying something she can’t really afford. As for myself, I fall into neither of these categories. If I have money to spare I can be extravagant, but when, as is usually the cause, I am hard up, then I am then meanest man imaginable. Q. The phrase lavish with his hospitality signifies Miserliness in dealing with his friends Considerateness in spending on guests and strangers. Extravagance in entertaining guests. Indifference in treating his friends and relatives. Q. The word paradox means. Statement based on facts. That which is contrary to received opinion. That which brings out the inner meaning. Statement based on the popular opinion Q. Which of the following is opposite in meaning to the word applauded in the passage? Decried The young clerk who makes his wife a present of a new dress when the hadn’t paid his house rent condemned as extravagant. Carefulness with money to the point of meanness is applauded as a virtue. Nothing in his life is considered more worthy than paying his bills. The ideal wife for such a man separates her housekeeping money into joyless little piles-so much for rent, for food, for the children’s shoes; she is able to face the milkman with equanimity and never knows the guilt of buying something she can’t able to face the milkman with equanimity and never knows the guilt of buying something she can’t really afford. As for myself, I fall into neither of these categories. If I have money to spare I can be extravagant, but when, as is usually the cause, I am hard up, then I am then meanest man imaginable Q. The statement she is able to face the milkman with equanimity implies that: She loses her nerve at the sight of the milkman who always demands his dues. She manages to keep cool as she has to pay the milkman who always demands his dues. She is not upset as she has been paying the milkman his dues regularly. She remains composed and confident as she knows that she can handle the milkman tactfully. Let us consider for a moment the discovery of the cause of malaria. This discovery, due to the Englishman, Ross consists in having found out that the plasmodium of malariae is inoculated in man by a special kind of mosquito. Let us inquire what was the state of science prior to this discovery. In 1880 Laveran had described an animal micro-organism, which preyed upon the red corpuscles of the blood, producing an attack of fever with the cycle of its existence. Subsequent studies confirmed and elucidated this fact, and the plasmodium malaria became a matter of common knowledge. It was known that animal micro-organisms, unlike vegetable micro-organisms, after a cycle of life in which reproduction takes place by scission; that is, by subdivision of a single body into several other bodies equal to the first, give place to sexual forms, masculine and feminine, which are separate, and incapable of scission, but are designed for fusion into one another, after which the organism recommences its cycle of scissions until it again reaches the sexual forms. Laveran had found that in the blood of sufferers who recover spontaneously from malarial fever there are a great number of corpuscles which have no longer the rounded forms of the plasmodia, but are crescent-shaped and rayed. He took these to be transformations of the plasmodia, "modified in form" and "incapable of producing disease," and pronounced them to be "degenerate" organisms, almost as if they had been deformed and exhausted by the "excess of work" they had previously performed. After the discovery of the transmission of malaria in 1900, Laveran's "degenerative forms" were recognized as the sexual individuals of the reproductive cycle: individuals which were incapable of conjugation in the blood of man, and could only produce new organisms in the body of the mosquito. We may well wonder: Why did not Laveran simply recognize those sexual forms, and why did he not seek for the period of conjugation in the plasmodia, which were animal micro-organisms? Another biological acquisition was the assurance that the circulatory system of the blood is a closed system of vessels, and that the enclosing epithelium is not permeable by non-incisive solid bodies such as vegetable microbes, and still less by rounded protozoa, which are much larger than microbes and soft in substance. This well-known and clearly demonstrated fact ought to have suggested a problem to the minds of students: How do the protozoa of malaria enter the circulatory current of the blood? But ever since the days of Hippocrates, Pliny, Celsius and Galen it had been held that this fever was caused by the "poisonous atmosphere" of marsh lands, the bad air of the morning and the evening, so much so that even a few years before the discovery of the real cause of malaria, eucalyptus trees were planted in the belief that they would filter and disinfect the air. Until Ross discovered that birds are inoculated with malaria by a particular kind of mosquito. Q. What is the contextual meaning of the word "Elucidated" as used in the paragraph? Diatribe Q. Why did Laveran call the sexual form of the plasmodium malariae a ‘degenerative’ form? Because of the change of shape from a regular round one to a crescent shaped rayed one. Laveran believed that this form had lost the potency to produce disease. Reason was the incapability of conjugation of these forms in human blood. Laveran’s believed that the organism entering the blood stream form the ‘poisonous atmosphere’ of marsh lands. The dictionary meaning of the word degenerate: having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline. Laveran found this shape change in patients who had spontaneously recovered – so he felt that the reduction in potency of this form was the reason for the recovery – hence he called it degenerate. Option (A) – The change in shape does not connect to potency Option (C) – This information was not available to Laveran. Option (D) – Even if this statement is correct, it does not relate to degeneracy. It was the biggest decision of her life, the one for which she is most remembered, but Freda Bedi didn't tell her children that she was being ordained as a Buddhist nun. There was no family council, no private conversation, not even, it seems, a letter to announce her intention. "There was this terrible feeling of betrayal," Kabir Bedi recalls. It was 1966 and the height of the Delhi summer. Kabir was 20, a student at one of India's most prestigious university colleges, St Stephen's, and still recovering from a broken back. He understood that Buddhism loomed increasingly large in his mother's life, but hadn't been prepared for her ordination as a nun. He was angry and said so. Why? he demanded of his mother; why now? He still remembers her response. "It is something I felt I had to do and I knew if I started discussing it with everybody, God knows what might have happened." Kabir was seven when his mother found Buddhism while on a United Nations mission to Burma (now Myanmar). He had accompanied her back there when she studied meditation, and had himself enrolled briefly as a novitiate. He had worn the robes and shaved off his hair—in much the same manner as his mother had now done. He had spent time with his mother at the camps in Assam set up for the Tibetans who fled across the mountains to escape Chinese rule—that's where she first became immersed in Tibetan belief and culture. He had taught at the Young Lamas' Home School she established. It had felt like a shared journey. Now Freda, Sister Palmo as she became known, had decided to press on alone. "I raised all the silly arguments I could think of: Your daughter's still in college, she's not married, how's she going to manage? All silly things. But basically, I was angry because I felt betrayed. There was a terrible sense of loss. It's like, you've lost your mother." A few days after the ceremony, still at Rumtek, Freda received what was clearly an anguished letter from Kabir. Manorma Dewan was part of the extended family—her husband's flat was the venue of Kabir's meeting with his newly-robed mother—and remembers the central message of that letter: "You have become very selfish." Manorma agreed with that view. Freda replied immediately by telegram, and followed that up with a three-page handwritten missive to her 'darling son'. Kabir still has that letter. "I have been in a maze of pain, feeling your and Guli's," she wrote. "You all knew one day this step would be taken; we even joked about my losing my hair! Somehow, now had to be the time." Q. According to the author, how did Freda Bedi's family feel about her becoming a nun? They had never heard of conversions to Buddhism let alone their mother becoming a nun They had never thought that she would give up the thought of becoming a nun for her family They were selfish by not considering her feelings on the matter They found her decision to become a nun abrupt and inconsiderate The correct answer is option 4. In the first paragraph, we get a sense of the decision being abrupt because she made the decision by herself without informing anyone. In terms of being inconsiderate, there are several instances, where this is implied by the following 'There was this terrible feeling of betrayal'; 'He was angry and said so'; 'I was angry because I felt betrayed'; '"You have become very selfish.' Q. Why did Freda feel it important to make the decision without consulting her family? She felt it best to go behind everyone's back and surprise them She thought that she did not need the support of her family She might have faced some challenges in the fulfillment of her decision She was too immersed in the Buddhist faith to consider her family The correct answer is option 3. The answer can be derived from the following sentence; 'He still remembers her response. 'It is something I felt I had to do and I knew if I started discussing it with everybody, God knows what might have happened.'' This suggests that she likely believed that if she were to discuss the matter, her family would put forth several arguments that might pose a challenge for her. Q. What does the phrase 'loomed large' as used in the passage mean? To become more important and often cause worry To make someone impractical and foolish To make someone sound intelligent and sensible To weave threads to form a cloth The correct answer is option 1. The thought of converting herself into a Buddhist was a decision of great importance and something that would cause a lot of worry to Freda's family as implied in the text. Q. Based on the information set out in the passage, which of the following is most accurate? Kabir did not want her mother to become a nun because he was afraid of the Chinese rule Kabir had passed on the belief to her mother while on a United Nations mission to Burma Kabir was preordained by Freda's teachers to teach in the schools in Assam Kabir had shared the Buddhist journey with Freda when he was young but later he was trying to talk her out of it The only correct answer out of the four as per the information given in the passage is option 4. Option 1 can be ruled out because the passage does not state that Kabir was afraid of the Chinese rule. Option 2 is incorrect because it was Freda who picked up the faith while on a United Nations mission to Burma, not Kabir. Option 3 is incorrect because this is not stated in the passage. Option 4 is correct because the author states this in these lines: "It had felt like a shared journey. Now Freda, Sister Palmo as she became known, had decided to press on alone. "I raised all the silly arguments I could think of: Your daughter's still in college, she's not married, how's she going to manage? All silly things. But basically, I was angry because I felt betrayed. There was a terrible sense of loss. It's like, you've lost your mother." Q. What can be inferred from Freda Bedi's response to Kabir's letter? She was not concerned about the suffering that her family went through She deeply felt the pain for Kabir and her sister She was filled with remorse as they didn't understand her feelings She was elated with her decision and found Kabir and his sister supportive of her decision The correct answer is option 2. The answer can be derived from the following lines: "Kabir still has that letter. "I have been in a maze of pain, feeling your and Guli's," she wrote. "You all knew one day this step would be taken; we even joked about my losing my hair! Somehow, now had to be the time."" Job performance is affected by a number of factors. Motivation alone does not lead to increase in performance. Ability and technology moderates the relationship between motivation and performance. The higher the levels of ability and motivation, the higher the level of performance will be. However, increasing motivation beyond an optimal level tends to produce a dysfunctional result because it is accompanied by an increasing level of anxiety. A high level of anxiety often disrupts performances. The relationship between satisfaction and performance is not clear. Satisfaction may or may not lead to high performance depending on the perceived availability of valued outcomes and the perceived expectancy that a person’s effort and performance will lead to receiving the valued rewards. If the person expects that his performance will lead to increased rewards which he values, the level of his motivational effort will increase, if he anticipates less, his motivational effort will increase, if he anticipates less, his motivational effort will be lower. The relationship between job dissatisfaction and poor performance seems to be clearer than that between satisfaction and performance. Dissatisfaction leads to poor performance by means of apathy, absenteeism, turnover, sabotage, and strike. In addition, high performers are more vulnerable to job dissatisfaction because they tend to expect more from their jobs than low performers. Job satisfaction is more closely related to the decision to join and remain in an organisation than to the motivation to produce. The motivation to produce largely depends on the availability of valued outcomes (valence), the perceived instrumentality of performance for receiving incentive rewards, and the perceived expectancy that effort leads to performance. The task of satisfying employees is much easier than the task of motivating them because the former can be achieved by rewarding them while the latter requires such additional constraints as establishing performance-reward contingencies and designing motivating work systems. Q. The individual’s decision to remain in the organisation depends on Relationship between satisfaction and performance The level of anxiety induced by the job His level of motivation The level of job satisfaction Q. Which of the following tasks is easier according to the passage? Motivating the employees Increasing the ability level of employees Reducing the anxiety level of employees Q. Which of the following statement/s/is/are true in the context of the passage? (A) Ability leads to performance. (B) Job satisfaction certainly leads to higher performance. (C) High anxiety adversely affects performance. Q. Which of the following combination of factors affects job performance? Job satisfaction and Motivation Motivation and Ability Job Satisfaction and Ability Job Satisfaction, Motivation and Ability Q. The task of motivating employees is difficult due to Apathy and lack of enthusiasm of employees Difficulty in establishing relationship between satisfaction and performance Difficulty in monitoring ability level of employees Difficulty in designing a motivating work system Here we come to the heart of the matter: I've never left Istanbul – never left the houses, streets and neighbourhoods of my childhood. Although I've lived in other districts from time to time, fifty years on I find myself back in the Pamuk Apartments, where my first photographs were taken and where my mother first held me in her arms to show me the world. I know this persistence owes something to my imaginary friend, and to the solace I took from the bond between us. But we live in an age defined by mass migration and creative immigrants, and so I am sometimes hard-pressed to explain why I've stayed not only in the same place, but the same building. My mother's sorrowful voice comes back to me, 'Why don't you go outside for a while, why don't you try a change of scene, do some travelling …?' Conrad, Nabokov, Naipaul – these are writers known for having managed to migrate between languages, cultures, countries, continents, even civilisations. Their imaginations were fed by exile, a nourishment drawn not through roots but through rootlessness; mine, however, requires that I stay in the same city, on the same street, in the same house, gazing at the same view. Istanbul's fate is my fate: I am attached to this city because it has made me who I am. Flaubert, who visited Istanbul a hundred and two years before my birth, was struck by the variety of life in its teeming streets; in one of his letters he predicted that in a century's time it would be the capital of the world. The reverse came true: after the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the world almost forgot that Istanbul existed. The city into which I was born was poorer, shabbier, and more isolated than it had ever been its two-thousand-year history. For me it has always been a city of ruins and of end-of-empire melancholy. I've spent my life either battling with this melancholy, or (like all Istanbullus) making it my own. At least once in a lifetime, self-reflection leads us to examine the circumstances of our birth. Why were we born in this particular corner of the world, on this particular date? These families into which we were born, these countries and cities to which the lottery of life has assigned us – they expect love from us, and in the end, we do love them, from the bottom of our hearts – but did we perhaps deserve better? I sometimes think myself unlucky to have been born in an ageing and impoverished city buried under the ashes of a ruined empire. But a voice inside me always insists this was really a piece of luck. Q. What could be the reason for the author never leaving Istanbul? He believes he is cursed by ill luck to live in the city He feels linked to the city as it accounts for a large part of who he is He doesn't want to leave what he considers the world's capital He is not interested in migrating to another place The correct answer is option 2. This is derived from the following sentence; 'I am attached to this city because it has made me who I am.' Option 1 might seem correct, but the author merely says that at times he feels unlucky. Option 3 is incorrect because 'the world's capital' is mentioned by Flaubert and not the author; hence it is out of context. Option 4 is implied, but does not provide a specific reason for not leaving the city. It just rephrases the question. Q. As mentioned in the passage, how does the author characterise his life in the city? He hated the circumstances that led to his birth in the city He felt he was trapped in the city because he had no hope to live anywhere else He struggled trying to make the best out of his situation and the depressed feelings living in the city brought about He found the vibrant life of the city inspired him and a lot of people from different parts of the world to visit it The correct answer is option 3. The answer is derived from this part: 'For me it has always been a city of ruins and of end-of-empire melancholy. I've spent my life either battling with this melancholy, or (like all Istanbullus) making it my own'. This suggests that the author would at times be depressed, but also struggled to make the best of his situation as indicated by 'making it my own'. This option is also supported when the author states 'I sometimes think myself unlucky to have been born in an ageing and impoverished city buried under the ashes of a ruined empire. But a voice inside me always insists this was really a piece of luck.' Q. What does the word 'melancholy' as used in the passage mean? Lifelessness and motionlessness Pleasantness and Surprise Sadness and despair Richness and vibrancy The correct answer is option 3. The author implies the meaning in the following line: "For me it has always been a city of ruins and of end-of-empire melancholy. I've spent my life either battling with this melancholy, or (like all Istanbullus) making it my own." When the author looks at the ruins of the city a feeling of sadness which he says he is "battling" with gives an idea that it is something negative in connotation. Q. Why does the author mention great literary names of "Conrad, Nabokov, Naipaul" in the passage? To clarify where he finds these names placed in the world of literature To refute the thought about his standing among the literary figures of the world To indicate that unlike them, he draws inspiration from staying at one place To make the readers believe that he is not as great as them in the field of literature The correct answer is option 3. The answer can be derived from the following sentences: "Conrad, Nabokov, Naipaul – these are writers known for having managed to migrate between languages, cultures, countries, continents, even civilisations. Their imaginations were fed by exile, a nourishment drawn not through roots but through rootlessness; mine, however, requires that I stay in the same city, on the same street, in the same house, gazing at the same view." Q. What can we infer from the passage about the author's regard for Istanbul? He finds it to be a place where his ancestors lived He is clear about the reason why he was born there He is proud of and attached to the city He finds it to be a home away from home The correct option 3. The author states his feelings in these sentences: 'I've never left Istanbul'; 'I am attached to this city because it has made me who I am'; '(like all Istanbullus) making it my own'; and 'a voice inside me always insists this was really a piece of luck'. All these lines suggest that he was proud of Instanbul as well as indicate how well he is attached to it. Over the last few weeks, photographs of “red snow” around Ukraine’s Vernadsky Research Base, off the coast of Antarctica’s northernmost peninsula, have gone viral. “Red snow” or “watermelon” is a phenomenon that has been known since ancient times. Now, it raises concerns about climate change. (1) is believed to be one of the first to give a written account of red snow, over 2,000 years ago. In History of Animals, (1) wrote: “And, by the way, living animals are found in substances that are usually supposed to be incapable of putrefaction; for instance, worms are found in long-lying snow; and snow of this description gets reddish in colour, and the grub that is engendered in it is red, as might have been expected, and it is also hairy.” What (1) described as worms and grub, the scientific world today calls algae. The Greek philosopher was right: it is the algae that give the snow its red tinge. This alga species, Chlamydomonas Chlamydomonas nivalis, exists in snow in the polar and glacial regions, and carries a red pigment to keep itself warm. In turn, the red snow causes the surrounding ice to melt faster, a 2017 study from Alaska Pacific University said. The more the algae packed together, the redder the snow. And the darker the tinge, the more the heat absorbed by the snow. Subsequently, the ice melts faster. While the melt is good for the microbes that need the liquid water to survive and thrive, it’s bad for glaciers that are already melting from a myriad of other causes, the study said. These algae change the snow’s albedo — which refers to the amount of light or radiation the snow surface is able to reflect back. Changes in albedo lead to more melting. In the melting of snow in the Arctic, the key drivers have been snow and ice albedo, according to a 2016 study in the journal Nature. Q. Which of the following is the branch of science dealing with the study of Algae? Q. What is the first scientific base station of India situated in Antarctica? Daksin Gangotri Gangasagar Himkshetra Q. Which of the following is the highest peak in Antarctica? Queen Maud range Mt Vinson Massif Mt Erebus Mt Vida Q. Which of the following is replaced by (1) in the passage? Carlaus linneus Q. Red Sea got its name because of presence of similiar algae found in which country of the world? Read the following passage and answer the question as directed. On January 10, 2020, the Ministry of Steel launched the "__{X}__" programme, under which major PSUs like SAIL, IOCL and Coal India and concerned departments of five states; West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha will be working towards accelerating steel production in the region. For this purpose, the steel ministry is looking to invest $70 billion, that is likely to result in $35 billion addition to the GDP, and creation of 2.5 million jobs. Kickstarting the programme here, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel said that the idea was to promote the region as an integrated steel hub, which can foster growth towards a $5 trillion economy. Kolkata could be the epicentre of this growth, facilitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city. The steel ministry would anchor in coordinating various stake holders across central ministries, state governments and private investors, and a policy facilitating the creation of steel clusters has thus been put in place. Kalinganagar and Bokaro have been identified as pilot locations for steel clusters around integrated steel plants, and task forces and working groups with respective state governments have been formed for detailed planning for operationalisation of these clusters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as part of his Kolkata visit, attended the 150th anniversary of Kolkata Port Trust. While Paradip Port Trust has been taken as a major stakeholder in the "__{X}__" initiative, Kolkata Port will play a vital role in developing inter-state connectivity through inland waterways. Critical logistics and infrastructure projects were identified for expedition across the twelve major steel zones, which include rail, road and port capacity expansion projects. The twelve major steel zones identified are Kalinganagar, Angul, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Nagarnar, Bhilai, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Bokaro, Durgapur, Kolkata and Vizag. At a later stage, Bihar will be included within the cluster for driving growth in steel consumption, and that political differences between the centre and state governments, would not be a hindrance to uplift the 57 backward districts of the region. According to the National Steel Policy announced in 2017, the government aims at a total production capacity of 300 million tonne by 2030-31 and out of which, around 200 million tonne is to be envisaged from the five eastern states. Eastern region at present contributes 70% of the country's total steel production. This will go up to 87% with the integrated steel hub in place quotes by ___blank (i)___, IOCL Chairman and Managing Director. The oil and gas sector has been a major consumer of steel and the expansion would boost the steel industry thereby increasing the share of manufacturing to services. Q. In the above passage, the name of the programme has been redacted with '__{X}__'. What is the name of the programme? Purvodaya Purvodaya, an initiative in steel sector, is aimed at driving accelerated development of eastern India through establishment of integrated steel hub. Eastern states of India (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal) and the northern part of Andhra Pradesh collectively hold 80 per cent of the country's iron ore, 100 per cent of coking coal and significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves. Q. In the above passage, whose name has been redacted with ___ blank (i)___? R. Ranjan Bipin Murthy B. Ashok Sanjiv Singh has taken over as Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (Indian Oil) with effect from 1st June 2017. Prior to his elevation, he was Director (Refineries) of the Indian Oil Board since July 2014. A chemical engineer from IIT-Roorkee with a Diploma in Management, Mr. Sanjiv Singh, joined Indian Oil in 1981 and has served the Corporation for over 35 years. Q. After reading the above passage, consider the following statements and choose the correct option. Statement I: '__{X}__' aims at achieving India's steel policy target of 300 million tonne by 2030. Statement II: Jharkhand is the largest producer of steel in India. Statement III: '__{X}__' aims to promote Jharkhand as an integrated steel hub. Statement IV: '__{X}__' would contribute towards the transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure. I, IV I, III, IV II, III, IV All of the above mentioned statements are true Odisha is the largest producer of steel in India. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched Purvodaya for an accelerated development of eastern India through integrated steel hub in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on 3 key elements: 1. Capacity addition through easing the setup of Greenfield steel plants 2. Development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres 3. Transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the east Q. Who holds the chair of the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel as in 2020? D. V. Sadananda Gowda Dharmendra Pradhan is the Cabinet Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel as in 2020. On 31st May 2019, Shri Pradhan began his second consecutive tenure at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel becoming the first such incumbent in the history of independent India. Shri Pradhan was promoted as a Cabinet Minister on September 3, 2017. As a member of Parliament, Shri Pradhan represents Madhya Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha and was earlier a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. Born on 26th June 1969, he hails from the city of Talcher in Odisha. Q. Where is Indian Oil Corporation Limited headquartered? Indian Oil Corporation Limited, commonly known as Indian Oil, is an Indian government owned oil and gas company headquartered in New Delhi. It is the largest commercial oil company in the country. It has subsidiaries in Sri Lanka (Lanka IOC), Mauritius (Mauritius Ltd.) and the Middle East (IOC Middle East FZE). World leaders made a fresh push for peace in Libya at a summit in (1) on Sunday, in a desperate bid to stop the conflict-wracked nation from turning into a “second Syria”. The Presidents of Russia, Turkey and France joined other global chiefs at the talks hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel and held under the auspices of the UN. The summit’s main goal is to get foreign powers wielding influence in the region to stop interfering in the war — be it through weapons, troops or financing. Haftar in Leaders of both warring factions — strongman Khalifa Haftar and the head of Tripoli’s UN-recognised government Fayez-al-Sarraj — were also in (1) for the first such gathering since 2018. But pro-Haftar forces upped the ante ahead of the talks by blocking oil exports at Libya’s key ports, crippling the country’s main income source in protest at Turkey’s decision to send troops to shore up Mr. Sarraj’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). Ahead of the talks, Turkish President (2) lashed out at Mr. Haftar, saying he needed to drop his “hostile attitude” if Libya is to have any chance at winning peace. The flaring oil crisis underlined the devastating impact of foreign influence in the conflict, in which Mr. Sarraj’s GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar while Mr. Haftar has the support of Russia, (3) and the United Arab Emirates. The UN hopes all sides will sign up to a plan to refrain from interference, and commit to a truce. Q. In which year colonel Muammar Gaddafi toppled following an armed rebellion assisted by Western military intervention in Libya.? Q. Which of the following is replaced by (2) in the above passage? Kemel Kilicdaro Ekrem Imamoglu Mehmed VI vahideddin Q. Which of the following countries doesn’t have land border with Libya? {X} became the first state to challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) before the Supreme Court. However, the legal route adopted by the state is different from the 60 petitions already pending before the court. The {X} government has moved the apex court under {Y} of the Constitution, the provision under which the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to deal with any dispute between the Centre and a state; the Centre and a state on the one side and another state on the other side; and two or more states. The Chhattisgarh government filed a suit in the Supreme Court under {Y}, challenging the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act on the ground that it encroaches upon the state's powers to maintain law and order. For a dispute to qualify as a dispute under {Y}, it has to be necessarily between states and the Centre, and must involve a question of law or fact on which the existence of a legal right of the state or the Centre depends. {Y} cannot be used to settle political differences between state and central governments headed by different parties. The Centre has other powers to ensure that its laws are implemented. The Centre can issue directions to a state to implement the laws made by Parliament. If states do not comply with the directions, the Centre can move the court seeking a permanent injunction against the states to force them to comply with the law. Non-compliance of court orders can result in contempt of court, and the court usually hauls up the chief secretaries of the states responsible for implementing laws. The other petitions challenging the CAA have been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. A state government cannot move the court under this provision because only people and citizens can claim fundamental rights. Under {Y}, the challenge is made when the rights and power of a state or the Centre are in question. However, the relief that the state (under {Y}) and petitioners under Article 32 have sought in the challenge to the CAA is the same — declaration of the law as being unconstitutional. Q. In the above passage, what has been redacted with {X}? Kerala became the first state to challenge the Contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA after it moved to the Supreme Court. The plea has been filed as an original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution which empowers Supreme Court to hear disputes between the Government of India and one or more states. Q. In the above passage, which article has been redacted with {Y}? In the above passage, Article 131 has been redacted with {Y}. It states that: Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court: Subject to the provisions of this Constitution the Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of any other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute: (a) between the Government of India and one or more states (b) between the Government of India and any state or states on one side and one or more other states on the other or (c) between two or more states. Q. Statement I: Article 32 of the Constitution gives court the power to issue writs when fundamental rights are violated. Statement II: {Y} cannot be used to settle political differences between state and central governments headed by different parties. Both statement I and statement II are correct Both statement I and statement II are incorrect Statement I is correct and statement II is incorrect Statement I is incorrect and statement II is correct Statement I: Article 32 of the Constitution of India confers power on the Supreme Court to issue direction or order or writ, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari, whichever may be appropriate, for the enforcement of any of the rights conferred by Part III of the Constitution. Statement II: Article 131 can be used to settle political differences between state and central governments headed by different parties. Q. How many kinds of jurisdictions does Supreme Court have? The Supreme Court has three kinds of jurisdictions: original, appellate and advisory. Under its advisory jurisdiction, the President has the power to seek an opinion from the apex court under Article 143 of the Constitution. Under its appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts. In its extraordinary original jurisdiction, the Supreme Court has exclusive power to adjudicate upon disputes involving elections of the President and the Vice President, those that involve states and the Centre, and cases involving the violation of fundamental rights. Q. How many kinds of writs are there in the Indian Constitution? Supreme Court under Article 32 and High Courts under Article 226 are empowered to issue writs for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights. There are five types of writs in the Indian Constitution: Habeas Corpus, Certiorari, Quo-Warranto, Mandamus and Prohibition The United States will be signing the peace deal with the Taliban after nearly two years of negotiations in (1) The United States is all set to sign a peace agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, bringing an end to America’s longest war after nearly two years of negotiations. US President Donald Trump made the announcement. US Secretary of State (2) will witness the signing of the historic peace agreement with the Taliban representatives. Trump stated that the peace deal is being signed as a part of America’s efforts to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan. He further stated that if the Taliban and the Afghanistan government live upto their commitments, then it will pave the way forward for the US to bring their troops back home. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper will be issuing a joint declaration with the Afghan government after signing of the peace agreement. The United States will be signing the peace deal with the Taliban after nearly two years of negotiations in Qatar’s capital city, Doha. Diplomats from nations including the US, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and other UN member states have already begun arriving in (1). Following the signing, the US is expected to withdraw some of its troops, reducing its troop strength in the nation to about 8600 from earlier 13000. Further call backs will be issued depending upon compliance from the Taliban. The US-Taliban peace deal will also bring an end to the massive investment of money and lives, as the US has spent over $750 billion and tens of thousands human lives have been lost or permanently scarred and interrupted on all sides in the decades-long war. Q. Who is the present president of Afghanistan? Q. In which year US had started Afghanistan war? Albert Herber Q. What was the code name of operation for Taliban attacks by US? Operation Desert Operation cactus Operation Green Terror Greta Thunberg, the teen activist from {X} who has urged immediate action to address a global climate crisis, was named Time magazine's person of the year for 2019. Thunberg, a 16 year old, was lauded by Time for starting an environmental campaign in August 2018 which became a global movement, initially from skipping school to camping out in front of the country parliament to demand action. "In the 16 months, she addressed heads of state at the UN, met with the pope, sparred with the president of the United States and inspired 4 million people to join the global climate strike on September 20, 2019, which was the largest climate demonstration in human history," the magazine said. "Margaret Atwood compared her to Joan of Arc. After noticing a hundredfold increase in its usage, lexicographers at Collins Dictionary named Thunberg's pioneering idea, climate strike, the word of the year," Time said. Thunberg, who turned 17 in January, 2020 continues to beat the drum, saying in {Y} that the voices of climate strikers are being heard but politicians are still not taking action. The activist addressed the latest round of the UN climate meeting in December 2019 held in {Y}, bluntly criticising world leaders for "negotiating loopholes" and using PR to make it appear they are achieving bold climate targets. But the reluctant celebrity, who has been chased by cameras and attracted large crowds at the {Y} conference, has urged the press to hear from other activists and indigenous youth instead. The former vice-president Al Gore, a longtime environmentalist, said the magazine made a "brilliant choice", which made Thunberg the youngest person to have ever received the accolade. "Greta embodies the moral authority of the youth activist movement demanding that we act immediately to solve the climate crisis. She is an inspiration to me and to people across the world," Gore said. Other nominees for person of the year included Donald Trump and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress. Sweden has been redacted with {X}. Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, born on 3rd January, 2003, is a Swedish environmental activist on climate change whose campaigning has gained international recognition. Thunberg is known for her straightforward speaking manner, both in public and to political leaders and assemblies, in which she urges immediate action to address the climate crisis. Q. In the above passage, what has been redacted with {Y}? Madrid, Spain has been redacted with {Y}. The 25th UN Climate Change Conference took place in Madrid, Spain, and it convened from 2-13 December, 2019. It featured the 25th session of the Conference of the parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention to Combat Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 51st meetings of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies; the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 51) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 51). Q. Consider the following statements and mark the correct option. Statement I: Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person to have received the TIME person of the year award till 2020. Statement II: Mahatma Gandhi is the only Indian to have won TIME person of the year award till 2020. Both statement I and statement II are correct. Both statement I and statement II are incorrect. Statement I is correct and statement II is incorrect. Statement I is incorrect and statement II is correct. Statement I is incorrect as Greta Thunberg, is the youngest person to have received the TIME person of the year award till 2020. Statement II is correct. Mahatma Gandhi is the only Indian to be named TIME Person of the Year, having been given the honour in 1930. The magazine described him as 'Saint Gandhi' and later named him as one of the 25 Political Icons of all time. Q. Activist Greta Thunberg has been awarded with which organisation's Ambassador of Conscience Award 2019? Orbis International United Nations Environment Programme Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement of school children have been honoured with Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019. Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation with its headquarters in the United Kingdom focused on human rights. The organisation claims it has more than eight million members and supporters around the world. Q. For which movement was Greta Thunberg honoured with the Ambassador of Conscience Award 2019? Fridays for Future Movement One Planet One Home movement Save the Planet Movement Generation X for Climate Movement Fridays for Future movement of school children has been honoured with Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award 2019. The school strike for the climate also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who take time off from class on Fridays to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to take action to prevent climate change and for the fossil fuel industry to transition to renewable energy. The [1] recently confirmed that malware was detected at state-run [2] in September. Investigations were carried out by the Computer & Information Security Advisory Group (CISAG) – DAE along with the national agency, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). The investigation concluded that the malware infection was limited to the administrative network of KKNPP. The affected system contains data related to day to day administrative functions. The malware infection was not able to get access to the controls of the Nuclear Power Plant. As plant control and instrumentation systems are not connected to any external network such as Intranet, Internet and administrative system. Q. What should replace [1]? Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd Bhabha Atomic Research Center Defense Research and Development Organisation Research and Analysis Wing Kakarapar Thermal Power Plant Jetapur Nuclear Power Plant Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Kerala Nuclear Power Plant Q. Which country has helped India to develop a nuclear power plant as mentioned in [2]? Q. Which is the largest nuclear power plant in India? Tarapur Nuclear power plant Narora Nuclear power plant Kakrapar Nuclear power plant Q. Which of the following is used as moderator in Nuclear reactors? Heavy Hydrogen A is the correct option.A graphite reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses carbon as a neutron moderator, which allows un-enriched uranium to be used as nuclear fuel. The first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, used graphite as a moderator. The current trend in crude oil prices gives a serious cause for concern and if this persists, many of the calculations indicating further recovery and improved growth for the economy can be nullified. This year, the oil prices have risen from $70 per barrel to briefly touch $87, falling back somewhat thereafter. Such levels have not been seen since October 2008. That year, oil crossed a historic $140 per barrel. It is the continued upward trend (except for the period of recession in the global economy) through the later part of the last year, which shows no signs of abating. High oil prices, which rein in growth, will be a bad news for India in more than one way. Slower growth will take away some of the buoyancy that revenue collection is now displaying. But India's problem is compounded by the fact that oil prices are not fully passed on and thus result in under-recoveries for the oil-marketing companies. Q. Which of the following is not in consonance with the contents of the passage? For India to be on a sustainable growth path, its energy prices will have to be market-determined and go up if global prices go up The under-recoveries ruin the finances of the oil marketing companies, and sap their energy and desire to run themselves efficiently According to a senior Oil Ministry official, if oil prices again touch $87 a barrel and refuse to come down, then with the current consumer prices, the current financial year can end up with a massive under-recovery of Rs. 80,000 crore Since there is no election round the corner, government has in an arrogant manner raised the prices of oil (both diesel and petrol) and passed on the same to a common man, who is already hard-hit due to a very high level of inflation. If the prices increases are not fully passed on, option C may be inevitable. Refer to “But India's problem …………….for the oil-marketing companies”. Hence option A is in consonance with the text. If Oil companies have under recoveries that will lead to financial ruin, they will definitely not be buoyant. Hence option B is also in consonance with the text. The option D is not in consonance with the text because it states that the oil prices are not fully passed on. Q. Which of the following best captures the main idea of the para? Higher crude oil price is leading to under-recoveries for OMCs Current price increase in crude oil is leading to nullification of growth of economy Current trend in crude oil price, if persists, can be detrimental for the economy Problem of slower growth in economy is compounded by under-recoveries for OMCs Option (A) leaves out author’s concern for growth of economy and talks just about crude oil and OMCs. Option (C) is incorrect as it states that growth of economy is already being nullified while author talks about “The current trend in crude oil prices gives a serious cause for concern and if this persists, many of the calculations indicating further recovery and improved growth for the economy can be nullified” Above point also helps us reach option (C) as the best option. Option (D) is incorrect as it leaves out current crude oil price increase which author takes as basis Q. Which of the following refutes the main idea of para? This year, the oil prices have risen from $70 per barrel to briefly touch $87 Oil price increase in 2008 was the consequence of slowdown of economy Slow growth of the economy wasn’t result of crude oil price increase rather impact of meltdown of global economy Growth in economy had severely slowed down as a consequence of the oil price increase in 2008 Main idea of para is Current trend in crude oil price, if persists, can be detrimental for the economy. Option (A) is incorrect because it’s incomplete, what will be impact on economy is left out. Option (B) reverses causation. It gives oil price as effect instead of cause of slowdown. Option (C) weakens the main idea as it attacks the basis (crude oil price increase) and states global meltdown as reason for slowdown of Indian economy. Option (D) gives an instance, an example supporting main idea Hence is incorrect answer here. Q. Which of the following options best captures the purpose served, in the para, by the first line “The current trend in crude oil prices gives a serious cause for concern and if this persists, many of the calculations indicating further recovery and improved growth for the economy can be nullified”? State the current situation in crude oil prices Form the basis of the following line “This year, the oil prices have risen from $70 per barrel to briefly touch $87” State the main idea of the paragraph State that recovery and improved growth of the economy is being nullified Option (A) though correct is incomplete as option talks just about crude oil price while line 1 of para talks about economy too. Option (B) is incorrect as it implies that line 2 is the main thing and line 1 just forms the basis for it. It isn’t that line 1 of para forms basis of line 2, rather line 2 helps elucidate what the author is talking about in line 1. Option (D) is incorrect as it states that growth of economy is already being nullified while author talks about “The current trend in crude oil prices gives a serious cause for concern and if this persists, many of the calculations indicating further recovery and improved growth for the economy can be nullified” Read the passage below and answer the question. "Fake News" is a real phenomenon. There are sleazy predators who cook up completely apocryphal news stories and try to get them circulated on social media and on the internet. But it's a terrible pollution of the language for the president to call any article that criticizes him "fake news." If you compare the credibility of the president's statement with those of the mainstream media, there's just no comparison. The president's been called out on lie after lie after lie. And as someone who's often written for the so-called "mainstream media," for all their flaws, they got fact-checkers. They won't let me just write anything that comes into my head, I've got to prove it. So that's the kind of standard that has established the credibility of many of the news media. And the basis of democracy is that everyone can be criticized, particularly the leaders. We don't have a monarch, a Supreme Leader, or a dictator for life. We've got a person who is temporarily in charge of the government and when he makes an error, it is mandatory for the free press to call it out. To try to delegitimize the press whenever it criticizes the president, it's really the reflex of an autocrat, of a tin-pot dictator in some banana republic and not worthy of a democracy like the United States where the president serves in our pleasure and can be criticized just like anyone else. Q. Why does the author say that he cannot write anything in the media that "comes into his head"? Because he believes that the president is right in all his intentions Because there are people who can prove him wrong Because the president has a tendency to lie and not stay true to his words Because no one can be criticized in a democracy The author states a reason why he cannot write just about anything in the media in these lines: 'And as someone who's often written for the so-called "mainstream media," for all their flaws, they got fact-checkers. They won't let me just write anything that comes into my head, I've got to prove it. So that's the kind of standard that has established the credibility of many of the news media.' Q. Which of the following is similar to the way that the author states the president corrupts the use of the term 'fake news'? A student calling out his teacher biased because she didn't provide her the marks he deserves A coach calling the referee impartial because he has been just in the decisions taken during the game A researcher calling out his mentor for using his research without giving him due credit A novelist calling out the publishing house for providing his manuscript to another author to take ideas The author states that the president calls out anything that criticizes him as fake news. He states this use to be incorrect as fake news is some wrong information published and circulated in the social media which has no true basis. A student labeling his teacher biased just because he thinks he didn't get the marks he deserves is very similar to the president calling out the news that criticizes him as fake. Option 2 is incorrect because there is nothing wrong in a coach calling a referee impartial as a referee is supposed to be impartial. Options 3 and 4 are incorrect because in both the cases the mentor and the publishing house respectively are wrong in their actions so the researcher and novelist are right in calling them out. Q. Which of the following can be inferred from the author's description of the president? The president believes he can never make an error. The president is less credible than the news media. Both (1) and (2) Neither (1) nor (2) Both options 1 and 2 can be derived from the author's description of the president. When the author states that the press has the right to call him out when he makes an error, he implies that the president just like any other human can make an error. Option 2 is also correct as he states that there is 'no comparison' between the president's statements and the mainstream media. This implies that the president is less credible than the news media. Q. What role does the author's claim that the even president can be criticised play in the argument in the passage? It is the conclusion that the author draws based on the findings of news media reports. It supports the author's conclusion as to why the president's claim to call out news media invalid. It contradicts the claim that people in the news media have the right to criticize the president. It supports the president's argument in the light of the recent events pointed out in the mainstream media. The author's claim that the president is no 'monarch, a Supreme Leader, or a dictator' that he cannot be criticized. This supports his original claim as to why the president is wrong to claim any news that criticizes him as fake news. Option 1 is incorrect because there is no 'findings of the news media'. Q. Based on the information in the given passage, which of the following is most likely to be true? The president has the right to delegitimize the news media whenever he wishes. The president has accused the news media to be more credible than him. The president is accountable for his actions and it is not wrong to criticize him. The president is above the law and cannot be criticized by anyone. The correct option is 3. All other options run contradictory to what is stated in the text. The author says that the president cannot delegitimize the media when it criticizes him; so option 1 is incorrect. Option 2 is illogical. One cannot 'accuse' someone to be more credible than him. The author states that the president 'can be criticized just like anyone else'; so option 4 is incorrect. In each questions given below a statements followed by three courses of action numbered I, II and III. A course of action is a step or administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up or further action in regard to the problem, policy, etc. On the basis of the information given in the statement, you have to assume everything in the statement to be true, then decide which of the three given/suggested courses of action logically follows for pursuing and decide the answer. Q. Statement: The chairman of the car company announced in the meeting that all trail of its first product the new car model ‘M’ are over and company plans to launch its car in the marked after six months. Courses of action: I. The network of dealers is to be finalised and all legal, financial and other matters in this connection will have to be finalised shortly. II. The company will have to make plan for product other than car. III. Material, managerial and other resources will have to be in fine tune to maintain production schedule. I and III only Only II Once the trials are over, the best availability of material, managerial and other resources in necessary to maintain production schedule. Hence, III follows. As mentioned in the statement, ‘model M is its first product’, so it is necessary to finalise the network of dealers and all matters regarding the sale of the product. Hence, I follows. II has no connection with the statement. Q. Statement: India’s national bird does not have a safe sanctuary in the nation’s capital itself. Last week about a dozen of them were brutally killed in some parts of the city and such killing have been going on for last couple of months. Course of action: I. Killing of national bird should be declared as treason. II. Poachers should be banned from entering forests. III. Nation’s interest should be kept above all and no action should be taken towards such trivial issues. I and II follow Only I follows Only III follows Action I does not follow became it is an extreme step. It is very difficult to identify who is poacher or not, so action II does not follow. Action III is a negative action which is not admirable. Q. Statement: A blast was triggered off, injuring many, when the night shift workers at an ordinance factory were handling ‘fox signalling explosive’. Course of action: I. The factory management should train its staff as regards to the safety aspects of handing such explosive materials. II. The service of the supervisor in change of the night shift should be terminated. III. The factory should immediately stop carrying out such exercises at night. Only II follows All follow Action I follows because training to staff on the safety aspects of handling explosive materials will reduce the chance of such accidents in further. Termination of supervisor incharge is an extreme step. An enquiry should be done against him and if found guilty then he can be terminated. Action III is not advisable as it is a negative action. The Supreme Court has taken a timely decision by agreeing to hear a plea from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to direct political parties to not field candidates with criminal antecedents. The immediate provocation is the finding that 46% of Members of Parliament have criminal records. While the number might be inflated as many politicians tend to be charged with relatively minor offences — "unlawful assembly" and "defamation" — the real worry is that the current cohort of Lok Sabha MPs has the highest (29%) proportion of those with serious declared criminal cases compared to its recent predecessors. Researchers have found that such candidates with serious records seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties. Some voters tend to view such candidates through a narrow prism: of being able to represent their interests by hook or by crook. Others do not seek to punish these candidates in instances where they are in contest with other candidates with similar records. Either way, these unhealthy tendencies in the democratic system reflect a poor image of the nature of India's state institutions and the quality of its elected representatives. Q. If the author's arguments in the given passage are true, which of the following must also be true? Majority of Members of the Parliament will not be allowed to participate in elections Parties will most probably become selective in providing party tickets to those with serious criminal charges Voters will become aware of their rights and elect only those candidates who truly represent their interests The Supreme Court will reject the plea of the Election Commission of India considering the record of the candidates If the author's argument regarding not fielding those candidates with serious criminal charges is true, then the parties should become selective in providing tickets to them. So the correct options is 2. Option 1 is incorrect because 46% is not a majority. Option 3 is incorrect because the voters are already doing that. Option 4 is incorrect as the Supreme Court has already agreed to hear the plea. Q. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the author's conclusion? The ones with serious criminal records are innocent until proven guilty. The Supreme Court has ruled to appoint special courts to exclusively try cases against politicians. The composition of the Lower House with a number of representatives facing serious cases is divided on the issue. Voters will not elect candidates due to their dubious credentials after the ruling of the Supreme Court. Only option 1 weakens the argument of the author by stating that the ones who are charged with serious criminal records are not guilty until proven in a court of law. 'Appointing special courts', 'Lower house...divided on the issue' and 'Voters...not elect[ing] candidates with dubious credentials' do not weaken the argument. Q. Which of the following situations is similar in nature to fielding of 'criminal' politicians that the author describes in the passage? Appearing in the preboard examinations does not make a student eligible for sitting in the board examinations Copyright laws have made many people in the academia to take plagiarism seriously Several fraud campaigns on crowdfunding platforms have not made the online donation scene worse Data security is a concern but it has not discouraged users from sharing their information online The question is about finding a situation which is similar to parties letting 'criminal' politicians contest in elections. Letting these criminals contest would be a concern which the parties tend to ignore because such candidates 'seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties'. A similar concern is shared in option 4 where the threat to data security does not discourage users from sharing their information online. In other options, this analogy has not been brought out. Q. Which of the following can we infer from the given passage? Judicial pronouncements will likely make it difficult for criminal candidates to contest in the elections Political parties will publicise pending criminal cases faced by their candidates Only option 1 can be inferred from the passage. The author's comment on the Supreme Court's hearing of the ECI's plea as a 'timely decision' suggests that the criminal candidates will not be allowed to contest by their respective parties. It is questionable whether the parties will publicise their candidates' criminal cases. So option 2 is incorrect Poverty measurement is an unsettled issue, both conceptually and methodologically. Since poverty is a process as well as an outcome; many come out of it while others may be falling into it. The net effect of these two parallel processes Is a proportion commonly identified as the ‘head count ratio’, but these ratios hide the fundamental dynamism that characterises poverty in practice. The most recent poverty reestimates by an expert group has also missed the crucial dynamism. In a study conducted on 13.000 households which represented the entire country in 1993-94 and again on 2004-05. it was found that in the ten-year period 18.2% rural population moved out of poverty whereas another 22.1% fell into it over this period. This net increase of about four percentage points was seen to have a considerable variation across states and regions. Q. Which of the following is a conclusion which can be drawn from the facts slated in the above paragraph? Accurate estimates of number of people living below poverty line in India is possible to be made. Many expert groups in dia are not interested measure poverty objectively. Process of poverty measurement need to take into account various factors to tackle its dynamic nature. People living below poverty line remain in that position for a very long time. Process of poverty measurement needs to take into account various factors to tackle its dynamic nature. Q. Which of following is an assumption which is implicit in the facts stated in the above paragraph? It may not be possible to have an accurate poverty measurement in India. Level of poverty in India is static over the years. Researchers avoid making conclusions on poverty measurement data in India. Government of India has a mechanism to measure level of poverty effectively and accurately. Q. Which of the following is an inference which can be made from the facts stated in the above paragraph? Poverty measurement tools in India arc outdated. Increase in number of persons falling into poverty varies considerably across the country over a period of time. Government of India has stopped measuring poverty related studies. People living in rural areas are more susceptible to fall into poverty over the time Mars is at the top of the list for two reasons. First, it is relatively close to Earth compared to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter (which are also considered good candidates for discovering life beyond Earth in the solar system, and are targeted for exploration in the coming decade). Second, Mars is extremely observable because it lacks a thick atmosphere like Venus, and so far, there are pretty good evidence that Mars' surface temperature and pressure hovers around the point liquid water -- considered essential for life -- can exist. Further, there is good evidence in the form of observable river deltas, and more recent measurements made on Mars' surface, that liquid water did in fact flow on Mars billions of years ago. Scientists are becoming increasingly convinced that billions of years Mars was habitable. Whether it was in fact inhabited, or is still inhabited, remains hotly debated. To better constrain these questions, scientists are trying to understand the kinds of water chemistry that could have generated the minerals observed on Mars today, which were produced billions of years ago. Recent remote measurements on Mars suggest its ancient environments may provide clues about Mars' early habitability. Earth's oceans are of course host to myriad forms of life, thus it seems compelling that Mars' early surface environment was a place contemporary Earth life could have lived, but it remains a mystery as to why evidence of life on Mars is so hard to find. Q. Which of the following is most consistent with the scientists' reasoning that Mars has been habitable since billions of years? When searching for life, most scientists agree that water is the key as all forms of terrestrial life require water. The planet's thin atmosphere allows radiation from the sun to irradiate the surface of the planet, adding to the environment's challenges Underground water could shield potential life from harsh radiation It is possible that life could evolve without water as it is easier to search for conditions that are known to be optimal The text mentions "... scientists are trying to understand the kinds of water chemistry that could have generated the minerals observed on Mars today, which were produced billions of years ago ... Earth's oceans are of course host to myriad forms of life, thus it seems compelling that Mars' early surface environment was a place contemporary Earth life could have lived ..." to suggest the importance of water in establishing the presence of life forms on other planets like Mars. Thus, option 1 is correct. Q. Which of the following regarding Mars can be inferred from the passage? Mars has been hosting various forms of life since many years. Presence of life on Mars makes it possible for humans to live there. Mars is the closest planet to earth. No firm conclusions regarding possibility of life in Mars have been made till now. The context mentions "Whether it was in fact inhabited, or is still inhabited, remains hotly debated ... but it remains a mystery as to why evidence of life on Mars is so hard to find." Thus, the most appropriate answer is option 4. Option 1 is incorrect because of the above statement. Option 2 is incorrect because it affirms that the planet is habitable while the passage speculates this. Option 3 is incorrect because the text uses the term 'relatively close', not 'closest'. Q. The author uses which of the following strategies to present his argument? The author makes a comparison between two theories by providing an example. The author establishes a point by drawing an analogy. The author presents a popular notion and provides evidences in support of it. The author presents a new theory in response to an existing well-established theory. The author mentions about Mars and the possibility of life there by stating it to be a popular notion among scientists: "Scientists are becoming increasingly convinced that billions of years Mars was habitable". This is supported by mentioning facts that lead to the conclusion. The most appropriate answer, therefore, is option 3 The planet has water that can be extracted with the help of advanced technologies. The thin atmosphere of Mars offers protection from cosmic and the Sun's radiation. Certain salt minerals present on Mars kill lifeforms. Gravity on Mars is 38% that of our Earth's, which is sufficient for the human body to adapt to. The text at several places is highly optimistic about the presence of life on Mars. Option 3 which states that there is a threat to life forms on Mars invalidates the author's argument for Mars being habitable. Other options are incorrect as they support the argument. Q. Which of the following must also be true, if the statement in boldface is true? Oceans don't host a varied number of species of different forms. Surface environment of Mars is similar to that of Earth Water is the most essential resource for life's survival The existence of life on Mars is too far-fetched a possibility The boldface statement states that it is compelling for the scientists to believe that Mars has been habitable since billions of years. The reason for this is stated in the line: "Earth's oceans are of course host to myriad forms of life". Thus, the correct answer is option 2. The government's version of the Lokpal Bill says that sitting prime ministers will not come under the ombudsman's lens. Now, the Lokpal will have jurisdiction over ministries, but not the prime minister. It's a mistake. He is the head of the Cabinet and the first among equals; as liable to scrutiny as his peers. Ministries and various departments are the functioning arms of the government which enforce rules. The root of corruption lies in how these rules and policies are administered. Q. Which of the following is the conclusion of the above discussion? The government has no will to fight corruption. In case the prime minister is brought under the purview of the Lokpal, his office may face frequent frivolous allegations. Keeping the prime minister out of the purview of the Lokpal will render the institution impotent to check corruption in the country. Ministries and departments are not under the effective control of the government. This statement clearly shows the conclusion of the passage that PM can’t be out of the purview of the Lokpal. Q. Which of the following can be the assumption behind the above discussion? The incumbent government wants to protect the prime minister from facing corruption charges. The prime minister wants to maintain his supremacy over the ministers. The prime minister is a constitutional position and it can' be brought under the Lokpal. Bringing ministers under the Lokpal is enough to check corruption in high places. This statement shows the hidden assumption being taken in this passage. Q. Which of the following is an inference of the above passage? There are fundamental flaws in how policies and rules are administered my ministries and departments. Ministries and departments are incapable of enforcing rules and policies properly in lack of support from ministers. Scrutiny of ombudsman is not a necessary factor for controlling corruption. Only sitting prime ministers are accused of corruption charges. This statement gives the inference which comes from this passage as not including PM in lokpal is a flaw. The study comes as Vermont prepares to implement a mandatory law that makes it illegal to throw food items in the trash beginning July 1, 2020. Several large cities including San Francisco and Seattle have implemented similar policies, but Vermont is the first state to ban household food waste from landfills. The policy is the last phase of a universal state recycling law passed in 2012 that bans all food waste, "blue bin" recyclables and yard debris from landfills state-wide by 2020. Previous research by Niles and other UVM colleagues showed Americans waste nearly a pound of food daily, roughly one third of a person's recommended daily calories. When disposed of in a landfill, food waste rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Conversely, composting can aid in carbon sequestration and creates a natural fertilizer for farms and gardens. Research has shown the rates of home composting in Vermont are much higher than in other regions. One third of Vermonters indicated they are exclusively composting or feeding food scraps to pets or livestock, with no food scraps ending up in the trash. This research suggests that investing in education, outreach and infrastructure to help households manage their own food waste could have significant environmental and economic impacts in other rural regions seeking food waste management solutions Q. What is the role played by the second paragraph in relation to the first paragraph? The first is a conclusion the argument calls into question; the second is the evidence that calls it into question The first is the decision regarding the action to be taken; the second is the argument bolstering the decision The first is the conclusion of the argument; the second is an alternate interpretation of this conclusion The first is evidence in support of the decision taken; the second is that decision The first paragraph states the decision taken by Vermont and the second paragraph mentions about "Previous research by Niles and other UVM colleagues showed ..." to provide reason in support of the decision. Thus, the most appropriate answer is option 2. Q. Which of the following is most similar to the proposed implementation of a mandatory law against throwing food waste in trash? A group of fans enter a stadium excited to see a football game, only to discover that the sign meant soccer rather than American football. A man buys a gun to protect his home, but during a break-in the intruder wrestles the gun from him and shoots him. Mysore, India's greenest city, is planning to launch a campaign to create awareness about tree plantation. There are more bikes than citizens, and cyclists in Copenhagen collectively cycle 31 times around the world each day. The similar situation to the mentioned by researcher in the passage about "Research has shown the rates of home composting in Vermont are much higher than in other regions" which means that people are already taking environment friendly steps. Q. Which of the following, if considered true, would suggest that the government's plan would be successful? Vermont is a democratic state where people have the right to raise their voice. People of Vermont are educated and law-abiding citizens. People in Vermont have raised their voice against food wastage in the entire U.S. Government of Vermont is well-equipped with latest technology. The government's plan is to ban dumping of food waste in the landfills. The plan, in order to be successful, needs complete support of the people of Vermont. Thus, it is necessary for the statement mentioned in option 2 to be true for the plan to be successful. Q. Which of the following can be inferred from the author's description of the law to prevent dumping of food waste in Vermont? People in Vermont are already taking measures to avoid dumping of food waste in trash The government in Vermont has helped the citizens manage their food waste through several means Both options 1 and 2 can be inferred from the argument. Option 1 can be inferred from: "One third of Vermonters indicated they are exclusively composting or feeding food scraps to pets or livestock, with no food scraps ending up in the trash." Option 2 can be inferred from author's statement: "research suggests that investing in education, outreach and infrastructure to help households manage their own food waste". Q. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author's description in the passage? Methane and carbon dioxide have similar effects on the environment. Home composting is less harmful than dumping food waste in landfills. Vermont is a clean state as there are several laws in place to preserve and protect the environment. No other state has banned food waste before Vermont. The text mentions "When disposed of in a landfill, food waste rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period ... Conversely, composting can aid in carbon sequestration and creates a natural fertilizer for farms and gardens." Thus, it can be inferred that composting is more useful than dumping food waste in landfills. Therefore, option 2 is correct. The Supreme Court has held that office of the Chief Justice of India is a public authority under the transparency law, the Right to Information Act. "Transparency doesn’t undermine judicial independence," the Supreme Court said in a unanimous verdict on Wednesday as it upheld the Delhi High Court judgment which ruled that office of the Chief Justice comes under the purview of RTI. The Supreme Court, however, said that confidentiality and right to privacy have to be maintained and added that RTI can’t be used for as a tool of surveillance. It also said only names of judges recommended by the collegium can be disclosed, not the reasons. The bench, headed by the chief justice, had wrapped up the hearing, saying nobody wants a "system of opaqueness", but the judiciary cannot be destroyed in the name of transparency. "Nobody wants to remain in the state of darkness or keep anybody in the state of darkness," it had said. "The question is drawing a line. In the name of transparency, you can't destroy the institution." The move to bring the office of the CJI under the transparency law was initiated by RTI activist SC Agrawal. His lawyer Prashant Bhushan had submitted in the top court that though the SC should not have been judging its own cause, it is hearing the appeals due to "doctrine of necessity". The lawyer had described the reluctance of the judiciary in parting information under the Right To Information Act as "unfortunate" and "disturbing", asking: "Do judges inhabit different universe?" He had submitted that the apex court has always stood for transparency in the functioning of other organs of State, but it develops cold feet when its own issues require attention. Referring to the RTI provisions, Bhushan had said they also deal with exemptions and information that cannot be given to applicants, but the public interest should always "outweigh" personal interests if the person concerned is holding or about to hold a public office. Dealing with "judicial independence", he said the National Judicial Accountability Commission Act was struck down for protecting the judiciary against interference from the executive, but this did not mean that judiciary is free from "public scrutiny". "This is not the independence from accountability. Independence of judiciary means it has to be independent from the executive and not independent from common public. People are entitled to know as to what public authorities are doing," Bhushan had said. The deliberations of the collegium in appointing and overlooking judges or lawyers should be made public and information can be parted with under RTI on case-to-case basis keeping in mind the larger public interest, the lawyer had said. Q. What was the primary consideration taken into account by the Supreme Court in giving its decision? Other organs of State in India (the legislature and executive) had also taken measures to boost transparency, and thus it was incumbent on the Supreme Court to do the same Transparency is an important virtue that needs to be promoted, and the same should be promoted to the extent that it does not violate right to privacy. The RTI is a very beneficial legislation that should be implemented in the judiciary at all costs to benefit the people. The Collegium must reveal the names of judges considered by it, if not the reasons for their appointment, in order to increase transparency. The question asks for the primary consideration taken into account by the SC while deciding the case. As per the rubric of the question, the same has to be decided on the basis of the information in the passage itself, and not from external sources. The correct answer as per the passage is (b), expressed in the first few paragraphs of the extract. (a) is not correct as this was one of the arguments advanced by the petitioner, and not the primary consideration of the Supreme Court itself as per the passage. (c) is wrong as the expression ‘at all costs’ is wrong, considering the Supreme Court has advocated a balance between the right to privacy of judges and transparency. (d), while being a point held by the Court in the case, was not the primary consideration on which the judgment was based. QUESTION: 100 Q. With which of the following is the petitioner in the present case least likely to agree? The Supreme Court should ideally not be a judge in its own case Though the extension of RTI to the CJI’s office has a negative impact on the Judiciary’s independence from the executive, it must be done in the interests of accountability The Supreme Court should not have excluded the reasons for the recommendations for appointing judges on part of the Collegium from the purview of the RTI The judiciary must be accountable to the people Based on the passage, the correct answer is (b). The petitioner does not argue that the extension of RTI to the CJI’s office has a negative impact on the independence of the judiciary from the executive. In fact, he impliedly disagrees with the same: he argues that independence from the executive does not imply independence from public scrutiny, thus implying that the latter is distinct from the former, and the former can be achieved without the latter. Thus, he is the least likely to agree with this statement. (a) is wrong as the petitioner argues that the Supreme Court should not have been the judge in this case, but has to be because of the doctrine of necessity. Thus, he agrees with (a). (c) is wrong as the petitioner agrees with it, with the caveat that larger public interest should be kept in mind while making such a disclosure, and it should be done on a case-by-case basis. (d) is wrong as the entire argument of the petitioner is based on this premise, and thus he is very likely to agree with this. Q. Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act states- “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen… information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information: Provided that the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person.” As per this rule, in which of the following cases is the applicant most likely to get information under the RTI Act? An applicant requests the information of the past romantic relationships of the Minister for Woman and Child Development. A person requests personal details of the assets of the CEO of Flipkart. An applicant requests the details of residence of all the family members of an IAS officer. An applicant requests the information about the financial assets of an MLA, seeking to know if the disclosure made by him to the Election Commission is correct. The correct answer is (d) as clear public interest is shown in this situation, on which ground information is likely to be provided. Other options either do not deal with public interest or do not deal with public authorities in the first place. Q. As per the petitioner, when should information about the discussions regarding the appointment of judges by the collegium not be withheld? In specific cases, keeping in mind the larger public interest. In every case it is requested in, considering that the judiciary is not independent of accountability. In specific cases where the independence of the judiciary is not hampered by the disclosure. In no case it is requested in. The correct answer is (a) as stated explicitly in the passage. (b) and (d) go against the passage as the petitioner advocates the release of such information on a case-by-case basis. (c) is wrong as independence of the judiciary is not the ground advocated by the petitioner for judging if the information concerned should be withheld. Q. Which was the primary concern of the bench regarding the extension of RTI to the office of the CJI, expressed by the Supreme Court during the hearing? It was concerned that the executive will take undue advantage of the information revealed in order to pressurize the judges into resigning The RTI might lead to too many frivolous requests on part of applicants, leading to pressure on an already overworked administration In the name of transparency, the judiciary might be destroyed as an institution The Collegium will not be able to function effectively, if subject to the RTI, for fear of public censure As per the passage, the Supreme Court earlier stated that the judiciary as an institution cannot be destroyed in the name of transparency. (a) is wrong as this concern of judges being pressurized into resigning has not been stated anywhere in the passage. The same logic is applicable to (b). (d) is wrong as a per the extract, fear of public censure has not been said to lead to ineffectiveness in the functioning of the collegium. The question is based on the reasoning and arguments, or facts and principles set out in the passage. Some of these principles may not be true in the real or legal sense, yet you must conclusively assume that they are true for the purpose. Please answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Do not rely on any principle of law other than the ones supplied to you, and do not assume any facts other than those supplied to you when answering the question. Please choose the option that most accurately and comprehensively answers the question. Right to Equality is the first fundamental right assured to the people of India. Each citizen of India is guaranteed the Right to Equality by Articles 14 to 18 of the Constitution. Article 14 encapsulates the general standards of equality under the watchful eyes of the law and restricts nonsensical and baseless separation between people. The succeeding articles layout explicit utilisation of the general standards set down in Article 14. This article goes over the Right to Equality in India, covering every one of the articles that this right exemplifies. According to Article 14, it is an obligation of the state to not deny to any person equality before the law or equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. Equality is one of the magnificent corner-stones of the Indian democracy. Equality before the law or equal protection of the laws does not mean a similar treatment to everybody. As no two individuals are equal in all regards, a similar treatment to them in each regard would bring about unequal treatment. What Article 14 precludes is class-legislation; however, it doesn't prohibit reasonable classification. The classification, under all circumstances, must not be discretionary or fake or shifty but should be founded on some genuine and significant qualification bearing a fair and reasonable connection to the objective looked to be accomplished by the legislation. Article 14 applies where people who are equal are dealt with contrastingly on no reasonable grounds. In a situation where equals and unequals are treated differently, Article 14 does not come into the picture. As such, this right was considered to be a negative right of an individual not to be discriminated in access to public offices or places or in public matters generally. It did not take account of the existing inequalities arising even from public policies and exercise of public powers. The makers of the Indian Constitution were not satisfied with such type of undertaking. They knew of the widespread social and economic inequalities in the country sanctioned for thousands of years by public policies and exercise of public power supported by religion and other social norms and practices. They were of the opinion that only Article 14 would not be sufficient enough to deal with these inequalities, so they introduced Articles 15-18 which states that nothing shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children. Classification to be sensible must satisfy two conditions, one being that the classification must be established on clear differentia which recognises people or things that are assembled from others which are not part of the group and that the differentiation must have a balanced connection to the article looked to be accomplished by the Act. Q. The Parliament of India made a law stating that all those who have served imprisonment for 12 years in offences where punishment for life is the highest punishment, shall be entitled to file for mercy petition before the President of India. This was challenged by Ram, who was serving imprisonment for theft, as being discriminatory towards those where punishment for life is not the highest punishment. Decide. The law is violative of Article 14. The law is not violative of Article 14 Ram being a convict has no right to claim fundamental right. Parliament has to receive the assent of the President before such a law. The law is not violative as it makes a difference between a life convict and a convict who is not sentenced to life or has served imprisonment for more than 12 years, where the maximum punishment for the offence for which such person is serving imprisonment is life. Q. The Parliament made a law relating to district-wise seat distribution in the state medical college entrance exam, according to the proportion of the population in a district to the total population of the state. This was challenged as violative of Article 14. Decide. The law is valid as it will ensure equal representation of each district. The law is valid as it will provide reservation to students from backward areas of the district. The law is violative of Article 14 The law is violative of Article 14 as it is limited to only medical course The provision is violative of the said Article 14 as any scheme of admission should be devised to select the best available talent for admission because it is considered discriminatory to select a less talented candidate against a talented candidate just on the basis of population. The district-wise seat distribution doesn't meet the objective as said in the passage. Q. A law was passed stating that all historically oppressed classes shall have 10% of reservation in government jobs to uplift themselves. This was challenged as discriminatory to other classes of the population. Decide whether the law is a valid law. The law is a valid law as it doesn't violate the fundamental right. The law is invalid as it is made on a historical basis. The law is valid as it is a progressive and modern law. The law is valid as it creates a reasonable classification between those who have been historically oppressed and those who have not been oppressed. Q. The Parliament made a law stating that all the silk mills in Karnataka, which make surplus profit, shall pay an extra 10% tax as the state had suffered a severe flood in the previous year and the centre had to pay heavy relief amount to the flood-affected area people. This was challenged as arbitrary. Decide whether it is arbitrary. The Act is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 The Act is valid as the money will be used for the state The Act is invalid as a particular class is specifically targeted The Act is invalid as it targets a particular group of associations without any justifiable reason. Also, levying such tax would discourage the mills from performing well. Q. The Parliament passed a Bill stating that all females shall be entitled to a sum of Rs. 10,000 from their husband for their basic necessities. Any breach of this law shall invite a punishment up to 10 years of imprisonment. Decide whether such law is justified. The law is valid as the state is empowered to make laws for women's benefit The law is invalid as it is devoid of any intelligible differentia The law is invalid as it is not signed by the President The law lacks any intelligible differentia and is therefore struck by Article 14. The words 'all females' will also include kids which shall make the law unreasonable for effective implementation. The following passage contains an author’s opinion of an order passed by a judge of the Supreme Court in a case. Read the passage below and based on the same and the information provided in the question if any, answer the questions that follow- (1) The time-honored principle followed across several jurisdictions is that the perception of the litigant is the material factor for determining judicial bias. What is material is not the actual existence of bias; but the reasonable apprehension in the mind of the litigant regarding the likelihood of bias. (2) Inverting this well settled principle, Justice Arun Mishra stated that the test should be based on the self-perception of the very same judge, whom the party is apprehending to be biased. In other words, self-attestation by the judge is sufficient. (3) It appears the actual controversy was not properly acknowledged by Justice Mishra's order. This is clear from the question framed in paragraph 11: (4) The first question before us is whether a Judge who has expressed an opinion in a smaller Bench and the case has been referred to a larger Bench, because of the conflict of the opinion or otherwise, can hear the matter in a larger bench. (5) This is a highly polished, sanitized version of the real question, which ought to have been - whether a judge, who played a central role in creating the judicial controversy regarding Section 24(2) of the new Land Acquisition Act by first doubting a three year old precedent and later overruling that precedent as per incuriam (ignoring the principle of stare decisis), should head a constitution bench formed to decide the correctness of the view expressed by him. Brief History of the Case (6) The underlying issue, in broad terms, was whether deposit of compensation by government in treasury can be deemed as payment to landowner as per Section 24(2) of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act so as to save the proceedings taken under the 1894 Land Acquisition Act from being lapsed. (7) In 2014, a three judge bench in Pune Municipal Corporation case held that in case land owners are not willing to accept the compensation, the same has to be deposited in Court. Mere deposit of compensation in treasury cannot be regarded as payment as per Section 24(2), added the bench. (8) This view held field for nearly over three years, until a two judges bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra doubted its correctness in December 2017 and referred it to larger bench. (9) The larger bench (a three judge bench) which considered the reference was notably headed by Justice Arun Mishra. This three judge bench (by 2:1 majority) held the decision in Pune Municipal Corporation to be per incuriam, ignoring the principles of stare decisis and judicial discipline that a bench cannot overrule a decision laid down by another bench of equal strength. (10) Another three-judge bench took objection to this course adopted by Justice Arun Mishra-led bench, and stayed the operation of Indore Development Authority case. (11) It was only after this that a two-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra thought it fit to refer the issue to the CJI for determination by a larger bench. Q. As per the general principle of judicial bias as described by the author, in which of the following situations is judicial bias least likely to be presumed? A judge hears a case in which the defendant is his own brother-in-law A judge hears a case in which the plaintiff was a friend of the judge who had parted ways with him 5 years ago after a serious altercation A judge hears a case in which the lawyer of the defendant is married to the plaintiff A judge hears a case in which the lawyer of the plaintiff is known to be on friendly terms with the judge In the situation given in option ‘c’, there is no link given between the parties/ their lawyers with the judge himself. Thus, there can be no presumption of judicial bias. In option ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’, the judge has some connections with the parties/ their lawyers and there can be a reasonable apprehension in the minds of one of the parties that the judge will be biased against the party concerned. Q. Regarding the test of likelihood of bias, a judge once observed- "As to the tests of the likelihood of bias what is relevant is the reasonableness of the apprehension in that regard in the mind of the party. The proper approach for the judge is not to look at his own mind and ask himself, however, honestly. "Am I biased? "but to look at the mind of the party before him." On which of the following points are both the judge who has made this observation and Justice Arun Mishra not likely to disagree? For a perception of judicial bias to be tenable, it should be reasonable In the end, it is the judge who has to make the decision about whether he/she should recuse from the case The self-perception of the judge about his/her capability to hear the matter without bias plays a minor role in determining whether the judge should recuse It is the judge himself who can best decide whether he/she is biased The correct answer is C as The judge who wrote the paragraph seems to believe that no weight must be assigned to the judge’s own perception of his/her capability to hear the matter. According to him/her, the determining factor is whether the party/parties reasonably apprehend that there might be bias in the decisions of the judge. The self-perception of the judge is not assigned any role. On the other hand, Justice Arun Mishra takes the opposite view and says that the self-perception of the judge plays the decisive role. It cannot be said to have a ‘minor’ role. Thus, both are likely to disagree with the statement. Q. On what grounds was the decision in the Pune Municipal Corporation case overruled? The bench in the Indore Development Authority case held that the bench in the Pune Municipal Corporation Case acted ultra vires in prescribing that in case land owners are not willing to accept the compensation, the same has to be deposited in Court. Thus, it was per incuriam (through or characterized by lack of due regard to the law or the facts The bench in the Indore Development Authority case held that there is no lapse of acquisition due to the non-deposit of amount in court The bench in the Pune Municipal Corporation case failed to follow the principles of natural justice while hearing the matter In the above passage, the exact grounds for the decision in the Pune Municipal Corporation case being declared per incuriam have not been specified. Thus, the correct answer is ‘d’. Q. Which of the following is the error which was committed by Justice Arun Mishra in the formulation of the first issue? He failed to realize that the test of judicial bias is whether the party/parties have a reasonable apprehension of bias if the judge concerned participates in the hearings. His formulation of the issue oversimplified the matter and underplayed his role in the controversy. His formulation of the issue did not include the name of the Act in question He did not mention that his conduct was violative of the principles of natural justice. The primary concern that the author has regarding the formulation of the issue is that his formulation has ignored the nuances of the present case and has presented a very oversimplified version of what actually happened. That’s why the author has called it “a highly polished, sanitized version of the real question”. The formulation of the issue that has been presented by the author has added the nuances that were missing from Justice Arun Mishra’s version. ‘a’ is not correct as while this is one of the author’s assertions, it is not the error in the formulation of the issue. ‘c’ is wrong as this is not the main concern of the author: though the author has included the name of the Act in its formulation, the main problem with the wording of the issue is that it is “a highly polished, sanitized version of the real question”. ‘d’ is wrong because this is not the author’s concern with the wording of the issue as given in Paragraph 4. Q. Which of these cases is a violation of the principles of stare decisis and judicial discipline? A judge in a two-judge bench declares that another judge, who was part of another two-judge bench that decided a case that is being considered by the present bench, is morally bankrupt. A judge in a two-judge bench observes that a judgment by a three-judge bench might be per incuriam, and refers the case to a larger bench A judge in a three-judge bench declares that a judgement passed by another three-judge bench is against the Doctrine of Eclipse and is thus unconstitutional A judge in a three-judge bench refuses to cite a case decided by another three-judge bench, and does not base its judgment upon the same, differentiating the two cases on facts. The principles of stare decisis and judicial discipline have been mentioned in Paragraph 9. As per the paragraph, a bench cannot overrule a decision laid down by another bench of equal strength. In option ‘c’, the impugned judgement is being declared unconstitutional and thus effectively overruled by a bench of the same strength. Thus, ‘c’ is the correct answer. ‘a’ is not the answer as in this situation, a personal attack is being made on the second judge: the judgment itself has not been overruled as such. In ‘b’, the judgment has merely been referred to a larger bench and not been overruled as such: thus it is not the answer. In ‘d’, the judgment has not been overruled: the cases have been differentiated on facts. The term 'negligence' means the act of being careless and in the legal sense, it signifies the failure to exercise a standard of care which the doer, as a reasonable man, should have exercised in a particular situation. Negligence in English law is emerged as an independent cause of action only in the 18th century. Similarly, the Indian law, the IPC, 1860, contained no provision for causing the death of a person by negligence which was subsequently amended in the year 1870 by inserting Section 304A. According to Winfield and Jolowicz, negligence is the breach of a legal duty of care by the plaintiff which results in undesired damage to the plaintiff. In general sense, the extent of liability in tort is determined by the number of damages a party has incurred. Consequently, in criminal law, the extent of liability is determined by the amount and degree of negligence. Negligence can be characterised in three forms: Nonfeasance, means the act of failure to do something which a person should have done; Misfeasance, means the act of not doing an action properly when it should have been done properly; Malfeasance, means the act of doing something which should not have been done in the first place itself. To commit the tort of negligence, there are primarily six main essentials that are required. An act will be categorised as negligence only if all the conditions are satisfied. Duty of care is one of the essential conditions of negligence in order to make the person liable. It means that every person owes a duty of care to another person while performing an act. Although this duty exists in all acts, in negligence, the duty is legal in nature and cannot be illegal or unlawful and also cannot be of moral, ethical, or religious nature. A duty arises when the law recognises a relationship between the defendant and the plaintiff, and requires the defendant to act in a certain manner towards the plaintiff. It is not sufficient that the defendant owed a duty of care towards the plaintiff, but it must also be established which is usually determined by the judge. It's not enough for a plaintiff to prove that the defendant owed him a duty of care, but he must also establish that the defendant breached his duty to the plaintiff. A defendant breaches such a duty by failing to exercise reasonable care in fulfilling the duty. The plaintiff who is suing the defendant for negligence has the liability to prove that the defendant's violation of duty was the actual cause of the damages incurred by him. This is often called the "but-for" causation which means that but for the defendant's actions, the plaintiff would not have incurred the damages. Proximate cause means 'legal cause', or the cause that the law recognises as the primary cause of the injury. It may not be the first event that set in motion a sequence of events that led to an injury, and it may not be the very last event before the injury occurs. Q. Richard carried out a new project in Sunville apartment which was built in 1980s. Sunville apartment being an old building was prone to water leakages and needed cautious repairs. Richard while installing the new fire system used non-insulated wires. Sunville apartment met with a short circuit and the building caught fire. Richard was held liable for the fire. Is Richard liable for the same? Richard cannot be held liable for the same as he only installed the new security system and the leakages were not to be taken care by him. Richard will be held liable for the same as it was Richard's duty to take reasonable care of the installations done by him keeping in mind the present building situation Richard will be held liable as he is the one who took the responsibility for the repairs and it was Richard's duty to fix the leakages and other flaws in the building Either 1 or 2 Richard will be held liable for the same as it was Richard's duty to take reasonable care of the installations done by him keeping in mind the present building situation. It means the act of not doing an action properly when it should have been done properly. Here, in this case, doing the repairs of an old building by using very poor quality materials creating a major probability of a collapse which injures people, makes Richard liable. Q. Snowy, owner of a big german shepherd dog, requests his cousin Arnold to take care of the dog while he is away. Arnold leaves the dog unattended who attacks a passerby, badly injuring him. Who would be held liable for the negligence? Arnold will be held liable for the act as due to Arnold's negligence, dog attacked the passerby Snowy will be held liable for the act, as Snowy is the dog's owner. Hence, it's snowy's liability The passerby will be held liable as he was not cautious while walking Arnold will be held liable for the act as due to Arnold's negligence, dog attacked the passerby. Here it will be said that the act occurred due to the negligence of Arnold. In criminal law, the extent of liability is determined by the amount and degree of negligence. Q. Mickey, an interior designer, was engaged to carry out renovation of a house. The interior designer left the house without locking the doors or informing anyone. During her absence, a thief entered the house and stole an antique painting worth 50,000/-. Who would be held liable? The owner would be held liable as it is the duty of the house owner to take reasonable amount of care of his own house. The interior designer would be held liable as she was negligent in leaving the house open and failed her duty of care No one would be held liable as theft can take place even after utmost precaution The interior designer would be held liable as she was negligent in leaving the house open and failed her duty of care. Every person owes a duty of care to another person while performing an act and if the person fails to perform such a duty shall be held liable for the tort of negligence. Q. Rita got down from a tram car and while she was being helped in putting her basket on her back, a motor-cyclist after passing the tram collided with a motor car at a distance of 50 metres, which was on the other side of the tram. The motorcyclist died instantly and Rita could not witness the accident or the dead body since the tram was standing between her and the place where the accident occurred. She had only heard the sound of the collision and once the body had been removed from the place of accident, she visited the place and saw some blood which was left on the road. As a reaction to this incident, she suffered a nervous shock and gave birth to a still-born child of 8 months because of which she sued the representatives of the deceased motorcyclist. Will the motor-cyclist be held liable?	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line406
__label__cc	0.672438	0.327562	Nate Eldon Nate Eldon has been working in the construction industry since his teens. Growing up around Bob Eldon’s business made an informal apprenticeship and an eventual career nearly unavoidable. Nate graduated from the University of North Florida with a BA in English Literature. After moving around a bit between Florida and New Jersey he and Jennifer eventually settled and built a house for themselves in Cape May. Nate enjoys interesting and challenging building projects, traveling, surfing, and occasionally a good book. He’ll also tell anyone that asks, “being a carpenter is just about the coolest thing one can do for a living.” After running the Eldon Builders organization for the past ten years or so, he’s come to realize that he has a wonderfully diverse client network. He’s worked for billionaires and yoga teachers and everyone in-between. He enjoys meeting new people from different backgrounds and forming strong relationships. For a low-profit side hustle Nate writes the occasional article for a building trade journal and he is still considering writing a book of the funny and interesting characters he’s encountered in the building trades. Robert Eldon Robert C. Eldon grew up in Ohio and Philadelphia but spent many summers in Cape May and Stone Harbor. He graduated from California State College in 1973 with an Industrial Arts Education Degree. Instead of teaching, Rob chose a career in building new homes, additions, and renovations in Stone Harbor, Avalon, and surrounding Cape May County. Rob loves soccer. He coached youth teams and has continued to play soccer into his 60’s. Robert Eldon continues to work in the construction business, mostly for his son, Nate. Jennifer Eldon Jennifer was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. She attended the University of North Florida and obtained a bachelors degree in Marketing and Business Administration. Her background is in finance, working for JP Morgan Chase for 5 years before moving to New Jersey with her husband, Nate in 2010. She is the office manager for Eldon Builders and co-owner of Eldon Property Management. When she’s not working, you can find her taking a yoga or barre class and walking their dog, Zelda on the beach. Dan Ball Dan Ball grew up in Downingtown, PA working for his family's metal restoration and reproduction business. He spent his summers working in Stone Harbor bartending, working for a lawncare business and eventually a local builder. Dan attended James Madison University where he studied Health Service Administration. He realized he had a real passion for the construction industry after years of working for his family business and a local builder. After college he moved back to Stone Harbor and worked 6 years for a custom home builder. Dan started as a carpenter and worked his way through the ranks of estimator and eventually became a project manager. Dan enjoys the challenges and client interaction custom home building entails. He spends his spare time on the water, fishing, surfing, paddleboarding with his wife, dogs "Ziggy and Blitz" and soon to be expected baby. James Austin Ellison Lead Carpenter/Finisher James Austin Ellison is an experienced Carpenter and Builder for over 20 years, in all phases of new construction & renovations. James better known as "Austin" by his family and friends, started in construction building homes in his early twenties with his late father-in-law. Austin is a native of Cape May County and grew up in South Dennis Township. Austin is former Alumni of Middle Township High School where he met his wife of 28 years, Dawn. Dawn Ellison currently serves as a County Nurse in our local community. Austin is a proud father of 2 beautiful children, Ashley – a nurse in Cape May and Austin James - a U.S. Marine currently serving our country. Austin's hobbies include cooking, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family. Justin Cline Lead Carpenter Justin is the Lead Carpenter for the Eldon Builders team. Like his father, he carries on working closely alongside the Eldon family. A local man of Cape May County, he is also a graduate of Middle Township High School. His favorite type of work is anything that requires hard thinking and attention to detail. He continues to educate himself with everything relating to the field of residential construction and technology. In his spare time, you can find him with his girlfriend and dog Charlie or working on his house.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line408
__label__wiki	0.64928	0.64928	July 6, 2010 by dandelionsalad Left-Leaning Despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement: Do You Really Believe in Miracles? by David Ray Griffin https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/ by David Ray Griffin Global Research, July 6, 2010 An Open Letter to Terry Allen, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, David Corn, Chris Hayes, George Monbiot, Matthew Rothschild, and Matt Taibbi.1 According to several left-leaning critics of the 9/11 Truth Movement, some of its central claims, especially about the destruction of the World Trade Center, show its members to be scientifically challenged. In the opinion of some of these critics, moreover, claims made by members of this movement are sometimes unscientific in the strongest possible sense, implying an acceptance of magic and miracles. After documenting this charge in Part I of this essay, I show in Part II that the exact opposite is the case: that the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center implies miracles (I give nine examples), and that the 9/11 Truth Movement, in developing an alternative hypothesis, has done so in line with the assumption that the laws of nature did not take a holiday on 9/11. In Part III, I ask these left-leaning critics some questions evoked by the fact that it is they, not members of the 9/11 Truth Movement, who have endorsed a conspiracy theory replete with miracle stories as well as other absurdities. I The Charge that 9/11 Truth Theories Rest on Unscientific, Even Magical, Beliefs Several left-leaning critics of the 9/11 Truth Movement, besides showing contempt for its members, charge them with relying on claims that are contradicted by good science and, in some cases, reflect a belief in magic. By “magic,” they mean miracles, understood as violations of basic principles of the physical sciences. For example, Alexander Cockburn, who has referred to members of the 9/11 Truth Movement as “9/11 conspiracy nuts,”3 quoted with approval a philosopher who, speaking of “the 9-11 conspiracy cult,” said that its “main engine . . . is . . . the death of any conception of evidence,” resulting in “the ascendancy of magic over common sense, let alone reason.”4 Also, Cockburn assured his readers: “The conspiracy theory that the World Trade Centre towers were demolished by explosive charges previously placed within them is probably impossible.”5 With regard to Building 7 of the World Trade Center, Cockburn claimed (in 2006) that the (2002) report by FEMA was “more than adequate.”6 Likewise, George Monbiot, referring to members of the 9/11 Truth Movement as “fantasists,” “conspiracy idiots,” and “morons,” charged that they “believe that [the Bush regime] is capable of magic.”7 Matt Taibbi, saying that the “9/11 conspiracy theory is so shamefully stupid” and referring to its members as “idiots,” wrote with contempt about the “alleged scientific impossibilities” in the official account of 9/11; about the claim that “the towers couldn’t have fallen the way they did [without the aid of explosives]”; of the view (held by “9/11 Truthers”) that “it isn’t the plane crashes that topple the buildings, but bombs planted in the Towers that do the trick”; and of “the supposed anomalies of physics involved with the collapse of WTC-7.” He had been assured by “scientist friends,” he added, that “[a]ll of the 9/11 science claims” are “rank steaming bullshit.”8 Chris Hayes, writing in The Nation in 2006, did not stoop to the kind of name-calling employed by Cockburn, Monbiot, and Taibbi. Also, he knew, he admitted, of “eyewitness accounts of [people] who heard explosions in the World Trade Center.” And he was aware that “jet fuel burns at 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit [whereas] steel melts at 2,500.” He asserted, nevertheless, that “the evidence shows [a 9/11 conspiracy] to be virtually impossible,” so that the 9/11 Truth Movement’s conspiracy theory is “wrongheaded and a terrible waste of time.”9 Noam Chomsky has also declared that the available facts, when approached scientifically, refute the 9/11 Truth Movement. Speaking of evidence provided by this movement to show that 9/11 “was planned by the Bush Administration,” Chomsky declared: “If you look at the evidence, anybody who knows anything about the sciences would instantly discount that evidence.”10 In spite of his dismissive attitude, however, Chomsky in 2006 gave some helpful advice to people who believe they have physical evidence refuting the official account: “There are ways to assess that: submit it to specialists . . . who have the requisite background in civil-mechanical engineering, materials science, building construction, etc., for review and analysis. . . . Or, . . . submit it to a serious journal for peer review and publication. To my knowledge, there isn’t a single submission.”11 In These Times writer Terry Allen, in a 2006 essay entitled “The 9/11 Faith Movement,” assured her readers that “the facts [do not] support the conspiracists’ key charge that World Trade Center buildings were destroyed by pre-positioned explosives.”12 In an essay posted at AlterNet a few months after 9/11, David Corn used a purely a priori argument to demonstrate – at least to his own satisfaction – that 9/11 could not have been an inside job: “U.S. officials would [not have been] . . . good [capable] enough, evil enough, or gutsy enough.”13 In 2009, after having been silent about 9/11 for the intervening years, he addressed the issue again. Referring to “9/11 conspiracy silliness,” “9/11 conspiracy poison,” and “9/11 fabulists,” Corn declared: “The 9/11 conspiracy . . . was always a load of bunk. You don’t have to be an expert on skyscraper engineering . . . to know that [this theory] make[s] no sense.”14 Corn thereby implied that, whereas anyone can know that the 9/11 Truth Movement’s conspiracy theory is false, those people who are “expert[s] on skyscraper engineering” would have even more certain knowledge of this fact. As to how people (such as himself) who are not experts on such matters could know this movement’s conspiracy theory to be “a load of bunk,” Corn again employed his three-point a priori argument, as re-worded in a later essay, according to which the Bush administration was “not that evil,” “not that ballsy,” and “not that competent.”15 Corn even referred to his three-point argument as “a tutorial that should persuade anyone that the 9/11 theory makes no sense.” Although this “tutorial” does not, of course, convince members of the 9/11 Truth Movement, Corn explained this fact by saying: “I have learned from experience that people who believe this stuff are not open to persuasion.”16 In any case, although his argument against the inside-job theory was almost entirely a priori, he did make the above-mentioned suggestion that one’s a priori certitude would be reinforced by people, such as “expert[s] on skyscraper engineering,” who have relevant types of expertise to evaluate the empirical evidence. A fuller statement of the general claim made by these authors – that the 9/11 Truth Movement is based on unscientific claims – was formulated by Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive. In an essay entitled “Enough of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Already,” Rothschild wrote: “Here’s what the conspiracists believe: 9/11 was an inside job. . . . [T]he Twin Towers fell not because of the impact of the airplanes and the ensuing fires but because [of] explosives. Building 7, another high-rise at the World Trade Center that fell on 9/11, also came down by planted explosives. . . . I’m amazed at how many people give credence to these theories. . . . [S]ome of the best engineers in the country have studied these questions and come up with perfectly logical, scientific explanations for what happened. . . . At bottom, the 9/11 conspiracy theories are profoundly irrational and unscientific. It is more than passing strange that progressives, who so revere science on such issues as tobacco, stem cells, evolution, and global warming, are so willing to abandon science and give in to fantasy on the subject of 9/11.”17 However, in spite of the confidence with which these critics have made their charges, the truth is the complete opposite: It is the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center, which has been endorsed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that is profoundly unscientific (partly because it ignores a massive amount of evidence pointing to use of explosives18), and it is precisely for this reason that the 9/11 Truth Movement has come up with an alternative explanation – namely, that the WTC buildings were brought down in the procedure known as “controlled demolition.” II Miracles Implied by NIST’s Explanation of the WTC’s Destruction The main reason why NIST’s theory of the destruction of the World Trade Center is profoundly unscientific is that it cannot be accepted without endorsing miracles, in the sense of violations of fundamental principles of physics and chemistry. I will demonstrate this point in terms of nine miracles implied by NIST’s accounts of the destruction of Building 7 of the World Trade Center (WTC 7) and the Twin Towers (WTC 1 and 2). 1. The Fire-Induced Collapse of WTC 7: An Apparent Miracle WTC 7 was a 47-story building that, although it was not hit by a plane, came down at 5:21 PM that day. Unlike the collapse of the Twin Towers, the collapse of this building was not publicized. The 9/11 Commission Report, for example, did not even mention it.19 Many people have, accordingly, never heard of this building’s collapse. A Zogby poll in 2006, for example, found that 43 percent of the American people were still unaware that a third WTC building had collapsed, and even though NIST’s report on its collapse appeared in 2008, many people today still do not know that this building also came down.20 For the purposes of the present essay, in any case, the main point is that, insofar as people profess belief in the official account of this building’s collapse as articulated by NIST, they imply an acceptance of several miracles. I begin with a fact about WTC 7’s collapse that at least appears to entail a miracle: that it was (according to the official account) the first steel-frame high-rise building in the known universe to be brought down solely by fire. The Twin Towers were hit by airliners, so the official account could attribute their collapses to the airplane impacts as well as to the ensuing fires. But WTC 7 was not hit by a plane, so its collapse apparently had to be attributed to fire alone. The unprecedented nature of a fire-induced collapse of a steel-frame high-rise building was expressed a couple of months after 9/11 by New York Times reporter James Glanz. Calling the collapse of WTC 7 “a mystery,” Glanz reported that “experts said no building like it, a modern, steel-reinforced high-rise, had ever collapsed because of an uncontrolled fire.” Glanz also quoted a structural engineer as saying: “[W]ithin the structural engineering community, [WTC 7] is considered to be much more important to understand [than the Twin Towers],” because engineers had no answer to the question, “why did 7 come down?”21 The mystery was not lessened in 2002 when FEMA issued the first official report on this building’s collapse. Saying that its “best hypothesis” was that flaming debris from the collapse of the North Tower had ignited diesel fuel stored in the building, resulting in large, steel-weakening fires that made the building collapse, FEMA admitted that this hypothesis had “only a low probability of occurrence”22 (although Alexander Cockburn years later, as we saw above, would declare this report to be “more than adequate”). This cautionary statement by FEMA did not, however, prevent defenders of the official account from claiming that WTC 7’s collapse was not really very mysterious after all. In a 2006 book, Popular Mechanics told its readers what they could probably expect to find in the report on this building to be put out by NIST – which had taken over from FEMA the responsibility for issuing the official reports on the Twin Towers and WTC 7. Citing NIST’s “current working hypothesis,” Popular Mechanics said that WTC 7’s diesel fuel had probably fed the fires “for up to seven hours.”23 Also, using NIST’s then-current thinking in order to claim that “WTC 7 was far more compromised by falling debris than the FEMA report indicated,” Popular Mechanics argued that critics could not reject the official account on the grounds that it would make WTC 7 the first steel-frame high-rise to have failed “because of fire alone,” because, Popular Mechanics claimed, the causes of WTC 7’s collapse were analogous to the causes of the collapses of WTC 1 and WTC 2: “A combination of physical damage from falling debris [analogous to the damage caused in the Twin Towers by the airplane impacts] and prolonged exposure to the resulting [diesel-fuel-fed] fires [analogous to the jet-fuel-fed fires in the Twin Towers].”24 Popular Mechanics called this twofold explanation a “conclusion” that had been reached by “hundreds of experts from academia and private industry, as well as the government.” This claim evidently impressed many people, including Chris Hayes and Matthew Rothschild, both of whom said that Popular Mechanics had disproved the claims of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Rothschild, repeating Popular Mechanics’ twofold explanation, wrote: “Building 7 . . . is a favorite of the conspiracy theorists, since the planes did not strike this structure. But the building did sustain damage from the debris of the Twin Towers. ‘On about a third of the face to the center and to the bottom – approximately ten stories – about 25 percent of the depth of the building was scooped out,’ Shyam Sunder, the lead investigator for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, told Popular Mechanics. What’s more, the fire in the building lasted for about eight hours, in part because there were fuel tanks in the basement and on some of the floors.”25 Hayes, saying that “Popular Mechanics assembled a team of engineers, physicists, flight experts and the like to critically examine some of the Truth Movement’s most common claims,” reported that these experts “found them almost entirely without merit.” This counter-claim by Popular Mechanics evidently settled the matter for Hayes.26 Also, although Terry Allen did not mention Popular Mechanics, her article was apparently dependent on it. Assuring her readers that she had found it “relatively easy” to undermine the “facts” employed by the 9/11 Truth Movement, she wrote: “Many conspiracists offer the collapse of WTC Building 7 as the strongest evidence for the kind of controlled demolition that would prove a plot. Although not hit by planes, it was damaged by debris, and suffered fires eventually fueled by up to 42,000 gallons of diesel fuel stored near ground level.”27 Like Rothschild, therefore, she gave the same twofold explanation for WTC 7’s collapse that had been provided by Popular Mechanics.28 However, when NIST finally issued its WTC 7 report in 2008, it did not affirm either element in the twofold explanation that had been proffered by Popular Mechanics. With regard to the first element, NIST said: “[F]uel oil fires did not play a role in the collapse of WTC 7.”29 With regard to the second element, NIST said: “Other than initiating the fires in WTC 7, the damage from the debris from WTC 1 [the North Tower] had little effect on initiating the collapse of WTC 7.”30 This second point means that, contrary to what Popular Mechanics had claimed it would say, NIST actually asserted that WTC 7 was brought down by fire, at least primarily. In NIST’s words, the collapse of WTC 7 was “the first known instance of the total collapse of a [steel-frame] tall building primarily due to fires.”31 One ambiguity needs clearing up: Although in these just-quoted statements, NIST seemed to indicate that the debris damage had a “little effect” on initiating the collapse, so that this collapse was only primarily (rather than entirely) due to fire, NIST generally treated fire as the sole cause: Besides repeatedly speaking of a “fire-induced” collapse,32 Also, in a press release announcing its Draft for Public Comment in August 2008, NIST called the collapse of WTC 7 “the first known instance of fire causing the total collapse of a tall building.” This press release, moreover, quoted lead investigator Shyam Sunder as saying: “Our study found that the fires in WTC 7 . . . caused an extraordinary event.”33 The brief version of NIST’s final report said: “Even without the structural damage, WTC 7 would have collapsed from fires having the same characteristics as those experienced on September 11, 2001.”34 The long version said: “WTC 7 sustained damage to its exterior as a result of falling debris from the collapse of WTC 1, but this damage was found to have no effect on the collapse initiating event.”35 It is not wrong, therefore, to say that NIST portrayed WTC 7 as the first (and thus far only) steel-frame high-rise building to have come down because of fire alone. NIST said, in other words, precisely what Popular Mechanics, knowing that claims about unprecedented physical events are deeply suspect, had assured people it would not say. In doing so, moreover, NIST contradicted both parts of Popular Mechanics’ explanation for WTC 7’s collapse, which, according to Rothschild and Allen, had provided the basis for discounting the 9/11 Truth Movement’s claims about this collapse. To review: Rothschild said that the official account was credible, contrary to the Truth Movement’s claims, because “the building did sustain damage from the debris of the Twin Towers” and the “fire in the building lasted for about eight hours,” due to the “fuel tanks in the basement and on some of the floors.” Allen likewise said the official account was believable because, although WTC 7 was not hit by a plane, “it was damaged by debris, and suffered fires eventually fueled by up to 42,000 gallons of diesel fuel stored near ground level.”36 But then, when NIST later denied that either the debris-damage or the diesel fuel played a role in the collapse of WTC 7, Rothschild and Allen did not retract their prior assurances. It seems that they, in effect, simply said – like Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live in the 1970s – “Never mind.” Their attitude seemed to be, in other words, that whatever the government says, that is what they will believe. Whatever kind of journalism this is, it is certainly not truth-seeking journalism. In any case, NIST’s claim that WTC 7 suffered an unprecedented, fire-induced collapse is made even more problematic by the fact that the fires in this building were relatively unimpressive, compared with fires in some other steel-frame high-rises. In 1991, a huge fire in Philadelphia’s One Meridian Plaza lasted for 18 hours and gutted eight of the building’s 38 floors. In Caracas in 2004, a fire in a 50-story building raged for 17 hours, completely gutting the building’s top 20 floors. In neither case, however, did the building, or even a single floor, collapse.37 In WTC 7, by contrast, there were long-lasting fires on only six of the building’s 47 floors, according to NIST, and by “long-lasting,” NIST meant only that they lasted up to seven hours.38 It would be exceedingly strange, therefore, if fire had produced a total collapse of this building. The claim becomes even stranger when one discovers that NIST had no evidence that the fires on any of the floors lasted for much over three hours.39 Accordingly, besides undermining the confident explanations of WTC 7’s collapse offered by Popular Mechanics, NIST’s conclusion about this building – that it was the first steel-frame high-rise building ever to be brought down by fire – appears to constitute a rather remarkable miracle-claim. 2. WTC 7’s Collapse: A Perfect Imitation of an Implosion More clearly miraculous, given the official account, was the precise way in which WTC 7 collapsed: symmetrically (straight down, with an almost perfectly horizontal roofline), into its own footprint. In order for this symmetrical collapse to occur, all the (vertical) steel columns supporting the building had to fail simultaneously. There were 82 of these columns, so the fire theory of WTC 7’s collapse entails that the fires in this building caused all 82 of these columns to fail at the same instant. Even if otherwise possible, such a symmetrical failure would have been essentially impossible even if the building had been entirely engulfed by fire, so that all the floors would have been evenly covered with fire. As it was, however, there were fires on only a few floors, and these fires never covered an entire floor at the same time. The official account implies, therefore, that a very asymmetrical pattern of fires produced an entirely symmetrical collapse. If that is not a genuine miracle, it will do until one comes along. Another problem is the fact that, even if a symmetrical, total collapse could be caused by an asymmetrical pattern of fires, a fire theory could not explain the sudden onset of WTC 7’s collapse. Popular Mechanics, which is unreliable on every aspect of 9/11 (as I showed in my 2007 book, Debunking 9/11 Debunking40), apparently misled Chris Hayes on this point by suggesting otherwise. Attempting to illustrate his claim that Popular Mechanics had shown the core ideas of the 9/11 Truth Movement to be “almost entirely without merit,” Hayes wrote: “To pick just one example, steel might not melt at 1,500 degrees [Fahrenheit], the temperature at which jet fuel burns, but it does begin to lose a lot of its strength, enough to cause the support beams to fail.”41 However, even if the fire could have heated the steel up to this temperature in the time available (which would have been impossible42), the fire would have weakened the steel gradually, causing it to start sagging. Videos would, therefore, show deformations in the building before it came down. But they do not. One moment the building was perfectly immobile, and the next moment, as videos show,43 it was accelerating downward in free fall (the significance of free fall will be discussed below). As Australian chemist Frank Legge has observed: “There is no sign of the slow start that would be expected if collapse was caused by the gradual softening of the steel.”44 Because of these two features of the collapse, anyone knowing anything about such things can tell, simply by seeing a video of WTC 7’s collapse, that it was brought down in the procedure known as “controlled demolition.” For example, Daniel Hofnung, an engineer in Paris, has written: “In the years after [the] 9/11 events, I thought that all I read in professional reviews and French newspapers was true. The first time I understood that it was impossible was when I saw a film about the collapse of WTC 7.”45 Kansas City civil engineer Chester Gearhart wrote: “I have watched the construction of many large buildings and also have personally witnessed 5 controlled demolitions in Kansas City. When I saw the towers fall on 9/11, I knew something was wrong and my first instinct was that it was impossible. When I saw building 7 fall, I knew it was a controlled demolition.”46 Jack Keller, emeritus professor of engineering at Utah State University (who had been named by Scientific American as one of the world’s leaders in using science and technology to benefit society), wrote simply of WTC 7’s collapse: “Obviously it was the result of controlled demolition.”47 In revealing the collapse of WTC 7 to be an example of controlled demolition, moreover, the videos show it to be the type of controlled demolition known as “implosion,” in which explosives and/or incendiaries are used to slice the building’s steel support columns so as to cause the building to collapse into its own footprint. In 2006, for example, a Dutch filmmaker asked Danny Jowenko, the owner of a controlled demolition company in the Netherlands, to comment on a video of the collapse of WTC 7, without telling him what it was. (Jowenko had been unaware that a third building had collapsed in New York on 9/11.) After viewing the video, Jowenko said: “They simply blew up columns, and the rest caved in afterwards. . . . This is controlled demolition.” When asked if he was certain, he replied: “Absolutely, it’s been imploded. This was a hired job. A team of experts did this.”48 Moreover, the reason to implode a building, rather than simply causing it to fall over sideways, is to avoid damaging nearby buildings, and engineering an implosion is no mean feat. An implosion, in the words of a controlled demolition website, is “by far the trickiest type of explosive project,” which “only a handful of blasting companies in the world . . . possess enough experience . . . to perform.”49 Mark Loizeaux, the president of the afore-mentioned demolition firm, Controlled Demolition, Inc., has explained why: “[T]o bring [a building] down . . . so . . . no other structure is harmed,” the demolition must be “completely planned,” using “the right explosive [and] the right pattern of laying the charges.”50 Would it not be a miracle if a fire-induced collapse, based on scattered fires on a few of WTC 7’s floors, had produced a collapse that perfectly imitated the kind of planned, controlled demolition that can be carried out by only a few companies in the world? Chris Hayes suggested that the 9/11 Truth Movement, by doubting the government’s account of 9/11, exemplifies a resurgence of the “paranoid style” in American politics. But in accepting the government’s account, as defended by the pseudo-scientific Popular Mechanics, he illustrated the other target of his article, the “credulous style,” which, he pointed out, is generally exemplified by the American media.51 Surely, however, his credulity does not extend to the acceptance of miracles. 3. WTC 7’s Descent in Absolute Free Fall Even if some readers question whether the two previously discussed features of the collapse of WTC 7, when understood within the framework of NIST’s fire theory, imply miracles, there can be no doubt about a third feature: the now-accepted (albeit generally unpublicized) fact that WTC 7 came down in absolute free fall for over two seconds. Although members of the 9/11 Truth Movement had long been pointing out that this building descended at the same rate as a free-falling object, or at least virtually so, NIST had long denied this. As late as August 2008, when NIST issued its report on WTC 7 in the form of a Draft for Public Comment, it claimed that the time it took for the upper floors – the only floors that are visible on the videos – to come down “was approximately 40 percent longer than the computed free fall time and was consistent with physical principles.”52 As this statement implied, any assertion that the building did come down in free fall, assuming a non-engineered collapse, would not be consistent with physical principles – meaning basic laws of Newtonian physics. Explaining why not during a “WTC 7 Technical Briefing” on August 26, 2008, NIST’s Shyam Sunder said: “[A] free fall time would be [the fall time of] an object that has no structural components below it. . . . [T]he . . . time that it took . . . for those 17 floors to disappear [was roughly 40 percent longer than free fall]. And that is not at all unusual, because there was structural resistance that was provided in this particular case. And you had a sequence of structural failures that had to take place. Everything was not instantaneous.”53 In saying this, Sunder was presupposing NIST’s theory that the building was brought down by fire, which, if it could have produced a collapse of any type, could have produced only a progressive collapse. In response, high-school physics teacher David Chandler, who was allowed to submit a question at this briefing, challenged Sunder’s denial of free fall, stating that Sunder’s “40 percent longer” claim contradicted “a publicly visible, easily measurable quantity.”54 Chandler then placed a video on the Internet showing that, by measuring this publicly visible quantity, anyone understanding elementary physics could see that “for about two and a half seconds. . . , the acceleration of the building is indistinguishable from freefall.”55 (This is, of course, free fall through the air, not through a vacuum.) In its final report on WTC 7, which came out in November 2008, NIST – rather amazingly – admitted free fall. Dividing the building’s descent into three stages, NIST described the second phase as “a freefall descent over approximately eight stories at gravitational acceleration for approximately 2.25 s[econds].”56 NIST thereby accepted Chandler’s case – except for maintaining that the building was in absolute free fall for only 2.25, not 2.5, seconds (a trivial difference). NIST thereby affirmed a miracle, meaning a violation of one or more laws of physics. Why this would be a miracle was explained by Chandler, who said: “Free fall can only be achieved if there is zero resistance to the motion.”57 In other words, the upper portion of Building 7 could have come down in free fall only if something had suddenly removed all the steel and concrete in the lower part of the building, which would have otherwise provided resistance (to make a considerable understatement). If everything had not been removed and the upper floors had come down in free fall anyway, even if for only a fraction of a second, this would have been a miracle – meaning a violation of physical principles. Explaining one of the physical principles involved, Chandler said: “Anything at an elevated height has gravitational potential energy. If it falls, and none of the energy is used for other things along the way, all of that energy is converted into kinetic energy – the energy of motion, and we call it ‘free fall.’ If any of the energy is used for other purposes, there will be less kinetic energy, so the fall will be slower. In the case of a falling building, the only way it can go into free fall is if an external force removes the supporting structure. None of the gravitational potential energy of the building is available for this purpose, or it would slow the fall of the building.”58 That was what Sunder himself had explained, on NIST’s behalf, the previous August, saying that a free-falling object would be one “that has no structural components below it” to offer resistance. But NIST then in November, while still under Sunder’s leadership and still defending its fire theory of WTC 7’s collapse, agreed that, as an empirical fact, free fall happened. For a period of 2.25 seconds, NIST admitted, the descent of WTC 7 was characterized by “gravitational acceleration (free fall).”59 Besides pointing out that the free fall descent of WTC 7 implied that the building had been professionally demolished, Chandler observed that this conclusion is reinforced by two features of the collapse mentioned above: “[P]articularly striking is the suddenness of onset of free fall. Acceleration doesn’t build up gradually. . . . The building went from full support to zero support, instantly. . . . One moment, the building is holding; the next moment it lets go and is in complete free fall. . . . The onset of free fall was not only sudden; it extended across the whole width of the building. . . . The fact that the roof stayed level shows the building was in free fall across the entire width. The collapse we see cannot be due to a column failure, or a few column failures, or a sequence of column failures. All 24 interior columns and 58 perimeter columns had to have been removed . . . simultaneously, within a small fraction of a second.”60 For its part, NIST, knowing that it had affirmed a miracle by agreeing that WTC 7 had entered into free fall, no longer claimed that its analysis was consistent with the laws of physics. Back in its August draft, in which it was still claiming that the collapse occurred 40 percent slower than free fall, NIST had said – in a claim made three times – that its analysis was “consistent with physical principles.”61 In the final report, however, every instance of this phrase was removed. NIST thereby almost explicitly admitted that its report on WTC 7, by affirming absolute free fall while continuing to deny that either incendiaries or explosives had been employed, is not consistent with basic principles of physics. Accordingly, now that it is established that WTC 7 came down in absolute free fall for over two seconds, one cannot accept the official theory, according to which this building was not professionally demolished, without implying that at least one miracle happened on 9/11. George Monbiot, as we saw, described members of this movement as “morons” who “believe that [the Bush regime] is capable of magic.” Unless Monbiot, upon becoming aware of NIST’s admission of free fall, changes his stance, he will imply that al-Qaeda is capable of magic. Matthew Rothschild said he was “amazed” at how many people hold the “profoundly irrational and unscientific” belief that “Building 7 . . . came down by planted explosives.” Given the fact that progressive members of the 9/11 Truth Movement “so revere science on such issues as tobacco, stem cells, evolution, and global warming,” Rothschild continued, it is “more than passing strange that [they] are so willing to abandon science and give in to fantasy on the subject of 9/11.” NIST’s report on WTC 7, however, provided the final proof that the 9/11 Truth Movement had been right all along – that those progressives who credulously accept the Bush-Cheney administration’s explanation for WTC 7’s collapse are the ones who “abandon science and give in to fantasy on the subject of 9/11.” 4. The Twin Towers: Descending in Virtual Free Fall Miracles are implied not only by the official account of WTC 7’s collapse but also by the official account of the destruction of the Twin Towers. According to this account, the North Tower (WTC 1) and the South Tower (WTC 2) came down because of three and only three causes: (i) the airplane impacts, which caused structural damage; (ii) the ensuing fires, which were initially fed and spread by jet fuel from the planes; and (iii) gravity. NIST’s negative claim here is that neither explosives nor incendiaries helped bring the buildings down. One of the miracles implicit in this account is that, although each building had 287 steel support columns – 240 perimeter columns and 47 massive core columns – and although neither explosives nor incendiaries were used to destroy these columns, each building came down, as NIST itself put it, “essentially in free fall.”62 How would that have been possible? According to NIST, each airliner took out several perimeter and core columns at its area of impact and also created huge fires, which began weakening the steel. After a period of time (56 minutes for the South Tower, 102 minutes for the North Tower), “the massive top section of [each] building at and above the fire and impact floors” fell down on the lower section, which “could not resist the tremendous energy released by [the top section’s] downward movement.”63 Accordingly, NIST’s report said: “Since the stories below the level of collapse initiation provided little resistance to the tremendous energy released by the falling building mass, the building section above came down essentially in free fall, as seen in videos.”64 Trying to describe more fully its theory of how this happened, NIST wrote: “The potential energy released by the downward movement of the large building mass far exceeded the capacity of the intact structure below to absorb that energy through energy of deformation. . . . As the stories below sequentially failed, the falling mass increased, further increasing the demand on the floors below, which were unable to arrest the moving mass. In other words, the momentum [of the top stories] falling on the supporting structure below . . . so greatly exceeded the strength capacity of the structure below that [the latter] was unable to stop or even to slow the falling mass.”65 Even before we think about any specific law of physics violated by this account (assuming that no explosives or incendiaries were used to remove the steel columns), we can see intuitively that this explanation implies a miracle: As NIST critic Jim Hoffman has pointed out, it “requires us to believe that the massive steel frames of the [lower structure of the] towers provided no more resistance to falling rubble than [would] air.”66 As to why physics rules out NIST’s account, William Rice, who has both practiced and taught structural engineering, pointed out that NIST’s account “violates Newton’s Law of Conservation of Momentum,” which requires that, “as the stationary inertia of each floor is overcome by being hit,” the speed of descent must decrease.67 A paper by physicists and engineers published in an engineering journal agreed, stating: “NIST evidently neglects a fundamental law of physics in glibly treating the remarkable ‘free fall’ collapse of each Tower, namely, the Law of Conservation of Momentum. This law of physics means that the hundreds of thousands of tons of material in the way must slow the upper part of the building because of its mass.”68 A letter to NIST signed by physicist Steven Jones, chemist Kevin Ryan, and architect Richard Gage, among others, made a similar point, saying: “Basic principles of engineering (for example, the conservation of momentum principle) would dictate that the undamaged steel structure below the collapse initiation zone would, at the very least, resist and slow the downward movement of the stories above. There is, indeed, a good chance that the structural strength of the steelwork below would arrest the downward movement of the stories above.”69 NIST, as we saw above, claimed that the lower portion would not retard – let alone arrest – the downward movement of the upper part, because the “tremendous energy” of the upper part’s downward momentum would be irresistible. Let us examine this claim with regard to the North Tower. It was struck at the 95th floor, so the upper portion consisted of only 16 floors. Also, the structure at this height had relatively little weight to bear, compared with the structure lower down, so the steel columns in the upper part, above the area of impact, were much thinner than those in the lower part. This means that the upper 16 floors probably constituted less than 15 percent of the building’s total weight. Also, the top portion would have fallen only a story or two before hitting the lower portion, so it would not have acquired much velocity before striking the lower portion. For these reasons, the top portion would have not had much momentum, so its energy would not have been so “tremendous,” it would seem, as to be irresistible by the lower part, with its millions of pounds of interconnected steel. This conclusion, based on a purely commonsense analysis, was confirmed by a technical analysis of the North Tower collapse by mechanical engineer Gordon Ross. Far from failing to retard the downward movement of the building’s upper portion, his analysis showed, the lower portion would have quickly and completely stopped the top portion’s descent. Having made the necessary calculations (which NIST failed to do), Ross concluded that the “vertical movement of the falling section would [have been] arrested . . . within 0.02 seconds after impact. A collapse driven only by gravity would not continue to progress beyond that point.”70 If Ross’s calculations are even close to accurate, then NIST’s account – according to which the Twin Towers came down “essentially in free fall,” even though they were not professionally demolished – implied two enormous miracles (one for each building). Another element in NIST’s account, to be sure, is the claim that the fires in the buildings weakened the steel, so that it provided less resistance than normal. “[W]hen bare steel reaches temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius,” NIST wrote, “it softens and its strength reduces to roughly 10 percent of its room temperature value.”71 NIST thereby, without actually saying it, implied that the steel columns had been heated up to the point where they lost 90 percent of their strength. NIST was in this way able to mislead some nonscientific journalists into thinking that fire could have caused the Twin Towers to collapse. Alexander Cockburn, stating that the collapses did not require preplaced explosives, said: “High grade steel can bend disastrously under extreme heat.”72 Chris Hayes, stating that the 9/11 Truth Movement’s claims about the Twin Towers are without merit, wrote (in a passage quoted earlier): “[S]teel might not melt at 1,500 degrees (Fahrenheit], the temperature at which jet fuel burns, but it does begin to lose a lot of its strength, enough to cause the support beams to fail.”73 However, the idea that steel heated up by fire could account for the collapses of the Twin Towers is wrong for at least two reasons. In the first place, even if the steel had indeed lost 90 percent of its strength, it would still have offered some resistance, because the law of conservation of momentum would not have taken a holiday. So a collapse “essentially in free fall” would have been impossible. In the second place, there is no empirical basis for claiming that either tower’s steel had lost any strength, let alone 90 percent of it. On the one hand, as MIT engineering professor Thomas Eagar has pointed out, structural steel only “begins to soften around 425°C [797°F].”74 On the other hand, scientific studies on 16 perimeter columns carried out by NIST scientists found that “only three [of these perimeter] columns had evidence that the steel reached temperatures above 250˚C [482˚F].” These NIST scientists also found no evidence that even this temperature (250˚C [482˚F]) had been reached by any of the core columns.75 Accordingly, far from having evidence that any of the steel in the columns reached the temperature (1,000°C [1,832°F]) at which it would have lost 90 percent of its strength, NIST had no evidence that any of the columns would have lost even one percent of their strength. If neither explosives nor incendiaries were used to remove the 287 steel support columns, therefore, the top portion of the building came down through the lower portion as if it were not there, even though the steel in that portion was at full strength. In claiming, therefore, that both of the Twin Towers came down essentially in free fall without the aid of either incendiaries or explosives, NIST implied enormous violations of the physical principle known as the conservation of momentum. Although Rothschild accused the 9/11 Truth Movement of being “irrational and unscientific,” this characterization applies instead to NIST’s report on the Twin Towers and anyone who accepts it. 5. The South Tower’s Mid-Air Miracles Having illustrated the previous miracle primarily in terms of the North Tower, I turn now to a miracle unique to the South Tower. It was struck at the 80th floor, so that its upper portion consisted of a 30-floor block. As videos of the beginning of this building’s collapse show, this block began tipping toward the corner that had been most damaged by the airplane’s impact. According to the law of the conservation of angular momentum, this section should have fallen to the ground far outside the building’s footprint. “However,” Jim Hoffman and fellow 9/11 researcher Don Hoffman have observed, “as the top then began to fall, the rotation decelerated. Then it reversed direction [even though the] law of conservation of angular momentum states that a solid object in rotation will continue to rotate at the same speed unless acted on by a torque.”76 And then, as if this were not miraculous enough: “We observe [wrote physicist Steven Jones] that approximately 30 upper floors begin to rotate as a block, to the south and east. They begin to topple over, not fall straight down. The torque due to gravity on this block is enormous, as is its angular momentum. But then – and this I’m still puzzling over – this block turned mostly to powder in mid-air! How can we understand this strange behavior, without explosives?”77 If someone were to ask how even explosives could explain this behavior, we could turn to a statement by Mark Loizeaux, the president of Controlled Demolition, Inc. In response to an interviewer’s question as to how he made “doomed structures dance or walk,” Loizeaux said: “[B]y differentially controlling the velocity of failure in different parts of the structure, you can make it walk, you can make it spin, you can make it dance. We’ve taken it and moved it, then dropped it or moved it, twisted it and moved it down further – and then stopped it and moved it again. We’ve dropped structures 15 storeys, stopped them and then laid them sideways. We’ll have structures start facing north and end up going to the north-west.”78 If we suppose that explosives were used, therefore, we can understand the mid-air dance performed by the upper portion of the South Tower. If we refuse to posit explosives, however, we are stuck with a major miracle: Although the upper block was rotating and tipping in such a way that its angular momentum should have caused it to fall down to the side, it somehow righted itself by disintegrating. This disintegration, incidentally, further undermines the official theory, according to which the “tremendous energy” of this block’s downward momentum caused the lower part of the South Tower to collapse. This theory requires that the upper part smashed down, as a solid block, on the lower part. Videos show, however, that it did not. As Gage, Jones, Ryan, and other colleagues pointed out to NIST: “[T]he upper portion of WTC 2 did not fall as a block upon the lower undamaged portion, but instead disintegrated as it fell. Thus, there would be no single large impact from a falling block . . . [but only] a series of small impacts as the fragments of the disintegrating upper portion arrived.”79 6. Horizontal Ejections from the Twin Towers Dwain Deets, former director of the research engineering division at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, has written that the “massive structural members being hurled horizontally” from the Twin Towers “leave no doubt” in his mind that “explosives were involved.”80 Deets was referring to the fact that the collapse of each of the Twin Towers began with a massive explosion near the top, during which huge sections of perimeter columns were ejected out horizontally so powerfully that some of them traveled 500 to 600 feet. Although this feature of the collapses was not mentioned in NIST’s (2005) report on the Twin Towers, there could be no doubt about it, because some of these sections of steel implanted themselves in neighboring buildings, as can be seen in videos and photographs.81 These ejections are now, in any case, part of the official account, because NIST, apparently finding them necessary to explain how fires got started in WTC 7, mentioned them in its report on this building. In Shyam Sunder’s opening statement at the August 2008 press briefing to announce the release of NIST’s final report on WTC 7, he said: “The debris from Tower 1 . . . started fires on at least 10 floors of the building.”82 NIST’s WTC 7 report said: “The fires in WTC 7 were ignited as a result of the impact of debris from the collapse of WTC 1, which was approximately 110 m[eters] (350 ft) to the south.”83 NIST thereby admitted that debris had been thrown out horizontally from the North Tower at least 350 feet.84 NIST’s report also stated: “When WTC 1 collapsed at 10:28:22 AM, . . . some fragments [of debris] were forcibly ejected and traveled distances up to hundreds of meters. Pieces of WTC 1 hit WTC 7, severing six columns on Floors 7 through 17 on the south face and one column on the west face near the southwest corner. The debris also caused structural damage between Floor 44 and the roof.”85 Debris that caused such extensive damage, including the severing of seven steel columns, had to be quite heavy. NIST seemed to be granting, therefore, that sections of steel columns had been hurled at least 650 feet (because “hundreds of meters” would mean at least 200 meters, which would be about 650 feet). Enormous force would be needed to eject large sections of steel that far out. What could have produced this force? According to NIST, as we saw earlier, there were only three causal factors in the collapse of the Twin Towers: the airplane impacts, the fires, and gravitational attraction. The airplane impacts had occurred 56 minutes (South Tower) and 102 minutes (North Tower) earlier, and gravitational attraction pulls things straight downward. Fire could, to be sure, produce horizontal ejections by causing jet fuel to explode, but the jet fuel had, NIST pointed out, burned up within “a few minutes.”86 Therefore, although NIST admitted that these horizontal ejections occurred, it suggested no energy source to explain them. High explosives, such as RDX or nanothermite, could explain these horizontal ejections. According to NIST, however, explosives did not contribute to the destruction of the Twin Towers. Those who accept NIST’s account must, therefore, regard these horizontal ejections as constituting yet another miracle. 7. Metal-Melting Fires In light of the above-discussed unprecedented effects produced by the fires in the WTC buildings (according to the official account), it would seem that these fires must have had miraculous powers. This conclusion is reinforced by an examination of still more extraordinary effects. Swiss-Cheese Steel: Within a few months of 9/11, three professors from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) had issued a brief report about a piece of steel recovered from the WTC 7 debris, stating that it had undergone “microstructural changes,” including “intergranular melting.”87 A greatly expanded version of this report, which contained a description of a similarly eroded piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers, was included as an appendix to the first official report on the destruction of the World Trade Center, which was issued by FEMA in 2002.88 A New York Times story, noting that parts of these pieces of steel had “melted away,” even though “no fire in any of the buildings was believed to be hot enough to melt steel outright,” said that these discoveries constituted “[p]erhaps the deepest mystery uncovered in the investigation.”89 Describing these mysterious pieces of steel more fully, an article in WPI’s magazine, entitled “The ‘Deep Mystery’ of Melted Steel,” said: “[S]teel – which has a melting point of 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit – may weaken and bend, but does not melt during an ordinary office fire. Yet . . . [a] one-inch column has been reduced to half-inch thickness. Its edges – which are curled like a paper scroll – have been thinned to almost razor sharpness. Gaping holes – some larger than a silver dollar – let light shine through a formerly solid steel flange. This Swiss cheese appearance shocked all of the fire-wise professors, who expected to see distortion and bending – but not holes.”90 One of the three WPI professors, Jonathan Barnett, was quoted by the Times as saying that the steel “appear[ed] to have been partly evaporated in extraordinarily high temperatures.”91 That the steel had actually evaporated – not merely melted – was also reported in another New York Times story. Professor Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl of the University of California at Berkeley, speaking of a horizontal I-beam from WTC 7, reportedly said: “Parts of the flat top of the I, once five-eighths of an inch thick, had vaporized.”92 Why do these phenomena involve miracles? Because the fires could not possibly, even under the most ideal conditions (which did not obtain), have been hotter than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (the maximum possible temperature for hydrocarbon-based building fires, which these fires were said to be), whereas the melting and boiling points of steel are only slightly lower than those of iron, which are 2,800°F and 5,182°F, respectively.93 So if one accepts the official account, according to which all the heat was produced by the building fires, then one must believe that these fires had miraculous powers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which took over from FEMA the task of writing the official reports on the WTC, avoided this issue by simply not mentioning any of these pieces of steel, even though two of them had been discussed in a FEMA report appendix. NIST even claimed that no recovered steel from WTC 7 could be identified, because the steel used in this building, unlike that used in the Twin Towers, “did not contain . . . identifying characteristics.”94 In making this claim, however, NIST was clearly not being truthful. For one thing, it had previously published a document in which it had referred to steel recovered from WTC 7 – including the piece discussed by the WPI professors.95 Also, NIST’s claim about not identifying any WTC 7 steel was made in August 2008, shortly after the airing in July 2008 of a BBC program on WTC 7, in which one of those WPI professors, Jonathan Barnett, had discussed an “eroded and deformed” piece of steel from WTC 7, which he and his colleagues had studied in 2001. These professors knew “its pedigree,” Barnett explained, because “this particular kind of steel” had been used only in WTC 7, not in the Twin Towers.96 So, although it called the collapse of WTC 7 “the first known instance of fire causing the total collapse of a tall building,”97 NIST had demonstrated its awareness of a recovered piece of steel from this building that only a very miraculous fire could have produced. NIST was surely also aware of the similarly eroded piece of steel from one of the Twin Towers, which had likewise been reported by the WPI professors in their paper included as an appendix to the 2002 FEMA report. If the fires in WTC 7 and the Twin Towers had miraculous powers, we would expect still more miraculous effects to have been discovered, and this was indeed the case. Melted Iron: The RJ Lee Group, a scientific research organization, was hired by Deutsche Bank, which had a building close to the World Trade Center, to prove that the dust contaminating its building after 9/11 was not ordinary building dust, as its insurance company claimed, but had resulted from the destruction of the World Trade Center. The RJ Lee Group’s reports showed that the dust in the bank’s building shared the unique chemical signature of the WTC dust, part of which was “[s]pherical iron . . . particles.”98 There were, moreover, an enormous number of these particles: Whereas iron particles constitute only 0.04 percent of normal building dust, they constituted (a whopping) 5.87 percent of the WTC dust.99 The existence of these particles, the RJ Lee Group said, proved that iron had “melted during the WTC Event.”100 The scientists conducting the EPA’s WTC dust signature study, incidentally, had at one time considered including “iron spheres” among the components to be mentioned; it would be interesting to learn why this idea was dropped.101 In any case, the identification of iron spheres by both the EPA and the RJ Lee Group was another miraculous discovery, for the reason given above: The melting point of iron is 2,800°F, whereas the WTC fires could not possibly have gotten above 1,800°F.102 Melted Molybdenum: Scientists at the US Geological Survey, in a study intended to aid the “identification of WTC dust components,” discovered an even more miraculous effect of the fires. Besides finding the spherical iron-rich particles, these scientists found that molybdenum, the melting point of which is 4,753°F (2,623°C), had also melted. Although these USGS scientists failed to mention this discovery in their published report,103 another group of scientists, having obtained the USGS team’s data through a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request, reported evidence showing that the USGS scientists had devoted serious study to “a molybdenum-rich spherule.”103 8. Inextinguishable Fires Besides having the power to produce the miraculous effects already reported, the World Trade Center fires were also miraculously inextinguishable. The fact that fires continued burning in the Ground Zero rubble for many months, in spite of every attempt to put them out, was widely reported. The title of a New York Times story in the middle of November, two months after the attacks, referred to the “Most Stubborn Fire.” A New Scientist article in December was entitled “Ground Zero’s Fires Still Burning.” Very hot fires continued to burn in the Ground Zero debris piles, these stories reported, even though heavy rains came down, millions of additional gallons of water were sprayed onto the piles, and a chemical suppressant was pumped into them.105 According to Greg Fuchek, vice president of a company that supplied computer equipment to identify human remains at the site, the working conditions at Ground Zero remained “hellish” for six months, because the ground temperature ranged from 600 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.106 These inextinguishable fires were a mystery. Assuming the truth of the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center, there would have been nothing in the debris pile other than ordinary building materials, and these can burn only in the presence of oxygen. There would have been little oxygen available in the densely packed debris piles, and wherever it was available, the fires should have been easily suppressed by the enormous amounts of water and chemical suppressants pumped into the piles. The fires’ seemingly miraculous power to keep burning could not be explained by the airplanes’ jet fuel (which some people seem to think of as having miraculous powers, even though it is essentially kerosene), because it would have all burned out, as mentioned above, within a few minutes. A non-miraculous explanation is suggested by the discovery of a large amount of nanothermite residue in the WTC dust, which was reported in a peer-reviewed scientific journal in 2009.107 Being both an incendiary and a high explosive, nanothermite is one among several types of “energetic nanocomposites” – described by an article in The Environmentalist as “chemical energetic materials, which provide their own fuel and oxidant and are not deterred by water, dust or chemical suppressants.”108 The discovery of nanothermite residue in the dust provided, therefore, an empirical basis for a non-miraculous explanation of the long-lasting fires at Ground Zero. According to the official account, however, the buildings were all brought down without the aid of any incendiaries or explosives. WTC 7 was said by NIST, as we saw above, to have been brought down by fire alone, and this fire, NIST added, was “an ordinary building contents fire.”109 As for the Twin Towers, they were brought down through the combined effects of the airplane impacts and the ensuing fires: NIST explicitly rejected “alternative hypotheses suggesting that the WTC towers were brought down by controlled demolition using explosives.”110 For anyone who accepts the official account, therefore, the inextinguishable underground fires at Ground Zero provide still another demonstration of miraculous powers that must have been possessed by the World Trade Center fires. 9. Supernatural Sulfur In the seventh section, I discussed the two Swiss-cheese-appearing pieces of steel that had been recovered from the World Trade Center rubble – one from WTC 7, the other from one of the Twin Towers. In that discussion, however, I ignored one of the central features of these pieces of steel, which was central to the reason they were said by the New York Times to constitute “the deepest mystery.” This was the fact that the thinning of the steel had resulted, according to the three WPI professors’ report, from sulfidation, but there was no explanation for the source of the sulfur or the mechanism through which it entered into the steel. According to a preliminary analysis reported by the professors, said the NYT article, “sulfur released during the fires – no one knows from where – may have combined with atoms in the steel to form compounds that melt at lower temperatures.”111 This phenomenon was discussed more fully in the article, “The ‘Deep Mystery’ of Melted Steel,” in WPI’s magazine, which attributed the holes and the thinning to “a eutectic reaction” that “occurred at the surface, causing intergranular melting capable of turning a solid steel girder into Swiss cheese.”112 In summarizing their findings in the paper included in the FEMA report, the three professors wrote: “1. The thinning of the steel occurred by a high-temperature corrosion due to a combination of oxidation and sulfidation. “2. Heating of the steel into a hot corrosive environment approaching 1,000°C (1,832°F) results in the formation of a eutectic mixture of iron, oxygen, and sulfur that liquefied the steel. “3. The sulfidation attack of steel grain boundaries accelerated the corrosion and erosion of the steel.”113 Then, having mentioned sulfidation in each of these three points, the professors added: “The severe corrosion and subsequent erosion of Samples 1 and 2 are a very unusual event. No clear explanation for the source of the sulfur has been identified. . . . A detailed study into the mechanisms of this phenomenon is needed.”114 However, although Arden Bement, who was the director of NIST when it took over the WTC project from FEMA, said that NIST’s report would address “all major recommendations contained in the [FEMA] report,”115 NIST ignored this recommendation. Indeed, as we saw earlier, it did not even mention these Swiss-cheese pieces of steel. Also, when NIST was later asked about the sulfidation, it tried to maintain that the source of the sulfur was not actually a mystery, saying that “sulfur is present in the gypsum wallboard that was prevalent in the interior partitions.”116 But there are three problems with this explanation. First, gypsum is calcium sulfate, so if all the sulfur discovered had been from gypsum wallboard, it would have been matched by about the same percentage of calcium. That, however, was not the case.117 Second, the WPI professors reported not merely that there was sulfur in the debris, but that the steel had been sulfidized. This means that sulfur had entered into the intergranular structure of the steel (which the New York Times article had indicated by saying that sulfur had “combined with atoms in the steel”). As chemist Kevin Ryan has said, the question NIST would need to answer is: “[H]ow did sulfates, from wallboard, tunnel into the intergranular microstructure of the steel and then form sulfides within?”118 Physicist Steven Jones added: “[I]f NIST claims that sulfur is present in the steel from gypsum, they should do an (easy) experiment to heat steel to about 1000°C in the presence of gypsum and then test whether sulfur has entered the steel. . . . [T]hey will find that sulfur does not enter steel under such circumstances.”119 Chemistry professor Niels Harrit has explained why it would not: Although gypsum contains sulfur, this is not elemental sulfur, which can react with iron, but sulfur in the form of calcium sulfate, which cannot.120 The official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center, therefore, implies that the sulfidized steel had been produced by a twofold miracle: Besides the fact that the fires, as we saw earlier, could have melted steel only if they had possessed miraculous powers, the sulfur in the wallboard could have entered into this melted steel only by virtue of supernatural powers. Once again, a non-miraculous explanation is available: We need only suppose that thermate, a well-known incendiary, had been employed. As Steven Jones has written: “The thermate reaction proceeds rapidly and is in general faster than basic thermite in cutting through steel due to the presence of sulfur. (Elemental sulfur forms a low-melting-temperature eutectic with iron.)”121 Besides providing an explanation for the eutectic reaction, thermate could also, Jones pointed out, explain the melting, oxidation, and sulfidation of the steel: “When you put sulfur into thermite it makes the steel melt at a much lower temperature, so instead of melting at about 1,538°C [2,800°F] it melts at approximately 988°C [1,820°F], and you get sulfidation and oxidation in the attacked steel.”122 NIST, however, insists that no incendiaries were employed: WTC 7 was brought down by fire alone; the Twin Towers by the fires combined with damage from the airplane impacts. Those who endorse the official account, therefore, are stuck with yet another miracle. III Which 9/11 Conspiracy Theory Is Truly Discrediting and Distracting? In light of the above facts, I ask Terry Allen, David Corn, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, Chris Hayes, George Monbiot, Matthew Rothschild, and Matt Taibbi: Are you still comfortable with endorsing the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center? A symposium on “State Crimes Against Democracy” in one of our major social science journals, American Behavioral Scientist,123 has recently addressed this issue. Likening Orwell’s “secret doctrine” that 2 + 2 = 4, which intellectuals must safeguard in dark times, to unquestioned laws of physics, one of the symposium’s authors criticized “the awesome intellectual silence making permissible the blithe dismissal of more than one law of thermodynamics in the World Trade Center Towers’ collapse.”124 Part of this silence has involved the failure of the academy to protest when “Professor Steven Jones found himself forced out of [a] tenured position for merely reminding the world that physical laws, about which there is no dissent whatsoever, contradict the official theory of the World Trade Center Towers’ collapse.”125 I wonder if you are still comfortable with giving your own consent to NIST’s “blithe dismissal” of otherwise unquestioned physical principles – as did Cockburn, when he ridiculed the 9/11 Truth Movement for its “delirious litanies about . . . the collapse of the WTC buildings,” and Taibbi, when he wrote contemptuously of people who have tried to educate him “on the supposed anomalies of physics involved with the collapse of WTC-7.”126 I would think that, if there are good reasons to suspect that these physical principles have been dismissed in the interests of covering up a major state crime against democracy, you would be especially uncomfortable with giving your consent to it. Some of you have expressed fear, to be sure, that the left will be discredited insofar as it is seen as endorsing a 9/11 conspiracy theory. Having asked in 2007, “Why do I bother with these morons?” George Monbiot replied: “Because they are destroying the movements some of us have spent a long time trying to build.”127 In 2009, David Corn wrote: “[W]hen the 9/11 conspiracy theories were first emerging on the left, I wrote several pieces decrying them [for] fear . . . that this unsound idea would infect the left and other quarters – discrediting anyone who got close to it.”128 Some of you, moreover, have objected to the 9/11 Truth Movement on the grounds that it has served as a distraction from truly important issues. The 9/11 conspiracy theories, Corn wrote in 2002, serve to “distract people from the real wrongdoing.”129 Cockburn, writing in 2006, agreed, saying: “The Conspiracy Nuts have combined to produce a huge distraction.”130 That same year, Chomsky said: “One of the major consequences of the 9/11 movement has been to draw enormous amounts of energy and effort away from activism directed to real and ongoing crimes of state.”131 And Monbiot, naming in 2007 some truly important issues from which, in his view, the 9/11 conspiracy theory has distracted us, mentioned “climate change, the Iraq war, nuclear proliferation, inequality, . . . [the fact] that corporate power stands too heavily on democracy, [and] that war criminals, cheats and liars are not being held to account.”132 I will address these two fears – of being discredited and of being distracted – in order. 1. The Fear of Being Discredited You are certainly right to fear that the left would be discredited by being aligned with a conspiracy theory that is scientifically unsupportable and even absurd. It is hard to imagine, however, what could discredit the left more than having many of its recognized leaders endorsing the Bush-Cheney administration’s 9/11 conspiracy theory, especially at a time when more and more scientists and people in relevant professions are pointing out its absurdities. Conspiracy Theories and the Official Account of 9/11: I realize, of course, that most of you do not like to acknowledge that the official account of 9/11 is itself a conspiracy theory, given the one-sided, propagandistic meaning with which this term is now commonly employed. As New Zealand philosopher Charles Pigden has pointed out in a superb essay entitled “Conspiracy Theories and the Conventional Wisdom”: “[T]o call someone ‘a conspiracy theorist’ is to suggest that he is irrational, paranoid or perverse. Often the suggestion seems to be that conspiracy theories are not just suspect, but utterly unbelievable, too silly to deserve the effort of a serious refutation.”133 However, Pigden continues, using the term in this way is intellectually dishonest, because “a conspiracy theory is simply a theory that posits a conspiracy – a secret plan on the part of some group to influence events by partly secret means.”134 And, given this neutral, dictionary meaning of the term: “[E]very politically and historically literate person is a big-time conspiracy theorist, since every such person subscribes to a vast range of conspiracy theories. . . . [T]here are many facts that admit of no non-conspiratorial explanation and many conspiracy theories that are sufficiently well-established to qualify as knowledge. It is difficult . . . to mount a coup [or an assassination] without conspiring. . . . Thus anyone who knows anything about the Ides of March or the assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand or the Tsar Alexander II is bound to subscribe to a conspiracy theory, and hence to be a conspiracy theorist.”135 In light of the neutral meaning of the term provided by Pigden, everyone is a conspiracy theorist about 9/11, not only people who believe that the US government was complicit. According to the government’s theory, the 9/11 attacks resulted from a conspiracy between Osama bin Laden, other al-Qaeda leaders (such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed), and 19 young members of al-Qaeda who agreed to hijack airliners.136 Failure to recognize this point can lead to absurd consequences. For example, after an article about 9/11 by former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, which had been posted at the Huffington Post, was quickly taken down, the HP editor gave this explanation: “The Huffington Post’s editorial policy . . . prohibits the promotion and promulgation of conspiracy theories — including those about 9/11. As such, we have removed this post.”137 In response, I pointed out that this policy entails that the HP “cannot accept any posts that state, or imply, that al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, for that is a conspiracy theory.” This fact has been acknowledged, I added, by former Harvard law professor and current Obama administration member Cass Sunstein – who referred to the above-quoted article by Charles Pigden. One implication of this fact combined with HP’s policy, I concluded, is that HP “cannot allow President Obama to say that we are in Afghanistan to ‘get the people who attacked us on 9/11,’ because he’s thereby endorsing the Bush-Cheney conspiracy theory about 9/11.”138 But HP, evidently not bothered by logical inconsistency, has not changed its policy. In any case, once it is acknowledged that both of the major theories about 9/11 are conspiracy theories, the 9/11 Truth’s Movement’s theory cannot rationally be rejected on the grounds that it is a conspiracy theory. Making a rational judgment requires comparing the two conspiracy theories to see which one is more plausible. And when the issue is posed in this way, the official theory does not fare well, whether viewed from a scientific or a merely prima facie perspective. The Prima Facie Absurdity of the Official Conspiracy Theory: Even when viewed only superficially (prima facie), the central elements in the official story, if evaluated in abstraction from the fact that it is the official story, is certainly implausible – it probably would have been even too implausible to pass muster as the plot for a bad Hollywood movie. Matt Taibbi has made such a statement about the story implicit in the various claims made by the 9/11 Truth Movement, saying that if you combine those claims into a coherent script, “you get the dumbest story since Roman Polanski’s Pirates.”139 However, aside from the fact that Taibbi failed to support this claim, he simply ignored the absurdity of the official story, which, boiled down to a one-sentence summary, says: Inexperienced Muslim hijackers, armed only with knives and box-cutters, took control of four airliners, then outfoxed the world’s most sophisticated air defense system, then used two of these airliners to bring three skyscrapers down (indeed, straight down, in virtual free fall),140 and then, almost an hour later – when the US air defense system would have been on highest alert – flew a third one, undetected, from the mid-west back to Washington DC, where – thanks to heroic piloting by a man who had never before flown an airliner and who was, according to the New York Times, known as a “terrible pilot,” incapable of safely flying even a tiny plane – this third airliner went through an extremely difficult trajectory (even too difficult for them, said some experienced airline pilots) in order to strike the first floor of the Pentagon – surely the most well-protected building on the planet – without scraping the Pentagon lawn. What could discredit “the left” more than the fact that you, some of its leading spokespersons, have endorsed such nonsense? The Scientific Status of the Two Conspiracy Theories. Actually, there is one thing that would be even more discrediting: If, after having it pointed out to you that at least nine miracles are implied by this story, you fail to renounce your former acceptance of it. Also, it is not only the miracles implicit in the official account that undermine your apparent assumption that good science supports the official account rather than that of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Although that assumption was less obviously unreasonable a few years ago, at least by people who either could not or would not look at the evidence for themselves, that assumption is now completely and obviously unreasonable, due to developments that have occurred in the past few years. In 2006, as we saw above, Chomsky suggested that there would be two decisive tests for the physical evidence touted by the 9/11 Truth Movement: (i) “submit it to specialists [with] the requisite background in civil-mechanical engineering, materials science, [and] building construction.” (ii) “submit it to a serious journal for peer review and publication.” To begin with the second test: A few months before December 2006, when Chomsky made this suggestion, physicist Steven Jones, at that time a professor at Brigham Young University, and some other scientists started a new online outlet, the Journal of 9/11 Studies. By now, it has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers, five of which were cited earlier: “Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Completely Collapse?” (by Jones himself); “9/11: Acceleration Study Proves Explosive Demolition” (by Frank Legge); “Revisiting 9/11/2001: Applying the Scientific Method” (by Jones); “Momentum Transfer Analysis of the Collapse of the Upper Storeys of WTC 1” (by Gordon Ross); and “Extremely High Temperatures during the World Trade Center Destruction” (by Jones and seven other scientists). Of course, people who are skeptical of the 9/11 Truth Movement’s claims may assume – albeit wrongly, from what I have learned – that this journal, being favorable to such claims, may have a less than rigorous peer-review process. And what Chomsky had suggested, in any case, was that 9/11 Truth Movement scientists should submit articles to mainstream science journals, to see if they could pass their peer-review processes. Jones and other scientists, deciding to take up Chomsky’s challenge, started working on papers to submit, and since 2008, at least six papers disputing the official account of the WTC have been published in mainstream journals: · “Fourteen Points of Agreement with Official Government Reports on the World Trade Center Destruction,” by Steven E. Jones, Frank M. Legge, Kevin R. Ryan, Anthony F. Szamboti, and James R. Gourley, published in 2008 in the Open Civil Engineering Journal.141 · “Environmental Anomalies at the World Trade Center: Evidence for Energetic Materials,” by Kevin R. Ryan, James R. Gourley, and Steven E. Jones, published in 2009 in The Environmentalist.142 · “Active Thermitic Material Observed in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe,” by University of Copenhagen chemistry professor Niels Harrit and eight colleagues (including Jones, Ryan, Legge, and Gourley), published in 2009 in The Open Chemical Physics Journal.143 · “Discussion of ‘Progressive Collapse of the World Trade Center: A Simple Analysis’ by K.A. Seffen,” by physicist Crockett Grabbe, published in 2010 in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, which is published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).144 · “Discussion of ’Mechanics of Progressive Collapse: Learning from World Trade Center and Building Demolitions’ by Zdenek P. Bazant and Mathieu Verdure,” by chemical engineer James R. Gourley, published in 2010 in the ASCE’s Journal of Engineering Mechanics.145 · “Discussion of ‘What Did and Did Not Cause Collapse of World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York?’ by Zdenek P. Bazant, Jia-Liang Le, Frank R. Greening, and David B. Benson,” by Anders Björkman, published in 2010 in the ASCE’s Journal of Engineering Mechanics.146 Given the time it takes to write scientific papers and get them through the peer-review process, combined with the relatively small number of scientists writing about these issues, this is an impressive achievement. It would seem that this part of Chomsky’s test has been met. These publications demonstrate, moreover, that many of the same scientists who had been publishing in the Journal of 9/11 Studies have now written papers that have gotten through the peer-review process of mainstream science journals. There is no empirical basis, accordingly, for the assumption that the Journal of 9/11 Studies’ peer-review process is any less critical. We can, therefore, add the 25 scientific papers about the WTC collapses in the Journal of 9/11 Studies to the six recent papers in mainstream journals, giving us a total of over 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles challenging the official theory about the destruction of the WTC that have appeared since 2006. I turn now to Chomsky’s other suggested way for members of the Truth Movement to test physical evidence that they see as disproving the official story: “submit it to specialists [with] the requisite background in civil-mechanical engineering, materials science, [and] building construction.” This has now been done and, as a result, the movement has large and continually growing numbers of physical scientists, engineers, and architects. The physical scientists (beyond those already mentioned) include: · Dr. A. K. Dewdney, professor emeritus of mathematics and physics, University of Western Ontario. · Dr. Timothy E. Eastman, Consultant, Plasmas International, Silver Spring, Maryland. · Dr. Mark F. Fitzsimmons, senior lecturer in organic chemistry, University of Plymouth. · Dr. David L. Griscom, former research physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory; principal author of 100 papers in scientific journals; fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. · Dr. Jan Kjellman, research scientist in nuclear physics and nanotechnology, École Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne. · Dr. Herbert G. Lebherz, professor emeritus, Department of Chemistry, San Diego State University. · Dr. Eric Leichtnam, professor of mathematics and physics, University of Paris. · Dr. Terry Morrone, professor emeritus, Department of Physics, Adelphi University. · Dr. John D. Wyndham, former research fellow, California Institute of Technology.147 With regard to architects and engineers: In December 2006, when Chomsky issued his suggestion, there were few if any architects and engineers who had publicly questioned the official account of the destruction of the World Trade Center. But in January, 2007, architect Richard Gage, a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), began Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, and by now its membership includes over 1,200 professional architects and engineers. Here are a few of the architects: · Daniel B. Barnum, AIA fellow; founder of the Houston AIA Residential Architecture Committee. · Bertie McKinney Bonner, M. Arch; AIA member; licensed architect in Pennsylvania. · David Paul Helpern, AIA fellow; founder of Helpern Architects. · Cynthia Howard, M. Arch; licensed architect in Maine and Massachusetts; past president, AIA’s New England Chapter. · David A. Johnson, PhD, internationally known architect and city planner; chaired the planning departments at Syracuse and Ball State universities; former president of the Fulbright Association of the United States. · Kevin A. Kelly, AIA fellow; author of Problem Seeking: An Architectural Programming Primer, which has become a standard textbook. · Anne Lee, M. Arch, AIA member; licensed architect in Massachusetts. · Dr. David Leifer, coordinator of the Graduate Program in Facilities Management, University of Sydney; former professor at Mackintosh School of Architecture. · Paul Stevenson Oles, fellow of the AIA, which in 1989 called him “the dean of architectural illustrators in America”; co-founder of the American Society of Architectural Perspectivists. · David A. Techau, B. Arch., MS; AIA member; licensed architect in Hawaii.148 Here are a few of the engineers: · John Edward Anderson, PhD; professor emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota; licensed Professional Engineer (PE). · Robert Bowman, PhD; former head, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, US Air Force Institute of Technology; director of Advanced Space Programs Development (“Star Wars”) under Presidents Ford and Carter. · Ronald H. Brookman, MS Eng; licensed Professional Civil and Structural Engineer in California · Dwain Deets, former Director for Research Engineering and Aerospace Projects, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, which awarded him the NASA Exceptional Service Award. · Joel Hirschhorn, PhD; former professor, Metallurgical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison; former staff member, Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. · Richard F. Humenn, licensed PE (retired); senior Project Design Engineer, World Trade Center electrical systems. · Fadhil Al-Kazily, PhD; licensed Professional Civil Engineer. · Jack Keller, PhD; professor emeritus, Civil Engineering, Utah State University; member, National Academy of Engineering; named one of the world’s 50 leading contributors to science and technology benefiting society by Scientific American. · Heikki Kurttila, PhD; Safety Engineer and Accident Analyst for Finland’s National Safety Technology Authority. · Ali Mojahid, PhD, Civil and Architectural Engineering; licensed PE. · Edward Munyak, Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineer; former Fire Protection Engineer for California and the US Departments of Energy and Defense. · Kamal S. Obeid, MS, licensed Professional Structural and Civil Engineer.149 In addition to Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, many other 9/11 organizations of professionals with relevant types of expertise have been formed, including Firefighters for 9/11 Truth,150 Intelligence Officers for 9/11 Truth,151 Medical Professionals for 9/11 Truth,152 Pilots for 9/11 Truth,153 S.P.I.N.E.: The Scientific Panel Investigating Nine-Eleven,154 and Veterans for 9/11 Truth.155 Less obviously relevant, but surely not entirely irrelevant, are some other professional organizations, including Journalists and Other Media Professionals for 9/11 Truth,156 Lawyers for 9/11 Truth,157 Political Leaders for 9/11 Truth,158 Religious Leaders for 9/11 Truth,159 and Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice.160 If we combine the membership of these organizations with those in the previous paragraph, we can see that several thousand professional people have publicly announced their alignment with the 9/11 Truth Movement. In light of the above-mentioned developments, could any fair-minded person deny that the 9/11 Truth Movement’s evidence has passed Chomsky’s twofold test with flying colors? Given the make-up of the 9/11 Truth Movement, could any such person agree with the claims about this movement quoted in Part I of this essay, according to which its members are “conspiracy nuts,” “idiots,” and “morons,” who, being devoid of “any conception of evidence,” are “willing to abandon science” in favor of “magic”? In one of his 2009 essays, David Corn expressed concern about “9/11 conspiracy silliness.”161 But it is hard to imagine anything sillier, and hence more self-discrediting, than making such claims about the scientists, architects, engineers, intelligence officers, lawyers, medical professionals, political leaders, and other professionals who have publicly aligned themselves with the 9/11 Truth Movement. As I stated on a lecture tour in early 2009: “Among scientists and professionals in the relevant fields who have studied the evidence, the weight of scientific and professional opinion is now overwhelmingly on the side of the 9/11 Truth Movement. Whereas well over 1,000 such people have publicly supported the stance of this movement, there are virtually no scientists or professionals in the relevant fields who have gone on record in defense of the official story—except for people whose livelihood would be threatened if they refused to support it. This caveat is important, because, as Upton Sinclair famously observed: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”162 Except for such people, virtually everyone who has expertise in a relevant field, and who has seriously studied the evidence, rejects the official conspiracy theory. It is time, therefore, for journalists and everyone else to take a second look.”163 A More General Problem with the Official Conspiracy Theory: In addition the twofold fact that the official conspiracy theory’s account of the WTC destruction implies miracles and has been increasingly rejected by informed and independent people in relevant professions, this theory is rendered unworthy of belief by a more general problem: when its various details are subjected to critical scrutiny, the entire story falls apart – as I showed in my 2008 book, The New Pearl Harbor Revisited164 (which, incidentally, was a Publishers Weekly “Pick of the Week” in November 2008,165 an honor not normally bestowed on books written by morons and idiots). One of the things that falls apart is the idea that there were al-Qaeda hijackers on the airliners. Having in my book examined the various types of evidence for this idea, I will here focus on the type of evidence usually considered the strongest: the alleged phone calls from the planes, during which the presence of hijackers was reported. All of you have evidently accepted these calls as genuine. For example, Matthew Rothschild, defending the government’s account of what happened on United Flight 93, wrote: “we know from cell phone conversations that passengers on board that plane planned on confronting the hijackers.”166 However, about ten of the reported calls from this flight were said to have been made on cell phones, most of them when the plane was at 35,000 feet or higher, and the technology at that time did not allow cell phone calls to be made from airliners at such altitudes, as pointed out by members of the 9/11 Truth Movement – most definitively by A. K. Dewdney and Michel Chossudovsky in 2003 and 2004.167 Chris Hayes faulted the Truth Movement for focusing on what he called “physical minutiae,” such as “the altitude in Pennsylvania at which cellphones on Flight 93 should have stopped working.”168 It would appear, however, that the FBI took such “minutiae” seriously: When it issued a report in 2006 on the (alleged) phone calls from the 9/11 airliners, the FBI designated only two of them as having been made on cell phones, and both of those, the FBI said, had been made from Flight 93 when it, about to crash, was at a low altitude. All the other reported calls from this flight (as well as all the reported calls from the other flights) were said to have been made from onboard phones, including three to five calls that Deena Burnett reported having received from her husband, Tom Burnett.169 This change of story got rid of the problem of technologically impossible (miraculous) phone calls, but it created another problem: How to explain the reports of approximately ten calls from this flight that, according to the recipients, had been made on cell phones? In some cases, we might assume, the recipients had misunderstood, or misremembered, what they had been told. But Deena Burnett said – and she reported this to the FBI on 9/11 itself – that she knew her husband had used his cell phone, because she recognized his cell phone number on her own phone’s Caller ID. If Tom Burnett had really called his wife using an onboard phone, as the FBI now claims, the fact that his cell phone number repeatedly showed up on her Caller ID would have to count as a miracle. I would think people generally skeptical of the claims made by the government, especially claims from which the military-industrial complex is benefiting, would consider this problem – which is documented at length in The New Pearl Harbor Revisited170 – worthy of investigation. I have also raised questions about the alleged phone calls from CNN correspondent Barbara Olson, which had been reported that day by her husband, US Solicitor General Ted Olson. She had phoned him twice, he claimed, from American Flight 77 (which allegedly crashed into the Pentagon shortly thereafter). In a list of my views treated derisively by Rothschild, he said: “Griffin casts doubt on whether the phone calls actually happened.”171 Perhaps Rothschild will be more impressed by the fact that, in its 2006 report on phone calls from the 9/11 airliners, the FBI did not support the claim that the calls from Barbara Olson “actually happened.” Although Ted Olson said he had received two calls from his wife, with the first call lasting “about one (1) minute”172 and the second one lasting “two or three or four minutes,”173 the FBI report on calls from American Flight 77 says that Barbara Olson attempted one call, which was “unconnected,” so that it (of course) lasted “0 seconds.”174 The reported calls from Barbara Olson were very important: They provided the first evidence given to the public that the planes had been hijacked; they were instrumental in getting the American public ready to strike back at Muslims in a “war on terror”; and they were also the only source for a piece of information that everyone “knows” – that the hijackers had box-cutters. One would think, therefore, that it would be of more than passing interest to people concerned about the direction of US foreign policy since 9/11 that an FBI report in 2006 indicates that these calls never happened. This is the same FBI that – in spite of Rothschild’s confident claim that there is no doubt of Osama bin Laden’s responsibility for the attacks, because he (allegedly) claimed responsibility for them in a video (allegedly) found in Afghanistan by the US military – does not list him as wanted for 9/11. Why? Because, an FBI spokesman explained, “the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11.”175 The FBI must be less certain than Rothschild about the evidentiary value of that so-called confessional video – and for good reason, as I have shown elsewhere.176 Accordingly, insofar as you left-leaning despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement have been concerned not to discredit yourselves by endorsing an unsupported, implausible, irrational, and even scientifically impossible conspiracy theory, that is precisely what you are doing so long as you stand by your endorsements of the Bush administration’s – and now the Obama administration’s – 9/11 conspiracy theory. 2. The Fear of Being Distracted The second fear – that the focus on a false conspiracy theory has been distracting many people from more important matters – is equally valid. But this fear has been directed toward the wrong conspiracy theory. Nothing has distracted the United States and its allies from issues such as global apartheid, the ecological crisis, nuclear proliferation, and corporate power more than the “war on terror” – with its huge operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, its incessant terror alerts and stories of attacks prevented, and its depletion of our national treasuries. Lying at the root of this so-called war on terror, both historically and as present justification, is the official account of 9/11. So it is, as I wrote in response to Cockburn in Le Monde Diplomatique three years go, “The Truly Distracting 9/11 Conspiracy Theory.”177 Had the falsity of this account been exposed within weeks – as it certainly could and should have been – the war in Afghanistan, which has now been using up our time, talent, and treasury for almost a decade, could have been avoided altogether. If the falsity of the Bush-Cheney 9/11 conspiracy theory had at least been exposed within a year, the fiasco in Iraq could have been avoided. If the truth had been exposed within three years, those wars could have been closed down long ago and the Bush-Cheney administration dismissed before it had a second term. If so, the next administration, not distracted by two major wars and exaggerated fears about terrorist attacks on the “homeland,” might have focused on the fact that many environmental regulations needed to be tightened up. One consequence might have been that the Gulf oil blowout (not “spill”), which could turn out to be extremely destructive to our planet’s ecosystem, might never have occurred. The fact that the official conspiracy theory about 9/11 has distracted the United States and its allies from the ecological crisis is, therefore, no trivial matter – and this is merely one of many illustrations that could be given. That the 9/11 Truth Movement, by contrast, cannot be rationally considered a distraction from more important matters was persuasively expressed in August 2006 by former CIA official Bill Christison, who by the end of his 28-year career had risen to the position of Director of the CIA’s Office of Regional and Political Analysis (and who, sadly, died while this essay was being written178). In an article entitled “Stop Belittling the Theories About September 11,” Christison wrote: “After spending the better part of the last five years treating these theories with utmost skepticism, I have devoted serious time to actually studying them [and] have come to believe that significant parts of the 9/11 theories are true, and that therefore significant parts of the ‘official story’ put out by the U.S. government and the 9/11 Commission are false.”179 Then, after listing nine judgments that had led him to this conclusion – one of which was that the “North and South Towers of the World Trade Center almost certainly did not collapse and fall to earth because hijacked aircraft hit them” – he added: “If [these] judgments . . . are correct, they . . . strongly suggest that some unnamed persons or groups either inside or with ties to the government were actively creating a ‘Pearl Harbor’ event, most likely to gain public support for the aggressive foreign policies that followed – policies that would, first, ‘transform’ the entire Middle East, and second, expand U.S. global domination.” Then, explaining why the evidence for this conclusion cannot reasonably be dismissed as a distraction from more important matters, he wrote: “A manageable volume of carefully collected and analyzed evidence is already at hand . . . that elements within the Bush administration, as well as possibly other groups foreign or domestic, were involved in a massive fraud against the American people, a fraud that has led to many thousands of deaths. This charge of fraud, if proven, involves a much greater crime against the American people and people of the world than any other charges of fraud connected to the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. It is a charge that we should not sweep under the rug because what is happening in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, and Iran seems more pressing and overwhelming. It is a charge that is more important because it is related to all of the areas just mentioned – after all, the events of 9/11 have been used by the administration to justify every single aspect of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East since September 11. It is a charge that is more important also because it affects the very core of our entire political system. If proven, it is a conspiracy, so far successful, not only against the people of the United States, but against the entire world.” In this passage, Christison expressed this charge of fraud conditionally, saying “if proven.” He later made clear, however, that he had personally found the evidence convincing, referring to the 9/11 attacks as “an inside job.”180 In any case, besides saying that 9/11 is more important than America’s crimes in the Middle East because “the events of 9/11 have been used by the administration to justify every single aspect of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East since September 11,” he also, in saying that the 9/11 fraud “affects the very core of our entire political system,” anticipated the above-cited symposium in the American Behavioral Scientist, which treated 9/11 as a probable instance of its topic: State Crimes against Democracy. Christison’s implicit message to Chomsky, therefore, was: Given your concern with “real and ongoing crimes of state,” I would respectfully suggest that you do what I finally did: Actually examine the evidence that 9/11 was one of these crimes. As for the concern to prosecute war criminals, what bigger war criminals could there be than people within our own government who engineered these attacks, then used them as a pretext for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have killed millions?181 As for the hope of stopping these horribly deadly and terribly expensive wars, what better means could be had than proof – which scientists, architects, engineers, firefighters, and pilots in the 9/11 Truth Movement have provided – that the official account of 9/11 is a lie and that the attacks had to be, at least in part, an inside job? Concluding Statement I recently completed a 15-city tour, presenting a lecture entitled “Is the War in Afghanistan Justified by 9/11?” My hope was that, by providing clear evidence that it is not – because the official account of 9/11 is false from beginning to end – “the 9/11 Truth Movement and more traditional Peace and Anti-War groups [would] be able to combine forces to oppose this illegal and immoral war.”182 I have written the present essay with the same hope. But if this hope is to be fulfilled, erstwhile left-leaning despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement will need to prove that Cockburn’s charge about this movement’s members – “They’re immune to any reality check” – and Corn’s charge – they “are not open to persuasion”183 – are not instead true of themselves. David Ray Griffin is the author of 36 books dealing with various subjects: philosophy, theology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, and 9/11 and US imperialism. In September 2009, The New Statesman ranked him #41 among “The 50 People Who Matter Today.” His most recent book is The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report about 9/11 is Unscientific and False (2009). His next book will be Cognitive Infiltration: An Obama Appointee’s Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory (September 2010). He wishes to thank four scientists – Jim Hoffman, Frank Legge, Kevin Ryan, and John Wyndham – and three other superb critics – Matthew Everett, Tod Fletcher, and Elizabeth Woodworth – for help with this essay. 1 As those who know the history of modern theology are aware, one of its seminal writings was Friedrich Schleiermacher’s Speeches on Religion to Its Cultured Despisers (1799). These “cultured despisers” of religion were people whom Schleiermacher admired and with whom he agreed on most issues. He believed, however, that they had a blind spot with regard to religion, mainly because they did not understand its true nature and the experience on which it is based. I address those I call “left-leaning despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement” in the same spirit. 2 David Ray Griffin is the author of 36 books dealing with various subjects: philosophy, theology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, and 9/11 and US imperialism. In September 2009, The New Statesman ranked him #41 among “The 50 People Who Matter Today.” His most recent book is The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report about 9/11 is Unscientific and False (2009). His next book will be Cognitive Infiltration: An Obama Appointee’s Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory (September 2010). He wishes to thank four scientists – Jim Hoffman, Frank Legge, Kevin Ryan, and John Wyndham – and three other superb critics – Matthew Everett, Tod Fletcher, and Elizabeth Woodworth – for help with this essay. 3 Alexander Cockburn, “The 9/11 Conspiracy Nuts,” ZNet, September 20, 2006 (http://www.zcommunications.org/the-9-11-conspiracy-nuts-by-alexander-cockburn-1). A shorter version appeared in the September 24, 2010, issue of The Nation. 4 Alexander Cockburn, “The Conspiracists, Continued – Are They Getting Crazier?” The Free Press, September 16, 2006 (http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/2/2006/1433). 5 Alexander Cockburn, “Conspiracy Disproved: Distractions from Awful Reality,” Le Monde Diplomatique, December 2006 (http://mondediplo.com/2006/12/02dconspiracy). 7 George Monbiot, “9/11 Fantasists Pose a Mortal Danger to Popular Oppositional Campaigns,” The Guardian, February 20, 2007 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/feb/20/comment.september11). 8 Matt Taibbi, “The Idiocy Behind the ‘9/11 Truth’ Movement,” AlterNet, September 26, 2006 (http://www.alternet.org/story/42181). This date, incidentally, refers to the original posting of the article at Rollingstone.com. It was not posted on AlterNet until May 7, 2008. In another article, posted on Rollingstone.com a couple of weeks earlier (September 14, 2006), Taibbi had offered a different diagnosis, saying that people who thought that the towers had been wired with explosives were “clinically insane” (Matt Taibbi, “Americans in Denial about 9/11,” AlterNet June 6, 2008 http://www.alternet.org/story/41635). 9 Christopher Hayes, “9/11: The Roots of Paranoia,” The Nation, December 8, 2006 (http://www.chrishayes.org/articles/911-roots-paranoia). 10 “Chomsky: 9/11 Truth Movement Pushes Non-Scientific Evidence,” YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBg3aFZVATk). 11 “Chomsky Dismisses 9/11 Conspiracy Theories As ‘Dubious’” Rense.com, December 13, 2006 (http://rense.com/general74/dismiss.htm). 12 Terry Allen, “The 9/11 Faith Movement,” In These Times, July 11, 2006 (http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2702). 13 David Corn, “When 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Go Bad,” AlterNet, March 1, 2002 (http://www.alternet.org/story/12536). 14 David Corn, “How 9/11 Conspiracy Poison Did in Van Jones,” Politics Daily, September 7, 2009 (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/09/07/how-9-11-conspiracy-poison-did-in-van-jones). 16 David Corn, “Van Jones and the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory Poison,” Mother Jones, September 7, 2009 (http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/09/van-jones-and-911-conspiracy-theory-poison). 17 Matthew Rothschild, “Enough of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Already,” The Progressive, September 18, 2006 (http://www.alternet.org/story/41601/). 18 David Ray Griffin, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report about 9/11 Is Unscientific and False (Northampton: Olive Branch [Interlink Books], 2009), Chs. 4 and 5. 19 See David Ray Griffin, The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions (Northampton, Mass.: Olive Branch Press [Interlink Books], 2005), 29. 20 See David Ray Griffin, “Building What? How SCADs Can Be Hidden in Plain Sight,” 911Truth.org, May 27, 2010 (http://911truth.org/article.php?story=20100527162010811). 21 James Glanz, “Engineers Suspect Diesel Fuel in Collapse of 7 World Trade Center,” New York Times, November 29, 2001 (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/29/nyregion/nation-challenged-site-engineers-have-culprit-strange-collapse-7-world-trade.html). 22 See FEMA, World Trade Center Building Performance Study, ed. Therese McAllister, ed. (Washington D.C., and New York: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2002), Chapter 5, by Ramon Gilsanz, Edward M. Depaola, Christopher Marrion, and Harold “Bud” Nelson (http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fema403_ch5.pdf), 31. As the title of Glanz’s article in the previous note indicates, he had already suggested that the diesel fuel might provide an explanation. 23 Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up to the Facts: An In-Depth Investigation by Popular Mechanics, ed. David Dunbar and Brad Reagan (New York: Hearst Books, 2006), 53, 56. 24 Ibid., 53-54, 29. 25 Rothschild, “Enough of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Already.” 26 Hayes, “9/11: The Roots of Paranoia.” 27 Allen, “The 9/11 Faith Movement.” 28 As this example shows, Allen’s rejection of the 9/11 Truth Movement’s empirical claims seems to be based entirely on her taking on faith the claims of the Bush-Cheney administration as mediated through Popular Mechanics. It is quite ironic, therefore, that she caricatures the 9/11 Truth Movement as the “9/11 Faith Movement.” But she seems to have a special knack for getting things backwards: With regard to an In These Times editor’s question about me, “What could have transformed this sober, reflective scholar into a conspiracy theorist?” (which was his way of asking why I had rejected the government’s conspiracy theory in favor an alternative conspiracy theory), she replied: “I think part of it is that he’s a theologian who operates on faith” (quoted in Salim Muwakkil, “What’s the 411 on 9/11?” In These Times, December 21, 2005 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2444). Given the fact that the primary issue at hand was my belief “that the towers were toppled by a controlled demolition,” for which there is (as we have seen) an overwhelming amount of empirical evidence, it is especially strange that she would say that the reason I believe this must be that I am “a theologian who operates on faith.” Besides the fact that she was obviously the one who was operating on faith with regard to 9/11, she was also assuming that, because I am “a theologian,” I must operate in the way she assumes all theologians operate. Since the 18th-century Enlightenment, however, there has been a great methodological divide within theology. Many theologians still do operate on the traditional basis, in which questions of truth are settled by appeals to authority, the pronouncements of which are taken on faith. But I have always practiced the Enlightenment-based type of theology, which, as I explained in a book subtitled A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith, rejects the “method of authority” in favor of the method of “settling questions of truth and falsity on the basis of common experience and reason – that is, by reasoning on the basis of experience that is at least potentially common to all people” (David Ray Griffin, Two Great Truths: A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith [Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004], 62). Also central to this type of theology is the rejection of “miracles,” in the sense of “supernatural interruptions of the world’s most fundamental causal processes” (ibid., 98). The centrality of this element in my theology is illustrated by the titles of two of my other books, Religion and Scientific Naturalism: Overcoming the Conflicts (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000), and Reenchantment without Supernaturalism: A Process Philosophy of Religion (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2001). My explicit rejection of miraculous interruptions of the world’s normal causal processes may make me more sensitive to this issue than are some left-wing critics of the 9/11 Truth Movement, who to me seem puzzlingly unconcerned about the official account’s cavalier violations of principles that have long been considered inviolable laws of nature. 29 NIST NCSTAR 1A, Final Report on the Collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 (brief version), National Institute of Standards and Technology, November 2008, xxxvi (http://wtc.nist.gov/NCSTAR1/PDF/NCSTAR%201A.pdf). This document is henceforth cited simply as NIST NCSTAR 1A, which will always refer to the final (November 2008) version (as distinct from the Draft for Public Comment, which was issued in August 2008). 30 Ibid., xxxvii. 31 Ibid., xxxv. 32 See, for example, Shyam Sunder, “Opening Statement,” NIST Press Briefing, August 21, 2008 (http://wtc.nist.gov/media/opening_remarks_082108.html); NIST NCSTAR 1-9, Structural Fire Response and Probable Collapse Sequence of World Trade Center Building 7, November 2008, Volume 2: 493, 617, 618 (http://wtc.nist.gov/NCSTAR1/PDF/NCSTAR%201-9%20Vol%202.pdf). 33 “NIST WTC 7 Investigation Finds Building Fires Caused Collapse,” NIST, August 21, 2008 (http://www.physorg.com/news138546437.html). 34 NIST NCSTAR 1A, xxxvii. 35 NIST NCSTAR 1-9, Structural Fire Response and Probable Collapse Sequence of World Trade Center Building 7, November 2008, Vol. 1 (wtc.nist.gov/NCSTAR1/PDF/NCSTAR%201-9%20Vol%201.pdf): 341. 36 Rothschild, “Enough of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Already”; Allen, “The 9/11 Faith Movement.” 37 J. Gordon Routley, Charles Jennings, and Mark Chubb, “High-Rise Office Building Fire, One Meridian Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), 1991 (http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-049.pdf); Robin Nieto, “Fire Practically Destroys Venezuela’s Tallest Building,” Venezuela News, Views, and Analysis, October 18, 2004 (http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/741). 38 Sunder, “Opening Statement.” 39 Griffin, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: 170-77. 40 David Ray Griffin, Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory (Northampton, Mass.: Olive Branch [Interlink Books], 2007), Chap. 4. 42 Griffin, Debunking 9/11 Debunking, 152-63. 43 See “WTC7 Demolition on 9/11 – Video Compilation,” YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlTBMcxx-78). For video and analysis, see “WTC7: This Is an Orange,” YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv7BImVvEyk&feature=related), and David Chandler, “WTC7: NIST Finally Admits Freefall (Part III)” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mudruFzNw) , at 2:25-4:00. 44 See Frank Legge, “9/11: Acceleration Study Proves Explosive Demolition,” Journal of 9/11 Studies, Vol. 5, November 2006 (http://journalof911studies.com/volume/200611/911-Acceleration-Study-Proves-Explosive-Demolition.pdf). 45 Daniel Hofnung, Patriots Question 9/11 (http://patriotsquestion911.com/engineers.html#Dhofnung). 46 Chester W. Gearhart, Patriots Question 9/11 (http://patriotsquestion911.com/engineers.html#Gearhart). 47 Jack Keller, Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (http://www.ae911truth.org/supporters.php?g=ENG#998929). 48 See “Danny Jowenko on WTC 7 Controlled Demolition,” YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=877gr6xtQIc). For more of the interview, “Jowenko WTC 7 Demolition Interviews,” in three parts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3DRhwRN06I&feature=related). 49 “The Myth of Implosion” (http://www.implosionworld.com/dyk2.html). 50 Liz Else, “Baltimore Blasters,” New Scientist 183/2457 (July 24, 2004), 48 (http://www.911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/new_scientist/BaltimoreBlast_Loizeaux.html). 52 NIST NCSTAR 1-9, Draft for Public Comment, Vol. 2 (http://wtc.nist.gov/media/NIST_NCSTAR_1-9_vol2_for_public_comment.pdf), 596. 53 “WTC 7 Technical Briefing,” NIST, August 26, 2008. Although NIST originally had a video and a transcript of this briefing at its Internet website, it recently removed both of them. However, Nate Flach has made the video available at Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/11941571), and the transcript, under the title “NIST Technical Briefing on Its Final Draft Report on WTC 7 for Public Comment,” is available at David Chandler’s website (http://911speakout.org/NIST_Tech_Briefing_Transcript.pdf). 55 David Chandler, “WTC7 in Freefall – No Longer Controversial,” September 4, 2008 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVCDpL4Ax7I) , at 2:45. 56 NIST NCSTAR 1-9, Vol. 2: 607. 57 Chandler, “WTC7 in Freefall – No Longer Controversial,” at 3:27. 58 Chandler, “WTC7: NIST Finally Admits Freefall (Part III),” January 2, 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mudruFzNw) , at 1:19. 59 “Questions and Answers about the NIST WTC 7 Investigation,” NIST, August 21, 2008, updated April 21, 2009. Whereas the original version of this document denied free fall, the updated version affirms it. Although both versions have been removed from NIST’s website, Jim Hoffman’s website has both the 2008 version (http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/nist/wtc_qa_082108.html ) and the 2009 version (http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/nist/wtc_qa_042109.html). 60 Chandler, “WTC7: NIST Finally Admits Freefall (Part III),” at 2:20, 3:15. 61 NIST NCSTAR 1-9, Draft for Public Comment, Vol. 2: 595-96, 596, 610. 62 NIST, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, September 2005 (http://wtc.nist.gov/NCSTAR1/PDF/NCSTAR%201.pdf) , 146. 63 NIST, “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” August 30, 2006 (http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/factsheets/faqs_8_2006.htm), Question 2. 64 NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, 146. 65 NIST, “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” Question 6. In the italicized portion of this statement, NIST was quoting NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, Section 6.14.4 (page 146). 66 Jim Hoffman, “A Reply to the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s Answers to Frequently Asked Questions” (http://911research.wtc7.net/reviews/nist/WTC_FAQ_reply.html). 67 William Rice’s statement is quoted at Patriots Question 9/11 (http://patriotsquestion911.com/engineers.html#Rice). 68 Steven E. Jones, Frank M. Legge, Kevin R. Ryan, Anthony F. Szamboti, and James R. Gourley, “Fourteen Points of Agreement with Official Government Reports on the World Trade Center Destruction,” Open Civil Engineering Journal, 2/1 (2008): 35-40 (http://www.bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCIEJ/2008/00000002/00000001/35TOCIEJ.SGM). 69 “Request for Correction Submitted to NIST,” Journal of 9/11 Studies, Vol. 12: June 2007 (http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/200704/RFCtoNISTbyMcIlvaineDoyleJonesRyanGageSTJ.pdf). This letter, dated April 12, 2007, was also signed by Bob McIlvaine, Bill Doyle, and Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice. 70 Gordon Ross, “Momentum Transfer Analysis of the Collapse of the Upper Storeys of WTC 1,” Journal of 9/11 Studies, Vol. 1: June 2006 (http://www.journalof911studies.com/articles/Journal_5_PTransferRoss.pdf) : 32-39, at 37. 71 NIST, “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” Question 7. 72 Alexander Cockburn, “The 9/11 Conspiracy Nuts: How They Let the Guilty Parties of 9/11 Slip Off the Hook,” Counterpunch, September 9/10, 2006 (http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn09092006.html). 74 Thomas W. Eagar and Christopher Musso, “Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? Science, Engineering, and Speculation,” JOM, 53 (12), 2001 (http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/jom/0112/eagar/eagar-0112.html). 75 NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, 90. 76 Don Paul and Jim Hoffman, Waking Up from Our Nightmare: The 9/11/01 Crimes in New York City (San Francisco: Irresistible/Revolutionary, 2004), 34. 77 Steven Jones, “Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Completely Collapse?” Journal of 9/11 Studies, Vol. 3 (September 2006), 1-47, at 28 (http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/200609/Why_Indeed_Did_the_WTC_Buildings_Completely_Collapse_Jones_Thermite_World_Trade_Center.pdf). 78 Quoted in Liz Else, “Baltimore Blasters” (see note 50, above). 79 “Request for Correction Submitted to NIST.” 80 The statement by Deets is at Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (http://www.ae911truth.org/profile.php?uid=998819). 81 See “911 Eyewitness: Huge Steel Sections Ejected More than 600 Feet” (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1807467434260776490), or “9/11 Mysteries: Demolition” (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1337231563159418946#). 83 NIST NCSTAR 1A: xxxvi. 85 NIST NCSTAR 1A: 16. 86 NIST NCSTAR 1, Final Report on the Twin Towers, 183, 184. 87 Jonathan Barnett, Ronald R. Biederman, and Richard D. Sisson, Jr., “An Initial Microstructural Analysis of A36 Steel from WTC Building 7,” JOM 53/12 (2001), 18 (http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0112/Biederman/Biederman-0112.html). 88 Jonathan Barnett, Ronald R. Biederman, and R. D. Sisson, Jr., “Limited Metallurgical Examination,” Appendix C of World Trade Center Building Performance Study, FEMA, 2002 (http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fema403_apc.pdf). 89 James Glanz and Eric Lipton, “A Search for Clues in Towers’ Collapse,” New York Times, February 2, 2002 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E0DE153DF931A35751C0A9649C8B63). 90 Joan Killough-Miller, “The ‘Deep Mystery’ of Melted Steel,” WPI Transformations, Spring 2002 (http://www.wpi.edu/News/Transformations/2002Spring/steel.html). 91 James Glanz, “Engineers Suspect Diesel Fuel in Collapse of 7 World Trade Center,” New York Times, November 29, 2001 (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/29/nyregion/29TOWE.html). I have here quoted Glanz’s paraphrase of Barnett’s statement. 92 See Kenneth Change, “Scarred Steel Holds Clues, And Remedies,” New York Times, October 2, 2001 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E6DC123DF931A35753C1A9679C8B63). 93 WebElements: The Periodic Table on the Web: Iron (http://www.webelements.com/iron/physics.html). 94 “Questions and Answers about the NIST WTC 7 Investigation,” August 21, 2008 (http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/nist/wtc_qa_082108.html). This statement was repeated in a version of this document that was updated April 21, 2009 (http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/nist/wtc_qa_042109.html). Thanks to Jim Hoffman for preserving these documents at his website, after NIST had removed them from its own website. 95 See NIST NCSTAR 1-3C, Damage and Failure Modes of Structural Steel Components, September 2005 (http://wtc.nist.gov/NCSTAR1/PDF/NCSTAR%201-3C%20Damage%20and%20Failure%20Modes.pdf), in which the authors, Stephen W. Banovic and Timothy Foecke, referred to “the analysis of the steel from WTC 7 (Sample #1 from Appendix C, BPAT/FEMA study) where corrosion phases and morphologies were able to determine a possible temperature region” (233). 96 The Conspiracy Files: 9/11 – The Third Tower, BBC, July 6, 2008 (available at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9072062020229593250# and http://www.911blogger.com/node/16541); the statement by Barnett is at 48:00. I am indebted to Chris Sarns for this discovery as well as the one in the previous note. Barnett during this interview, incidentally, speculated that the steel had “cooked” in the underground fire. This explanation was, however, deceptive at best, for three reasons: First, the effects being discussed by Barnett could have been caused only by something producing much higher temperatures than ordinary hydrocarbon fires could have produced – fires fueled, for example, by nanothermite or some other energetic nanocomposites, as explained below in Section 8. The second and third reasons also involve facts discussed in that section: Ordinary hydrocarbon fires would not have been able to keep burning underground without oxygen; and they would, in any case, have been extinguished by the water and chemical suppressant that were pumped into the rubble. 97 “NIST WTC 7 Investigation Finds Building Fires Caused Collapse.” 98 RJ Lee Group, “WTC Dust Signature,” Expert Report, May 2004 (http://www.nyenvirolaw.org/WTC/130%20Liberty%20Street/Mike%20Davis%20LMDC%20130%20Liberty%20Documents/Signature%20of%20WTC%20dust/WTCDustSignature_ExpertReport.051304.1646.mp.pdf) : 11. 99 RJ Lee Group, “WTC Dust Signature Study: Composition and Morphology,” December 2003 (http://www.nyenvirolaw.org/WTC/130%20Liberty%20Street/Mike%20Davis%20LMDC%20130%20Liberty%20Documents/Signature%20of%20WTC%20dust/WTC%20Dust%20Signature.Composition%20and%20Morphology.Final.pdf): 24. 100 Ibid., 17. 101 See “Comments on WTC Signature Study and Peer Review from Greg Meeker, Paul Lioy and Mort Lippmann, November 3, 2005” (http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel/pdfs/SubGroupComments_110305.pdf). I am indebted to Kevin Ryan for this information. 102 WebElements: The Periodic Table on the Web: Iron (http://www.webelements.com/iron/physics.html). 103 Heather A. Lowers and Gregory P. Meeker, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, “Particle Atlas of World Trade Center Dust,” 2005 (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1165/508OF05-1165.html). 104 Steven E. Jones et al., “Extremely High Temperatures during the World Trade Center Destruction,” Journal of 9/11 Studies, January 2008 (http://journalof911studies.com/articles/WTCHighTemp2.pdf): 4. 105 Eric Lipton and Andrew C. Revkin, “The Firefighters: With Water and Sweat, Fighting the Most Stubborn Fire,” New York Times, November 19, 2001 (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/19/nyregion/19FIRE.html); Jonathan Beard, “Ground Zero’s Fires Still Burning,” New Scientist, December 3, 2001 (http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1634). 106 Trudy Walsh, “Handheld APP Eased Recovery Tasks,” Government Computer News, 21/27a: September 11, 2002 (http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/wtc/evidence/gcn_handheldapp.html). 107 Niels H. Harrit, Jeffrey Farrer, Steven E. Jones, et al., “Active Thermitic Material Observed in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe,” The Open Chemical Physics Journal, 2009, 2: 7-31 (http://www.bentham.org/open/tocpj/openaccess2.htm). 108 Kevin R. Ryan, James R. Gourley, and Steven E. Jones, “Environmental Anomalies at the World Trade Center: Evidence for Energetic Materials,” The Environmentalist, 29 (2009): 56-63, at 58, 56. 109 NCSTAR 1-9, Vol. 1: 330. 110 NIST, “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” Question 2. 111 Glanz and Lipton, “A Search for Clues in Towers’ Collapse.” 112 Killough-Miller, “The ‘Deep Mystery’ of Melted Steel.” 113 Barnett, Biederman, and Sisson, “Limited Metallurgical Examination.” 114 Ibid., C-13. 115 Dr. Arden L. Bement, Jr., Testimony before the House Science Committee Hearing on “The Investigation of the World Trade Center Collapse,” May 1, 2002 (http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/wtc/official/nist/bement.htm). In the quoted statement, the name “FEMA” replaces “BPAT,” which is the abbreviation for “Building Performance Assessment Team,” the name of the ASCE team that prepared this report for FEMA. 116 “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” NIST, Question 12. 117 Jones et al., “Extremely High Temperatures during the World Trade Center Destruction,” 3. 118 Email letter from Kevin Ryan, October 16, 2008. 119 Email letter from Steven Jones, October 17, 2008. 120 Personal communications from Niels Harrit, May 8, 2009, and June 25, 2010. 121 Steven E. Jones, “Revisiting 9/11/2001: Applying the Scientific Method,” Journal of 9/11 Studies, Vol. 11: May 2007 (http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/200704/JonesWTC911SciMethod.pdf), 81. 123 Symposium on State Crimes Against Democracy, American Behavioral Scientist 53 (February 2010): 783-939 (http://abs.sagepub.com/content/vol53/issue6). 124 Matthew T. Witt, “Pretending Not to See or Hear, Refusing to Signify: The Farce and Tragedy of Geocentric Public Affairs Scholarship,” American Behavioral Scientist 53 (February 2010): 921-39 (http://abs.sagepub.com/content/vol53/issue6), at 934. 125 Ibid., 932 (emphasis in original). 126 Cockburn, “The Decline of the Left,” The Free Press, September 30, 2006 (http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/2/2006/1440); Taibbi, “The Idiocy Behind the ‘9/11 Truth’ Movement.” 127 “9/11 Fantasists Pose a Mortal Danger to Popular Oppositional Campaigns.” 128 Corn, “How 9/11 Conspiracy Poison Did in Van Jones.” 129 Corn, “When 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Go Bad.” 130 Cockburn, “The 9/11 Conspiracy Nuts: How They Let the Guilty Parties of 9/11 Slip Off the Hook.” 131 “Chomsky Dismisses 9/11 Conspiracy Theories As ‘Dubious.’” 132 Monbiot, “9/11 Fantasists Pose a Mortal Danger to Popular Oppositional Campaigns.” 133 Charles Pigden, “Conspiracy Theories and the Conventional Wisdom,” Episteme, 4 (2007), 219–32, at 219. 136 Although political leaders, the mainstream press, and even much of the left-leaning press have been reluctant to admit that the official account of 9/11 is a conspiracy theory (often because they like to use this label to discredit people without examining their evidence), former Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, who was appointed to a senior post in the Obama administration, acknowledged this fact in a co-authored essay: Cass R. Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule, “Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures,” Journal of Political Philosophy, 17/2 (June 2009), 202-27, at 208. Sunstein also helpfully referred to Charles Pigden’s above-quoted article, which criticizes the widespread use of the “conspiracy theory” label to avoid substantive issues. I deal with the Sunstein-Vermeule essay in Cognitive Infiltration: An Obama Appointee’s Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory (Northampton: Olive Branch [Interlink Books], September 2010). 137 Quoted in “Jesse Ventura’s Piece on 9/11 – KILLED BY HUFFPOST!” News from the Underground, March 9, 2010 (http://markcrispinmiller.com/2010/03/jesse-venturas-piece-on-911-killed-by-huffpost). 138 “HuffPost’s Absurd Stand on ‘Conspiracy Theories’ (David Ray Griffin),” News from the Underground, March 11, 2010 (http://markcrispinmiller.com/2010/03/huffposts-absurd-stand-on-conspiracy-theories-david-ray-griffin). 139 Taibbi, “The Idiocy Behind the ‘9/11 Truth’ Movement.” 140 See “Two Hit, Three Down – The Biggest Lie,” by National Medal of Science-winner Lynn Margulis, Rock Creek Free Press, January 24, 2010 (http://rockcreekfreepress.tumblr.com/post/353434420/two-hit-three-down-the-biggest-lie). 141 Jones et al., “Fourteen Points of Agreement with Official Government Reports on the World Trade Center Destruction.” 142 Kevin R. Ryan, James R. Gourley, and Steven E. Jones, “Environmental Anomalies at the World Trade Center: Evidence for Energetic Materials,” The Environmentalist, 29 (2009): 56-63 (published online, August 4, 2008 (http://www.springerlink.com/content/f67q6272583h86n4/fulltext.html). 143 Niels H. Harrit, Jeffrey Farrer, Steven E. Jones, Kevin R. Ryan, Frank M. Legge, Daniel Farnsworth, Gregg Roberts, James R. Gourley, and Bradley R. Larsen, “Active Thermitic Material Observed in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe,” The Open Chemical Physics Journal, 2009, 2: 7-31 (http://www.bentham.org/open/tocpj/openaccess2.htm). 144 Crockett Grabbe, “Discussion of ‘Progressive Collapse of the World Trade Center: A Simple Analysis’ by K.A. Seffen,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics 136/4 (April 2010): 538-39 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0000025). 145 James R. Gourley, “Discussion of ’Mechanics of Progressive Collapse: Learning from World Trade Center and Building Demolitions’ by Zdenek P. Bazant and Mathieu Verdure,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics 134/10 (October 2008): 915-16 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2008)134:10(915)). 146 Anders Björkman, “Discussion of ‘What Did and Did Not Cause Collapse of World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York?’ by Zdenek P. Bazant, Jia-Liang Le, Frank R. Greening, and David B. Benson,” ASCE, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 136/7 (July 2010): 933-34 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0000090). 147 Some of these scientists belong to Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice (http://stj911.com); others belong to S.P.I.N.E.: The Scientific Panel Investigating Nine-Eleven (http://physics911.net); and still others have been quoted on Patriots Question 9/11 (http://patriotsquestion911.com). The remainder will be announcing their affiliation with the 9/11 Truth Movement in the near future. 148 Information about these and other architects who question the official story can be found at Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (http://www.ae911truth.org) or under “Engineers and Architects” at Patriots Question 9/11 (http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/engineers.html#Search). 149 Information about these and other engineers who question the official story can be found under “Engineers and Architects” at Patriots Question 9/11 (http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/engineers.html#Search). 150 Firefighters for 9/11 Truth (http://firefightersfor911truth.org). 151 Intelligence Officers for 9/11 Truth (http://IO911truth.org). 152 Medical Professionals for 9/11 Truth (http://mp911truth.org). 153 Pilots for 9/11 Truth (http://pilotsfor911truth.org). 154 Scientific Panel Investigating Nine-Eleven: Physics 911 (http://physics911.net). 155 Veterans for 9/11 Truth (http://v911t.org). 156 Journalists and Other Media Professionals for 9/11 Truth (http://mediafor911truth.org). 157 Lawyers for 9/11 Truth (http://l911t.com). 158 Political Leaders for 9/11 Truth (http://pl911truth.com). 159 Religious Leaders for 9/11 Truth (http://rl911truth.org). 160 Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice (http://stj911.com). 162 Upton Sinclair, “I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked (1935; University of California Press, 1994), 109. 163 “9/11: Time for a Second Look.” For the text, see Voltaire.net.org, April 18, 2009 (http://www.voltairenet.org/article159749.html). For the lecture as delivered in Boston, see the YouTube video at davidraygriffin.com (http://davidraygriffin.com/calendar/april-11-2009-boston ). For the lecture as delivered in Hamburg, see the YouTube video at davidraygriffin.com (http://davidraygriffin.com/calendar/may-9-2009-hamburg). 164 David Ray Griffin, The New Pearl Harbor Revisited: 9/11, the Cover-Up, and the Exposé (Northampton: Olive Branch, 2008); henceforth NPHR. 165 Publishers Weekly, November 24, 2008 (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/1-legacy/15-web-exclusive-book-reviews/article/6017-web-exclusive-reviews-week-of-11-24-2008-.html). 166 Rothschild, “Enough of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, Already.” 167 A. K. Dewdney, “The Cellphone and Airfone Calls from Flight UA93,” Physics 911, June 9, 2003 (http://physics911.net/cellphoneflight93.htm); Michel Chossudovsky, “More Holes in the Official Story: The 9/11 Cell Phone Calls,” Global Research, August 10, 2004 (http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO408B.html). For discussion of this issue, see Griffin The New Pearl Harbor Revisited, 112-14. 168 Hayes, “9/11: The Roots of Paranoia.” 169 The FBI’s report on the phone calls from the four flights is at United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui, Exhibit Number P200054 (http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/flights/P200054.html). But these documents can be more easily viewed in Jim Hoffman’s “Detailed Account of Phone Calls from September 11th Flights” (http://911research.wtc7.net/planes/evidence/calldetail.html). 170 Griffin, NPHR 115-18. 172 FBI, “Interview with Theodore Olsen [sic],” 9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, September 11, 2001Intelfiles.com, March 14, 2008, (http://intelfiles.egoplex.com:80/2008/03/911-commission-fbi-source-documents.html). 173 “America’s New War: Recovering from Tragedy,” Larry King Live, CNN, September 14, 2001 (http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0109/14/lkl.00.html). 174 See the graphic at Jim Hoffman’s website (http://911research.wtc7.net/planes/evidence/calldetail.html) and my discussion in NPHR 60-62. 176 See David Ray Griffin, Osama bin Laden: Dead or Alive? (Northampton: Olive Branch, 2009), 22-36. 177 Dr. David Ray Griffin, “The Truly Distracting 9/11 Conspiracy Theory: A Reply to Alexander Cockburn,” Le Monde Diplomatique, Nordic Edition, March 2007 (http://www.lmd.no/index.php?article=1408); a response to Alexander Cockburn, “US: The Conspiracy That Wasn’t,” Le Monde Diplomatique, December 2006 (http://mondediplo.com/2006/12/02conspiracy), which was headlined: “Distractions from Awful Reality.” 178 See the obituary I wrote, “William A. (‘Bill’) Christison (1928-2010),” 911Truth.org, June 20, 2010 (http://911truth.org/article.php?story=20100620115516747). 179 Bill Christison, “Stop Belittling the Theories about September 11,” Dissident Voice, August 14, 2006 (http://dissidentvoice.org/Aug06/Christison14.htm). 180 Paul Joseph Watson, “28-Year Career CIA Official Says 9/11 An Inside Job,” Prison Planet, September 7, 2006 (http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2006/070906insidejob.htm). 181 Mainstream sources estimate the total number of deaths due to the invasions and occupations at about one million for each country. But Dr. Gideon Polya, author of Body Count: Global Avoidable Mortality Since 1950, has put the numbers much higher. See his “Iraqi Holocaust: 2.3 Million Iraqi Excess Deaths,” March 21, 2009 (http://www.countercurrents.org/polya210309.htm); and “January 2010 – 4.5 Million Dead in Afghan Holocaust, Afghan Genocide,” Afghan Holocaust, Afghan Genocide, January 2, 2010 (http://afghangenocide.blogspot.com). 182 Both this statement and the Chicago version of my lecture can be seen at Ed’s Links: Is the War in Afghanistan Justified by 9/11? (http://edwardrynearson.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/is-the-war-in-afghanistan-justified-by-911/). A slightly revised version has been posted as David Ray Griffin, “Did 9/11 Justify the War in Afghanistan? Using the McChrystal Moment to Raise a Forbidden Question,” Global Research, June 24, 2010 (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19891). 183 Cockburn, “The Decline of the Left”; Corn, “Van Jones and the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory Poison.” © Copyright David Ray Griffin , Global Research, 2010 The url address of this article is: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=20039 9/11 on Dandelion Salad This entry was posted in 9/11, All Posts News Politics and-or Videos, Conspiracy, Politics, Science and tagged 9/11 on Dandelion Salad, 9/11 Truthers, Griffin-David Ray, Progressives. Bookmark the permalink. ← Priests, nuns, atheists, anarchist and one clown arrested at anti-nuke protest Obama’s New Iran Sanctions: An Act of War by Shamus Cooke → 7 thoughts on “Left-Leaning Despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement: Do You Really Believe in Miracles? by David Ray Griffin” Pingback: Separation of Church and Hate: The Kate Mosque Solution by Greg Palast « Dandelion Salad Natureboy \| August 15, 2010 at 2:44 AM That’s about 110 stories too tall to read. Add Maher to that list at least. Suffice to say not all conspiracies are theories nor right wing. Somebody knows something we don’t. At the outset 911 was a crime not an act of war. First look for motives. War is a racket. Pingback: My Testimonial: Eid al-Fitr, 9/11, and my status in America by Sami Kishawi « Dandelion Salad Barbara Bode \| August 4, 2010 at 9:35 PM Thank you David Ray Griffin for putting such impressively exhaustive effort into answering the nay-sayers on the left. It has disturbed me repeatedly that these guys chose to continue to believe what to me was clearly fallacious from the beginning. As I stood with my neighbor, a conservative former military pilot, on the roof of my building at the top of a hill overlooking the White House and the Pentagon, I asked him how long can the fuel in an airline burn? Nearly two hours had passed. Not this long, was his answer. We both knew then, it was phoney. Pingback: Progressives and 9/11: A Response to Chip Berlet’s paper, Toxic To Democracy: Conspiracy Theories, Demonization, & Scapegoating « Dandelion Salad Pingback: 9/11 Truth Truth by Joel S. Hirschhorn « Dandelion Salad Annie \| July 9, 2010 at 10:57 AM David Ray Griffin, this is journalism at its best! And, it is hard work! Thank you for the time and exacting effort that went into this writing!	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line409
__label__wiki	0.753812	0.753812	Episode 962: The Second Law of Thermodynamics November 30, 2016 March 1970, Violet Wellesantique shop, decline and fall, funeral, thermodynamics, werewolfDanny Horn “The dead sheriff was standing over me with a gun, and I woke up here.” Paul Stoddard is missing, again. The Leviathans desecrated his grave a couple weeks ago, with the vague intention of dragging the corpse out of the ground and interrogating it, and when they cracked the coffin, they found the dead man grinning at them in a frozen, ghastly moment of post-mortem mirth. What could this mean? they asked. How could there be something out there that’s crazier than us? So they burned the body, and by “they” I mostly mean Jeb Hawkes, the master of murder who’s currently standing graveside, comforting Paul’s daughter, as she grieves for a father who just keeps on disappearing. “When I was a little girl, my father went away from me,” Carolyn chokes. “I told myself then that I was so small, I couldn’t keep him. Then I grew up, and he came back to me. I had another chance. And he went away again.” Jeb approaches, the secret author of her pain. “Carolyn, this is not the same!” “Maybe not,” she shrugs. “But I did lose him again, didn’t I?” He embraces her, and for a moment, he almost feels like maybe it wasn’t such a hot idea to murder someone in his girlfriend’s immediate family. And Carolyn cries, “Why are there so many ways of losing people, and so few of holding on?” So you look at this couple, at this point in the show’s history, and you can’t help but think of the six words that could bring down a government: Don’t you think she looks tired? I mean, they all do. Today’s episode feels like a wake, following a scorched-earth happy hour that left each of them with a series of monogrammed migraines. Today, two characters find a dead sheriff in the crypt, hacked to pieces by a wild animal, and two characters stand in the foyer of somebody else’s house, literally screaming about werewolves and betrayal, as if Collinwood is a post-apocalyptic wasteland where it’s okay to let yourself in, and discuss your classified murder plots at the top of your lungs. And today there’s a scene with Quentin and Chris that takes place against a charcoal scrim, where the characters don’t look at each other, and Chris begs for death, and worst of all, his hair looks terrible. And they’re tired, like they stayed up all night trying to figure out where the storyline is going, and didn’t come to any particular conclusion. Now it’s dawn, and Chris has turned back into himself, wrapping up his evening as a mindless engine of destruction, with fading whip welts on his face and an evaporating bullet in his gut. Quentin can relate. “I know the feeling,” he says, and he actually does, for the first time in the history of reassurance. He used to be a big bad wolf himself, once upon a time. “When dawn came, and I was covered with blood… I wanted to die, too.” “You didn’t have an enemy who knew your secret.” Chris shakes his head. “Bruno almost got me that time. Next time, I think he may. I’d rather you go ahead and kill me, now.” By “you,” of course, Chris actually means the writers, and by “kill me,” he means “write me off the show, if you’re never going to let my storyline progress another step.” Once again, the werewolf story has settled into a standstill. Chris tells Quentin, “We finally stopped pretending that we’re just casual strangers,” although they still kind of are. Weeks ago, Quentin learned that Chris is his great-grandson, and that he bears the mark of the werewolf because of the stupid choices that Quentin made at the end of the last century. That revelation should have inspired a new story thread about this stricken branch of the family, as they worked together to beat the age-old curse, but it didn’t. Chris and Quentin haven’t even had a scene together, until now. “Nothing’s worked,” Chris says. “The portrait didn’t work, Sabrina’s moon poppy didn’t work. Quentin — I am what I am because of you. Now, you owe me something. I want you to kill me, right now.” Quentin regards his anxious descendant, and says, “Look,” and then he forgets what he was going to say. He glances offstage and stifles a yawn, and then he just starts talking about something else. Chris is absolutely correct; his predicament is Quentin’s fault. Chris was the hot young property when he arrived, a tormented hunk with a terrible secret, dating the daughter of the family and thrilling the 16 Magazine crowd like nobody else. Then David Selby came along, and the show hasn’t really committed to Chris’ storyline since then. He’s been uncured for 18 months and counting, and they really only bring him out when they want the werewolf. Eventually, they’re just going to shuffle Chris quietly offscreen and tell everyone that he went to live on a farm. It turns out they never really had any intention of curing him, because his only value to the show is that he turns into a wolf once a month. He’s not dating Carolyn anymore; a curse-free Chris would have literally nothing to do. So he’s trapped, stuck in this worn-out storyline where he’s really only interesting when he’s played by Alex Stevens. Man, I bet Don Briscoe is kind of bummed out about that — he had three months of teen-idol stardom, and then all that attention just went up in smoke. I hope he doesn’t develop chronic depression, and try to self-medicate with pot and acid; that would be awful. Now, while Chris’ storyline stumbles are a problem for Mr. Briscoe and his well-wishers, Carolyn’s are a problem for the show. She’s supposed to be the heart of the Leviathan storyline; the whole point of Jeb jumping out of the mystery box is that he’s supposed to mate with Carolyn, and turn her into a magical fiendish space octopus. That’s why everybody else on the show is picking sides in an escalating war. But both sides have apparently agreed to shield Carolyn from the big sinister secret, so in practice, she hasn’t had very much to do, except to fall passionately in love with Jeb, because of reasons. As I’ve said before, I don’t know why Carolyn likes Jeb, and I’ve been scratching at that itch for a while. But today, I think I figured out the real problem with her character arc, and it’s all about the let’s-break-antiques scene. This was Carolyn and Jeb’s first date, back in episode 940. I didn’t write about it at the time, because I had other things to say, and I didn’t realize how important it was until now. The scene takes place in the antique shop, and it starts with Jeb gazing at her, and sighing, “I’m going to be very happy with you.” She’s puzzled. “What made you say that?” “Because I felt it,” he shrugs. “Haven’t you ever said or done what you felt?” “Sometimes I do.” “I do it all the time,” Jeb smirks, and swaggers across the room. “Everybody should. I always do what I feel. Right now, I feel like doing this.” And then he picks up a porcelain figurine from a nearby display, and smashes it on the floor. Carolyn is horrified, obviously. “Jeb, you shouldn’t have done that!” He smiles. “Why not?” “That was an antique, and it didn’t even belong to you!” “Haven’t you ever felt like breaking something?” She stops short. “Yes,” she says, “but…” “Well, then, let’s see you break this.” Then he picks up another figurine. “Go on,” he says, offering it to her. “Break it.” She looks into his eyes, and says, “I wish I could begin to understand you.” “Maybe you can,” he says, “if you just free yourself. Go on. Just let it drop from your hand.” (Smash.) He smiles, and opens a bottle of wine. She asks what he’s doing, and he says, “We’re going to celebrate.” “Celebrate what?” “Your liberation.” He hands her the drink. “Oh, you will… soon.” It’s a weird scene, and it should have been followed immediately by a dozen more weird scenes along the same lines. This should have been the storyline. After all, the whole point of the Leviathan threat is that they’re going to take Carolyn, a character that we love and root for, and turn her into a hideous gargantuan, rutting with her blasphemous mate and raising a brood of ambidextrous deathstalkers. And in the let’s-break-antiques scene, they set up the idea that Jeb is going to change Carolyn’s personality, leading her step by step into his dark world, in the service of her “liberation” from boring traditional values, like respect for other people’s ugly decor. We should have seen her going down that path, becoming more and more estranged from the family and friends who aren’t part of this nightmare death cult. Except they didn’t. The champagne was drugged, and she blacked out, and since then, they haven’t even touched on the idea that Jeb might be leaving a stain on Carolyn’s soul. Now, this is a show that’s explored a dozen varieties of hypnosis and possession in minute detail, so it’s not like they don’t know how to write a story like that. They just didn’t. To the extent that we believe that Carolyn loves Jeb, it’s an entirely innocent, human infatuation with a handsome stranger, who she’s unfortunately not really allowed to know very much about. Because they can’t change Carolyn. This is an enormous problem for the show, and it’ll be one of the key pieces to the puzzle of Who Killed Dark Shadows. There are four core family members, and they are untouchable. They don’t experience any lasting change, starting around early 1968 and continuing until the end of the show. Sure, they have moments of temporary hypnosis and possession, everybody does, but they don’t actually change. And if Carolyn can’t change, even a little, then that means there’s no future, just a status quo that leads inexorably towards entropy, and the heat death of this fictional universe. So we need to discuss the First and Second Law of Collins Family Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics, if you’re not hip to it, is the study of heat (thermos), and its relationship to work (dynamis). The First Law states that heat is work — that in order to make something happen, you have to expend energy, which then turns into other kinds of energy. You lift up a ball, turning the energy in your muscles into heat and work, and giving the ball gravitational potential energy. You drop the ball, and that potential turns into kinetic energy as it falls, which becomes low-grade thermal energy and sound waves, when it hits the ground with a smack. Energy can’t be created or destroyed, but some of the ball’s kinetic energy decays into forms of energy that we can’t really use anymore. The Second Law of Thermodynamics says that in an isolated system, that loss of energy increases over time, as more of it turns into forms that you can’t use. If there’s no source of new energy entering the system, then it tends towards entropy, a completely stable state that only gets less interesting as you go along. For the Collins family, that means there are four constants — Elizabeth, Roger, Carolyn and David, plus a governess. (By late 1968, Vicki and Maggie become interchangeable, because of the law of conservation of governesses.) These constants expend energy, in the form of dialogue and haircuts, but there’s no new energy entering the system, in the form of spouses or surprising decisions. Paul could have introduced a lot of new energy into the family structure, if they’d taken him seriously as a possible romantic partner for Liz, rather than killing him off after six weeks. And Jeb could do the same, except guess what happens to him. So Carolyn is not allowed to fundamentally change, except to get a little sadder, and a little more tired, until the show runs out of things to do. But the show is about to conduct a large-scale experiment in applied thermodynamics, which they call Parallel Time. This involves creating a new Collins family, adding more spouses and secrets, to see if it’s possible for Dark Shadows to delay its inevitable heat death. And I guess we’ll have to see how that goes. Tomorrow: The Golden Key. When the Collinwood scene opens in the first act, Carolyn is standing motionless on the landing, waiting for her cue to start walking. There’s a cough in the studio when Bruno enters the Carriage House. Bruno tells Megan, “The werewolf is Jed’s problem.” Bruno tells Jeb, “When I got here, Megan came here.” He means that Megan was already here. Bruno wants Jeb to confront Megan tomorrow, but Jeb says, “Not tomorrow! Tonight. Right now!” We saw the sun come up two scenes ago. At the beginning of act 3, Bruno steps on Jeb’s lines. A minute later, Jeb steps on one of Bruno’s. They collide one more time, thirty seconds after that. Also, when Bruno says, “I didn’t know that that werewolf was loose!” he launches a bit of spittle, which lands on Jeb’s chin, and stays there. They ignore it. Chris tells Quentin, “I want you to kill me, right now.” Quentin pauses, mutters “Look…” and then looks offstage to the teleprompter. In the opening, the camera pans across a row of gravestones, with the following all lined up in the same area: Tom Jennings (d. 1968), Sheriff Davenport (d. 1970), “Jerimiah” Collins (d. 1795) and Jenny Collins (d. 1897). There are some other gravestones in the second row that I couldn’t make out. The colorful afghan makes another appearance in today’s episode; Megan is using it as a blanket. We last saw it in January, covering a dying Charles Delaware Tate. Thomas Findley’s hand is played by Charles Rush, who was a stand-in for a watch-wearing “Grant Douglas”, back in December. Rush makes four appearances on the show; the next one is September. When Findley rises from the grave tomorrow, he’ll be played by James Shannon, another regular DS fill-in actor. This may be the show’s only fill-in for a fill-in. ← Episode 961: Protagonizing Episode 963: The Golden Key → 40 thoughts on “Episode 962: The Second Law of Thermodynamics” Would’ve like to have seen Carolyn do the whole “Rosemary’s Baby” shtick… I love your take on unchanging characters (First and Second Law of Collins Family Thermodynamics). I do think that this was a problem for the show’s continuation, but a much bigger issue was the show’s marriage to monsters. It reminds me of producer Joseph Stefano’s rule for the classic Outer Limits series: Each episode needs to have a “bear,” something for the audience to be in awe of. Characters that change very little are not uncommon on soaps. Having watched All My Children in its earlier years, the “tentpole” characters of Joe, Ruth, Grandma Kate, and Mona didn’t change that much during their tenure on the series. But they reacted to what was going on with other characters. That’s the way I see Liz and Roger on Dark Shadows. I wouldn’t want them to become supernatural beings. And yet the anchor characters of Liz, Roger, Carolyn and David are all kind of stuck at Collinwood and the show consequently becomes claustrophobic. It’s a similar situation as to what happened to General Hospital by the mid-70s: the hospital was limiting the stories that could be told and they’d be at it for almost 20 years. So the new producer Gloria Monty broadened the canvas to open up all kinds of new stories. Dark Shadows does that to a degree with its time travel stories, but when they return to the present time, they are really stuck trying to come up with some sort of “bear” to keep the show interesting. Yeah, other soaps rejuvenate the show by bringing in new characters, who can interact with the core characters in new and surprising ways. There are weddings, and babies, and long-lost relatives, and new families. On One Life to Live, the Buchanans moved into town in 1979, and became a core part of the show. It’s hard to imagine that happening on Dark Shadows, that they would introduce another family that’s just as important as the Collins family. But soap operas do that all the time. I nominate the Du Pres! But that’s just what Dark Shadows had been doing, fairly successfully at first: Barnabas and Julia put a lot of ‘new blood’ into the struggling plotline, just as the series was on the brink of cancellation. Angelique was a big boost, Quentin Collins sent the ratings soaring – even the same faces in different roles (like Petofi and Magda, Trask(s), Forbes, Stokes(es), etc.) helped keep things rolling. There were still more new faces coming, too. Just having new characters wasn’t enough, though. They needed something to do, new, different, interesting interactions to keep the show moving. Simply changing over to Parallel Time and telling the same story again couldn’t work. I’ve always thought that the upcoming storyline would have worked better as a ‘The Past’ story, although getting it into the established Collins history might have been tricky. In the end, though, I think it was a combination of issues just as unique as those that brought the show about to begin with. Dan Curtis wanted a new challenge, there were just not enough people in the ‘idea pool’ (THREE writers at any one time (except when there were two)? And nine for the series entire run (ten if you count Curtis)? Hard to believe it got that far with such a tiny group! ABC was really getting value for money, even with the period costume costs.), the show couldn’t maintain the momentum, and Frid didn’t want to be a vampire anymore – possibly the biggest blow to the ‘vampire soap opera’. Percysowner (@percysowner) says: I will say that daytime dramas in those days often didn’t have a lot of writers on board, otherwise your points are good. DS was not just daytime drama (though it started out as something quite close to it), DS had the twist of ‘the supernatural’ as well, a relatively small niche of fiction. It seems to me that they should have tried fitting more soap opera into the plots, though I suppose they DID try to – “Why don’t you like my boyfriend? Just because he’s a hideous blob with tentacles, that leaves slime trails? How superficial!” “Look, I can’t see you anymore. No, it isn’t somebody else, it’s just, I become a furry lunatic murderer when there’s a full moon.” “Where were you? You went to that vampire again, didn’t you? DIDN’T YOU?” But, as the writers said, the ideas dried up. Guess they should have had more babies on…those wee’uns are ratings gold! Also the chore characters can have some character quirks that will make them repeat the same mistakes with different people. An habitual busybody will always have plenty of plots to get mixed up in. Same for a gossip. Then someone with aristocratic airs will put down a character with self-confidence issues – and there comes a plotline. People may change, but up to a point. In the beginning, there were the townies vs. The Collinses, but one by one the townies either died or were absorbed into Collinwood. Probably saved on sets or something. The principle of natural selection reveals itself as capable of yielding information which the first and second laws of thermodynamics are not competent to furnish. The two fundamental laws of thermodynamics are, of course, insufficient to determine the course of events in a physical system. They tell us that certain things cannot happen, but they do not tell us what does happen. Alfred J. Lotka (1922) Which is TOTAL Quentin. Dude is seven layers of charm wrapped around a narcissus bulb. He can be in a supercouple with any female character because real true love is himself. This scene always pisses me off because I get sucked into Quentin’s charm, too. I forget about the risk/benefit analysis he did about his brother’s upcoming murder and just get lost in that soft, soft sweater… Sorry, it’s just that the sweater in that picture looks just like the one David Selby was wearing the last time I met him at a festival and he hugged me and kissed my cheek and laughed at my stupid joke and if I close my eyes I can still smell that sweater and sorry, I’m just getting a little wobbly over here. Buddy has dead girls in their Sunday best following his ghost around so it won’t get lonely, but that’s not enough. Dorian Gray became like that, but Quentin was all about Quentin from the start. Kosmo13 says: In the screengrabs for this episode, Quentin looks as though he’s standing in male-model poses for a men’s clothing catalogue. And poor Chris, slumping on a fake rock, in that tired flannel shirt, bad hairstyle, bad lighting, sixteen minutes into his fifteen minutes of fame. No wonder he’s depressed. Ever since this discussion began, I’ve been wishing I was as familiar with my backstage timeline as I used to be, and that even when I was, it wasn’t as extensive as some others’. However, I think it might be possible, without knowing more, to imagine that the writers may have been keeping Chris’s story on simmer if it looked like Don Briscoe’s health was such that he might not have been up to the rigors of a front burner story at that moment in time. (From what I’ve read, Briscoe’s bipolar disorder seems to have been mostly organic rather than situational, and he was at a typical age for onset of symptoms.) also, Melissa, Donald Briscoe never recovered from being bashed in Central Park. it’s too late, of course, for any of you to hear me say that, but it really is part of the story. and it breaks my heart. PrisoneroftheNight says: And in that second screengrab where he sits looking up at Quentin, Briscoe looks the very image of future Teen Wolf Michael J. Fox. Melissa: You understand how to watch Dark Shadows correctly. It’s surprising how many people get it wrong. The teenage Carolyn of the early episodes who called Joe a square at the Blue Whale and bandied word for word with Tony Peterson wasn’t quite the same as the twentyish, straight-haired, serious Carolyn who held everything together after her mother’s breakdowns. The Kitten with a Flip would have really dug Jeb. It would have been an interesting choice to see that girl break loose again after all horrible stuff she’d been through. I’m reminded of a moment from the Phoenix story, episode 137 to be exact, where Roger is advising Carolyn that Burke Devlin is the most improper of people that he thinks she should be associating with, and she boldly replies, “I LIKE improper people.” And don’t forget Buzz. In the early days, Carolyn was indeed attracted to bad boys, even if only to cause trouble at home. This is only four years after that, and while people certainly grow up in four years during their twenties, one might argue (hope?) there’s still that rebellious streak in Carolyn, which might explain her attraction to Jeb. But Danny and all are right–the writers fail to capitalize on this in terms of the story. acilius says: It is too bad that the show got to the point where the only stories that counted were the supernatural ones. Not that those shouldn’t always have been the A stories, but there should have been room for B stories where we explore the characters’ personalities and see how humans might react if they were to find themselves living in a world like that of DARK SHADOWS. As it turned out, it was difficult to do much with human characters even within the supernatural stories. Danny’s hypothetical series of scenes between Carolyn and Jabe where we see Carolyn being seduced to the dark side could have been very powerful if we’d been tracing Carolyn’s evolution from tempestuous, self-centered, spoiled rich girl of 1966 and 1967 to the relatively calm, responsible young woman we saw in 1968 and 1969. They could then keep us in continual suspense- would Carolyn continue to grow into a powerful matriarch, or would the shock of one otherworldly horror after another shatter all her progress and send her reeling back to her most unsympathetic moments? Since we haven’t had scenes focusing on Carolyn’s personality and relationships since Jason McGuire was on the show, and we aren’t expecting any to come ever again, have a thread like that on the show at this point would seem as out of place as does a week spent documenting in exhaustive detail the evolution of Bruno’s attitude towards Jeb. “The Kitten with a Flip.” I imagine you’re a fan of either Ann-Margret, or “J.D.” movies, or both. Oh, my, yes. And with “Kitten” being Uncle Roger’s pet name for Carolyn, I just couldn’t resist. I’m glad to hear that. I like it when Carolyn remains steady and sane. Somebody in that house has to be the “designated adult” and she’s good at it. I really hated it when she was under Barnabas’ vampire sway after he drank her blood to rejuvenate his 200 year old rubber mask & hands incarnation. Maybe (again) just sexist, or a big ol’ ‘mo, but I love Nancy Barrett’s breakdowns – like today’s show, she really sells the emotion with sincerity. In whatever role she did. I almost even buy that she loves Jeb… Yes – that break in her voice when she got over a certain volume, those impossibly huge eyes, that vocal range from the low, guttural gasp up to the high-pitched shriek, the tremor that started in the hands and spread to the whole body… Charity/Pansy gave her a lot of opportunity to go that way, and it must have been a lot of fun. I’m at the end, 1840 PT, and I’ve found at least one thing to dislike about very actor, except Nancy Barrett. Even when she went up, which was quite rare, she was likeable. I didn’t think this way when I was 10. She is fine wine. I know – she convinces me that she loves Jeb, too – which makes me so sad for her to think she’s THAT desperate for love she’d latch on to the likes of the Leviathan King. But then – turns out, Jeb was worthy of her love after all and Carolyn was the only one capable of seeing that side of him. And bringing it out. Monster lovin’ never runs easy! And even after everything Adam put her through, she kept seeing that bit of good inside him, too. carose59 says: I remember that “free yourself, break something” shtick from the 70’s and there’s nothing freeing about it. Carolyn didn’t want to break anything and Jeb didn’t bother to find out what she did want, what would make her feel free. All he was doing was trying to indoctrinate her with “quit following your parents’ orders and start following mine.” I agree, that’s why I like that scene so much. I wish they’d gone further with that, it would have made Jeb a much more interesting villain. Not that many steps away from Charles Manson convincing his “family” that they need to start helter skelter. My first time through these episodes 45 years ago, I perceived Carolyn’s “feelings” for Jeb as being a form of supernatural mind control. It was like Dracula holding Mina or Lucy in his thrall. I figured when Jeb was killed, it would be like Dracula getting staked: Carolyn would be released immediately from her mental bondage. I was surprised when Carolyn continued longing for her dead husband and saying how much she loved him. To me it felt like another Dark Shadows continuity blooper. Thanks to you and your blog, my longtime love of Dark Shadows has been renewed and you’ve helped me appreciate ..or at least give voice to my opinions on the show. And even better, sharing insights and getting new ones! Thanks, Danny, for making the internet a better place. 🙂 Ubiquitous says: I’m eager for the Parallel Time storyline to begin! Quentin indicates that Davenport has been shredded; I have (perhaps irrelevantly) the image of a post-mayhem Foghorn Leghorn gathering up his plumage and saying, “Fortunately, Ah always keep mah feathers numbered, for – for just such an emergency.” Milobot says: Let me preface this by saying I adore David Selby and Quentin. I’ve seen it mentioned in the comments of this blog before that David Selby, at least in the beginning before his performances became more nuanced, was a bit handsy. He certainly was no Roger Davis and even if he had been, he would be much more likely to be forgiven, what with his charm oozing all over the place. I enjoyed the two scenes where Quentin objected to whichever awful Roger Davis character was trying to put his hands in the wrong places: the one where he took Davis’ hand and moved it down and out of his face and the one where Quentin told Davis’ character that he had a problem with his hands. When Quentin talks to Carolyn in this episode in the Collinwood foyer, he puts his hands on her forearms. She removed them in a very low-key way and I wondered if that was real or an intended part of the scene. I hope it was intended. I would hate to think David Selby ever crossed into Roger Davis territory in the perceptions of the other actors. P.S. I just received my autographed copy of David Selby’s book (with an excellent photo on the cover) and am enjoying his rambling kind of narrative. Why does Caroline run after Jeb? She’s run after a motorcycle punk, a blackmailer, a vampire, a werewolf, and a frankenstein monster. Very discriminating taste. Leave a Reply to Kosmo13 Cancel reply	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line411
__label__wiki	0.828068	0.828068	Item of the Week \| Apollo Commemorative Matchbook Series Explore space (exploration) in our latest blog post about a set of RCA commemorative matchbooks. In 1957, a small team of scientists and engineers from RCA’s Advanced Technology Laboratories formed a research group to investigate the possibility of developing a magnetic recorder for the United States’ still-fledgling space program. In the following months, the Soviet launch of Sputnik and the US’s failed launch of its own satellite pushed the American space program into high gear. To meet the demand for high-tech equipment, in March of 1958, RCA formalized the smaller research group as the Astro Electronic Products (AEP) division of RCA Defense Electronic Products with the intention that this group would developing satellites and space vehicles. This was, as RCA’s president said in that year’s stockholders’ meeting, “the first unit of its scope and purpose to be established by any electronics company”[1] The AEP was renamed as the RCA Astro-Electronics Division, and over the next few decades, it was instrumental in building dozens of satellites, including the TIROS-1, the first low-Earth orbital weather satellite. However, RCA Astro was also a subcontractor on larger space projects, including the Apollo program. In 1973, to mark the end of the Apollo program, RCA created a series of commemorative matchbooks with images of the patches of each of the manned Apollo missions, and a list of RCA’s contributions to the Apollo program. When General Electric acquired RCA in 1986, it combined RCA Astro with its own Space Systems Division to form the GE Astro Space Division. That in turn was sold to Martin Marietta in 1993, and after Martin Marietta’s merger with Lockheed to form Lockheed Martin, the latter announced that it would close the former RCA facility by 1998. After 40 years, the former RCA Astro Division closed its doors for good, but the contributions it made to the space age live on. Text by Florencia Pierri This artifact was donated to the collection from the estate of Rose M. Zuccarello [1] Quoted in Barton Kreuzer, “Marketing Astro-Electronics Products,” RCA Engineer ← A Scientific Mallard	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line413
__label__wiki	0.708956	0.708956	Ford T-Model This Ford Model T offered to you by Classic Park was first registered in 1924. It has a two seater hardtop coupe body style and is finished in typical Model T black. A famous saying by Henry Ford was ‘You can have the Model T in any color you want, as long as it’s black.’ Some research shows that this is not completely true. When the Model T was introduced in 1908 several colors were available, but Ford’s engineers spotted that the black paint dried much quicker than any of the other colors. That is why from 1914 on the Model T was only available in black. From 1926, in the final years of production, color options were available once more. The car is in nice condition and is fitted with an original 2.9L four cylinder engine and an original 2-speed manual transmission. The unique thing about this gearbox is that it works like an automatic. The left pedal keeps the car in low gear when the pedal is pressed down and shifts the car into high gear once the pedal is let up. The middle pedal is for the reverse gear, which is engaged when the pedal is pushed down. The right pedal is for the brake which is mounted inside the transmission. There was no throttle pedal, instead the throttle was managed on a handle behind the steering wheel. This Model T is fitted with wooden wheels and these give the car a very authentic look. The car also has a sunvisor above the windscreen. Roadworthy Model T’s are quite rare, despite the total production values. In 2008, it was estimated that only 50.000-60.000 roadworthy Model T’s exist. The car has a inactive Dutch registration and offers a very authentic driving experience for relatively little money. The Ford Model T was introduced in 1908 as the twentieth model designed by Ford since its start in 1903. It started in 1903 with the Ford Model A and followed the alphabet to the Model T in 1908. Not all twenty models were really put into production, but were more often than not adaptations of another model. The Model T did signify a major change for Ford. The car was meant as the transport for the great multitudes, affordable and easy to maintain. Everyone should be able to afford such a car but this meant prices had to be kept to a minimum. The most expensive aspect of a car is always the labor and the time involved in this. Ford found the solution to this problem in the rigid assembly line. The Ford Model T is often called the first mass produced car, but this isn’t technically true. The first mass produced car on an assembly line was the Oldsmobile Curved Dash from 1901. The idea of an assembly line can be traced back to Ransom E. Olds, founder and owner of Oldsmobile. Eventually 19.000 Curved Dash’s were produced, which was a significant amount for that time. It has to be said that the later achieved efficiency was purely down to Ford and his engineers, who were constantly busy trying to improve upon the process. In the first 2 years of production the old Ford factory could barely handle the demand. In the first month only 11 Model T’s were made and at the end of 1910 only 12.000 Model T’s had been produced. Ford decided that a new factory, especially designed for a rigid assembly line, was necessary This was a great success. While using less manpower, Ford decreased production time per car from 12,5 hours in 1910 to 93 minutes in 1914. In 1914 Ford produced more cars than all other car manufacturers combined. The car was a great success and by the time Ford had produced it’s 10 millionth car, half of all the cars in the world were Ford’s. The car was so well known that between 1917 and 1923 Ford decided not to spend any money advertising the Model T, because that was unnecessary. The Model T had become the benchmark. Overall more than 15 million T-Fords were made with 9.000 to 10.000 cars produced every day (!) in 1925 or 2 million cars per year. I would take until 1972 for the total amount of Model T’s produced to be trumped by the Volkswagen Beetle. Henry Ford was convinced that the Model T was everything a consumer would need and despite very subtle changes the car was barely changed in the 19 years it was produced. When Ford realized that the competition could offer more in terms of comfort and styling it was decided to end Model T production in 1927. Ford had developed a new model, the Model A, named A instead of U because Henry Ford thought it was such a different car to the Model T that he wanted to start at the front of the alphabet again. In 1927 production ended and the factory was changed to fit the Model A specifications. In 1999 the Model T was named as the Most Influencial Car of the 20th Century ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroen DS and Volkswagen Beetle. Ford's Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of America's age of modernization. With more than 15 million sold it stands eighth on the top ten list of most sold cars of all time as of 2012. The Ford T-Model 1924 - Two seater coupe - Wooden wheels - Sunvisor above windscreen Do you want to have a close look at this Ford T-Model yourself? Please make an appointment by entering your data in the contact form below. We will contact you as soon as possible.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line417
__label__wiki	0.932271	0.932271	American weather presenter and television personality Scott in 1995 Willard Herman Scott Jr. (1934-03-07) March 7, 1934 (age 86) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. Weather presenter radio personality Mary Dwyer Scott (m. 1959; died 2002) Paris Keena (m. 2014) Willard Herman Scott Jr. (born March 7, 1934) is an American weather presenter, author, television personality, actor, clown, comedian and radio personality, best known for his TV work on the Today show and as the creator and original portrayer of Ronald McDonald.[1] 2.1 Joy Boys radio show 2.2 Washington, D.C., TV roles 2.3 Ronald McDonald character 2.4 NASA 2.5 The Today Show 3 Other TV work and awards 3.1 Writings 5.1 As himself 5.2 As actor Early years[edit] Scott was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 7, 1934, and attended George Washington High School. He showed an interest in broadcasting as a 16-year-old, working in 1950 as an NBC page at WRC (AM), NBC's owned-and-operated radio station in Washington, D.C.[2] Scott then attended American University, where he worked alongside fellow student Ed Walker at WAMU-AM, the university's radio station (1951–1953). Scott became a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity while at American University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religion.[2] Joy Boys radio show[edit] From 1955 to 1972, Scott teamed with Walker as co-host of the nightly Joy Boys radio program on NBC-owned WRC radio. (This was interrupted from 1956 to 1958 when Scott served on active duty with the U.S. Navy.) Scott routinely sketched a list of characters and a few lead lines setting up a situation, which Walker would commit to memory or make notes on with his Braille typewriter (Walker was blind since birth). In a 1999 article recalling the Joy Boys at the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s, The Washington Post said they "dominated Washington, providing entertainment, companionship, and community to a city on the verge of powerful change".[3] The Joy Boys show played on WRC until 1972 when they moved to cross-town station WWDC for another two years. Scott wrote in his book, The Joy of Living, of their close professional and personal bond which continued until Walker's death in October 2015, saying that they are "closer than most brothers".[1] Washington, D.C., TV roles[edit] Scott spent the 1960s balancing his radio career with jobs as the host of children's television programs. He appeared on WRC radio's sister station, WRC-TV, playing characters such as Commander Retro and Bozo the Clown.[4] In 1970, Scott began appearing on WRC-TV as a weekday weatherman. Ronald McDonald character[edit] Main article: Ronald McDonald Another TV role he performed regularly from 1963–66 and occasionally as late as 1971 was Ronald McDonald for the McDonald's franchise in Washington, D.C. Scott wrote in his book The Joy of Living that he originally created the Ronald McDonald character at the fast-food restaurant chain's request.[1] In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser claims that McDonald's replaced Scott on account of his weight, supposedly concerned about McDonald's image.[5] Scott has denied the claims, citing other commitments at the time.[citation needed] NASA[edit] Scott worked as the narrator for NASA's weekly program called "The Space Story", with his contributions spanning from the Apollo Program to the Space Shuttle.[6][7][8][9] The Today Show[edit] Scott was tapped by NBC in 1980 to become its weatherman for The Today Show, replacing Bob Ryan, who replaced him at WRC-TV until 2010. After being inspired by a viewer request, Scott began his practice of wishing centenarians a happy birthday on-air in 1983. During the 1980s, Scott routinely did weather reports on the road, interviewing locals at community festivals and landmarks. He also periodically performed on the program from Washington, D.C., which he still considered his home. In 1989, The Today Show co-host Bryant Gumbel wrote an internal memo critical of the show's personalities, a memo that was later leaked to the media. In the memo, Gumbel said Scott "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste…This guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in."[10] This garnered enough of a backlash that the next time they appeared on camera together Scott kissed Gumbel on the cheek to show he'd forgiven him, and also later said he hoped the whole thing would go away.[11] In 1992, Scott, who was the first incarnation of Ronald McDonald, recorded a commercial for McDonald's arch-rival Burger King. He also was the spokesman for the Days Inn hotel chain, appearing in their commercials from the following year until 1997. Scott went into semi-retirement in early 1996 and was succeeded by Al Roker. He continued to appear two days a week on the morning program to wish centenarians a happy birthday. He appeared from the studio lot of WBBH, the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida. He was also the commercial voice of Smucker's jellies, which sponsored his birthday tributes on Today.[citation needed] Scott also continued to substitute for Roker for over a decade afterward, an arrangement that mostly ended after NBC acquired The Weather Channel in 2008 and started using that channel's meteorologists as substitutes (Entertainment Studios would later acquire The Weather Channel from NBC Universal in 2018, three years after Scott retired from television completely). Scott announced his full retirement from television on December 11, 2015. Today held a tribute to Scott on his final day (December 15, 2015) featuring tape highlights from his years with the show. The plaza outside Rockefeller Center was renamed Willard Scott Way in his honor. Several former Today staff came to bid farewell to Scott including Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric, and Gene Shalit along with Barbara Bush.[12] Other TV work and awards[edit] Scott made occasional guest appearances as neighbor "Mr. Poole" on The Hogan Family, where his character was married to Mrs. Poole, played by Edie McClurg. From 1961–63 Scott portrayed Bozo the Clown, in the classic children's television program. Scott also hosted the NBC telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1987–97 when he was replaced by Matt Lauer the following year.[13] For several years in the 1980s, Scott donned a Santa Claus costume for the broadcast of the National Tree-Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C.[14] In 1990 and 1992, Scott also hosted the Pillsbury Bake-Off on CBS (although under contract with CBS' rival NBC). In 1985, Scott was given a Private Sector Award for Public Service by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.[2] Other awards include: "Distinguished Virginian", Virginia Association of Broadcasters (1990) "Washingtonian of the Year", Washingtonian magazine (1979) "Humanitarian in Residence", National Society of Fund Raisers (1985) "National Partner in 4-H Citations", National 4-H, US Dept of Agriculture (1984) Honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University In 2001, American University reissued some of the old Joy Boys radio broadcasts of the 1960s on CDs. He has also played Santa Claus at various White House events.[15] Scott spoke at his grandson John Swiatek's graduation at Middleburg Academy in 2011. He was also the guest of honor at his granddaughter's (Sally Marie) graduation at the Madeira School in 2013. Writings[edit] Scott has published several fiction and non-fiction books:[2] Down Home Stories Willard Scott’s All-American Cookbook America Is My Neighborhood The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune If I Knew It Was Going To Be This Much Fun, I Would Have Become A Grandparent First He has also co-authored two books with Bill Crider: Murder Under Blue Skies Murder in the Mist He preached a sermon at the 185th anniversary of his home church, First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, that was published in Best Sermons 2, edited by James W. Cox [Harper & Row, 1989].[16] Scott was married to Mary Dwyer Scott from 1959 until her death in 2002. The couple had two children, Mary and Sally.[17] On April 1, 2014, at age 80, Scott married Paris Keena, whom he first met in 1977 while she was working at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. They have been together as a couple since 2003.[18] They now make their home on Sanibel Island, Florida.[19] Filmography[edit] As himself[edit] Pillsbury Bake-Off (1990–1992) – Host Walt Disney World 4th of July Spectacular (1988) – Himself The New Hollywood Squares (1987) – Himself Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1987–1997) – Host The Bob Braun Show (1982) – Himself Today (1978–2015) – Himself As actor[edit] Bozo the Clown (1962) – Bozo the Clown McDonaldland (1963–1965) – Ronald McDonald Valerie (1987–1989) – Peter Poole ^ a b c Willard Scott, The Joy of Living. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1982 (ISBN 0-698-11130-3). ^ a b c d "Willard Scott — Weather Reporter and Centenarian". MSNBC. December 10, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved February 4, 2008. ^ Marc Fisher, "Washington Comes of Age", The Washington Post, September 13, 1999 ^ Listed References on Wikipedia's "Bozo the Clown" Discussion Page ^ Schlosser, Eric (2012). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal (1st Mariner Books ed.). Boston: Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 41. ISBN 9780547750330. Scott came up with the name Ronald McDonald, and a star was born. Two years later, the McDonald's Corporation introduced Ronald McDonald to the rest of the United States through a major ad campaign. But Willard Scott no longer played the part. He was deemed too overweight; McDonald's wanted someone thinner to sell its burgers, shakes, and fries. ^ Space For Women (1981, extended edit featuring Willard Scott) ^ Willard Scott work with NASA from 1970 ^ Willard Scott narrating The Space Story, December 1982 ^ List of NASA Special Reports, Willard Scott credited as announcer/narrator for NASA programs spanning September 1970 – May 1982 ^ Monica Collins "Memo to NBC: We Love Scott" USA Today, March 1, 1989. ^ Brian Donlon "On Today, it's kiss and make up" USA Today, March 14, 1989. ^ Kim, Eun Kyung (December 15, 2015). "Willard Scott retires: Anchors say farewell to 'heart and soul' of TODAY". TODAY.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016. ^ "Willard Scott, weather reporter and centenarian birthday greeter". TODAY.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2017. ^ "1981–1988 National Christmas Trees – President's Park (White House) (U.S. National Park Service)". Nps.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2017. ^ "1981–1988 National Christmas Trees". National Park Service : President's Park, White House. Retrieved February 3, 2017. ^ "People in Print". Christianity Today. Retrieved November 26, 2018. ^ "At 80, Willard Scott marries girlfriend". ^ Miller, Kyle Michael (April 2, 2014). "Willard Scott got married! 'Today' legend weds longtime love". Today. Retrieved April 2, 2014. ^ Cox, Billy Cox (April 22, 2019). "From moon shots to assassination, Russ Ward was there". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved January 19, 2020. Willard Scott on IMDb Appearances on C-SPAN Booknotes interview with Scott on The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune, July 13, 2003. SNAC: w63s6wg0 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willard_Scott&oldid=998697211" American television personalities American male comedians 21st-century American comedians American male television actors American University alumni McDonald's people Male actors from Alexandria, Virginia Radio personalities from Washington, D.C. Weather presenters Baptists from Virginia 20th-century Baptists 21st-century Baptists Use mdy dates from January 2017	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line419
__label__wiki	0.947662	0.947662	Meet Dolly Parton's Husband of 53 Years Who Stays Away from the Cameras March 04, 2020 \| by Sarah Jenkins There are few things more inspiring than real-life rags-to-riches stories, and country singer Dolly Parton certainly qualifies. She's charming and talented, and her life has been so extraordinary that it's been made into television movies and even serves as material for a university thesis course. To top things off, she's been happily married for over 50 years and even has her own, new Netflix series! Intrigued? Keep reading! Money doesn't buy happiness The fourth of twelve children, Parton grew up in a one-room cabin in the mountains of Tennessee, with little electricity and no indoor plumbing. The family was so poor that her father paid the doctor with a bag of oatmeal after he delivered Dolly. Parton told Parade magazine, "It was a hard life." Folk singer's house, Appalachia, USA, c1917. Image Credit: Getty Images However, she said they had a lot of the important things that money can't buy. She explained that her family was rich in "love and faith." The country singer continued, “Mama never loved anybody but my daddy. She married him when she was in the eighth grade. They stayed together and did the best they could.” Real love, not infatuation Married since 1966, Dolly Parton and her intensely private husband have one of the longest-lasting marriages in show business. While she is immediately recognizable, he is much more of a mystery. The 73-year-old singer is known not only because of her many talents but also because of her flamboyant style and personality. Dolly Parton. Image Credit: Getty Images. While Parton seems to be everywhere, 77-year-old Dean has rarely made a public appearance or been photographed with his famous wife. However, Dolly has been quite open about the strong feelings they have for each other: "He's always supporting me as long as I don't try to drag him in on it." "He's always been my biggest fan behind the scenes, but he's at home." Giving Parton space to be out in the spotlight on her own might also serve a practical purpose, as the star seems to suggest, even if half-joking! The country legend went on to explain how that might be so. "I always joke and laugh when people ask me what's the key to my long marriage and lasting love. I always say 'Stay gone!' and there's a lot of truth to that," the "Jolene" singer shared in 2018. Who is Carl Thomas Dean? Now a retired asphalt road contractor, Dean was born on July 20, 1942, in Nashville, Tennessee. When he was 24-years-old, he met an 18-year-old Parton on her first day in the country music capital. Parton was surprised when her husband-to-be came along. She spilled the details in a 1984 interview: Image source: Youtube/eCelebrityFacts "I met him the first day I got to Nashville in 1964. I graduated on a Friday night, went to Nashville on a Saturday morning with dirty clothes, and I went to a Laundromat looking for anything but love. I had just left two boyfriends back home." Love and marriage weren't part of Parton's "make it big" plans, but she also felt an instant connection with Dean. She invited him to visit her at her aunt and uncles. He visited every day for a week! Then, he introduced her to his parents on their first real date. Before Parton became famous, Dean was showing signs of his shyness. "When I met my husband, he wanted to take me out to dinner. He pulled up to the drive-in window and got our food at McDonald’s. He only likes to go places where he can be comfortable," Parton recalled years later. Making it official By 1966, Parton had signed with her first recording company and was on her way to launch her breakthrough hit "Dumb Blonde" (1967). The label was hesitant about her marrying, fearing it would hurt her budding career. They saw marriage as a distraction that would take away her time to sing and make new music. Although Parton had long dreamt of becoming a famous singer, she wasn't going to let her label decide her personal life. This led to the couple fleeing to Georgia for a secret wedding on May 30, 1966. The only people in attendance were Parton's mom, Avie Lee, and the preacher and his wife. It was an intimate but beautiful time. Since the first day of their marriage, Dean was very understanding of his wife's busy schedule. Early on, she was already a go-getter that fought her way to the top. And boy did her hard work pay off! "He understood that I had to do what I had come to Nashville to do. He never tried to make me give it up," Parton said. Serving as inspiration In their years together, Dean has done more than support and understand Parton’s vocation. He has also inspired many of the iconic artist's hit songs, starting with "Jolene." It is one of her best-known songs and was written about a bank teller who flirted with Dean. Parton's 1968 hit "Just Because I'm a Woman" was also written as a response. It was a response to Dean's reaction when he learned that Parton had relations with other men before their marriage. Included on the list are "From Here to the Moon and Back,” “Forever Love,” "Say Forever You'll Be Mine," and "Tomorrow is Forever." The notoriously private man is also on the album cover for Parton's "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy." Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire. Image Credit: Getty Images Their relationship inspired Parton's entire 43rd studio album "Pure & Simple" (2016). The album was released months after Dean and Parton celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wedding. It spoke of their easy-going marriage and how they found true love in the pure and simple things in life. "I thought, 'Well, I'm going to write about mine and Carl's relationship. It's just a pure and simple relationship,' so it started with that and then I thought, 'Well why don't I just write a whole album of love songs?'" Parton told Rolling Stone. Dolly and her god-daughter, Miley Cyrus. Image Credit: Getty Images Dean's support for Parton's career never extended beyond that. "He never interferes with me businesswise," Parton told Playboy in 1978. "That's why I hire managers." Rather, he concentrated on his work - his asphalt paving business. Interestingly, Dean doesn't exactly enjoy his wife's music. "He likes hard rock, he likes Led Zeppelin and bluegrass music, so my music is somewhere in between," Parton said on Good Morning Britain in 2019. "He doesn't dislike it, but he doesn't go out of his way to play my records, let's put it that way." Extreme measures Despite appearing on an album cover, Dean has consistently avoided the celebrity lifestyle. After attending an awards ceremony in 1966, he told her, "I love you, and I will support you in your career any way I can, but I am not going to any more of these wingdings." Parton didn't take issue and respected her husband's outlook. "He knows if he ever started doing interviews and if people started photographing him and all that, then he wouldn't be able to go to the auto parts store or the ballgames and the places he wants to go without bein' bothered," she said in 1981. Jennifer Aniston and Dolly. Image Credit: Getty Images Over the years, Dean has taken a few very funny steps to maintain his private life. When Parton made her movie debut in 1980 with "9 to 5," Dean skipped the Nashville premiere, with the hopes of keeping his identity private. He did go and see the movie on his own though, probably in disguise. When the Dollywood theme park opened in 1986, there were no pictures of Dean on display. He'd only been willing to be photographed with a bag over his head. If reporters went to his and Parton's home and tried to talk to Dean, he'd tell them he wasn't the star's elusive husband — he was the gardener! Lily Tomlin, Dolly, Jane Fonda. Image Credit: Getty Images The future of tomorrow On November 22, Parton's anthology series will finally debuted on Netflix! "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings" features eight episodes, each of which is inspired by one of her signature songs. Parton will introduce each episode and explain the meaning behind the featured hit. They will all be stand-alone stories, and each will have its own cast. "Dancing With the Stars" Julianne Hough plays Jolene! With even more big names featured, this is definitely not a show you'd want to miss. This Mansion Is On Sale For Just $10, But No One Wants To Buy It Ginnifer Goodwin and Kathleen Turner appear as Genevieve and Miss Mary Shaw. Kimberly Williams-Paisley also stars in one of the episodes. Between the star-studded cast and fantastic soundtrack, (have you heard what she did for "Dumplin'"?) this series is going to be binge-watched more than a few times! Dolly's challenge for the public On November 15th, a social media challenge was issued for Dolly's fans ahead of her Netflix series debut! Julianne Hough posted a video on Parton's Twitter inviting Dolly fans to show off their skills. And soon after, videos of fans singing her notorious 1973 song, with the hashtag #JoleneChallenge, came pouring in. Only one more week until "Heartstrings" is here ❤️ Share your best version of "Jolene" now using the hashtag #JoleneChallenge and watch "Heartstrings" November 22 on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/h0Ym8ZZwBW — Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) November 16, 2019 The one and only Parton even made an appearance in Hough's 30-second video which got social media lines in a tizz! Fans eagerly accepted the challenge. Since the post was shared, it has been viewed more than 45,000 times, retweeted nearly 300 times, and has over 2,000 likes. This just goes to show how well-loved the star is. The excitement of being on stage never goes away ✨ pic.twitter.com/sletIJNO9d — Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) December 13, 2019 "I am thrilled to be bringing some of my favorite songs to life with Netflix. We hope our show will inspire and entertain families and folks of all generations, and I want to thank the good folks at Netflix and Warner Bros. TV for their incredible support," she said. Source: The List, Biography, Oprah Magazine, Closer Weekly, Fox The Life Of Kristy McNichols Movies Sep 10, 2020 Doris Day's Love Life Will Break Your Heart	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line421
__label__wiki	0.805271	0.805271	Home » Collective Actions » 7th Cir.: District Court Erred In Dismissing FLSA Claims; Court Was Required To Consider Most Efficient Way To Adjudicate Claims and Subclaims; Plaintiffs Have Right To Pursue Claims Individually 7th Cir.: District Court Erred In Dismissing FLSA Claims; Court Was Required To Consider Most Efficient Way To Adjudicate Claims and Subclaims; Plaintiffs Have Right To Pursue Claims Individually Alvarez v. City of Chicago In this case a collective action had previously been consolidated with a multiple-Plaintiff non-collective action. Each of the Plaintiffs presented a variety of claims and between the hundreds of plaintiffs there were 10 different types of claims. The Court below granted the Defendant’s motion for summary judgment against all plaintiffs, reasoning that the plaintiffs were not similarly situated because each plaintiff raised a different combination of the ten subclaims, such that the plaintiffs could not be readily divided into homogenous subgroups. The district court also noted that arbitration pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement, while not mandatory, might be a more efficient way to resolve the paramedics’ claims. The court did not reach the merits of the ten subclaims raised by the plaintiffs. Instead, it dismissed the claims of all plaintiffs, without prejudice, and directed them to pursue arbitration. The Seventh Circuit reversed however, noting that, the Court failed to consider the efficiency of adjudicating the claims as a collective action, and, that the named Plaintiffs in each of the consolidated cases had the right to proceed with their individual claims, regardless of whether they were similarly situated to the other class members. The Court reasoned: “The Fair Labor Standards Act gives employees the right to bring their FLSA claims through a “collective action” on behalf of themselves and other “similarly situated” employees. 29 U.S.C. § 216(b) (2006). A collective action is similar to, but distinct from, the typical class action brought pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 23. The principle difference is that plaintiffs who wish to be included in a collective action must affirmatively opt-in to the suit by filing a written consent with the court, while the typical class action includes all potential plaintiffs that meet the class definition and do not opt-out. The City-and the district court’s opinion-relies heavily on our decision in Jonites v. Exelon Corp., 522 F.3d 721 (7th Cir.2008). In Jonites, we affirmed the dismissal of a collective action brought on behalf of more than a thousand lineman and other hourly workers employed by Commonwealth Edison. The Jonites plaintiffs alleged that two types of purportedly off-duty time were really compensable work. The first involved Com Ed’s “call-out” policy, which required off-duty workers to respond to at least 35% of the calls from their employer for additional manpower on an emergency basis. The frequency of these call-outs varied widely among workers; some were called as often as once every five and a half days on average, and others no more than once a month. The employees took the position that they were entitled to be paid for “some of the time” during which they were subject to call, with the amount to be determined by the trier of fact. The second challenge was to the lunch policy, which required workers at job sites to remain awake and be alert for trespassing and the theft of tools. However, only part of the class worked the daytime shift, to which the lunch policy applied. We held that as to both of these claims, the purported class was “hopelessly heterogenous” because liability would require significant individual fact-finding and many of the workers had no conceivable claim at all. Id. at 725-26. We further held that the individual plaintiffs must either file individual suits, create homogenous classes, or ask the union to file grievance proceedings under the collective bargaining agreement. Id. at 726. Because the purported class here is made up of plaintiffs who each have a different combination of subclaims, defendants argue that it is similarly heterogenous and was properly dismissed in favor of arbitration. Appellants argue that this case is different from Jonites because the plaintiffs here appear to be similarly situated with regard to individual subclaims, but are heterogenous only because there are several different combinations of those subclaims. For example, whether any given paramedic is entitled to recover on the uniform pay theory depends on the legal question of whether such pay should have been included in the base rate, and the simple factual question of whether the particular paramedic received uniform pay. Instead of dismissing their claims as heterogenous, plaintiffs argue, the district court should have allowed them to split their claims into homogenous subclasses. See, e.g., Fravel v. County of Lake, No. 2:07-cv-253, 2008 WL 2704744 (N.D.Ind. July 7, 2008) (allowing plaintiffs to proceed collectively and grouping the plaintiffs into four distinct subclasses depending on which theory of liability applied to them). Plaintiffs suggest that here, as in Fravel, “[r]esolving common questions as a class, even through the additional mechanism of sub-classes, remains inherently more efficient” than splitting the action into four separate collective actions or allowing individual claims by each plaintiff. Id. at *3. The district court appeared to agree with the plaintiffs’ characterization of their subclaims, noting that the City’s liability to any particular plaintiff on any given subclaim turns only upon a single uniform policy and whether that policy impacted that particular plaintiff. However, the district court refused to adopt the Fravel approach, concluding that the number of subclaims made the plaintiffs “hopelessly heterogenous” and that arbitration would be more efficient. A district court has wide discretion to manage collective actions. See Hoffmann-La Roche v. Sperling, 493 U.S. 165, 171 (1989). However, it appears that here the district court may have mistakenly read Jonites to forbid it from adopting a subclaim approach merely because the variety of subclaims renders the class “heterogenous.” The problem with the Jonites class, however, was not that the plaintiffs had different subclaims, but rather that determining whether any given plaintiff had a viable claim depended on a detailed, fact-specific inquiry, and many plaintiffs lacked any conceivably viable claim altogether. Jonites, 522 F.3d at 723, 725-26; see also Mooney v. Aramco Services Co., 54 F.3d 1207, 1214-15 (5th Cir.1995), overruled on other grounds by Desert Palace, Inc. v. Costa, 539 U.S. 90 (2003) (affirming decertification of collective action where employees who brought ADEA claim were subject to “vastly disparate employment situations” and defense was likely to center on purported reasonable factors other than age specific to each employee). If common questions predominate, the plaintiffs may be similarly situated even though the recovery of any given plaintiff may be determined by only a subset of those common questions. Similarly, the district court mistakenly compared the efficiency of proceeding through subclaims only to the perceived efficiency of arbitration. Plaintiffs have the right to proceed individually and may be able to form more tailored classes. See Jonites, 522 F.3d at 725 (noting that a collective bargaining agreement cannot preempt or waive a worker’s right to a judicial remedy for FLSA violations). Thus, if it appears plaintiffs are prepared to proceed individually or through separate classes, the district court must consider whether these other mechanisms for judicial resolution of their claims are more or less efficient than a collective action comprised of various subclaims. Cf. Fravel, supra. In Jonites, the circumstances suggested that plaintiffs had “no stomach for proceeding case by case.” Id. at 726. Here, the twelve Caraballo plaintiffs filed their complaint as individuals and moved for summary judgment as individuals. Indeed, there is nothing apparent from the record to indicate that the fifty-four named plaintiffs in Alvarez were unwilling to proceed individually. Yet the district court dismissed their claims in favor of arbitration without considering whether it was better to address sixty-five individual claims or one collective action comprised of ten subclaims. Finally, the district court erred when it dismissed the claims of the named plaintiffs. When a collective action is decertified, it reverts to one or more individual actions on behalf of the named plaintiffs. See Hipp v. Liberty Nat’l Life Ins. Co., 252 F.3d 1208, 1218 (11th Cir.2001) (citing Mooney, 54 F.3d at 1213-14); see also Fox v. Tyson Foods, Inc., 519 F.3d 1298, 1301 (11th Cir .2008) (affirming decertification of an FLSA collective action, dismissal of the opt-in plaintiffs, and severance of each of the named plaintiffs into separate individual actions). Defendants do not argue that arbitration under the collective bargaining agreement preempts litigating these issues in federal court. Plaintiffs are entitled, at minimum, to pursue their claims individually. Whether they are permitted to do so in one action or several is committed to the sound discretion of the district court, but misjoinder of parties is never a ground for dismissing an action. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 21. We therefore reverse the district court’s dismissal of the named plaintiffs’ claims in both the Alvarez and Caraballo actions. Sifting through the subclaims of each of the myriad plaintiffs is an unenviable task. But plaintiffs are nonetheless entitled to their day in court. Moreover, it appears that here, common questions predominate with regard to each theory of liability. The parties have already filed cross-motions for summary judgment on the merits of these common questions. After the district court determines the validity of these subclaims, calculation of each plaintiff’s award (if any) will be largely mechanical. On remand, given that the claims of the named plaintiffs will still be before it, the district court should consider whether a collective action might be the most efficient judicial resolution of this matter after all.” To read the entire decision click here. Tags: 29 U.S.C. § 216(b), Collective Action, Decertification, Efficient Judicial Administration, Fair Labor Standards Act, FLSA, Overtime Law, Seventh Circuit, Subclaims By Andrew Frisch in Collective Actions, Municipal Employees on May 25, 2010 . ← N.D.W.Va.: An FLSA Employer Held Liable For FLSA Violations Has No Right To Contribution Or Indemnification; Allowing Same Would Contravene The Purposes Of The FLSA D.Md.: Defendant Not Entitled To Offset For Room and Board Or Meals, Due To Failure to Provide Documentation Of Costs To Plaintiff During Employment and Lack Of Agreement Regarding Same →	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line425
__label__wiki	0.870677	0.870677	Media Release by Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield NDIS now supporting over 10,000 people with disability Joint Media Release with: Sarah Henderson MP, Member for Corangamite More than 10,000 Australians with disability and their families now have individualised support plans with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Scheme is now operating in seven states and territories, with trial sites ranging from metropolitan to remote areas, and with participant cohorts including young children through to adults. Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield said at full Scheme, more than 460,000 Australians with disability will benefit. “The NDIS puts people with disability, their families and carers at the centre of the Scheme and supports them to meet their goals and aspirations,” Minister Fifield said. Sarah Henderson, Member for Corangamite, said the NDIS trial site in the Barwon was already helping over 3,300 people with disability in the local area. “It is extremely exciting to see the lives of Australians with disability and their families in the Barwon region being transformed by the NDIS,” Mrs Henderson said. “It is finally giving them the level of support that they need to enjoy full economic and social participation,” she said. Having the NDIS headquarters in Geelong is also a great economic benefit to the city and demonstrates the Abbott Government’s commitment to jobs in our region,” she said. Minister Fifield said negotiations have commenced to determine how each state and territory would transition to full Scheme over the next few years. “I look forward to working with my state and territory counterparts as we lay down the framework through which the NDIS will be rolled out to people with disability in each jurisdiction,” Minister Fifield said. “The NDIS is vital to the Government’s agenda to helping more people with disability find and keep a job, because having the day-to-day living support that they need will put more people with disability in a better position to be able to consider employment.” “The Scheme is just one of many reasons why the Abbott Government is working to repair the Budget – so that we can fully fund the NDIS now and into the future,” Senator Fifield said.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line428
__label__wiki	0.850854	0.850854	Media Release by Senator the Hon Kay Patterson New Social Security Agreement with Croatia The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, today announced that the Social Security Agreement between Australia and the Republic of Croatia came into effect from 1 July 2004. Senator Patterson said that this Agreement represents an important extension of the social security safety net helping people in Australia, who have worked in Croatia, to receive a Croatian pension. “It will enable people to claim an Australian pension by counting periods of insurance in Croatia towards Australia’s residence requirements. The Agreement covers Australian age pension and disability support pension for people who are severely disabled, and for Croatia it covers old-age pension, anticipatory pension, disability pension and survivor pension. It is estimated that over 2,000 people residing in Australia and Croatia will benefit by being able to claim payments to which they currently do not have access. Also, it will potentially benefit Australia’s population of around 50,000 Croatian-born residents and any other residents who may have worked in Croatia. The new Agreement includes provisions covering Australia’s Superannuation scheme, similar to those that are included in our Agreements with Chile, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United States. These provisions will eliminate the need for double contributions when Australians work temporarily in Croatia or when Croatian workers come to Australia to work temporarily. The Agreement with Croatia increases Australia’s Social Security Agreement network to 16. Australia also has Social Security partnerships with Austria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the United States. Australia’s Agreement partners pay over 109,000 pensions into Australia, while about 39,000 former Australian residents are paid Australian pensions in those countries,” Senator Patterson said.” More information on the agreement is available by calling Centrelink on 131 673 or by visiting either of these websites: International Agreements or Centrelink website (www.centrelink.gov.au).	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line429
__label__wiki	0.92267	0.92267	Home Featured The Yugoslavian who’s left his mark on motorsport history FeaturesKartingOther seriesWorld Series Formula V8 3.5 The Yugoslavian who’s left his mark on motorsport history Photos: Milos Pavlovic He races under the Serbian flag now, but 38-year-old Milos Pavlovic started his career as Yugoslavia’s greatest racing hope and came very close to being the first driver from the Balkan Peninsula in Formula 1 Moving to another country where you know nobody is a daunting feat for anyone, and especially so when you can’t speak the local language. Even more so if you’re making that kind of ambitious move before reaching your teenaged years, and as a member of a country where there is sentiment from the international community against your homeplace and people. Enter 10-year-old Milos Pavlovic, who in just over two years since first racing a kart has become winner of the Yugoslavian Karting Championship at the Mini and Junior levels, and finishes ninth in Italy’s prestigious Trofeo delle Industrie in the 100 Junior category a week before his 11th birthday. The drivers ahead of him include future Formula 1 racers Giorgio Pantano and Viantionio Liuzzi, who he proves he can get the measure of in one of Italy’s regional series. “Let’s put it this way, those times were more romantic, for sure,” Pavlovic tells Formula Scout. “So even though I’m coming from a country that today is going through terrible times, at the time it was not so terrible. At least not at the very, very beginning of my career. And therefore I was lucky because my parents could actually support me, but shortly after that my career became a real job because my father and my family could not afford to sponsor me, there were no sponsors in my home country and it was very hard to find sponsors elsewhere.” The shortly after was hyperinflation of his local currency and a succession of wars that led to the break-up of Yugoslavia into seperate sovereign states that continued to fued through the 1990s. There are still regional tensions today in the Balkan Peninsula, and the voilent events that occurred there last century also increased discrimination against Yugoslavs abroad. “Going away from home happened when I moved to Italy, that happened when I was [around] 12 years old. And I was never supposed to stay there, I was supposed to be there for racing and then come back,” Pavlovic explains. “First due to racing obligations, and then because of the situation in my country I never went back. I stayed in Italy, and then after I moved to Britain. I was growing up very fast. “It was very difficult, it was very difficult. And when you grow up in a foreign country, as a Serbian at that time, was very hard.” Italy was the centre of the karting world, and in 1994 Pavlovic was a frontrunner in the contiental competitions being held in the country. He then moved up to senior karts in Formula A, which evolved into the top OK category that exists today, and made history in his second year in the category by beating Pantano and Jenson Button to win the 1996 CIK-FIA World Cup at Suzuka. “The World Cup at the time was a single race, so you had to go there and win it. I led less than a lap, and won it; that was the strategy. I won it against the person who I believe was the best in my generation, Giorgio Pantano, and it makes me feel really proud about that. A whole lot of people I raced against, James Courtney, Jenson Button and others – maybe less known, but also Fernando Alonso. There were a lot of good drivers. At the time it wasn’t like today, you could do it at a very good level with not so much [money]. Today, it’s just impossible. “When I won the World Cup, believe it or not, at the time I was not official. I decided for that year, because I was struggling with the budgets, I decided to do it by myself. I took a very good engine tuner, through his contacts we got an official chassis and we put together a team. If you look at the results, there is no team name next to the [driver name], it’s just blank. “That is more or less the moment I understood: this could really be my job. Maybe I was too naive.” After sampling Formula Ford and Formula Renault, Pavlovic moved from Italy to Great Britain for 1997 and was part of the Jim Russell Racing School while continuing to kart. He went single-seaters only for the next year, competing in the entry-level slicks-and-wings series Formula Vauxhall Junior. While the results weren’t suggestive of anything special, when he moved up to the more senior Formula Vauxhall in 1999 he won two races and took the fight to the likes of future DTM champion Gary Paffett and Ryan Dalziel. “UK was like Italy’s go-karting, that’s what UK was to single-seaters. So I moved to England, I lived in Milton Keynes, and with a lot of struggles – I had to sacrifice a lot – I was racing. With ups and downs obviously. If you think, in my spell in England which was four years, I think I had a budget for half – or even [only] one year. It was really tough.” The third and fourth years were spent in British F3, with three fifth place finishes in a season-and-a-half to go alongside multiple mechnical failures. His form abroad was more convincing, as he was seventh in the Pau Grand Prix and 12th in the Korea Superprix and Masters of F3 with the Benetton-branded RC Motorsport team. A return to Italy for 2002 had a far better return, as he won five rounds out of nine to claim the Italian F3 title with Target Racing. While he had his sights set F1’s primary feeder series International Formula 3000, he instead ended up moving across to the F3-level World Series Lights support series to World Series by Nissan (later known as Formula Renault 3.5). He finished third in the points, and his year ended on a high as his karting achievements were recognised at the highest level. “It was basically – I got invited by CIK-FIA, the karting [arm of] FIA, to Monte Carlo to a gala. I go, and they awarded me with the Karting History Makers prize, it was great. I didn’t even expect it. I just went there to see some friends, and then…” With an extra bit of momentum behind him, Pavlovic returned to World Series Lights and swept to the title in a grid light on competition. That gave him the finances needed to step up to FR3.5, and now as a national of Serbia and Montenegro. To make it to the level of racing one lower than F1, and against drivers like Robert Kubica and Will Power, was a big deal. “It was Formula 1 [to me]. That series was F1,” Pavlovic says, emphasising the prestige of racing in FR3.5. “My problem was, again, every time I had no money – I was broke. The first two years I can honestly tell you now, I look back and say: this is the budget I had, how the hell did you have the courage to do it?” At times in his career, Pavlovic was actually backed by state-owned companies. But new democracies do not tend to be rich. “The problem was at the end of every year I was in trouble, so finding money to pay off the debt to be able to continue I could never start from even ground with other people except in 2007. In 2007, I had almost the right things. So at least I could choose a competitive team, and I won two races and got several podium finishes. “There is always something you could have done better. But honestly my own regret is I have never had the chance to do it at a fair level compared to others. I’m over it, but if I think about it now, I was never in the fight.” 17th in the points in 2005 was followed by two team changes and 11th in the 2006 standings, with two podiums in his first three starts with Draco Racing in the second half of that season prompting him to return to the frontrunning squad for a full campaign the year after. He finished third in the points in a field packed with talents that included Sebastian Vettel and Giedo van der Garde, and many more who didn’t make it to F1. “I think the top 20 drivers there were really good, top 10 very, very good, and a few of those had the luck to be at the right place at the right moment,” Pavlovic summarises. The global financial crisis put pay most to most of the grid’s racing ambitions, with only four drivers from the top 20 in the points securing full-season seats in series of the same, or a higher, level for 2008. Most drivers stayed in FR3.5, and several tried to move across to GP2 but ended up losing their drive mid-season. Pavlovic was one of those. He stepped down to the cheaper all-new MotorSport Vision-run FIA Formula Two for 2009, but by then he was 26 years old and his F1 dream looked over. Or so you would have thought. F1’s response to the credit crunch was a cost cap for 2010 that would enable new, smaller teams to enter as fully fledged manufacturers. This brought totally new investors to the paddock, and new connections meant drivers who wouldn’t have a look-in at other teams were now offering their services – and sponsors – with greater success. One of the three new teams granted a 2010 F1 entry was the ill-fated USF1, which planned to split its operations between Spain and the USA, and it signed then-two-time Argentine touring cars champion Jose Maria Lopez as its first driver. As its F1 plan unravelled ahead of the season opener it would not attend, Pavlovic declared he had signed a contract to race its second car. USF1, in the middle of undoing the contract with future World Touring Car champion and Formula E driver Lopez, denied any such contract with a second driver – despite claims from ex-Honda F1 test driver James Rossiter in addition to Pavlovic’s. “I signed, I paid – not me, somebody else paid for me, the sponsorship that was required for me to be there – and then the whole thing went bust,” Pavlovic recalls now. “And after that, basically I didn’t have money to take a train. “I almost decided to quit racing, I did maybe a race or two a year, and then I got a call from a team of friends who asked me if I was free on that weekend to do a race. I said yes. So I did the one race, we won. They invited me to do the second, again I did well. Then they said ‘come on, lets finish the season’. I did it for free. And we won.” That call-up marked the start of the current chapter of Pavlovic’s racing career. In 2014 he made history by winning the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and World titles alongside Edoardo Piscopo at Bondaldi Motorsport, and has been racing Lamborghinis ever since. “Lambo was great, they took me in the family. I work for Lambo today a lot, that’s where I take my salary from, but unfortunately never got a chance in a official [factory] seat, which is a bit of a shame. “And honestly, I can’t be bothered anymore to spend days and days and days asking for money, I can’t do that. Now, if you want me, if you need me, you need to pay for my service. I think I’m good enough, and that’s it.” Pavlovic won races in Super Trofeo in 2017, and returned to the top step earlier this year alongside his new team-mate Raul Guzman, who raced in F3 in 2019 and is now an official Lamborghini young driver. “I really think this is the greatest one-make series in the world, in the GT world at least, and I really think it’s a ladder for somebody who wants to go into the GT racing. Because the cars are very difficult to drive, at the same time very fun to drive, but GT3 are very precise and there is no overdriving the problem, almost. “In the Super Trofeo it’s very much down to the driver, when you have a decent car, to make a difference. So the talent comes out. Therefore I think Lambo’s doing a great job in the formula they created, and I think you will be able to see a lot of good drivers come out of it. “The times have changed. When I was 25, 26, 27, at the time the GT world was still like ‘you can do that when you’re 40’. And now, it’s like when you’re 18: ‘come on man, move to the GTs’.” Pavlovic says he finds it “very hard to inspire people” with his career path, despite being a paid professional driver, but he does get involved in coaching the next generation of talents. “I must say my career has been a real roller-coster ride, ups and downs, and I’m very proud of what I have achieved. Because if you look at what was spent, if we need really to get down to that bit, then I have done something which is pretty unique, I really believe. “You know, I ask myself how it could have been, if I just had somebody to make me do a few mistakes less than I actually did. “Because you go to a new place, you know nobody, and you see something you like but maybe that is not the best thing you can get. The new kids have a possibility to ask me for free for advice. “There is one guy [in Serbia] that I really think is quality material. His name is Filip Jenic, he’s been winning on the local levels, and in Eastern European championships, and I think he’s very good. The only problem is whether he will have the possibility to approach the road in the right manner. If he does, I think he can be top class.” Jenic was the Central European champion in Rotax Junior karts last year, and was 10th in the OK-Junior-level CIK-FIA Academy Trophy. “Funny thing is when I help this guy today, it’s like in the 1990s; nothing’s changed in the kart world, the people who are ruling the kart world today are the same. I’m the only one from that region, from the Balkans – when I say Balkans, the Yugoslavian countries – who has achieved this much. I hope to be some kind of inspiration, or light in the car that they can seek for help.” Before Pavlovic, Eastern European drivers rarely tasted international success between the Second World War and the turn of the century. Motorsport existed with prominence in the Eastern Bloc, and East Germany was represented in F1 by four drivers in the 1950s. It took almost 50 years for the next driver from the formerly communist republics to make it to single-seaters’ pinnacle, with the Czech Republic’s Int. Formula 3000 ace Tomas Enge starting three races for Prost in 2001. Fellow Int. F3000 graduate Zsolt Baumgartner debuted at his home grand prix in Hungary two years later with Jordan, then scored a point in a full season with Minardi in 2004. After him was Poland’s Kubica, who replaced 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve at BMW Sauber in 2006 and was a race winner two years later, and Russia – the world’s largest country – finally made it into F1 with Vitaly Petrov in 2010. Daniil Kvyat and Sergey Sirotkin have followed since. Early Yugoslavia had a few drivers of note, with Milivoj Bozic racing a Porsche 550 in sportscar races abroad through the 1950s and 1960s, and Francy Jerancic scored points in the open-class Interserie championship. He also did Formula 2, but rarely made it further than the entry list. In 1977 he did make the grid for the Prize of Vienna race at the Aspern circuit, but retired in his Surtees TS15 run by AMD Skofja Loka (based in what is now Slovenia). He failed to quality for the Adriatic Grand Prix at Misano, which contributed to the European championship, but is recorded as coming fifth in the Salzburgring’s Festival Prize race that year. Sead Alihodzic (born is what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina) raced in British F3 and also tried entering F2 races with Skojfa Loka at the time. MotoGP had a Yugoslavian GP from 1969 to 1990 at tracks located in modern-day Croatia, but the only noticable visit by international single-seaters was a grand prix around the streets of Serbian capital Belgrade way back in 1939; on the same day Britain announced it was at war with Adolf Hitler’s Germany. Interview by Stephen Brunsdon British F3Formula 1Formula V8 3.5Formula VauxhallGP2Italian F3KartingLamborghiniMilos PavlovicWorld Series Lights Dixon praises “standout” talent of Road to Indy graduates in IndyCar Hugh Barter wins French F4 seat in Richard Mille Shootout	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line430
__label__cc	0.617692	0.382308	Posts Tagged ‘suite’ Nandana and father Amartya Sen tete-a-tete with BT! Posted by: fenilseta on: October 25, 2009 In: Bollywood News BAAP RE BAAP: Amartya Sen and daughter Nandana Nobel Laureate Prof. Amartya Sen discusses cinema exclusively for BT with actress daughter Nandana Sen in Mumbai MARK MANUEL Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; October 25, 2009) It’s funny, with a daughter like the lovely international actress Nandana Sen, you would have thought Nobel Prize economist Prof. Amartya Sen would be well informed about cinema. But he’s not. He knows just about five people connected with filmmaking. And these he counted for me with much difficulty and some prompting from Nandana. “I knew Satyajit Ray extremely well,” he began, “he and I studied at Santiniketan. I had huge admiration for him. And I know Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal, and, and… what’s his name, Mrinal Sen! I do know Nandita Das and like her films, also. And I met… what’s the name of the guy who acted with you in Rang Rasiya… I shook his hand? Randeep Hooda? Yes, I met him. I also met Amitabh Bachchan, whom I don’t know, and Shabana Azmi, who’s an old friend. I used to like her father’s poetry and now, I like her husband’s. And Salman Khan…” He was in Mumbai to deliver a keynote lecture for the Indian Philosophy Congress yesterday and I was meeting the distinguished father and sexy daughter at his suite in the Taj. I was drinking coffee. The professor ordered a pot of Darjeeling tea. When it came, he was appalled. “This tea is too strong for Darjeeling,” he grumbled, “it’s got the strength of Assam.” Then to Nandana, who was busy eating pistachios noisily, he said, “Chuck it in the sink!” He is unintentionally humorous, he speaks in a deep, rumbling voice, and he chooses his words carefully — as if aware that when Prof. Amartya Sen speaks, people hang onto his words even if he isn’t talking welfare economics. That’s his hobby horse. And he travels around the world at 76 on his Nobel Prize ticket, astonishing scientists and academicians with his philosophy on poverty, gender inequality and political liberalism. But I had got him onto cinema. And Prof. Sen was struggling. “You’re wasting your time, I’m not knowledgeable about films,” he said trying to discourage me. “You asking me who I like is like asking me a cooking recipe. I’m happy to tell you. But my recipe won’t alleviate the culinary world much!” Nandana, fortunately, was not having any of it. “Baba, you like Sharmila Tagore, isn’t she one of your favourites,” she chided him. “Yes,” Prof. Sen admitted. “And Katherine Hepburn… what a fantastic actress, so sharp and intelligent.” Then he surprised me by saying, “Jane Fonda, I know. I’ve had a couple of dinners with her. Her husband, Ted Turner, started the UN Foundation and was a trustee. So is my wife, Emma Rothschild. And the dinners where spouses gather, are quite impressive. There’s also Nelson Mandela.” But to come back to cinema, he doesn’t see too many films, though he thinks he’s seen all of Nandana’s. Rang Rasiya, in which she plays Raja Ravi Varma’s muse and appears topless in one breathtaking scene, Prof. Amartya saw at the London Film Festival and actually liked. “It’s not been released and nobody seems to know why,” he said querulously. “Has it been made for the archives? It would have been a great success in Europe and the US after receiving favourable notice in London.” He hardly visits Mumbai. His work brings him to Delhi. And his heart takes him to Kolkata. Now Prof. Amartya Sen looked out of the window at the Gateway and said, “I’ve not been here since the November disaster, but I have various memories here. The best one is of defeating the Australian cricket team! I was in the health club, exercising on the bike and watching a news channel, when they came in. They wanted the bike and to change the channel. I objected. They were a little assertive and gave me the democratic argument that there were more of them. But I was here first, I told them. Then their captain, Steve Waugh, came. He conceded that I had a point. I thought, no matter how poorly India did in cricket against Australia, I had done reasonably well!” Tags: actress daughter, Amitabh Bachchan, archives, assam, australian cricket team, bike, Bollywood, Bombay Times, BT, cinema, coffee, cooking recipe, darjeeling tea, Delhi, democratic arguement, economist, emma rothschild, europe, Fenil, gateway, gender, health club, indian philosophy congress, jane fonda, katherine hepburn, Kolkata, london film festival, Mark Manuel, mira nair, mrinal sen, Mumbai, muse, Nandana Sen, nandita das, nelson mandela, news channel, nobel laureate, november disaster, october 25, pistachios, political liberalism, poverty, prof amartya sen, raja ravi verma, randeep hooda, Rang Rasiya, Salman Khan, santiniketan, Satyajit Ray, shabana azmi, sharmila tagore, shyam benegal, steve waugh, suite, Taj, ted turner, Times News Network, trustee, un foundation, US	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line433
__label__wiki	0.812151	0.812151	King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Download Torrent By Free Movies Torrents 2 Action, Adventure Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur is an upcoming British-American epic adventure film directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Joby Harold. The film stars Charlie Hunnam as King Arthur. It is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2017…. Read More » Writer/director David O. Russell has said that he wishes to bring Drake’s extended family into the story, saying in an interview, “This idea really turns me on that there’s a family that’s a force to be reckoned with in the… Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 3 Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi The Space Between Us (working title Out of This World) is an upcoming American romantic science fiction adventure film directed by Peter Chelsom, and written by Allan Loeb, from a story by Stewart Schill, Richard Barton Lewis and Allan Loeb…. Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 1 Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi The Great Wall is an upcoming American-Chinese 3D science fantasy adventure-monster action film directed by Zhang Yimou. The film features an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon and Andy Lau, while the other cast members include Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe,… Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 1 Adventure, Animation, Comedy The Croods is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It stars the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The… Read More » Temple Run is a 2011 3D endless running video game developed and published by the Raleigh-based Imangi Studios. It is produced, designed and programmed by husband and wife team Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova, and with art by Kiril Tchangov…. Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 0 Adventure, Comedy Storks is an upcoming 2016 American 3D computer-animated comedy film directed by Nicholas Stoller and Doug Sweetland, and written by Stoller, based on his own idea and developed by Warner Bros. Animation under the Warner Animation Group banner. The film… Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 0 Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Star Wars: Episode VIII is an upcoming American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It will be the tenth installment in the Star Wars film series, and the second in the Star Wars sequel trilogy following… Read More » Smurfs The Lost Village By Free Movies Torrents 0 Adventure, Animation Smurfs: The Lost Village, previously known as Get Smurfy, is an upcoming American 3D computer-animated adventure-comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury. It is based primarily on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo, and is… Read More » Following the success of Shrek 2 in May 2004, Jeffrey Katzenberg revealed that the Shrek story had been outlined into five films almost from the beginning. “Before the first one was finished we talked about what the whole story of… Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 1 Adventure, Fantasy Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy swashbuckler films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney’s theme park ride of the same name. Directors of the series include Gore Verbinski, Rob Marshall, and Joachim Rønning and… Read More » Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Dead Men Tell No Tales Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is an upcoming American fantasy swashbuckler film, and the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The film will be directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg from… Read More » Pete’s Dragon is an upcoming American-New Zealand fantasy adventure film directed by David Lowery from a screenplay written by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Pete’s Dragon is a remake of the 1977 film of the… Read More » By Free Movies Torrents 1 Adventure, Animation, Fantasy, Musical Moana is an upcoming 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the 56th film in Disney’s animated features canon. The film is being directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. Auli’i Cravalho… Read More » Max Steel is an upcoming American sci-fi action adventure film directed by Stewart Hendler and written by Christopher Yost, and stars Ben Winchell, Ana Villafañe, Andy García, Maria Bello and Billy Slaughter. The film chronicles the adventures of teenage Max… Read More » Max Steel by Free Movies Torrents	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line434
__label__wiki	0.549309	0.549309	"The Tyranny of the Majority" - from Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" Tocqueville.org ^ \| 1835 (Volume 1) & 1840 (Volume 2) \| Alexis de Tocqueville Posted on 03/28/2009 8:31:50 AM PDT by Loud Mime This is great prep for an argument with a liberal. Feel free to highlight your favorite sections: Chapter XV: Unlimited Power Of Majority, And Its Consequences—Part II Tyranny Of The Majority How the principle of the sovereignty of the people is to be understood—Impossibility of conceiving a mixed government—The sovereign power must centre somewhere—Precautions to be taken to control its action—These precautions have not been taken in the United States—Consequences. I hold it to be an impious and an execrable [execrable: extremely bad or unpleasant] maxim that, politically speaking, a people has a right to do whatsoever it pleases, and yet I have asserted that all authority originates in the will of the majority. Am I then, in contradiction with myself? A general law—which bears the name of Justice—has been made and sanctioned, not only by a majority of this or that people, but by a majority of mankind. The rights of every people are consequently confined within the limits of what is just. A nation may be considered in the light of a jury which is empowered to represent society at large, and to apply the great and general law of justice. Ought such a jury, which represents society, to have more power than the society in which the laws it applies originate? When I refuse to obey an unjust law, I do not contest the right which the majority has of commanding, but I simply appeal from the sovereignty of the people to the sovereignty of mankind. It has been asserted that a people can never entirely outstep the boundaries of justice and of reason in those affairs which are more peculiarly its own, and that consequently, full power may fearlessly be given to the majority by which it is represented. But this language is that of a slave. A majority taken collectively may be regarded as a being whose opinions, and most frequently whose interests, are opposed to those of another being, which is styled a minority. If it be admitted that a man, possessing absolute power, may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should a majority not be liable to the same reproach? Men are not apt to change their characters by agglomeration; nor does their patience in the presence of obstacles increase with the consciousness of their strength. c And for these reasons I can never willingly invest any number of my fellow-creatures with that unlimited authority which I should refuse to any one of them. [ No one will assert that a people cannot forcibly wrong another people; but parties may be looked upon as lesser nations within a greater one, and they are aliens to each other: if, therefore, it be admitted that a nation can act tyrannically towards another nation, it cannot be denied that a party may do the same towards another party.] I do not think that it is possible to combine several principles in the same government, so as at the same time to maintain freedom, and really to oppose them to one another. The form of government which is usually termed mixed has always appeared to me to be a mere chimera. Accurately speaking there is no such thing as a mixed government (with the meaning usually given to that word), because in all communities some one principle of action may be discovered which preponderates over the others. England in the last century, which has been more especially cited as an example of this form of Government, was in point of fact an essentially aristocratic State, although it comprised very powerful elements of democracy; for the laws and customs of the country were such that the aristocracy could not but preponderate in the end, and subject the direction of public affairs to its own will. The error arose from too much attention being paid to the actual struggle which was going on between the nobles and the people, without considering the probable issue of the contest, which was in reality the important point. When a community really has a mixed government, that is to say, when it is equally divided between two adverse principles, it must either pass through a revolution or fall into complete dissolution. I am therefore of opinion that some one social power must always be made to predominate over the others; but I think that liberty is endangered when this power is checked by no obstacles which may retard its course, and force it to moderate its own vehemence. Unlimited power is in itself a bad and dangerous thing; human beings are not competent to exercise it with discretion, and God alone can be omnipotent, because His wisdom and His justice are always equal to His power. But no power upon earth is so worthy of honor for itself, or of reverential obedience to the rights which it represents, that I would consent to admit its uncontrolled and all-predominant authority. When I see that the right and the means of absolute command are conferred on a people or upon a king, upon an aristocracy or a democracy, a monarchy or a republic, I recognize the germ of tyranny, and I journey onward to a land of more hopeful institutions. In my opinion the main evil of the present democratic institutions of the United States does not arise, as is often asserted in Europe, from their weakness, but from their overpowering strength; and I am not so much alarmed at the excessive liberty which reigns in that country as at the very inadequate securities which exist against tyranny. When an individual or a party is wronged in the United States, to whom can he apply for redress? If to public opinion, public opinion constitutes the majority; if to the legislature, it represents the majority, and implicitly obeys its injunctions; if to the executive power, it is appointed by the majority, and remains a passive tool in its hands; the public troops consist of the majority under arms; the jury is the majority invested with the right of hearing judicial cases; and in certain States even the judges are elected by the majority. However iniquitous or absurd the evil of which you complain may be, you must submit to it as well as you can. d [ A striking instance of the excesses which may be occasioned by the despotism of the majority occurred at Baltimore in the year 1812. At that time the war was very popular in Baltimore. A journal which had taken the other side of the question excited the indignation of the inhabitants by its opposition. The populace assembled, broke the printing-presses, and attacked the houses of the newspaper editors. The militia was called out, but no one obeyed the call; and the only means of saving the poor wretches who were threatened by the frenzy of the mob was to throw them into prison as common malefactors. But even this precaution was ineffectual; the mob collected again during the night, the magistrates again made a vain attempt to call out the militia, the prison was forced, one of the newspaper editors was killed upon the spot, and the others were left for dead; the guilty parties were acquitted by the jury when they were brought to trial. I said one day to an inhabitant of Pennsylvania, "Be so good as to explain to me how it happens that in a State founded by Quakers, and celebrated for its toleration, freed blacks are not allowed to exercise civil rights. They pay the taxes; is it not fair that they should have a vote?" "You insult us," replied my informant, "if you imagine that our legislators could have committed so gross an act of injustice and intolerance." "What! then the blacks possess the right of voting in this county?" "Without the smallest doubt." "How comes it, then, that at the polling-booth this morning I did not perceive a single negro in the whole meeting?" "This is not the fault of the law: the negroes have an undisputed right of voting, but they voluntarily abstain from making their appearance." "A very pretty piece of modesty on their parts!" rejoined I. "Why, the truth is, that they are not disinclined to vote, but they are afraid of being maltreated; in this country the law is sometimes unable to maintain its authority without the support of the majority. But in this case the majority entertains very strong prejudices against the blacks, and the magistrates are unable to protect them in the exercise of their legal privileges." "What! then the majority claims the right not only of making the laws, but of breaking the laws it has made?"] If, on the other hand, a legislative power could be so constituted as to represent the majority without necessarily being the slave of its passions; an executive, so as to retain a certain degree of uncontrolled authority; and a judiciary, so as to remain independent of the two other powers; a government would be formed which would still be democratic without incurring any risk of tyrannical abuse. I do not say that tyrannical abuses frequently occur in America at the present day, but I maintain that no sure barrier is established against them, and that the causes which mitigate the government are to be found in the circumstances and the manners of the country more than in its laws. Effects Of The Unlimited Power Of The Majority Upon The Arbitrary Authority Of The American Public Officers Liberty left by the American laws to public officers within a certain sphere—Their power. A distinction must be drawn between tyranny and arbitrary power. Tyranny may be exercised by means of the law, and in that case it is not arbitrary; arbitrary power may be exercised for the good of the community at large, in which case it is not tyrannical. Tyranny usually employs arbitrary means, but, if necessary, it can rule without them. In the United States the unbounded power of the majority, which is favorable to the legal despotism of the legislature, is likewise favorable to the arbitrary authority of the magistrate. The majority has an entire control over the law when it is made and when it is executed; and as it possesses an equal authority over those who are in power and the community at large, it considers public officers as its passive agents, and readily confides the task of serving its designs to their vigilance. The details of their office and the privileges which they are to enjoy are rarely defined beforehand; but the majority treats them as a master does his servants when they are always at work in his sight, and he has the power of directing or reprimanding them at every instant. In general the American functionaries are far more independent than the French civil officers within the sphere which is prescribed to them. Sometimes, even, they are allowed by the popular authority to exceed those bounds; and as they are protected by the opinion, and backed by the co-operation, of the majority, they venture upon such manifestations of their power as astonish a European. By this means habits are formed in the heart of a free country which may some day prove fatal to its liberties. Power Exercised By The Majority In America Upon Opinion In America, when the majority has once irrevocably decided a question, all discussion ceases—Reason of this—Moral power exercised by the majority upon opinion—Democratic republics have deprived despotism of its physical instruments—Their despotism sways the minds of men. It is in the examination of the display of public opinion in the United States that we clearly perceive how far the power of the majority surpasses all the powers with which we are acquainted in Europe. Intellectual principles exercise an influence which is so invisible, and often so inappreciable, that they baffle the toils of oppression. At the present time the most absolute monarchs in Europe are unable to prevent certain notions, which are opposed to their authority, from circulating in secret throughout their dominions, and even in their courts. Such is not the case in America; as long as the majority is still undecided, discussion is carried on; but as soon as its decision is irrevocably pronounced, a submissive silence is observed, and the friends, as well as the opponents, of the measure unite in assenting to its propriety. The reason of this is perfectly clear: no monarch is so absolute as to combine all the powers of society in his own hands, and to conquer all opposition with the energy of a majority which is invested with the right of making and of executing the laws. The authority of a king is purely physical, and it controls the actions of the subject without subduing his private will; but the majority possesses a power which is physical and moral at the same time; it acts upon the will as well as upon the actions of men, and it represses not only all contest, but all controversy. I know no country in which there is so little true independence of mind and freedom of discussion as in America. In any constitutional state in Europe every sort of religious and political theory may be advocated and propagated abroad; for there is no country in Europe so subdued by any single authority as not to contain citizens who are ready to protect the man who raises his voice in the cause of truth from the consequences of his hardihood. If he is unfortunate enough to live under an absolute government, the people is upon his side; if he inhabits a free country, he may find a shelter behind the authority of the throne, if he require one. The aristocratic part of society supports him in some countries, and the democracy in others. But in a nation where democratic institutions exist, organized like those of the United States, there is but one sole authority, one single element of strength and of success, with nothing beyond it. In America the majority raises very formidable barriers to the liberty of opinion: within these barriers an author may write whatever he pleases, but he will repent it if he ever step beyond them. Not that he is exposed to the terrors of an auto-da-fe, but he is tormented by the slights and persecutions of daily obloquy. His political career is closed forever, since he has offended the only authority which is able to promote his success. Every sort of compensation, even that of celebrity, is refused to him. Before he published his opinions he imagined that he held them in common with many others; but no sooner has he declared them openly than he is loudly censured by his overbearing opponents, whilst those who think without having the courage to speak, like him, abandon him in silence. He yields at length, oppressed by the daily efforts he has been making, and he subsides into silence, as if he was tormented by remorse for having spoken the truth. Fetters and headsmen were the coarse instruments which tyranny formerly employed; but the civilization of our age has refined the arts of despotism which seemed, however, to have been sufficiently perfected before. The excesses of monarchical power had devised a variety of physical means of oppression: the democratic republics of the present day have rendered it as entirely an affair of the mind as that will which it is intended to coerce. Under the absolute sway of an individual despot the body was attacked in order to subdue the soul, and the soul escaped the blows which were directed against it and rose superior to the attempt; but such is not the course adopted by tyranny in democratic republics; there the body is left free, and the soul is enslaved. The sovereign can no longer say, "You shall think as I do on pain of death;" but he says, "You are free to think differently from me, and to retain your life, your property, and all that you possess; but if such be your determination, you are henceforth an alien among your people. You may retain your civil rights, but they will be useless to you, for you will never be chosen by your fellow-citizens if you solicit their suffrages, and they will affect to scorn you if you solicit their esteem. You will remain among men, but you will be deprived of the rights of mankind. Your fellow-creatures will shun you like an impure being, and those who are most persuaded of your innocence will abandon you too, lest they should be shunned in their turn. Go in peace! I have given you your life, but it is an existence in comparably worse than death." Monarchical institutions have thrown an odium upon despotism; let us beware lest democratic republics should restore oppression, and should render it less odious and less degrading in the eyes of the many, by making it still more onerous to the few. Works have been published in the proudest nations of the Old World expressly intended to censure the vices and deride the follies of the times; Labruyere inhabited the palace of Louis XIV when he composed his chapter upon the Great, and Moliere criticised the courtiers in the very pieces which were acted before the Court. But the ruling power in the United States is not to be made game of; the smallest reproach irritates its sensibility, and the slightest joke which has any foundation in truth renders it indignant; from the style of its language to the more solid virtues of its character, everything must be made the subject of encomium. No writer, whatever be his eminence, can escape from this tribute of adulation to his fellow-citizens. The majority lives in the perpetual practice of self-applause, and there are certain truths which the Americans can only learn from strangers or from experience. If great writers have not at present existed in America, the reason is very simply given in these facts; there can be no literary genius without freedom of opinion, and freedom of opinion does not exist in America. The Inquisition has never been able to prevent a vast number of anti-religious books from circulating in Spain. The empire of the majority succeeds much better in the United States, since it actually removes the wish of publishing them. Unbelievers are to be met with in America, but, to say the truth, there is no public organ of infidelity. Attempts have been made by some governments to protect the morality of nations by prohibiting licentious books. In the United States no one is punished for this sort of works, but no one is induced to write them; not because all the citizens are immaculate in their manners, but because the majority of the community is decent and orderly. In these cases the advantages derived from the exercise of this power are unquestionable, and I am simply discussing the nature of the power itself. This irresistible authority is a constant fact, and its judicious exercise is an accidental occurrence. Effects Of The Tyranny Of The Majority Upon The National Character Of The Americans Effects of the tyranny of the majority more sensibly felt hitherto in the manners than in the conduct of society—They check the development of leading characters—Democratic republics organized like the United States bring the practice of courting favor within the reach of the many—Proofs of this spirit in the United States—Why there is more patriotism in the people than in those who govern in its name. The tendencies which I have just alluded to are as yet very slightly perceptible in political society, but they already begin to exercise an unfavorable influence upon the national character of the Americans. I am inclined to attribute the singular paucity of distinguished political characters to the ever-increasing activity of the despotism of the majority in the United States. When the American Revolution broke out they arose in great numbers, for public opinion then served, not to tyrannize over, but to direct the exertions of individuals. Those celebrated men took a full part in the general agitation of mind common at that period, and they attained a high degree of personal fame, which was reflected back upon the nation, but which was by no means borrowed from it. In absolute governments the great nobles who are nearest to the throne flatter the passions of the sovereign, and voluntarily truckle to his caprices. But the mass of the nation does not degrade itself by servitude: it often submits from weakness, from habit, or from ignorance, and sometimes from loyalty. Some nations have been known to sacrifice their own desires to those of the sovereign with pleasure and with pride, thus exhibiting a sort of independence in the very act of submission. These peoples are miserable, but they are not degraded. There is a great difference between doing what one does not approve and feigning to approve what one does; the one is the necessary case of a weak person, the other befits the temper of a lackey. In free countries, where everyone is more or less called upon to give his opinion in the affairs of state; in democratic republics, where public life is incessantly commingled with domestic affairs, where the sovereign authority is accessible on every side, and where its attention can almost always be attracted by vociferation, more persons are to be met with who speculate upon its foibles and live at the cost of its passions than in absolute monarchies. Not because men are naturally worse in these States than elsewhere, but the temptation is stronger, and of easier access at the same time. The result is a far more extensive debasement of the characters of citizens. Democratic republics extend the practice of currying favor with the many, and they introduce it into a greater number of classes at once: this is one of the most serious reproaches that can be addressed to them. In democratic States organized on the principles of the American republics, this is more especially the case, where the authority of the majority is so absolute and so irresistible that a man must give up his rights as a citizen, and almost abjure his quality as a human being, if te intends to stray from the track which it lays down. In that immense crowd which throngs the avenues to power in the United States I found very few men who displayed any of that manly candor and that masculine independence of opinion which frequently distinguished the Americans in former times, and which constitutes the leading feature in distinguished characters, wheresoever they may be found. It seems, at first sight, as if all the minds of the Americans were formed upon one model, so accurately do they correspond in their manner of judging. A stranger does, indeed, sometimes meet with Americans who dissent from these rigorous formularies; with men who deplore the defects of the laws, the mutability and the ignorance of democracy; who even go so far as to observe the evil tendencies which impair the national character, and to point out such remedies as it might be possible to apply; but no one is there to hear these things besides yourself, and you, to whom these secret reflections are confided, are a stranger and a bird of passage. They are very ready to communicate truths which are useless to you, but they continue to hold a different language in public. If ever these lines are read in America, I am well assured of two things: in the first place, that all who peruse them will raise their voices to condemn me; and in the second place, that very many of them will acquit me at the bottom of their conscience. I have heard of patriotism in the United States, and it is a virtue which may be found among the people, but never among the leaders of the people. This may be explained by analogy; despotism debases the oppressed much more than the oppressor: in absolute monarchies the king has often great virtues, but the courtiers are invariably servile. It is true that the American courtiers do not say "Sire," or "Your Majesty"—a distinction without a difference. They are forever talking of the natural intelligence of the populace they serve; they do not debate the question as to which of the virtues of their master is pre-eminently worthy of admiration, for they assure him that he possesses all the virtues under heaven without having acquired them, or without caring to acquire them; they do not give him their daughters and their wives to be raised at his pleasure to the rank of his concubines, but, by sacrificing their opinions, they prostitute themselves. Moralists and philosophers in America are not obliged to conceal their opinions under the veil of allegory; but, before they venture upon a harsh truth, they say, "We are aware that the people which we are addressing is too superior to all the weaknesses of human nature to lose the command of its temper for an instant; and we should not hold this language if we were not speaking to men whom their virtues and their intelligence render more worthy of freedom than all the rest of the world." It would have been impossible for the sycophants of Louis XIV to flatter more dexterously. For my part, I am persuaded that in all governments, whatever their nature may be, servility will cower to force, and adulation will cling to power. The only means of preventing men from degrading themselves is to invest no one with that unlimited authority which is the surest method of debasing them. The Greatest Dangers Of The American Republics Proceed From The Unlimited Power Of The Majority Democratic republics liable to perish from a misuse of their power, and not by impotence—The Governments of the American republics are more centralized and more energetic than those of the monarchies of Europe—Dangers resulting from this—Opinions of Hamilton and Jefferson upon this point. Governments usually fall a sacrifice to impotence or to tyranny. In the former case their power escapes from them; it is wrested from their grasp in the latter. Many observers, who have witnessed the anarchy of democratic States, have imagined that the government of those States was naturally weak and impotent. The truth is, that when once hostilities are begun between parties, the government loses its control over society. But I do not think that a democratic power is naturally without force or without resources: say, rather, that it is almost always by the abuse of its force and the misemployment of its resources that a democratic government fails. Anarchy is almost always produced by its tyranny or its mistakes, but not by its want of strength. It is important not to confound stability with force, or the greatness of a thing with its duration. In democratic republics, the power which directs e society is not stable; for it often changes hands and assumes a new direction. But whichever way it turns, its force is almost irresistible. The Governments of the American republics appear to me to be as much centralized as those of the absolute monarchies of Europe, and more energetic than they are. I do not, therefore, imagine that they will perish from weakness. f [ This power may be centred in an assembly, in which case it will be strong without being stable; or it may be centred in an individual, in which case it will be less strong, but more stable.] [ I presume that it is scarcely necessary to remind the reader here, as well as throughout the remainder of this chapter, that I am speaking, not of the Federal Government, but of the several governments of each State, which the majority controls at its pleasure.] If ever the free institutions of America are destroyed, that event may be attributed to the unlimited authority of the majority, which may at some future time urge the minorities to desperation, and oblige them to have recourse to physical force. Anarchy will then be the result, but it will have been brought about by despotism. Mr. Hamilton expresses the same opinion in the "Federalist," No. 51. "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be, pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit. In a society, under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature, where the weaker individual is not secured against the violence of the stronger: and as in the latter state even the stronger individuals are prompted by the uncertainty of their condition to submit to a government which may protect the weak as well as themselves, so in the former state will the more powerful factions be gradually induced by a like motive to wish for a government which will protect all parties, the weaker as well as the more powerful. It can be little doubted that, if the State of Rhode Island was separated from the Confederacy and left to itself, the insecurity of right under the popular form of government within such narrow limits would be displayed by such reiterated oppressions of the factious majorities, that some power altogether independent of the people would soon be called for by the voice of the very factions whose misrule had proved the necessity of it." Jefferson has also thus expressed himself in a letter to Madison: *g "The executive power in our Government is not the only, perhaps not even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the Legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period." I am glad to cite the opinion of Jefferson upon this subject rather than that of another, because I consider him to be the most powerful advocate democracy has ever sent forth. [ March 15, 1789.] TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; Philosophy KEYWORDS: alexiscalledit; democrats; detocqueville; federalistpapers; majority; socialism; tyranny first 1-20, 21-40, 41-44 next last 1 posted on 03/28/2009 8:31:50 AM PDT by Loud Mime To: Vision; definitelynotaliberal; Mother Mary; FoxInSocks; 300magnum; NonValueAdded; sauropod; ... Important Quotes - PING! 2 posted on 03/28/2009 8:34:21 AM PDT by Loud Mime (The IRS collectes $1 trillion in taxes each year. Why not forgive all taxes for a year? Stimulus!) To: Loud Mime 3 posted on 03/28/2009 8:35:50 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta bflr - thanks 4 posted on 03/28/2009 8:36:28 AM PDT by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt) The founders would have considered a republic as large as the USA is now totally unworkable. Hell, they thought they were pushing their luck with the original 13 colonies. In truth, America is too large, and should be broken up into smaller republics. 6 posted on 03/28/2009 8:45:09 AM PDT by Huck ("He that lives on hope will die fasting"- Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac) Thank you for that wonderful excerpt. I keep “Democracy in America” handy as a reference finding him to be incredibly prophetic and topical. It would serve us all to heed his reminders. We have yielded to mob rule in an institutional sense rather systemically by amending the Constitution to permit an income tax and by permitting the direct election of what was to be the representative of the states and the states’ political interests, i.e. senators. Again, thanks. 7 posted on 03/28/2009 8:47:25 AM PDT by cthemfly25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7M-7LkvcVw 8 posted on 03/28/2009 8:48:24 AM PDT by Uriah_lost (Is there no balm in Gilead?....) 9 posted on 03/28/2009 8:52:52 AM PDT by Canedawg (Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny- M. Levin) To: Huck I do not believe it is an issue of size; I believe it is a matter of education, greed and ethics. As the distance (time wise) from the revolution grew the people took their liberty and freedom for granted. The same thing is happening in South Korea, a very small country. It is what people do...they forget. The Obambots have been manipulated from day one. Now the effects of his anti-business promises is setting in. A friend of mine at Disneyland said that she lost 1/3 of her crew this week. This is education at its finest. All this CHANGE has produced a new effort to educate oneself on the principles of government. I believe that education is the answer, not smaller factions without the education. 10 posted on 03/28/2009 9:02:07 AM PDT by Loud Mime (The IRS collectes $1 trillion in taxes each year. Why not forgive all taxes for a year? Stimulus!) “American is too large”? A Republic can work here if the people want it to work. Without a Republic, we become no different that the EU. I don’t think that is what we want. As for the idea of breaking the country up......we would be invaded in short order. 11 posted on 03/28/2009 9:05:37 AM PDT by RC2 (http://www.youtube.com/user/Funbobbasso) To: cthemfly25 You are welcome. I consider this a privilege. I remember one of the arguments against our Constitution was that all three branches of government were contained under the same authority. Madison defended that by explaining that the Senate represented the State governments, something that the Seventeenth Amendment changed. So, our government's powers are all self promoted and self managed. And, they determine their own pay. To: RC2 Have you read "The Summer of 1787?" It's a wonderful book about the writing of the Constitution. Author Stewart's stories about George Washington's will to keep the Union united was very heartwarming. One of those most brilliant essays ever written. 14 posted on 03/28/2009 9:16:52 AM PDT by Soothesayer (The United States of America Rest in Peace November 4 2008) we would be invaded in short order. As opposed to believing Reconquista as invasion is a tall order. /Groucho Marks. 15 posted on 03/28/2009 9:35:14 AM PDT by MurrietaMadman ("...You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I," Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) shouted) I do not think that it is possible to combine several principles in the same government,I question that it’s the people who allow the principles to create a problem in government by being blind to the facts note last election. 16 posted on 03/28/2009 9:41:02 AM PDT by Vaduz Thanks for the post. Our republic has both a horizontal axis in the division of power (Legislature, Executive Judiciary) and a vertical axis (Federal-State) and within the vertical axis power is fragmented at various levels from county and municipal government to local school boards. Power is atomized in corporations and universities through boards of directors and faculty committees etc. What no one envisioned was the massive development of a fourth and largely unaccountable branch of government- the administrative branch. This development more than anything else skews the paradigm of the Framers. 17 posted on 03/28/2009 9:43:19 AM PDT by Steelfish To: Vaduz Please explain; it was vague to me. To: Steelfish Federalist 62 is my reply.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line435
__label__wiki	0.706171	0.706171	French Cultural Center Online Learning with Zoom Library Curbside Pickup The Eiffel Tower and the Zakim Bridge: Landmarks of Structural Art A Mosaïque Cultural Event Wednesday, May 30, 2018 From 6:00 PM To 8:00 PM Add to Calendar 2018-05-30 18:00:00 2018-05-30 20:00:00 The Eiffel Tower and the Zakim Bridge: Landmarks of Structural Art This lecture will explore the architectural and engineering challenges and achievements of two important landmarks in Paris and Boston. French Cultural Center, 53 Marlborough St, Boston, Massachusetts, United States America/New_York At French Cultural Center Get Directions This lecture will explore the architectural and engineering challenges and achievements of two important landmarks in Paris and Boston. When completed these landmarks gave a new image to two of the most important historic cities in Europe and North America. The goals and objectives behind their conception will be explained in the context of their past, present and evolving future. About Miguel Rosales Miguel Rosales is the president and principal designer of Rosales + Partners and an internationally recognized expert in bridge aesthetics and design. He has more than twenty-eight years of experience as a leading bridge architect and designer for major infrastructure projects in the United States and abroad. Prior to forming Rosales + Partners, he provided architectural and urban design services for the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, helping to develop the innovative cable-stayed bridge and guide it through a complex public participation process. Mr. Rosales received a Diploma in Architecture from the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from MIT. He is noted for his practical ability to balance technical and aesthetic principles, conceiving cost-effective architectural bridge enhancements, and delivering iconic bridges that have become symbols of identity and community pride. About the Zakim Bridge The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge was constructed as part of The Big Dig Project in Boston. The Zakim bridge, as it is known locally, is one of the widest cable-stayed bridges in the world and serves as the northern entrance to and exit from Boston. The Bridge is named after civil rights activist Lenny Zakim and the American colonists who fought the British in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Learn More "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is setting a wonderful precedent in naming this bridge after Lenny Zakim and the citizens who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill, I am proud that we are celebrating the ideals of patriotism, freedom and diversity by dedicating this bridge in their honor. May this remind us all of the difference that one person's decision to stand up to injustice and fight for freedom, respect and diversity can make in the lives of others and in the history of our nation." - Governor Jane Swift at 2002 Bridge dedication. About the Eiffel Tower An object of discord, desire, and fascination, the Eiffel Tower never fails to impress. The plan to build a tower 300 meters high was conceived, as part of a wager, during preparation for the 1889 World's Fair. The wager was "to study the possibility of erecting an iron tower on the Champ-de-Mars with a square base, 125 meters across and 300 meters tall." Gustave Eiffel, an entrepreneur, and his team of two engineers and an architect, accepted the challenge leading to one of today's most recognizable landmarks in the world. Learn More About Mosaïque Cultural programs are at the core of the French Cultural Center’s mission to promote the vibrant growth of Francophone cultures and the French language in New England. From art exhibits, concerts, and film screenings to author talks and children’s workshops, we continually seek to welcome experts in various cultural fields to provide a window onto the diverse cultures of the Francophone world. In November 2016, the Mosaïque Cultural Fund celebrates five years of providing critical support for exceptional and expanded cultural programming that strives to challenge, educate, excite and inspire our New England communities. This event is made possible thanks in part to Natixis Global Asset Management, the Mosaïque Cultural Fund, and Vinadeis. Plus qu’un parfum, une identité the world of luxury perfumes and scents Saturday, January 23, 2021 10:00 AM To 12:00 PM This event is currently sold out. Do you know what your perfume says about you? Join Anastasia Sokolow, founder of la Maison Sulékó and member of the French Society of Perfumers, from her Parisian showroom, as she reveals the mysterious language of scents. Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun: A Woman Painter in the Age of Revolution Art talk presented by Maria d’Amario, Art Historian with a special interest in women artists Thursday, February 18, 2021 6:30 PM To 7:30 PM Art lovers, join us as we explore the life and career of this highly successful painter who thanks to recent reassessments of her work, is finally finding her place alongside other great 18th-century artists such as Fragonard, Boucher, and Chardin. Ciné-Club Online Discussion: Girl (2018) directed by Lukas Dhont Thursday, January 21, 2021 6:00 PM To 6:40 PM For our first ciné-club online discussion of the year we will dive into the demanding world of ballerinas with Girl. Follow the impressive journey of Lara, a 15-year-old girl who was born in a boy's body, and is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. Becoming a ballerina requires determination, blood, sweat and tears but for Lara, it is a passion she is not willing to give up on no matter what it takes. All fields labeled * are required The Building is Currently Closed to All Visitors for Renovations Reception Phone Hours Monday: 11am - 2pm / 4pm - 7pm Wednesday: 11am - 2pm / 4pm - 7pm Library Pick-Up Hours This service is on hold until the Center has opened its satellite facility. Please make your gift online via the Donations Page. Gifts to the Center can also be made by check or by phone. For Check Donations: Please make check payable to: French Cultural Center Attn: Joyce Grippen For Phone Donations: Please call: 508.930.2525 © French Cultural Center 2021 Keeward ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE For press inquiries, please contact us at press@frenchculturalcenter.org	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line436
__label__cc	0.505976	0.494024	Posted on Posted on 1st October 2015 17th December 2019 by thomas in Blog, Business, Post-mortem, SOMA SOMA – 10 days after launch SOMA has now been out in the wild for 10 day so it felt fitting to write a summary of how things have gone so far. But first a little trailer: I’m going to start with what I think most people are interested in: how much has the game sold? The current number now is at about 92,000 copies across all platforms (due to legal reasons we can’t give a per-platform breakdown). This is quite good for 10 days (+ preorder time) of sales! The money that we’ve got from this will pretty much pay our company expenses for another 2 years. Sales are still going pretty strongly too, with a total of around 2,000 copies sold per day. This number is bound to drop over time, and it’ll be interesting to see just how fast and where it stabilizes. While a lot of sales obviously come close to launch, a big part of our normal earnings comes from a slow daily trickle over the years of our existing titles. So our average daily sales a month or so from now on is actually more important than all of the units sold up to this point. How does this compare to our other releases? Well, Amnesia: The Dark Descent sold 30,000 copies in the first month (and around 20,000 the first week). So SOMA’s launch is obviously a lot better than that. Compared to Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, though, the launch is a little bit worse. That game sold about 120,000 copies the first week. Our goal for SOMA’s sales is 100,000 after a month, and at the current pace it should be able to reach pretty much exactly that with a few units to spare. However, this doesn’t mean that we’ve come close to recouping all our costs. We need to sell almost 3 times that amount to do that. But given that it took us 5 years to make the project, there’s no immediate stress to do so. One of the great things about funding SOMA 100% ourselves is that all money earned goes into our own pockets and is directly used to fund our upcoming projects. So we are under no pressure to recoup immediately so long as we get enough to keep going – which we certainly have now. Finally, another very interesting aspect is how new titles tend to cannibalize on the previous ones. We saw this with A Machine for Pigs; after it launched the daily sales of The Dark Descent were almost cut in half. That was not that unexpected though, given that they are both from the same franchise, but still a bit weird that the games’ combined sales ended up being pretty much what The Dark Descent sold on its own before. What we didn’t expect was for SOMA to do the same. When the pre-orders for SOMA started, Amnesia sales dropped by about 30% or so and this drop still remains. This feels strange as the two games are not connected apart from being made by the same company, so we wonder what mechanism it is that causes this. It might be that Amnesia’s sales will rise again a bit later on though, so it’s too soon to tell yet just what the effects are. The critical reception of SOMA has been, overall, really, really great. MetaCritic is currently at 85 and the Steam reviews are 94% positive. The thing that I worried most about personally was how the themes would be received. It turns out that I needn’t have worried – that’s the thing we have fewest problems with. Even reviews that gave us so-so scores lauded the game for the thought-provoking narrative. This feels awesome, as this has been the core focus during our five years of development. The most common issue people have had is that they’ve felt the game wasn’t scary enough. This is quite interesting, so I’d like to take a little time to discuss this. One reason this was so is probably due to expectations. While we’ve tried to be very clear that SOMA will be a different game from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, we have still used the name “Amnesia” as a way to grab attention. This sends a bit of a mixed message, as people might simply assume that because we say “from the creators of Amnesia”, a similar experience will be provided. One idea would have been not to mention the studio’s heritage, but that feels stupid from a PR perspective. Another idea would have been to tone it down a bit, but it’s hard to say exactly how to do that. The fact of the matter is that SOMA, just like Amnesia, is very much a horror game. It’s just that it is presented in a different manner, using slower build-up and more focus on the psychological aspects. Another reason why some people felt it was not scary enough is because horror is extremely subjective. The reactions to how scary SOMA is range from “not at all” to “the scariest game I have played”, and some of the people in the latter camp are survival horror veterans. We had this sort of reaction to Amnesia: TDD as well, but it feels even more spread out for SOMA. When we released The Dark Descent, horror with no combat was still a very fresh concept, but five years later that is no longer the case, and it has lost its impact for some people. SOMA also employs a riskier approach to monster AI that assumes the player will act in certain ways and reach a certain understanding about how the creatures work. If players don’t do this the experience might suffer. Above all, the main horror in SOMA is supposed to come from the existential dread that’s slowly unveiled as the game progresses. And in order for this to work properly, a lot of pieces need to align, and it will not work for everyone. So in the light of that, it doesn’t feel all that bad that we didn’t get a more universal praise for the game’s scariness. But it’s taught us a valuable lesson: that one should be very careful in managing people’s expectations. This is a lesson that we thought we knew after A Machine For Pigs (which didn’t turn out to be the game many wanted it to be) but apparently we hadn’t learned enough. Once your studio gets associated with a particular game, it’ll play a huge role in what people expect from upcoming releases. That said, the vast majority of people that had expected another Amnesia ended up enjoying SOMA once they realized the game was different. So I don’t feel it has been a complete failure by any means, but just one of those things that needs more work in the future. It is interesting that this is no longer a subject brought up much. So I thought I would quickly get into it. And the first thing to note is that SOMA is the first game we have launched without having a pirated version out before release! Another thing I have noticed is that we get fewer tech support requests from people with pirated versions than we used to have. It’s often pretty easy to spot these people as we issue new patches frequently, so there are lots of telltale signs in the log files. I’m not sure if this means piracy has decreased for SOMA, or if these people find tech support elsewhere, but I felt it worth mentioning. As for us personally, we haven’t even talked about piracy. The only time it matters to us is when sending out review copies. Amnesia had a pirated version leaked before release, so now we make sure that we at least send out a DRM-protected version of the game to reviewers. But other than that, I don’t think we’ve discussed it for even a second. This is quite different from back in 2007 when I know me and Jens had hours of discussions on the subject. I’ve already touched upon this above when discussing the game’s reception. However, how to market SOMA in terms of horror was the easy part. The hard part was to explain what makes the game special. When we released Amnesia, showing off the physics and explaining that you couldn’t fight back was more than a enough for the game to stand out. But now the market is filled with these types of games, and more is needed to get people excited. The main unique feature of SOMA is its exploration of consciousness and what it means to be human. This is also what has been the most celebrated feature of the game after launch. But explaining this to press and gamers prior to release has been exceptionally difficult. This is not some gameplay gimmick that can be shown off during a short demo session, but something that requires hours of build-up. So when you talk about the game, you have to be fuzzy and talk about very high-level concepts. When doing interviews like this I often got the impression that I wasn’t really taken seriously. The press don’t expect any lofty design aspirations to come true and would rather hear about concrete and more easily-digested (and explained) features. To make things even harder, SOMA is very hard to talk about without spoiling the experience. I could never give an example of exactly how we handle our thematics through gameplay without spoiling a big chunk of the game. This problem of spoilers also makes the game hard to demo and to give to YouTubers. If we just give people a part of the game where you are chased by monsters, that would misrepresent the game (making the expectation problem worse) and fail to explain what is so special about SOMA. And if we show off one of slower sections that are all about build-up, mood and thematics, we have to show off really long segments, which becomes too spoiler-filled and takes way too much time for a demo. (For more discussion on making a demo for SOMA, see here). We solved the YouTuber issue by only sending it out to a few trusted people, and only allowing a maximum of 15 minutes to be shown. That way we got people to play a lengthy part of the game (around 3 hours) and then show a distilled, and fairly spoiler-free, video to their viewers. We could only do this pretty late in development though, and given how important streamers and YouTubers are for PR these days, it felt like we would have like to do more earlier. Another issue is that we might have unveiled the game a bit too early. We first showed off SOMA back in October 2013 and the plan was to keep content coming out until release. This turned out way harder to keep up with than what we’d initially thought. Because we were so unwilling to spoil the game, we could provide very little in terms of playable material for the press. Because of this, we had issues getting proper coverage at the end, as most of the standard things like “first playable preview” had already been done over a year back. We’d also had a plan to release a monthly live-action video clip to keep interest up, but because of production problems it got delayed and this plan fell through. (We are however showing them now!) So it feels like it might have been better to have unveiled the game a year or so later to be able to keep up interest all the way to release and to have a more massive promotion campaign that way. A big issue with that is that it would have been very bad for the team morale. It’s quite hard to work on a project in the dark for several years, and there was a very evident boost in spirit once we had let the world know that SOMA was coming. Added to this is that we got a lot of good feedback from press and fan reactions, which helped us shaped not just our PR but the actual game too. This is makes it much more uncertain if a later unveiling really would have been a better move. So what is next for Frictional Games? First of all, now just about all of the major post-release issues have been patched up, most of the team will take some rest. We’ll then focus a bit on documenting how the game and engine works, in the hopes that modding will reach the glorious heights it did for Amnesia. After that we are on to new secret projects. But those secret projects are really secret, so we can’t say a word. Finally a gigantic thanks to all who have bought the game! We love hearing about your experiences so please tweet, comment on Facebook, or leave a comment here and say what you thought about the game! Previous PostPrevious First of a daily video series from Frictional Games Next PostNext New SOMA Trailer and Launch Statistics	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line437
__label__cc	0.567289	0.432711	Posted on Posted on 24th March 2016 18th December 2019 by thomas in Blog, Business, Post-mortem, SOMA SOMA – 6 Months Later It is now a bit over 6 months since SOMA was released, so it feels like it’s time for an update on how everything has gone so far. The total number of sales, across all platforms, is currently at a bit over 250 000 units. This is pretty good; it’ll only take 20k – 30k more until we’ve earned back our entire investment in the project. Given that the daily sales are still solid (about 125 units a day) and we have regular boosts from various sale events, this is bound to happen well before this year is over. While this is a good result for us, it’s by no means earth shattering. For instance, Firewatch (which has quite a few elements in common with SOMA) sold over 500k in just a month, so there’s obviously room for SOMA to sell a lot more. It might seem weird, but this is actually very encouraging for us. SOMA was a really ambitious project which took 5 years to develop, used a load of external help and had a big chunk of money spent on a live action series and so forth, making it a very costly affair. Yet SOMA is well on the way to becoming profitable after just 6 months, despite not being a runaway success. This makes us a lot less worried about making another game of similar scope. Still, it’s interesting to ponder what kept the game from selling even more. One stand-out thing that we’ve identified is that the game falls between two genres: horror and sci-fi. What this means is that the game might feel a bit too sci-fi for someone looking for a pure horror experience and vice-versa. While we think the mix works very well for the game, it seems quite possible that this has put off potential buyers. I’ll discuss this in more depth later on. User created custom stories was (and still is) a big part of the Amnesia community. So far almost 450 Amnesia finished mods have been released. This is despite the game’s mod support being far from good. So with SOMA we wanted to make sure we allowed even better mod support, so we would hopefully get as many mods made as we did for Amnesia. Unfortunately the modding community around SOMA hasn’t really taken off. So far only 5 custom stories (2 on moddb and 3 on steam workshop) have been released, and while it’s amazing that people spend time making mods for SOMA at all, we expected that there would’ve been a few more. Just about everything in the game is controlled via script and modding allows you to replace any file, making it much more powerful than in Amnesia. Because of this, we’d hoped to see people do really crazy things with mods, but apart from Wuss Mode and a location tracking Omnitool there isn’t much out there. Both of these are very cool modifications, but considering that the game could have been changed into an RTS or a racer, we’d hoped to see more experimental stuff. It feels worthwhile to discuss why modding hasn’t been as successful as it was with Amnesia. The first and most obvious answer is that SOMA is simply not as popular as the mega-hit Amnesia: TDD. Secondly when we released Amnesia there weren’t many other similar horror games around, and as a result many of Amnesia’s mods got played by popular streamers. This gave people a huge incentive for completing their mods. Thirdly, both the level creation and scripting is a bit harder in SOMA, making it more of a hassle for people to get things up and running. And finally, you can quickly create gameplay in Amnesia by just placing a few basic items, whereas SOMA requires more setup and lacks easily reusable elements. All of these issues combined probably explains why fewer mods are being released compared to Amnesia. But we haven’t given up on modding. Far from it. There are lots of interesting things in the works coming from the community (for instance, a very fitting SCP inspired custom story) and we’re discussing what we could do to give people more incentive to create and finish more mods. I think the most surprising part of the player response is the depth in which SOMA’s story and subject matters have been discussed. For instance, there have been really interesting discussions as to whether the game’s (semi-)antagonist, WAU, is evil or not. Patrick Klepek at Kotaku wrote up a nice summary on this that can be found here. While WAU was designed to not be really evil, it was very surprising to see some people seeing it as the good force in the game’s world. It made us look at the story in ways we’d never thought about ourselves. Another interesting discussion has been the coin-flip ‘controversy’. For instance, here is a long discussion that brings up various sides to the argument. This was another thing that we didn’t figure would be very controversial, but ended up spawning tons of intelligent arguments. It’s been a great deal of fun to see discussions like this. There’s one aspect of the game that we’ve only seen mentioned once, though, which we thought would be a much bigger issue. What that is we’ll leave as an exercise for the reader to figure out. It’s also been great to see all of the real-world connections people have made with SOMA. Here‘s an article that goes through a few of them. By far the most surprising reaction we’ve had yet has got to be one guy mailing us saying that the game inspired him to fly to the US and propose to his girlfriend. We’ve always seen SOMA as a rather bleak game, and it was really interesting to see how some people actually found it uplifting and inspiring. In all, we couldn’t really have hoped for a better response. People report still thinking about the game months afterwards, and that it’s made them think deeply about subjects they haven’t considered before. This was what we were after when we started the game all those years ago, and it’s incredibly satisfying to see that we managed to reach that goal. I mentioned above that a problem with SOMA is that it lies between two genres. Not only has this probably led to lost sales, it’s also most likely the reason why SOMA cannibalized the Amnesia sales. The moment that SOMA came out, sales of Amnesia: The Dark Descent went down too, and has stayed down ever since. We saw the same happening when we released Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, but since SOMA is in many ways quite different from Amnesia, we thought it wouldn’t happen this time. But it did, and the reason seems to be that people lump both titles under a “Current Horror From Frictional Games” label. In order to combat this issue we’re thinking about differentiating the games we make a bit more. So if we make another sci-fi game, we’ll probably tone down the horror elements and make the sci-fi narrative more prominent. The reverse would be true if we made a new horror game. The idea is that this’ll not only let us reach a new and wider audience, but also minimize the risk that people will mix up our games, and instead they’ll see them as separate entities. With SOMA it feels we’ve made it clear that Frictional Games is not just about pure horror, and we want to take advantage of that and diversify the experiences we craft. Related to the above is our new internal development strategy. For the first time in company history we’re now developing two games at the same time. This will require non-trivial changes in how we manage the team, but in the end we’re very sure it’ll be worth it all. By having two projects going at the same time, we can release games at much higher frequency. In turn, this let us be more experimental as we don’t have to rely as much on each new game being a big money generator. We’re still in the early phases of this transition, but it’s shaping up really well so far. This also means we might do some recruitment in the near future. Watch this space for more news on that! Previous PostPrevious GDC 2016 Lecture Resources Next PostNext Frictional Merchandise Is Finally Out!	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line438
__label__wiki	0.686945	0.686945	Member Countries English \| Français Page Detail / Agenda 2030 The g7+ has actively lobbied for the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal 16 – “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions” – in the final list of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be agreed in 2015 to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). President of Liberia, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as one of three co-chairs of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In addition, the former Chair of th g7+ and Former Minister of Finance of Timor – Leste, H.E. Emilia Pires was appointed as one of the Eminent Persons. This gave countries affected by conflict and fragility an important voice in the negotiations of the post-2015 development agenda. Extensive consultations were held with the aim of including often marginalised fragile state voices. To this end, various consultation and advocacy events have been organised by the g7+ group. The first such High level event took place in September 2012 during the 67th United Nations General Assembly. Attended by more than 300 participants, including heads of states and governments, ministers, ambassadors, CSOs, academic organisations and UN agencies, the event set the stage for further advocacy for peacebuilding and statebuilding to be recognized as a goal in the post 2015 development agenda. In February 2013, the g7+ co-hosted the Dili International Conference on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, bringing together representatives from fragile states and the Pacific to ensure their concerns were heard during negotiations. The discussions resulted in the Dili Consensus, which calls for stronger links between development and peace. A High Level Side Event on the margins of the 69th United Nations General Assembly was also held in September 2014 in collaboration with the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. This focused on ensuring that peace and capable institutions are included as a stand-alone goal in the post-2015 agenda (read more here) The 20 Indicators for g7+ Countries SDG no. SDG indicator SDG 1 1.1.1. Proportion of population below the international poverty line, by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural) SDG 2 National number of persons assisted by emergency food aid (e.g. World Food Programme, Government) SDG 3 3.2.1 Under-five mortality rate (death probability before the age of 5 per 1,000 live births) SDG 4 4.1.1 Primary and secondary education completion rates National number of people with vocational training Number of children with access to primary and secondary education SDG 5 5.5.5.1 Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments National number of women holding senior bureaucratic positions SDG 6 6.1.1. Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services SDG 7 7.1.1. Proportion of population with access to electricity SDG 8 8.5.2. Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities 8.b.1 Total government spending in social protection and employment programmes as a proportion of the national budgets and GDP SDG 9 National kilometers/miles of season roads (disaggregated by region) SDG 10 10.2.1. Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by age, sex and persons with disabilities SDG 11 11.1.1.Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing SDG 16 16.3.2. Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population 16.7.1 Proportions of positions (by gender, age, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service and judiciary) compared to national distributions National number of Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees SDG 17 17.4.1 Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services 17.9.1 Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries g7+ SDG Report _HLPF 2019 2 MB The g7+ Headquarters Kobe House, Rua Palacio do Governo, Dili Timor-Leste The g7+ European Hub Av. 24 de Julho no.118 B/C/D Santos, Lisboa Portugal: +351 211322371 g7+ Events g7+ Newsletters © 2021 g7+ \|\| All Right Reserved Ministerial Forum The Chair and Deputy Chair Secretariat and Hub Staff The Focal Points Advisory Board Council New Deal Implementation Global Policy and Advocacy Peer Learning and Cooperation g7+ Strengthening Secretariat Publications Speeches & Statements Member Country Publications	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line439
__label__cc	0.730004	0.269996	Some Things Are Just Wrong Libby wasn’t the only victim of this serious miscarriage of justice. Tuesday, March 8, 2007, a US Jury found Lewis Scooter Libby guilty of 4 out of 5 charges of lying to a Grand Jury. It seems that the jury felt terrible about finding him guilty, as if he was set-up to be the fall guy for an incident that proved to be no incident at all. So why did they vote to find him guilty? I would not have. The original case had to do with: Who outed Valerie Plame, the wife of no goodnik Joseph Wilson, the self-promoting Washington wannabe? Plame was supposed to be a covert operative of the CIA. And to “out” such a person is against American law. As it turns out, she was neither a covert CIA operative, nor did Scooter Libby “out” her as was originally suspected. Nonetheless, Patrick Fitzgerald, the US Federal Attorney pursued Libby with a vengeance, EVEN AFTER HE KNEW THE LEAKER WAS SOMEONE ELSE! Fitzgerald was told prior to Libby’s visit to the Grand Jury, where Libby allegedly lied, that the real leaker was Richard Armitage, the former Deputy Secretary of State under Colin Powell. That’s where the entire process should have stopped. But it didn’t. Instead, Fitzgerald set Libby up for a fall. And that’s not right. Even street prostitutes are safe from entrapment, and no matter how it can be spun, Lewis Scooter Libby was a victim of entrapment by an over zealous Federal Attorney who was not going to be denied his taste of blood. While Libby may have lied to the Grand Jury about what he knew and when he knew it, he should never have been placed in a position to provide any testimony at all, since there was no case against him, and no law had been broken. If anyone should be found guilty of misappropriate behavior, it is the Federal Attorney Fitzgerald. And if the government wants to go after someone else who is really guilty, they should go after Armitage, not for “outing” Plame since she was never “outed” in the classical sense, but for withholding the fact that he was the “guilty” party, while another man was grilled for Armitage’s supposed crime. Armitage is scum of a higher order for keeping his silence while another man was tormented for no good reason. And as for Fitzgerald; to withhold this truth while knowingly pursuing an innocent man makes him even worse. Lewis Scooter Libby doesn’t need a new trial, or an appeal, or a Presidential pardon. What he does need and deserves, is nothing less than an apology and a return of all the money he had to spend to defend himself from a state-sponsored bully. He also deserves to be compensated for what the system put him through. In closing: I believe that right-thinking American people realize that Libby was railroaded, and when push comes to shove, this will impact very negatively upon all of those who had a hand in beating up on an innocent man. Libby wasn’t the only victim of this serious miscarriage of justice, since every American who believes in fair play, as being the American way, has no less been a victim too. Fitzgerald gave the US Justice System a very black eye. God bless you, Howard, and thank you for sharing your reality. I lived in VT for 30 years and took care of horses and bucked hay bales, carried feed, shoveled to the barns, dealt with frozen water . . . and 10 years ago, I left there for warmer, dryer, sunnier space . . . and have never regretted it. Am looking forward to reading about where you and Anne will be this time next year 🙂 Holly Mayfield, Kansas	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line440
__label__cc	0.590851	0.409149	NewsIcon for news interview wccftech.com AMD CEO 'Thrilled' with How Console Launches Went; 'There's Higher Demand Than We Thought' ClockIcon for clock Dec 3rd 2020 CommentIcon for comment 1 BeaconIcon for beacon 1 The Second Season of Rocket League Drops Next Week The second season of Rocket League is racing its way to your game next week. The seasonal update will include new music, customization options, and a brand new arena. NewsIcon for news commentary twistedvoxel.com You Shouldn't Play Cyberpunk 2077 Before Day One Patch Even If You Have a Copy Cyberpunk 2077 will have a substantial day one patch. Even if you get the game early, it is best to wait until launch, or whenever the update is out. NewsIcon for news news techraptor.net Magicka Creators Arrowhead Game Studios Announce Their Next Title Arrowhead Game Studios, the developers of Magicka, Gauntlet, Helldivers, and The Showdown Effect has announced their first next-generation title. It is a third-person shooter "featuring next-gen graphics, innovative co-op, and agency for the community to alter the course of the game." It will also apparently share the same type of humor that is evident in… Silent Hill Creator Keiichiro Toyama Founds Bokeh Game Studio Silent Hill and Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama has split from Sony Interactive Entertainment to form a new company, Bokeh Gaming Studio. He'll be joined by creatives who worked on The Last Guardian and Gravity Rush. Immortals Fenyx Rising Runs At Locked 4K On PS5, Dynamic 4K On Xbox Series X According to an analysis, Immortals Fenyx Rising appears to run slightly better on the PS5. Both new generation consoles offer similar performance. NewsIcon for news podcast Gaming Beyond the Box This weeks gaming news without morals but plenty of terrible adult humor you could think of Pages: First Page123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731732733734735736737738739740741742743744745746747748749750751752753754755756757758Last Page	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line441
__label__cc	0.704614	0.295386	girls speak geek celebrity interview archive. media commentary. tv and film reviews. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Fast and Furious or 2 Fast 2 Furious. I didn’t even bother to see the two after that. The first was actually pretty decent, but car chases aren’t as much fun for me as hand to hand combat scenes. The best I can say about this one, is that it is at least as good as the first one. And maybe a little bit more fun. I think, in part, the fun comes from great music which created a playful sort of energy despite how serious the movie was. Also, it isn’t just car chases, the stunts are insanely cool. It’s a little bit smart, even though it’s also kind of predictable. And it looks so good. It isn’t as gritty as the first one, it’s flashy. Most of all, it isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not. This isn’t the most brilliant movie you’ve ever seen. The performances aren’t Oscar worthy and the plot not earth shattering. But the things it’s trying to do, it does well. It’s got great action and great music and fun characters so it’s exciting and interesting and fun. I was surprised at the emotional moments in it, not that they were particularly deep, but there was some decent character resonance within all the action. Also, Paul Walker may not be a brilliant actor, but he looks good holding a gun and throwing a punch. It’s shiny and fast and pretty which is how I like it. May 18, 2011 \| Review 3 star, action \| this post contains affiliate links Copyright © 2021 girls speak geek. Tweak Me theme by Nose Graze	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line443
__label__cc	0.718884	0.281116	Phoenix Film Festival: Interview with Jason Carney March 20, 2014 by Sheryl No Comments Well, I said I would be doing more posts about this, and here you go! This is the official start to a series of posts covering the 2014 Phoenix Film Festival. All posts will also be cross-posted to rickyleepotts.com, so feel free to go pay him a visit too and see what other kind of stuff he’s got going on over there. I had the opportunity to interview Jason Carney, Festival Director as well as Executive Director of the Phoenix Film Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the festival. Here’s what Jason had to say. Jason Carney How did you become the “guy in charge”? I came on board the first year of the festival as a volunteer. A buddy of mine from high school, Greg Hall, was the Program Director (and still is) and he asked me to come help out. I jumped in full throttle and ended up managing the theatre auditoriums. In subsequent years, I became part of the leadership team and took on additional roles of managing judging, screen introductions, short film programming, etc. Then in 2005, I became the Festival Director and shortly after I took a leap of faith by quitting my job and becoming the Phoenix Film Foundation’s Executive Director. And nine years later, we’re still doing great things. What’s the best part of working with the festival? The best part is that feeling at the festival is the reaction of the filmmakers when their film screens at the festival. It’s a long and sometimes arduous process in the planning and execution of the festival. We have to process over 1,000 films and narrow it down to 150 that we actually screen. Those films become “our” films and we want them to be successful and the filmmakers to be happy about their experience with us. So there’s a tremendous amount of pride when all that comes together and the filmmakers and audiences love the event. What do you do to decompress after the festival is over? Unfortunately it takes nearly a month for life to get back to normal. For about three straight months my brain is going 150 miles per hour, the emails are out of control and the phone doesn’t stop ringing. Then it all stops. At that point my brain takes some time to adjust and it’s tricky to catch up on two months of sleep. The ultimate cure is about a month of not going to the movies, catching up on TV and eating meals at home with my wife. Basically, normal stuff is awesome at that point. Is there an actor or actress you would like to meet that you haven’t had the opportunity to yet? That’s one of those things that’s kind of cool but my goal is to get us great films and whatever happens after that, is a bonus. Of course, we have “dream” guests that we’d love to have. In the super huge star category, I would say George Clooney. In the under appreciated actor category, it would be Stanley Tucci. I can narrow it down to two for you. “Almost Famous” and “Animal House”. Don’t ask me to choose one of them. It will break my heart. Do you have a movie genre that you like more than others? I typically lean towards comedies because great ones are hard to find. It’s a challenge at any budget or level to produce a great comedy that has all of the elements including strong screenplay, great characters and the right actors. What is the biggest challenge involved in putting on the festival? There are so many elements involved and I think that juggling all of those pieces is the biggest challenge. If we were just screening films, it would be a whole different thing. However, there’s so many other pieces for our festival. There’s the element of bringing in filmmakers from around the world which means managing their travel, accommodations, passes and Q&A sessions. Plus we have to plan all of our special events including parties, workshops and filmmaker events. Add that to the big beast of marketing all of the films and events and that’s a bunch of things to manage. Have you had the opportunity to screen many of the movies at this year’s festival yet? If so, what is one you would highly recommend? I’ve watched a good chunk of the films and I’m really impressed by the quality of films we have at this year’s festival. I’m also super intrigued by the films I haven’t seen yet. On Friday night we’ve got a film called “Trust Me” which is directed by Clark Gregg and has tons of star power. Then on Closing Night is Richard Linklater’s latest film, “Boyhood” which they shot over 8 years to capture a boy growing up. How would you like to see the festival grow in the coming years? I think the key to our growth is all about the programming. Over the years our films have continued to improve and because of that we’re able to secure higher profile films. This will increase the festival’s profile and ability to grow into more theatres and more screenings. What’s your favorite movie quote? I’ve been trying to come up with one that doesn’t involve swearing and it’s harder than you think. I’m going to go with with Matthew McConaughey in “Dazed and Confused” with…. “It’d be a lot cooler if you did” Check back soon for more interviews and coverage of the festival! There are some great things in store. Flashback: Heroes In My World	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line444
__label__cc	0.584786	0.415214	Tiny Core Linux 7.1: Big Where It Counts by FOSS Force Guest Writer \| posted on June 6, 2016 « Why Linux & Open Source Writers Should Be Paid FOSS Reporter Blues » Linux From Square One This week I had been pursuing a story on a virtualization development which was prematurely suggested/whispered/uncovered at LinuxFest Northwest. However, I understand from those who know more about the subject than I do — which is just about everyone — it was apparently not as groundbreaking as I thought. With my knowledge of virtualization ranking just slightly above my non-existent grasp of quantum physics, I had to put that one aside thanks to a ever-approaching deadline. But never mind: Something better came along, and the virtual lemons now become lemonade. We’ll take a walk down memory lane in a minute, but Jason Hibbets and his team of scribes at Opensource.com published a story today announcing a new page on the site to introduce everyone — from the curious to the not-yet-enlightened and beyond — to Linux/FOSS. “Here at Opensource.com, we want to help answer that question in a manner that allows others [to] pass it around and share it with the world,” the article states. “So, we created a new resource page which gently introduces Linux, the world’s most popular open source operating system.” The page, complete with links to other helpful articles, is pretty thorough in its explanation of what Linux is, where it came from and how to give it a spin from a thumb drive. Despite the fact I have a different view of which distros are best for kids — Qimo (pronounced “kim-o,” as in the last part of eskimo, not “chemo”) tops the list, as it should, but the French distro Doudou (add your own joke here) is unfortunately left out — the link there is informative. So for those who are just getting their proverbial feet wet in Linux, this is a godsend. But wait, there’s more: For the new folks out there, once you install Linux and FOSS, you’re not entirely through yet (though, of course, it’s up to you how deeply you’d like to get involved). Coincidentally, today in an unrelated post on the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’s Open Thoughts site, Red Hat’s Joe Brockmeier — arguably the man with the best voice in FOSS — writes an article with the apt title, Do Something, Even if It’s Wrong.” “One of the dirty secrets of open source is that participating in open source is often counter-intuitive for folks who’ve been working in a top-down decision-making culture,” Brockmeier writes. He continues a little later: “What’s worse, we’re also taught to be afraid of making mistakes. Do the wrong thing, and you’ll be ‘blamed’ or held accountable in unpleasant ways. One of the hardest things about working with new contributors is overcoming the urge to be told what to do, wait for permission, and — at all costs — avoid mistakes.” So there you go: Get out there and run with the ball. If you fumble, we’ll recover it. Boot a grounder? We’re backing you up so the baserunner doesn’t advance. Everything will be OK. As Joe writes, FOSS has developed “a culture where fixing problems is more important than assigning blame. Try it, though. You’ll be amazed how effective it can be when people feel empowered to take on problems without expressly seeking permission for every little thing. Do something, even if it’s wrong. And then, if it was wrong, fix it.” Now, let’s go back to 2006: It would have been nice to have these articles when I started out in Linux and FOSS nine years ago, introduced by the IT guy from the Green Party of California when I asked where I’d get Adobe products for my statewide campaign for office that year. During the campaign, I kept thinking about how great this paradigm is — people working together to make software free (as in freedom and, in many cases, beer) for public use — and switched gears to work to advocate for FOSS. That’s my story. FOSS Force has asked you before, I know, but I’ll ask again: How did you get started, and — knowing what you know now — what would you tell your Linux newbie self years ago if you could talk to him/her? Give us your answer below. One more thing: I didn’t want to let this slip by without mention, and Friday’s wrap-up is too far away. While at Opensource.com this morning, Rikki Endsley posted an excellent story for developers which is worth mentioning. It’s essentially The 8 Highly Effective Habits of Willie Nelson, though that’s not quite the title. It’s not related to the topic above, but it’s worth a read. The time has come for FOSS Force to grow and offer expanded coverage of free and open source software and free tech. For this reason, we have declared the month of May to be “Pledge Month” on FOSS Force and have launched a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo. You can get all of the details on our campaign page. Larry Cafiero, a.k.a. Larry the Free Software Guy, is a journalist and a Free/Open Source Software advocate. He is involved in several FOSS projects and serves as the publicity chair for the Southern California Linux Expo. Follow him on Twitter: @lcafiero Tags: Linux, open source \| Category: Community, Distros, News, Operating Systems 1 comment to Linux From Square One Scott Dowdle Larry, If you have some time… there is an intro to OpenVZ video I can recommend. I need to make a new video that compares and contrasts OpenVZ and Docker. I prefer OpenVZ myself as it has a ton more features and is way more mature.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line447
__label__cc	0.530344	0.469656	Previous Chapter Problem Solving Next Chapter Spreading Their Wings The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 2 - 38. New Horizons I got Ryan and Owen up at 8:00 on Saturday morning, had them eat a quick breakfast, before making sure they were dressed appropriately prior to leaving the house. Ryan was dressed for his practice, while Owen was wearing his uniform, because we wouldn't have time to come home in between. If we were lucky, we'd have just enough time to stop at a fast food joint and grab a quick bite to eat before we headed over to Owen's game. Benny and Joshie's team's practice wasn't until 11:00, so Brandon stayed home to take them. He'd told Dion and Trey that they could spend the time entertaining Wyatt, rather than sitting around a practice. Neither of them were as into sports as Joshie was, and although Brandon wasn't big on sports either, at least he'd played on the soccer team with some of us when we were younger. He was never a starter, and I think he only did it because of me, but he was willing to watch and support the boys when they tried different activities. As we were watching Ryan's team practice, Owen wanted to talk. "You don't mind that Ryan and I do that stuff, do you?" I quickly looked around before I answered. "No, I don't, but I also don't believe this is the right place to talk about it." "I'm not saying what we were doing, and neither are you, and there's no one around to hear us even if we did," he reasoned. "That may be true, but if someone were to wander near us and we didn't notice them, they could overhear what we were saying and might be able to figure out what you boys are up to. I think that would be something you'd want to avoid, especially after the things those boys were saying to Ryan. They might turn on you next, if they thought you were doing those types of things as well. Even seeing you hanging around with us could cause them to assume that." "I know, and I've talked to my parents about that, but they're not worried. They said we'd all just join forces if anything like that was to happen. They know I'm probably gay and something like that might come up anyway, but they said we'll deal with it when it happens." "I'm glad they're willing to support you on this, but you'll still need to be careful so you don't bring these problems on yourself any sooner than necessary. I know what happened shook Ryan up pretty badly, so you probably should try to prevent the same thing from happening to you." "Ryan probably acted that way because he's not gay, but I'm sure it was also because he was mad that they were saying most of those things about you guys. He really loves all of you and doesn't like it when other people start talkin' crap about you." "I'm glad he feels that way, but we can fight our own battles. He doesn't have to jump in and defend us." "I think he knows that, but he wants to do it because you guys have done so much for him. And he wants to show that he appreciates the things you let us do too." "We realize you're both grateful, but there are other ways he can show it that are, shall we say, less threatening." "Ok, I'll try to convince him of that for ya. I'll also watch what I say when we're not at your house." "Good. That's all I ask." As soon as Ryan's practice ended, I hustled the boys over to the SUV, drove to a fast food joint, and we all ordered just enough to tide us over until we got back to the house. Owen was out on the field warming up with his team when his parents showed up. They spotted us and came over to sit with Ryan and me. "Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" Terri asked Ryan before she sat down. "I'm good, just a little tired. I had practice earlier." "I remember your dad told me that. I just want you to know that I'm really glad you are Owen's friend, because he loves being with you." "I know, and I like being with him too. We have a lot of fun together." "Some of which you probably can't share with us," she teased, which caused a look of horror to cross Ryan's face, and then he began to blush. "Hey, we know boys will be boys, so don't be embarrassed. We figured stuff like that would probably happen sooner or later." I'm not sure her last comment made Ryan feel any better, but she moved past us and took a seat. Brian then patted Ryan on the shoulder, before he sat down between his wife and me. "I'm glad these two decided to try out for a team this year," Brian stated. "I was afraid Owen was missing out, since he'd never wanted to play a sport before, so I'm glad Ryan convinced him to at least try." "Yes, I think it's been good for both of them. I know Ryan thinks it would have been better if they were on the same team, but they're still close and I think the friendly rivalry is good for them." "I do too. I was looking at Owen's schedule before we came and realized Owen's team plays Ryan's team again on the 22nd. That's only a week and a half from now." "I know, and the baseball season ends the week after that. I'm planning to have a cookout before school starts and I want you, your wife, and Owen to attend. It will only be our family and maybe two of my other son's friends and their parents, so I hope you'll agree to join us." "Of course. We'd love too." When the game started, we all turned our attention to what was happening on the field. Owen had a fairly good game and got on base twice, once on an infield hit and another time when he walked, so he was all smiles when he joined us after the game ended. Of course, he and Ryan then began to argue over whose team was going to win the next time they played each other. The rest of us refused to get involved in their discussion, even though the boys tried to get us to share our thoughts, We didn't want to take sides, though, even for our sons. The boys eventually stopped their playful bickering and Owen said goodbye to his parents as we got ready to go back to the house. "Did you remember to bring clothes for church this time?" I asked on the way home. "Yep. That's another reason my parents let me stay tonight too, cuz they don't want to go to church." "That's fine and we'll take you with us every Sunday, even if you don't stay over the night before." "K, I'd like that." When we reached the house, both boys went upstairs to shower and change. When they came down a half hour later, they asked a question. "Can we go swimming in the pool?" "I suppose so. It's a beautiful day and you probably should be outside, so that's fine with me." Ryan and Owen then went in to tell Benny, Joshie, and Wyatt what they were going to do, so before long they were all racing toward the rec room. They only stopped long enough to strip off their clothes first, before bursting through the backdoor and darting toward the pool. "Wyatt swims like this too?" Owen asked as he checked out Wyatt as I walked my nephew out to the pool. "Yes, he likes doing it as much as the rest of you." "That's cool," Owen replied, before turning around and racing off to catch up with the others. I'd been out with the boys for about twenty minutes when Noah and Adam walked out to talk to me. "We just got here and Dad B said the other boys were in the pool, so is it alright if we join them?" "Just so you know, none of them are wearing anything." "Yeah, I figured that and we don't mind." "No, I don't have a problem with that at all. I've swam naked before with some of my friends, so I hope the other boys don't mind if we join them." "Oh, they won't. In fact they'll probably enjoy checking you out." "Neat. I don't have a problem with that either." Just like Elliot and Ian had done when they went skinny dipping with the younger boys, Noah and Adam shed their clothes and placed everything on the lawn chairs as they prepared to jump in the pool. Adam appeared to be built like a typical fifteen-year-old, except he was hairier than I'd expected. He already had quite a bit of hair on his chest, a thin 'happy trail' from his navel to his pubic patch, quite a bit of hair under his arms, and extremely hairy legs, compared to Noah's smoother frame. As soon as they entered the pool area, I heard the other boys comment about Adam, and he just stood there for a minute, as he let them all get a good look. Then, he and Noah dove into the water with the rest of the boys. After a short time, the boys decided to play tag. I wasn't sure who had initiated this, but I had my suspicions. My hunch was confirmed when I heard Adam make a comment a couple of minutes later. "Hey, tag above the waist!" When I looked to see who he was talking to, it was Owen. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do that." However, I'm not sure if any of the others believed him, but Adam wasn't mad. "It's ok, it's just that you got me in the nuts too, and it hurt a little." "K. I'll be more careful from now on." The boys spent quite a bit of time in the pool, except for Wyatt. He got tired after a while, so I walked him back to the house. When I returned, I was carrying towels for the boys to use when they decided to call it quits, which didn't happen for another half hour. "Man, I really like it here," Adam said as he was drying off. "I like that you let your sons and their friends do stuff like this, cuz I don't think my parents would." "Not all of the boys' friends do this, and I'd prefer that you keep this to yourself. There are plenty of people who would try to make a major problem for us if they knew we let others do this too, not just our sons. I'm sure you can appreciate what I mean, since you know about the problem Ryan had with those boys." "Yeah, and I won't say anything. I don't want to ruin it, because I want to come back here and do it again." "I appreciate that, and you're welcome to join us anytime." "As long as no one does this when my parents are here, that is, if I can get them to come." "Don't worry. We only do this in private, not in public." "Do you ever swim with the boys like this?" "Yes, we grew up doing it as well, so we've all swum naked with the boys at different times." "That's really neat. I don't think most parents want their kids to see them like that. I've been in locker rooms with fathers and sons before, and I've noticed that a lot of the fathers try really hard to keep their kids from seeing them that way. I think they're crazy doin' that, so I hope you'll go swimming with us sometime too." "Yeah, me too," Owen chimed in with a huge grin on his face. His comment came as no surprise, though. "Maybe next time." After the boys got dressed again, they went off in different directions to do whatever they were going to try next. The younger boys went to the family room to play video games, Noah and Adam stayed in the rec room to compete with each other, and Owen and Ryan raced upstairs. I guess seeing the other naked boys made them horny, so they opted to take care of their sexual needs, rather than play other games. Adam went home before we called the boys to dinner, saying his parents expected him to eat with them. That wasn't a problem, and the rest of us sat down to eat together. As soon as the meal ended, I asked what they wanted to do next. "Why don't we all go out and play touch football," Noah suggested. "We've all done that before and it should be fun." "Do you all want to do that?" I asked as I looked around the table. "Yeah," they all agreed, so I checked with the other adults next. Since Trey was the least athletic of the group, he said he'd stay and entertain Wyatt. Dion said he was willing to play, as were Dad and Pop, so we went outside and chose up teams. We played until it was too dark to continue and we all had a good time, even though no one bothered to keep score. It had just been a fun thing to do and it helped to pass the time, so we'd have to keep that in mind for the future too. Since we'd all been running around and getting sweaty, we sent the boys upstairs to shower again. When we went up later to tuck them in, they all had something to say about what we'd done. "That was fun, and I'd never done it before, 'cept at school," Benny said as we tucked him in. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." "Yeah, it was fun playin' against each other, since me and Benny was on different teams," Joshie added. "That was to make the teams even," Brandon confirmed, as we finished up and headed to the third floor. "Thanks for agreeing to my suggestion," Noah said when we entered his room. "I just wish Adam had still been here to play with us." "There will be another time, I'm sure of it." "Yes, that might be something we could do at the cookout," Brandon suggested. "Yeah, that would be awesome," Noah concurred before we said goodnight to him and went over to Ryan's room. "I had a good time playing football with you guys," Owen stated as we walked in. "I think my dad would like doin' that too." "We just mentioned to Noah that we might do it at the cookout we're going to have for your families," Brandon offered. "That would be great," Owen enthused. "Yeah, it would," Ryan agreed. "I really had a good time doin' that, cuz Owen and I were playin' against each other." "As we told Benny, we did that to make the teams fair," Brandon confirmed. "Yeah, I know," Ryan confessed, "but it was still fun." Brandon and I were glad they'd all seemed to have a good time. It was just too bad that Elliot wasn't here to join in, but Ian wouldn't have been able to participate. He probably won't be able to play at the cookout either, since we doubted his leg would be healed by then. Sunday morning, we got the boys up, gave them a snack to tide them over, and had them get ready for church. After we got there, the boys each headed to their Sunday school classes, after saying goodbye to us. They were all smiles when they joined us for the church service later, so we all went in and sat down together. When the sermon ended, we made our way out of the church as quickly as we could, because some of the boys were already complaining they were hungry. We went out for brunch next, and once the boys had full bellies, we returned home. Shortly after we got back, Ryan came up to Brandon and me and asked a question. "Can we go swimming again?" "Sure, we don't have a problem with that." "And we want you guys to do it too," Owen added with a grin on his face. We could tell he was eager to see us naked too. I looked at Brandon and read his non-verbal response first, before I answered. "Ok, we'll do that too. Go put your swimsuits on and we'll head outside." "No way! We've got to do it like we did yesterday," Owen screamed, visibly upset. Brandon and I couldn't hide our amusement any longer and burst out laughing. "Ok, we just wanted to see how you'd react," I assured him, once I was able to control my amusement. "I'll go see if anyone else wants to join us too." To my surprise, everyone else thought it sounded like a good idea as well. That not only included Dad and Pop, but Dion and Trey agreed to do it with their sons as well. Since we were all in agreement, we stripped down and headed out the backdoor. "This is so awesome," Owen practically purred as he checked each of us out on the way to the pool. "My dad would probably do this too, if my mom would let him. I don't think she'd want to do it with us, though." "Probably not, and this has always been an all male activity when we do it here." "Cuz we've all got the same equipment," Noah offered. "And it's not much different from changin' in the locker room," Ryan added, as he nonchalantly referred to his first experience being naked in front of others. "We might have the same parts," Owen agreed, "but there are still plenty of differences. Some of you are a lot bigger than the rest of us, and some of you have more hair on your bodies, but I like seein' all of it." I was convinced the rest of us understood he was talking about Dion when he mentioned some being bigger, and Pop and me when he commented about some of us being harrier, but none of his observations seemed to bother anyone. I was mostly concerned that Owen was going to pass out from the over stimulation of seeing so many naked bodies, because it had caused him to sprout wood. That meant the blood was flowing to the wrong head, but he seemed to pull himself together once he jumped into the water. When Wyatt began to tire, Dion and Trey got out of the pool to take him inside. Shortly after they left, Dad and Pop decided they'd had enough too. Brandon and I stayed with the boys, however, since they wanted us to play games with them, and we began with Marco Polo. When it was Owen's turn to close his eyes and try to locate the rest of us, he tended to run his hands over our bodies when he found us. He never grabbed our penises, but he slid his hands over our chests, down our backs, and over our butts in the process. We let him enjoy himself when he did this, as long as he didn't get too carried away. Once the boys were finally ready to call it quits, we dried off and went inside to get dressed again. Once we'd done that, the boys took off to play games, as Brandon and I went to see what the others were up to. Dion was with Wyatt, Dad and Trey were working on dinner, and Pop was outside mowing the lawn. Since they were all busy, Brandon and I decided to check the boys' baseball schedules so we could select a date for the cookout. After studying the dates of the boys remaining games, and allowing for rescheduled games due to bad weather, we finally selected a date. Then, we went out to ask Dad, Pop, Dion, and Trey if there was any reason why that particular date wouldn't work. They didn't have anything that conflicted with what we wanted to do, so we settled on Saturday, August 1st. Seeing we knew Owen's parents were expecting him for dinner, we went to the family room and told him to collect his things so we could take him home. He grumbled a bit about having to leave, but did as we asked, and on the ride to his house I informed him of the date we wanted to have the cookout. "That sounds great, and I'll tell my mom and dad," he said when we nearly there. However, that turned out not to be necessary, since Terri come out to greet us as soon as we pulled in the driveway. "I hope we weren't holding you up?" I said, when I saw her emerge from the house so quickly. "No, I just happened to be looking out the window because I'd heard a child screaming, and then I saw you coming down the street," she said, trying to convince me that she hadn't been anxiously watching for us. "That's good, because I certainly don't want Owen's visits to become an inconvenience for you. By the way, we've set a date for the cookout. We'll do it on Saturday, August 1st, but I'm not sure if we'll do it at noon or later. We'll let you know well in advance, though, but this will allow you to mark it on your calendar." "Thanks, and I'll check to see if we have anything else going on that day?" "If you do, just let us know and we might be able to move it to the next day or later in the day, so you'll be able to attend." "I appreciate that. You're very accommodating." "We just want to make sure you can attend, because I know Owen and Ryan want us to get to know each other better." "Brian and I would like that too. We'd also like Ryan to spend next weekend with us, if that's not a problem." "None that I can think of, and we'll pick Owen up the Friday after that. If you want, he can also stay at our place on the weekend of the cookout, and that way you and Brian will only have to worry about yourselves." "I'll talk to Brian about that, but it seems you've got everything figured out. It has been really nice having these weekends free, because Brian and I have been able to concentrate on our relationship. It's almost like we've been dating again." "Yes, I know exactly what you mean." When we got back to the house, I also filled Noah in on what we had decided, and told him to let Adam know too. However, I asked Noah to go down to their house tomorrow night and invite Adam's parents personally. I figured that might ensure the best chance that they'd agree to come. When Elliot arrived home later, we told him about our plans as well, so he could ask Ian and his parents to join us when he went over there the following day. He liked the idea too, and thought Ian's parents would be eager to attend. Elliot admitted that he'd heard Ian's mother complain about only being invited to stuffy, formal dinners with her husband's medical colleagues, so he thought she'd appreciate this. I was pleased to hear that, since I was worried about how they'd get along with the other two couples. I'd never really asked what any of the other parents did for a living and hoped they wouldn't feel out of place, since Ian's father was a cardiologist and Brandon and I were in the medical field too. I would ask the boys what their parents did the next time I saw them, so I'd be better prepared for when we all got together. When we went up to tuck Ryan in later, he seemed to be busting a gut waiting to ask us a question. "Did Owen ask you anything today?" "I'm sure he asked us several things, so what exactly are you curious about?" "Did he ask you something about me and him?" "Maybe, but nothing that stands out in my mind." "Then he must have forgot." Ryan looked very disappointed after saying this. "Why? What was he supposed to ask us?" "I think I'd better let him do it." "Why?" "Cuz it was his idea." "Even if it was, you can still ask us. You'll be staying with him next weekend, so he wouldn't be here again until the week after that. Even though we'll be seeing him on the Wednesday before, when your two teams play each other again, if the question is about what I suspect it is, I doubt he'll want to ask us in front of his parents." "K, then I'll ask you. Owen wants me to do to him what that guy did to me. He says he wants to see what it feels like and he wants me to do it." Brandon and I were both left speechless for a few seconds. Even though Owen had hinted at this once before, I was hoping he'd wait until he was a little older before he tried it. Now, I had to say something to Ryan that wouldn't cause them to do it on their own, without our knowledge. "The four of us will talk this over the next time he's here. I have some questions I want to ask first, and there's some information I need to share with you before you attempt anything like that. I'm sure you remember how painful it was when it happened to you, and I don't want it to be like that for Owen." "But my dick isn't as big as that guy's was." "Maybe not, but you can still hurt him if you don't do things properly. Like I said, we'll all talk about it when he's here again." "K. I'll tell Owen what you said if I talk to him again before then." We then tucked Ryan in, kissed him on the forehead, and wished him sweet dreams. Then, Brandon and I headed downstairs knowing we had something to discuss before turning in. Great chapter Bill, I like the fact of an old fashioned Currie picnic is on the horizon. Keep up the great work. Thank you for the great chapter Bill. Something is always in the bush by the Curries. I can't wait a long week for the next chapter... Wesley8890 26,339 Another great chapter! Owen fits in with the family well. 11 hours ago, Dahawk said: Thanks, Dahawk, and I agree. A Currie picnic is always an interesting and fun time. 6 hours ago, Stix said: Thanks, Stix. Yes, the Curries are a busy group. Just remember, patience is a virtue and a week won't seem that long. We're nearing the end of this tale. 5 hours ago, Wesley8890 said: Thanks, Wesley. Yes, Owen fits in nicely and he's really gotten Ryan to blossom. 34 minutes ago, tor200534 said: Another great chapter. Big changes are in store for Ryan and Owen's relationship. Thanks, Jon. Yes, Ryan and Owen are eager to take it to the next level.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line448
__label__cc	0.668879	0.331121	Arts & Living, Movies Peanuts: ‘The Movie’ falls flat, the beloved childhood epic doesn’t deliver On November 18, 2015 • By Fernando Mattos Verdict: Without the punch of the comic strips for adults nor an interesting story for kids, “Peanuts: The Movie” ends up in an odd dead zone. One key moment defined the new Charlie Brown film to me. A child in the audience I was sitting in asked her father what the “zzz” balloon above a sleeping Snoopy meant. The father quickly explained it before going back to his iPhone. The movie stays in this dead zone that neither has the humorous, real world punch of the comic strips nor a story interesting enough to a child. In the movie, we see Charlie Brown fail again and again in impressing the new girl in town, but it’s just a collection of anecdotes without any sort of intelligent nor sarcastic commentary on what means to fall in love for the first time – the main plot line. To the little ones, the story seems beaten – they have seen it over and over again, but there’s nothing here that seemed attractive to me that would pull them away from a Pixar or Dreamworks movie. Even more frustrating, the setup for the joke is always here. In one instance, Charlie Brown begins reading a book that lists 10 steps in order to be a winner. He fails once again and… the movie just moves on to another anecdote connected to the plot of winning the girl. What would have generated a punch in a strip, here’s just another missed opportunity. “Peanuts: The Movie” is just like that friend who starts telling a sensational joke, but either forgets it or stops it because the boss has walked right into the room. There are good aspects of the film, but they are few. One is the opening, which goes from a drawing on a piece of paper to the actual first scene. It’s a simple and yet touching homage to cartoonist Charles Schultz, for it says that we couldn’t be here now watching this without his amazing imagination and talented hands that created a character loved all around the world. The voice actors are also a strong point. All characters seem unique and the voice matches well their personalities: the introspect, the lover, the mentor. At no moment a voice seems forced or over acted. Voice acting wise, the movie does extremely well. For kids, however, it’s a confusing film. First, there’s an awkward double structure: at the same time we are following Charlie’s struggle, we are also seeing Snoopy write a novel about a dog pilot who goes through war in order to save the dog girl of his dreams. I’m not sure a child can connect the metaphor between love and war. I’m almost sure that, even if the connection could be made, it wouldn’t be funny. For adults, the metaphor “love is like a war” may work, but is it something hilarious or something profound? For me, it’s a cheap, overused metaphor that works as neither one. “Peanuts: The Movie” constantly places the football right on the line for that final point, the punch that will connect us all in our insecurities, failures and doubts, transforming it all into a burst of laughter. Every time, however, the movie takes that ball away and we, like Charlie Brown, fall flat in the grass. The only problem is that our falling is never as funny as the comics are. georgia state movie review peanuts the movie	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line450
__label__cc	0.525439	0.474561	International Aid Groups Release Report in Nairobi on Education Under Attack A group of thirty key stakeholders from the education sector in Kenya gathered at the Columbia Global Centers \| Nairobi to deliberate the future of education in areas plagued by insecurity and conflict. Participants engaged in a panel discussion with the representatives from the Ministry of Education in Kenya, lauding the research as long overdue, noting that the government was keen to have more reports focusing on the cause of conflict.Participants from the non-governmental organizations applauded the research as timely and one that confirmed that inclusion was the ultimate solution to conflict. A group of thirty key stakeholders from the education sector in Kenya gathered at the Columbia Global Centers \| Nairobi to deliberate the future of education in areas plagued by insecurity and conflict. The stakeholders were drawn from the Ministry of Education, various United Nations Agencies and non-governmental organizations, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, European Union, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and the United States Agency for International Development among others, as well as universities, including the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Columbia University. The purpose of the meeting was to disseminate research findings carried out in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in light of recent events in the east Africa region. The meeting also presented a valuable opportunity to convene a diversity of experts to explore strategies for better protecting schools and universities from attack, while improving monitoring systems. The research was a result of collaborative efforts between Columbia University and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), a program of the Education Above All Foundation. The research sought to characterize the frequency and type of attacks on education in countries of study and to advance new methodologies to strengthen timely monitoring of such events. In recent years, violent attacks on education have become an important issue for the public and policymakers alike, with major attacks being widely covered by the news media, from the kidnapping of school girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram to the deadly attack on Garissa University College in Kenya by the militant Somali group Al-Shabaab followed shortly after by the bombing of the Ministry of Education in Mogadishu. In his opening remarks, Dr. Belay Begashaw, director for the Nairobi Center, termed the discussions as timely and welcomed the group as they came together to discuss and identify solutions to this critical issue. Professor Neil Boothby from Columbia University and one of the authors of the report reiterated the importance of the topic, noting that education in conflict areas had far-reaching implications on the economic and social development of the affected areas. Dr. Kimani Njogu from Twaweza Communications provided the context of the research. His presentation dubbed the climate of fear, sought to highlight the actual problems that students in these areas were facing, the consequences of the attacks, and possible strategies that organizations in the area could undertake to help combat the situation. These included among others holding people to account, inclusive governance, conducting more research into the nature and scale of attacks, more partnerships and collaborations between the government and industry players. Cyril Bennouna, the principal researcher, took participants through the research methodology and findings. He highlighted the definitions of attack used for the research, the way his team received reports of attacks and verified the quality and reliability of these reports through triangulation and the existing gaps in the monitoring and reporting process identified during the research. In his conclusion, Mr. Bennouna suggested that there was need for strengthening legislation, policies and practices around child protection issues; there was need for the integration of local knowledge as a source of credible information as well as the strengthening of partnerships between civil society organizations, education administrators and the international community. He also reiterated the need for varied data collection methods to enhance monitoring and reporting of attacks on education. Participants engaged in a panel discussion with the representatives from the Ministry of Education in Kenya, lauding the research as long overdue, noting that the government was keen to have more reports focusing on the cause of conflict. Participants from Kenyatta University echoed the same when they noted that there was need for a similar research to be carried out in North Eastern Kenya to aid in the development of a contextualized curriculum that would address issues causing the attacks. Participants from the non-governmental organizations applauded the research as timely and one that confirmed that inclusion was the ultimate solution to conflict. A representative from UNICEF called for follow-up meetings to explore how the research findings could be used to enhance collaboration in the industry with a common goal to address the problem. In her closing remarks, Dr. Margaret Sinclair, the main sponsor of the research, thanked the participants for taking time to attend the panel discussions and put out a call to the participants to consider sponsoring more research for more context-specific reports that would allow tailor-made peace building activities that would put an end to the conflict. Nairobi Education Nairobi Research Book Talk & Discussion: Katharina Pistor's 'The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality' Conversation on English literature with Pr. Hisham Matar Santiago Internship Spotlight: Isha Gore Columbia Graduate Schools Fair During the week of November 2-6, 2020, CGC \| Mumbai organized the Columbia Graduate Schools Fair virtually, featuring six Columbia Schools and Departments to give prospective international students from India the opportunity to learn more about Columbia's distinct academic, social and cultural learning environment in the heart of New York City. Regional Columbia Community Alumni Series To create a mentorship forum for Columbia University students in India during the pandemic, CGC \| Mumbai launched a webinar series featuring leading alumni from diverse fields. The inaugural program featured Jasmine Shah, an alumnus of Columbia SIPA, as he reflected on his professional journey in the fields of environment and public governance.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line452
__label__cc	0.568736	0.431264	GoldSpot Discoveries Corp. Signs Agreement with Firefox Gold Corp. Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – July 27, 2020) – GoldSpot Discoveries Corp. (TSXV: SPOT) (the “Company” or “GoldSpot“) has been engaged by FireFox Gold Corp. (TSXV: FFOX) (“FireFox”) to apply machine learning and its proprietary expertise to identify new exploration targets on FireFox’s robust portfolio of projects in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, located in Finland. In its analysis, GoldSpot will work with FireFox’s technical team to analyze all available geological and remote sensing data to explore the potential for gold mineralization local to the properties. “GoldSpot Discoveries is excited to bring our big data solution to Finland, a world class mining jurisdiction that is notoriously rich in data. We believe FireFox’s gold projects have incredible potential and GoldSpot will be able leverage its team and technology to unlock significant value. We believe GoldSpot’s approach to integrating FireFox’s existing and newly generated datasets with the Geological Survey of Finland’s impeccable geodatabase (which includes over 130 years of historical data), will provide FireFox with a significant advantage over other explorers in the area.” said Denis Laviolette, Executive Chairman and President of GoldSpot. Patrick Highsmith, Chairman of FireFox Gold, commented, “We are very excited to unleash GoldSpot’s cutting-edge technology on our gold projects in northern Finland. Our new integrated team encompasses FireFox’s deep Finland expertise and more than 120 years of economic geology experience and the structural geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and technology mavens from GoldSpot. We believe the future of gold discovery will be driven by high-quality data, technical excellence, and smart application of machine learning.” GoldSpot will help delineate drill-ready targets for orogenic gold mineralization, as well as identify prospective areas regionally. GoldSpot’s subject matter experts will homogenize, integrate, process and interpret exploration datasets such as mapped or logged lithology, geophysics, surface and downhole geochemistry, and structural data. These interpreted and derived products will be used as input layers to GoldSpot’s proprietary AI (machine learning) techniques, which will then be validated by our team of expert geoscientists, in collaboration with the FireFox technical team. The technical information in this press release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 — Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and reviewed and approved by Chris MacInnis, professional geoscientist (APGO No. 2059), a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 guidelines. GoldSpot Discoveries Corp. (TSXV:SPOT) is a technology and investment company that leverages machine learning to reduce capital risk while working to increase efficiency and success rates in resource exploration and investment. GoldSpot Discoveries combines proprietary technology with traditional domain expertise, offering a front-to-back service solution to its partners, and in some cases, capital to kickstart exploration programs. GoldSpot’s solutions target big data problems, making full use of historically unutilized data to better comprehend resource property potential. About FireFox Gold Corp. FireFox Gold Corp. (TSXV: FFOX) is focused entirely on gold exploration in Finland where it is exploring its project portfolio that includes over 150,000 hectares of prospective ground. Finland is one of the top mining investment jurisdictions in the world as indicated by its multiple top-10 rankings in recent Fraser Institute Surveys of Mining Companies. Having a strong mining law and long mining tradition, Finland remains underexplored for gold. Recent exploration results in the country have highlighted its prospectivity, and FireFox is proud to have a Finland based CEO and technical team. Cautionary Statement on Forward -Looking Information Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, uncertainty over the outcome of any litigious matters, the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements regarding exploration results and exploration plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line453
__label__cc	0.696593	0.303407	Three Imperatives And Voodoo Economics EDITOR NOTE: A fun, easy, and entertaining piece to read, this article is nevertheless a vicious attack on the leaders and defenders of “voodoo economics,” pretty much any leading member of a central bank. Why the term “voodoo” preceding economics? Because economics, as the author argues, is essentially a simple matter of production and consumption dictated by supply and demand. That’s all it is, perhaps all it was, and certainly all it should be. But theoretical obscurantism not only created an elitist discipline that took a very simple and “human” activity away from common understanding, it did so without adding anything of real value. Instead, it artificialized our notions of economics by denaturing the basic principles of money itself. And now, the global economy is in the mess that it's in. And people rely on so-called “experts” (read: voodoo interventionists) to solve it. The new millennium has been marked by increasingly dramatic economic change. Economics is (or should be) easy to understand. It’s essentially the production, consumption and transfer of wealth. The transfer of wealth normally takes place as a result of the balance between scarcity and demand. However, over the ages, there have always been those who have sought to alter or pervert economics for their own ends. In recent times, the scams created have become both more complex and more profitable and have been played on a grander scale. Taxation, debt creation and inflation have become key techniques in extracting wealth from people on a wholesale basis, generally without those people understanding that they are essentially milk cows waiting for Farmer Dimon or Farmer Powell to come out to the barn with the milk pail. As complex and confusing as modern economic milking has become, it is, in essence, simple in nature, if we can manage to see through the smokescreen. But as stated above, in recent decades, the game has taken on new dimension. An economic crisis of major proportions has been brewing, and now that the crisis has begun, the scam must be elaborated upon in order to pull it off, whilst protecting the scam artists from being blamed for what they’ve created. Never before have we witnessed such a level of flimflam – a proliferation of talking heads touting “economic principles” that have no foundation whatever. Whether it’s Modern Monetary Theory as a whole or any of the plethora of programmes that ride on its coattails – such as the Green New Deal, quantitative easing or the THRIVE agenda – around every corner there are new efforts that I regard as “Voodoo Economics.” The economic circus has arrived in town. And as with any circus, there are not only the main events, but distractions of every kind, created to maximise confusion. It might be said that the reigning priestess of Voodoo Economics is IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. As the Marie Laveau of the IMF, she has been highly visible of late, in presenting the IMF’s “Three Imperatives.” In her presentations, she speaks of these surefire problem solvers, not in economic terms, but in “woke” politically correct terms. In her introductions, she describes them as no less than the path to a “sisterhood and brotherhood” of humanity. The first of the Three Imperatives is “The Right Economic Policies.” She describes this rather vague category as “prudent macroeconomic policies” that include dramatically increased debt and “private sector participation.” This may be taken to mean a plan for the bill of increased debt to be passed to the private sector. (i.e., “We run up the tab; you pay the tab.”) This is the essence of the category, with most of the rhetoric being focused on buzzwords such as “resilience,” “competitiveness,” “confidence,” etc., which, although sounding encouraging, don’t offer any real explanation as to how the plan will be carried out. The Second Imperative is “Policies Must Be for People.” This sounds okay in principle, but again doesn’t really offer anything specific. She explains that it encompasses social re-engineering to reduce “disparities” and to accelerate gender equality. She further states that a move is necessary toward central funding for health and education, plus a digital economy that will be “critical for growth and development in the future.” Still, though, nothing specific. Mostly what we have here is feel-good platitudes. The Third Imperative is simply “Climate Change.” which she states is “posing profound threats to growth and prosperity.” A generation or two ago, those who watched the Miss USA contest would laugh as one contestant after another, when asked what her personal goal was, stated, “World peace.” The contestants offered no expansion on their comment, as to how they intended to accomplish this, which tended to brand the contestants as very pretty airheads. Fast-forward to the present time, and it’s no longer just the Paul Krugmans out there who are touting airhead notions of how to deal with the world economy. Everyone at the top – whether it’s Jamie Dimon, Jerome Powell or Kristalina Georgieva – is offering Voodoo Economics as the cure-all for the woes that have been created by the governments and central banks. In a sense, this is not new. John Maynard Keynes, having become a Fabian at his alma mater, the London School of Economics, wrote his 1936 book, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, as a means by which collectivism could be created worldwide through the awarding of economic control to central governments. Not surprisingly, in the eighty-four years since its publication, it’s still a runaway hit with… governments. It’s rare if not impossible to find a government that does not wholeheartedly agree that it should be entrusted with all the wealth in the world and have the authority to decide how it should be parceled out. Of course, there’s a bit of a flaw in this concept, in that governments don’t actually create wealth. They may print currency, but wealth itself is created by those who invest their money in the creation of goods and services. Governments are essentially a form of parasite – a tapeworm that feeds off the host, the actual creator of wealth. Interestingly, Mister Keynes himself, just prior to his death in 1946 stated that his theory didn’t really work – that since government is not a disinterested party, it would not act in the interests of the economy, but in its own interests. The new IMF advert campaign, as presented by Ms. Georgieva, is utterly Keynesian. It essentially says, “The party isn’t really over. All that we need do is to print money and champion politically correct causes and we can once again fill the punchbowl.” As she points out, “Now isn’t the time to balance the books.” The new programme is short on actual explanation as to how the Voodoo Economics will be carried out, but it will come as an inspiration to those who, at a time when hope is in decline, are only too happy to jump to the next empty hope in order to avoid facing the fact that economic reality is knocking at the door. Mister Keynes did not write on economics as Adam Smith did. He wrote not on what economics is, but what he would like it to be if it were used to herald in collectivism. The fact is that economics, at its heart, is fairly straightforward. It’s the study of what really exists and will play out, regardless of the latest Voodoo that’s being peddled. As such, as the crisis that has now begun unfolds, those who choose to follow the Voodoo can expect to find themselves as casualties. There will be greater hope for those who choose reality, however more painful it may be to face. Originally posted on International Man ← Citi Bank Analyst Predicts $318k Bitcoin High For 2021? OCC Chief Says More Crypto Banks Are Coming To America Very Soon →	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line454
__label__cc	0.562876	0.437124	Last modification date Nov. 4, 2015, 10:10 a.m. by msf Médecins Sans Frontières is a medical humanitarian organisation, created in 1971 in Paris by doctors and journalists. Since more than forty years, MSF delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF's work is based on humanitarian principles. We are committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation. MSF operates independently. We conduct our own evaluations on the ground to determine people’s needs. More than 90 per cent of our overall funding comes from millions of private sources, not governments. MSF is neutral. We do not take sides in armed conflicts, we provide care on the basis of need, and we push for independent access to victims of conflict as required under international humanitarian law. United by the same charter, the MSF teams are composed of medical, logistical and administrative staff, of several nationalities, including both expatriates and locally hired staff. These teams deliver their help in the context of humanitarian action and medical ethics. MSF medical teams often witness violence and neglect in the course of their work, largely in regions that receive scant international attention. At times, MSF may speak out publicly in an effort to bring a forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public to abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticise the inadequacies of the aid system, or to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests. MSF rejects the idea that poor people deserve third-rate medical care and strives to provide high-quality care to patients. In 1999, when MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the organisation announced the money would go towards raising awareness of and fighting against neglected diseases. Through the Access Campaign, and in partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, this work has helped lower the price of HIV/AIDS treatment and stimulated research and development for medicines to treat malaria and neglected diseases like sleeping sickness and kala azar. The Médecins Sans Frontières charter: Médecins Sans Frontières provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflict. They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions. Médecins Sans Frontières observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance and claims full and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its functions. Members undertake to respect their professional code of ethics and maintain complete independence from all political, economic or religious powers. As volunteers, members understand the risks and dangers of the missions they carry out and make no claim for themselves or their assigns for any form of compensation other than that which the association might be able to afford them. 8, rue Saint Sabin 75011 – Paris	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line455
__label__wiki	0.902424	0.902424	Klete Keller Biography By Gelson - Jan 13, 2021 Quick Facts Of Klete Keller Klete Keller Klete D. Keller Former Competition Swimmer Birth Nation American-White 2; Kelsey and Kalyn 4; Finley, Carson and Wyatt $1 Million-$5 Million Being a real estate agent 6 ft 6 in Klete Keller is a famous American former competition Swimmer. He has won medals at 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. From 2004 to 2007, Keller trained at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under Bob Bowman and former head coach Jon Urbanchek. He has left Ann Arbor and returned to USC to finish school and train under coach Dave Salo. While at USC, Keller won multiple individuals and relay Pac-10 and NCAA Championships in the 200, 500, and 1,650-yard freestyle, as well as freestyle relays. He was listed as a real estate agent with Hoff & Leigh in Colorado until Tuesday. Hoff & Leigh made a statement Tuesday afternoon that Keller, an independent contractor, had resigned. Reports identify US Olympic champion swimmer Klete Keller at Capitol riot American Klete Keller, who won two Olympic gold medals as a relay teammate of Michael Phelps, was identified as being among the Donald Trump supporters inside the US Capitol last week, according to multiple reports. He was captured on video inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda during last week’s violent election protest. A video posted by a reporter from a conservative outlet, Townhall, appeared to show the 6-foot-6 Keller towering over a crowd that was pushing and shoving with police officers who were trying to clear the Capitol Rotunda. A swimming news site, SwimSwam, first reported Keller’s presence at the Capitol riot on Monday. The video had been circulating in the swimming community since last week, and several people who saw it are said to have reported Keller to the authorities. He had worked in recent years as a real estate agent in Colorado Springs. His agency, Hoff & Leigh, confirmed he was employed there when contacted by SwimSwam, but by Monday night the company had removed Keller's profile and nearly all references to him from its website. Source: @nytimes Being a former competition swimmer. For winning medals at 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Source: @businessinsider What is the Birthplace of Klete Keller? Klete Keller was born on 21st March 1982 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the USA (birthplace). His birth name is Klete D. Keller. His nationality is American and his ethnic background is American-White. As of 2020, he celebrated his 38th birthday and he will next celebrate his 39th birthday in 2021. Aries is his Zodiac sign and his religion is Christian. Talking about his family members, he was born to his father, Kelly, and his mother, Karen. Talking about his parent's occupation, his father had played basketball and his mother had swum for Arizona State University. He has two siblings; sisters named Kelsey and Kalyn. Both his sister's would-be swimmers, with an older sister, Kelsey swimming for the University of Washington, and younger sister Kalyn swimming for USC and competing at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Concerning his education, he was graduated from Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona, the USA. After that, he attended the University of Southern California for two years from the year 2000 to 2001, but he left school to focus on swimming. How was the Career of Klete Keller? Klete Keller won many individual and relay Pac-10 and NCAA Championships in the 200, 500, and 1,650-yard freestyle and freestyle relays. After that, he took part in 2000, 2004 as well as the 2008 summer Olympics. He held off a charging Ian Thorpe in the anchor leg to win the race by 0.13 seconds during the 4×200-meter freestyle relay in Athens in the year 2004. After that, he along with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay were undefeated in competition from the Athens games. What's more, he was one of the many 2000 Olympics medalists from The Race Club World Team which is a summer swimming camp in Florida. He was then trained at the University of Michigan from the year 2004 until 2007 in Ann Arbor under Bob Bowman and Jon Urbanchek, a former head coach. Later, he left and returned to USC to complete his bachelor's degree. There he was trained under coach Dave Salo. Originally, he studied science and public policy where he majored in construction management, having attended both USC and Eastern Michigan University for his college education. After his swimming career, he began working in a series of jobs in sales. In the year 2018, he stated that "Swimmer had been my identity for most of my life, and then I quickly transitioned to other roles and never gave myself time to get comfortable with them. I really struggled with things. I didn't enjoy my work, and that unhappiness and lack of identity started creeping into my marriage". He was identified as a participant in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol in the year 2021. He was seen inside the Capitol Rotunda in a crowd of people clashing with police officers. Some of the people who recognized Keller in the video said he had frequently posted pro-Donald Trump content on his social media. His social media accounts have since been deleted. He was able to be recognized, in part, because of his tall height, the fact that he was wearing a U.S. Olympic team jacket, and that his face was unobstructed in the video (he was not wearing a protective mask on his face despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, instead of leaving an apparent face-covering hanging around his neck). But there was no proof regarding his acts of violence, illegal activities. Later, SwimSwam contacted them for their story breaking news in his participation in the storming of the Capitol whereas Hoff & Leigh confirmed that he was a current employee for them. The SwimSwam reporter that broke the story commented in their article that the firm, "seemed unaware of the Capitol video or Keller's possible involvement" in the storming of the Capitol. He was then released by Hoff & Leigh on 12th January 2021 stating that he no longer worked for the company, has resigned, and that they didn't condone his actions. Source: @bleacherreport Who is Klete Keller married to? Klete Keller was a married man but his present marital status is divorced. After his post-2008 Olympics, his life stepped down as well as his marriage life suffered. His wife divorced him by 2014. He then became unemployed and also became homeless. He was living out of his car for roughly ten-month. He also said that he lacked visitation rights with his children for four years named Finley, Carson, Wyatt. He owed payments to his wife in back child support. In an interview, he stated that he had failed to find similar successes in his endeavors after retiring from swimming. He said that he made the mistake of not having the foresight to plan for his post-swimming career, and felt somewhat "bitter" both towards himself and his sport. He said that during what he regarded as his personal comeback, he made a living by teaching swimming lessons and operating swim clinics. He is currently living in Colorado Springs since the year 2018. There, he began his career as an independent contractor with the real estate firm Hoff & Leigh. Details about his wife's name and their married date is still a mystery. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay. In the year 2012, his sister, Kalyn married her husband, Keenan Robinson in Michigan. She retired from swimming due to Crohn's disease. What is the Net Worth of Klete Keller? Klete Keller is a former swimmer who has won many medals during his career span prior to his retirement. His net worth is estimated to have between $1 Million - $5 Million whereas his net worth is believed to have $1 Million as per sources. Details regarding his salary and career earnings have not been disclosed yet. His major source of income comes from being a real estate agent for Hoff & Leigh. How tall is Klete Keller? Klete Keller is a very handsome man with an athletic body build. He has a tall height of 6 ft 6 in or 1.98 m. His balanced weight consists of 214 lb or 97 KG. His other body measurements such as chest size, waist size, biceps size, and more are still to get revealed yet. Klete Keller won medals at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. From 2004 to 2007, Keller trained at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under Bob Bowman and former head coach Jon Urbanchek. While at USC, Keller won multiple individual and relay Pac-10 and NCAA Championships in the 200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle, as well as freestyle relays. He has two siblings; sisters named Kelsey and Kalyn. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit #real estate agent #Klete Keller Parents #Klete Keller Nationality #Former Competition Swimmer #Klete Keller Siblings and Sisters #Klete Keller Education Qualification #Wife and Kids #Klete Keller Salary Permalink: https://gossipgist.com/klete-keller Yara Zaya Biography Kylie / January 13, 2021 Weston McKennie Biography kutmar / January 14, 2021 Kenneth Petty Biography Liam / December 11, 2018 Danish Zehen Biography Jeeya / December 23, 2018 Don Lemon Biography Alex / July 23, 2018 Who Will Win Ballon d'Or 2019? Liam / March 29, 2019 Dennis McKinley Biography Gelson / September 20, 2018	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line457
__label__wiki	0.775206	0.775206	Download the free COVID Alert DE app and help slow the spread. More Info About the Governor About First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney State of Emergency Declarations Governor’s Cabinet Governor’s Staff Legislative Advisories The Governor’s Residence Public Health State of Emergency Declarations Litter Free DE Family Services Cabinet Council Opportunity Funding Initiative Voting Reforms Legislative Recap Invite the Governor Governor Menu JOHN CARNEY Fifteenth Modification: State of Emergency Declaration A digital version of the signed declaration: Fifteenth Modification to State of Emergency FIFTEENTH MODIFICATION OF THE DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR THE STATE OF DELAWARE DUE TO A PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has determined that a novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) presents a serious public health threat, and has advised the public that asymptomatic individuals may be carriers of the COVID-19 virus and may unknowingly spread the virus to other individuals in close proximity, and therefore, social distancing is required to help mitigate the individual exposure to (and community spread of) the COVID-19 virus; and WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the State to protect its citizens from a public health emergency that could threaten the lives of those who live and work here; and WHEREAS, on March 12, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued a State of Emergency due to the public health threat of COVID-19, which became effective as of 8:00 a.m. E.D.T. on March 13, 2020 (the “COVID-19 State of Emergency”); and WHEREAS, on March 16, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the First Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to advise that the CDC issued new guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommending that organizers halt gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks due to the public health threat of COVID-19, including conferences, social events, concerts and other types of assemblies; and WHEREAS, on March 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Second Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration that modified the limitations on public gatherings of 50 or more people and, among other things, placed certain restrictions on the operation of certain businesses and facilities in the State of Delaware; and WHEREAS, on March 21, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Third Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to close all Delaware beaches, except to persons using the beaches for exercise or to walk their dogs, subject to certain precautions recommended by the CDC on COVID-19, which became effective as of 5:00 p.m. E.D.T.; and WHEREAS, on March 23, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. E.D.T. and 4:02 p.m. E.D.T., respectively, I issued the Fourth and Fifth Modifications to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to close all non-essential businesses in Delaware, except those that can offer goods and services on the Internet, and to order a Shelter in Place for Delaware residents; and WHEREAS, on March 24, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. E.D.T. I issued the Sixth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to provide a moratorium on evictions and foreclosure proceedings to enable Delawareans to shelter in place safely, extended the presidential primary, provided for absentee balloting during the COVID-19 crisis, provided for a modified state procurement process, and placed a moratorium on cancellation of insurance policies for delay in premium payments caused by the economic uncertainty; and WHEREAS, on March 29, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Seventh Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to provide for the self-quarantine of travelers from areas severely impacted by COVID-19 outside the State of Delaware into the State; and WHEREAS, on March 30, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Eighth Modification to the State of Emergency declaration to permit a comprehensive approach to the provision of childcare in the State of Delaware during the State of Emergency to support essential workers; and WHEREAS, on April 1, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Ninth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to permit a comprehensive approach to the provision of childcare in the State of Delaware during the State of Emergency to support essential workers; and WHEREAS, on April 6, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Tenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to further restrict the operation of non-essential businesses to limit the spread of COVID-19; and WHEREAS, on April 10, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. E.D.T., I extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration, as modified; and WHEREAS, on April 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. E.D.T., I issued the Eleventh Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to provide increased guidance and support to long-term care facilities to protect our most vulnerable populations and permit remote notarization under limited circumstances; and WHEREAS, on April 23, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Twelfth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to allow the Public Health Authority to activate more out-of-state health care workers to assist in Delaware’s fight against COVID-19; and WHEREAS, on April 25, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Thirteenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration to require the use of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, including in grocery stores and pharmacies, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission; and WHEREAS, on April 29, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. E.D.T., I issued the Fourteenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration limiting the rent that may be charged to holdover tenants and preventing landlords from charging holdover tenants with losses not covered by the expired rental agreement; and WHEREAS, in the next 30 days, multiple statewide, municipal, and school district elections are scheduled to be conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Sixth and Ninth Modifications to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration; and WHEREAS, businesses have offered feedback on how they can transact business while maintaining safe social distancing, and that feedback has been evaluated from a public health perspective to ascertain how the feedback can be implemented safely; and WHEREAS, some limited measures such as curbside pickup, hair care services for certain individuals, and others, can be an effective way of allowing small businesses to recover revenue and can be done in certain ways that ensure safe social distancing is maintained; and WHEREAS, these initial reopening steps will allow for an assessment of how well measures will be followed ahead of additional reopening efforts. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN C. CARNEY, pursuant to Title 20, Chapter 31 of the Delaware Code, to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the State of Delaware, do hereby order that the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration, as modified by the First through Fourteenth Modifications and extended on April 10, 2020, shall remain in effect until further notice, with the following modifications and additions: A. ELECTIONS: 1. Effective immediately, the Delaware presidential primary election, originally scheduled to be conducted on April 28, 2020 pursuant to 15 Del. C. § 3181 and rescheduled to June 2, 2020 pursuant to the Sixth Modification of the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration, is hereby further rescheduled to July 7, 2020. The Department of Elections shall mail absentee ballot applications to all registered Democrats and Republicans in the State of Delaware, in order to provide all such registered voters the opportunity to vote by absentee ballot in the presidential primary election and, pursuant to the Sixth Modification, the ability to select the “sick or physically disabled” reason if a voter is asymptomatic of COVID-19 infection and otherwise abiding by CDC and DPH guidelines by exercising self-quarantine or social distancing to avoid potential exposure to (and community spread of) COVID-19, and who herself or himself freely chooses to use such qualification to vote by absentee ballot. In addition to mailing absentee ballot applications to all registered Democrats and Republicans in the State of Delaware, the Department of Elections shall set up and operate a reduced number of polling places on the election day. There shall be at least six (6) such polling places in each county to allow voters to vote in person should they choose not to vote by absentee ballot. Department of Elections is encouraged to implement social distancing requirements, require all persons age 13 and older to wear a face covering at all times, and enforce crowd limitations of 10 persons at a time at polling places. 2. All elections for school board members in any Delaware school district scheduled to be conducted on May 12, 2020 pursuant to 14 Del. C. § 1072(c) and, pursuant to the Sixth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration, delayed until June 16, 2020, are hereby further rescheduled for July 21, 2020. The terms of current school board members currently ending on June 30, 2020 are hereby extended to and through July 31, 2020. The term of any board member elected in the July 21, 2020 election shall commence on August 1, 2020, and the end of such term shall be governed by 14 Del. C. § 1052(d) and shall not be affected by this Modification. Districts are required to implement social distancing requirements, require all persons age 13 and older to wear a face covering at all times, and enforce crowd limitations of 10 persons at a time at polling places. 3. Notwithstanding the Sixth and Ninth Modifications to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration, municipal elections scheduled to be conducted pursuant to a municipality’s charter or municipal code after the date of this Order but prior to the rescission of the State of Emergency may be conducted at the discretion of the municipality. Municipalities conducting such elections are required to implement social distancing requirements, to enforce the requirement that all persons age 13 and older wear a face covering at all times, and to enforce crowd limitations of 10 persons at a time at polling places. Municipalities are also encouraged to mail absentee ballot applications to all eligible voters in the municipality and to reduce the number of physical polling places on election day. Municipalities may also consider extending voting hours to reduce crowd size at the polling places. 4. In order to provide the Department of Elections sufficient time and resources to process the anticipated significant increase in the volume of absentee voting resulting from the shelter in place and social distancing requirements mandated by the State of Emergency and the requirement in this Modification to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the Democratic and Republican parties, the earliest time the Department may begin the processing of such absentee ballots as set forth in 15 Del. C. § 5510 is hereby further extended from 10 calendar days before the day of the election to 30 calendar days before such election. B. BUSINESSES: 1. Effective May 8, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. E.D.T., Paragraphs 1.e., 2, and 3 of the Tenth Modification and Paragraph 1.b. of the Eighth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration are modified as expressly set forth in Paragraphs 2-6 herein. For any matters related to businesses addressed by prior Modifications to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration that may appear to conflict, the provisions of this Fifteenth Modification of the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration shall control. 2. Paragraph 2 of the Tenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration is hereby amended as follows: a. The following Non-Essential Businesses may transact business via curbside pickup: 1. Department stores, clothing stores, and shoe stores; 2. Craft or hobby retailers; 3. Book and periodical retailers; 4. Office supply, stationery, and gift stores; 5. Tobacco and vape shops; 6. Used merchandise retailers; 7. Consumer goods rentals; 8. Electronics retailers; 9. Video, video game, or computer game rental or similar retail; 10. Other general merchandise retailers. b. Non-Essential Businesses and Limited Operation Non-Essential Businesses that are authorized to transact by appointment only shall not also transact business via curbside pickup. c. Notwithstanding Paragraph 2.b. herein, and in order to limit interior access to public spaces such as malls, Non-Essential Business and Limited Operation Non-Essential Business that are authorized to transact via appointment only and that are not directly accessible through stand-alone exterior access points may transact business by curbside only. 3. Paragraph 3.i. of the Tenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration is hereby modified as follows: Golf courses may provide guests with golf carts, provided that carts are limited to one (1) rider and the business ensures proper cleaning between customers. 4. Paragraph 3 of the Tenth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration is hereby modified by adding the following additional provisions: k. Pawn shops, by appointment only with a maximum of two appointments per half hour; l. Furniture stores, by appointment only with a maximum of two appointments per half hour; m. Jewelry, luggage, and leather goods retailers, by appointment only with a maximum of two appointments per half hour; n. Sporting goods retailers, by appointment only with a maximum of two appointments per half hour; o. Music and musical instruments retailers, by appointment only with a maximum of two appointments per half hour; p. Hair salons and barber shops, by appointment only for essential personnel and with the following restrictions: 1. Hair care services only; 2. No more than two appointments at a time per location (and includes a stylist for each appointment and essential operations staff); 3. Appointments must be scheduled with a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes between appointments for proper cleaning; 4. Entrance doors must include signage that walk-ins are not permitted; 5. Social distancing requirements of 6 feet should be maintained when feasible; 6. Employees/owners who (per CDC guidelines) are over 65 years of age, or who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, severe obesity, chronic kidney or liver disease, diabetes or are immunocompromised and at higher risk for COVID-19 illness/complications, are still encouraged to refrain from going to work, but must wear a FDA cleared surgical mask at all times if they choose to go to work; employees/owners under 65 and without severe underlying medical conditions and customers shall wear a cloth face covering at all times; customers must cancel appointments if they have any reason to believe they may be ill or may have come into contact with COVID19; customers over 65 years of age or who have underlying medical conditions like the above are strongly recommended to avoid utilizing hair care or other cosmetology services at this time due to the serious risks associated with coming into close and sustained contact with others; 7. Employees must wash hands with warm water and soap between customers, and more frequently as time permits; 8. For those employees who must report to work, each employee must be asked about and report daily body temperature. Employees with a temperature at or above 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit must stay home. 9. Customer stations must be sanitized between uses, along with any equipment used for the customer. 10. Magazines or other materials may not be provided by the salon or shared among customers. q. Drive-in services, such as graduations and drive-in movies, are permitted with the following restrictions: 1. People attending the service must remain in their vehicles at all times and are permitted to open their windows halfway if needed. 2. Vehicles attending services may only include immediate family members who live in the same household. 3. No outdoor seating shall be permitted, including outdoor seating in an open bed of a vehicle. 4. Vehicles must remain at least 9 feet from each other (including side-to-side while parked). 5. Owners/operators of the property being used for drive-in services shall clearly mark spacing appropriate to identify 9 feet between cars. 6. No exchange of materials shall take place between attendees and each other or attendees and the providers of the services. 7. There must be strict adherence to social distancing guidelines recommended by the CDC and the Division of Public Health. 8. Owners/operators shall provide clear signage regarding these requirements. 5. Paragraph 1.b. of the Eighth Modification to the COVID-19 State of Emergency declaration is hereby modified and includes the words in italics below: “In addition to the authority in 1.a. above, during the State of Emergency, the Secretary of DSCYF, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the Secretary of the Department of Education (DOE), and the Director of the Office and Management and Budget (OMB), is authorized to direct all licensed childcare homes and centers (collectively “childcare”) in the State of Delaware to provide childcare to “any employee of a business deemed essential or open for business, as defined by the Modifications to the State of Emergency, including developing the following guidelines for implementation:” 6. With the exception of the provision above permitting childcare, all childcares not designated as Emergency Childcare Sites pursuant to the 8th Modification shall remain closed. C. MISCELLANEOUS: 1. This Order has the force and effect of law. Any failure to comply with the provisions contained in a Declaration of a State of Emergency or any modification to a Declaration of the State of Emergency constitutes a criminal offense. 20 Del. C. §§ 3115 (b); 3116 (9); 3122; 3125. State and local law enforcement agencies are authorized to enforce the provisions of any Declaration of a State of Emergency. APPROVED this 7th day of May 2020 at 10:00 a.m. John C. Carney Comprehensive Gun Safety Support Voting Reforms First Chance Delaware Facebook Page Twitter Account Instagram Photos Flickr Photos Delaware's Government Delaware's Governor Delaware Courts Delaware State Code Business First Steps Delaware Marketplace Weather & Travel Gross Receipts Tax Delaware Topics E-mail / Text Alerts Make Text Size Smaller Reset Text Size Make Text Size Bigger Built by the Government Information Center ©MMXXI Delaware.gov	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line458
__label__wiki	0.925051	0.925051	Local & World Script Live The Hampton Script The #1 news source of Hampton University since 1928. Carlie Beard Drake’s new music video “Nice for What” showcases influential women Image 20 Apr 2018 18 Apr 2018 hamptonscriptLeave a comment Carlie Beard \| Staff Writer Dahyo Coleman In Drake’s previous studio album, More Life, he mentioned on the song “Do Not Disturb” that “I’ll be back in 2018 to give you the summary.” With “God’s Plan” becoming Drake’s longest-leading No. 1 song on the Hot 100 Billboard chart and the recent release of “Nice for What,” it is clear that Drake is back from hibernation and ready to showcase what he has been working on. The message behind “Nice for What” is encouraging a woman to live her life freely and to fulfill her dreams regardless of how a man may view her. In so many words, Drake says that a woman does not need a man to feel or be beautiful and she can achieve her own goals if she is willing to work for them. In the new hit, Drake says, “You’ve been inside, know you like to lay low, I’ve been peepin’ what you bringin’ to the table. / Workin’ hard, girl, everything paid for.” In this verse, Drake acknowledges the girl’s effort and notices qualities about her that make her special. The Toronto native is known for having songs that uplift women. In his single “Fancy” ft. rapper T.I. and Swizz Beatz, Drake says, “Time heals all and heels hurt to walk in, But they go with the clutch that you carry your lip gloss in. / And look, I really think that nobody does it better, I love the way you put it together.” Many have criticized Drake for being “too soft” or “emotional.” However, he seems to know how to show the ladies love. “Most rappers in today’s music industry exploit women and degrade them,” said Kayla Evans, a Hampton sophomore sports management major from Rochester, New York. “It’s good to see Drake take a different approach and show off influential women while doing so.” “Nice for What” is on a whole new level. Drake empowers women in this song and features different influential women in the new video, which broke the internet. Some of these strong women include actresses Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Issa Rae, Tiffany Haddish, professional ballet dancer Misty Copeland and Jourdan Dunn. Media plays a huge role in today’s society, especially for young girls. With so many influential women in the video, many young girls can be inspired to be confident in their skin and love who they are. The video is simple and modern. All of the women are presented as powerful, poised and strong. It doesn’t portray women in the negative light viewers are used to seeing in rap music videos. With all the recent news regarding the #MeToo movement and the sexism that women face in the entertainment industry, this song was released at the perfect time. So what does the phrase “Nice for What” mean? Drake explains that women don’t have to be nice to guys who do not deserve them or treat them right. Drake is an influential man, and with a hit like this on his hands, he encourages women to hold themselves to the highest standard. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Drake, Featured, Nice For What #WhoBitBeyoncé: A breakdown of Tiffany Haddish and Beyoncé’s relationship Image 6 Apr 2018 5 Apr 2018 hamptonscriptLeave a comment #WhoBitBeyoncé exploded on social media after comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish dished more news about mega star Beyoncé. Haddish told GQ Magazine that, “There was this actress [at the party], that’s just, like, doing the mostest.” One of the most things she did? “She bit Beyoncé in the face.” Haddish was shocked and asked Beyoncé about the encounter. Haddish told GQ that Beyoncé said she was bitten, and that the actress who did it was on drugs. Haddish wanted to confront the actress for doing so. However, Beyoncé calmed her down, Haddish asked to take a picture, and Beyoncé politely accepted. Haddish posted this selfie on Instagram with the caption, “@beyonce was telling me that my wig was slipping….But for real she told me to have fun and I DID!” The Girls Trip star later did an interview with TV One on the network’s UNCENSORED show. Haddish revealed that while at the party, Beyoncé looked sideways at an actress because she was rubbing on her husband, JAY-Z. When Haddish was asked who this unknown person was, she declined. Shortly after, Beyoncé was featured in new song produced by DJ Khaled called “Top Off.” The song also featured rappers Future and JAY-Z. In the song Beyoncé says, “If you want to party with the queen you are going to have to sign a non-disclosure,” meaning if you want to party with Beyoncé then you need to sign a form agreeing not to say anything about what occurs behind the scenes. Beyoncé even takes it a step further by saying Haddish’s name shortly after saying that phrase. Beyoncé is known for addressing her issues in her music. In 2014, when her husband and sister Solange got into an argument on the elevator, she said on “Flawless (Remix),” “Of course sometimes [things] go down when [there is] a billion dollars on an elevator.” Beyoncé definitely knows how to turn her problems into profit, and Haddish was thrilled at the fact that she was mentioned in Beyoncé verse. On the Grammy Awards show red carpet, she told the interviewer that, “I’ve made it. When Beyoncé puts your name in a song, you are on.” Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Featured, Tiffany Haddish A recap of New York Fashion Week Image 23 Feb 2018 23 Feb 2018 hamptonscriptLeave a comment The most anticipated week in fashion has finally arrived: New York Fashion Week. Every year, representatives from various blogs, media outlets and magazines cover designers who raised the bar and those who fell short. When NYFW comes around, tons of celebrities flock. Many fashionable celebs were present, and some were even featured in the shows. A$AP Rocky, Michael B. Jordan, Selena Gomez, Cardi B and Lil Kim were photographed at the Marc Jacobs show. Cardi B also was seen with Anna Wintour, fashion icon and editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine. The View talk show host Whoopi Goldberg also attended the festivities. Goldberg was spotted sitting in the front row at the Christian Siriano show, as he celebrated his brand’s 10th anniversary. According to Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, NYFW models had access to backstage dressing rooms this year. This was the first time NYFW models had this opportunity, as they usually have little to no privacy while getting changed backstage. This was a major step toward preventing potential incidents of sexual assault and toward making models feel more comfortable. Jeremy Scott, known as the “people’s designer,” included vibrant colors in his pieces. Scott continuously demonstrates his love for color and creative color blocking techniques each year. The models for designer Phillip Plein’s show walked in a winter blizzard scenery. One model came out of a spaceship-like object and walked the runway with a life-size robot. The Plein show included Christian Combs as a model, along with other recognizable faces in the fashion industry. Needless to say, Plein took New York Fashion week by storm. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Featured, New York Fashion Week Despite their hits, the Grammys were a miss for some major artists Image 9 Feb 2018 7 Feb 2018 hamptonscriptLeave a comment The biggest night in the music industry was a disappointing one for some fans. To the surprise of many, the artist with the most recognized album of the year didn’t take home any Grammys at the 60th annual awards show. Jay-Z, a 21-Grammy-award-winning artist, did not win anything for what some may call his most controversial album, 4:44. In his most personal project to date, Jay-Z opened up about his infidelity in his 10-year marriage to music icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. However, their 6-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, was there to steal the show as she sat in the middle of her two parents. Queen Bey was photographed holding fruit snacks and a juice box for her firstborn while in the front row at the awards show. Not as many people were watching at home this year. There was a 24 percent ratings drop, according to The New York Times. “The Grammys just didn’t live up to the hype it usually does,” Hampton University I.T. analyst Carl Brown said. “I felt some performances were great, but the award show lacked diversity and wasn’t that enjoyable. I don’t think that Alessia Cara should’ve won Best New Artist when up against new artist SZA.” SZA was nominated for three Grammys. Despite owning the summer of 2017 with radio hits such as “The Weekend” and “Love Galore,” featuring Travis Scott, she shockingly took home none. Bruno Mars, on the other hand, had a huge night, becoming only the 10th artist to sweep the major awards – album, record and song of the year. Kendrick Lamar was among the winning crowd as well, taking home five awards after seven nominations. Although this year’s show may not have gone as expected, there is always a chance for recovery at next year’s Grammy Awards. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Featured, Grammys Marvel’s Black Panther takes the box office by storm Image 26 Jan 2018 7 Feb 2018 hamptonscriptLeave a comment Chadwick Boseman, the main character in Black Panther, is starring in the most anticipated film for 2018. The film is set to hit theaters soon, and audiences have been ready for it since the trailer was released in the summer of 2017. Due to the hype surrounding the film, the tickets for its showings were released almost a month in advance and sold out within 24 hours. Black Panther is said to be the best-selling movie when it comes to presales for any Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Even Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, who is a part of the film’s cast, couldn’t get a ticket for the premiere of the movie when she tried to purchase one. Nyong’o took to Twitter and posted a video about her experience, saying, “I kid you not…I was trying to purchase tickets, and they [were] sold out. Sold out!” Yikes! If Nyong’o can’t get a ticket, then who will? Luckily, HU students have a chance to win tickets to see the film. The African Student Association is having a Black Panther movie ticket raffle. The organization is raffling off two tickets to see Black Panther on opening night. The tickets are $1 each, and the sale ends on Feb. 15, so you don’t want to miss out. The Black Panther was introduced more than 50 years ago after being featured in a Marvel comic book. He made his movie debut in Captain America: Civil War and now finally has his own movie. The film is set in Wakanda, which is located in northeastern Africa. Based on the vibrant clothing choices and tribal face paint, the film seems to be influenced by African culture. The movie also hints at a historical reference. Black Panther’s advertisement poster is a recreation of a picture of former Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton. The star-studded cast includes Forest Whitaker, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett and Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, to name a few. Black Panther is highly anticipated because Marvel has never had a black character star in their own film. The release of this movie signifies a step toward more diversity and African-American representation in the movie industry. Black Panther will open in theaters Friday, Feb. 16. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Black Panther, Carlie Beard, Featured The 2017 Soul Train Awards impressed once again 8 Dec 2017 7 Dec 2017 hamptonscriptLeave a comment The annual Soul Train Awards was nothing short of soulful. Singer-songwriter Erykah Badu hosted the show for the third time as it aired Nov. 26. Many special guests were in attendance, including Tank, Method Man, Keyshia Cole and Ledisi. R&B divas Fantasia and Faith Evans went head to head in a soul cypher that also featured Mali Music and Bilal. The Soul Cypher is something newly added to The Soul Train, with its inspiration stemming from the BET Hip Hop Awards. With performances from the top R&B artists in the music industry, this awards show was not one to miss. The legendary Toni Braxton hit the stage with her sister, Tamar Braxton. Toni Braxton also took home the most eminent award of the night, the Soul Train Legend Award. Tamar Braxton went to Instagram to congratulate her big sister, saying, “My sis, how could any other person EVER be more proud!! @tonibraxton -Williams u are THE LIVING LEGEND! Period!” The “He Wasn’t Man Enough” singer was photographed sitting next to famous Cash Money Records rapper/producer Bryan “Birdman” Williams, at the awards show, who is rumored to be her longtime partner, according to VH1.com. She also was photographed receiving her award with a ring on her left hand, stimulating fans’ ideas that Braxton might be making a big announcement in the near future. Bruno Mars stole the show, winning a total of five awards for Best R&B/Soul Male Artist, Album/Mixtape of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Dance Performance. He also took home the award for Best Video of the Year. Even though Mars was up against tons of great artists for these awards, there is no doubt that he deserved every single one he received. From his smooth dance moves to his voice, he is unforgettable. Solange was also nominated for several awards. Although Solange only took one award away from this show, she is definitely proving why she deserves “A Seat at the Table.” One of the most memorable moments from the awards show was when Erykah Badu paid homage to NFL player Colin Kaepernick, an activist for bringing awareness to police brutality. Badu used The Soul Train Awards as an opportunity to salute Kaepernick by kneeling on one knee. For information about the awards show, visit BET.com. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Erykah Badu, Soul Train Awards MoThoro drops his second album, ThoroLyfe: Execution 17 Nov 2017 16 Nov 2017 hamptonscriptLeave a comment Morris Taylor Rapper MoThoro, a Los Angeles native, has recently dropped his sophomore album titled ThoroLyfe: Execution. Along with being a rapper, Morris Taylor, also known as Mo, is a fourth-year, five-year MBA major at Hampton University. He balances being both a full-time student and rapper in the industry. Mo shares a record label called “LFTFLD” with his long time childhood friend Rasul Shabazz, who is also a rapper. ThoroLyfe: Execution has a total of 12 songs and took just shy of four months to complete. Artists such as Mare and Kai Ca$h the rapper, who are both HU students, feature on this album. To kick off the release of his new project, Mo threw a listening party the night before his album was officially released. Throughout the listening party, guests were able to hear his new project and helped Mo celebrate the completion of the second installment to the ThoroLyfe series. When it comes to his motivation for entering the music industry, Mo is inspired by two people: his father and rapper Kendrick Lamar. Growing up, Mo witnessed his father being an underground rapper and was exposed to hip-hop music pretty early. Mo reminisces on a time he saw one of his favorite rappers, Kendrick Lamar, passing out CDs on the streets of L.A. when Kendrick was still an underground rapper. This helped him understand the grind that goes into the music industry. He has gained more knowledge and experience with the rap game now that he is dropping another album. However, he didn’t start this way. Mo began by rapping nursery rhymes in his school’s talent show. When he noticed the great response from the crowd, he knew he had a chance in the rap industry. In 10th grade, he started recording songs in his room and posting them on WorldStarHipHop’s site, receiving 100K views. He has now branched far away from nursery rhymes with new songs such as the crowd favorite “Be About It.” When asked what his favorite song from the album is, he responded, “Choosing one song is like choosing your favorite kid; it’s difficult. I really like “Be About It” and I think the ladies are going to like it, too, because it’s relatable.” Let’s get into the album cover. The cover art is not reggae related; however, green, yellow and red are colors that represent the Los Angeles city flag. It was only right that he paid homage to his hometown. In reference to the significance of the “777” on the cover of the album, Mo stated that, “Seven is the number of completeness and perfection. My name, ‘MoThoro’ [is a play on the word] ‘thorough,’ [which] means ‘complete or to your best ability.’ I feel like the number ‘seven’ represents me as an artist.” Mo mentioned that on this project, he challenged himself by stepping out of his comfort zone and singing more. He also was able to produce majority of the tracks on his album by himself. So, what should fans expect next from MoThoro? He plans to continue working in the studio and to promote the album even more. Mo and Kai Ca$h are working on a project together, so stay tuned. ThoroLyfe: Execution is available on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tidal, Google Play and Amazon. You can also access MoThoro’s new album by scanning the QR reader below using the QR Reader app on your iPhone. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, MoThoro Justin Timberlake 2018 Super Bowl Performance: Previous Performances he’ll have to top 3 Nov 2017 2 Nov 2017 hamptonscriptLeave a comment Photo from the official Pepsi Twitter page Justin Timberlake is unquestionably one of the biggest artists of this generation. From hit songs like “Cry Me a River” to more sophisticated singles like “Suit and Tie,” he definitely knows how to be versatile and remain true to himself while doing so. The “Sexy Back” singer is, in fact, back, and will be performing at the 2018 Super Bowl Halftime Show. He took to Twitter to announce the big news after posting a comical video with friend Jimmy Fallon. Along with the video Justin tweeted, “I DO have the time. Half the time…” Pepsi, a huge sponsor for the Super Bowl, also took to twitter to celebrate with the superstar by writing, “It’s official: @jtimberlake is taking the #PepsiHalftime stage at #SBLII Tune into #SNF tonight for the full scoop & we’ll see you on Feb 4!” This isn’t JT’s first Halftime Show performance, however. The last time he headlined the show was with Janet Jackson in 2004. The two put on a jaw-dropping performance with an unforgettable wardrobe malfunction…Yikes! Any who, Justin is back and ready to redeem his name. Don’t think the redemption will be easy. Timberlake has some competition to top, such as previous Super Bowl Halftime Show veterans Lady GaGa, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars and Madonna. Beyoncé hit the stage in 2013. The highlight of Queen Bey’s performance was when she reunited with one of the most popular girl groups, Destiny’s Child. Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland joined Bey in performing some of their greatest hits. Will JT bring out his famous boy band, NSYNC, for a reunion at the halftime show? Let’s not forget when Lady GaGa flew from the sky in her halftime performance. Remember when Katy Perry performed and her background dancer dressed in a shark costume became an Internet sensation overnight? What about when the legendary Michael Jackson took the stage back in 1993 for Super Bowl XXVII? With his smooth dance moves and unmatchable talent, Jackson instantly set the standard for future halftime performances to come. Hopefully, Justin has learned a few pointers from the King of Pop. The Super Bowl Halftime performance is one of the most highly anticipated shows that takes place every year. The show can make or break an artist. Tune in on February 4th, 2018 to see what Justin Timberlake has in store. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard, Justin Timberlake Eminem’s the talk of the BET Hip Hop Awards 20 Oct 2017 20 Oct 2017 hamptonscriptLeave a comment Courtesy of Carlie Beard This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards were filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept viewers’ eyes glued to their TV screens. DJ Khaled, one of the most respected DJs in hip-hop, hosted the show. He brought along his 11-month-old son, Asahd Khaled, who also happens to be the executive producer of his latest project, “Grateful.” Nicole Tuck, his partner and mother of his son, was also present at the awards to support Khaled. The Miami native was excited to host the awards show because the event took place in his hometown at Fillmore Jackie Gleason Theater. DJ Khaled won the awards for MVP of the Year and also DJ of the Year. From the cyphers to the performances, hip-hop’s greatest were in attendance, including stars such as Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, Trina, T-Pain and Yo Gotti. Some rookies were also present, such as rappers Dave East, Playboi Carti, Tee Grizzley and Cardi B. Cardi B was there to collect a plethora of awards. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper took home four awards for the night, including the award for Hustler of the Year. Rap group Migos performed their latest single, “Too Hotty.” Cardi B, Flo Rida, Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti and others hit the stage as well. Now to the crowd favorite: the cyphers. The cyphers this year were in groups, as usual. They featured rappers like Fat Joe, Tee Grizzley, Belly and Zoey Dollars. There was even a cypher that featured only female rappers, known as “Femcees.” The moment that had everyone talking was Eminem’s cypher. During his cypher, Eminem called out President Donald Trump for his lack of concern when discussing issues the U.S. faces, such as gun control and Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest. Eminem also addressed his fans by saying, “And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his, I’m drawing in the sand a line, [you’re] either for or against.” Hampton senior sports management major Kris Johnson-Anderson, who is from Atlanta, offered his thoughts about Eminem. “His performance was very relatable to what’s going on in society,” Johnson-Anderson said. “[It] brought awareness to a nonprofit organization, the NFL, and how it is constantly making money off of a controversy such as the Colin Kaepernick protest. It was significant that Eminem brought attention to immigration and health care in America.” Johnson-Anderson added, “Although, it is important that we discuss topics [like] police brutality and racism in our country, we must also place more emphasis on what is occurring in and around our country. For example, a hurricane relief effort for Puerto Rico or the fires that are killing people and leaving some missing in California.” Kendrick Lamar ended the awards ceremony by taking home three awards. He also won the most anticipated award for Album of the Year. Other artists nominated for the award included DJ Khaled, Future, J. Cole, and Jay-Z. Recaps of the best moments from the show are available on BET.com. Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, BET Hip Hop Awards, Carlie Beard Kardashians and Jenners keep delivering surprises 6 Oct 2017 5 Oct 2017 hamptonscriptLeave a comment The baby of the Kardashian-Jenner family is having a baby? According to a TMZ report, reality TV star Kylie Jenner is expecting a child with her boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott. The couple has been in the spotlight for the past year on multiple occasions, from getting matching butterfly tattoos to buying each other expensive gifts. Shortly after rumors of Jenner and rapper Tyga breaking up, she often was spotted with Scott. The makeup guru was criticized for jumping from one relationship to the next. Insider.com stated that Jenner is either four or five months along and that it could possibly be a girl. Recently, though, Jenner posted a picture with her best friend, Jordyn Woods. In the photo, Jenner was slightly showing her slim stomach, which made people question whether or not the pregnancy reports are true. According to OK Magazine, the couple did not plan this pregnancy, if she is, in fact, pregnant. Many people who constantly keep up with the Kardashians know that this family is known for what some critics refer to as “publicity stunts.” Some found it suspicious that this news went viral right before the “Keeping up with the Kardashian 10 th Anniversary Special” aired. Was this another one of famous “mom-ager” Kris Jenner’s stunts, or was it one heck of a coincidence? When Ryan Seacrest, executive producer of KUWTK reached out to Kris Jenner to find out if the story was true, she replied with, “Kylie’s not confirming anything.” As if these pregnancy rumors were not shocking enough, news spread just days after about Khloé Kardashian. It was reported by PopSugar.com that she will be expecting a child with boyfriend Tristan Thompson, a power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kardashian is divorced from former NBA player Lamar Odom. To top it off, Kim Kardashian-West announced she and her husband of three years, Kanye West, will be expecting a baby via surrogate. Kardashian-West has had previous issues with infertility and has even discussed the surrogate possibility on the show. Breeon Buchanan, a Hampton University senior journalism and communications major from Philadelphia, said the family is “doing the most,” and that it “is suspicious [that] all three pregnancies occurred around the same time.” With three possible new additions to the family, who knows what to expect next from the Kardashian-Jenners? Arts & EntertainmentArts & Entertainment, Carlie Beard Did he forget to send the good morning text... again? : Signs he is losing interest Why shouldn't you date your friend’s brother? MTV reality series features Hampton alumna Onyx, Ogre, Quintessence: It’s all in the name President Obama: A lasting legacy Crocs: The transition from past to present NAACP Founders Day Celebration Legacy Park vandalism under investigation The arrival of Legacy Park Follow the Hampton Script via Email Click to follow the Hampton Script and receive notifications of new stories via email. 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__label__cc	0.678492	0.321508	D/HH Mentor/Guide/Role Model Programs Guidelines for Establishing and Maintaining D/HH Mentor / Guide / Role Model Programs [ Download Guidelines ] D/HH adults who act as mentors, guides or role models are uniquely qualified to provide families with a positive and hopeful perspective from their day-to-day, real life experiences as a D/HH person living in a predominantly hearing world. In sharing these experiences and insights, D/HH mentors/guides/role models may be able to articulate what a young child cannot, which brings an important perspective and credibility to discussions of the child’s needs. These guidelines are intended to offer suggestions for EHDI systems as to recommended practices in provision of D/HH mentor/guide/role model services to families/children. These recommendations are advised by the FL3 D/HH Advisory Committee and contributed to by members of the NCHAM Adult Involvement Learning Community and other community stakeholders. DHH Adult Support Training Resources Quality Deaf Mentor and DHH Guide and Role Model programs have training programs in place to provide a standard of care for services. The following document includes suggestions for resources and activities based on the training recommendations in the “Guidelines for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentor/Guide/Role Model Program.” The Value of Deaf or Hard of Hearing Adult Involvement Adults who are deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) play an important role in the journey of families with children who are d/hh. The level of involvement and services vary from state to state. The goal of the Family Leadership in Language and Learning (FL3) Cooperative Agreement is to develop strategies to support meaningful inclusion of adults who are d/hh within EHDI systems, integrate new knowledge of mentor programs, and develop training and resources for states and family-to-family support organizations serving the deaf/hard of hearing community. For many of us, the first time we had a conversation with a deaf or hard of hearing adult, especially one who has received training on supporting families with young children who are deaf/hard of hearing, was a welcome revelation. Suddenly, we had a much better idea about what life might be like for our child in the years to come. The FL3 Cooperative Agreement recognizes the value of connecting families and their child who is deaf or hard of hearing early and often with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Such individuals are typically trained adults who interact with the family and provide mentoring, modeling, and information through one-on-one interaction. A variety of terms are used to describe such individuals: deaf mentors, deaf guides, role models and partners. In 2014-2015, the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) facilitated a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Adult Involvement Learning Community. This learning community identified eleven examples of Deaf/HH Mentor/Adult Involvement Programs in the United States. The lack of programs is a barrier to families trying to access these programs. The FL3 is designed to improve parent awareness and access to these valuable services as well as encourage systems to develop programming. The Value of Deaf Adults in my Family's Journey: I remember very early in our journey I asked my friend what it was like growing up as a child who was hard of hearing. All these years, I am thankful that she took the time to share with me her experiences. It was her ongoing support that helped me realize that I needed to raise my son just like ANY of my children. I never lowered my expectations because of his needs...but always made sure he had the support he needed to succeed. Even though at the time our family didn't FEEL normal...I came to the understanding that we were in the midst of creating our new "norm". Most important ...I learned that just because his needs were different than hearing children...it did not make him any MORE special than MY other children. But him being deaf DID make him MY son...and it IS my job to make sure he has every opportunity to be the person he is meant to be! ~ Rosabel Agbayani Do We Need to Meet Deaf/hh Mentors? The importance of Deaf Mentor programs was demonstrated in a study by Jackson (2011). Through a survey of 456 parents of children who were deaf or hard of hearing, 56.2% indicated that deaf role models and mentors were very important, while 27.9% more indicated that it was moderately important; 47.9% indicated that access to adults who are deaf or hard of hearing was very important, and an additional 27.1% indicated that it was moderately important. In August, 2016, Wilder Research released a report entitled, Lifetrack’s Deaf Mentor Family Program An Evaluation of the Experiences and Outcomes for Participating Families (Peterson 2016) to evaluate the Minnesota Lifetrack Deaf Mentor Family Program. The program matches families with young children who are deaf and hard of hearing with an adult who is Deaf (called a “Deaf Mentor”). Key findings included: A majority (85%) of families felt their child’s quality of life had “improved” as a result of participating in the Deaf Mentor Family Program; Two-thirds of respondents (68%) said that communication with their child had “gotten much better.”; Nearly all (96%) received information on Deaf culture or the Deaf community during their sessions with their Deaf Mentor; of those, three-quarters (76%) found the information “very helpful.” The study went on to say families desired more diversity in adult role models, including those who use listening and spoken language and Cued Speech. Where do I find Deaf/Hard of Hearing Mentors? The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) has conducted a nationwide survey to gather information about programs that involve D/HH adults as role models, guides and/or Deaf Mentors. For information about Deaf and hard of hearing adult involvement and programs, follow the link below and click on a state on the map. State and Territory Listing of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors/Guides/Role Model Programs http://infanthearing.org/dhhadultinvolvement/states/index.html If you are aware of additional programs, please contact NCHAM through the link on this page: Another resource is Deaf Mentor Experimental Project by Watkins, Pittman, & Walden (1998): https://muse.jhu.edu/article/383859/pdf	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line460
__label__wiki	0.976538	0.976538	HKU school head chides former worker for tarring reputation of ex-colleagues on American TV over alleged research cover-up Dr Yan Limeng, a former postdoctoral fellow at the university, spoke on Fox News, claiming superiors did not act on her early findings about Covid-19 human transmission. Professor Keiji Fukuda from HKU’s School of Public Health issues internal memo to staff, expressing concern over allegations and impact on ‘highly respected members’ The head of a medical school at Hong Kong’s top university has chastised a former employee for harming the reputation of her ex-colleagues when she accused them on American television of engaging in a cover-up in their coronavirus research. The scientists were not conducting secret research or going after rumours in their studies, but were focused on urgent health issues, Professor Keiji Fukuda, director of the School of Public Health under the University of Hong Kong, said in an internal memo to staff seen by the Post. Dr Yan Limeng, a former postdoctoral fellow at the university, had given an interview to Fox News last Friday, in which she accused the school of failing to act on her findings on the Covid-19 virus making the jump to humans. In his message to staff on Wednesday, Fukuda, a former World Health Organisation official, suggested her so-called findings were “rumours”, adding: “I have written this note out of concern about the potential for Dr Yan’s speculations to harm the reputations of our close colleagues, who are highly respected members of our school.” Fukuda said none of the researchers named by Yan, including Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, her supervisor, or Professor Malik Peiris, both of whom were involved in studies on Covid-19, were part of any “secret research” or cover-up, as she claimed. “As per normal, school researchers have been involved in conducting urgent, public health research on Covid-19, rather than investigating rumours,” he wrote. “Their research was done with various mainland, Hong Kong and international collaborators, and much of it has been published. “Over their careers, these individuals have consistently come to the aid of Hong Kong and the world, to address infectious diseases threats such as seasonal influenza, H5N1, Sars, Mers, Ebola and now Covid-19. They represent the best.” Poon is currently the head of the school’s division of public health laboratory sciences, and Peiris is the chair professor in virology. Both have been actively at the forefront of the research on Covid-19, and helped design the coronavirus detection tests, used in public health labs in dozens of countries and territories. Fukuda also warned that social media could be “hostile and misleading”, calling on his colleagues to be “thoughtful and sober” if they were approached by others to give information. On Monday, Yan, who said she fled to the United States for her own safety, gave a second interview on Fox News in which she claimed she was waiting to tell the US government what she knew, adding she feared for her life. She had earlier accused HKU of failing to act on her findings that Chinese authorities were aware of human-to-human coronavirus transmission in late December. Yan described herself as one of the world’s first scientists to study the new virus from the end of December, when her supervisor Poon had asked her to secretly investigate developments in mainland China. She then obtained on December 31 what she called first-hand information from a scientist friend working for the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, who claimed there was human-to-human transmission because of the existence of clusters within families. Poon had told her to keep her findings under wraps, she said. Checks by the Post showed that HKU microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung had notified Hong Kong health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee of the outbreak in Wuhan on December 31, noting its pandemic potential and its similarity to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which could spread among humans. That same day, the Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong announced for the first time that it was monitoring a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, believed to be the source of the original outbreak, in response to a report from the mainland’s National Health Commission. The report had said the virus was not contagious among humans. Beijing only confirmed human-to-human transmission on January 20, when the country’s leading infectious disease expert Zhong Nanshan acknowledged the phenomenon in an interview with state media CCTV. On December 31, Poon was quoted by media as saying there was still no evidence to determine if the atypical pneumonia cases found in Wuhan were related to Sars. “It will be very important to actually find out the aetiology of this disease,” Poon told local media at the time, referring to the causes of the illness. “Having atypical pneumonia means we don’t know the pathogens responsible for this disease at the moment. So we need to look for that and try to exclude Sars or other types of coronaviruses.” A search on PubMed, an authoritative database of life sciences and biomedical research, showed Yan was involved as a co-author in two studies linked to Covid-19. One was about the viral load of the pathogen, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal on March 19 this year. The other was a study on the transmission of Covid-19 in golden hamsters, published in Nature in May. A short introduction of Yan on Virtual Keystone Symposia, which hosts online scientific talks, states that her research interests include infectious diseases while her recent work focused on universal influenza vaccines. HKU issued a rebuttal of Yan’s claims late on Saturday, arguing the contents of her interview had no scientific basis and resembled hearsay. It did not say when and why Yan left the university. “Specifically, Dr Yan never conducted any research on human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus at HKU between December 2019 and January 2020, her central assertion of the said interview,” the university statement said. #COVID-19 #Covid #Coronavirus The baby Jesus was the last homeless person the Republicans liked. Andy Borowitz	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line464
__label__cc	0.559011	0.440989	Lymphoedema occurs when lymph vessels get blocked, preventing the fluid that surrounds all body tissues from returning to the blood stream. When this happens the fluid is unable to drain through lymph nodes and builds up in the body’s tissues leading to swelling and discomfort. It can occur in people who have had cancer treatment which involves removal or damage to lymph nodes. Lymphoedema usually occurs straight after cancer treatment but can also occur later following a skin injury or infection. Wendy experienced lymphoedema for the first time when she fell on her arm fourteen years following surgery for breast cancer. She described how doing exercise and wearing a lymphoedema sleeve can help to keep the swelling under control. Wendy describes how she first got lymphoedema 14 years after her breast cancer surgery, and feels... I’ve had no really bad side effects luckily, until about I think it was two years ago I tripped over in the garden and my arm swelled and it was lymphoedema. Now I think some poor people can get this when they’ve had radiotherapy, and I’ve been very fortunate that it’s taken, must be I suppose fourteen years for it to affect me. But with exercise and wearing a sleeve that’s under control, and I think that’s probably been the worst side effect that I’ve had to suffer. So I’ve been very fortunate. Can you talk me through a bit about how you realised what it was and where you went to sort of find out what it was? Right. Well, I just thought my arm had swollen quite badly because I had fallen over and landed on that side. The doctor took a different view and said because of my history I ought to be checked out, and he immediately sent me to see [name] the oncologist. And she then said, “Well, because of your history, once again, you ought to have an MRI scan.” She was very reassuring and said, “I don’t think it’s anything sinister, but to be sure.” And that’s what I did. And as soon as the results came that nothing sinister had happened on the MRI scan I was sent to see a woman who deals, she has a lymphoma clinic. And it’s at the community hospital in [town] and I can call in whenever I want to. So she’s a good point of call as well actually and she gave me a massage to do, and these awful elasticated sleeves, which are very uncomfortable in the summer but because I didn’t want a big fat arm I kept going with the massage and, touch wood, it has gone down considerably and I don’t always have to wear the elastic sleeve. So, positive. So you didn’t enjoy wearing that sleeve? No, only because it was uncomfortable, you know, but it gave masses of support and I didn’t stop doing anything. At the clinic I was told, “Oh, well. If you want to get out of ironing now is the time.” But I’m determined, I don’t want to, I want to do everything I always do. Just going back to sort of the lymphoedema, which I know… …you’ve talked a bit about, but I just wanted to touch on one last thing. Is there anything that your GP can now be doing to help with the lymphoedema, or are you still experiencing any problems with it? Well, I really, he wouldn’t be the one. I would go to the woman at the lymphoedema clinic because, once again, I’ve got her number and this is national health actually, so I have her number and I could have an appointment normally within the week. So, you know, that’s a pretty good service that’s offered. And if I need more sleeves or anything, if I’ve been decorating and got paint all up them and stuff, she’ll send me some new ones. And I mean she made me feel gloomy at first because she said I would always, I’d never get rid of the swelling, and it was huge. It was quite a big, you know, arm, so that was a bit of, a bit depressing but because I thought, “I’m not going to put up with this. I’m jolly well going to do this massage.” And I did it twice a day and I never missed. I’ve been a bit naughty just recently because, of course, it isn’t so swollen, but if I do feel it tightening or anything I immediately start those massages and they do work. So yeah, so she gave me very good advice. Barry had penile cancer and part of his operation involved having a lymph node in his groin removed. He now gets a build-up of fluid in his legs, which does cause him some discomfort. Barry, who had penile cancer, had a lymph node removed from his groin, and now experiences... Yes, I got a lump in my right groin, and obviously that started off like, well small, and then I can’t remember over a period of time but eventually I had to go in and have this lump removed, it was like on your lymph gland. So I went in and obviously had the operation done and it’s, when they take this gland out it affects the fluid that gland, like affects the fluid in, like, in your legs, and what it’s done with having that lymph gland taken out is, all it’s doing is the fluid’s nowhere to go and it’s building up inside my leg, like, you know what I mean. I’m not in any pain, I’ve never been in any pain but all I do is feel uncomfortable and it’s just something that, like, well obviously won’t go away, it’s going to be, so. But he did tell me that it would only go up to a certain, my leg would only bloat out to a certain degree, but what he means by that is I just don’t know. But, it’s thingy, like, you can see there, look, at the end of the night that is really indented, you know what I mean, and when you put that leg at the side of this one you can see how the fluid’s building up in that leg, but there again it’s going round my body and it’s really, and it is affecting the other leg. But I’m in no pain whatsoever. But it’s just like something else, there was a lump inside my body and it had to come out, so it’s out. I am in a bit of discomfort but at the end of the day I’m still here, so, talking to you, so I’m happy with that. People with lymphoedema symptoms are usually referred to a specialist lymphoedema nurse for help with managing and reducing the effects of lymphoedema. Frances, who had breast cancer, saw a lymphoedema nurse for nine years after her cancer diagnosis who she described as ‘brilliant and helpful’. The lymphoedema nurses suggested a number of techniques to help prevent and reduce swelling. One common approach was the use of a lymphoedema ‘sleeve’ which acts as a compression bandage to help drain lymph fluid. Although these sleeves sometimes helped, some women, like Frances, thought that the sleeves were ugly. She decided to stop wearing them as they stopped working as well for her and she wanted to feel that she could ‘cope on her own’. Michael A, who had breast cancer, experienced lymphoedema but only wore the sleeve once as he felt that wearing the sleeve was ‘more uncomfortable’ than the lymphoedema itself. Frances burst into tears when she realised she’d have to wear a lymphoedema sleeve as it was ugly... Well, I to start with I thought, “This looks like lymphoedema from what I’ve read about it. I wonder if it is.” I tried to get rid of it myself by smoothing it and it sort of went and then it came back again. So I thought, “No, it’s no good.” So I rang up the cancer centre and said, “I think I’ve got lymphoedema. Can I talk to someone?” So they put me in touch with her and that was fine. I went to see her pretty soon and she said, “Yes you have got lymphoedema.” I think I burst into tears. I burst into tears when I realised I’d have to wear the sleeve. The actual diagnosis didn’t worry me too much but the sight of what I’d have to do, I thought, “Oh, no. I can’t bear this.” And what was it about the sleeve that just made you? Well, it’s ugly. And it meant I couldn’t, I wasn’t coping on my own. I had something that was forcing me to do something and I didn’t like that at all. And so I went to the lymphoedema nurse. She was brilliant and very helpful. I went to her for a number of years, well, I suppose eight years, nine years, and it did swell but she gave me a lot of sleeves to wear, which brought it down. After a while I felt the sleeves were not helping. I felt they were making it swell again, so I stopped wearing them. Again I thought, “I can cope with this.” I did all the exercises, got my arm back into reasonable shape, you know, and now you would hardly know it had happened. It doesn’t notice. I don’t wear the sleeve any more. I have been to the nurse since and she said, “That’s fine with me. If you can cope without it do so.” On the other hand, Diane, who had breast cancer, thought that her lymphoedema sleeve was ‘brilliant’ and still wears it when her arm is aching. People sometimes used massage to manage the swelling in their arm or leg. Wendy feels that she got really ‘good advice’ from her lymphoedema nurse who taught her how to do an arm massage to get the lymph glands active and move excess fluid around. She still uses massage whenever she feels her arm tightening and finds that it works well for her. One woman had several lymph nodes removed when she had a radical hysterectomy and radiotherapy to treat her cervical cancer ten years ago. She continues to experience lymphoedema in her left leg, and was told by a nurse that there is ‘no cure’ for it. The swelling in her leg limits her mobility and she is still awaiting an appointment at a specialist clinic to get advice on managing it with massage. Because lymphoedema is a condition that can occur many years after cancer, some of the people we spoke to described how they minimise the risk by avoiding certain activities which can aggravate the swelling. David W, who previously had breast cancer, described having to be careful lifting heavy things. This might mean making small changes like taking a trolley at the supermarket instead of using a basket. Wendy feels that her affected arm is a bit weaker and tries to be careful when doing strenuous activities like decorating. Small cuts, needles or trauma can also exacerbate the swelling. Another man has been told that, as a preventative measure he mustn’t have a needle or cut on the side of his body that was affected by his past breast cancer. Diane, who also had breast cancer, experienced sudden swelling in her arm due to a bee sting on the side where she had lymph glands removed. She now feels that the affected arm isn’t as strong as it once was. Diane had breast cancer and was affected by lymphoedema following a bee sting. She tries to avoid... Can you think of any other practical issues that have arisen that could have been, something could have been provided to help you or you felt that you had to deal with alone or anything? No, not really. No, I remember somebody said when I first got cancer, a cancer care nurse, that because I’d had the lymph nodes taken out I should really look after that arm and be conscious of it all the time. She said, “You will get to the point where, you know, anybody who goes near your arm you’ll [urgh]” And I thought that was a bit weird at the time. I thought, “No.” And it didn’t really happen until I got the bee sting, which was a couple of years after I’d had cancer that I actually became aware that that arm wasn’t as good as the other one and I did have to be more watchful of it. So is that something you need to keep an eye out for or get? Oh, yeah, yes. Do you see someone about that? I did but for a couple of visits after the bee sting but not now. It isn’t a problem but I am conscious, yes, I am conscious and I do think this arm perhaps isn’t as, yeah, yes I suppose that is a long-term consequence. This arm isn’t as strong as the other arm. I can’t carry a lot of heavy shopping or anything like that. It would hurt. I have to be very, but I do carry heavy shopping. They said not to but, you know, if it starts hurting I, because I’m very right handed. This hand is no good at all, so I can’t write or do anything with it, wouldn’t paint with this hand or anything. But yeah, that would be something that I would think about. You know, if we go on holiday I wouldn’t yank a heavy case. That would be something I would do it with this hand. And do things like the sleeve and the massages help? The sleeve actually is brilliant. I’ve got two of them, and they did say, “After a year or so come back and we’ll give you another one.” But I’ve never gone back. I’ve got two and I’d say only use them if the arm is aching a bit and I’m going to do something I would put it on and it does make a difference. I know it does. It then doesn’t ache.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line469
__label__cc	0.612197	0.387803	For people who had been treated for prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer or penile cancer, having surgery or radiotherapy to the pelvic area can cause problems with urinating. For instance, men with prostate cancer may experience urinary incontinence after surgery. In prostate cancer the condition itself can also cause bladder control difficulties. In most people treated for cancer their urinary problems are temporary, but some of the people we spoke with were still affected five years or more afterwards. The most common urinary problem mentioned by people we spoke with was needing to go to the toilet more often than normal. The need to go frequently varied depending on what activities people had been doing and on what and how much they had been drinking. Some said it only occurred during the night, some only in the morning, and others didn’t specify when it happened. The need to go to the toilet often was sometimes accompanied by a sensation that they had not fully emptied their bladder on each occasion, and so the needed to go again within a relatively short space of time. Ten years after having radiotherapy for prostate cancer Eric is getting up twice a night to pass... I still get up in the night, only about twice. Well, I don’t know whether it’s the PSA, whether it’s my prostate or not, because it’s always the same time. I think it’s a habit because about two o’clock in the morning I get up, go the loo, come back, and I get up again at about half past five, six o’clock. And I reckon it’s a habit. I don’t think it’s down to this, you see. It can change that sometimes, if I’ve been very physical in the garden or something like that and I’m really tired when I go to bed, I’ll sleep right through. So I don’t know. I don’t think there’s that much to worry about in that sense. And when I told the consultant, I said, “I’m still getting up two or three times in the night”, he said, “Well, that’s all right”, you know, “It’s not a problem is it.” I said, “Well, no, it’s just it disturbs your sleep a bit.” So he said, “Well, it’s all right.” He said, “Most people get to your age”, he said, “When they get to your age they’re up in the night anyway” , but he said, “What about the day time?” I said, “Well, I’ve no problem with the day time”. I notice that it might be me. I don’t know because I notice things can affect me. If I drink tea, if I have a cup of tea, that immediately goes through me. Coffee is not so bad, that takes longer. Beer takes longer and wine takes longer, and I can drink milk all night long and it doesn’t make any difference, but tea, and I drink quite a bit of water. That was something they told me at the hospital, “Drink lots of water”. And I do drink lots of water. And they also said it would be a good idea not to drink much water after dinner at night, you know, which I’ve have to do now, have your drink, whatever it is, and then don’t have anything else, see. And that’s pretty much what I do actually. Eight years after having radiotherapy for prostate cancer Ken has to pass urine more than once... I still have trouble in the morning, I go to the toilet and it feels like I’ve got to go again, that always happens, that’s in the morning. I don’t know why that is, even when they were testing me afterwards I still found that it’s still, I’ve never emptied my bladder. There’s always something there. And that’s been continuous has it? That’s continuous. That’s still doing it, so they haven’t cleared that up. Other people said they often experienced a sudden urge to pass urine which they couldn’t ignore. This problem could limit their social lives because they needed quick access to a toilet at all times and to know where they could find facilities when out and about. Five years after having radiotherapy for prostate cancer Ray began to experience urinary urgency,... Ray' I have bladder problems and they’ve tried to cure it and they’ve tried all sorts of things. It hasn’t, it doesn’t seem to work, and they did say to me at one time, they’re sorry but they’re afraid it’s an after effect of the radiotherapy. They said, “If we blow out the cancer with radiotherapy, that has gone but you’ve still got this symptom, which we can’t do anything very much about.” They tried and it doesn’t work. Okay. So what exactly happens that is affecting you in terms of your bladder? Ray' I could get up now and go along to the loo. In the middle of a conversation you suddenly want to go to the loo. Wife' There’s the urgency. Ray' So, it’s always, and it’s no good saying, “Oh, I’ll go to the loo in a minute.” It’s happening, it happens right, straight away. You’re, as I say, be in the middle of a conversation like this and I’ll just say, “Excuse me”, and I’ll have to dash off to the toilet. Wife' So it’s a bit prohibiting where you can go. How far you can go. How long you can go outside. Ray' If you want to go out for the evening it can be very difficult because you’ve got to make sure your bladder is empty before you go, have a seat in the row where you can get out and things like that. And if you go out for a meal, halfway through the meal you may have to get up and go to the toilet. How do you think it is affecting your life nowadays to continuously have this problem? Ray' It’s difficult. Wife' It’s restrictive really. Ray' It’s very restrictive. I mean we’ve got relatives in [county] and I wouldn’t now do the journey to [county] unless I’ve planned out beforehand where every loo is on the way. Wife' [laughs] Ray' Which doesn’t makes a… Some people plan their trips via the pretty way, some people the fastest way, and I go by loads of loos. Were you able to get access to disabled toilets if you wanted to? Wife' It all depends where you are. Ray' Yes, it is, I mean. Wife' In different counties that is run differently. We went to Ray's sister’s golden wedding do, our son drove our car for us and half way there, there was a disabled toilet but it was 20p in the slot, so if you hadn’t got your 20p it was difficult. And by the time we’d opened it, he’d had problems before. So it really depends on. Wife' Well, there the toilets that were there previously I noticed was a woman coming out but she had a key, because they were issued locally, but for visitors it was all this paying slot. People outside the county or wherever. Ray' So it does affect your life in so much as on simple things like that, which normally you wouldn’t think about. They begin to take precedence over other things. Other, more unusual bladder problems also occurred. For instance, after having part of her gut removed because of colorectal cancer, Jennie has been left with a lot of problems including a prolapsed bladder, which she empties via a catheter inserted through her abdomen. She said, “I’d rather not have it but, you know, I do live a normal and active life, so it’s not too bad”. Men treated for penile cancer may also be left with long-term changes in the way they use the toilet. Penile cancer is rare but when it occurs the most common treatment is surgery. The extent of surgery depends on the size and location of the tumour; reconstruction surgery is sometimes possible. Most men need to have only part of their penis taken away but in a few cases the whole penis is removed (total penectomy) and the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra) is rerouted via a new opening behind the scrotum and in front of the anus. Men who have had penile surgery may have difficulty controlling the stream of urine, causing them to spray outside the toilet or urinal. Some men we spoke to said they could no longer use a urinal and had to sit on a toilet to urinate. Barry said he had to sit down because he urinates from a different place since his total penectomy. Frank needs to pee sitting down since his partial penectomy but said that sit-down toilet... What were the main effects of the treatment? How did it affect you on an everyday basis, on a daily basis? In the recovery period? After the operation? Well because I have a partial penectomy I can’t use urinals in public toilets, so if ever I need to go for a wee I have to sit down and do it. I’ve got used to doing that. The only difficulty of course is if I find myself in a place where there aren’t any sit down type facilities, but I manage, you have to manage your life when something like this happens. Some men were offered help to overcome problems associated with spraying when urinating. Others said they had successfully retrained themselves to accurately control the flow of urine. After surgery for penile cancer Les found the end of his penis was closing up, causing spraying;... I still have to go back for check-ups, and it’s like the end of my penis now is, well one of my mates was telling me is it like a welders glove. It’s sort of quite hard and I have to moisturise it, and the end of the penis is closing up. And I was in hospital, it was just after Christmas, so that would be January 2011, where they did the, what they call the, is it ‘meatus dilation’? And they put this contraption in and blow the end open a bit and, now that is really really sore and I must admit I actually spoke to the nurse at the hospital last time, if I’d have known it was going to be that bad at that time I wouldn’t have had it done. But the results of it have been pretty good, because the reason I went was this hole was closing up, and every time I went to the toilet it was just spraying everywhere, it was just like a fire sprinkler and I had to sit down to go the toilet all the time. And after going through this procedure, you know, I’ve now got a proper stream when I go to the loo. And I have to sort of moisturise it still, and they’ve told me to put a catheter in twice a week just to keep the opening open, and that’s where we’re up to at this present day. After having cancer removed from his penis Steve had a reconstruction; he was told he would have... So were you given information about how the surgery would impact on you using the toilet? Yes we went through that... They said to… you’ll have to sit down for the rest of your life. But I found that more messy than standing up. You just have to learn how to go to the toilet again. You have to learn the... You’re going to have… You spray more than... Pee in a direct line any more. So you just find ways round it. It is quite difficult but after a few months I’m quite happy now. I’m quite accurate too. So you had to train yourself in a way? Yep, yeah. Did the staff at the hospital give you any assistance with that? No they just said, “You’re going to have to learn, mate”. They were good. They just said, “You’re going to have to go away and learn, your catheters out, sit down. You’re going to make a mess, so just tidy up behind yourself each time”. So as I say, going to the toilet I’ve learnt how to do, I’ve learnt that I, it sounds bragging now, but I held it with two hands and I hold my hands so I can stop any spray that does decide to go all over the show, it don’t go on my trousers. But I’ve got it under control pretty well now so… It takes a little bit of practice. It might not… Just think of it when you were a baby and it was going all over the show, and now it takes a little while to get the hang of it. You’re peeing from a different direction all of a sudden. One woman was left with urinary incontinence for a short while after radiotherapy for cervical cancer but successfully used pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles that controlled her bladder. Another woman said that nerve damage from a hysterectomy meant she no longer had the normal sensations that indicate a need to urinate; she retrained herself using reminders. Nerve damage from a hysterectomy for cervical cancer left her unable to feel when she needs to... So it was only that, it was the numbness and just having to remember, I had to remind myself to go to the toilet, which is very bizarre, very bizarre thing. But again, you know, I sort of go round it, my daughter was being toilet trained when I got home, and so I just used to, when she went I used to go too. So you didn't have the feeling that you needed to go? No, and I still don't fully. I've replaced it with other things, I've realised I've replaced it with other feelings. When I know my stomach feels full, that's when I go, so I've sort of replaced it with a different way round. And I think it's unlikely that people have that, I think they said it doesn’t normally happen that it never comes back, I think it's normally just temporary but for some reason it can't have reconnected somewhere down there. I think it's where they cut the urethra, it’s just whether that re-forms, the nerves for some reason didn't sort of, don't sort of reconnect for me. Last updated August 2015.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line470
__label__wiki	0.631991	0.631991	‘Thor: Ragnarok’: Karl Urban Reveals Why Skurge Betrays Asgard 'Thor: Ragnarok': Karl Urban Reveals Why Skurge Betrays Asgard by Michael Vassallo on September 4, 2017 After having portrayed the title role in 2012 ‘s Dredd and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the J.J. Abrams relaunched Star Trek trilogy, actor Karl Urban is no stranger to the world of sci-fi and comic book films. However, Urban makes his leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Asgardian executioner Skurge in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, Urban delves into why Skurge seemingly turns his back on Asgard and aligns himself with the film’s antagonist, Hela (Cate Blanchett) as he reveals that his character was seemingly given no other choice than to simply survive for himself: “Then Hela turns up, and Skurge quickly realizes that he either has to join her or die. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s bright enough to make the right choice for him. He’s a survivalist.” Here is the synopsis for Marvel‘s Thor: Ragnarok. In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok”, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladictorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk! Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins, Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3, 2017. Michael Vassallo	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line476
__label__wiki	0.855309	0.855309	Select Publications of Dr. Stephen Lambden Home › CV+ › Select Publications of Dr. Stephen Lambden SELECT PUBLICATIONS AND WORK IN PROGRESS Book-Length Works in Progress A Short History of the Writings of Sayyid `Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the Bāb (1819-1850). Forthcoming, Oxford: Oneworld. A Short History of the Writings of Mirza Husayn `Ali Nūrī, Bahā'u'llah (d.1892)'. Forthcoming, Oxford: Oneworld. Islamo-biblica and Beyond: Some Aspects of the Isra’iliyyat (Israelitica) Phenomenon and the Islamo-biblical Tradition. Kashfiyya : Four Treatises expressive of Early Shaykhi Doctrine from Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i (d. 1241/1826) and Sayyid Kazim al-Rashti (d.1259/1843). From Cosmic Firmament to Celestial Interworld : Studies in Hurqalya, Barzakh and worlds beyond Mt.Qaf. Ridwan , Sidra and Kawthar: Papers and Essays within Babi-Baha'i Studies. Select Papers in Progress Islamo-Biblica and Beyond : A survey of biblical and related materials in Select Islamic Literatures. Haykal: The Scriptural Writings of Sayyid `Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the Bab (1819-1850 CE). “The Heavens Prostrate before Joseph: Some Notes on the Exegesis-Eisegesis of a Biblical and Qur'anic Dream Vision of Joseph.” “The Treatise of Sayyid Kazim Rashti (d. 1259/1843) upon the Graphical Form of the ism Allah al-a‘zam (The Mightiest Name of God).” al-Shaykhiyya (Shaykhism) and Biblical Exegesis : Some Neglected Aspects of Qajar Shi`ism and Missionary Dialogue Encyclopedia Articles In Progress or Submitted Submitted (1995) to The Baha’i Encyclopedia, ed. Walbridge, Momen et. al.: “Ahmad, Arabic and Persian Tablets of;” “Alchemy;” “Angelology;” “Cheyne, Thomas Kelly (1841-1915);” “Christianity;” “The Fear of God;” “Jawahir al-asrar (The Essence of Mysteries);” “Judaism;” “Sidrah, Sidrat al-Muntaha [The Lote-Tree/ The Lote Tree of the Extremity];” “Wisdom, Hikmat / Danesh. [2014] “The Khaṣā'il-i sab`a (The Treatise of the Seven Directives) of Sayyid `Alī Muhammad Shīrāzī, the Bāb (d. 1850)” Forthcoming. 2011 “The Khaṣā'il-i sab`a (The Treatise of the Seven Directives) of Sayyid `Alī Muhammad Shīrāzī, the Bāb (d. 1850)” The Third International Conference on Modern Religions and Religious Movements and the Bábí-Bahá’í Faiths, March 21-23, 2011. Hebrew University, Jerusalem. 2011 [Review] Denis MacEoin, The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism (Iran Studies), Leiden : Brill Academic Pub, 2009. Published in Religion 41/3 (2011): 514-518. 2010 “The Khuṭba al-Jidda (The Literary Sermon at Jeddah) of the Bāb,” in A Most Noble Pattern, Collected Essays on the Writings of the Bāb, `Alī Muhammad Shirazi (1819-1850), ed. Todd Lawsaon and Omid Ghaemmaghami, Oxford: George Ronald, 2012, pp.146-159. 2010 “Kitab-e iqan.” (with Sholeh Quinn), in Encyclopaedia Iranica X, XXX-XXX. 2010. 2008 [Review] Nader Saiedi, Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Báb (Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2008). Published in Journal of the American Oriental Society 130.2 (2010): 301-304. 2008 [Review] The Baha’is of Iran: Socio-Historical Studies. Edited by Seena Fazel and Dominic Brookshaw (London: Routledge, 2008). Published in Journal of the American Oriental Society 130.2 (2010): 304-306. 2007 [Review] The Baha’i Faith and the World’s Religions, ed. Moojan Momen (Oxford: George Ronald, 2003). Published in Iranian Studies 40 (2007): 550-552. 2007 [Review] Keven Brown and Eberhard Von Kitzing, Evolution and Baha’i Belief: Abdu’l-Baha’s Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism (Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2001). Published in Iranian Studies 40 (2007): 552-553. 2006 “Islam,” in The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture, ed. John F. A Sawyer, 135-57. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006. 2005 “Some Thoughts on the Khuṭbat al-Ṭutunjiyya (Sermon of the Gulf) and its Shaykhī, Babi and Baha’i Interpretations.” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Ninth Annual Meeting, November 19-22, 2005. Washington, D.C. 2005 “The Messianic Roots of Babi-Baha’i Globalism,” in Baha'i and Globalisation, eds. Margit Warburg, Annika Hvithamar, and Morten Warmind, 17-34. Aarhus Universitetsforlag, 2005. 2004 “The Babi and Baha’i Religions,” in The Encyclopedia of Religion and War, ed. Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, 33-36. Routledge: New York and London, 2004. 2004 “The Babi and Baha'i Religions,” in The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, ed. William H. McNeill. Berkshire Publishing Group: Great Barrington, Mass., 2004. 2003 [Review] Nader Saiedi, Logos and Civilization, Spirit, History and Order in the Writings of Baha’u’llah (Bethesda: University Press of Maryland, 2000). Published inIranian Studies 36 (2003): 118-121. Some Aspects of Isrā'īliyyāt and the Emergence of the Bābī-Bahā'ī Interpretation of the Bible. phd_abstract.pdf Ph.D Table of Contents + phd-01.pdf 2001 “The Messianic Roots of Babi-Baha’i Globalism.” Baha'i and Globalisation. RENNER (Research Network on New Religions) and the University of Copenhagen, Departments of Sociology and the History of Religions. August 21-24, 2001. 2000 “The Baha’i Religion and Modern Academic Scholarship.” Conference on Foundational Issues in Bahá’í Studies. MertonCollege, OxfordUniversity. March 31-April 2, 2000. 2000 “Some Aspects of the Word baha’ and the al-ism al-a‘zam (the Mightiest Name of God) in Babi-Baha’i Scripture.” The First International Conference on Modern Religions and Religious Movements in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Babi and Baha’i Faiths. HebrewUniversity, Jerusalem. December 17-21, 2000. 1999 “Catastrophe, Armageddon and Millennium: Some Aspects of the Babi-Baha’i Exegesis of Apocalyptic Symbolism.” Baha’i Studies Review 9 (1999-2000): 81-99. 1998 “The Word Bahā’: Quintessence of the Greatest Name [of God].” Baha’i Studies Review 3/1 (1993): 19-42. Revised, expanded, and published in Journal of Baha'i Studies 8/2 (1997-1998): 13-45. 1998 “Eschatology. IV Babi-Baha’i ,” in Encyclopaedia Iranica VIII, 581. 1998. 1997 “Prophecy in the Johannine Farewell Discourse: The Advents of the Paraclete, Ahmad and the Comforter (mu‘azzi),” in Scripture and Revelation, ed. Moojan Momen, 69-124. Oxford: George Ronald, 1997. 1997 “The Background and Centrality of Apophatic Theology in Babi and Baha’i Sacred Scripture,” in Revisioning the Sacred, New Perspectives on a Baha'i Theology, ed. Jack MacLean. Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, vol. 8, 37-78. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1997 1996 “Ebn Asdaq,” in Encyclopaedia Iranica VII, 670-1. 1996. 1996 “Ebn Abhar,” in Encyclopaedia Iranica VII, 661-2. 1996. 1993 “Baha’ism,” in The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, ed. R. E. Asher, vol.1, 299-300. Oxford and New York: Pergamon Press, 1993[4]. 1992 “From Fig-Leaves to Fingernails: Some Notes on the Garments of Adam and Eve in the Hebrew Bible and Select Early Post-Biblical Jewish Writings,” in A Walk in the Garden: Exegesis, Iconography and Literature, ed. P. Morris and D. Sawyer, 74-90. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992. 1992 [Review] (with Moojan Momen) Denis MacEoin, The Sources for Early Babi Doctrine and History: A Survey (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1992). Published in Iranian Studies28 (1995): 263-265. 1988 “The Sinaitic Mysteries: Notes on Moses/Sinai Motifs in Baha’i Scripture,” in Studies in Honour of the Late Hasan M. Balyuzi, ed. Moojan Momen, 64-183. Studies in the Babi and Baha’i Religions Vol.5. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1988. 1986 “The Mysteries of the Call of Moses: Translation and Notes on Part of a Tablet of Baha'u'llah addressed to Jinab-i Khalil.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 4/1 (March 1986): 33-79. 1985 “At the Shore of the Black Sea: The Lawh-i Hawdaj/Samsun of Mirza Husayn ‘Ali Baha-Allah.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 3/4 (Dec. 1985): 84-97. 1985 “An Episode in the Childhood of the Bab,” in In Iran: Studies in Babi and Baha’i History, ed. Peter Smith, 1-31. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press 1986. 1984 “An Early Poem of Mirza Ḥusayn ‘Alī Bahā'u'llāh: The Sprinkling of the Cloud of Unknowing (Rashh-i ‘ama’).” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 3/2 (Sept. 1984): 4-114. 1984 “Baha’i,” in A Dictionary of Religious Education, ed. John M. Sutcliffe, 34-36. London: SCM Press, 1984. 1984 “A Tablet of Mirza Ḥusayn ‘Alī Bahā'u'llāh of the Early Iraq Period: The Lawh-i kull al-ta‘am (‘Tablet of All Food’).” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 3/1 (June 1984): 4-67. 1983 “A Tablet of Baha’-Allah of the Late Baghdad Period: Lawh-i halih, halih, halih.. ya bisharat.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 2/3 (Dec.1983): 105-113. 1983 “The Islamo-Baha’i Interpretation of Deuteronomy 33:2.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 2/2 (Sept. 1983): 22-46. 1983 “A Tablet of Baha’-Allah to Georg David Hardegg: The Lawh-i-Hirtik.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 2/1 (June 1983): 32-63. 1982 “Antichrist-Dajjal: Some Notes on the Christian and Islamic Antichrist Traditions and their Baha’i Interpretation.” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 1/2 (Sept. 1982): 14-49 and Baha’i Studies Bulletin 1/3 (Dec. 1982): 3-44. 1982 “‘My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?’ or ‘My God, My God, How Thou Hast glorified Me!’” Baha’i Studies Bulletin 1/1 (June 1982): 27-43. A Short History of the Writings of Sayyid `Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the Bab “Some Neglected Aspects of Qajar Shi`ism and Missionary Dialogue: al-Shaykhiyya (Shaykhism) and Biblical Exegesis.” “The Baha’i Religion and Modern Academic Scholarship.” Conference on Foundational Issues in Bahá’í Studies. MertonCollege, OxfordUniversity. March 31-April 2, 2000. Select Conference Presentations “Some Thoughts on the Khuṭbat al-Ṭutunjiyya (Sermon of the Gulf) and its Shaykhī, Babi and Baha’i Interpretations.” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Ninth Annual Meeting, November 19-22, 2005. Washington, D.C. “Sayyid Kāẓim Rashtī’s (d.1259/1843) Commentary upon the Graphic form of the Mightiest Name of God (al-ism al-a‘zam).” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Eighth Annual Meeting, November 20-23 2004. San Francisco, California “The Roots and Significance of the Babi-Bahai Concept of the Mightiest Name of God.” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Sixth Annual Meeting, November 23-26, 2002. Washington, D.C. “The Alleged Citations from the Bible in the Writings of the Bab and According to the Cambridge Orientalist E. G. Browne (d.1926).” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Fifth Annual Meeting, November 17-20, 2001. San Francisco, California. “The Hurufat al-Muqatta‘at (Isolated Letters) in the Writings of the Bab with Special Reference to the Qayyum al-Asma’.” Middle East Studies Association Thirty Fourth Annual Meeting, November 16-19, 2000. Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Select Seminars and Colloquia “The Commentary of Sayyid Kazim Rashti upon the Graphical Form of the Mightiest Name of God;” “Baha’-Allah the Tetragrammaton, יהוה Y-H-W-H: Some Aspects of Judaism and the Baha’i Faith.” Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group Bi-Annual Seminar, December 10-12, 2004. The Arabic Dala’il al-Sab‘ah (Seven Proofs) of the Bab: Some Introductory Notes. Irfan Colloquium, July 2-4, 2004. Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. London, England. “Tablets of Baha’-Allah to Jews in Iran, Iraq, Ottoman Palestine and Elsewhere.” Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group Bi-Annual Seminar, December 5-7, 2003. Newcastle upon Tyne, England “Scriptural Fundamentalism, Hermeneutics, and Religions of the Book.” Association for Baha’i Studies English Speaking Europe Annual Conference, 2002. Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, England. “Some Aspects of the nubuwwa (Prophetology) and mazhariyya (Theophanology) of the Bab.” Irfan Colloquium, July 19-21, 2002. Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, England. “Cherubim, Seraphim and Demythologization: Some Aspects of Babi-Baha’i Angelology and the mala’ al-a‘la (Supreme Concourse).” Irfan Colloqium, July, 2001. London School of Economics, London, England. “The Choicest of Narratives (ahsan al-qassas): Joseph Motifs and the Bābī-Bahā'ī Interpretation of the Joseph Story.” Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group, August 21-24, 1998. “Some Aspects of Spiritual Resurrection in the Babi-Baha’i Scripture and Modern Biblical Scholarship.” Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group, December 12-14, 1997. Newcastle upon Tyne, England. “Qa’im (Ariser) and Qayyum (Deity Self-Subsistent): The Background and Significance of Twin Messianic Advents in Babi-Baha’i Scripture.” The Irfan Colloquia and the Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group, July 4-6, 1997. Manchester, England. “The Position of Mirza Yahya Nuri, Subh-i Azal (1834-1912): Some Aspects of Azali Anti-Baha’i Polemic and Baha’i Apologetics;” Association for Baha’i Studies (English-Speaking Europe), Religious Studies Special Interest Group and the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund in cooperation with the Institute for Baha’i Studies, Conference on Anti-Baha’i Polemic, December 8-10, 1995. Newcastle University, England. “The Risala fi'l-nubuwwah al-khassa (Treatise on the Specific Prophethood [of Muhammad]) of Siyyid ‘Ali Muhammad the Bab,” Association for Baha’i Studies Religious Studies Special Interest Group, June.23-25, 1995. Newcastle upon Tyne, England. “Thomas Kelly Cheyne, Biblical scholar and Baha’i;” “Prophecy in the Johannine Farewell Discourse: Paraclete, Ahmad, Comforter (mu’azzi).” The First Haj Mehdi Arjmand Conference, December 3-5, 1993. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. “From Fig-Leaves to Fingernails: Some Notes on the Garments of Adam and Eve in the Hebrew Bible and Select Early Post-Biblical Jewish Writings.” Colloquium, “The Garden of Eden: Exegesis, Iconography, and Literature,” Department of Religious Studies, University of Lancaster, 1986. “Alchemical Gnosis in Babi-Baha’i Scripture.” Post-Graduate Staff-Student Seminar, Department of Religious Studies, NewcastleUniversity, 1984. Select Unpublished Papers “On the Possible Hebrew, Judaic Roots of the Ishraqi-Shaykhi Term (Ar.) هورقليا hurqalya (Per. havaqalya) and a Survey of its Islamic and Shi‘i-Shaykhi Senses.” “The Background and Significance of the Bābī-Bahā'ī Doctrines Respecting the Human ‘Soul,’ ‘Spirit,’ ‘Mind,’ and ‘Intellect.’ “Preface to the working out of an Hermeneutical Paradigm for Baha’i Studies.” “A Note on the Background and Babi-Baha’i Exegesis of the Name (Ar.) Musa (= Moses) with reference to the Sharh al-qasida al-lamiyya of Sayyid Kazim Rashti (d. 1260/1844).” “The Background and Significance of the Interpretation of the Symbol of the Cross (shakl al-salib) in the Writings of Sayyid ‘Ali Muhammad the Bab.” “The Question of Tahrif (Scriptural Falsification) in Islamic and Babi-Baha’i Scripture.” “Thomas Kelley Cheyne (1841-1915): Biblical Scholar and Baha’i.” “Two Major Demonstrative Treatises of the Iraq Period: The Jawahir al-asrar and the Kitab-i iqan.” “Kaleidoscope: The Background and Significance of some Aspects of Angelology and Color Mysticism in Babi-Baha’i Scripture.” Oxford, 1998. “The Primal Will (al-mashiyyah) and the First Intellect (al-‘aql al-awwal) in Islamic and Babi-Baha’i Texts.” “Even unto China: The Intellect, Anti-intellectualism and the Search for Truth.” “The Background, Significance and Interrelationships of Babi-Baha’i Concepts of Immortal Soul, Rational Mind and Human Spirit.” “Some Babi-Baha’i Interpretations of the Surat al-kahf (The Surah of the Cave).”	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line478
__label__wiki	0.60862	0.60862	Peter Berger on Protestantism and Disenchantment November 16, 2014 December 1, 2014 / gregorystackpole I posted earlier about Charles Taylor’s presentation of disenchantment; here is a long excerpt on the same topic (taking a slightly different angle) by Peter Berger from his book, The Sacred Canopy: If compared with the “fullness” of the Catholic universe, Protestantism appears as a radical truncation, a reduction to “essentials” at the expense of a vast wealth of religious contents. This is especially true of the Calvinist version of Protestantism, but to a considerable degree the same may be said of the Lutheran and even the Anglican Reformations. Our statement, of course, is merely descriptive — we are not interested in whatever theological justifications there may be either for the Catholic pleroma or for the evangelical spareness of Protestantism. If we look at these two religious constellations more carefully, though, Protestantism may be described in terms of an immense shrinkage in the scope of the sacred in reality, as compared with its Catholic adversary. The sacramental apparatus is reduced to a minimum and, even there, divested of its more numinous qualities. The miracle of the mass disappears altogether. Less routine miracles, if not denied altogether, lose all real significance for the religious life. The immense network of intercession that unites the Catholic in this world with the saints and, indeed, with all departed souls disappears as well. Protestantism ceased praying for the dead. At the risk of some simplification, it can be said that Protestantism divested itself as much as possible from the three most ancient and most powerful concomitants of the sacred — mystery, miracle, and magic. This process has been aptly caught in the phrase “disenchantment of the world.” The Protestant believer no longer lives in a world ongoingly penetrated by sacred beings and forces. Reality is polarized between a radically transcendent divinity and a radically “fallen” humanity that, ipso facto, is devoid of sacred qualities. Between them lies an altogether “natural” universe, God’s creation to be sure, but in itself bereft of numinosity. In other words, the radical transcendence of God confronts a universe of radical immanence, of “closed-ness” to the sacred. Religiously speaking, the world becomes very lonely indeed. The Catholic lives in a world in which the sacred is mediated to him through a variety of channels –the sacraments of the church, the intercession of the saints, the recurring eruption of the “supernatural” in miracles– a vast continuity of being between the seen and the unseen. Protestantism abolished most of these mediations. It broke the continuity, cut the umbilical cord between heaven and earth, and thereby threw man back upon himself in a historically unprecedented manner. Needless to say, this was not its intention. It only denuded the world of divinity in order to emphasize the terrible majesty of the transcendent God and it only threw man into total “fallenness” in order to make him open to the intervention of God’s sovereign grace, the only true miracle in the Protestant universe. In doing this, however, it narrowed man’s relationship to the sacred to the one exceedingly narrow channel that it called God’s word (not to be identified with a fundamentalist conception of the Bible, but rather with the uniquely redemptive action of God’s grace — the Sola Gratia of the Lutheran confessions). As long as the plausibility of this conception was maintained, of course, secularization was effectively arrested, even though all its ingredients were already present in the Protestant universe. It needed only the cutting of this one narrow channel of mediation, though, to open the floodgates of secularization. In other words, with nothing remaining “in between” a radically transcendent God and a radically immanent human world except this one channel, the sinking of the latter into implausibility left an empirical reality in which, indeed, “God is dead.” This reality then became amenable to the systematic, rational penetration, both in thought and in activity, which we associate with modern science and technology. A sky empty of angels becomes open to the intervention of the astronomer and, eventually, of the astronaut. It may be maintained, then, that Protestantism served as a historically decisive prelude to secularization, whatever may have been the importance of other factors. [The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1967), 111-113.] Berger writes that disenchantment “threw man back upon himself in a historically unprecedented manner”. One might argue that humanity’s being thrown back on itself is the beginning of the modern shift of human life and thought, a shift from a timeless theology and an eternal metaphysics (which provided an external and timeless basis for normativity in thought and judgment) to an anthropology, law and politics that were historicized and worlded. That is, no longer was an eternal realm of essences taken as normative, nor was the Good seen both as the transcendent goal of all things and as determining the being of beings. Rather, thought was seen as supplementing reality in acts of interpretation that are completely tied-up in the world being interpreted, with no transcendent vantage point. One is reminded here of Wilhelm Dilthey. Concerning a politics built atop an inescapable –and inescapably Augustinian– libido dominandi, without any kind of sacral notion of kings or the state, one is reminded of Niccolo Machiavelli. When Berger writes that “[cutting the umbilical cord of the sacred] was not [Protestantism’s] intention”, the record seems to be more ambiguous than this, at least in some cases. If we ask the insidious question, “who benefits”, the answer may be that rulers do, as they can domesticate the sacred as the only sovereign political authority in a region, no longer needing to compete either with the pleroma of saints and angels, the weight of the authority of the dead, or the reigns of a religious tradition headed by a politically powerful papacy. During the English Reformation, there was a royally-backed process of removing religious ritual objects of worship, and prohibiting many of the older, Catholic forms of worship. (There is an excellent book about this process in England by Eamon Duffy). In this process, religious images were destroyed and statuary torn down (the veneration and even possession of these images were both forbidden by force of law). It was now prohibited for the members of a community to address their ordinary faithful departed members (grandparents, etc.) during public worship — a wall was erected between the living and the dead, enforced by royal authority. The tombstones of the departed faithful formerly had their likenesses carved on them, together with admonitions and petitions from them to those still standing upon this earth. The Reformers defaced these gravestone likenesses and stripped the petitions from them. The members of the community would traditionally donate various ritual objects (vestments, chalices, etc.) for the use of the Church, and the members of the community knew who donated them; this was one of the ways that the dead and the living were connected. The king’s Reforming law was that these objects were to be inventoried as mere resources (without any note about the donors) and sold, the profits sent to the Crown. Eamon Duffy notes that in England, the stripping away of the externals of Catholic worship [during the Reformation] must often have had a profound […] effect. Whether done under official pressure or not, the removal of the images of the saints, of the altars, and perhaps most of all the brasses and obit[uary] inscriptions calling for prayers for the dead, which were ripped up from gravestones and sold by the hundredweight from 1548 onwards, were ritual acts of deep significance. Like the silencing of the [commemorations of the departed at the Mass], the removal of the images and petitions of the dead was an act of oblivion, a casting out of the dead from the community of the living into a collective anonymity. They, like the Mass and the saints, were now as they had never been before, part of a superseded past. The imaginative power of the cult of the dead in late medieval England had lain in part precisely in its continuity, as generation after generation inscribed its names and imposed its features upon the palimpsest of the parish memory. Through the recitation of the [names of the departed at Mass] and the continued use of the objects which the generosity of “good doers and well willers” had provided, the community was prevented from shrinking to become coterminous with its living members. [Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580, 2nd edition (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005), 494-495.] The weight of the past is liquified and goes to feed the monarch. Regardless of the religious motives of the Reformers themselves, such a program as this requires authority to execute it, and so it is difficult to see this as something other than an act of social engineering for the consolidation of secular power under the royal scepter. Therefore Berger’s comment here, I think, needs to be qualified. Disenchantment may have political benefits for rulers, who would then not need to deal with the political weight of local religious institutions who answer to figureheads in other countries; also it relieves the monarch of an administrative burden, as angels, saints, and the dead are rather difficult to supervise and manage, and can be rather destabilizing elements for one’s rule, and it is impossible for any punitive measures to silence the bodiless if they seem to speak out against the activities of rulers. The motives of the Reformers may be exactly as Berger describes; and yet the motives of the secular rulers must be taken into account. The “umbilical cord” was cut as Berger notes, but it is not clear that the motives for cutting it didn’t have something to do with the very worldly desire for mastery; it is not clear that it was not, at least at some level, intended. Books, Christianorum, Sæcularis Augustine of Hippo, Disenchantment, Eamon Duffy, Magisterial Reformers, Niccolo Machiavelli, Peter Berger, Protestant Reformation, Secularism, Secularity, Wilhelm Dilthey ← Twenty Pixel Heart Mary Midgley, “Against Humanism” → One thought on “Peter Berger on Protestantism and Disenchantment” Pingback: Gagarin and the Seven Heavens (Sketch of an Outline) \| Into the Clarities Start a conversation! Cancel reply	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line484
__label__cc	0.707626	0.292374	2. Практика\Ответственность командира за непринятие мер для предотвращения военных преступлений, их пресечения и информирования об их совершении Practice Relating to Rule 153. Command Responsibility for Failure to Prevent, Punish or Report War Crimes The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Military Judiciary Code (2002) provides: When a subordinate is prosecuted as principal perpetrator of one of the offences contained in article 80, and his hierarchical superiors cannot be prosecuted as co-perpetrators, they are considered as accomplices insofar as they have organized or tolerated the criminal actions of their subordinate. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Judiciary Code, 2002, Article 81. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Military Penal Code (2002) provides: When a subordinate is prosecuted as principal perpetrator of a war crime and when his hierarchical superiors cannot be investigated as co-perpetrators, they are considered as accomplices insofar as they have tolerated the criminal actions of their subordinate. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Penal Code, 2002, Article 175. V. National Case-law In August 2006, in the Kahwa Panga Mandro case, the Military Garrison Court of Ituri at Bunia held: c.) On the war crime by attack against protected objects according to Articles 8.2)b)ix) and 77 of the Rome Statute Whereas for its realization, that charge requires the following elements: 1) That the perpetrator directed an attack; Whereas in the present case it has been proven through the testimony of the victims that the troops of the chief Kahwa attacked Zumbe on his order, while he was the chief of the Hema militia called “Chui mobil force” …; 2) That the object of the attack was one or more buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals or places where the sick and wounded are collected, which were not military objectives. 3) That the perpetrator intended such buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals or places where the sick and wounded are collected, which were not military objectives, to be the object of the attack; Whereas in the present case, when attacking all these objects, Kahwa’s men knew that these objects were not military objects; whereas from this follows the mental element; whereas, in fact, there was no military target for pretending that they attacked that building because it was occupied by armed men; 4) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with an armed conflict not of an international character [compare ICC Elements of Crimes, Article 8(2)(e)(iv) ICC Statute], 5) That the perpetrator was aware of factual circumstances that established the existence of an armed conflict. Whereas, in fact, the defendant Kahwa was aware of the existence of these conflicts … Whereas it has been proven that Kahwa in his [passive] attitude had to tolerate the violations committed by his men during the attack of 15 to 16 October 2002; whereas his troops, in fact, operated in the territory controlled by him in his capacity as chief of the community, acts he cannot pretend not having been aware of; Whereas, in consequence, his responsibility on the basis of Articles 85 to 87 of the Geneva Additional Protocol and Article 28 of the Rome Statute on the responsibility of superiors, which provides as follows, [is established]: “Their (command) responsibility is only engaged if they failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within their power to prevent or repress their commission or to submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution.” Whereas Articles 85–87 of Additional Protocol I provide that: “any commander who is aware that subordinates are going to commit or have committed a violation must: - initiate such steps as are necessary to prevent such violations, - initiate disciplinary or penal action against violators, [according to] his competences, - report violations to the competent authorities”; Whereas, in fact, the commander shares the responsibility with the perpetrator of the act; Whereas Article 29 of the [1998 Statute of the] International Criminal Court speaks of the responsibility of the superior (military commander or civilian superior) in the following cases: - If “the military commander either knew or, owing to the circumstances at the time, should have known that the forces were committing or about to commit such crimes”; - If “the superior either knew, or consciously disregarded information which clearly indicated, that the subordinates were committing or about to commit such crimes and these crimes concerned activities that were within the effective responsibility and control of the superior”; Whereas, in the present case, Kahwa, in his capacity as chief of the Hema militia and leader of the Bahema Banyuagi community, while attacking the Lendu did nothing to hinder these dramas; whereas his silence thus constitutes approval or a tacit order. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Garrison Court of Ituri, Kahwa Panga Mandro case, Judgment, 2 August 2006. In November 2006, in the Bongi Massaba case, a case against a captain of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Military Court of the Eastern Province held: Criminal responsibility of military commanders Whereas, independent of the hypothesis of criminal participation, in the area of criminal repression the responsibility of the perpetrator of a punishable act remains, in principle, individual; Whereas, however, this principle is under attack in international criminal law, where the guilt of a superior in the hierarchy for reprehensible acts of their subordinates can be upheld; Whereas jurisprudence has set out three conditions which establish that borrowed criminal responsibility (Bagalishema case, ICTR, Trial Chamber, 7 June 2001); … A link of subordination placing the perpetrator of the crime under the effective control of the accused; It follows from the examination of the case that the fact that the defendant Blaise Bongi Massaba included his own bodyguard in the patrol platoon led by second lieutenant Kabesa and guided by his informers in the village of Tchekele sufficiently establishes the subordination required for establishing the violation; Whereas the defendant Blaise Bongi Massaba has a functional pre-eminence, i.e. the material capacity to prevent and punish violations of humanitarian law; (in this sense, ICTY, Mucić et al. case, cited by the ICTR in the Kayishema and Ruzindana case, Trial Chamber, 15 May 2003); Whereas the defendant Blaise Bongo Massaba, when the pillaged objects where brought in, instead of punishing the pillagers, on the contrary appropriated the objects by declaring to his wife and even in his complaint that they were war booty; Whereas the defendant Blaise Bongi Massaba had reason not only to know but, above all, to make sure, that his soldiers went and, then, pillaged the locality of Tchekele; Whereas the defendant Blaise Bongi Massaba failed to take all necessary or reasonable measures to prevent the said act from being committed; Whereas the defendant Blaise Bongi Massaba failed to punish the original perpetrators; Whereas, therefore, the defendant Blaise Bongi Massa must share the responsibility with his soldiers, perpetrators of these pillages; Whereas article 28 of the Rome Treaty confirms that principle of co-responsibility in the following hypotheses: - the defendant Blaise Bongo Massaba knew well that his troops would commit pillage, which is why his bodyguard Valaka and his informant had to be part of that patrol to make sure that the pillaged objects were brought; Whereas, furthermore, he himself organized that pillage by taking into account information received from the [informant] from Tchekele, who had to take the members of the patrol to addresses already identified; Whereas his co-responsibility, i.e. as co-perpetrator of the pillage in Tchekele, is therefore established. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Court of the Eastern Province, Bongi Massaba case, Judgment on Appeals, 4 November 2006. In 2009, in the Basele Lutula and Others case, the Military Garrison Court of Kisangani convicted Mai-Mai militia members of various crimes. Regarding the criminal responsibility of one of the defendants for the crime against humanity of rape, the Court stated: The defendant Basele Lutula, alias Colonel Thoms, is charged of the crime against humanity of rape pursuant to article 28 of the [1998] Rome Statute, which states: In addition to other grounds of criminal responsibility under this Statute for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court: a) a military commander or person effectively acting as a military commander shall be criminally responsible for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court committed by forces under his or her effective command and control, or effective authority and control as the case may be, as a result of his or her failure to exercise control properly over such forces, where: - that military commander or person either knew or, owing to the circumstances at the time, should have known that the forces were committing or about to commit such crimes; and - that military commander or person failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within his or her power to prevent or repress their commission or to submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution. b) with respect to superior and subordinate relationships not described in paragraph a), a superior shall be criminally responsible for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court committed by subordinates under his or her effective authority and control, as a result of his or her failure to exercise control properly over such subordinates … It follows from the above that all conditions should be met for the criminal responsibility of the superior to be engaged, namely: 1. the existence of an effective subordination and control. The commander may be part of the State structure ( … chiefs of staff of different operations etc. …) or of unofficial military structures, such as rebel armies, insurgents [and] armed groups. Article 38 of the … [1998 ICC] Statute makes a distinction between a de jure and a de facto command as it states: “a military commander or person effectively acting as a military commander”. In the present case, the defence states, without referring to names, that those who would have committed the crime openly declare not to recognize the defendant Basele as a hierarchical chief. It results from the evidence produced in the hearing that the defendant [Basele Lutula] acknowledges having sent the defendants Kipeleka Nyembo Bumba, Osumaka Loleka, Okanga Likunda and Koti Okeke to cut down all trees in the sector of Yawende Loolo, where the locality Lieke Lesole is situated. In view of the above, the fact that the defendant Basele Lutula, alias Colonel Thoms, gave orders for the defendants Kipeleka, Osumaka, Okanga and Koti Okeke to cut down the trees, and the fact that … the latters executed that order is sufficient proof that … [Basele Lutula] exercised de facto command over the others and that he controlled them effectively. Thus, … [the Court] concludes that the defendant Basele Lutula, alias Colonel Thoms, is indeed the superior of Kipeleka, Osumaka, Okanga and Koti Okeke, [who formed a] group send by him to Lieke Lesole in July 2007. 2. Moral element Article 28(a)(i) [of the 1998 ICC Statute] states: “That military commander or person either knew or, owing to the circumstances at the time, should have known that the forces were committing or about to commit such crimes”. This provision suggests that the superior, in view of the scale of the crimes committed by his subordinates, could not have ignored them. In the present case, the defendant Basele Lutula, alias Colonel Thoms, who was 26km from Lieke Lesole, more precisely in Lohumonoko, when Kipeleka and his group raped women … , could not have ignored what his men were doing, even more because he had effective control over them. 3. It must be proven that the superior did not take all necessary and reasonable measures within his power to prevent the commission [of the crimes] or to submit [the matter] to the competent authorities … In this regard, the defence argued that, as it was not an organised … [army] nor a rebellion, only the State was able to punish the above-mentioned defendants for their criminalized conduct … [or] to prevent it. The Court finds that the defendant Basele Lutula, alias Colonel Thoms, as a superior who has effective control over his men, played the role of a military commander … , that is, he could punish the commission [of crimes]. When he became aware of the mass rapes committed by … [his men], all he did was to send his brother, known by the pseudonym of “Avance”, to recover the two weapons of war carried by them. This is sufficient proof that he did not have the intention to prevent or to punish those crimes, nor to inform the competent authorities. Therefore, [the Court] upholds the charge of crimes against humanity of rape pursuant to article 7(1)(g) [of the 1998 ICC Statute] against the defendant Basele Lutula in application of article 28 … [of the same statute]. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Garrison Court of Kisangani, Basele Lutula and Others case, Judgment, 3 June 2009, pp. 26–29. In 2010, in the Barnaba Yonga Tshopena case, the Military Garrison Court of Ituri-Bunia convicted a leader of the Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri (FRPI) of several war crimes based on command responsibility. The Court stated: 130 … [I]n principle, individual criminal liability is individual. However, some adjustments are needed for a better understanding of such principle. Indeed, some criminalize complicity and co-perpetration; others, in particular international criminal law and military criminal law, … provide that superiors can, in certain circumstances, be convicted for crimes committed by their subordinates. 131 … [O]n this matter, this Military Tribunal follows the view of the Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court, according to which “article 28 of the [1998 ICC] Statute reflects a different form of criminal responsibility than that found under article 25(3) (a) of the Statute in the sense that a superior may be held responsible for the prohibited conduct of his subordinates for failing to fulfil his duty to prevent or repress their unlawful conduct or submit the matter to the competent authorities. This sort of responsibility can be better understood ‘when seen against the principle that criminal responsibility for omissions is incurred only where there is a legal obligation to act’. Bemba case, Decision on the Confirmation of Charges, 15 June 2009, § 405] 132 … [I]n the present case, … the defendant … did not individually and materially commit the various war crimes for which he is charged, as the material perpetrators are formally identified as being the Ngiti combatants of the FRPI militia. [H]e was the founder, moral authority and spiritual leader [of the FRPI] and, by right, the commander and leader of the FRPI, as well as the Messiah of the Lendu people. [A]s such, he is the highest moral authority and the supreme spiritual leader. De facto, he is considered by his FRPI peers as the supreme leader of the Ngiti combatants of this political-military movement. In this capacity, together with other commanders of this political-military movement, he organized, planned or encouraged in any way the attacks … against Nyankunde and Groupement Musedzo by FRPI Ngiti combatants respectively on 5 and 12 September 2002. 133 … Below is the evidence of the defendant’s membership of the … FRPI since its foundation until his arrest: - The accused … founded the tribal militia of Ngiti combatants which later became the armed political-military movement named Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri, FRPI; - He invited [several of] the commanders who joined the tribal militia of Ngiti combatants … He knows all of them personally and individually. He demonstrated this [knowledge] during a public hearing of this Court … - The accused … , after talking about those FRPI commanders at the public hearing, was asked by the Court how he knew them if he argued not to be member of the FRPI. He replied without hesitation that he knew them very well because they were his people. This means they were close collaborators within the FRPI. - … [T]he accused … was the only person on guard at the Operational Area of Ituri … [on the occasion of the ceremony organized … when FRPI commanders joined the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – FARDC], at the official gallery reserved for the high civil and military authorities … [T]he Court asked in which role he was present there, and he replied that it was in his role of director of the CODECO. [The Court] notes that this cooperative no longer exists since 2000 and that all its workers became combatants at the Ngiti militia, which later became the FRPI. Thus, he was present in the role of FRPI leader. - … [T]he accused … was found to be circulating in the FRPI’s bastion … His justification was that he was there to show himself and contradict rumours about his death and to … [have a feast] for the occasion of his re-appearance. [The Court] deduces in view of the above that he was there as part of a tour for the inspection of military positions of the FRPI Ngiti combatants … , in the role of supreme moral and spiritual authority and de facto supreme commander of the FRPI Ngiti combatants. [H]is public appearances necessarily involved jubilant scenes and large festivities as admitted by him. - … [T]he defendant … , in 2007, was fleeing the sweep operations launched by the FARD[C] against FRPI’s residual positions. When arrested, he was found in possession of an FRPI’s roadmap given to him by … [FRPI’s] Colonel Cobra Matata Banaloki so he could reach the latter’s residence in Nyavo. 134 … [T]he above-mentioned reasons constitute sufficient evidence … to establish substantial grounds to believe that the defendant … was not only a member of the FRPI, but also and mainly the highest civil authority who had an unquestionable authority within this political-military-tribal movement, including over the commanders. 135 … [T]his evidence gives the Court substantial grounds to believe that the defendant … should logically be considered criminally responsible for the charged acts, in the role of … a superior within the FRPI militia pursuant to article 28(b) of the … [1998 ICC] Statute, for the following reasons. 136 … [A]lthough he was not a commander within the FRPI militia, the defendant … was de facto its supreme commander, as he was not only the founder, but also the highest moral authority and supreme spiritual leader. As such, he is a superior having de facto under his authority and control the FRPI Ngiti combatants … (this is the spirit of article 28(2) of the … [1998 ICC] Statute, which provides that, regarding a civil superior, the Court must prove that he knew, or consciously disregarded, information which clearly indicated, that the subordinates were committing or about to commit such crimes). 137 … [T]herefore, since the foundation of the FRPI until the moment when the defendant was arrested, … [he] was not only supposed to exercise de facto authority and effective control over the FRPI militia and ipso facto, over the Ngiti combatants who have committed war crimes during the attacks against Collectivité Chefferie de Nyankunde and Groupement Musedzo respectively on 5 and 12 September 2002; but unfortunately he also omitted or neglected to exercise the appropriate control over the FRPI Ngiti combatants, as he knew that the latter would commit war crimes (in the Emil Muller case, … [an accused] was convicted for the first time by the German Supreme Court in Leipzig after World War II for not having prevented nor taken disciplinary action against the perpetrators: his responsibility lies in the omission … ; a superior is responsible for crimes committed by his subordinates and for his omission in preventing [the commission of those crimes] or in taking disciplinary action). 138 … [H]e was also supposed to exercise the power of giving orders, which were executed through the chain of command as, at the time of the facts of the present case, the FRPI was organized as a conventional army, with a General Staff directed by Kandro Ndekote, seconded by Cobra Matata Banaloki. [T]hese were the ones who headed up the bodies and structures of command, military operations … [and] administration, but unfortunately … [the accused] omitted or neglected to exercise the appropriate control over the Ngiti combatants of the FRPI militia through the chain of command, while he knew that the latter would commit war crimes. 139 … [H]e was also supposed to have and exercise the power and material capacity for preventing and punishing the commission of crimes, as there was a branch within the FRPI in charge of military justice … However, not only he omitted or neglected to exercise the appropriate control over the FRPI Ngiti combatants by giving orders with the aim of preventing the commission of war crimes through the chain of command, but he also did not punish their commission nor submitted them to the authority of the branch in charge of military justice within the FRPI for investigation and prosecution, while he knew that the latter were going to commit or had committed war crimes. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Garrison Court of Ituri-Bunia, Barnaba Yonga Tshopena case, Judgment, 9 July 2010, §§ 130–139. [footnote in original omitted] In 2008, a training manual by the prosecutor at the Military High Court for magistrates on techniques for investigating sexual crimes, including war crimes, was adopted as part of the Programme on Investigating Sexual Crimes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The training manual states: We make a clear distinction between a first level [of responsibility composed] of the direct perpetrators of a crime, and other levels of responsibility [composed of] persons who, despite their distance and indirect link, have a participation in the commission of a crime … … The various levels of responsibility: a. The first category is that of direct perpetrators of a crime: a person who attacks a victim and physically commits a crime against the latter. This group includes also the immediate superiors of direct perpetrators if they are directly implicated in the preparation, order, incitation or commission. b. The second category comprises intermediate perpetrators … including distant perpetrators who … participate with knowledge about the commission of the crimes by the direct perpetrators. c. The third category is composed of military, police and political leaders, who use their power to [initiate] the crimes committed by the direct perpetrators. They are the ones who conceive [the crime] … d. The last group is of persons likely to be implicated in the operational chain of serious international crimes, [which is] composed of individuals who, in the exercise of their usual [legal] powers, involuntarily form an unavoidable [link] of the criminal chain. The perpetrators use persons as instruments. … The modes of “knowledge” by superiors: One of the domains in which it is very difficult to [gather] evidence concerns the “knowledge” by a suspect or perpetrator of a crime before its commission. Article 30 of the … [1998 ICC] Statute requires evidence beyond reasonable doubt regarding the knowledge and intent of a person accused of a crime. It defines knowledge in paragraph 3 of that article: “knowledge means awareness that a circumstance exists or a consequence will occur in the ordinary course of events”. The first category of evidence concerns the direct evidence of the knowledge by a superior … This category might include written or oral reports addressed to the person, [and] public or private declarations … The second category includes evidence which indirectly establishes the knowledge by a suspect at a crucial moment … for example, when it is proven that a superior took a certain measure which indicates without doubt that he must have known about the crime or other important facts related to the crime. The last category of evidence is composed of elements establishing the effective or supposed knowledge of a reasonable person who were to be in the same position as the suspect. This piece of evidence allows concluding that a superior could not have ignored a particular fact as he had easy access to relevant piece of information. … The modes of criminal participation: … There are many ways in which a crime can be perpetrated. When a crime involves several perpetrators, each one may have participated in a different way. This applies notably to international crimes, which are not only caused by those who physically perpetrate them, but also by those who order, incite and support them. The participation of a person in the commission of a crime might vary according to his or her position and to the nature of the crime. b. Incitement This mode includes all words, acts and gestures presented in public in view of driving another person to commit a criminal act. Incitement may also include the attitude of superiors who favour a lax environment which might encourage criminal inclinations of their subordinates. According to the case-law of the ICTY, the mens rea of incitement presupposes that the suspect had the intention to provoke the commission of a crime or was perfectly aware that the commission of the crime would be a probable consequence of his or her acts. Incitement may be carried out by omission (for instance, if a superior officer intentionally omits to take all appropriate measures to punish or denounce the criminal conduct of his or her subordinates). In this case, it must be proven that there is a relation of cause and effect between the incitement and the effective commission of the crime. d. Conspiracy or Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE) One of the most remarkable innovations of international criminal law is the … theory of the “joint criminal enterprise” as a mode of criminal participation. It characterises the criminal conduct of high officials which are not directly linked to the crimes committed or their victims. It was conceived by the ICTY … [I]t concerns the commission of acts by a group of persons who are all engaged in the implementation of a collective criminal plan. This mode of responsibility means that, under certain circumstances, the members of a joint criminal enterprise are not only criminally responsible for the crime which was really intended, but also … for other crimes which result, in a predictable manner, from the joint criminal enterprise. In these circumstances, a superior may be held criminally responsible for crimes committed by his or her subordinates if he or she does not succeed in preventing or punishing them. A superior is thus responsible for his or her omission or negligence in reacting at the moment when he became aware that a crime would be committed or had already been committed. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Training manual by the Prosecutor at the Military High Court for magistrates on techniques for investigating sexual crimes, adopted as part of the Programme on Investigating Sexual Crimes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Justice seminar, 2008, pp. 9–13. The training manual further states: Legal implications of sexual violence as an international crime … International crimes imply … the responsibility of commanders and other superiors. This mode of responsibility is subject to the following conditions: 1. the superior must have effective control over persons under his command; 2. he must not have prevented or punished crimes brought to his knowledge, nor referred such crimes to the competent authority. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Training manual by the Prosecutor at the Military High Court for magistrates on techniques for investigating sexual crimes, adopted as part of the Programme on Investigating Sexual Crimes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Military Justice seminar, 2008, pp. 72–73.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line488
__label__wiki	0.780296	0.780296	Apply Now: Associate/Full Professor and Endowed Chair at the University of Oklahoma January 5, 2021 by JMC The Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage at the University of Oklahoma invites applications for an associate/full professor and Sanders Endowed Chair in Law and Liberty. Academic Opportunitieshigher educationlawAmerican political thoughtconstitutionlibertyclassicshistoryphilosophypolitical theorydemocracyconstitutional studiespolitical philosophyrepublicanismAmerican FoundingPolitical representationPolitical ScienceDepartment ChairAmerican political developmentresearchendowed professorshipassociate professorUniversity of OklahomaInstitute for the American Constitutional Heritage The University of Oklahoma: Associate/Full Professor and Sanders Endowed Chair in Law and Liberty The Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage (IACH) at the University of Oklahoma seeks to recruit an outstanding, nationally-recognized scholar for the endowed Sanders Chair in Law and Liberty. The Sanders Chair, housed in the Department of Classics and Letters, will serve also as the Director of IACH and play a key role in advancing the mission of the Institute. The successful candidate will be hired at the Associate or Full Professor rank. The IACH is an interdisciplinary program that brings together scholars from a range of departments across the University, including History, Political Science, Philosophy, Law, English, and Modern Languages. We seek a diverse range of candidates with a teaching and research profile in the study of the American Constitution, broadly defined. Subfields of interest include but are not limited to: the ancient roots of law, liberty, and self-governance; the development of republican thought; the historical and ideological background of the American founding; or American law and constitutionalism from the 18th century to the present day. Applications are welcome from scholars in areas such as History, Political Science, Law, Ethics and Justice, African American History and Politics, Gender and/or Ethnic Studies, Religion, and the History of Political Thought. As Director, the Sanders chair will be expected to organize the curriculum and programming of the IACH, working in concert with the IACH faculty and the Department Chair of Classics and Letters. Applicants should therefore demonstrate significant leadership and managerial experience or have the potential to take on a management role. Review of applications will begin January 29, 2021. The search will remain open until filled. The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. (or a J.D. in exceptional cases) and a substantial record of publications in a discipline related to the core mission of the IACH. We hope for a scholar who will have natural and meaningful connections, including potential cross-appointments, with other units on campus, such as History, Political Science, and/or Law. The successful candidate should also have an established commitment to undergraduate education, as well as experience with graduate teaching or clear potential for excellence in this area. The teaching load will be two courses a year (1-1) on a 10-month appointment, with significant research support to encourage an active scholarly agenda. Interested applicants should initially submit the following components to https://apply.interfolio.com/81686: a cover letter; a current curriculum vitae; and three letters of recommendation. For more information and to apply, click here >> Review of applications will begin January 29, 2021 and the position will remain open until filled. About the program: Established in 2009, the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage has grown into a vibrant national center for the study of the American Constitution. It incorporates over thirty affiliated faculty across the University, four of whom are permanently based in Classics and Letters. The notion of constitutional heritage reflects the Institute’s broad approach to the Constitution in all its aspects, including the development of civil rights in American history and the relevance of the Constitution to contemporary debates over justice and freedom. The Letters major is OU’s premier interdisciplinary humanities program and has been an integral part of the College of Arts and Sciences at OU since 1937, attracting outstanding students with interests in history, philosophy, and literature. The concentration in Constitutional Studies has become a cornerstone of the Letters major; hundreds of students have been taught and mentored in the area since its inception, with many alumni attending elite law schools and graduate programs across the country. Learn more about the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage >> Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma just 20 mins. south of Oklahoma City. OU’s Norman undergraduate population is slightly more than 20,000, giving students a major university experience in a private college atmosphere. With three campuses in Oklahoma, OU also offers study abroad opportunities at several locations and OU campuses overseas. Learn more about the University of Oklahoma >> View JMC’s entire list of academic opportunities on the Academic Opportunities page >> Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates about lectures, publications, podcasts, and events related to American political thought, United States history, and the Western political tradition! Want to help the Jack Miller Center transform higher education? Donate today. Previous: Max Skjönsberg: The Persistence of Party – Ideas of Harmonious Discord in Eighteenth-Century Britain Next: A JMC Webinar: “The Pardon Power: Uses and Abuses” with Adam Carrington, Corey Brettschneider, and Benjamin Kleinerman	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line502
__label__wiki	0.923463	0.923463	Maren Morris Debuts New Song ‘If I Just Get Out of My Way’ During Livestream [Watch] Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images Maren Morris unveiled a brand new song tentatively titled "If I Just Get Out of My Way" during a livestream concert broadcast from Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on Friday (Dec. 4). Luckily for Morris fans who didn't tune in to the show as it happened, some viewers captured part of the fresh ditty from the performance and shared it on Twitter. Watch the video further down in this post. As reported by the Nashville Scene, which reviewed the singer's entire livestream concert, "If I Just Get Out of My Way" finds Morris "examining her choices and the ways she's coped with tough times in the past." That's certainly an accurate account of the number that Morris performed accompanied only by a lone acoustic guitar player during last week's Brooklyn Bowl broadcast. The brooding tune finds the entertainer wondering, "What if 'happy ever after' isn't just something we say?" She also intones the evocative, title-containing couplet, "I know I'm going to make it to the stars someday / If I just get out of my way." Before the broadcast, a press release touted the following: "Flaunting a fusion of country, folk and pop influences, Maren Morris plays live from Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on Friday, Dec. 4. Carrying a catalog of powerhouse vocals and genre-bending anthems, tune in and feel Maren's energy live from Music City." Morris interacted with some viewers' feeds as they were piped into the venue. She even singled out one group who were strumming along on their own guitars during her set, as the Scene notes. It'd be no mistake to say that Morris has wrapped up a singularly successful 2020. In November, she won both Song of the Year and Single of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards. Before that, she captured the Female Artist of the Year distinction at September's 2020 ACM Awards. 50 Essential 2000s Country Songs: Source: Maren Morris Debuts New Song ‘If I Just Get Out of My Way’ During Livestream [Watch]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line509
__label__wiki	0.842022	0.842022	Kansas Women's Tennis Continues Road Stand in Texas After evening its record to 8-8 (3-3 in Big 12 play) with two wins last weekend in Oklahoma, the Kansas women’s tennis team travels to the state of Texas to face a pair of ranked conference opponents, April 3-5. Two Jayhawks were undefeated in singles play last weekend while freshman Ekaterina Morozova did not lose a singles or doubles match. Kansas will be looking for its third straight win when it takes on No. 4 Baylor (11-4) on April 3 at 6 p.m. in Waco, Texas. The Lady Bears feature four nationally-ranked singles players, including No. 37 Jelena Stanivuk. BU also boasts two nationally-ranked doubles tandems. The Jayhawks will next travel to Lubbock, Texas to face No. 63 Texas Tech (7-10) on April 5 at 11 a.m. The Red Raiders have won two of their last three matches and took a 4-3 decision over KU last year in Lawrence.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line510
__label__cc	0.710211	0.289789	DOOMSTARKS Brandon Jordan, DOOM, DOOMSTARKS, Ghostface Killah, Wu-Tang Clan Ghostface Killah Confirms Album Release in 2015! For all you diehard Wu-Tang fans (the Wu-Tang Forever-ers before Drake’s song) we have a special surprise! No, it’s not a Wu-Tang album but, we do have a Ghostface Killah project coming soon with his right hand man, MF DOOM. In a Reddit AMA, Ghost announced that “DOOMSTARKS” will release in 2015. He said the... / READ MORE /	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line516
__label__cc	0.747849	0.252151	Influx of diplomats is challenge for officials For Seoul officials in charge of diplomatic protocol, the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit poses some never-before-seen challenges. A total of 58 top leaders representing 53 nations worldwide and four international organizations will attend the summit, including leaders from the main powers concerned with the nuclear situation on the Korean Peninsula: the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The number of VIP guests at the nuclear summit is a record high for Korea, even surpassing that of the G20 Summit in Seoul in November 2010, which moved Korea from the periphery of the global diplomatic stage closer to the center. It’s not only the VIPs. The number of all participants at the nuclear summit will be approximately 10,000, including 3,700 from the media at home and abroad, according to the organizers of the summit. About 20 leaders attending the nuclear summit will be accompanied by their spouses, compared with 13 during the Seoul G20 Summit. A total of 48 presidential planes and 20 chartered planes have been mobilized to transport them to Korea. A total of 18 languages will be spoken at the summit, meaning legions of interpreters will be standing by. Tens of thousands of police and military officers are being mobilized for the security of the summit. “Accommodation, security, traffic, management of the event - there are lots of things to take care of to be able to host the summit successfully,” said an official of the organizing committee. “It is a daunting task, but Korea was chosen to host because it is believed to be able to, so we will try to get things done.” By Moon Gwang-lip [joe@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line517
__label__wiki	0.948516	0.948516	Japanese politicians beeline to Yasukuni Shrine Japanese lawmakers, including Land Minister Yuichiro Hata, center, are led by a Shinto priest as they visit the Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead in Tokyo yesterday following a visit by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the day before, straining relations with both Korea and China. [REUTERS/YONHAP] Following a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on Wednesday by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a group of senior government officials and lawmakers, including two cabinet ministers, visited the shrine yesterday and offered prayers to the war dead. The visits sparked anger from Korea, which has been urging Tokyo to confront and atone for its wartime brutalities. Yesterday, Land Minister Yuichiro Hata of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and Postal Minister Mikio Shimoji of the People’s New Party paid their respects at the war shrine with dozens of lawmakers. Their visit came after Abe, head of Japan’s top opposition Liberal Democratic Party and a front-runner to become Japan’s next prime minister, paid his respects at the controversial shrine in Tokyo, which honors Japan’s war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals from World War II. 아베 Hata also visited the shrine on Aug. 15, a memorial day marking the end of the war, with Jin Matsubara, president of the National Public Safety Commission. That visit came several days after President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to the Dokdo islets, which Japan claims as its territory. During yesterday’s visit, Hata and Shimoji said their visit was “private” and that they “hope the visit will not have an impact on diplomatic matters” with countries like Korea. Visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese high-profile figures have long been a contentious issue between Japan and neighbors like Korea and China with bitter memories of Japanese brutalities. The visits are seen by Korea and China as Japan’s refusal to acknowledge or atone for its colonial past and wartime misdeeds. In response to yesterday’s visits, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade protested and expressed “extreme regret.” “Paying respect at the Yasukuni Shrine by Japan’s politicians, including cabinet members, is an act of irresponsibility and a refusal to acknowledge neighboring countries that have been victimized by Japanese imperialism in the past,” said Cho Tai-young, spokesman of Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, yesterday, at a briefing. “The Korean government once again urges Japanese politicians to face history in a humble manner,” Cho added. Osamu Fujimura, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, played down the significance of yesterday’s visit by two ministers and lawmakers. “We believe the visits were private ones based on personal belief and we have nothing more to elaborate on such private visits,” Fujimura said. The Foreign Ministry also expressed “deep regret and concern” on Wednesday after former Prime Minister Abe’s visit, calling the shrine “a symbol of the Japanese war of aggression and militarism.” China also expressed anger. “[Abe’s visit to the shrine] was the latest of a flurry of Japan’s provocative moves against China and will further poison bilateral ties,” China’s Xinhua News Agency stated.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line518
__label__wiki	0.877948	0.877948	Dongbu set to take over Daewoo Electronics Dongbu Group signed a contract to take over Daewoo Electronics yesterday, ending a decadelong search for a buyer for the country’s No. 3 electronics firm. The group said its consortium inked the deal with Daewoo Electronics’ creditors to purchase the appliance maker for 272.6 billion won ($256.4 million). The move comes five months after Dongbu Group was tapped as the preferred bidder of Daewoo Electronics, a former unit of Daewoo Group, one of Korea’s largest conglomerates before it collapsed in 1999. Daewoo Electronics was one of the 12 affiliates of the defunct Daewoo Group that were subjected to a workout. As a result the company sold its semiconductor and defense businesses and simplified its businesses to center mostly on manufacturing consumer goods such as TVs, refrigerators, washing machine and air conditioners. As the company’s business stabilized, Daewoo Electronics’ creditors decided to put the company up for sale in October 2005. However, finding a buyer was not easy. The following year a consortium led by India’s Videocon and private equity fund Ripplewood showed interest, but the deal fell apart as the negotiating parties couldn’t reach an agreement on the price. Daewoo Electronics laid off 1,500 employees while selling off its car audio business. It then went into another set of negotiations in 2007 with Morgan Stanley’s private equity arm. But this time the company’s labor union opposed the acquisition that broke the deal. The company laid off another 1,200 employees. In 2009 Iran’s Entech showed interest in buying Daewoo Electronics. The deal once again failed to follow through as Entech failed to clarify the details on how it would finance the purchase. In August, media reports said Dongbu Group, Samla Midas Group and Sweden’s Electrolux AB submitted bids for the deal, valued at more than 300 billion won. A winning bid was selected after five rounds of botched talks with potential buyers, including overseas companies and consortia such as Iran’s Entekhab Industrial and Morgan Stanley Private Equity. With the acquisition, Dongbu Group Chairman Kim Jun-ki and the conglomerate’s electronics affiliates will hold a 51 percent stake, while financial investors will take the remaining 49 percent interest. By Lee Ho-jeong [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line519
__label__wiki	0.690327	0.690327	Kia executive sees challenges in road ahead Lee Hyung-keun Vice Chairman Lee Hyung-keun says Kia Motors has come a long way since its days as the ugly duckling of Hyundai Motor Group. The stylish K-Series has helped Korea’s second-largest automaker sell more than a million vehicles since 2009, but the 61-year-old Lee emphasizes that his biggest concern is to sustain growth for the future and enhance the brand image of Kia. And the K9 flagship stands as a symbol of the challenges facing the brand. The sedan, which was released last May, has sold only about 7,600 units so far, roughly half its original goal, shadowed by Hyundai Motor’s established Equus and imports. “I never thought imported cars could achieve a 10 percent market share in Korea so fast,” Lee said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Friday. “Foreign auto brands poured cars into Korea at a time when consumers’ perception of imports was improving.” Lee admitted he may have been too optimistic about K9 sales but said the quality of model is excellent. He notes that Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo still uses a K9 even though the new Equus has been rolled out. After all, Lee said, consumers ride “brand” and his company’s focus will be how to improve the Kia image. Q. The global auto market seems to be tough this year. What’s your perception? A. Japan is the one we are mostly concerned about, as Japanese brands have revived. With the weak yen, we expect them to go aggressively after the U.S. market. Our first goal is to secure our current market share [3.8 percent] in the United States. Because of the weakened yen, some worry that conglomerates will try to rip off subcontractors. Unlike in the past, we can’t just ask suppliers to cut the price. The relationships between automakers and their subcontractors are all different in the United States, Japan and Korea. In the United States it’s more open, while Japan doesn’t allow its subcontractors to supply other carmakers. We look for shared growth, and if suppliers have capacity we allow them to supply to other global car companies. Because of this, our suppliers get bigger and their production costs get lower and they are better able to cope with currency factors. It’s a win-win and great insight from Chairman Chung Mong-koo. Are there any plans to build additional plants overseas? Even though we say it’s difficult, global demand for the industry keeps growing. After construction of our plant in China is finished, we will finalize expansion of our production capacity. It is also important to increase productivity with two daytime shifts, which will be conducted next month. In the United States, Kia is still far from being considered a luxury car. We are enhancing our brand image. Last year in an Interbrand survey, Kia was ranked 87th, our first time among the 100 most recognizable global brands. Our real retail price, considering discounts and promotions, will match that of competitors in the future. What’s your plan to compete against imported cars? Many drivers still think of domestic cars as they were in the past. We will work hard to tell customers about how domestic cars have changed. We are also reinforcing after-sales service. We have a total of 19 repair shops under our direct management that will be renovated. How can we earn the trust of customers in a house that is dirty and old? How would you cope against a diesel-fueled model from a foreign brand? We will release a diesel-version of a current model next year if everything goes well. For example, it could be a diesel-fueled K5. Hyundai’s i40, which is diesel, also has a good reputation overseas. There is a fantasy that imported cars are always better in performance. But if we communicate with our consumers with sincerity, I think we can change this perception. The K9 seems to be struggling. Why? We didn’t really think hard enough about how customers would see Kia models compared to Hyundai or foreign brands. Customers complained a lot about our old-style options list. We mirrored ourselves a lot and also released products earlier this year with adjusted prices and options. By Kim Young-hoon [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line520
__label__wiki	0.705598	0.705598	Sexual assaults decline significantly, poll shows According to a survey about sexual assaults conducted by the Ministry of Gender, Equality and Family, the number of sexual assaults has fallen by almost half over the last three years. “The poll shows that 1.5 percent of people experienced a sexual assault over the last year, down from 2.9 percent in 2010,” the ministry said in a press release. The ministry also noted the percentage of those who experienced a sexual assault in their lifetime dropped from 19.6 percent to 10.2 percent. The survey subdivided the types of sexual assault into minor sexual assault, serious sexual assault, attempted rape, rape, verbal abuse, obscene phone calls, indecent exposure and stalking. Some 3,500 men and women from 19 to 64 years old were questioned. The most common age to first experience a physical sex crime was under the age of 19. Of those people who experienced a minor sexual assault, 36.4 percent were younger than 19 the first time it happened. For serious sexual assault, 34.6 percent were under 19; for first-time attempted rape, 30 percent of victims were under 19; and for first-time rapes, 39.3 percent of victims were under 19. The most common age to be abused verbally for the first time was between 19 and 35, with 68.2 percent. Most sexual assaults tended to be repeated. For example, 45.3 percent of rape victims said they had been raped two times or more. The more serious the crime, the greater the chance the victim and the offender knew each other. While 80.6 percent of women who were victims of minor sexual assault did not know the offender, 60.1 percent of women who were raped did know the offender. There were many differences between male and female victims. While the poll showed that all categories had female victims, no men said they had been victims of serious sexual assault, attempted rape or rape. In addition, men and women responded to harassment and assaults differently. While 57.7 percent of women said they responded to attacks by attempting to get away from the attacker and 27.1 percent said they took no action, for men 41.6 percent took no action. “It is encouraging that the rate of sexual assaults has decreased, but not many victims are getting help on their own” said Cho Yoon-sun, the minister of gender equality and family. BY KIM BONG-MOON [bongmoon@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line521
__label__wiki	0.673565	0.673565	LIG chairman convicted on fraud charges, handed jail term The Supreme Court convicted LIG Group Chairman Koo Cha-won of fraudulently issuing commercial paper of more than 200 billion won ($194 million) and gave him a suspended sentence of three years in jail. Koo’s probation period is five years. His two sons, Koo Bon-sang, vice chairman of the defense systems manufacturer LIG Nex1, and Koo Bon-yeop, former vice chairman of LIG E&C, were also convicted for their involvement in the issuance of the bonds. Koo Bon-sang was sentenced to four years in prison and Koo Bon-yeop to three years. The Supreme Court upheld an appeals court ruling yesterday that convicted the chaebol boss and his sons of issuing fraudulent short-term bonds in order to save LIG Engineering and Construction, despite the fact that they were aware the construction subsidiary was about to fail.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line522
__label__wiki	0.588052	0.588052	New Hyundai Tucson debuts at Geneva auto fair Hyundai Motor introduces the new Tucson SUV at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday in Switzerland. The model is the third generation and the first makeover since 2009. Provided by the company Hyundai Motor unveiled the new Tucson SUV for the first time at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show on Tuesday. The model is the third-generation of Tucsons and the first makeover since 2009. The reason the nation’s leading automaker introduced the new SUV in Geneva is to expand its market share in Europe in the small SUV segment. Since the Geneva event is one of four major motor shows in the world held early in the year, it can set auto trends for the year. It is the 85th Geneva show and a total of 220 companies including car and part makers will introduce about 900 cars and related products until March 16 in Palexco. “We expect this all new Tucson can help consumers in the world recognize Hyundai Motor as a global premium brand,” the company said in a statement. The model’s predecessor, the Tucson ix, was the best-selling SUV in the European market for Hyundai Motor with 94,166 units sold. The new Tucson is 4.475 meters (14.7 feet) long, 1.85 meters wide and 1.645 meters high. The model’s length grew 65 millimeters (2.5 inches) and the width grew 30 millimeters, while the height got 10 millimeters lower compared to its predecessor. The wheelbase is 2.67 meters, which also got 30 millimeters longer. The trunk has a capacity of 513 liters (18 cubic feet), which is a 10 percent improvement from its predecessor’s 465 liter capacity. The Tucson will be offered in both diesel and gasoline models in Europe. Based on a U2 1.7-liter engine, the diesel model offers 115 horsepower and a maximum torque of 28.6 kilogram-meter (19.2 pound-foot). Another diesel model is developed with R 2.0-liter engine that provides 136 horsepower and 38 kilogram-meter of torque. The gasoline models come with a choice of two different engines, the Gamma 1.6-liter GDi and the Gamma 1.6-liter turbo GDi, which includes a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. For the exterior, Hyundai Motor’s signature hexagonal grille has been added along with LED daytime running lights. The model also offers some safety options including auto emergency braking and smart parking assist systems. Along with the new Tucson, Hyundai Motor will display 16 cars including the i30 turbo hatchback and four engines at the motor show. The automakers in Geneva are focusing on introducing more cars that consumers will actually consider buying rather than fancy and expensive supercars. This year, small SUVs, wagons and coupe models as well as environmentally friendly cars will attract visitors. Among the 900 cars being displayed in the show, about 130 are models newly introduced to the European market. The market is of interest to global automakers because it is showing signs of economic recovery thanks to the European Central Bank buying of eurozone bonds as a form of quantitative easing. Hyundai Motor’s sister company Kia Motors introduced concept car KD-11, a grand-touring wagon. The model was interesting to industry insiders because they expect that part of its exterior design will be applied to the company’s second-generation K5 sedan that will be unveiled for the first time in Korea in the second quarter of this year. Ssangyong Motor displayed its SUV lineup in the show. Its main model is its small Tivoli SUV, which has been riding high in Korea since it started selling in mid-January. Ssangyong received more than 10,000 orders for Tivolis in two months. BMW introduced the new 2 series Gran Tourer, the company’s first seven-seat model. BY KWON SANG-SOO [kwon.sangsoo@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line523
__label__wiki	0.752768	0.752768	Rare 2.3-earthquake hits Suwon A 2.3-magnitude earthquake was detected in Suwon, Gyeonggi, Monday morning, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). This is the first time an earthquake exceeding a magnitude of 2.0 has occurred in Suwon since the Korean government began monitoring seismic activity in 1978. According to the KMA, the earthquake occurred at around 9:02 a.m., two kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Suwon’s Gwonseon District. There was no report of damages, according to the meteorological administration; people generally reported feeling reverberations or hearing booming sounds. Immediately after the quake, the 119 Rescue Services’ call centers in cities in Gyeonggi, including Hwaseong, Yongin and Ansan, received over 50 calls inquiring about the quake, but their were no reports of any casualties or major damages as of that afternoon. Two large earthquakes of magnitudes 5.1 and 5.8 struck Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang on Sept. 12. The 5.8-magnitude quake was the largest since 1978. In the following weeks, nearly 500 aftershocks were observed in the region. It has led to concerns among Koreans that the country can no longer be considered an earthquake safe zone, and the quake in Suwon is a further indicator that the Gyeonggi area is not completely safe from earthquakes. Since 1978, there have been 16 earthquakes with magnitudes over 2.0 recorded in Gyeonggi. The strongest to date in Gyeonggi was a 3.0-magnitude quake, which occurred 8 kilometers north of the city of Siheung on Feb. 9, 2010. “This is the first time an earthquake occurred in the Suwon region,” Gyeonggi Governor Nam Kyung-pil said immediately after being briefed on the earthquake by the Gyeonggi Disaster and Safety Headquarters. “This goes to show that there is no place on the Korean Peninsula that is safe from earthquakes.” He added, “Respond calmly to minimize any confusion for the people and prepare for any possible quakes in the future.” Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young convened an emergency meeting at the city government’s disaster and safety situation room on Monday and said, “We will adopt a measure with the mindset that an earthquake can occur at anytime. We cannot simply take a posture of thinking, ‘things will be fine.’” Suwon plans to complete an examination by 2018 as to whether public facilities in the city, including libraries, museums and water supply plants, are sufficiently resistant to earthquakes or whether they need further construction. BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line524
__label__wiki	0.793909	0.793909	‘K bank’ opens as Korea’s first online-only bank Shim Sung-hoon, president and CEO of K bank, speaks during the bank’s launch ceremony on Monday at KT Square in Jongno District, central Seoul. More than 20,000 new accounts were opened on the first day. [K BANK] “K bank,” the country’s first internet-only bank and first newcomer in Korea’s banking industry in 25 years, officially opened on Monday. While the bank’s most notable feature might be its complete lack of brick-and-mortar branches, the primary goal of K bank is to provide loans to a wider population than currently available. Interest rates will range from as low as 4.2 percent to as high as 9 percent. The niche market that K bank is targeting is known in Korea as the “midrate loan market,” where borrowers have a credit score of four to seven on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst. These borrowers can theoretically receive loans with interest rates of 5 to 10 percent, but local commercial banks are often reluctant to lend to them, forcing borrowers to turn to savings banks. These savings banks are technically consumer finance companies that often charge rates in the double digits. K bank believes it can provide less burdensome rates through its cost-cutting business model and a credit rating system that utilizes a bigger pool of data than that available to other banks, allowing it to make more precise and nuanced judgements of borrowers’ ability to repay loans. The public’s interest in the bank on its first day looked promising. As of 6:30 p.m., over 20,000 people opened new accounts, and more than 1,000 loans were issued. For the next three years, K bank aims to provide as much as 500 billion won ($447 million) to 120,000 borrowers in the country. K bank’s main competitor, Kakao Bank, is expected to gain final regulatory approval some time this week. A consortium led by the operator of Korea’s most widely used messaging app, KakaoTalk, is leading the project. Once they go into operation, K bank and Kakao Bank will “bring innovation to the financial industry beyond competition,” said Yim Jong-yong, chairman of the Financial Services Commission, the country’s financial regulatory agency. The commissioner added that 450 “high-quality jobs” have already been created through the two internet-only banks, and the ripple effect could generate as many as 2,400 jobs in the tech sector. Still, internet-only banks have some hurdles to overcome to find a solid footing in Korea. For one thing, the Banking Act, a law intended to separate banking from commerce, bars tech companies like KT, a shareholder in K bank, and Kakao from holding more than 10 percent stakes in their banks and pouring in more reserve capital. As a result, they each hold 8 percent in K bank and Kakao Bank. “We started out with 250 billion won as starting capital,” said Shim Sung-hoon, president and CEO of K bank. “We can run our business for the time being with money we receive from customers as savings, but without additional capital, our BIS ratio [a global standard to measure banks’ capital soundness] may worsen quickly.” BY CHOI HYUNG-JO [choi.hyungjo@joongang.co.kr] Seoul stocks up 2 percent on expectations of improved earnings Short-selling news just a big misunderstanding, FSC says	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line525
__label__wiki	0.660638	0.660638	Home > Business > Economy Steel transhipped via Vietnam to U.S. faces huge duties The United States will impose punitive duties on steel products imported from Vietnam but originating from Korea for circumventing anti-dumping measures. The U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday that it will take action against steel products from Vietnam that were found to have been first produced in Korea or Taiwan, levying duties of up to 456.23 percent. It explained in a statement that some corrosion-resistant steel products and cold-rolled steel exported to the United States from Vietnam originated from the other two countries and only underwent minor processing in the Southeast Asian country. The United States has imposed duties on corrosion-resistant steel products from Korea and Taiwan since December 2015 and cold-rolled steel from the two countries since February 2016. Under U.S. law, products that are completed or assembled in a third country before being imported to the United States could be considered as avoiding U.S. duties. The duties will apply to future imports of such products if they are found to have originated in Korea or Taiwan and also on some products on which duties have not yet been paid. The U.S. Commerce Department noted that shipments of cold-rolled steel from Vietnam jumped 916.4 percent after the duties were imposed, while imports of corrosion-resistant steel products from Vietnam rose 331.9 percent. It said that it conducted an investigation after requests were received from U.S.-based steelmakers, such as Steel Dynamics, California Steel Industries, AK Steel Corporation and others. Local steelmaker Posco, which operates in Vietnam, said its Vietnamese unit will be unaffected by the U.S government measures. “Export products to the United States [from Vietnam] use Vietnamese materials even before the investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department,” said the steelmaker. “We believe that there will be no impact on the Vietnam unit.” BY CHAE YUN-HWAN [chae.yunhwan@joongang.co.kr] More in Economy Public sector job growth outpaces private sector growth Exports up 10.6 percent in first 20 days of 2021 Down with the Cptpp! Biden presidency good news, bad news for businesses Trillions of support promised ahead of Lunar New Year	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line527
__label__cc	0.652088	0.347912	Richard H. Truly U.S. Space Program Collection About Richard H. Truly The focus of this collection is Admiral Richard H. Truly's career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1969 to 1983 and from 1986 to 1992. The bulk of the collection consists of papers accumulated by Truly during his Administrative positions at NASA from 1986 to 1992. There are also some papers accumulated while he was an Astronaut (1969 to 1983), while Commander of the Naval Space Command (1983 to 1986), and while Director of Georgia Tech Research Institute (1992 to 1997). These papers include correspondence, speeches, to-do lists, schedules, daily logs, newspaper clippings, photographs, and technical reports and presentations. The collection also includes books from Admiral Truly's library. Many have inscriptions and/or signatures. There are also some with letters or notes laid in. The books are mostly Military and Space Program related non-fiction, biography, and fiction. There are 27 pieces of art, pertaining to his career, accumulated by Admiral Truly. These include photographs, original paintings, and prints from paintings. All but one are framed, the other is dry mounted. Five artifacts are included. There are 3 Space Shuttle models. Two of these were given to Admiral Truly after the Enterprise Approach and landing tests. The other one was a retirement present. The other two artifacts are Naval items which were also retirement presents. A large number of digital photo files are included. These files include scans of prints and documents from the Truly papers, from photos of the Art and Artifacts, from digital photo files off the internet, and from scans of slides donated by Truly to the Library media center. Special Collections Coordinator archives@regis.edu Regis University Archives and Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of Regis University Library. The collections do not circulate and may be accessed only in the Reading Room. Please contact Archives and Special Collections at 303.964.3612 or email archives@regis.edu with any questions. Next: Provenance >> URL: https://libguides.regis.edu/truly	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line532
__label__wiki	0.627991	0.627991	The State Library of Pennsylvania fostered the development and expansion of a statewide database of library catalogs, accessible from a single website on the Internet for all residents of Pennsylvania. This service, Access Pennsylvania, enabled resource sharing across the Commonwealth. Services provided by the State Library of Pennsylvania grew to include electronic databases, digital collections, and a 24/7 live chat service. In 2013, all of these services were united under a single web portal and named POWER Library. Click here to access Power Library resources This project is made possible in part by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and through Library Access Funds administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Department of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, Governor. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services or the Department of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line545
__label__wiki	0.978424	0.978424	Texas Tech guard Mac McClung (0) is grabbed by guard Kyler Edwards (11) as they celebrate McClug's winning basket in the final seconds of the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech won 79-77. Eric Gay - staff, AP Texas Tech guard Mac McClung celebrates his winning basket in the final seconds of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech won 79-77. Texas Tech guard Mac McClung (0) is grabbed by guard Kyler Edwards (11) as they celebrate McClug's winning basket in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech won 79-77. Texas Tech guard Mac McClung, front left, who hit the winning shot against Texas in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game, celebrates with teammates Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech won 79-77. Texas Tech forward Marcus Santos-Silva, center, and Texas guard Andrew Jones (1) struggle for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech guard Kevin McCullar (15) grabs a rebound next to Texas forward Greg Brown (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) passes the ball away from Texas forward Jericho Sims (20) as he loses his balance during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas guard Matt Coleman III (2) dives past Texas Tech guard Mac McClung (0) for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas guard Matt Coleman III (2) grabs a rebound as Texas Tech's Mac McClung, Marcus Santos-Silva and Terrence Shannon Jr., from left, defend during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech coach Chris Beard, center, talks with the team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Texas Tech forward Marcus Santos-Silva (14) and Texas forward Jericho Sims (20) compete for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas. McClung lifts No. 15 Texas Tech past No. 4 Texas, 79-77 Mac McClung made a long jumper with 3 seconds left and No. 15 Texas Tech rallied to beat No. 4 Texas 79-77 on Wednesday night, ending the Longhorns’ perfect start in the Big 12 By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Mac McClung made a long jumper with 3 seconds left and No. 15 Texas Tech rallied to beat No. 4 Texas 79-77 on Wednesday night, ending the Longhorns' perfect start in the Big 12. Texas (10-2, 4-1) led almost the entire game and a blistering start against one of the top defensive teams in the country had the Longhorns in control before a sloppy finish and some late Texas Tech 3-pointers snatched the win for the Red Raiders (11-3, 4-2). McClung's shot was originally ruled a 3-pointer before a video review. Texas had a final chance, but Matt Coleman's desperation 3-pointer never came close to the basket. Coleman also missed a shot in traffic for the lead with 17 seconds left. “I've got a lot of confidence in Mac,” Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. “He has the courage to take those shots.” McClung finished with 22 points. Andrew Jones had 20 for Texas, but scored just two points after halftime as the Red Raiders shut him down. Jericho Sims added 16 for Texas, but was just 6 of 14 on free throws, with two key misses late. Texas led 77-73 after Courtney Ramey's 3-pointer with 1:40 to play. McClung then made two free throws, Sims missed two free throws for Texas before the Red Raiders tied it when Ramey got sloppy passing the ball inbounds, creating an easy tying layup for Tech's Terrence Shannon. McClung then buried his long shot from the right wing. “Our guys scrapped. They really did,” Beard said. Texas Tech has roughed up the Longhorns in recent years with six wins in seven matchups, including three in a row in Austin. The latest was tense from the start. Both teams were whistled for technical fouls in the first half. The last time these teams were supposed to play, they were pulled off the court during warmups at the 2020 Big 12 tournament in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, it was viewed as a pivotal game for Texas coach Shaka Smart, who was facing intense speculation that he could be fired. Smart has the program turned around this season and the sounds of Texas Tech players celebrating their win echoed through the Frank Erwin Center, which was empty of fans because of the pandemic. “They came in here and were two points better than us,” Smart said. “They deserve to celebrate that." Texas Tech: The Red Raiders gave up 48 points in the first half, then clamped down on Jones defensively, allowing him just one shot in 16 minutes. It was a pivotal turn that kept the Longhorns within range for a comeback after falling behind by 10. “I thought in the second half, they really were the aggressors,” Smart said. Texas: The Longhorns finally had a game when it couldn't find the big shot late. Texas was 4-0 in games decided by three points or less coming in. Just a few days earlier, Jones had made the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to beat West Virginia on the road. BIG TURNOVER The pivotal play was the miscue by two of Texas' best, most experienced players. After drawing an offensive foul on Texas Tech with 45 seconds left, Texas had the ball and the lead. Then came Ramey's errant pass to Coleman, which was picked off Coleman's hands by the Red Raiders' Kyler Edwards. A quick pass to Shannon for a wide-open layup tied it. “We’d all like to have that play back,” Smart said. "You put the ball in those guys' hands because those guys have made so many good plays. I’ll continue to put the ball in those guys' hands. Texas Tech: Hosts No. 2 Baylor on Saturday Texas: Hosts Kansas State on Saturday. For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP—Top25 Sports — Our daily sports newsletter, delivered at 6 a.m. T25-texas Tech-texas 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line546
__label__wiki	0.646619	0.646619	Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › District Courts › Missouri › Eastern District of Missouri › 2010 › Jones v. Social Security Administration › Filing 19 Jones v. Social Security Administration, No. 4:2008cv01472 - Document 19 (E.D. Mo. 2010) Court Description: MEMORANDUM AND ORDER IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner pertaining to the period before plaintiff attained the age of 18 years is AFFIRMED as stated herein. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner pertainin g to the period after plaintiff attained the age of 18 years is REVERSED and this cause REMANDED to the Commissioner for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Judgment shall be entered accordingly. Signed by Magistrate Judge Frederick R. Buckles on 3/5/2010. (NCL) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION JEREL JONES, ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Plaintiff, v. MICHAEL J. ASTRUE, Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant. No. 4:08CV01472 FRB MEMORANDUM AND ORDER This matter is on appeal for review of an adverse ruling by the Social Security Administration. All matters are pending before the undersigned United States Magistrate Judge, with consent of the parties, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). I. Procedural Background The record indicates that plaintiff s mother filed an application for Supplemental Security Income ( SSI ) under Title XVI of the Social Security Act ( Act ) on behalf of plaintiff Jerel Jones ( plaintiff ), alleging disability as of April 3, 2006, due to asthma, hyperactivity a learning disorder ( Tr. ) 66-69). disability, ( ADHD ).1 and attention-deficit- (Administrative Transcript Plaintiff s application was denied, and on July 1 The record indicates that plaintiff was born on April 16, 1989, and was therefore a minor when his application was filed, but reached age 18 before the date of his administrative hearing. (Tr. 14, 18, 57). -1- 25, 2007, a hearing was held before an Administrative Law Judge ( ALJ ). his (Tr. 14-27; 228-60). decision denying On August 5, 2007, the ALJ issued plaintiff s application. (Tr. 14-27). Plaintiff subsequently filed a request for review of this decision with defendant agency s Appeals Council, which granted plaintiff s request for additional time before taking action on plaintiff s case. (Tr. 8-10). On August 15, 2008, the Appeals Council denied plaintiff s request for review. (Tr. 3-7). The ALJ s decision thus stands as the final decision of the Commissioner. 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). II. Evidence Before the ALJ A. Hearing Testimony During the administrative hearing, represented by attorney Jeffrey Bunten.2 plaintiff was Plaintiff testified that he was eighteen years of age; five feet, six inches tall; 125 pounds; and right-handed. (Tr. 233). He testified that he lives at home with his mother and younger sister, and planned to return to high school for his senior year in the fall. (Id.) Plaintiff testified that he was an honor roll student at Marquette High School. (Tr. 237). The ALJ noted that plaintiff had achieved 2 At the outset of the hearing, the ALJ asked plaintiff s attorney to explain the status of criminal charges for stealing, which were pending against plaintiff, and plaintiff s attorney explained that criminal matters were pending in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County, and that plaintiff was being represented by counsel. (Tr. 231-32). -2- grades of A and B while a student at Crestview Middle School, and plaintiff testified that math was his favorite subject. (Id.) Plaintiff testified that, in school, he was given special help with subjects he did not understand. (Tr. 234). Plaintiff s attorney indicated that plaintiff had attained I.Q. scores of 93 and 91. (Id.) Plaintiff testified that, two months prior to hearing, he had spent two weeks working as a house cleaner. 235). the (Tr. Plaintiff testified that he did not feel he could do this work for forty hours per week on an ongoing basis because the dust made him wheeze and cough, and he had to use a mask. (Tr. 239). Plaintiff testified that he was unable to perform any work because he became short of breath due to asthma. (Tr. 235). Plaintiff testified that he used to smoke two packs of cigarettes per day, but had reduced his daily consumption to three or four cigarettes. (Id.) Plaintiff included Singulair,3 testified Advair,4 that and his current Prednisone.5 prescriptions (Tr. 237). 3 Singulair, or Montelukast, is used to prevent breathing difficulties and other symptoms associated with asthma and with exercise. It is also used to treat the symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergies. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a600014.html 4 Advair is a combination of Fluticasone and Salmeterol, and is used to prevent wheezing, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties caused by asthma and COPD. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a699063.html 5 Prednisone is used to treat symptoms associated with low corticosteroid levels, and is also used to treat severe allergic reactions, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and certain conditions that affect the lungs, skin, eyes, kidneys blood, thyroid, stomach, and intestines. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a601102.html -3- Plaintiff testified that he becoming physically active. used an (Tr. 238). inhaler each day before He testified that he used a nebulizer six or seven times per year, depending how the weather goes, and also testified that he experienced wheezing between asthma attacks. (Id.) He testified that he took a three-day course of Prednisone three weeks ago when he had chest pains and wheezing. (Tr. 239). Plaintiff testified that he had no emergency room treatment or hospitalizations for asthma during the year 2007, but that he did have one emergency room visit, and one five-day hospitalization, due to asthma in 2006. (Tr. 240). Plaintiff testified that his Advair dosage had been increased in the last two months, but he did not know the reason. testified that, between emergency room attacks two or perhaps three times (Tr. 240-41). He visits, he had asthma per month. (Tr. 241). Plaintiff was asked what he did when he had an asthma attack, and he testified as follows: First I ll talk to my mother. I ll tell her that I may need to go to the ER, or she just might just help me with using my nebulizer, just fill up my machine up and then I just use that and if that doesn t work I just end up going to the emergency room. (Id.) Plaintiff testified that he had never tried to get a driver s license, stating that if he were to have an asthma attack while driving, he could hurt himself or others, and he thought he should therefore just wait. (Tr. 242). Plaintiff testified that -4- he had no problems with walking, standing, sitting, or using his hands. (Id.) Plaintiff described an asthma attack as a tightening of his chest, and difficulty catching his breath. (Tr. 243). Plaintiff testified that he had not had an asthma attack that year, and stated that his last asthma attack occurred on April 4, 2006. (Id.) Plaintiff testified that he usually had asthma attacks in April, around the time of his birthday. (Tr. 244). The ALJ then heard testimony from Henry Onken, M.D. (Tr. 244). Dr. Onken testified that he had not examined plaintiff, but had thoroughly reviewed his medical records. (Tr. 246). Dr. Onken testified that plaintiff would be able to stand and sit. 250). (Tr. The ALJ and Dr. Onken discussed the fact that the medical evidence contained conflicting statements regarding whether plaintiff s asthma was controlled or uncontrolled, and Dr. Onken testified that he could not resolve the conflict, but that it appeared that both medical treatment providers were impressed by plaintiff s long history of severe asthma, and that one had noted plaintiff s recent improvement. (Tr. 251). Dr. Onken testified that plaintiff s asthma required a lot of medication, and was a severe problem. (Tr. 252). Dr. Onken testified that, with medication, plaintiff could have a normal life, but should not run. (Id.) It was noted that, in the past, plaintiff had filed at least three disability claims. (Tr. 252-53). Dr. Onken testified that plaintiff took corticosteroids -5- once or twice per month, a regimen that seemed to take care of things. (Tr. 253). Dr. Onken testified that corticosteroids were known to cause side effects, including salt retention and impaired wound healing. (Tr. 253-54). Dr. Onken testified that it appeared that plaintiff had low-grade wheezing between asthma attacks. (Tr. 254). The plaintiff s ALJ then mother. heard Ms. testimony Catching from testified Shanda that Catching, she treats plaintiff for wheezing at home, and that is why he does not require emergency room visits. (Tr. 256). Ms. Catching testified that plaintiff had experienced three asthma attacks during 2007, but not to the point that he required emergency room treatment. 57). (Tr. 256- Ms. Catching testified that smoking triggered plaintiff s asthma, and she herself was a smoker. (Tr. 257). Plaintiff then testified that he smoked about six cigarettes per day. 253). Ms. Catching testified that plaintiff had missed two weeks of school due to his asthma. B. (Tr. (Id.) Medical Records6 The record indicates that plaintiff was treated at the Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Center from November 22, 2000 through April 23, 2001. (Tr. 153-78). 6 These records include The Administrative Transcript contains medical information predating plaintiff s alleged onset date. These records will be included in the following summary, to the extent they are relevant to the instant matter. -6- Friends of Asthmatics in the Neighborhoods documentation forms, indicating that plaintiff took Albuterol,7 Singulair, and Flovent;8 that his home was clean and neat; that he knew his medication; and that he was doing well in school. (Tr. 153-78). The record indicates that, on June 21, 2004, plaintiff saw Carolyn L. Cannon, M.D., at St. Louis Children s Hospital, for a first-time asthma evaluation. (Tr. 205-06). Dr. Cannon noted that plaintiff had been asthmatic since age four, and averaged two hospital admissions per year due to asthma. noted that plaintiff frequently required (Tr. 205). Dr. Cannon corticosteroids and frequently missed school, but was quite noncompliant with his maintenance medications, and took medication only when sick. (Id.) She noted that his worst months were in April and May, and that he did not have indoor precipitants. (Id.) Lung function testing was performed, and plaintiff s FEV9 values were consistent with a moderate to severe obstructive process, with marked bronchial reactivity. (Tr. 206). Allergy 7 Albuterol is a bronchodilator used to prevent and treat wheezing, difficulty breathing and chest tightness caused by lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways). http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a607004.html 8 Flovent, or Fluticasone oral inhalation, is used to prevent breathing difficulties, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing caused by asthma. Fluticasone is in a class of medications called corticosteroids. It works by decreasing swelling and irritation in the airways to allow for easier breathing. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a601056.html 9 FEV stands for Forced Expiratory Volume, and is the result obtained during Spirometry, or lung function, testing. The FEV value reflects how well a person can hold air in his lungs, and how much air he can exhale after taking a deep breath. -7- skin testing revealed allergies irritants, including trees and mold. to numerous environmental (Id.) The record indicates that plaintiff presented to the emergency room of St. Louis Children s Hospital on February 21, 2006 with complaints of cough and wheezing, and was diagnosed with an asthma exacerbation. Albuterol and Prednisone. (Tr. 200). He was advised to use (Tr. 201). The record indicates that plaintiff presented to the emergency room of St. Louis Children s Hospital in March of 2006 with complaints of a back injury during baseball practice. 199). (Tr. He was diagnosed with a muscle strain, and advised to use a heat pack and Ibuprofen. (Id.) On April 3, 2006, plaintiff was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of St. Louis Children s Hospital due to asthma. (Tr. 193-98). Chest x-ray performed on April 3, 2006 revealed likely pneumonia in the left lower lobe of the lung, although clinical correlation was recommended. (Tr. 217). He was discharged on April 7, 2006, and advised to use Advair, Singulair, Albuterol and Prednisone. (Tr. 191-92; 197-98; 213-17). On May 15, 2006, plaintiff returned to Dr. Cannon s office and was seen by John Spivey, M.D., for a follow-up visit for what was described as severe persistent/fatality-prone asthma, and it was noted that he was last seen on June 21, 2004. 82). (Tr. 180- Dr. Spivey noted that plaintiff remained symptomatic despite maintenance therapy, and had complaints of nocturnal cough and -8- marked symptomatology with exercise; however, it was noted that Advair helped plaintiff s symptoms. (Tr. 180). Dr. Spivey noted that plaintiff had begun smoking one to two packs of cigarettes per day, and also noted that he had advised plaintiff to stop smoking. (Id.) Dr. Spivey also noted that plaintiff had been nonadherent with his asthma regimen in the past, and had done much better on Advair since his hospital discharge. (Tr. 181). He noted that plaintiff should continue using Advair daily, and that, if he remained compliant, his dosage could be reduced.10 (Id.) The record contains a Childhood Disability Evaluation Form, which was signed by psychologist R. Moreno on June 20, 2006, and by pediatrician Despine Coulis, M.D. on July 13, 2006. 130-36). It was opined that plaintiff s asthma represented a severe impairment, but was not of listing-level severity. 130). (Tr. Plaintiff s functioning in each of the 6 (Tr. domains of functioning was evaluated, and it was opined that plaintiff had no limitation in his ability to interact/relate with others; move about and manipulate objects; or care for himself. (Tr. 132-33). It was opined that plaintiff had a less than marked limitation in his ability to acquire and use information. (Tr. 132). In the domain of Health and Physical Well-Being, the box 10 In the office note, it is indicated that Dr. Cannon had personally interviewed plaintiff and his family; examined plaintiff; and discussed the case with Dr. Spivey, and that she agreed with the findings, assessment, and plan Dr. Spivey described. (Tr. 182). -9- indicating a marked limitation was checked. (Tr. 133). It was noted that lung function testing on May 15, 2006 revealed an FEV of 2.21, above the 1.55 or less required under listing 103.03A. It was noted that plaintiff s primary care clinic had (Id.) been contacted, and that plaintiff had not been seen there in the past year, except for one visit for immunizations. (Tr. 133, 135). It was noted that in the past year, plaintiff appeared to be without asthma exacerbations until February 2006 and April 2006, when he was hospitalized. (Tr. 135). It was noted that plaintiff had had a total of three courses of oral steroids, and the equivalent of four asthma exacerbations, including the equivalent of two for the hospitalization and one for the steroid course begun just prior to his May 15, 2006 clinic visit. (Id.) It was noted that plaintiff did not have medical evidence of chronically abnormal imaging as required under listing 1103.C1 and C2. (Tr. 135-36). It was noted that the family s allegations were partially credible and that plaintiff s asthma was severe, but he did not meet a listing for asthma. (Tr. 136). On August 22, 2006, plaintiff was examined by Dr. Cannon. (Tr. 207). Dr. Cannon noted that, while Advair non-compliance had been noted during plaintiff s last visit of May 15, 2006, since then, plaintiff had been using Advair and reported feeling good. (Id.) Plaintiff also reported having reduced his cigarette use to 10 cigarettes per week, and attributed some of his improvement to these smoking cessation efforts. (Id.) Plaintiff reported that he -10- had not had a course of Prednisone since May of 2006, and he had no episodes of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, or chest tightness. (Id.) Plaintiff reported that his asthma had not been bothering him lately, and he reported adherence to his asthma action plan. (Tr. 207). Lung function tests were consistent with a mild obstructive process, and were somewhat improved since plaintiff s May visit. (Tr. 208). Plaintiff was continued on his current regimen, and was advised to stop smoking. (Id.) On May 31, 2007, plaintiff returned to Dr. Cannon s office and was evaluated by Jodi E. Carter, R.N., although both she and Dr. Cannon signed the treatment note. (Tr. 220-22). It was noted that, when last seen, plaintiff s asthma was well-controlled. (Tr. 220). It was also noted that plaintiff had been scheduled to be seen the preceding day, but did not appear as scheduled and that he was contacted and the appointment was rescheduled. (Id.) Plaintiff and his mother reported that, during the interval since his last visit, he had been doing fairly well, and reported two exacerbations brought on by upper respiratory tract infection symptoms, and weather changes. (Id.) He reported currently working a job doing manual labor, and stated he was able to do this fairly well if he pre-treated with Albuterol. (Id.) Plaintiff reported that he was trying to cut back on smoking, and stated that he smoked four to five cigarettes per day. (Tr. 221). The results of lung function testing was consistent with mild intra-thoracic airflow obstruction. (Id.) It was opined that plaintiff s asthma -11- was severe persistent, uncontrolled. (Id.) It is indicated that the option of using Xolair11 to better control plaintiff s asthma was considered, but that plaintiff was hesitant regarding using an injection. (Id.) The clinician further noted her concerns about whether plaintiff would be able to comply with the two week visit schedule. (Tr. 221). reviewed. (Id.) C. It was also noted that smoking cessation was Other Evidence In September of 1999, plaintiff was evaluated by his school district. (Tr. 118-28). During I.Q. testing, plaintiff achieved a score of 91 on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, and a score of 93 on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. (Tr. 120). It was noted that plaintiff was quiet and well-behaved, and that he complied with the teacher s directives to the class. (Id.) Plaintiff was also described as an appealing youngster who entered all testing sessions in a pleasant, friendly and cooperative manner. of ADHD, (Tr. 124). and that It was noted that he had a medical diagnosis when he took his medication, he had no difficulties with attention, concentration, or impulsiveness, and that his Plaintiff s classroom task behavior focus and was well attention controlled. were adequate, (Id.) and his 11 Xolair, or Omalizumab, is administered via injection and is used to decrease the number of asthma attacks in people with allergic asthma. It is usually injected in a doctor s office every two to four weeks. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a603031.html -12- activity level was normal. (Id.) It was noted that his Full Scale I.Q./Composite I.Q. score of 93 on the Stanford-Binet fell within the average range of cognitive ability, and that his scores in reading were below his ability. (Tr. 127). Disciplinary records from Marquette High School indicate that, in 2005 and 2006, plaintiff was subjected to various inschool suspensions disruptive/disrespectful and out-of-school conduct, suspensions insubordination, stealing/possession of stolen property. (Tr. 92-94). and for for Plaintiff s high school grade cards showed grades of mostly As and Bs, and a D+ in Geometry. (Tr. 90). An Individualized Education Program ( IEP ) was initiated for plaintiff by Marquette High School on February 3, 2006. 103). It was indicated that plaintiff had (Tr. difficulty reading/utilizing and applying what he reads; difficulty with writing tasks, especially longer ones, and it was noted that plaintiff learned best through a multi-modality approach, and a structured environment. (Tr. 104). It was noted that plaintiff had a good sense of humor; was a good worker when he wanted to be; that he had earned As and Bs in school; and that he continued to make steady improvement with reading and writing skills. (Id.) It was noted that plaintiff had a medical diagnosis of AttentionDeficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) with inconsistent medical usage, and that recent state standardized testing revealed that he was progressing in math and science. -13- (Tr. 104). It was noted that he made sufficient progress. (Tr. 106). Plaintiff endorsed secondary goals such as attending college and living independently, and stated that he enjoyed many sports and hanging out with friends. III. (Tr. 111). The ALJ s Decision The ALJ in this case determined that plaintiff had not engaged in substantial application was filed. gainful (Tr. 19). activity since the date his The ALJ analyzed plaintiff under both the childhood and the adult listings of impairments. (Tr. 1526). The ALJ determined that, before plaintiff attained the age of 18, he had the severe impairment of asthma, but did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that met or medically equaled, or that functionally equaled, a listed impairment. 19). (Tr. In so finding, the ALJ analyzed the medical evidence of record, and analyzed plaintiff s functioning in each of the six domains of functioning, and determined that, before attaining the age of 18, plaintiff had a less than marked limitation in the domains of Acquiring and Using Information; Attending and Completing Tasks; and Health and Physical Well-Being. (Tr. 23-25). The ALJ determined that plaintiff had no limitation in the domains of Interacting and Relating to Others; Moving About and Manipulating Objects; and Caring for Yourself. -14- (Tr. 24). The ALJ concluded that, because plaintiff did not have an impairment or combination of functionally impairments equaled a that listed met, medically impairment, disabled prior to attaining the age of 18. equaled plaintiff was or not (Tr. 25). The ALJ also determined that plaintiff, since attaining age 18, continued to have a severe impairment/combination of impairments, but had developed no new impairments. The ALJ (Id.) determined that, since attaining age 18, plaintiff had the residual functional capacity ( RFC ) to lift and/or carry up to 10 pounds occasionally and up to five pounds frequently; sit for up to six hours in an eight-hour workday; and stand/walk for up to two hours, an RFC consistent with sedentary work. (Tr. 25-26). The ALJ also found that plaintiff had an additional limitation, in that he would need to work pollutants. in a clean environment with minimal airborne (Tr. 26). The ALJ determined that transferability of job skills was irrelevant, because plaintiff had no past relevant work. (Id.) Using the Guidelines, the ALJ determined that jobs existed in significant numbers in the national economy that plaintiff could perform. (Id.) In so finding, the ALJ noted that plaintiff s additional limitations had little to no effect on the occupational base of unskilled sedentary work. (Id.) The ALJ concluded that plaintiff had not been under a disability, as such is defined in the Act, at any time through the date of his decision. -15- (Tr. 26). IV. Discussion A claimant under the age of eighteen is considered disabled and eligible for SSI under the Social Security Act if he has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which results in marked and severe functional limitations, and which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(C)(I). The Commissioner is required to undertake a three-step sequential evaluation process, found at 20 C.F.R. § 416.924(a), when determining whether a child is entitled to benefits. At the first step, the Commissioner must determine whether the child is engaged in substantial gainful activity. denied. If not, the Commissioner proceeds to the second step and determines whether the impairments is severe. three, If so, benefits are at which he child s impairment or combination of If so, the Commissioner proceeds to step considers whether the impairment meets, medically equals, or functionally equals a disability in the Listing of Impairments, 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 ( Listing or the Listings ). If the child s impairment meets or medically equals a Listing, the child is disabled. A child s impairment is medically equal to a listed impairment if it is at least equal in severity and duration to the medical criteria of the listed impairment. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926(a). -16- If the child s impairment does not meet or medically equal a Listing, the Commissioner will assess all functional limitations caused by the child s impairment to determine whether it functionally equals a Listing. This analysis requires the Commissioner to assess the child s developmental capacity in the following six domains : (1) Acquiring and Using Information; (2) Attending and Completing Tasks; (3) Interacting and Relating with Others; (4) Moving About and Manipulating Objects; (5) Caring for Yourself; and (6) Health and Physical Well-Being. See 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(b)(1); see also Moore ex rel. Moore v. Barnhart, 413 F.3d 718, 722 n. 4 (8th Cir. 2005). In order for the child s impairment to functionally equal a Listing, it must result in marked limitations in two domains, or an extreme limitation in one domain. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a. A marked limitation in a domain exists when the child s impairment seriously interferes with his ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(e)(2). An extreme limitation exists when the child s impairment interferes very seriously with his ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(e)(3). Extreme limitation is the rating given to the worst limitations. Id. Absent a finding that the child s impairment functionally equals a listed impairment, the child is not disabled. The Commissioner s findings are conclusive upon this Court if they are supported by substantial evidence. -17- 42 U.S.C. § 405(g); Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401 (1971); Young o/b/o Trice v. Shalala, 52 F.3d 200 (8th Cir. 1995), citing Woolf v. Shalala, 3 F.3d 1210, 1213 (8th Cir. 1993). Substantial evidence is less than a preponderance, but enough that a reasonable person would find adequate to support the conclusion. Briggs v. Callahan, 139 F.3d 606, 608 (8th Cir. 1998). In evaluating whether substantial evidence supports the decision, this Court must consider evidence which supports the Commissioner s decision, as well as any evidence that fairly detracts from the ALJ s findings. Id.; see also Groeper v. Sullivan, 932 F.2d 1234, 1237 (8th Cir. 1991). However, where substantial evidence supports the Commissioner s decision, the decision may not be reversed merely because substantial evidence may support a different outcome. Briggs, 139 F.3d at 608; Browning v. Sullivan, 958 F.2d 817, 821 (8th Cir. 1992) (citing Cruse v. Bowen, 867 F.2d 1183, 1184 (8th Cir. 1989)). In the case at bar, plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for his determination that plaintiff did not meet subsection C of the childhood listing for asthma, Listing 103.03. evidence of record In support, plaintiff argues that the documented that he had been prescribed corticosteroids on a fairly continuous basis, and also notes that the medical expert testified that plaintiff had low-grade wheezing -18- in between acute asthma attacks.12 Plaintiff also argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for finding that he had less than marked limitations in the domains of Health and Physical Well-Being, and Interacting and Relating with Others. Plaintiff also challenges the ALJ s findings under the adult standards, arguing that the ALJ s residual functional capacity ( RFC ) finding is not supported by medical evidence addressing his ability to function. Finally, plaintiff argues that, because there is evidence of a significant non-exertional impairment, the vocational expert decision is testimony. insufficient In because response, the it lacks Commissioner contends that the decision is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. A. Listing 103.03C Plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for his finding that plaintiff did not meet section C of Listing 103.03, the Listing for childhood asthma. Review of the decision reveals no error. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff to establish that his impairment meets or equals a listing. 390 F.3d 1067, 1070 (8th Cir. Johnson v. Barnhart, 2004) (citing Sullivan v. Zebley, 12 Plaintiff does not contend that he meets any of the other sections of Listing 103.03, which contain the criteria of FEV1 readings; asthma attacks; and growth impairment. 20 C.F.R. 404, Subpt. P, App. 1, § 103.03. Plaintiff submits no arguments related to allegations of impairments other than asthma. -19- 493 U.S. 521, 530-31 (1990)). To meet a listing, an impairment must meet all of the listing s specified criteria. Id. (citing Sullivan, 493 U.S. at 530) ( An impairment that manifests only some of these criteria, no matter how severely, does not qualify. ). The specified criteria for subsection C of Listing 103.03 are as follows: Persistent low-grade wheezing between acute attacks or absence of extended symptom-free periods requiring daytime and nocturnal use of sympathomimetic bronchodilators with one of the following: 1. Persistent prolonged expiration with radiographic or other appropriate imaging techniques evidence of pulmonary hyperinflation or peribronchial disease; or 2. Short courses of corticosteroids that average more than 5 days per month for at least 3 months during a 12-month period. 20 C.F.R. 404, Subpt. P, App. 1, § 103.03C. In support of his argument, plaintiff claims that the medical expert testified that plaintiff had been prescribed a corticosteroid13 on a fairly consistent basis, and experienced low-grade wheezing between asthma attacks. that he However, plaintiff presents no evidence that he had persistent low grade wheezing, or that he used corticosteroids more than five days per month for at least three months in a 12-month period, as the listing requires. As the Commissioner correctly notes, plaintiff cannot meet the specific criteria of the listing merely by pointing 13 Prednisone is a corticosteroid. -20- to testimony that he experienced prescribed corticosteroids. some wheezing and had been In addition, the medical evidence of record supports the ALJ s conclusion. For example, while plaintiff was indeed hospitalized once for an asthma attack, he told Dr. Cannon on August 22, 2006 that he had experienced no episodes of cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, or chest tightness, and stated that his asthma was not bothering him. clinical examination wheezing. (Tr. 221). on May 31, 2007, (Tr. 207). Nurse Carter Sullivan, 493 U.S. at 530). Listing 103.03, noted no In order to meet a listing, an impairment must meet all of the listing s specified criteria. of During a Id. (citing As noted above, to meet subsection C plaintiff must demonstrate that he has persistent wheezing in between acute asthma attacks. The ALJ s conclusion that plaintiff did not meet the requirements of Listing 103.03 is supported by the record. B. Functional Equivalency Having determined that plaintiff s impairment did not meet or medically equal the listing for childhood asthma, the ALJ analyzed plaintiff s impairment in each of the six domains of functioning, and determined that plaintiff did not functionally equal a listing. Specifically, the ALJ determined that plaintiff had less than marked limitations in the domains of Acquiring and Using Information, Attending to and Completing Tasks, and Health and Physical Well-Being; and determined that he had no limitations -21- in the domains of Interacting and Relating to Others, Moving About and Manipulating Objects, and Caring for Yourself. Plaintiff challenges the ALJ s findings related to the domains of Health and Physical Well-Being, and Interacting and Relating to Others. In support of his arguments related to the first domain, plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for his determination, and argues that the non-examining physicians both indicated that plaintiff had a marked impairment in this domain.14 Regarding the domain of Interacting and Relating with Others, plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for his finding that plaintiff had no impairment.15 Review of the decision reveals no error. As noted above, if it is determined that a child s impairment does not meet or medically equal a listing, the ALJ determines whether it results in limitations that functionally equal the listing. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(a). Functional equivalency in children means that the impairment must result in marked limitations in two domains of functioning, or an extreme limitation in one domain. Id. A marked limitation is one that 14 Plaintiff is apparently referring to the Childhood Disability Evaluation Form completed and signed by Psychologist R. Moreno on June 20, 2006, and by pediatrician Despine Coulis, M.D. on July 13, 2006, detailed above. 15 Plaintiff does not specifically challenge the ALJ s findings regarding any of the other four domains, nor does he argue that he had extreme limitations in any of the six domains of functioning. -22- is more than moderate but less than extreme, and which interferes seriously with the child s ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities. 1. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(e)(2). Interacting and Relating With Others In assessing a child s limitations in the domain of interacting and relating with others, the ALJ considers how well the child initiates and sustains emotional connections with others, develops and uses the language of the community, cooperates with others, complies with rules, responses to criticism and respects and takes care of the possessions of others. 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(i); Garrett ex rel. Moore v. Barnhart, 366 F.3d 643, 654 (8th Cir. 2004). In adolescents (those age 12 to the attainment of age 18), it is expected that the child will have the ability to initiate and develop friendships with peers; to relate appropriately to other children and adults; recognize social rules; intelligibly express feelings information; describe events environments and among and and different ask tell for assistance; stories people. in 20 seek different C.F.R. § 416.926a(i)(2)(v). In the case at bar, the ALJ determined that plaintiff had no limitations in this domain. Plaintiff suggests that the only rationale the ALJ gave for his finding was that plaintiff s school described his classroom medication as well. behavior as well-controlled (Docket No. 13 at 13). with However, in support of his determination, the ALJ actually noted that plaintiff had not -23- alleged a problem in this area; that there was no evidence of such a problem; and that plaintiff s school district described his classroom behavior as well-controlled with medication. (Tr. 24). Substantial evidence supports the ALJ s determination. As noted above, when plaintiff was evaluated by his school in 2006, it was noted that he had a good sense of humor; that he was a good worker when he wanted to be; that he earned As and Bs in school; and that he continued to make steady improvement with reading and writing skills. (Tr. 104). Even though plaintiff did have an IEP which specified difficulty in some academic areas and the need for certain accommodations, it was noted that recent standardized testing revealed that he was progressing in math and science, and that plaintiff stated that he enjoyed many sports and hanging out with friends. (Tr. 111). Plaintiff directs the Court s attention to school records documenting disciplinary action taken against him, and suggests that the records clearly identify problems with interaction with others. (Docket No. 13 at 13). Indeed, the disciplinary records are evidence that plaintiff failed to follow certain school rules. They do not, conclusion however, that rise plaintiff to had the level limitations of supporting the that interfered seriously with his ability to initiate, sustain or complete activities, as would be required for a finding of a marked limitation. The record contains other evidence documenting plaintiff s good academic performance; the fact that he was a good -24- worker when he wanted to be; was progressing academically; and that he enjoyed playing sports and hanging out with friends. Also, during the administrative hearing, plaintiff testified that, when he had trouble understanding something, he asked his teacher to help him (Tr. 234); that he had helped a friend with a job (Tr. 235); that he was a honor roll student; (Tr. 237) and that math was his favorite subject. (Id.) For the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that substantial evidence supports the ALJ s determination that plaintiff did not have a limitation in the domain of Interacting and Relating to Others. 2. Health and Physical Well-Being In assessing a child s level of limitation in the domain of Health and Physical Well-Being, the ALJ considers the cumulative physical effects of physical and mental impairments, and any associated treatments or therapies on a child s functioning that were not considered in the evaluation of the child s ability to move about and manipulate objects.16 20 C.F.R. § 416.926a(l). The ALJ in this case determined that plaintiff had a less than marked limitation in the domain of Health and Physical Well-Being, inasmuch as the evidence showed that, although plaintiff would have limitations in physical functioning due to occasional nebulizer treatments and 16 asthma exacerbations that In the domain of Moving About and Manipulating Objects, the ALJ found that plaintiff had no limitations, and noted that no such impairment had been alleged. (Tr. 24). Plaintiff does not challenge this finding. -25- interfered with physical functioning, he would not be limited to a marked degree. (Tr. 25). Plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to articulate a legally sufficient rationale for this determination. In support, plaintiff directs the Court s attention to the report completed by the non-examining physicians, in which the marked box was checked in the domain of Health and Physical Well-Being. Review of the decision reveals no error. In his decision, the ALJ fully analyzed the medical evidence from plaintiff s plaintiff s treatment for treating asthma. physicians The ALJ documenting also discussed plaintiff s hospital records, and his school records. While the ALJ did not mention the findings of R. Moreno and Dr. Coulis, such omission is not error. While an ALJ is required to develop the record fully and fairly, he is not required to discuss every piece of evidence submitted, and a failure to cite a particular report does not necessarily mean that the ALJ did not consider it. Black v. Apfel, 143 F.3d 383, 386 (8th Cir. 1998); see also Wheeler v. Apfel, 224 F.3d 891, 895 n. 3 (8th Cir. 2000) (the fact that the ALJ did not attempt to describe the entirety of claimant s medical history does not support the argument that the ALJ disregarded certain aspects of the record). Furthermore, psychologist R. Moreno and Dr. Coulis were consultants who had never examined plaintiff, and their conclusion was therefore not binding upon the ALJ. See Kelley v. Callahan, 133 F.3d 583, 589 (8th Cir. 1998) ( The opinion of a consulting physician who examines a claimant -26- once or not at all does not generally constitute substantial evidence. ) In addition, as the Commissioner notes, the report was completed shortly after plaintiff s alleged onset date, which coincided with his April 2006 hospitalization, and that plaintiff subsequently began taking his medication, and his condition improved. The undersigned also notes that the opinion upon which plaintiff rests was conclusory, and was not fully supported by the other notations in the report itself, or in the evidence in the record as a whole. In that same report, psychologist R. Moreno and Dr. plaintiff s Coulis note medical encounters for asthma, including his hospitalization, and his discharge to home with oral steroids. (Tr. 133). It is also noted that plaintiff continued to experience symptoms, and that expiratory wheeze was noted on clinical exam on May 15, 2006, but FEV1 values were 2.21, above the 1.55 required under Listing 103.03, and plaintiff did not visit the pulmonary clinic after this date. (Tr. 133-36). It is also noted that plaintiff had not been seen by his primary care clinic in the past year; did not use steroids for more than five days per month for three months; and had no abnormal imaging. (Id.) It was concluded that plaintiff did not meet a listing for asthma. 136). (Tr. An ALJ is entitled to disregard the opinion of even a treating physician if that physician offers opinions inconsistent with his or her own findings, or with the record as a whole. Medhaug See v. Astrue, 578 F.3d 805, 815 (8th Cir. 2009) (citing Goff -27- v. Barnhart, 421 F.3d 785, 790 (8th Cir. 2005)). Plaintiff presents no evidence from the relevant time period indicating that his asthma interfered seriously with his ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities, See 20 C.F.R. as required for a finding of a marked limitation. § 416.926a(e)(2). In fact, in August of 2006, plaintiff reported that he felt good; his asthma was not bothering him; and he had no symptoms of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or chest tightness. (Tr. 207). In May of 2007, plaintiff reported doing fairly well, and also stated that he was working. (Tr. 220). The record also indicates that plaintiff s asthma improved when he was compliant with his medication. (Tr. 80, 207). could erroneously be said that the ALJ Finally, even if it failed to find that plaintiff had a marked limitation in the domain of Health and Physical Well-Being, such would not change the outcome of plaintiff s case, inasmuch as findings of marked limitation in two domains were required to achieve functional equivalence. Therefore, for all of the foregoing reasons, the undersigned finds that the ALJ s determination that plaintiff did not meet, medically equal, or functionally equal the childhood listing for asthma is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. C. The ALJ s RFC Determination Having addressed the childhood listings, the ALJ continued his decision with an analysis of plaintiff s allegations -28- under the adult standards of disability. The ALJ determined that plaintiff continued to have the severe impairment of asthma after attaining the age of 18, but had developed no new impairments. The ALJ determined that plaintiff had no past relevant work, and determined that he retained the residual functional capacity to lift and/or carry up to 10 pounds occasionally and up to five pounds frequently; sit for up to six hours in an eight-hour workday; and stand/walk for up to two hours in an eight-hour workday. The ALJ also found that plaintiff had an additional limitation, in that he would need to work in a clean environment with minimal airborne pollutants. (Tr. 26). Plaintiff challenges the ALJ s RFC determination, arguing that it is unsupported by medical evidence that addresses plaintiff s ability to function in the workplace, and also suggests that the ALJ failed to ensure a fully developed record. response, the Commissioner contends that it is In plaintiff s responsibility to provide medical evidence that he is disabled, and the fact that the record lacks medical evidence to establish disability does not defeat the ALJ s decision. Review of the ALJ s decision reveals that his RFC determination is not supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole, because the record contains no medical evidence addressing how plaintiff s impairment affects his ability to function in the workplace. Residual functional capacity is what a claimant can do despite his limitations. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1545, Lauer v. Apfel, 245 -29- F.3d 700, 703 (8th Cir. 2001). The ALJ must assess a claimant s RFC based upon all relevant, credible evidence in the record, including medical records, the observations of treating physicians and others, and the claimant s own description of his symptoms and limitations. Anderson v. Shalala, 51 F.3d 777, 779 (8th Cir. 1995); Goff, 421 F.3d at 793. RFC is a medical question defined wholly in terms of the claimant s physical ability to perform exertional tasks or, in other words, what the claimant can still do despite his or her physical or mental limitations. Lewis v. Barnhart, 353 F.3d 642, 646 (8th Cir. 2003) (quoting Bradshaw v. Heckler, 810 F.2d 786, 790 (8th Cir. 1987)). The ALJ s RFC determination must therefore be supported by medical evidence that addresses the claimant s ability to function in the workplace. Lewis, 353 F.3d at 646 (citing Krogmeier v. Barnhart, 294 F.3d 1019, 1023 (8th Cir. 2002)). A reviewing court has the duty of determining whether the record presents medical evidence of the claimant s RFC at the time of the hearing. Frankl v. Shalala, 47 F.3d 935, 937-38 (8th Cir. 1995). Unless the record contains such evidence, the ALJ s decision cannot be said to be supported by substantial evidence. Id. In the case at bar, plaintiff presented medical evidence establishing that he suffered from the medically determinable impairment of asthma. As noted above, the ALJ determined that plaintiff s asthma was a severe impairment. However, it is unclear from this administrative record how plaintiff s severe impairment -30- of asthma affects his residual functional capacity to function in the workplace. While the administrative record contains numerous treatment records addressing, inter alia, plaintiff s subjective complaints, findings upon physical exam and pulmonary function study, and plaintiff s diagnosis, none of the medical evidence addresses how plaintiff s severe impairment affects his ability to function in the workplace, as required. See Nevland, 204 F.3d at 858. The undersigned notes that it appears plaintiff is able to enjoy a relatively normal and active life (including evidence that plaintiff played sports, socialized with friends, and attended school), and that plaintiff s medical records do not necessarily suggest that plaintiff is disabled from all work. However, while the ALJ was not limited to considering only medical evidence when determining plaintiff s RFC, medical evidence was required to establish how plaintiff s asthma affects his ability to function in the workplace. Lauer, 245 F.3d at 704. An ALJ is not permitted to draw his own inferences from the medical evidence. Nevland v. Apfel, 204 F.3d 853, 858 (8th Cir. 2000) (citations omitted). Because this administrative record contains no medical evidence which actually addresses how plaintiff s asthma affects his ability to function, it cannot be said with certainty that the ALJ s RFC determination is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. Again, the issue is not whether plaintiff has an impairment; the issue is how plaintiff s impairment affects his -31- ability to physically function in the workplace. Lewis, 353 F.3d at 646; Krogmeier, 294 F.3d at 1023; Nevland, 204 F.3d at 858. Plaintiff also contends that the ALJ s failure to elicit vocational expert ( VE ) testimony was error, because the ALJ determined that plaintiff had the additional limitation of the need to work in a clean environment with minimal airborne pollutants. (Tr. 26). In response, the Commissioner argues that the presence of a non-exertional impairment does not preclude the use of the Medical-Vocational Guidelines (also Guidelines or Grids ) when such impairment does not diminish or significantly limit his RFC to perform the full range of activities listed in the Guidelines. (Docket No. 18 at 18). The Medical-Vocational Guidelines are a set of rules that direct whether the claimant is or is not disabled [w]here the findings of fact made with respect to a particular individual s vocational factors and residual functional capacity coincide with all of the criteria of a particular rule. Subpt. P, App. 2, § 200.00(a). 20 C.F.R. Pt. 404, An ALJ may rely upon the Guidelines if the record supports the ALJ s finding that the non-exertional impairment does not diminish the claimant s RFC to perform the full range of activities. McGeorge v. Barnhart, 321 F.3d 766, 768-69 (8th Cir. 2003). In the case at bar, the undersigned has determined that the ALJ s RFC determination is not supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole, and therefore does not reach -32- plaintiff s allegation concerning the ALJ s reliance upon the Guidelines. first Upon remand, it will be for the Commissioner in the instance, after properly developing the record and determining plaintiff s RFC, to decide whether to rely upon the Guidelines, or obtain vocational expert testimony. Therefore, for all of the foregoing reasons, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner pertaining to the period before plaintiff attained the age of 18 years is AFFIRMED as stated herein. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner pertaining to the period after plaintiff attained the age of 18 years is REVERSED and this cause REMANDED to the Commissioner for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. Judgment shall be entered accordingly. ______________________________ FREDERICK R. BUCKLES UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE Dated this 5th day of March, 2010. -33-	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line549
__label__cc	0.730747	0.269253	William M. Osterbrock Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC Mr. William M. Osterbrock’s practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions and traditional and non-traditional financing/complex lending transactions, including private equity investments, leveraged buyouts, private placement securities offerings, real estate syndications, asset-based securitizations, real estate financing, secured transactions, commercial lending, structured finance and municipal finance. Mr. Osterbrock serves on Baker Donelson’s Opinions Committee. Mr. Osterbrock’s representative clients include private equity groups, growth funds, hedge funds, commercial and private banks, real estate developers and promoters, telecommunications developers, investors and promoters, insurance companies, mid-market companies and Fortune 500 companies. He has extensive experience in the telecommunications, oil field services, and mining and aggregate industries. In addition to his specialized areas of practice, Mr. Osterbrock serves as “outside general counsel” for a number of smaller privately-held companies, handling a variety of general business matters and corporate transactions, and managing litigation both in the United States and internationally. Syracuse University College of Law, J.D., 2005, cum laude Michigan State University, B.A. in Criminal Justice, 2000 Michigan State University, B.A. in Law and Society, 2000 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 2006 What types of cases Attorney William M. Osterbrock & Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC can handle? Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC can handle cases related to laws concerning Corporate, Real Estate, Business, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities Offerings, Public & Tax Exempt Finance. We manually verify each attorney’s practice areas before approving their profiles and reviews on our website. Where is Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC located? Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC is located at 3414 Peachtree Rd NE #1600, Atlanta, GA 30326, USA. You can reach out to Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC using their phone line 404.589.3418. You can also check their website bakerdonelson.com. How much would it cost to hire Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC? William M. Osterbrock lawyer charges are specific to each case. However, they work with contingency fees and its ranges from $$ to $$$. They also provide free consultation [and no obligation quotes] if you are interested to hire. Are William M. Osterbrock reviews trust-able? We have the ratings and reviews moderation team who checks and verifies every review submitted on our website manually. You can trust all the reviews you see on William M. Osterbrock lawyer profile listing. Peachtree Road Northeast 3414 Atlanta 30326 GA US Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer Public & Tax Exempt Finance Lawyer Securities Offerings Lawyer Brett Sherman George A. Vomvolakis	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line550
__label__wiki	0.69178	0.69178	Movie: 'A Private War' Explores War Reporter's Inner Battle 'Private War' Examines War Correspondent's Physical, Psychological Scars American reporter Marie Colvin told important stories about the suffering of civilians in war. Starting in the late 1980s, Colvin traveled to some of the most dangerous and horrifying conflicts in the world. She reported on the people she met and their experiences: parents whose children were killed or missing, children silenced by trauma, victims of rape and other atrocities. Right now, several media projects explore Colvin’s life. Matthew Heineman's movie A Private War is based on a story published in Vanity Fair magazine following the reporter’s death in Syria in 2012. Actor Rosamund Pike plays the fierce American reporter who gave her life while reporting on conflicts around the world. "In war zones, parents go to bed at night not knowing if their children will see the morning. That is a measure of fear that I can never feel." While her fear may not have been as deep, the movie shows that Colvin clearly suffered as a result of her work. She lost her eye in 2001 when Sri Lankan forces attacked in a rebel-held area. The black-cloth eye cover she wore became a sign of her bravery. But the movie suggests Marie Colvin’s mental pain was far worse. She most surely was a victim of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. Pike, playing Colvin, tells a friend about her relationship to alcohol. "I'm most happy with a vodka martini in my hand, but I can't stand the fact that the chatter in my head won't go quiet until there's a quart of vodka inside me.” That is a main message expressed in A Private War. The mind continues to battle long after the person has left the war zone. Colvin had terrible hallucinations for years. Often she would see the bloodied body of a young girl lying on Colvin’s own bed. Rosamund Pike said understanding how Colvin moved was important in portraying her. "I had to learn to smoke convincingly, because for Marie, everything was better with a cigarette, every conversation, every car drive. I had to see the way she gestured with her hands -- she had these wide apart fingers. I had to work out how the eye patch made her angle her head differently." As a producer of documentaries, Heineman wanted to give this film a real-life feeling. In a scene of the discovery of a mass burial place in Iraq, Heineman used victims of war to play mourners. "And at the end of that scene, like in any documentary that I made, something unforeseen happened. They started chanting and doing this prayer for the dead." Rosamund Pike says she had a similar experience while filming an unwritten scene with a refugee woman. It is set in a safe house in 2012, during a Syrian government operation that was part of the three year offensive against the city of Homs. The woman tells how she feeds her baby only sugar and water. She says her body stopped producing milk after the suffering of losing one of her children to a bomb attack. "The woman said to me, she said, 'Please, I don't want this just to be words on paper. I want the world to know that a generation is dying here. I want the world to know my story.'" Pike says, at that time, she felt what drove Colvin: the reporter’s responsibility to serve as a witness to people's suffering. Filmmaker Heineman looks at the complexity of Colvin’s personality, her bravery and drive to get war reports out. He shows how she stood her ground in Homs even during the heavy shelling of the city by Syrian forces. "She felt compelled to tell the story, to tell the story of a group of 28,000 civilians in Homs who were besieged...and she felt, as she often did, ‘If I don't do this, then who will?’" And that story, of the inhumanity she witnessed in Homs was her last. Marie Colvin was killed there in a government shelling attack in 2012. “Maybe I would have liked a more normal life. Maybe I just don’t know how.” I’m Caty Weaver. trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time atrocity - n. a very cruel or terrible act or action chatter - n. noisy talking and other sounds gesture - n. a movement of your body (especially of your hands and arms) that shows or emphasizes an idea or a feeling unforeseen - adj. not predicted or expected scene - n. a part of a play, movie, story, etc., in which a particular action or activity occurs besiege - v. to surround a city, building, etc., with soldiers and try to take control of it	cc/2021-04/en_head_0032.json.gz/line561

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