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Advent Venture Partners
Internet & Ecommerce
Frédéric Court
Frédéric joined Advent in 2001 with a focus on global investment opportunities in consumer internet, mobile and software.
While at Advent he has led or co-led investments in Farfetch, Vitrue (acquired by Oracle), Zong (sold to eBay), Qype (sold to Yelp), Fizzback (acquired by NICE Systems), Ubiquisys (acquired by Cisco) and Dailymotion (acquired by Orange, now owned by Vivendi).
He previously was an entrepreneur, having co-founded Etexx, in France, a VC-backed online marketplace and collaboration platform for the global textile industry. He started his career working with investment bank Lazard in London, Milan and New York, where he co-founded the Telecommunications & Technology team in London and was involved in transactions worth over $100bn.
He currently sits on the board of Farfetch, where he was the first investor. He is now Founder and Managing Partner of Felix Capital, a new VC firm he launched in 2015.
A graduate of ESSEC and Bocconi University in Milan, Frederic is fluent in French, Italian and Spanish.
Follow Frédéric on Twitter @fcourt
View Frédéric's profile on LinkedIn
Follow Advent
Legal and Regulatory Matters
©2019 Advent Venture Partners
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New floating caisson to double ports CPT’s port productivity
TPNA Floating Caisson Repaired at Sturrock Dry Dock in Cape Town Ahead of Fabrication of New Structure
New caisson forms part of a multimillion-rand overhaul taking place at the port’s ship repair facilities under Operation Phakisa
A new, R98 million floating caisson is to be fabricated for the Sturrock Dry Dock operated by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) in the Port of Cape Town is expected to enable one of the biggest dry dock facilities in the Southern Hemisphere to double its productivity.
The new caisson forms part of a multimillion-rand overhaul taking place at the port’s ship repair facilities under South Africa’s Operation Phakisa programme, through which ship building and ship repair have been identified as a strategic competence for the port.
The caisson is a large steel gate structure that acts as a secondary seal and subdivides the dock, allowing for the simultaneous docking of multiple commercial vessels within the facility. The old, defective caisson had been out of commission since December 2016. The 74-year old dry dock was first commissioned in 1945 to repair American and British war vessels.
Refurbishment of the old caisson cost TNPA R2.7 million and covered a condition assessment and finite element analysis, as well as stabilisation of the old caisson prior to the new one being introduced.
Phase one, completed by Southey Co between July and August 2018, entailed the installation of special greenheart timber to seal water leaks around the old caisson. Phase 2 was completed in November 2018 and entailed the replacement of shut off doors and three sinking tank valves, as well as the addition of ballast weights to make up for lost weight due to corrosion and blanking off valves that would not be used going forward.
During the initial commissioning of the new caisson, there were challenges as the floating caisson was not sinking sufficiently at high tide. This compelled the Naval Architect to go back to the drawing board. There were also minor leaks between the floating caisson steel structure and the sealing timber due to uneven steel structure surfaces. This was resolved by inserting a special sealant that is compatible with sea water.
Civil infrastructure at the Sturrock dock has also received attention including concrete repairs and replacement of corroded tunnel piping.
Twenty-nine capstans – rotating machines that assist in pulling the vessels into position inside the dock – are being replaced in Cape Town at various locations which include the Sturrock Dry Dock, the Robinson Dry Dock and the Synchrolift. In line with Operation Phakisa’s intention to fast track delivery while being respectful of governance, TNPA took a decision to execute the replacement of capstans at its dry docks as a national project for the benefits of standardising the ship repair equipment and achieving economies of scale by procuring these capstans in large numbers.
Under Operation Phakisa the port’s Robinson Dry Dock is also undergoing a major upgrade. While the Robinson Dry Dock’s floating caisson (main gate) was recently refurbished, it is the ultimate intention to replace this structure with a modern, fit-for-purpose caisson structure. The design process will be undertaken in the near future including replacement of the floating caisson that seals off the dry dock from the basin.
The Operation Phakisa programme, launched in 2014, is a Government-driven initiative that aims to unlock the economic potential of the country’s oceans in order to create economic growth and job opportunities through fast-tracked development. It provides an aggressive set of timelines to position the country’s ports as premium destinations for these services.
TNPA is investing significantly to restore ship repair facilities with the intention of stimulating the repair sector and creating much needed jobs. This includes an investment of R950 million to modernise the Port of Cape Town’s ageing facilities including the Robinson Dry Dock, the Repair Pier and Sturrock Dry Dock, and the Syncrolift.
More in this category: « It’s harvest time Ngqura’s future liquid bulk tank farm gets a thumbs up »
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Frogs etc. - Jasper Oostland
It is a series of brightly coloured cards depicting a variety of animals, which have been attracting my attention for a while. Each has its own story, and is illustrated to incorporate realism, in the accuracy of their detailed rendering, plus a hint of the world of cartoon in their personification. Although frogs seem to be in the majority, it is the card with a bird wearing a top hat tilted at a rakish angle, that becomes the deciding factor in my contacting the artist; beady eyes, long pointy beak and an intense stare invite the viewer to choose one of the three upturned cups on the table in front of the bird, in a gamble, to reveal what’s hiding underneath.
These are the creations of artist Jasper Oostland who lives and works in Groningen. I arrive at his house on a rare sunny day in June; a house filled with large windows, which results in an overall bright, airy feel, and is the perfect residence for an artist. With his studio situated in the attic, we head upstairs. White walls, windows on two sides, jars filled with brushes awaiting action, and enormous pots of acrylic paint stand resolutely on a table. Nearby, is an easel with his latest work in progress; there’s a lot of bright pink happening in this work, and from the outlines I can just make out a car and a flamingo. The easel has an ingenious feature - the addition of a rotary centre. This allows the current work to be turned a full 360 degrees, allowing complete ease of access to the entire picture whilst it is worked upon.
A former student of the art school, Minerva, in Groningen, Jasper studied illustration with an emphasis on technique. Studying the use of light, its source and application, is an important part in creating the 3-D realism of the animals. To my question about his colour usage, he says it is something that he uses intuitively. Each work starts with a wash of background colour upon which the animals are brought to life through a series of painted layers progressing from dark to light. As he talks he passes me an amazingly detailed picture of a large grey rhino, standing wistfully next to a delicate pink rose in a glass vase. The equally bright pink background is one of his experiments; in this case how to make pink work on pink. Other little tricks and details he puts in his work are expressly done to leave something for the viewer to discover.
The abundance of frogs in his work, often in everyday situations, leads me to ask firstly, if he is the frog, and secondly, if the variety of situations the frog finds himself in, is maybe a tongue in cheek social comment. To the former he says he is not as far as he is aware the frog, although sometimes according to his girlfriend, he can have a particular stance or expression that reminds her of a frog. As for a deep and meaningful message or social comment, he says there isn’t one, he likes frogs, and in particular tree frogs because they have a lot of character; they have great hands with padded fingers that can hold things and expressive eyes.
When it comes to inspiration he researches photos in books or images from the Internet, for the accurate depiction he needs. As for what comes first, it is more or less spontaneous - sometimes it’s the animal and sometimes the object. Ideas also come from association or a particular pose, and these are worked out further in a sketchbook.
These days it is very important for artists to be active with self-promotion if they want public attention. Jasper seems to have this under control: he has an up to date website; makes use of social media (find him on Facebook); exhibits regularly; sells work online – both originals and giclées; uses Chat Roulette, a website where you can watch him paint live. Also, by every exhibition he places a large pile of cards depicting one of his works and including his contact details. As he says: “People keep them and pin them up.” This continual visibility has led to 20% of his work being commission based, and, as a result he finds himself in the enviable position of having enough work for a year.
When asked if he has any dreams for the future, he says that at the moment he is quite happy with the status quo, but maybe a book, a little more structured organization of his business as a whole, and, as the father of two young daughters under five, a little more sleep wouldn’t go amiss.
If you would like to see Jasper’s work, why not visit the library in Groningen, where he is currently exhibiting a selection of works. It runs from 5th September 2012 to 4th January 2013.
First published in the Connections magazine #37 Autumn 2012
Labels: animals, artist interview, commission, exhibition, frogs, Groningen, illustration, Jasper Oostland, paint, paintbrushes, painting
Forced to Fly
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AMEC Afro-Middle East Centre
Fellowships & internships
Middle East General
South African foreign policy
Palestine-Israel
The Gulf
Teaching Palestine - 18-19 March 2019
Between state and society: (r)Evolution of non-state actors in the MENA region - 28-29 August 2018
Turkey and South Africa: Regional powers with global responsibilities - 26 January 2017
(Re)assessing the Islamic State group and its futures - 23-24 August 2016
A new Middle East: Resetting the balance of power - 7-9 Dec 2015
Towards a new security architecture for the MENA region - 18-19 March 2017
Pretending Democracy: Israel, an Ethnocratic State - Book Review, The Electronic Intifada
Published in Reviews
pretending democracy
By Rod Such, The Electronic Intifada
retending Democracy: Israel, an Ethnocratic State is a collection of essays by Israeli, Palestinian and South African intellectuals dissecting the nature of the Israeli state and proposing how to get beyond the ethnic nationalism that characterizes Zionism and Israeli apartheid.
The book follows a conference held in Pretoria in 2010 by the Afro-Middle East Centre, a South African think-tank.
The argument that Israel cannot be both “Jewish and democratic,” especially when 20 percent of its citizens are Palestinian, is one that is finally beginning to resonate among US intellectuals who have long given the ideology of political Zionism a free pass because of the Holocaust.
Most recently, Joseph Levine, a philosophy professor at the University of Massachusetts, wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times challenging the idea that a state can belong to one ethnic group without, as Levine put it, “violating the core democratic principle of equality” (“Om questioning the Jewish state,” 9 March 2013).
A majority of Americans have soundly rejected its corollary — “a white, Christian and democratic country” — as a result of the struggles waged by blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and other people of color against a long-standing system of white supremacy.
So if not a democracy, then what kind of state is Israel? In this volume, several authors find common ground, though each has a slightly different emphasis.
Oren Yiftachel writes that Israel is more properly defined as an ethnocracy because the organizing principle around which the state is structured is based on what ethnic group one belongs to, rather than on citizenship.
Nakba Denial
In another essay, Nadim N. Rouhana expands on the notion of ethnocracy. Rouhana notes that the Israeli state links equality of opportunity — a concept central to a liberal democracy — to ethnic affiliation, rather than citizenship. Yiftachel and others argue that the Nakba — the 1948 ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Palestinians from lands in present-day Israel — is “the cornerstone of Israeli ethnocracy.” And Rouhana suggests that the only way to end the conflict is “to attack and expose” Israel’s denial of the Nakba.
South African political scientist Daryl Glaser calls Israel a “settler-minority democracy” (SMiD). A SMiD, he writes, is a democracy for the European or European-sponsored settlers who established colonies in circumstances where they were outnumbered by the indigenous people but still managed to dominate them.
Glaser argues that Israel was at one point a “settler-majority democracy” from 1948 to 1967 but managed to once again become a SMiD by occupying the West Bank and Gaza. It is therefore “a democracy for some and a dictatorship for others, its ethnic oligarchy beset by permanent demographic panic.”
Ronnie Kasrils believes that Israel fits the definition of “colonialism of a special type.” For Kasrils, “it is essential to grasp the colonial factor” to understand that the Palestinian struggle “is a national liberation struggle … against a colonial-settler project” that claims “democratic rights exclusively for its own group. It is the settlers’ racist, colonialist agenda that is the fundamental cause of the conflict,” he writes, “as was the case in South Africa.”
Valuable ideas
Pretending Democracy goes beyond simply examining the nature of the Israeli state. It offers valuable ideas for ending Israeli apartheid and the denial of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Ran Greenstein proposes an alliance between Palestinian and progressive Jewish Israelis that could acquire the leverage needed to help start changing the Israeli regime from within. Along these lines, Fouad Moughrabi finds hope in an emerging Israeli “new left” that speaks a “dramatically different” language: “The old slogans for peace have been replaced with a call for an end to injustice.” He even envisions a third intifada that might be a joint Jewish-Palestinian uprising.
Ali Abunimah, in his essay, “Towards a One-State Solution in Palestine/Israel,” addresses the argument that Jewish Israelis will never agree to renounce an ethnic state and give up their privileges. He notes that polls of white South Africans showed entrenched opposition to the concept of one person, one vote even up to the eve of the dismantling of apartheid.
What was key, Abunimah argues, was the apartheid state’s loss of legitimacy in the international arena, a process that is also beginning to weaken Israel. “Zionism,” he writes, “will never be able to bomb, kidnap, assassinate, expel, demolish, settle and lie its way to legitimacy and acceptance.”
Pretending Democracy is unique in addressing the national question as it relates to Palestine and Israel. Zionists have long argued that Jews have simply exercised their right to self-determination in establishing the State of Israel and that the concept of a Jewish state has international legitimacy by virtue of the 1947 United Nations resolution partitioning Mandate Palestine.
The latter argument suffers many flaws, including the circumstances surrounding the UN vote, the fact that the resolution created a state for Jews “residing” in Palestine, not for Jews throughout the world, and the fact that Israel violated most of the provisions of the partition resolution regarding the rights of Arabs in the new Israeli state.
Perpetual struggle
But many people concur that Jews in Palestine deserved the right of self-determination as understood in international law. By including a chapter from Shlomo Sand’s The Invention of the Jewish People and an essay by Na’eem Jeenah and Salim Vally, Pretending Democracy raises the question, albeit indirectly, of whether Jews represent an oppressed nation or a persecuted people.
Sand’s research has challenged the Zionist historiography that attempts to re-imagine the history of the Jewish people as a centuries-long struggle for nationhood, rather than as a struggle against racist and religious persecution.
As Jeenah and Vally show, the question is not just academic. No one envisions a solution — whether two states, one state, or a bi-national state — that denies rights to Jewish Israelis. Nevertheless, they argue that a bi-national state, which assumes the existence of two nations, will ultimately subvert the creation of a democratic, secular state by reinforcing division.
The Zionist argument that only state power can protect Jews from persecution has long since proved morally and politically bankrupt. The logical consequence of a Jewish state was the racist dispossession of the indigenous Palestinian Arab majority and the creation of a militaristic, ethnic supremacist state.
There is probably no such thing as a safe refuge. There is only perpetual struggle against racism and inequality, a struggle that is most likely to be won in a society that values diversity and democracy.
* Rod Such is a freelance writer and former editor for World Book and Encarta encyclopedias. He is a member of the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign and Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights.
Strategic implications of the 'deal of the century' and the incremental establishment of Greater Israel
Postponed: Unveiling of Trump's 'deal of the century' frozen as Israel heads to fresh polls
Teaching Palestine in South Africa
As Abbas Ages, Fatah Moves to Consolidate Power
Neopatrimonialism, corruption and the Palestinian Authority: Pathways to real reform
Last modified on Wednesday, 18 February 2015 10:12
More in this category: Pretending Democracy: Israel, an Ethnocratic State - Book Review, Middle East Monitor »
Upgrading Morocco-SA ties: good for both, but no difference …
The 'European' refugee crisis
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Tweets by @AfroMiddleEast
All analyses in chronological order
About AMEC
Established in 1998, the Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC) aims to foster, produce and disseminate the highest quality of research on the Middle East, to maintain public discussion and to help shape the public discourse on issues related to the Middle East. Amec's research includes relations between Africa and the Middle East.
AMEC engages in funded research on the contemporary Middle East, and accepts research commissions from government, business, academia, non-governmental organisations, and community-based organisations.
PO Box 411494, Craighall,
Copyright © 2015 Afro-Middle East Centre. All Rights Reserved. Website by
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Automobile Reference
2018 – HONDA CIVIC Si COUPE
The Honda Civic Si will begin sales of the new Civic Si in April. The coupe arrives with the aim of offering the purest driving experience, thanks to the unique dynamic performance and performance combined with the maximum sensation of control promoted by the manual transmission of six speeds, with precise and short couplings. Sporty in essence, the new Civic Si will be offered in the two-door coupe version, designed for day-to-day enthusiasts. Packed with performance-oriented solutions such as adaptive suspension with two modes of operation, direct steering with variable ratio, brakes, wheels and tires focused on performance, as well as interior and unique design, the model also marks the arrival of turbo and direct injection into the acronym. “The Civic Si is the first Si turbo and sets a new level in terms of agility and precise steering,” explains Issao Mizoguchi, president of Honda Automobiles of Brazil. “It is a model that already has a tradition in Brazil and that has a legion of enthusiasts passionate about the performance and the sporty design that it delivers. This new generation brings these qualities to a new level and is highly anticipated by Brazilian fans. “
Powertrain and chassis
Equipped with the Civic Si, there is the 1.5-turbo high-performance, torque-injected direct-injection dual-valve variable head valve (VTC) that minimizes residual gas in the cylinders, significantly improving performance and four cylinders. Combined with a six-speed manual transmission – with shorter couplings than the previous generation – this set provides a new driving experience with plenty of torque throughout the entire engine speed range. It generates the maximum power of 208 hp at 5,700 rpm and the torque of 260 Nm appears at 2,100 rpm, and is maintained at maximum 70% of the engine speed range. Enabling full utilization of the powertrain, the Civic Si is significantly lighter than the older generation and brings stiffer bodywork, including improved chassis and steering components. These improvements include the adaptive dual-pinion electric steering with variable ratio, suspension with sport adjustment, adaptive shock absorbers and limited slip differential. The Si also features 12.3-inch front brake discs and 235/40 R18 wide tires. In addition to the adaptive dampers, the suspension also received firmer springs, stiffer stabilizer bars (30% more at the front and 60% more at the rear), solid bushings at the front and rear, and ultra-rigid control arms at the rear , originating from the Civic Type R. The purpose of the changes is to provide a more connected driving experience where the driver can more accurately perceive all the floor feedback, allowing you to explore all the limits of the Si with maximum safety and reliability. In addition, the new design allowed a 5% improvement in the aerodynamic coefficient of the model, compared to the previous Civic Si.
For the first time, the Civic Si brings a driving enhancement that enhances the dynamics in sports use and also allows comfort in everyday use. By means of the Sport key, located in the center console, the driver can choose between two running adjustments, which change suspension, accelerator and steering assistance parameters. With the Sport mode deactivated, dampers operate smoother, steering assist is improved and the throttle operates less directly, allowing for smoother driving. With the Sport mode activated, the shock absorbers work with more load, while the throttle response is more direct and the steering, in turn, has its assistance reduced, making the connection of the driver even more visceral and intense.
Sports design and style
One of the great differentiators of the Civic Si is its two-door coupe design, which offers a dynamic and refined look, differentiating it from the sedan versions of the Civic line. To expand the Civic’s sports ratio, the Si models feature an aggressive front with black front grille and wide air intakes. The model sold in Brazil brings a differential, which is the adoption of full LED headlights, increasing the brightness and sophistication. 18-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels with unique two-tone finish, use 235 mm wide, low profile tires. On the rear, the coupe retains the signature design of the model with the high rear aerofoil and adds new elements such as the horizontal LED bar that accompanies the entire extension of the rear and central exhaust with polygonal shape and chrome finish. The interior of the Civic Si further enhances the sporting character and brings exclusive and engaging shell-shaped front seats with red stitching and version logos. The red seam of the seats is replicated on the doors, steering wheel and the gearbox, with lever in aluminum. Other interior details are the red seven-inch TFT panel lighting and the internal controls, the aluminum pedals and the instrument panel trim with Dry Metal Carbon finish.
Inner comfort, convenience and connectivity
The new Civic Si brings high comfort and convenience equipment, coming from other versions of the Civic, which include:
LaneWatch
Start Button
Door locking by distance
Two-zone digital air conditioning
For modern connectivity needs, the new Civic Si also features a 7.0-inch touch-sensitive multimedia system that controls all audio functions and is integrated into the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems, providing an easy connection from the smartphone to the car. The Si comes with a 452-watt audio system with 10 speakers.
The Civic Si is designed to provide a high level of safety in a variety of scenarios. This is possible thanks to its wide visibility, precise, stable and predictable steering, and the high performance of the brakes. The ABS system with electronic brake distribution, VSA (traction control and stability), and the exclusive Agile Handling Assist ensure maximum handling in a variety of situations. In addition, the Si has six airbags, the side curtain-type with drive also in case of rollover.
The Civic Si will be marketed in Brazil in a single version, two-door coupe with four color options: White Orchid Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl, Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic and Rallye Red. The model has a three-year warranty with no mileage limit and is available at all Honda dealerships.
2018 – HONDA CIVIC SILVER LINE EDITION
This week, the new Honda Civic Silver Line arrives in dealerships in major European markets. The hatch version of the Japanese compact debut an interesting special edition that adds a plus of elegance and sportiness to the image of the Honda Civic. The result can be seen in the images below. It has countless details and differentiating finishes. For now, it is only possible to find the Silver Line edition for the 5-door hatchback, leaving out the Honda Civic Sedan. It was not informed if in the future this body will have this special edition. The exterior is characterized by its dark and sinister finish. In addition to the shade chosen for the body, unique details arise that were installed in the form of a kit. The new Civic Silver Line features a front spoiler with a more sporty and dynamic profile, more aggressive side skirts and a new rear diffuser that adds a touch of sports inspiration. To this we must add the new housings to the external rearview mirrors in silver color to create a small but interesting contrast. This silvery shade is also present in some of the new body components highlighted earlier, as in the side skirts. On the other hand, not less interesting, the new 17-inch alloy wheels come in, but you can optionally use the 18-inch Archiros wheels with Frostbite Silver finish. The Honda logo on the center case features a machined look with bright chrome accents. The standard equipment of the Honda Civic Silver Line will be quite complete. Although it can not be configured for the moment, it will certainly have a long list of elements. Central locking with remote control, electric windows, USB connection, Bluetooth, electric mirrors, cruise control with speed limiter, fog lights and LED lights for daytime running, among other things.
2018 – HONDA CIVIC TYPE-R EU VERSION
Honda unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show the most powerful version of the Civic line, the Type-R. The new generation of the sport aims, according to the Japanese brand, to increase the range of customers. For this, you want to balance comfort and performance. Underneath the hood hides the already known 2.0 VTEC turbo engine that starts to produce 320 hp – 10 hp more than before, coupled with a six-speed manual transmission. The new front-wheel drive, which will soon attempt to recover the fastest Nürburgring lap record in its class, features variable damping and a three-way selector (Confort, Sport and + R, for track) as well as a large rear aerofoil. The body of the model, which will be produced in Swindon (UK) and then exported to the rest of the world, has a torsional stiffness 39% higher than its predecessor. As with the conventional Civic, the new Type-R was built on a new platform, which was designed from scratch for this sporty version. The new model is longer, shorter and wider than the previous model, with a center of gravity 34 mm lower. The suspension was modified over the conventional model, with specific suspension and chassis changes.
2018 – HONDA GRACE
Not long ago we know about the Honda Fit half-life update and now it’s time to get acquainted with the first official images of Honda Grace, a sedan that in other markets is marketed under the name of City. The Grace upgrade incorporates the modifications already adopted by Fit, which include a revamped front with a new grille, LED daytime running lights as well as new front and rear bumpers. The interior has also been revised with new upholstery, an upgraded infotainment system that includes new connectivity features, LED interior lighting, and the Honda Sensing driving assist package that includes adaptive cruise control, track maintenance , stand-alone braking, road exit alert, etc. In Japan Honda Grace will be available with a mechanical offer consisting of a 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine in combination with a CVT transmission, and a hybrid system based on the same i-VTEC engine, coupled with a DCT automatic transmission with seven speeds. Japanese customers can also opt for a body kit developed by Modulo, which includes airfoil, front splitter, side skirts, 16-inch alloy wheels with specific design, lowered suspension, etc. The upgraded Honda Grace 2018 will debut first in Japan, and it is expected that this update will soon reach other international markets.
2018 – HONDA FIT CROSS STYLE
For Latin American markets Honda has chosen to develop a Fit-based crossover called WR-V, a model that lies below the HR-V as a simpler and more affordable alternative to meet the needs of those customers with the tighter availability. However in Japan, the Japanese brand has chosen to incorporate a new level of finish along with Fit’s midlife upgrade with the Cross Style styling, which adds a more adventurous touch to the small minivan. This is a solution that had already been applied in Brazil with the Fit of the previous generation, which was marketed under the name Fit Twist. The new Honda Fit Cross Style includes all the news that has been incorporated into the mid-life upgrade, debuting a new front grille, a redesigned bumper and redesigned antinebline headlamps. In the rear the bumper and the taillights were renewed. In addition, the Cross Style incorporates a more robust exterior aesthetic, with unpainted plastic frames on the wheel arches, sides and lid of the trunk, in addition to the alloy wheels of specific design and diamond finish. Under the hood, the Honda Fit Cross Style uses a hybrid engine based on a 1.5-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine in conjunction with an electric thruster in combination with a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.
← Audi, the history of the German house
Copyright © 2018 by www.automobile-reference.com- All rights reserved.
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ExposeFacts
Iraq Interviews Available: “Had I known…”
On July 11, 2003, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told the press aboard Air Force One: “Had I known that there was a forged document here, would I put this in the State of the Union? No.”
RAHUL MAHAJAN
Mahajan, author of the new book Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond, has a Ph.D. in particle physics. In an IPA news release on Oct. 8, 2002 [www.accuracy.org/bush/], refuting President Bush’s claim made in his Cincinnati speech that Iraq “is seeking nuclear weapons,” Mahajan stated: “There’s no evidence that Iraq has gotten anywhere with seeking nuclear weapons. The pitiful status of evidence in this regard is shown by claims in e.g. Blair’s dossier that Iraq is seeking uranium from Africa, year and country unspecified… Unenriched uranium does Iraq little good, since enrichment facilities are large, require huge investment, and cannot easily be hidden.” Mahajan said today: “The administration has been claiming that they did not know that the Niger document was a forgery. Why then did the U.S. refuse for months to turn over this ‘proof’ to the International Atomic Energy Agency? When it finally turned over the evidence, the IAEA found out in a few hours that the documents were very crude forgeries. Considering the numerous other falsehoods and misrepresentations, it’s clear that this is a picture not of carelessness about one item but of a concerted drive to war based on lies, to serve motives that are becoming clearer — a military presence in the heart of the Middle East and control of the world’s second-largest oil reserves.”
GLEN RANGWALA
Rangwala, a lecturer in politics at Cambridge University, broke the story that the British intelligence dossier endorsed by Colin Powell was plagiarized from the Internet. In an IPA news release on Jan. 30, 2003 [www.accuracy.org/2003/], titled “Fact-Checking and Spin-Checking President Bush,” Rangwala responded to the claim that “the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” by stating: “The IAEA have repeatedly asked the U.S. and UK for information about this, without success.” On July 13, 2003, he co-authored an op-ed titled “20 Lies About the War” in the British newspaper The Independent. He said today: “The Bush administration is now claiming that the British have other material that they have not seen which supports the claim that Iraq was trying to obtain uranium from Africa. Why then isn’t this material turned over to the IAEA? And what could possibly be so secret that it cannot be shown to the Americans at the highest levels?”
DIANE PERLMAN
Perlman, a clinical psychologist and a contributor to The Psychology of Terrorism, said today: “We have to deal with both content (correcting facts and exposing lies) as well as process — the mystification and psychological manipulation of the public, exaggeration of a threat (a universal strategy for eliciting support for arms and wars)… There is an unquestioned presumption that even if all of this were true, war would be an appropriate response…”
MARK CRISPIN MILLER
Miller is professor of media studies at New York University and author of The Bush Dyslexicon. On an IPA release dated March 18, 2003 [ www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR031803.htm], titled “White House Claims: A Pattern of Deceit,” Miller stated: “The most successful lie is that Iraq is tied to 9-11.” He said today: “The White House keeps hinting that Iraq was implicated in the terrorist attacks. On Sunday, Condoleezza Rice repeatedly implied that Islamic terrorism had been aided by Saddam Hussein. With him gone, she said, the Middle East no longer has ‘an atmosphere in which you have ideologies of hatred spawning people who slam airplanes in the World Trade Centers [sic].’ That claim is groundless. Before the war, there was no evidence of any such connections — and, in Iraq, no evidence has come to light these last three months.”
For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Norman Solomon, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
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Earth science: general interest
A Primer on Fourier Analysis for the Geosciences
$79.99 (P)
Author: Robin Crockett, University of Northampton
$ 79.99 (P)
Time-series analysis is used to identify and quantify periodic features in datasets and has many applications across the geosciences, from analysing weather data, to solid-Earth geophysical modelling. This intuitive introduction provides a practical 'how-to' guide to basic Fourier theory, with a particular focus on Earth system applications. The book starts with a discussion of statistical correlation, before introducing Fourier series and building to the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and related periodogram techniques. The theory is illustrated with numerous worked examples using R datasets, from Milankovitch orbital-forcing cycles to tidal harmonics and exoplanet orbital periods. These examples highlight the key concepts and encourage readers to investigate more advanced time-series techniques. The book concludes with a consideration of statistical effect size and significance. This useful book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in the Earth system sciences who are looking for an accessible introduction to time-series analysis.
Explains basic Fourier theory in intuitive mathematical terms, making it accessible to those without a strong background in mathematics and statistics
Outlines methods such as the Lomb–Scargle periodogram technique that can be used for unequal-interval time-series data
Includes straightforward no-frills R spectrogram code in an appendix to the book (also available online), along with a brief help-file, allowing readers to use the code with their own datasets as well as with the examples provided in the book
'This textbook is an excellent resource for students and researchers interested in time series and spectral analyses for a variety of geoscience problems, from seismology to climate change. It provides the theory behind these topics, with examples, in a methodical and easy to understand way, combined with ready-to-use computer programs.' Shimon Wdowinski, Florida International University
'This is a perfect book for researchers wanting to know how to perform time series analysis using the Fast Fourier Transform. The examples from Earth sciences and the R codes are especially useful for young scientists and newcomers in the field of time series analysis.' François G. Schmitt, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris
1. What is Fourier analysis
2. Covariance-based approaches
3. Fourier series
4. Fourier transforms
5. Using the FFT to identify periodic features in time-series
6. constraints on the FFT
7. Stationarity and spectrograms
8. Noise in time-series
9. Periodograms and significance
Appendix A. DFT matrices and symmetries
Appendix B. Simple spectrogram code
Further reading and online resources
Robin Crockett
Robin Crockett, University of Northampton
Robin Crockett is Reader in Data Analysis in the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology at the University of Northampton. He is a member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and the Institute of Physics (IOP) and holds Chartered Scientist Status. He specialises in investigating periodic, recurrent and anomalous features in data, and has led a highly successful short course on Fourier analysis at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly for many years.
Geostatistics Explained
An Introductory Guide for Earth Scientists
Mathematical Methods in the Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Cambridge Handbook of Earth Science Data
Applied Geophysics in the Search for Minerals
Cyberinfrastructure for the Solid Earth Sciences
Environmental Conservation is one of the longest-standing, most highly-cited of the interdisciplinary environmental…
Applied geoscience, petroleum and mining geoscience
Atmospheric science and meteorology
Climatology and climate change
Environmental and atmospheric science: general interest
Environmental policy, economics and law
Geochemistry and environmental chemistry
Geomorphology and physical geography
Hydrology, hydrogeology and water resources
Mineralogy, petrology and volcanology
Oceanography and marine science
Palaeontology and life history
Planetary science and astrobiology
Remote sensing and GIS
Sedimentology and stratigraphy
Solid earth geophysics
Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics
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Biblical studies - New Testament
Covenant Renewal and the Consecration of the Gentiles in Romans
Part of Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
Author: Sarah Whittle, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester
Date Published: December 2014
In his letter to the Romans, Paul describes the community in Rome as 'holy ones'. This study considers Paul's language in relation to the Old Testament, particularly accounts of the events at Mount Sinai that established the nation of Israel and consecrated its people as God's holy people. Sarah Whittle illustrates how Paul reworks citations from Deuteronomy, Hosea, and Isaiah to incorporate the Gentiles into Israel's covenant-renewal texts. Analysing key passages, she further ties the covenant-making narrative to themes of sacrificed bodies and moral transformation, fulfilment of the Torah, the promises of the fathers, and Paul's priestly ministry. This volume argues that the latter has a climactic function in Paul's letter, overseeing the offering of the Gentiles, who are 'made holy by the holy spirit'. This study will be of interest to scholars of New Testament studies, Pauline theology, and early Christianity.
Explores the important ethical dimension of the designation of Paul's community as 'holy ones'
Argues that Paul's priestly ministry as his rationale for writing is rarely given the weight it deserves
Demonstrates the importance of Deuteronomy as a text that enables the events of Mt Sinai to be re-appropriated for subsequent generations
Part I. Romans 9-11: Paul's Covenant-Renewal Hermeneutics:
2. Romans 9:24-25: Hosea foretells the renewal of the covenant and the inclusion of the Gentiles
3. Romans 10:5-13: righteousness by faith and the covenant renewal of Deuteronomy 30
4. Romans 11:26-27: the coming of Isaiah's 'redeemer', and the covenant to deal with Israel's sin
Part II. Romans 12-15: Covenant Renewal and Consecration:
5. Romans 12:1-2: sacrificed bodies, the transformed mind, and the renewed covenant
6. Romans 13:8-10: neighbour love, holiness, and the law's fulfilment
7. Romans 15:7-13: God's faithfulness in Christ at the renewal of the covenant and the constitution of a people
8. Romans 15:15-16: Paul's priestly ministry and the offering of the Gentiles
9. Conclusion.
Copyright Information Page (124 KB)
Sarah Whittle, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester
Sarah Whittle is Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Nazarene Theological College, Manchester. She is also chair of the British New Testament Conference's Paul Seminar.
Paul's Political Strategy in 1 Corinthians 1–4
Constitution and Covenant
Purpose and Cause in Pauline Exegesis
Romans 1.16-4.25 and a New Approach to the Letters
Romans 7 and Christian Identity
A Study of the ‘I' in its Literary Context
Discerning the Spirits
Theological and Ethical Hermeneutics in Paul
Paul as an Administrator of God in 1 Corinthians
The Theology of Paul's Letter to the Romans
Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles
New Testament Studies is an international peer-reviewed periodical whose contributors comprise the leading New Testament…
Journal of Anglican Studies
"I am delighted to commend the Journal of Anglican Studies as an important initiative in building conversation and…
Scottish Journal of Theology
Scottish Journal of Theology is an international journal of systematic, historical and biblical theology. Since its…
Harvard Theological Review
Harvard Theological Review has been a central forum for scholars of religion since its founding in 1908. It continues…
Horizons publishes award-winning peer-reviewed articles, roundtables, and book reviews across a wide range of topics…
Biblical studies - Old Testament, Hebrew bible
Buddhism and Eastern religions
Religion: general interest
Religious ethics
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Michelle Williams >
Former Destiny's Child Star Michelle Williams "Proudly" Seeks Help...
Former Destiny's Child Star Michelle Williams "Proudly" Seeks Help With Depression
By Ed Biggs in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 18 July 2018
Follow Michelle Williams
Williams has been open about her battles with mental health issues.
Former Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams has confirmed that she is seeking help for her struggles with depression, following a recent report that she had checked into a mental health facility.
The 37 year old star, who has previously been open about her battle with depression, reached out to her followers on Instagram with a message on Tuesday (July 17th) following a story by TMZ that claimed she had checked into a facility outside Los Angeles.
In the message, she spoke of her pride in admitting that she was struggling, and encouraged others in a similar position to do the same. “For years I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it's time to seek help, support and guidance from those that love and care for your wellbeing,” Williams wrote.
Former Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams
She continued, “I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals. Today I proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for betterment of those in need.”
More: Michelle Williams reveals she suffered from depression while in Destiny’s Child
“If you change your mind, you can change your life,” Williams signed off her post.
In October last year, Williams had revealed to the world in an interview on ‘The Talk’ that she had suffered from depression for a long time, even at the height of Destiny’s Child’s worldwide fame in the early Noughties.
Remembering reaching out to the band’s manager, Matthew Knowles, she said: “When I disclosed it to our manager at the time, bless his heart, he was like, 'You all just signed a multi-million dollar deal. You're about to go on tour. What do you have to be depressed about? I think at the age of 25, had I had a name to what I was feeling at the time, I would have disclosed that I've been suffering from depression.”
More: Kelly Rowland says “I love my Destiny’s Child girls” – but there’s no reunion plans any time soon [archive]
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Michelle Williams felt suicidal after split
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Michelle Williams: The dynamic on set has changed since the #MeToo movement
Michelle Williams' important pay gap conversation
Michelle Williams 'splits' from husband Phil Elverum
Michelle Williams won't watch her own work
Michelle Williams' hasn't had difficult teen stage with daughter yet
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All The Money In The World Trailer
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Lee Chandler lives a life of self-imposed exile but that's not how he's always been....
Suite Francaise Movie Review
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Suite Francaise Trailer
During the Second World War, France was quickly and violently taken over by the German...
Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Review
Like Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, this film shows the overpowering strength of Disney and...
Oz: The Great And Powerful Trailer
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Based on Colin Clark's memoirs, this film sometimes feels a bit too warm and nostalgic...
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Colin Clark is an aspiring film maker and his first job upon leaving university is...
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ADCC World Federation, JIUJITEIRO, Inc. Announce Partnership for 2019 World Championships
LOS ANGELES, California – The ADCC World Submission Fighting Federation and JIUJITEIRO, Inc. today announced the official partner for the 2019 ADCC World Championship taking place in Anaheim, California this September. This partnership includes providing the official merchandise such as apparel and uniforms as well as the athlete’s official opening ceremony uniforms.
“Jiujiteiro is honored to be the official outfitter of the ADCC World Championships. The ADCC movement is at the core of Jiujiteiro’s DNA and has played a vital role in our company’s history. Our mission is to provide inspiration and innovation to every athlete and this is another opportunity to show our support to the sport and this prestigious event,” said Jesse Sethi, President of Global Marketing for Jiujiteiro.
“We are proud to have Jiujiteiro, a company that embodies the ADCC spirit of quality, excellence and determination, as our committed partner,” said ADCC Head Organizer, Mo Jassim.
About the ADCC
The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is the most prestigious grappling competition involving professional athletes who have been successful at the highest levels of Luta Livre, wrestling, catch wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu, sambo, shooto, and mixed martial arts. The rules of the event disallow strikes while promoting grappling and submissions.
About JIUJITEIRO, Inc.
Based in San Diego, California, is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of authentic apparel, equipment and accessories for jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. More information is available on the internet at http://www.jjtro.com and individuals can follow on Instagram and twitter at @thejiujiteiro.
Get your official ADCC Merchandise here – http://www.jjtro.com/adcc
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Movie Review: “The Conjuring 2”
Posted by Jack Giroux (06/09/2016 @ 11:00 am)
Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, Simon McBurney
Horror sequels like “The Conjuring 2” are a dime a dozen, but director James Wan’s sequel manages to capture the spirit of the first film – hitting some familiar beats along the way – and takes the series and its two protagonists in a chilling new direction. What stands out about this franchise is that it’s not so much the scares that draw you in, although Wan does accomplish that, but rather its lead characters the Warrens.
The sequel begins with a new case – the famous Amityville incident – which screenwriters Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes, David Leslie Johnson and Wan only touch on briefly to give the audience a sense of where the characters are at in their careers and, rather seamlessly, efficiently establish a new internal and external threat in the film. Most of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren’s (Vera Farmiga) journey takes place in Enfield, England, where the Hodgson family is under attack from evil spirits. One of Peggy’s (Frances O’Connor) children, Janet (Madison Wolfe), is possessed by the spirit of Old Bill (Bob Adrian), a man that wants his home back. Although most believe the case is a hoax, Ed and Lorraine are willing to take a chance on the desperate family.
This sequel wisely puts a face to the villains. They’re more tangible, have identities and pose a greater threat. They’re all genuinely frightening, too, whether they’re seen or not. Wan waits for the right time to reveal his team of evil spirits, but the most effective depiction of one of the villains comes in a fantastic, seamless long take. As Ed tries to reason with Old Bill, who’s obscured in the background of a shot as Ed has his back to him, Wan and cinematographer Don Burgess capture the tense interaction all in one long take that slowly zooms, making the audience tighten up as the frame does. It’s a remarkable take – a slow burn of a shot that isn’t showy.
Posted in: Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Movies
Tags: James Wan, Patrick Wilson, The Conjuring, Vera Farmiga
Movie Review: “The Conjuring”
Posted by David Medsker (07/18/2013 @ 8:00 pm)
Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, John Brotherton
The strange thing about horror movies of the last 10 years is that they’ve rarely been scary. They’ve been grotesque – take, please, “Evil Dead” from earlier this year – but few of them have been legitimately frightening. “The Conjuring,” on the other hand, understands that violence is not horror, and delivers a truly disturbing viewing experience. It may use a little Hollywood pixie dust to make it to the finish line, but the pre-Hollywood psychodrama is positively chilling, and the use of old-school techniques only adds to the creep factor.
It’s the fall of 1971, and Roger and Carolyn Petton (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor), along with their five daughters, are moving into an old farm house in Rhode Island. From the very beginning, the place seems a little off (the dog won’t go in the house, the basement is boarded up), but the family puts up with all of the seemingly unrelated annoyances (cold, the occasional foul stench, youngest daughter April’s new imaginary friend) and attributes it to, well, something rational, something explainable. It is not long, though, before the “house” ramps up the offensive, and an exasperated Carolyn asks local paranormal researchers Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) to come to the house and evaluate their problem. Lorraine, a clairvoyant, gets bad vibes from the very beginning, and after doing a little research on the former homeowners, she is fearful for the lives of the entire Perron family, Carolyn in particular.
Screenwriting twins Chad and Carey Hayes wrote the script of their lives here – though to be fair, one look at their IMDb profile and you’ll see that that is a backhanded compliment – by framing the ‘A’ story (the Perrons) and the ‘B’ story (the Warrens) side by side until such time that the families can come together organically. It’s a shrewd move, because it gives the audience the occasional, much-needed break from the terror that the Perrons are suffering, while slowly allowing the audience to get to know the Warrens and the, um, ghosts of their past that they bring with them to this case. That, plus Wan’s refusal to resort to the cheap ‘boo’ scare, gets the audience emotionally invested early, and never lets them go.
Tags: James Wan, Patrick Wilson, The Conjuring, The Conjuring review, Vera Farmiga
The Light from the TV Shows: The Prequelization Principle
Posted by Will Harris (03/07/2013 @ 11:27 am)
You know you’re a real fan of “Psycho,” Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film adaptation of Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, if your first reaction to hearing about A&E’s new series, “Bates Motel,” which premieres on March 18, was to grumble, “They’ve already done a TV show called ‘Bates Motel.'”
True enough: in 1987, NBC aired a TV movie called “Bates Motel,” which starred Bud Cort as Alex West, a fellow with a few mental troubles who shared some quality time with Norman Bates in the state insane asylum and, as a result, finds himself the beneficiary of the Bates Motel in Norman’s will. The intent was to use the movie as a backdoor pilot for a weekly anthology series of sorts, following the lives of individuals passing through as guests of the motel, but when ratings for the movie proved disappointing, the plan for the series was abandoned.
But A&E’s “Bates Motel” isn’t a retread of that premise. Instead, it’s a prequel, revealing how Norman Bates became the kind of guy who’d grow obsessed with his mother that he’d take on her identity on occasion and kill anyone who looked at him sideways.
Oh, wait, you say that’s already been done, too?
Yep, it sure has: in 1990, Showtime produced “Psycho IV: The Beginning,” which pointedly ignored the aforementioned TV movie and showed a very-much-still-alive Norman (Anthony Perkins) calling into a radio talk show about – what are the odds? – matricide, using the conversation as a framing device to flash back to his youth and reveal the bond between Norma Bates (Olivia Hussey) and her son (played by Henry Thomas). It doesn’t exactly hew 100% to the continuity established by the preceding three films, but as a standalone film for casual fins, it holds up relatively well, thanks in no small part to Perkins’ performance.
Actually, A&E’s “Bates Motel” isn’t a retread of that premise, either. Not really, anyway. I mean, yes, it starts at approximately the same point in Norman’s life, and the general idea is the same, in that it’s looking into all the Oedipal-ness of the Norma/Norman relationship. This time, though, it isn’t a period piece. For better or worse, it takes place in present day, which means that it’s arguably not a prequel at all but, instead, more of a complete reboot of the franchise.
Don’t worry, though: the Bates Motel itself still looks just as decrepit and foreboding as ever.
But, of course, “Bates Motel” is far from the first occasion of an existing property has been turned into a prequel for TV. Heck, it’s not even the first time it’s happened in 2013!
Posted in: Entertainment, News, Television
Tags: A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Anthony Perkins, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Bonanza, Caprica, Carlton Cuse, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Clifford's Puppy Days, Freddie Highmore, Hercules, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cubs, Max Thieriot, Mike Vogel, Muppet Babies, Nestor Carbonell, Nicola Peltz, Olivia Hussey. Bud Cort, Ponderosa, Psycho, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Scooby-Doo Where Are You?, Sex and the City, Star Trek, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Wars, Star Wars: Droids, Star Wars: Ewoks, The Carrie Diaries, The Flintstone Kids, The Flintstones, The Jungle Book, The Light from the TV Shows, The Little Mermaid, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Vera Farmiga, Will Harris
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Canton Lacrosse Club Boys Program
Tournaments and Jamborees
There are a few year -end tournaments that Canton Lacrosse Club Boys Program participates in. The Canton Lacrosse Club pays all entry fees for our tournaments, there are no additional costs to the families.
MRK (Melissa Rose Kradin foundation) Canton Tournament
This tournament is to benefit the Melissa Rose Kradin foundation. Rick and Audrey Kradin of Canton created the foundation in memory of their daughter, Melissa Rose, who passed away in 1998 at the age of 12 after a two-year battle with a malignant brain tumor. The foundation works together with the Cam Neely Foundation to fund research activities to advance the treatment of childhood cancers and to provide support to the families of critically ill children. Tournament entry fees go to the foundation, additional donations are appreciated.
When is the MRK Canton tournament?
This is a weekend long tournament usually played on the second weekend of June. It is a competitive format with some teams playing Friday night and all teams playing on Saturday at either Canton High School or Windsor Woods fields. All semi-final and final games are played on Sunday at Canton High School. Each team will play between four and six games. During the tournament, there are many fun raffle items and concessions. The final championship game and awards presentation is held Sunday afternoon. Raffle winners are also announced at that time.
Who can play and how are the teams formed?
This is an optional tournament for U11, U13 and U15 players from Canton and the surrounding towns.
What else is required for the tournament’s success?
Your help!
1. Each Canton team donates a raffle basket/items, coordinated by a team parent volunteer. Collections for the baskets are usually taken at the end of the regular season games.
2. Additional raffle item donations are welcomed and appreciated.
3. Concessions, grill, and raffles are open all day Saturday (at both fields) and Sunday (at Canton High School) and rely on the help of many parent volunteers. Let your child’s coach know how you can help.
Organized by the MBYLL, the year end Jamboree is said to be the largest lacrosse event in the nation and is held on what used to be the grounds of Fort Devens which is west of Boston on Route 2. Last year there were over 350 teams each playing 3 games over a span of four days.
When is the Jamboree?
While the jamboree spans four days, each town only plays on one of them. Canton generally plays on the third Sunday of June.
What is the format?
Each team will play three short games with breaks in between. The tournament is for fun, there are no playoffs or champions declared.
This is an optional tournament for U11, U13 and U15 players. Depending on interest level each year, we may send all of our teams at an age group or combine players into a smaller number of teams. Information on how to sign up will be communicated during the spring season.
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The Magnifying Glass Ceiling: The Plight of Women in Science
Jane Hu
This article is being cross-posted on the PLOS Student Blog. Check out some other really interesting pieces there!
Scientists frequently reference a quote attributed to Einstein: “You do not truly understand something unless you can explain it to your grandma.” Whether or not these words were actually Einstein’s, they’ve been used again and again to encourage students to explain highly technical details in a simple way so that even your grandma could understand it. The assumption is that your dear old grandma is a feeble-minded lady who doesn’t know anything about phishing or bitcoin (Commodity.com guide to BTC) or Bayesian statistics.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin discovered that the sun is made of mostly hydrogen. Fellow astronomer Henry Norris Russell rejected her work… but then published a paper making the same claim four years later. Even though he cited Payne-Gaposchkin’s work, he is still commonly credited with her discovery.
What’s interesting here is that it’s always your grandma you’re asked to explain things to, not your grandpa. This subtle difference seems innocuous, but it reflects the age-old stereotype that men are more competent than women in math and science. Luckily, we’ve moved forward from the days when women in science like Rosalind Franklin, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, and Lise Meitner had their ideas overlooked or even blatantly stolen, but the undercurrent of sexism has not disappeared – it has just become subtler.
It is true that women are underrepresented in these spheres, but not because women aren’t interested in it or can’t handle the work (for instance, see some grandmas who probably know more than you). Even when women are highly competent in their field of study, their career accomplishments take a backseat to what’s stereotypically a woman’s duty: raising a family.
Take, for instance, the late Yvonne Brill, a rocket scientist (certainly the type of grandma you wouldn’t talk down to). Her obituary in the New York Times began:
She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job and took eight years off from work to raise three children. “The world’s best mom,” her son Matthew said.
But Yvonne Brill, who died on Wednesday at 88 in Princeton, N.J., was also a brilliant rocket scientist, who in the early 1970s invented a propulsion system to help keep communications satellites from slipping out of their orbits.
The New York Times has since changed the obituary to lead with a mention of Brill’s career, but the original introduction reflects this trend of subtle sexism. The “but” that begins the second paragraph seems to imply that being a good wife or mom is somehow directly contradictory with being a “brilliant rocket scientist”.
Scientists, too, fall prey to gender stereotypes. In a 1999 study, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researcher Rhea Steinpreis and her colleagues sent faculty members a CV for a fake applicant’s tenure-track faculty position, and randomized whether the applicant had a male or female name. With the same application, the male applicant was more likely to be hired than the female applicant. More than a decade later, nothing has changed; last year, Yale researcher Corinne Moss-Racusin and her colleagues ran a similar study, asking faculty to rate application materials for a lab manager position. Like in Steinpreis et al.’s study, the male applicant was also rated more highly than the female applicant, and was given a higher average starting salary.
Even if women get that coveted lab manager position or tenure-track faculty position, their research may be less likely to be seen by a wider audience. Last year, the popular journal Nature assessed their own inclusion of female perspectives. They found that women made up only 14% of their reviewers, 18% of their profiled scientists in 2011 and 2012, and 19% of Nature‘s Comment and World View articles. Though there tend to be fewer women in STEM fields to review, write, and profile, Nature acknowledges that doesn’t fully explain the lack of female viewpoints included in their publication. In their own words: “There is work to do.”
This lack of visibility and opportunity can be frustrating, and, according to a 2008 Harvard Business School study, it also contributes to women’s decision to leave STEM fields. Recent research from Berkeley faculty Mary Ann Mason, Nicholas Wolfinger, and Marc Goulden found that STEM fields fail to retain women at every stage of their careers, from undergraduate science courses to professorial tenure review. Data collected by the National Science Foundation found that in many fields, like engineering and biology, women make up more than half of undergraduate students, but this number drops off at each transition point, so that at the tenured professor level, women make up only 20-25% of the total. The most women drop out in the transition between receiving a PhD to landing a faculty position.
Why are women leaving in such numbers? We’ve all heard an urban legend about that one old, misogynistic professor in the department who has explicitly stated his belief that women don’t belong in science, but as the majority of male scientists will attest, there are few men who sit in their ivory towers, intentionally barring women from being hired or published. The story is far more complicated. For one, having more women on review boards does not increase the likelihood that more women will be hired or published. In Steinpreis et al. and Moss-Racusin et al.’s studies, women were just as likely as men to rate the male applicant more highly than the female applicant. This underscores the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes; women, too, can believe that men are more competent. And even worse: they take those stereotypes to heart while on the job.
Social psychologists call this phenomenon “stereotype threat.” This occurs when an individual who is a member of a group fears they will confirm a negative stereotype about their group. A classic stereotype threat study by Spencer, Steele, & Claude (1999) found that women performed worse on a math test if told the test was supposed to reflect gender differences than if they were told it did not reflect gender differences. This works with pretty much any negative stereotype; Yeung & von Hippel (2008) found that women who were primed with the stereotype that women are bad at driving were more than twice as likely to hit jaywalkers in a virtual driving game.
More recent research suggests stereotype threat has an effect on women’s perception of daily interactions with fellow scientists. University of British Columbia research Toni Schmader and University of Arizona researcher Matthias Mehl had women in science wear microphones that recorded random snippets of their daily conversations. In rating how “competent” women sounded in talking about their own work, the study found that women sounded less competent when speaking with male colleagues than female colleagues. Presumably, this behavior is a result of stereotype threat: women fear confirming the stereotype of “women are bad at science,” and they falter.
Stereotype can affect female scientists’ behavior when interacting with male scientists.
In the face of all this, what’s a woman in science to do? The STEM blogosphere has been abuzz with recommendations such as:
Require universities to adopt family-friendly policies to retain women who are dropping out for family reasons.
Provide childcare.
Make the tenure process more flexible.
Do more scientific outreach for young girls.
Create support groups for women to foster stronger mentor/mentee relationships.
These are all good ideas, and fit an underlying theme: we need to keep current female scientists in their fields, and we need them to recruit more women to join in the future. Subvert the harmful stereotypes about women and STEM fields that girls hear from a young age: make sure Mattel never makes another “Math class is tough” Barbie, or that children’s clothing stores never make another girls’ t-shirt like this. Be the grandma who does the explaining, not the one who needs to be explained to.
Stereotypes women in science
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Jane is a PhD candidate in the psychology department at University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on social cognition and learning in preschoolers. She is also an editor of the Berkeley Science Review. Follow her on Twitter @jane_c_hu, or check out her science blog: metacogs.tumblr.com
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Fantastic post Jane! Thanks for the thought provoking intro and review of recent research on gender bias. This is such a tough problem. Universities could be more supportive of families for sure, but I think the problem is deeper than that. I am curious what the women who move on from their academic careers in STEM end up doing instead. Is there any data on that?
When I look at my peers, I do not see any gender differences in ability. The differences are all in self-assessment and desire to continue pursuing science as a career. I am not totally sold on the idea of stereotype threat, but I do think women present themselves as less competent than they are. I just did this yesterday while giving a talk and my advisor pulled me aside afterward to point it out.
I am curious to hear what other readers are thinking. Do you have ideas for how to fix the gender bias? If you are a woman in STEM, have you considered quitting? Why? What would you do instead? Do you notice that you present yourself as less competent than you actually are, or seen your peers doing this? Why do you think this happens?
@ActiveScientist
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Sullivan & Cromwell Discusses California’s Female Gender Quotas for Public Companies
By Sullivan & Cromwell LLP October 10, 2018 by pss2150
On September 30, 2018, Governor Brown of California signed into law a bill, SB-826, to require female representation on the boards of directors of publicly traded companies who identify as being headquartered in the state. SB-826 makes California the first state to attempt to enact female gender quotas for boards of directors. SB-826 will become effective on January 1, 2019 and will require companies subject to the legislation to comply with the first phase of requirements (requiring boards of directors to have at least one female member) no later than December 31, 2019.
SB-826 inserts a new Section 301.3 in the California Corporations Code that provides:
Corporations Subject to the Legislation. Section 301.3 of the California Corporations Code will apply to any publicly held corporation[1] that files with the Securities and Exchange Commission an annual report on Form 10‑K identifying California as the state in which its principal executive offices are located, regardless of its state of incorporation.
Female Representation Requirements. No later than the end of 2019, the board of directors of any corporation subject to Section 301.3 of the California Corporations Code must include at least one female director. No later than the end of 2021, each corporation subject to Section 301.3 must include on its board of directors at least (i) one female director if the board has four or fewer members, (ii) two female directors if the board has five members and (iii) three female directors if the board has six or more members. For purposes of Section 301.3, a corporation will be in compliance if directors identifying as female, regardless of sex at birth, hold the requisite number of board seats for at least a portion of a given calendar year.
Fines for Noncompliance. The California Secretary of State is required to assess compliance annually and is empowered to impose fines for noncompliance. Any corporation subject to Section 301.3 that fails to file on a timely basis information about its board members with the Secretary of State may incur a $100,000 fine. The content and timing of required filings with the Secretary of State will be established through regulations that have not yet been issued. Separately, a corporation’s first failure to have the requisite number of female directors may result in a $100,000 fine and each subsequent violation may result in a $300,000 fine.
Effect on Size and Composition of Boards of Directors. Section 301.3 permits corporations to comply with the law by increasing the size of their boards of directors. However, an increase in the size of the board of directors may result in a corresponding increase in the number of female directors required. As a result, SB-826 could significantly impact the size and composition of the boards of directors subject to the legislation.
Preparing for Compliance. Companies subject to Section 301.3, particularly those with classified boards of directors, may wish to begin developing a plan for compliance. Unless the certificate of incorporation of the company provides otherwise, the board of directors of a Delaware corporation is permitted to amend the bylaws of the corporation to provide for an increase in board size and fill any vacant seat by a majority vote of the directors.[2] On the other hand, if compliance will be achieved without increasing the size of the board of directors, a current director would either need to voluntarily resign or be removed by the requisite stockholder vote. Companies incorporated in California may find it more difficult to attain compliance with Section 301.3. A stockholder vote is required in order to change the size of the board of a California corporation to a size greater than permitted by the then-existing organizational documents, whether the number of directors is specified by the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws.[3] The board of directors of a California corporation will be permitted to fill a vacant board seat following the voluntary resignation of a board member, but will not be permitted to fill a vacancy created by the removal of any director (whose removal would require a stockholder vote), unless otherwise provided in the corporation’s organizational documents.[4]
Validity of the Legislation. Commentators expect that there will be legal challenges to SB-826 and have questioned whether the bill complies with federal and California law, including the internal affairs doctrine and the equal protection clauses of the U.S. and California constitutions.[5] In connection with signing the bill, Governor Brown sent a letter to the California State Senate, with a copy to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, in which he stated, “I don’t minimize the potential flaws that indeed may prove fatal to its ultimate implementation. Nevertheless, recent events in Washington, D.C. – and beyond – make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message.”[6]
Next Steps. Even if SB-826 is ultimately invalidated, the legislation reflects the growing sentiment in favor of diversity for boards of directors. According to Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), more than 80% of investors and 60% of non-investors (including corporate directors and other market constituents) who participated in the ISS 2018 governance principles survey believed it would be problematic if a board of directors did not include any female members.[7] Glass, Lewis & Co. has indicated that beginning in 2019 it will generally recommend against election of the chair of the nominating committee of any Russell 3000 company having an all-male board, and ISS is reported to also be considering adopting a similar policy.[8] Large institutional investors, including State Street Global Advisors, Inc., BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc., have also indicated that gender diversity on the board of directors may influence their voting decisions.[9]
Given the recent investor emphasis on the gender diversity of boards of directors, public companies have increasingly addressed in their proxy statements the principles by which the nominating or governance committee considers gender, racial and other types of diversity in choosing a slate of directors for election and the steps taken to ensure a diverse pool of potential nominees is considered. In light of SB-826 and continued interest in this topic, companies should be prepared to articulate the considerations given to gender diversity with respect to their boards of directors.
[1] “Publicly held corporation” is defined as “a corporation with outstanding shares listed on a major United States stock exchange.”
[2] Del. Code Ann. tit. 8, §§ 141(b), 141(k), 223(a).
[3] Cal. Corp. Code § 212(a).
[4] Cal. Corp. Code §§ 303, 305(a).
[5] See, e.g., letter from California Chamber of Commerce, et al., to Members, California State Senate, SB 826 (Jackson) Corporations: Board of Directors—Oppose (May 29, 2018).
[6] Letter from Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. to Members, California State Senate (Sept. 30, 2018).
[7] Currently, ISS will highlight all-male boards of directors, but will not recommend an adverse vote on the basis of gender diversity.
[8] Glass Lewis, 2018 Proxy Paper, Guidelines: An Overview of the Glass Lewis Approach to Proxy Advice; Bradley Keoun and Anders Keitz, All-Male Boards Could Face New Pressure From Shareholder Adviser ISS, TheStreet (Sept. 19, 2018).
[9] State Street Global Advisors, Inc. has indicated that it may vote against election of the chair of the board of directors’ nominating committee if the board of directors does not include at least one female director. BlackRock, Inc. has stated that it normally expects to see at least two women directors on all boards of directors of U.S. companies and that it may vote against the members of the nominating committee of a board of directors lacking diversity. The Vanguard Group, Inc. stated that demonstration of meaningful progress on gender diversity over time will inform Vanguard Group’s engagement and voting going forward. See State Street Global Advisors, 2018 Proxy Voting and Engagement Guidelines: North America (United States & Canada) (Mar. 16, 2018); BlackRock, Proxy voting guidelines for U.S. securities (Feb. 2018); The Vanguard Group Inc.’s open letter to directors of public companies worldwide.
This post comes to us from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. It is based on the firm’s memorandum, “California Enacts Female Gender Quotas for Public Companies Headquartered in the State,” dated October 1, 2018, and available here.
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SEC Statements on the Retirement of Delaware Chief Justice Leo Strine
By Jay Clayton and Robert J. Jackson, Jr. July 10, 2019 by renholding
Yesterday, Chief Justice Leo Strine announced his retirement after more than twenty years on the Delaware Court of Chancery and Supreme Court of Delaware, two of the most important courts for our markets and our investors.
Chief Justice Strine deserves our thanks for bringing his unparalleled combination of energy, intellect, experience, legal knowledge and pragmatism to the bench. His contributions have extended well beyond the courtroom and the Commission has benefited substantially from his willingness to engage with us on a range of topics important to our investors and our markets. Finally, and critical to the work of the SEC, it is clear to me that the interests of our Main Street investors have always been at the front of Chief Justice Strine’s mind.
Thank you for your service Chief Justice Strine.
This statement was issued by Jay Clayton, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on July 9, 2019.
Chief Justice Leo Strine has announced his retirement after two decades of service on Delaware’s courts. He has been an extraordinary jurist and public servant, leading the Nation’s crucial corporate-law jurisdiction with expert judgment and wisdom. More than that, the Chief Justice is an intellectual leader, on the cutting edge of how best to protect the American families who rely upon our companies to build a sustainable future. I have always looked to Leo as a guiding light and leader in understanding how business law best serves ordinary Americans. On behalf of the Nation’s investors, I thank the Chief Justice for his exceptional public service—and look forward to his continued contributions to the development of American corporate law.
This statement was issued by Robert J. Jackson, Jr., commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on July 9, 2019.
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Marion County parks offer a wealth of recreational opportunities
Posted by: Public Works
By Dick Hughes, special to Marion County
From picnicking to geocaching to hiking, Marion County parks offer a wealth of recreational opportunities for residents and travelers.
"We have 18 parks that are scattered throughout the county. There are some that are absolutely gorgeous," Parks Coordinator Russ Dilley said.
"We have all kinds of different recreation. A majority of the parks are on water, so there are a lot of water activities. Some have shelters for group picnics. We have smaller parks that are in the neighborhoods for kids to go play on the playgrounds."
Most of the parks now stay open year-round. And with the May 1 opening of the remainder, visitors will find improvements throughout the park system.
Those improvements include a repaved parking lot, new picnic shelters and a larger restroom at Scotts Mills Park; additional picnic tables at North Fork, Bear Creek and Salmon Falls parks; a stairway down to the North Santiam River at Minto Park; and expanded garbage collection and lots of fix-up throughout the 18 parks.
For years, the county's parks staff consisted of Dilley and a summer employee. Marion County has now invested in a second fulltime employee and eight seasonal staff.
"For so long, we were playing catchup," Dilley said. "To go from two people in the summertime to 10 people is amazing."
The results show.
At Scotts Mills, "on an average hot day, we had a 20-person line waiting" for the single restroom, Dilley said. Visitors using the 13-acre park for swimming, playing ball and other activities will appreciate now having a two-restroom facility.
During the winter, weather closes the county parks along the Little North Fork of the Santiam River. Come late spring and summer, North Fork, Bear Creek and Salmon Falls parks are so heavily used – for water play, fishing, hiking, picnicking and, at Bear Creek, camping – that the county instituted a parking fee from May 15 through September. The price is $5 per vehicle per day, or $30 annually.
"The area up there was being loved to death. We're not trying to restrict anyone with the parking pass, instead limit the numbers because of the environmental factors," Dilley said.
"This has been something that we're working on with the BLM and the Forest Service, trying to just make people aware: Tread lightly."
North Fork Park drew an estimated 11,800 visitors from last May through September.
Just north of Salem and Keizer is Spong's Landing Park, where a significant beautification and renovation project has been under way. Rock trails and additional picnic tables have been added, although April's flooding along the Willamette River impeded that work. The 61.6-acre park includes picnic tables and shelters, barbecues, play equipment, horseshoe courts and a ballfield.
Reservations are not needed for picnic shelters at the county parks.
The oldest park, dedicated in 1955, is Niagara County Park off Highway 22. "It's an absolutely beautiful park with a great interpretative trail and a beautiful view of the North Santiam River which runs through the park," Dilley said.
As travelers and local residents enjoy the county parks, Dilley reminds them to use the trash cans or pack out their garbage.
He adds: "Be safe. Tread lightly. Be respectful. Enjoy."
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The Hamptons Union, October 22, 1925
Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. K. Smith of Somerville, Mass., were weekend guests of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Ward.
Mrs. Herbert Marston, who was recently operated upon at the Deaconess Hospital in Boston, returned to Hampton on Wednesday; her daughter, Mrs. Leonora Wing, accompanied her.
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Hackett are the proud parents of a little 7½ pound baby daughter, born Saturday night in the Exeter Hospital.
Married at the Baptist Parsonage on Sunday evening were Mr. John Quincy MacGregor and Miss Geraldine Pearl Dodge. Mr. MacGregor is from Hamilton, Mass., and Miss Dodge from Beverly, Mass.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Leavitt have returned from their auto trip to Ohio. They report a most delightful time, although there was much bad weather.
Ralph Thompson has secured work with Mr. Harry Carter of North Hampton.
The street railway still remains in operation and will do so until November 7 in order to know definitely about the bus franchise which has been asked of the Public Service Commission and which the directors of the road desire to substitute for the electric cars so as not to leave the town without any transportation service. A full financial statement will be given the public before the cars cease running.
There will be a series of whist parties at the fire station, Hampton Beach, every Wednesday evening until further notice. Admission, 35 cents.
At the Methodist Church next Sunday evening Rev. Mr. Ronald Gibbons of Amesbury will give an illustrated lecture on his experiences in India. The slides were made from pictures which Mr. Gibbons took himself. This is to be a union service. Everyone is welcome. An offering will be taken.
The members of the Rockingham Lodge and Winnicummet Rebekah Lodge have the privilege of inviting a limited number of friends to attend with the membership their banquet and conferring of the Decoration of Chivalry and Military Ball next Tuesday evening in the Town Hall. It will be a great event for Odd Fellows and their guests.
Mr. L. Otto Robertson of Everett, Mass., was a weekend guest of Mrs. Alice Noyes.
The Mother's Circle Meeting will be held next Wednesday evening, October 28, at the home of Mrs. Irving Leavitt.
The postponed meeting of the Monday Club will be held next Monday afternoon at the home of Mrs. H. P. Wells.
The What-So-Ever Society of the Congregational Church will meet with Miss Virginia Dennett, Saturday afternoon at 2:30 P. M.
Miss Mary Toppan, as a delegate of the Rebekahs, and Mrs. Lottie Bryant attended the Convention at Keene. Mrs. Toppan went from Keene to Norwich, Connecticut and spent a most delightful week with friends.
Again the Semi-Annual Report of the Hampton Co-operative Building and Loan Association is published, and like previous ones it shows a steady, healthy growth. It is an institution that is of a great benefit to this town and is destined to play an important part in its development. This co-operative bank is a fair barometer of the town's progress. The steady growth of the bank indicates a corresponding growth of the town. Boost the bank and you boost the town. At present the bank is unable to lend all that is demanded for homes. It needs the savings of the young people who will allow their funds to remain and be used in building new homes. It furnishes one of the best investments to be had, paying now 5½ per cent.
A large delegation from Hampton attended the meeting of the Rockingham-York Development Association at Hotel Rockingham, Portsmouth on Wednesday. The governors of New Hampshire and Maine were expected to be present, but Gov. Winant was unable to come. Gov. Brewster, however, was present and gave one of the finest addresses upon what New Hampshire and Maine can do for this section of the country, that has ever been delivered. It was a wonderful address and of great benefit to the association. A report of the engineers on the cost of a 24-foot ocean boulevard from the Massachusetts line to the Memorial bridge in Portsmouth was given, estimating the cost at about $755,000. Before the meeting the guests, about 100 in number, were served a fine luncheon in the Rockingham dining room.
Guests from Hampton at the marriage ceremony and reception, last evening, of Miss Gertrude MacLaine, Hyde Park, Mass. (a niece of Mr. John Elliot's) and Mr. Morton Mortinson, Roslindale, Mass., were Harold E. Noyes and Mrs. Noyes, Mrs. John Elliot, Robert and Mrs. Annie Elliot, and William Elliot. The wedding was very largely attended. It was held in the First Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Roy Thompson, pastor, officiating.
Harry Cleveland and family have moved from the Thompson house opposite the Advent Chapel to the tenement in Lane's block over Chester Marston's barber shop.
Harry I. Noyes has started the erection of a dwelling house on the foundation which he recently purchased of Floyd Gale on Lafayette road.
Chester G. Marston and James Eastman have this week sold one of their splendid super-hetrodgen radio sets.
The Ladies' Aid of the M. E. Church gather this afternoon for their regular monthly meeting at the home of Mrs. Jennie Godfrey, Lafayette Road. After conducting their business a supper will be served as usual.
Edgar Howe has begun on the foundation of a house on a lot which he owns on Ann's Lane, and William Blake is soon to start one near by.
Robert Elliot has begun work on the foundation for a home on Highland Avenue, next to that of Harold Noyes.
The Friendly Class meets on Friday evening with Mrs. Bella Nudd.
Last week everyone admired the work done of beautifying the town at Memorial Park but how many have noticed the improvement on Whittier's Corner made by the removal of the electric road's starter house? When the corner was a transfer point the house was very necessary but lately it has not been kept up and has proven an eyesore to the community. Once again can Hampton be commended for its progressiveness in making our town a beautiful town of the state.
There were thirty-three members of Ocean Side Grange present at the last regular meeting, Friday night. Worthy Lecturer Jessie Myers had prepared an interesting program. Sister Addie Thompson and Brother Nelson Norton, Jr., both gave readings, the members responded to a roll call for current events, and ensemble singing of a song selected by Ceres was followed by a penny march. Refreshments were served after the business was completed. Our most faithful musician, Victor Phonograph, struck up a lively tune and the younger members danced a Virginia Reel. The next meeting is one week from tomorrow night and promises to be worth the effort of attendance.
The program presented by the Swarthmore Chautauqua on Friday, Saturday and Monday was very fine and much enjoyed by all who had the privilege of attending the performances. The Junior work under the direction of Miss Fisher was excellent and greatly interested the young people. The number of season tickets sold by the guarantors was less than desired, owing to the fact that the park dedication occurred in the same week, but the entertainments were of such high order and the two young ladies in charge, Miss Turner and Miss Fisher, made such a favorable impression that many of the guarantors were willing to sign the contract for next year and enough more are willing to back the project to increase the number to 30, or ten more than necessary to bring Chautauqua here, so next year's program will doubtless be listened to by much larger audiences.
Mr. William Warburton of Portsmouth and Miss Mary S. Brown of Hampton were united in marriage at the Baptist Parsonage, Wednesday morning, October 21. They were attended by the bride's father, Mr. Clarence Brown, and by Miss Sarah Bell Lane, Mrs. Eugene Leavitt, and a niece of the bride's. Mr. and Mrs. Warburton will make their home in Portsmouth.
The girls of Hampton Junior High School have started an athletic club under the direction of Mrs. Smith. The purpose of this club is healthful recreation and physical development of the members.
The first activity was a frankfurter roast at the Beach. A good number of the club members with their mascot, Jeremiah, hiked to the North Shore where a fire of wood and charcoal was started and soon the girls were making merry with songs and good cheer.
The new moon looked down with favor upon this first activity, and many others will follow during the fall and winter.
A volley ball team has also been organized with Miss Lamson and Miss Hurlen as captains. Real work will be started and some good games are soon to follow.
The school board wish to announce that moving pictures will again be shown at the Centre School building beginning Friday and continuing each Friday throughout the winter. In the previous two years the pictures have been operated with a deficit, due partly to weather conditions and partly to the fact that, since the school movies were not a theatrical circuit, the board was not able to secure very recent pictures, and also had to pay a higher price for the reels. This year it has been decided to try out a new innovation. The board is leasing the movies on a percentage basis, to two young men from Exeter, who come highly recommended: Mr. C. L. Gilman and Mr. L. C. Swain. The school board, however, will still have direct supervision. By this arrangement the people of Hampton will see the most recent pictures of the best stars in the movie world. On Friday of this week, there will be shown the ever popular Thomas Meighan in "The Man Who Found Himself," with a Pathe News reel and a two-reel comedy. The following week the screen version of Zane Grey's novel, "The Code of the West" will be shown. About Christmas time it is expected that "The Ten Commandments" which recently had quite a run in Boston, will be shown.
There will be two shows each Friday, one at 3:30 for the school children, the admission being 15 cents, and the evening show at 7:45, the admission price being 25 cents.
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Education Week's blogs > State EdWatch See our States news coverage
Daarel Burnette II
Daarel Burnette II covers state education policy for Education Week, tracking governors, legislatures, state schools chiefs, and political developments. He has covered K-12 education for news operations in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Memphis, Tenn.
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Big Tax Revenues Goose California Education Budget From Gov. Brown
By Andrew Ujifusa on May 15, 2015 4:30 PM
In the revised edition of his proposed fiscal 2016 budget, released this week, California Gov. Jerry Brown presented a spending plan for public schools that's notably higher than what the state planned on when Golden State lawmakers adopted a landmark K-12 funding law in 2013.
State tax revenues have turned out to be $6.7 billion higher than the estimates Brown used last January when he presented his original proposed budget for the next fiscal year. By law, under Proposition 98, the lion's share of such additional cash has to go to education.
Here's how that breaks down for K-12. Under the Local Control Funding Formula, passed two years ago on the back of a voter-approved tax increase, the state set targets for overall state funding in each of the eight years it will take to implement the formula (from 2013 to 2020). For the 2015-16 school year, the state had set a figure of $47 million in Local Control Funding Formula cash. Instead, this year, due to the spike in tax receipts, the actual appropriation will be $53.1 billion.
Brown's revised budget notes that the funding level represents state spending of $3,000 more per student than in fiscal 2012: "This reinvestment provides the opportunity to correct historical inequities in school district funding with continued implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula."
However, when I visited California last year to write about how the formula was playing out, some folks in the education community told me that after adjusting for inflation, the formula's injections of cash into 2020 will only take state schools back to their funding levels before the Great Recession hit.
Under Proposition 98, the higher-than-expected tax receipts have been a boon for education funding in California for the last few years. This phenomenon is captured in a charter included in Brown's revised budget:
Don't miss another State EdWatch post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox. And make sure to follow @StateEdWatch on Twitter for the latest news from state K-12 policy and politics.
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Social Networks & Communities
You're Tweeting and Touting and Instagramming and Pinning. You revel in the success of your YouTube, Tumblr, Storify and Wordpress pages, basking in glorious views, likes and comments. But just when you think you've mastered the game, a new network pops up or an old one evolves, drastically changing the rules. This week's Scribble Chat on "Social Networks and Communities" is focused on navigating the murky waters of real-time engagement and social media. Join us Tuesday from 12-1 p.m. ET, as our panel of experts discuss how they use their networks to curate, nurture and integrate content and communities.
by Allendria 8/28/2013 8:54:06 PM
Welcome to today's Scribble Chat on Social Networks and Communities.
For even the most engaged users, working you're way around social networks can be difficult. New networks are popping up all the time, while trusted and true networks are constantly changing and adding new features.
How do you build communities based on these networks? How do you become an expert? Heck, what does it mean to be an social media expert?
Ask questions and make comments by logging in anonymously or using your preferred network by clicking on the "Make a comment" button above.
by Allendria 9/3/2013 4:01:49 PM
Our panellists today...
Ivan Lajara
by Allendria
Ivan Lajara joined the Daily Freeman in Kingston in January of 2001 as a copy editor for the News department. In 2004, he started working for the Life department and became editor of the section soon thereafter.
He was named Editor of the Year in January 2006 by the Suburban Newspapers Association of America and subsequently won two awards by the same organization for 2008 in the Best Headline and Best Arts and Entertainment Criticism/Commentary categories.
He had a role in Las Noticias, the Freeman's Spanish weekly newspaper.
He is the editor of Preview, the Freeman's weekly entertainment magazine, which won an honorable mention by the SNA in 2009 for best entertainment magazine. And he edits special sections like Your Wedding, Home and Garden and Health and Fitness.
His blog won second place in 2010 and first place in 2011 in the New York Associated Press writing contest. And he won first place in the 2011 and 2012 AP contests for online content, as well as a third place for Column Writing in 2011.
He was chosen as one of the 25 under 35 journalists in the country by Editor & Publisher in 2011. He was promoted to engagement editor for the east region of Digital First Media in February 2012. The Peruvian native has lived in the Hudson Valley since 1996. Today, he lives in Kingston.
Kate Myers
Kate Myers is NPR's Product Manager for Social Media.
She also crafts strategy and defines success for NPR's editorial investment in the Social Media space and helps coach editorial staff to incorporate social tools into their work.
She executes projects that drive user engagement and contributions such as NPR's "Dear Mr. President" project for the 2013 Inauguration, NPR's Cook your Cupboard and others.
She also helps coach NPR journalists on everything from Twitter and Facebook to Tumblr, Storify, and Reddit.
Thanks for having us, Allendria.
by Kate Myers / NPR 9/3/2013 4:04:18 PM
A pleasure to be here.
by Ivan Lajara 9/3/2013 4:04:57 PM
Great to have you both. I'm really excited for today's chat. Working here at ScribbleLive, I am constantly amazed by how fast things change in this field.
So my first question is a general starter for you both – what are your favourite social networks, and why are they your favourite(s)?
Hi there - just checking in from Argentina as I am very interested in this topic. Thank you Ivan and Kate for leading this and to Allendria for setting this up.
by Beatrice Murch 9/3/2013 4:39:01 PM
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No to Proselytism. Yes to Mission
The former is "a solemn foolishness," Pope Francis has said. But the latter is the priority of his pontificate. After decades of decline of the missionary expansion of the Church, now recounted with new background by an exceptional witness
ROME, October 18, 2013 – At the general audience last Wednesday, in a St. Peter's Square packed as full as ever, Pope Francis insisted once again on a key point of his pontificate: the duty of the Church to become “missionary,” or to “continue in the journey of history the same mission that Jesus entrusted to the apostles: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Sunday, October 20 will be world mission day, with the relative pontifical message, which says among other things:
"The Church’s missionary spirit is not about proselytizing, but the testimony of a life that illuminates the path, which brings hope and love. The Church is not a relief organization, an enterprise or an NGO, but a community of people, animated by the Holy Spirit, who have lived and are living the wonder of the encounter with Jesus Christ and want to share this experience of deep joy, the message of salvation that the Lord gave us."
Many times already pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio has insisted on the fact that the Church “is not a humanitarian NGO.” Nor that it does “proselytism”: a practice he branded in the famous conversation with Eugenio Scalfari as "a solemn foolishness" that "makes no sense."
But this does not mean for Francis that the Church must close itself off and renounce conversion. Anything but. Since he was elected to the see of Peter, pope Bergoglio has done nothing but incite the Church to “open itself,” to reach out to men even in their most remote “existential peripheries.”
In effect, the withering of the missionary impulse is one of the most critical points of the Catholic Church in recent decades.
It is a crisis that began in the years of Vatican Council II and deepened in the subsequent years, against which John Paul II and then Benedict XVI sought to reverse the course. With scant results.
Now Francis is trying. But before seeing what effects the new pope will produce, it is helpful to review the genesis of the crisis and its developments, from the Council until today.
This is what is done in a book published by EMI, written by a very special missionary, Fr. Piero Gheddo (in the photo), 84, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, who has made countless voyages to all the continents, written more than eighty books translated into various languages, and moreover was called by John Paul II to write encyclical dedicated to missions: "Redemptoris Missio" of 1990.
But before this Fr. Gheddo was also one of the drafters of the conciliar decree “Ad Gentes."
He recorded in his diary all of the difficulties that both that decree and the subsequent encyclical had to confront, both in the phase of writing and in their application.
And in the book he brings to light for the first time the background of that twofold adventure of his.
What follows is the preface to the book by Fr. Gheddo. the account of a story that now continues as Pope Francis wants.
THE PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLES, FROM THE COUNCIL TO POPE FRANCIS
On the eve of the last conclave, the Argentine archbishop who would become pope had admonished: “There are two images of Church: the evangelizing Church that comes out of itself, or the worldly Church that is in itself, of itself, for itself.”
The drama of the Catholic Church of recent decades is entirely here. The missionary Church, which seemed at the height of its expansive impulse at the beginning of Vatican Council II, has had a sudden collapse. And it has been largely supplanted by a Church that called itself and calls itself more “open,” but so open to the world as to see it saved even without knowing and accepting Christ, and therefore even without the proclamation of the Gospel and conversion and baptism, in short, without mission.
Fr. Piero Gheddo is an extraordinary witness to this drama. A missionary for sixty years, he has experienced on the front lines all of its phases, which in the book “Mission without ifs, ands or buts” he recounts and analyzes with many previously unpublished revelations taken from the pages of his diary.
The revelations concern above all the background of two capital documents on the writing of which he worked intensely: the 1965 conciliar decree on missions and the encyclical with which a quarter of a century later John Paul II tried to revive in the Church that missionary awareness which seemed on the point of disappearing.
At Vatican Council II, Fr. Gheddo was called immediately as a peritus. And he soon understood that “the mission to the peoples was considered the last or the penultimate wheel of the ecclesial wagon." The drafting of what would become in the end decree “Ad Gentes" passed through seven successive revisions. It was in danger of being eliminated altogether: halfway through came the peremptory order to reshape the whole thing into a brief list of “proposals.”
The fortunes of the document were revived by the capillary action of persuasion put to work by the conciliar fathers most engaged in the field. There were among these, Fr. Gheddo recalls, "backwoods missionaries at the first sight of whom one could not tell them no." This does not change the fact that “there was on the commission a sense of anxiety, in some almost of desperation.” The miracle took place at the end of the Council. After further, highly laborious re-writings, the decree was approved at the last public session with 2,394 votes in favor and only 5 against, the highest level of unanimity ever reached.
Immediately following the Council, nonetheless, the dream of a new missionary Pentecost gave way to an opposite reality. The obligation of evangelizing was reduced to a social commitment - Fr. Gheddo recounts - as if the Father had sent the Son to earth to dig wells and found a Church similar to a first aid agency.
In order to halt this drift, Paul VI convened in 1974 a synod on evangelization. And the following year he published an apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Nuntiandi," to reaffirm forcefully that “even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run if . . . the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed."
“But Paul VI was not listened to,” writes Fr. Gheddo. and his successor John Paul II, with the encyclical “Redemptoris Missio" of 1990, also ran into a wall of incomprehension. The artillery barrage went into action even before the encyclical was written. It is useless, went the objection, the Council has already said everything. When instead - Fr. Gheddo explains - pope Karol Wojtyla wanted to say out loud that about which the decree "Ad Gentes" had been too timid or silent.
When John Paul II called Fr. Gheddo to Rome and entrusted to him the task of writing the encyclical, months of breathless work began: "write, pray, eat, sleep, nothing else." When he finished a chapter he sent it to the pope, who a few days later sent it back to him with his notes in the margin, written in pencil or pen: add this here, explain the concept better, cite this passage of the Gospel.
When the first draft was finished, a second and a third were needed, which in turn were sent confidentially to a series of persons to gather their observations. The secretariat of state coordinated everything and also took an active role, softening and removing expressions it judged "not fit for a pope." But the direct, "journalistic" style of Fr. Gheddo, which pope Wojtyla had wanted, remained to a large extent. "Redemptoris Missio" is the best-written encyclical of the fourteen of that pontificate.
Then came Benedict XVI, he too a pope of a very strong evangelizing sensibility and he too largely misunderstood in this.
On December 3, 2007, the feast of the missionary saint par excellence, Francis Xavier, the congregation for the doctrine of the faith published a “Doctrinal note on some aspects of evangelization” that began by diagnosing with great realism the missionary anemia of the present-day Church: “It is enough, so they say, to help people to become more human or more faithful to their own religion; it is enough to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity. Furthermore, some maintain that Christ should not be proclaimed to those who do not know him, nor should joining the Church be promoted, since it would also be possible to be saved without explicit knowledge of Christ and without formal incorporation in the Church."
And yet this document also seemed to fall into the void. “It was almost ignored by the Catholic and missionary press,” writes Fr. Gheddo.
In spite of everything, the book ends with observations full of hope. To the collapse of missionary vocations in the old world corresponds the vitality of the young Churches, which are making themselves missionary outside of their own countries. In Africa, in Asia, the expansion of Catholicism is more lively than ever. But precisely the leaders of these young Churches are convinced that the role of Italian, European, North American missionaries must not be consigned to the past.
Fr. Gheddo presents the words of a bishop of Cameroon: “We certainly have a very lively faith, and we thank the Lord for this, but it is an emotional, superficial faith, which has not yet penetrated deeply. If we had no more foreign missionaries, I am convinced that in twenty or thirty years we would be back under the trees making sacrifices to the spirits. The missionaries bring us the breath of the universal Church, which has a history and tradition that we do not have.”
With Pope Francis the challenge continues. In this book, Fr. Gheddo recounts it as no one before him has done.
Piero Gheddo, "Missione senza se e senza ma. L'annuncio alle genti dal Concilio a papa Francesco", EMI, Bologna, 2013, pp. 256, euro 13,00.
The 1965 decree of Vatican Council II on the missions:
> "Ad gentes"
The 1975 apostolic exhortation of Paul VI:
> "Evangelii nuntiandi"
The 1990 encyclical of John Paul II:
> "Redemptoris missio"
The message of Pope Francis for world mission day of October 20, 2013:
> Message...
For more news and commentary, see the blog that Sandro Magister maintains, available only in Italian:
> SETTIMO CIELO
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A tribute to Derek Round - war correspondent
RESPECTED JOURNALIST
I have spent at least 30 years in conflict and post conflict situations and I would say that Derek Round was one of the best war correspondents I met. Unobtrusive, disarming, and yet he possessed a piercing ability to analyse the heart of a situation, always better than others, and wrote with blunt honesty.
Derek would just turn up unannounced in the middle of a tense situation in central Vietnam in 1973, and if I recall correctly, he popped in to see us again in Pleiku (Vietnam) in 1974 when I was leader of a New Zealand Red Cross Refugee Welfare team. Bullets, tanks, landmines, threats he knew too well, but was never obessed by security which meant he got into seldom visited places.
In 1975 I was in Saigon in the weeks leading up to the fall of Saigon, trying to find how New Zealand Red Cross leader Mac Riding was killed, and Derek was in the thick of it.. I recall many meetings and the ocassional evening in a lively bar, trying to drink beer as 'bargirls' lamented the likely take over of the NVA, and pestered us.
I passed through Singapore on the scores of times in the early 70s and I recall visiting him and I am sure he visited our New Zealand Red Cross team in Bangladesh shortly after the end of the Indo-Pak war.
Derek has a wide and distinguished list of accomplishments in a media career which began in the mid-1950s when he was editor of the Canterbury University student newspaper Canta.
In the 1960s he became the bureau chief in Singapore and Hong Kong for international news agency Reuters, and for four years from 1973 he was the Asia correspondent for the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).
His work in Hong Kong was credited as playing a prominent role in presenting Asia to New Zealanders at a time when New Zealand was developing stronger links to the region.
His cousin Martin Round claimed the journalist also served as a spy for the SIS after he was contacted by the Soviet Union.
"The Russians paid him Stg30 a fortnight, which Derek gave to SIS, and SIS paid Derek either Stg20 or Stg25 a fortnight," Martin Round told 3 News.
Mr Round was the first New Zealand reporter accredited to Beijing, something he gained while accompanying then Prime Minister Robert Muldoon on the inaugural New Zealand prime ministerial visit to China.
He wrote several biographies, was a former chairman and trustee of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, and had several roles in Wairarapa community organisations.
A Canterbury University law graduate, he turned to journalism after working as a legal intern on the infamous Parker-Hulme murder trial in 1954, when he was 19-years-old.
Derek wrote a book called " Barbed wire Between Us, published by
Random House New Zealand, Jul 15, 2002 - 189 pages
In summary, the bood starts with Kenelm Digby and Mutal Fielder meeting on a P and O liner returning to the Far East from England on the eve of the Second World War. As a 21-year-old undergraduate, Kenelm had made headlines when he took part in the notorious 1933 'King and Country' debate at the Oxford Union. Now he was returning to Kuching as legal adviser to Sir Vyner Brooke, last of the legendary White Rajahs of Sarawak. Mutal, who had trained as a ballet dancer in London and Paris, was on her way back to Hong Kong where she and her parents enjoyed a life of privilege and comfort, waited on by Chinese servants in their home on The Peak, then the exclusive preserve of the upper ranks of the British expatriate community. The young couple's shipboard romance led to their engagement in Singapore, celebrated with champagne at Raffles Hotel. But their idyllic world soon came crashing around them when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong and Sarawak at Christmas 1941. Kenelm spent the next three and a half years interned in Kuching. Mutal, with her parents, spent the war in the humiliating and squalid conditions at Stanley Internment Camp, separated from her fiancé by barbed wire and the South China Sea. Constantly hungry and often sick, she watched friends die, carried to lonely graves in makeshift coffins. But her courage and resourcefulness helped her to obtain desperately needed food for herself and her ailing parents. She survived to be reunited with Kenelm after the war and the couple eventually made their home in New Zealand. Derek Round spent much of his 20 year career as a foreign correspondent in Hong Kong where he was bureau chief of Reuters news agency and later Asia correspondent of the New Zealand Press Association. He and his family lived in Stonycroft, the old colonial mansion on The Peak which had once been the home of Mutal Digby and her parents. Earlier, as Reuters bureau chief in Singapore he also covered Sarawak and was a correspondent in Vietnam during the war. He was later NZPA's political editor and Fleet Street-based chief European correspondent before returning to Wellington as Editor of NZPA. He lives in Christchurch where he began his career in journalism on the Star-Sun.
I was devastated to learn that one of our greatest foreign correspondents was killed in his own home in New Zealand, such a despicable act of cowardice.
An autopsy shows journalist Derek Round was killed in a "horrific attack" in the living room of his Whanganui home, police say.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Kirby of Whanganui CIB said he had received results from an autopsy carried out today.
"Although I can't go into details at this stage the results would indicate a horrific attack on Derek, which took place in the living room of his home."
Round was found dead in his Campbell St home on Thursday morning.
Police were searching for clues to provide some insight into the events that unfolded before the 77-year-old's death.
"We have made pleasing progress today, but this is one of those cases which the public will help us solve,'' Kirby said.
"I really need know more about the movements of Derek's car which we know left his property in Campbell Street sometime after 7pm on Wednesday. It is a 1996 blue Jaguar XJ6 - a quite distinctive car.''
Interviews with Round's neighbours, a scene examination at his house, and a forensic examination of his car would continue tomorrow.
The police were also focusing on a few items of clothing, which they believed were linked to the crime scene.
Parks, reserves and bush areas would be searched by police tomorrow.
Kirby asked residents to check their front yards and bushes for the missing clothes, which included a red long-sleeved jersey or sweatshirt, a black leather sleeveless vest, dark coloured stonewashed jeans, dark fingerless gloves, and a pair of dark coloured sports shoes with light markings around the soles and coloured laces
The clothing has the hallmarks of gang attire.
Police, however, declined to say whether the clothing led them to consider a gang connection in their hunt for suspects, saying it would be speculating.
A team of 40 police were working on the investigation, which also involved canvassing both sides of the Whanganui River.
"This is a meticulous process involving a team of detectives piecing together what Derek was doing before he was violently attacked. As part of this we are talking to a range of people who had contact with him."
Kirby said some people have come forward with information.
Thanks to Fairfax NZ News for permission to use part of their story.
Labels: a Soviet spy, Barbed Wire between Us, Death of Derek Round, Derek Round and New Zealand Red Cross, Derek Round Vietnam, Derek Round war correspondent, Mandy Rice-Davis
Hey Bob, hope all is well, always good to pop into your blog, you can be relied on to put something to think about on here!
Are we our brothers keeper? Derek Round was it seems, Cain wasn't. Most of us do our best, but could do better.
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Working in Central Asia - Keeping people alive in ...
Am I my brother’s keeper
Some history on the Transit of Venus
A water supply for 90,000 people in Galle Sri Lank...
Red Cross work in northern Sri Lanka
Distinctive and different: #RCRC day in Sri Lanka
Thavarani one year later. Poorest of the poor.
The American Club Peshawar
Remembering Khalil Dale
Curry for breakfast and no bloody war Sri Lanka
Youth as agents of behavioural change (YABC)
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ABOUT BBB
To keep Boyertown a special place by preserving its historical heritage, maintaining its link to the past and cultivating a vibrant present and prosperous future by providing the opportunities for business, industry, and the arts while enhancing the quality of life today and for future generations.
Downtown Boyertown is where our friends and families want to be! Victorian Architecture complimented by tree lined streets with decorative lights colorful flowers, and welcoming benches provide a comfortable and enjoyable setting.
Our many visitors experience a marketplace that features busy restaurants, unique shopping, and tucked away safe parking. Businesses thrive with state-of-the-art technology and creativity that provides a bright future yet still retains its link to a proud and honored past.Our charming town embraces the arts and the timeless quality of fine craftsmanship along with our Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage. Destination Boyertown provides a memorable experience like nowhere else.
Boyertown is home to many well-known local artists like David Larson, Taylor Backes and more. Studio B offers a space for art and artists in the historic heart of Boyertown, PA with monthly shows in our gallery and a full course of exciting art classes for all ages and interests. Dancing Tree Creations Artisans Gallery and Working Studio represents 200+ local and national artisans. Art - Craft - Gifts for home, office and garden including glass, ceramic, metal, wood, garden art, wall art, sculptures, and much more. Art Walks abound in the warmer months and the support of the community provides artists with an environment in which to thrive, and others to enjoy and appreciate.
History comes alive at the Colebrookdale Railroad and the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. Take a ride back in time on the Colebrookdale Railroad and explore the same railroad that was completed by soldiers home from the Civil War just four months after the Transcontinental Railroad united the East and West. The Colebrookdale is a record of epic engineering and heroic human drama. Eight-point-six miles long and a century-and-a-half back in time, the Secret Valley Line beckons you to experience for yourself the unexpected treasures of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Discover Pennsylvania’s Transportation History at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles! See vehicles of all types: gasoline, electric, and horse-drawn, including carriages, wagons, and sleighs. You will see ‘high wheelers” and “safety bicycles,” vehicle builder’s tools, and local historic roadside architecture.
The museum is housed in the former home of the Boyertown Auto Body Works, which had continuous operations on this site from 1872 – 1990, and retains the factory setting, making it a unique and interesting setting for the vehicles.
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Brian P. Klein is a leading global strategist. He has worked in both the public and private sectors serving as Director of Southeast Asia Affairs at the White House, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and as a U.S. diplomat in India and China. From 2008-2009 he was a Council on Foreign Relations-Hitachi International Affairs Fellow based in Japan. He previously worked raising venture capital for and managing several technology start-ups as a director of a Virginia-based corporate incubator.
His articles and commentary have appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, CNN, Newsweek Japan, The Council on Foreign Relations, and The Diplomat, among others. An active public speaker he has appeared at events in the U.S., China, India, and Japan.
On Twitter: @brianpklein
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Chronicle for download
If you want to find out more about Brodenbach, you can download a chronicle for the local area here.
Brodenbach is a state-approved health resort and is situated in a long curve of the River Mosel. The climate is particularly good, thanks to the well-forested surroundings.
History of the Brodenbach community
The remains of settlements from Roman times and graves from the Merovingian-Frankish period have been found in Brodenbach. An exact date for the founding and settlement of Brodenbach is unknown but it can be assumed that the site was settled at the time that Ehrenburg castle was built on the remains of a Roman fortification at the latest. Until the end of the 18th century, Brodenbach belonged to the dominion of Ehrenburg.
In 1798, Brodenbach was assigned to the canton of Treis under French governance. As the result of administrative reform two years later, Brodenbach fell under the Burgen mayor’s office and the arrondissement of Koblenz. In 1816, Brodenbach came under Prussian governance to the newly-created district of St. Goar. Brodenbach itself was promoted to become a new mayor’s office, to which the townships of Niederfell, Oberfell, Alken, Nörtershausen and Burgen also belonged.
Following territorial reforms in 1976, which saw a restructuring of the districts in the Koblenz administrative district, the district of St. Goar was dissolved. Brodenbach was transferred into the newly-created rural district of Mayen-Koblenz. Moreover, Brodenbach belongs in administrative terms to the local authority association of Untermosel with headquarters in Kobern-Gondorf. Today, Brodenbach is a very popular health resort with numerous excursion destinations
Wine and culinary pleasure, water and sport, hiking and more...
The climate in Brodenbach is particularly good, thanks to the well-forested surroundings. The two side valleys, the Ehrbachtal and Brodenbachtal, constantly conduct fresh air into this spot on the Mosel. For this reason, Brodenbach is a state-approved health resort.
Above the picturesque districts of the Ehrenburg valley, the Ehrenburg castle, built in the 12th century, dominates on a rocky outcrop. Brodenbach is renowned far and wide as a starting point and destination for numerous hikes, for example through the wild and romantic Ehrbachklamm gorge. Countless accommodation options in hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs or holiday apartments invite you to spend a relaxing holiday. The wonderfully situated camping site and sheltered yacht harbour are also suitable for holiday stays.
Leisure options: Hiking, cycling tours, motorbike tours, fishing, sailing, boat trips, wine tasting, historical experiences, water sports, and much more. Cast your fishing line, set sail, paddle contentedly in a dinghy or explore the Mosel on a boat tour, and experience some of the most enchanting landscape Germany has to offer.
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Tag Archives: Ritchie de Vries
Coronation Street Scene of the Week
Corrie Street Jan. 5/14
January 5, 2014 Dorothy Leave a comment
and The Dreamers
I think there are a lot of men like Dennis in the north of England, like Ritchie too. Those who remember the Mersey Beat, the British Invasion of 1960s music because they were in it, or at least on its coattails. I met some of them, years ago, in Liverpool.
Guys who would haul out a guitar at the drop of a hat. Play a bit of House of the Rising Sun or Long Tall Sally. Talk about when they turned down the chance to play with The Animals before they were The Animals. Or when their band, named something like The Power maybe, almost opened for Manfred Mann. Their friend who jammed a few times with Gerry and the Pacemakers but decided to start his own band instead. The kid they knew who lived a few streets away from George Harrison, before he was “the quiet Beatle”. The nerdy kid they vaguely remember from school who went on to a big career as a promoter or sound engineer or record producer.
The bands these guys had played with, the names of which are remembered by no one aside from themselves, maybe were “this close” to making it big. Clubs in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle they remember being at, as musicians, hangers-on or just audience members. The look in their eyes when they’d talk about back-in-the-day. The memories of stages, music, touring, birds – the life.
Chances lost due to backing the wrong musical horse, thinking their group would be the next fab group to hit the airwaves. Promoters who just couldn’t get them the big break, or ripped them off. Hand injuries from sports or fights that meant they couldn’t play a guitar long enough, well enough to sustain a musical life in the big league. Going back to school when gigs seemed to dry up. Staying in school so they’d have ‘something to fall back on’ on as their parents advised them. All meaning that, somehow, they’d been bypassed in the musical revolution that happened in England 50 years ago.
But it never died within them, even as they spent the next decades as lawyers, welders, teachers or unemployed drifters. And given half a chance, such as running into an old friend, they would be back on stage playing or behind the stage booking acts, wheeling and dealing. Living the glory days again, or for the first time. There are more dreamers than ever managed to play with Freddie and the Dreamers. It’s nice seeing that part of the dreams of the ’60s come to life in the eyes of Dennis Tanner.
Dennis TannerMersey BeatRitchie de Vries
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mining of massive datasets
mining of massive datasets is a book authored by Jure Leskovec, Anand Rajaraman, and Jeffrey D. Ullman published by Cambridge University Press in 2014. This book consists of 513 pages and contains twelve chapters starting from Data Mining and than Map Reduce and the New Software Stack, Finding Similar Items, Mining Data Streams, Link Analysis, Frequent Itemsets, Clustering, Advertising on the Web, Advertising on the Web, Recommendation Systems, Mining Social-Network Graphs, Dimensionality Reduction, and Large-Scale Machine Learning and at the end a list indexes is given.
About the authors of mining of massive datasets:
Jure Leskovec got a Diploma in Computer Science from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2004 and a PhD in Computational and Statistical Learning from the Carnegie Mellon University in 2008. He is a partner teacher of Computer Science at Stanford University concentrating on systems. He is the main researcher at Pinterest. In 2008/09 he was a postdoctoral specialist at Cornell University working with Jon Kleinberg and Dan Huttenlocher. He finished his Ph.D. in Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University under the supervision of Christos Faloutsos in 2008.He did his college degree in software engineering at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2004. Likewise work with the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Dr. Anand Rajaraman, PhD, is Co-Founder and Founding Partner of Milliways Ventures. Dr. Rajaraman is Partner of Rocketship.vc. Dr. Rajaraman is a Founding Partner at Cambrian Ventures, Inc., which he established in 2000. He fills in as an Advisor to a few Silicon Valley new businesses. Dr. Rajaraman established Kosmix (now @WalmartLabs) in 2004 and fills in as its Senior Vice-President of Global eCommerce business. He has broad innovative work involvement with Stanford University, AT&T Bell Labs and Xerox PARC. He filled in as Scientific Advisor of TheFind, Inc. As the Chief Technology Officer of Junglee, Dr. Rajaraman assumed a key part in building up its honor winning Virtual Database innovation. He filled in as Technical Advisor of TheFind, Inc. Dr. Rajaraman filled in as the Director of Technology at Amazon.com Inc. also, was in charge of innovation methodology and propelled innovation activities. He helped dispatch the change of Amazon.com from a retailer into a retail stage, empowering outsider retailers to offer on its site. Dr. Rajaraman joined Amazon.com in 1998. He was Co-Founder of Junglee Corp. He filled in as a Director of Coruscant Tec Ltd., and @WalmartLabs. He fills in as a Board Member to a few Silicon Valley new companies. He filled in as Director of Aster Data Systems, Inc. Dr. Rajaraman is a Consulting Assistant Professor at Stanford University’s Computer Science Department. He has various productions, licenses and honors at driving scholastic and industry gatherings. Dr. Rajaraman is highlighted in articles in Business Week, the San Francisco Chronicle and other driving national distributions. Dr. Rajaraman is an early speculator in Facebook, a serial business visionary and Technologist. He won the President of India Gold Medal for graduating at the highest point of his class at the Indian Institute of Technology. He got M.S. what’s more, Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University; and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Jeffrey David “Jeff” Ullman (conceived November 22, 1942) is a PC researcher and teacher at Stanford University. His course readings on compilers (different releases are prominently known as the Dragon Book), hypothesis of calculation (otherwise called the Cinderella book), information structures, and databases are viewed as models in their fields. Ullman got a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Mathematics from Columbia University in 1963 and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1966. He at that point labored for quite a while at Bell Labs. From 1969 to 1979 he was a teacher at Princeton. Since 1979 he has been a teacher at Stanford University, where he is presently the Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Computer Science (Emeritus). In 1995 he was accepted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and in 2000 he was granted the Knuth Prize. Ullman is likewise the co-beneficiary (with John Hopcroft) of the 2010 IEEE John von Neumann Medal, “For establishing the frameworks for the fields of automata and dialect hypothesis and numerous original commitments to hypothetical software engineering.
Conclusion of mining of massive datasets:
The mining of massive datasets depends on Stanford Computer Science course CS246: Mining Massive Datasets (and CS345A: Data Mining).
The book, similar to the course, is planned at the undergrad software engineering level with no formal requirements. To help further investigations, the vast majority of the sections are supplemented with additionally perusing references.
Cambridge University Press does, in any case, hold copyright on the work, and we expect that you will acquire their authorization and recognize our initiation in the event that you republish parts or every last bit of it.
← types of information systems pdf introduction to big data pdf →
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Suns Spot | Hammer Time!
February 4, 2011 by Chris Coffel
Previous week’s games
02/02/2011 SUNS 92, Bucks 77
Upcoming week’s games
02/04/2011 SUNS vs Thunder, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
02/07/2011 SUNS @ Warriors, 8:30 p.m., My45
02/10/2011 SUNS vs Warriors, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
Marcin Gortat has found his stride in Phoenix. Photo by Barry Gossage/Getty Images.
In his first three-and-a-half years in the league, Marcin Gortat had six double-doubles. In his last eight games, he’s doubled that number.
While playing in Orlando, Gortat saw limited minutes as he backed up arguably the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard. It was in those limited minutes that Gortat showed flashes of what could be in a larger role and often had him touted as the best backup center in the Association. Needless to say, the Polish Hammer was very excited to join a Phoenix Suns team that for as long as I can remember has been searching for that one true center that could actually have a positive impact on the game.
Now that Marcin is finally getting regular playing time, he is proving that the speculation about how good he could be given the opportunity may have been right. In fact, he may actually be better than advertised.
When the Suns acquired Gortat from the Orlando Magic in a multiplayer deal, he was pegged as a good defender and rebounder with limited offensive moves. Having seen very little of his game myself, I pictured him as a big, lumbering guy that would not be very mobile or athletic.
Boy, have I been wrong. Since joining the Suns, Gortat has proven to be quite the athlete. On the defensive end he moves his feet very well. He’s able to cover a lot of ground by getting out and helping apply pressure on guards and still get back to rebounding position — something the Suns have lacked for quite some time. He’s a pretty solid post defender and even though he doesn’t necessarily block a ton of shots, he does force players into taking tougher shots.
On the other end of the floor is where Gortat has really been a pleasant surprise. Before arriving in the Valley, Gortat had never scored more than 16 points in a game. Not only has he matched that, he recently had a stretch of three straight games in which he set a new career high each night out.
The Polish Hammer has turned out to be a great pick-and-roll mate for Steve Nash, able to finish around the basket and hit a 15-foot jumper on a regular basis. Gortat clearly loves to play with Nash, recently joking that he was going to help Nash win another MVP and move him back to the number one spot in assists, stating that while Boston’s Rajon Rondo is great, he’s not better than Nash.
Coming in with career averages of 4 points and 4 rebounds, Gortat has raised his averages to 10 and 7 with Phoenix. His numbers continued to go up, as he’s averaged 16 and 9 in his last five games. If Gortat keeps playing at this high level, there’s certainly a good chance that Nash’s assists numbers will continue to rise as well, but more importantly the team will pick up more wins and have a chance to get back in the playoff hunt.
In this story: Downtown Phoenix, Marcin Gortat, Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, Suns Spot, US Airways Center
Categories: Downtown District, DPJ Blogs, Sports & Rec
January 21, 2011 Suns Spot | Showing Signs of Life
December 31, 2010 Suns Spot | Oh, No He Didn’t
April 8, 2011 Suns Spot | It Hasn’t All Been Bad
February 18, 2011 Suns Spot | 28 Games, Three Goals
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The Woman's Home, a Pioneering Charity
The term "pioneer" is synonymous with Marietta's founding and early years. Mariettans were also responsible for establishing two pioneering charitable organizations. One was the Washington County Children's Home, the first government-funded home in the country. It was founded through the pioneering (there's that word again) efforts of Catherine Fay Ewing. Read more about it here.
The other was The Woman's Home, begun in 1885 for indigent women in Washington County. Women of that period who were widowed, unmarried, or without family often suffered financial hardship. Many were isolated from friends and community.
The Civil War created large numbers of widows and orphans. Their situations raised the national awareness of the need. Financial resources taken for granted today such as social security, pensions, medicare, and personal savings were lacking in the mid 1800s.
The wife of William R. Putnam first voiced the need for a community- supported home for indigent women. After her passing, Putnam and other leaders pursued the project.
The "Centennial Souvenir", published for Marietta's Centennial in 1888 by Mrs. L. A. Alderman, reported that in 1880 "an incorporate act was provided,.....a board of gentlemen appointed as trustees, and as many ladies as a Board of Managers." Catherine Fay Ewing assumed a fund raising role. Douglas Putnam and M. P. Wells donated two lots on Third Street. Architect Adolph Morris donated his architectural services. The sixteen room home was built at a cost of $2500.
Woman's Home circa 1900, located as it is today at 812 Third Street in Marietta - copied from Century Review of Marietta, Board of Trade Edition.
The Centennial Souvenir described the Home which then had just opened. Mrs. Alderman promoted the Home as a memorial to the original women pioneer settlers whom she characterized as courageous yet little known. She continued, "How could they be more fittingly memorialized than in having this charity, this gift to the aged and respected women, which is managed entirely by women, dedicated as a testimonial to (the pioneer women's) courage and patriotism...." Mrs. Alderman encouraged the women of Washington County to support the Home.
Furnishings, such as linens, handmade quilts, and dishes were donated by the community. Furniture was donated by the Marietta Chair Company, then a major employer (your author's great grandfather Daniel Baker worked there) with a national reputation.
The home opened in 1885. The community was actively involved in the Home. Donations funded operations and improvements. Civic groups offered services and regular visitation. This ongoing support continued for decades.
Marietta Times article excerpt March 8, 1973. See above right portion of photo for list of managing board members at the time. Photo shows members of Board of Fiscal Trustees.
The vision for the Home expressed by Mrs. Putnam and her friends was captured in a 1973 Marietta Times article: "They envisioned a gracious home where residents could come and go as they pleased. It was not to be a nursing home but a 'real' home where the women could be surrounded by their own furniture and belongings."
Hundreds of women have lived at the Home over its 132 year history. There were a myriad of backgrounds, talents, and activities. Below are a few profiles taken from Marietta Times articles, the first in 1973, the second two in 2005.
Jennie Woodburn, a long time resident, was a dressmaker and continued to crochet until her passing at age 99 in 1969.
Ruth Basim moved into the Home in 1978 at age 65 but continued working as a secretary. In 2005, she had only recently retired.
Margaret Fauss enjoyed her favorite rocking chair. "I like all the people here," she said. "Honestly and truly, I have never had any better treatment than I've had here. I couldn't be in a nicer place with nicer girls."
Many expressed their gratitude over the years. The very first resident reportedly said ..."blessings on those it shelters and those who care for it."
In recent years, The Woman's Home, has operated as an assisted living facility. Its small, personalized operation has worked against it. Costs have outstripped revenues. An endowment which funded losses is nearly exhausted.
The Home will close in June, 2018. It is a bitter-sweet end for a venerable cause. Fortunately, the support for the elderly that was unavailable a century ago is largely being provided with today's social services. But the homey atmosphere and camaraderie that made The Woman's Home a "real" home can't be replaced.
Sidebar notes from the research for this article that captured your author's attention:
The establishment of The Woman's Home reflected the societal status of women at the time. Women then did not yet have voting rights, work outside the home, or occupy leadership roles. The Woman's Home met a need for elderly women. It also provided area women a challenge and an opportunity to become involved in a significant project. Mrs. Alderman said such activity would promote public sentiment favoring "the general advancement of women."
Mrs. Alderman also made a very insightful observation about pioneer women in "The Centennial Souvenir." "(They) were known as daughters of their fathers, wives of their husbands, the sisters of their more eminent brothers." Their public identity was indirect only - through their male relatives.
Marietta was not nearly as built up when the Home was constructed in 1885. Early literature refers to nice views from the Home of the fairgrounds and river valley - views which are now obstructed by homes built since then. The Home's location was described as being near the northern city limits - which are currently located at Colegate Drive.
Marietta Times newspaper articles dated 3/8/1973, 11/5/2000, 6/27/2017 Copies of the first two articles were viewed at Washington County Local History and Genealogy Library.
"Century Review of Marietta", Marietta Board of Trade, 1900, pages 34-35.
Alderman, Mrs. L.A., "Centennial Souvenir of Marietta Ohio," Library of Congress, 1888, pages 94-97. Viewed digital version on Google Books.
Posted by David Baker at 6:51 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Catherine Fay Ewing, Children's Home, pioneers, social programs, The Woman's Home
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One Day Itinerary
The 14 venues and over 200 monuments which make up the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh collection provide a fascinating look into the abundant qualities which make Edinburgh one of the most culturally rich, historically enthralling and magically beautiful cities in the world.
Read on for our one day guide on how best to uncover the many wonders housed across the wonderfully eclectic Museums & Galleries Edinburgh venues.
City Art Centre
Opening times: Monday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
Entry is free, charges apply for some temporary exhibitions
The City Art Centre is located in the heart of Edinburgh close to Waverley train station and offers up five floors dedicated to championing the very best of historic and contemporary Scottish visual and applied arts.
The City of Edinburgh’s Art collection is one of the finest in Scotland, and includes works by the most important Scottish artists from the 17th century to the present day. It encompasses drawings, prints, photographs and sculpture as well as paintings, and numbers over 4,500 items. The Centre presents an expertly curated and brilliantly diverse series of events and exhibitions throughout the year. Be sure to check out what’s on before you visit.
Be sure to pay a visit to the wonderful gift shop on the ground floor before you leave and pick up that perfect gift or unique memento of your visit!
Scott Monument
Adult £8.00 Concession (OAP / Child / Student) £6.00 Family ticket £20 (2 adult+2 children or 1 adult & 3 children)
Likened to a ‘gothic rocket ship’ by Bill Bryson, the Scott Monument is the world’s largest monument to a writer and has dominated the New Town landscape since it’s completion in 1846. Constructed as a tribute to author Sir Walter Scott, the stunning sandstone monument is definitely one of Edinburgh’s most unique historical sites.
Rising to over 200 feet and covering 287 steps to the top viewing platform, it’s not a trip for the fainthearted but those who make it to the top are rewarded with some of the most breath-taking Edinburgh vistas across the city and not to mention the very finest Instagram content! For those who are less keen on the climb, the monument features four levels in total, including the first floor and the Museum Room which tells the story of Scott himself, his tumultuous life, his legacy on international literature, as well as the memorial built in his honour.
Makars' Court
Entry is free and is open access
Continue your exploration of Edinburgh’s rich literary history with a visit to one of its enchanting closes which run off the historic Royal Mile – Makars’ Court. Designed as an evolving national literary monument to celebrate the lives and works of Scottish writers, a walk through Makars’ Court offers the opportunity to see some of the famous words of great Scottish writers inscribed in the flagstones under your feet.
The Writers' Museum
Entry is free
You don’t have far to go to reach your next stop. The Writers’ Museum is located on Makars’ Close and celebrates the lives of three giants of Scottish Literature – Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
The museum has a fascinating collection of rare items and personal objects which provide an engrossing insight into the lives and works of three of Scotland’s most famous literary figures. The Writers’ rich collections highlights include; a first edition of Scott’s novel Waverley and Stevenson’s beloved classic, A Child’s Garden of Verses. Manuscripts include Burns’ draft of Scots wha hae (‘Bruce’s Address to his troops at Bannockburn’). There is also the press on which Scott’s Waverley Novels were printed, a chair used by Burns to correct proofs at William Smellie’s printing office, and Stevenson’s wardrobe made by the infamous Deacon Brodie whose double life may have inspired the novel The strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Slightly more unusual items include; Robert Louis Stevenson’s riding boots and the ring given to him by a Samoan chief, a rocking horse used by Sir Walter Scott as a child and a plaster cast of Robert Burns’ skull!
Museum of Edinburgh Courtyard
Museum of Edinburgh
Once you’ve had your literary fill, enjoy a stroll down Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile and make your way to the Tardis-like Museum of Edinburgh on the Canongate.
The 16th century building, which is an attraction in itself is home to a huge collection of iconic items, beautiful objects that chart Centuries of Edinburgh’s history, from the romantic and fanciful to the utterly gruesome! Highlights including the National Covenant of 1638, which led to civil war and the collar and bowl of Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye terrier whose dogged devotion to his dead master touched the hearts of many and inspired numerous books and film adaptations. Also on display, are the iconic designs of the New Town by James Craig. First World War commander Earl Haig’s extensive collections are also on display.
Burns Monument
The monument can be viewed at any time, but it is not possible to enter directly.
What better way to end your journey of discovery through Edinburgh’s richly diverse history and heritage than with a magnificent view across our great city’s iconic landscape? Make your way up Jacob Ladder Steps (caution, there’s quite a few of them!) and as you reach the top on Regent Road you will be rewarded not only by a breath-taking city vista but also with beautiful Burns Monument. The 70 foot high Grecian-style temple was designed by Sir Thomas Hamilton and funded by public subscriptions in tribute to The Scottish Bard, Robert Burns. The Monument is surrounded by landscaped gardens with laurels, hollies and Ayrshire roses.
Explore more of our venues
Museum of Childhood
The Museum of Childhood has a place in the hearts of millions. The first museum in the world dedicated to the history of childhood, it displays...
The People's Story Museum
Free Entry | Donations Welcome
The People's Story gives an unique insight into Edinburgh's working class people from the 18th to the late 20th century.
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Autocephalous Ukrainian Church: A history that has lasted for 100 years
by Phillip Cunningham | December 18, 2018 | 17:03
At the same time, Metropolitan Antony Pakanich said after the extraordinary session of the UOC-MP Synod that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) will remain the only canonical church in the country despite Kiev's intention to create a unified autocephalous church.
MOSCOW - The Kremlin on Monday accused Ukraine's politicians of using the creation of a new Ukrainian Orthodox church independent of Moscow for political ends. Most of the Ukrainian Orthodox bishops signed the request, including the current metropolitan of Kiev Onufryj (Berezovsky), head of the jurisdiction tied to Moscow, which today has officially lost its title to the Ukrainian law.
Saturday's council at the 11th century St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev will decide the make-up of the new church and elect its leader.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the biggest Orthodox Christian Church in Ukraine and is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Last month, the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate gathered in Istanbul in a bid to approve an official tomos, granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephaly.
Ukraine's state security service raided Moscow Patriarchate church properties in the run-up to the council, but denied the raids were an attempt to silence opposition to independence.
The synod comes shortly after a fresh crisis that saw Russian Federation seize three Ukrainian navy ships and arrest 24 sailors in the waters around Crimea.
That leaves the meeting between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the country's largest branch by number of believers, and the smaller Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
Ogirenko
"And Ukraine will no longer drink, in the words of Taras Shevchenko, 'Moscow's poison from Moscow's cup, '" he said, quoting the country's national poet.
But the branch loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church, which has more parishes than its Kiev-loyal counterpart, hangs in the balance.
The new Ukrainian church seeks to combine clergy from two previously separate breakaway churches and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which had previously answered to Moscow.
Saturday's religious rupture from the Russian Orthodox Church is a potent - possibly explosive - mix of politics, religious faith and national identity.
The state-run media continues a massive company to discredit the Ukrainian Church.
Ties between the ex-Soviet neighbours have broken down since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 following a pro-Western uprising in Kiev, and this year those tensions spilt into the religious arena.
"All its [UOC-MP's] children need to understand that they are supported by all the world Orthodoxy and by all the local churches that have not expressed a word in support of the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew [of Constantinople]", Alexander Volkov said on Saturday. The title appears to be not without clout, since it's established in the charter of the new church, which was adopted at the gathering as well. "Putin is an enemy of the Russian world".
"We can see that these processes, this schismatic activity in Ukraine is closely intertwined with politics, which of course could hardly be acceptable by church rules".
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Drier Air Returns In Time For The ‘Christmas’ Comet Sunday!
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Tim Paine-Virat Kohli rivalry set to sizzle at Melbourne Cricket Ground
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Jul 16 12:00 PM Lefty Wilson Field New Hampshire Wild 12 Road City Explorers 4 Jul 16 1:00 PM Saranac Lake Central Field New York Bucks 6 Saranac Lake Surge 7 Jul 16 1:44 PM New Hampshire Wild Road City Explorers Jul 17 12:00 PM Lefty Wilson Field New Hampshire Wild New York Bucks Jul 17 1:00 PM Saranac Lake Central Field Puerto Rico Islanders Saranac Lake Surge Jul 17 4:00 PM Chip Cummings Field Road City Explorers Plattsburgh Thunderbirds
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Puerto Rico Islanders vs Old Orchard Beach Surge
June 23, 2017 6:30 PM Empire League 2017 First Half
The Ballpark
7 Ballpark Way, Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064, USA
Puerto Rico Islanders 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 6 3 Loss
Saranac Lake Surge 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 x 6 7 0 Win
Puerto Rico Islanders
Calvin Graves 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Steven Rodriguez 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kyle Schade 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Will Ramos 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Michael Heller 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Matthew Martinez 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0
Cory Willig 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0
Joenny Vasquez 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 0 0
Ian Maldonado 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
Andres Arroyo 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Ramon Cedeño 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nick McHugh 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Taran Tani 4 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0
Total 38 32 2 6 0 0 0 2 5 1 3 12 3 0 0 0 23 9 0 0 0
SVOPP
Fabian Feliciano 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 2 2 3 0 3 1
Ernesto Punales 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
Bryan Collazo Rivera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .67 1 2 1 3 0 0 0
Mitchell Hillert 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kurtis Hultz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 8 6 5 6 0 6 1
Saranac Lake Surge
Edgar Lebron Jr 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eric Frain 4 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
Gevon Jackson 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Kevin Putkonen 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0
Michael Davis 4 4 2 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Anthony Bakeris 4 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0
Parker Franklin 4 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Juan Martin 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 13 2 0 0 0
Jordan Matos 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0
Total 36 29 6 8 1 0 1 4 0 3 6 6 0 1 0 0 27 8 0 0 0
Eric Mozeika 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 2 2 3 3 9 0
Axel Cruz 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Cosme Zapata 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 6 2 2 3 3 12 0
KO KO FT
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“Rampage” Jackson – Satoshi Ishii to Headline Bellator Dynamite 2
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 6, 2016) – For the first time since 2014, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) will return to action for Bellator MMA when he faces Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) in the main event of “Bellator: Dynamite 2” on June 24, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
While “Rampage” has competed at 205-pounds for a vast majority of his nearly 17-year career, this main event contest against Ishii will take place at an agreed upon catchweight of 215 pounds.
Tickets for “Bellator: Dynamite 2,” which start at just $30, go on sale this Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. CT on Ticketmaster.com and the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center, with a special Bellator Nation presale available from 10 a.m. CT to 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 7 for fans using the code: “BELLATOR.” Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.
“Bellator: Dynamite 2” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.
Exactly like the groundbreaking inaugural “Dynamite” event this past September in San Jose, both a mixed martial arts cage and kickboxing ring will cover the floor at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, giving fans in attendance the opportunity to see both iterations of combat sports on the same night.
A three-fight veteran of Bellator MMA, “Rampage” signed with the organization in 2013 and is riding a four-fight winning streak. His legendary career has seen him compete against some of the top names in the sport across multiple organizations including PRIDE and the UFC, generating a loyal army of fans along the way. Jackson is the proud owner of many epic highlight reel slams and knockouts that he’s racked up throughout his battles with guys like: Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Marvin Eastman, and perhaps most-notably his trilogy with fellow Bellator warrior Wanderlei Silva.
When he’s not beating people up in his MMA fights, Jackson’s larger than life personality has earned him multiple film roles, where he’s been able to beat people up on the big screen. Now, the 37-year-old returns to action for the fourth time under the Bellator MMA banner, where he looks to improve upon his unblemished mark within the promotion. With 19 of his fights taking place in Japan, the large contingent of Japanese MMA fans will have a hard time determining who to cheer for when “Rampage” takes on Ishii in June.
Ishii is a 29-year-old powerhouse Judoka who earned Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after defeating the best the world had to offer in the +100 kg division. Now fully focused on mixed martial arts, the Japanese star has competed in his home country almost exclusively throughout his 20-fight professional career and will be making his stateside debut on June 24 against “Rampage.” With half of his victories coming before reaching the judges’ scorecards, it’s worth noting that three of Ishii’s defeats have come at the hands of some of greatest the sport has to offer, such as Mirko Cro Cop and Fedor Emelianenko. Most recently, the judoka competed at light heavyweight for Rizin FF, during the promotion’s inaugural card on New Year’s Eve Weekend.
Updated “Bellator: Dynamite 2” Fight Card
Bellator MMA (215 lb.) Main Event: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1)
Tags: Bellator, Bellator Dynamite 2, Rampage Jackson, Satoshi Ishii
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Home Smartphone Phone News The 10 Best Smartphone Deals
Stiftung Warentest examined from 101 tested smartphones from the best units for price-conscious buyers. It turns out that especially previous models are real bargains, but also two newer smartphones are in the top tenth.
Stiftung Warentest tested regularly smartphones since the summer 2014th By the end so a total of 101 units have been tested. While it is interesting to note that current models have received the best reviews, but new smart phones are not necessarily the best. The foundation has all the 101 devices tested and compared determined in the current issue of the magazine “test”, among other things, offer which phones the best price-performance ratio.
Place 10 of bargain-top 10 is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo. It is a published in October this year scaled-down edition of the 2014er flagship Galaxy S5. Because Samsung in this release on Fingerprint Sensor, dispensed infrared port and other extras that it is to have from 300 euros, but otherwise offers most of the advantages of the strong role model. Warentest certifies him a particularly good battery life.
Middle class in metal dress
The 9th Place could conquer the Samsung Galaxy A3. n-tv.de criticized in his test in February still the relatively high price of mid-range device in metallic dress. But now it is offered online starting at 170 euros, which certainly makes it despite a not too sharp screens at a price-performance tip.
Technically slightly more equipped the big brother Samsung Galaxy A5 is also in the ranking of Stiftung Warentest before A3. Its display is larger and has a higher resolution, also offers the A5 more memory and a higher battery capacity. Internet stores sell it already for 245 euros.
The only non-Android smartphone under the value-for-winners is the Nokia Lumia 830 at No. 7. Microsoft has released the smartphone Although already presented at IFA 2014, but it is one of the candidates, who will receive an update to Windows 10 beginning of 2016. , The device has a beautiful 5-inch screen and a decent camera. Its battery can be replaced and his 16-gigabyte memory is expandable with microSD cards. 290 euro are a fair price for the device.
Flashed Selfies for 180 euros
The Samsung Galaxy J5 is a new mid-range smartphone. It makes loud Warentest good photos and has a long battery life. A special feature is the flash for the front camera, which is still possible even at low light beautiful Selfies. Online it only costs a whopping 180 euros – a deserved 6th place in the value charts.
In fifth place is a very popular smartphone in Germany is: the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini. In July 2014, the unit still cost 450 euros, now it is to have from 235 euros. There has, inter alia, a fingerprint scanner in the home button, a heart rate monitor in addition to the camera and a 4.5 inch screen with a pixel density of 326 ppi good. Moreover, it is dust and water resistant.
HTC-Oldie no old iron
The HTC One M8 could inspire in spring 2014 with its great design, a gorgeous display, plenty of power and an exceptional camera. The smartphone is indeed already one and a half years old, but it will get in the coming weeks an update to Android 6, which is why the pretty metal cell phone for a long time does not belong on the scrap heap. Its price: 350 euros.
The LG g4c is a smaller and weaker-equipped 5-inch version of the LG G4. Third-placed device shines with the best score in the battery runtime and otherwise provides a consistently solid performance. In addition, it is extremely low with prices under 170 euros. The smartphone is not led by many retailers and seems to disappear from the camps again.
Galaxy S5 dominated
Before the small G4 derivative lies on the silver medal last year’s LG flagship G3 in the 16-gigabyte version. It has a very high-resolution qHD display, a prima camera and a powerful processor. In the test of n-tv.de the battery performance of the G4 initially disappointed, but LG improved with an update and after Stiftung Warentest counts the smartphone now become one of the most enduring devices. With around 280 Euros, it offers an excellent price-performance ratio.
At No. 1 but also sits in this category over the one and a half year old Samsung Galaxy S5, that is with an overall score of 1.8 also remains the best rated smart phone at Stiftung Warentest. For devices with the longest battery life, it took second place in the camera comparison 8th place directly behind the most current top smartphones. Its battery is replaceable and the housing dust and waterproof. Even the Galaxy S5 is a candidate for Android 6, but only next spring.
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This article is about the city in Ireland. For other uses of the name, see Dublin (disambiguation).
Dublin (Irish: Baile �tha Cliath1),is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located2 near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin region3.
Template:Ireland city infobox
Dublin's Ha'penny Bridge. Beyond it, the dome of the 18th century Custom House and Liberty Hall, the city's tallest building.
Dublin has a population of some 495,000 (CSO Census 2002) within the official city boundary, though the population of the Dublin metropolitan area is considerably higher, with the development and spread of suburbs and satellite towns continuing into the surrounding areas. The population of the city and region is in excess of 1,100,000 (CSO Census 2002); although even this figure does not accurately reflect the population of urban "Dublin", failing to account for largely integrated parts of north-east Kildare and conversely, undeveloped rural areas in north Fingal. Though there is no exact agreed definition of the "Greater Dublin Area" it would be generally accepted as including all of Dublin city and county and all of counties Wicklow, Kildare and Meath with the limits of the commuter belt stretching to a much greater distance.
3.1 Exhibitions
3.2 Northside and Southside
3.3 Dublin 4
4.1 Communications
4.2 Education
4.3.1 Road network
4.3.2 Public transport
4.4 Entertainment
4.5 Production
5.1 City Government
5.2 The Dublin Region
5.3 National Government
8 Additional reading
ClimateDublinIreland.PNG
Average temperature (red) and precipitations (blue) in Dublin
The name Dublin is generally taken to derive from the Irish Dubh Linn ("the Black Pool"); there is some doubt about this — see Eblana below; the modern Irish-language name Baile �tha Cliath ("The City of the Ford of the Reed Hurdles") refers to the settlement which adjoined the Black Pool.
The earliest reference assumed to be to Dublin is in the writings of Ptolemy around the year A.D. 140, who refers to Eblana. The name Eblana is close enough to Dublin (shared b, l and n). Some have cast doubt on the derivation of Dublin from Dubh Linn — the name could not have mutated from Dubh linn into Eblana and back to something very similar to the original. This line of theory suggests an alternative unknown derivation for the name Dublin. However there is no certainty that Ptolemy's Eblana refers to Dublin.
The name Dublin "Dubhlinn", it has been suggested, might be of Scandinavian origin, cf. Template:Ll: "dj�p lind" ("deep pond").
However the Scandinavian settlers of Dublin referred to the city as Dyfflinn, which appears to support the generally held assumption that the Irish name Dubhlinn is the real origin. It seems highly unlikely that the native Irish would have corrupted "dj�p lind" to "Dubhlinn" only for the Scandinavians to subsequently adapt this to Dyfflinn.
Main article: History of Dublin
The Celtic settlement �th Cliath ("hurdle ford") predates Dublin's establishment as the Viking settlement "Dubh Linn" in the ninth century. The modern city retains the anglicised Irish name of the latter and the Irish of the former. After the Norman invasion of Ireland Dublin displaced the Hill of Tara as Ireland's capital, much of the power centring on Dublin Castle until independence. From the 17th century the city expanded rapidly helped by the Wide Streets Commission. Georgian Dublin was for a time, the second city of the British Empire. Much of Dublin's best architecture dates from this time. The Easter Rising of 1916 left the capital in an unstable situation and the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War left the capital in ruins, with many of its finest buildings destroyed. The Irish Free State rebuilt much of the cities buildings and moved parliament into Leinster House, but took no bold tasks such as remodelling. After The Emergency Dublin remained a capital out of time, modernisation was slow, the 1960s saw change start. In recent years the infrastructure has been changed immensely. (See also Development and Preservation in Dublin) The Dublin Area Rapid Transit allowed the city to have a transport system suited for any modern European city.
Since the beginning of English rule in the twelfth century the city has served as the capital of the island of Ireland in the varying geopolitical entities that existed:
the Lordship of Ireland (1171-1541)
the Kingdom of Ireland (1541-1800),
the island as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922)
the Irish Republic (1919-1922).
From 1922, following the partition of Ireland, it served as the capital of the Irish Free State (1922-1937) and now as the capital of the Republic of Ireland. (Many of these states co-existed or competed within the same timeframe as rivals within either British or Irish constitutional theory.)
Dublin is a major cultural centre in Ireland. Temple Bar is an important place for night life and often people from Britain and beyond visit for the weekend. The city also has a growing gay community, though homosexuality was only legalised in 1992 following a case in the European Court.
Dublin is the origin of some prominent artists and writers. Dubliners is a collection of short stories by James Joyce about incidents and characters typical of residents of the city in the early part of the 20th century. Ulysses, also by James Joyce, a novel set in Dublin, is full of topographical detail and is both acclaimed and controversial.
The National Print Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the Chester Beatty Library and three centers of the National Museum of Ireland are located in Dublin.
1853 - Great Industrial Exhibition (1853)
1865 - International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures (1865)
Northside and Southside
Dublin_Ireland_Night.JPG
The River Liffey, seen here in the evening, divides the city.
Traditionally a north versus south division has existed within Dublin City (culturally viewed as being the area bound by the M50 motorway), with the dividing line provided by the River Liffey. The Northside (written as one word) is generally poorer and more working class, while the Southside is seen as middle and upper class and wealthier. This is also reflected by Dublin postal districts, with odd numbers being used for districts on the Northside, e.g: Raheny is in Dublin 5, and even numbers for ones on the Southside, e.g: Sandymount is in Dublin 4. This division dates back centuries, certainly to the point when the Earl of Kildare built his residence on the then less regarded Southside and was promptly followed by most other Irish peers, who when asked why he was building on the South Side, said "Where I go, fashion follows me". Paradoxically, while the Southside is wealthier, the President of Ireland's residence, �ras an Uachtar�in, is on the Northside, however its postal district is Dublin 8 which is a Southside number. The residence of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and his Church of Ireland counterparts until the 1920s, are also on the Northside, whilst one of Dublin's wealthiest suburbs, Howth is also on the Northside. The Southside also has many working-class suburbs, like Palmerstown, Crumlin, and Ballyfermot.
Dublin's middle class snobs are often described as Dublin 4, referring to one of the city's wealthiest postal districts, in which the studios of Radio Telif�s �ireann, the national broadcaster are located, as are a number of respected schools, colleges and a university. The modern campus of University College Dublin is located on the boundary of Dublin 4 and Dublin 14. In actuality, the term Dublin 4 or the abbreviated D4 can refer to any middle class Dubliner from the Northside or the Southside or in many cases to simply an attitude that can be found anywhere in Ireland. Many politicians and political commentators live in Dublin 4, while Dublin 4 traditionally takes a strongly liberal stance in referenda on issues like abortion and divorce. The area is also associated with a distinctive accent (not actually particular to the district) which can be pleasing to some and painful to others.
Dublin contains the headquarters of almost all of Ireland's sporting organisations. Croke Park, an 82,000 capacity stadium is the base of the Gaelic Athletic Association and hosts Gaelic Football and Hurling games during the summer months and on St. Patrick's Day. Lansdowne Road is a 48,000 capacity stadium owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and is also the venue for home games of the Republic's national football (soccer) team. Dalymount Park, the traditional Home of Irish Soccer, is now used only for home games of local club Bohemian FC. Rivals Shelbourne FC play at nearby Tolka Park. The National Aquatic Centre, located in Blanchardstown, is the first building to open in the Sports Campus Ireland. There are several race courses in the Dublin area including Shelbourne Park (Greyhound racing) and Leopardstown (Horse racing). There are also Basketball, Handball, Hockey and Athletics stadia within the city - most notably Morton Stadium in Santry, which held the athletics events of the 2003 Special Olympics.
Radio Telif�s �ireann is Ireland's national state broadcaster, and has its main offices and studios in Dublin. Fair City is the broadcasters' capital based soap, located in the fictional suburb of Carraigstown. TV3 the state's only private television broadcaster is also located in the capital, much of its programming is imported from the UK and the US. It aims to attract a young audience. The main infrastructure and offices of An Post and Eircom as well as Vodafone and mmO2 are located in the capital. The capital is also the location of important national newspapers and radio stations, such as The Irish Times, Irish Independent and Today FM.
Dublin is the centre of education in Ireland, having three universities. The University of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland dating from the 16th Century. Its sole constituent college Trinity College, Dublin was established by Royal Charter under Elizabeth I. The National University of Ireland has its seat in Dublin as well as the location of the associated constituent university of University College Dublin. Dublin City University is the most recent university created in Ireland and specialises in business, engineering, and science courses which are relevant to industry. It prides itself on its research record. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is an independent medical school located on Stephen's Green in the city centre. The National University of Ireland, Maynooth, another constituent university of the NUI is located about 25km from Dublin.
Dublin Institute of Technology is a modern technical college and is the country's largest non-university third level institution; it specialises in technical subjects but also has unique arts courses. It is soon to move to the Grangegorman Campus. There are also smaller institutes of technology at Blanchardstown and Tallaght. The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (DLIADT) support training and research in art, design and media technology.
There are also various other smaller specialised colleges, including private ones, in the city.
PIA01804_SpaceRadarImage_Dublin-NASA.jpg
Space Radar Image of Dublin. [1] (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01804)
Dublin is the centre of the transport system in Ireland (see Transportation in Ireland). Dublin Port is the country's most important sea port. Dublin Airport is the most important airport in the republic and the bulk of passenger traffic travels through the airport. Heuston Station and Connolly Station are the city's major railway stations, Heuston connects with the towns and cities in the south and west of the Republic while Connolly serves the Sligo and Dublin-Belfast routes.
Dublin is also the main hub of the country's road network. The M50 motorway, a semi-ring road runs around the south, west and north of the city, connecting the most important national primary routes in the State fan out from the capital to the regions. A toll of €1.80 applies on what is called the West-link, two adjacent concrete bridges that tower high above the River Liffey near the village of Lucan. Although construction has been ongoing for almost 20 years, the M50 has not been finished as of 2005. A court case regarding the destruction of medieval ruins at Carrickmines Castle has delayed the final completion of the route. The M50 currently has two traffic lanes going either direction but plans are afoot to increase that to three. The National Roads Authority also intends to increase capacity at many of the motorway's busiest junctions by building triple-grade interchanges instead.
To complete the ring road, an Eastern bypass is also proposed for the city of Dublin. The first half of this project is currently under construction, the Dublin Port Tunnel. It is scheduled to open in early 2006 and will mainly cater for heavy vehicles. When finished, Dublin City Council hopes to ban all unnecessary trucks and lorries from the city quays. The second half of the project would involve another tunnelling project, linking Dublin Port to the road network on the southside of the city. Plans for this have never been formalised.
The capital is also surrounded by what have been termed by Dublin City Council as an inner and outer orbital route. The inner orbital route runs roughly around the heart of the Georgian city from St. Stephen's Green to Mountjoy Square and from the King's Inns to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The outer orbital route runs largely along the natural circle formed by Dublin's two canals, the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal, as well as the North and South Circular Roads.
Luas Tram
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit system is the only electrified mainline railway in the State and serves stations at regular intervals on the railway line along the east coast. The first phase (Green Line) of the Luas light rail opened in June 2004 and it is hoped that it will usher a new era for south city and county Dublin; a second line (Red Line) connecting the two main train stations of Heuston and Connolly to the suburb of Tallaght has also opened for business. It had been hoped a metro system linking Dublin Airport to the city would be the next major infrastructural project but that now appears ever more unlikely. Plans to build a spur from the DART network to the airport and an interconnector system within the city centre area now appear more likely. Commuter lines to Kildare and Maynooth also service many of the suburbs of West Dublin.
The bulk of the public transport system in Dublin is made up of bus services operated by Bus �tha Cliath (Dublin Bus), which operates a network of nearly 200 daytime routes (identified by number and sometimes suffixed with a letter, e.g. 40, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D) and 24 "Nitelink" overnight services which run on Monday to Saturday nights, which are identified by a number suffixed with "N" e.g. 40N). Apart from some tourist buses, all Dublin Bus' services are one-man operated, and daytime fares are determined by the number of fare stages travelled through - fares are payable in coin and only the exact fare is acceptable - if a passenger overpays, they are issued a "change ticket" which must be presented at the Dublin Bus office in O'Connell Street to be converted to cash. Alternatively, various pre-paid tickets and passes can be bought from Dublin Bus or its agents, and are processed by a validating machine on the right of the entrance door of the bus. Nitelink buses charge a flat fare regardless of the distance travelled.
The UGC cinema complex is located north of the Liffey. There is a vibrant night life in Dublin — the main centre for this is in the Temple Bar area south of the Liffey. This area has become synonymous with stag and hen parties and tourists, causing many locals to steer clear of the area. There are a number of theatres within the city centre.
The St. James's Gate Brewery, where Guinness is brewed since 1759.
During the Celtic Tiger years of the mid to late nineties a large number of pharmaceutical and information technology companies have located in Dublin and its suburbs. Microsoft's EMEA Operations Centre are located in Sandyford Industrial Estate to the south of the city along with Xerox and Google. The large volume of computer industry in Dublin has led to it being referred to as the Silicon Valley of Europe. Intel and Hewlett-Packard have large manufacturing plants in Leixlip to the west of Dublin.
Dublincityhall.jpg
Dublin City Hall
formerly the Royal Exchange
Dublin City is governed by Dublin City Council (formerly called Dublin Corporation) which is presided over by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, who is elected for a yearly term and resides in the Mansion House, which first became the residence of the Lord Mayor in 1715. Dublin City Council is based in two major buildings. Its headquarters is in Dublin City Hall, the former Royal Exchange taken over for city government use in the 1850s. Many of its administrative staff are based in the controversial Civic Offices, built on top of what had been one of the best preserved Viking sites in the world. The Corporation's (as it was then) decision to bulldoze the historic site proved one of the most controversial in modern Irish history, with thousands of people, including medieval historian Fr. F.X. Martin and Senator Mary Robinson (later President of Ireland) marching to try to stop the destruction. The destruction of the site on Wood Quay and the building of a set of offices known as The Bunkers (because of their ugly appearance) is generally seen as one of the most disastrous acts against Ireland's heritage since independence, with even Dublin Corporation admitting subsequently that it was ashamed of its action. Originally, there were to be four of these 'bunkers' built but only two were ever completed. Instead the river frontage is a less brutal office block designed by the firm Scott Tallon Walker. Completed in 1994, it boasts a leafy atrium and fine views from many of its offices. Council meetings take place in City Hall, one of Dublin's finest buildings and located on Dame Street. It was built to the winning design of Thomas Cooley. In an architectural competition, James Gandon was the runner-up with a scheme that many people favoured. Originally from England, Gandon is one of Ireland's favourite adopted sons and designed both the Four Courts and the Custom House, two of the city's most magnificent classical buildings.
The Dublin Region
The Dublin Region3 consists of the City of Dublin and the area which was formerly known as County Dublin, and covers an area of 922 km² and contains over a million inhabitants. In 1994 County Dublin (the area excluding the city) was sub-divided into three, each new area with county-level status and its own administration, namely:
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Administration of the Dublin Region as a whole is now co-ordinated by the Dublin Regional Authority.
National Government
Leinster House
18th century ducal palace now the seat of parliament.
The Republic of Ireland's National Parliament (called Oireachtas �ireann) consists of the President of Ireland and two houses, D�il �ireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad �ireann (Senate). All three are based in Dublin. The President of Ireland lives in �ras an Uachtar�in, the former residence of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State in the city's largest park, Phoenix Park. Both houses of the Oireachtas �ireann meet in Leinster House, a former ducal palace on the south side of the city. The building has been the home of Irish parliaments since the creation of the Irish Free State on December 6, 1922.
The Irish Government is based in the Irish Government Buildings, a large building designed by Aston Webb, the architect who created the Edwardian facade to Buckingham Palace. Initially what is now Government Buildings was designed for use as the Royal College of Science, the last major building built by the British administration in Ireland. In 1921 the House of Commons of Southern Ireland met there. Given its location next to Leinster House, the Irish Free State government took over part of the building to serve as a temporary home for some ministries. However both it and Leinster House (originally meant to be a temporary home of parliament) became the permanent homes of the government and parliament respectively. Until 1990, the Irish government shared the building with the Engineering Faculty of University College Dublin, which retained use of the central block of the building, However following the building of a new Engineering Faculty at the UCD campus in Belfield, the Government took entire control, and remodelled the entire building for governmental use.
The previous old Irish Houses of Parliament of the Kingdom of Ireland is located in College Green.
Note 1: Baile �th Cliath (or simply �th Cliath) and Dubhlinn are the two names of the city, the former being the one currently in official use.
Note 2: Precisely Template:Coor dms
Note 3: Irish Statute Book: Local Government Act, 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order, 1993 - Dublin Region, "The area consisting of the (then) county borough of Dublin and the administrative counties of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZSI394Y1993.html)
List of Ireland-related topics
List of Dublin people
Photographs of Dublin
�ras an Uachtar�in
Ha'penny Bridge
Old Irish Houses of Parliament
St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral
Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church
Knocklyon
Dublin Chamber of Commerce
General Post Office (Dublin)
Spire of Dublin
The Kings of Dublin
Irish statues and their nicknames
Visitor Information for Dublin
The Pale
Maurice Craig, The Architecture of Ireland from the Earliest Times to 1880 (Batsford, Paperback edition 1989) (ISBN 0713425873)
Frank McDonald, Saving the City: How to Halt the Destruction of Dublin (Tomar Publishing, 1989) (ISBN 1871793033) foreword by Bob Geldof
Edward McParland, Public Architecture in Ireland 1680-1760 (Yale University Press, 2001) (ISBN 0300030641)
Hanne Hem, Dubliners, An Anthropologist's Account, Oslo, 1994
Template:Commons
Dublin City Council (http://www.dublincity.ie)
Explanation of English and Irish language names of the city (http://www.openroads.net/editorials/IRE/region_0085_01.php3)
Dublin.ie (http://www.dublin.ie) - community portal for Dublin
Dublin Spire (http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/oconnell_street/spire.html)
Dublin Tourism (http://www.visitdublin.com/) - the official tourism site for Dublin
DublinTourist.com tourist (http://www.dublintourist.com) guide
Dublin City Collective (http://dublin.citycollective.com) - Online community for Dubliners
QueerID.com (http://www.queerid.com) - Guide to Dublin's gay scene
Irelandscape (http://www.irelandscape.com) - Pictures of Dublin and other Irish Locations
Irish Architecture - Dublin (http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/)
Discussion of architecture and planning (http://www.archiseek.com)
Cities in Ireland
Republic of Ireland: Dublin | Cork | Limerick | Galway | Waterford | Kilkenny
Northern Ireland: Belfast | Derry | Armagh | Newry | Lisburn
bg:Дъблин
ca:Dublin cs:Dublin da:Dublin de:Dublin es:Dubl�n eo:Dublino fi:Dublin fr:Dublin ga:Baile �tha Cliath he:דבלין it:Dublino kw:Dulynn lv:Dublina lt:Dublinas ja:ダブリン ko:더블린 nl:Dublin no:Dublin pl:Dublin pt:Dublin ro:Dublin ru:Дублин simple:Dublin sv:Dublin zh:都柏林
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Categories: Coastal cities | Dublin | Cities in Ireland | Ireland
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FRPAA: Great idea or...?
Postby The Great Hippo » Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:54 am UTC
In my internet meanderings, I stumbled across the following petition; apparently, this is a piece of legislation meant to create a requirement of open access to research in exchange for government grants for scientific findings. It seems like a great idea, and I'm surprised I haven't read or seen any bits of news about this.
I'm puzzled over it not getting more support (at the moment, I see only 800 signatures on the petition!). Are there serious drawbacks to it? Good reasons why we shouldn't be interested in it? Or is it just one of those cases where issues that are heavy with words and ideas require considerably more energy to get moving?
Basically I'm looking for someone with more knowledge on this subject to help me understand if I should be signing this petition--and whether or not I should encourage those Americans I know to sign it as well.
Proginoskes
Location: Sitting Down
Re: FRPAA: Great idea or...?
Postby Proginoskes » Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:23 am UTC
I doubt that the average taxpayer really cares about things like this, so that's why it's probably not doing that well.
Ceron
Postby Ceron » Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:35 am UTC
Seems reasonable to me to require researchers receiving public funds to disclose more of their findings. I mean, if not for the public good, why should they be receiving public funds in the first place?
Iulus Cofield
Postby Iulus Cofield » Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:36 am UTC
The only downsides I can think of are the need/desire to maintain a technological edge in military technology (including weapons of mass destruction) for as long as possible and the need to contain information on deadly plagues. The latter isn't so secret anyway, so eh. For all other research, I don't see why publicly funded research shouldn't go into the public domain, or maybe a special kind of intellectual property law restricting free use to citizens of the US, since it's not like the government is in the business of inventing and then selling microwaves anyway.
KnightExemplar
Postby KnightExemplar » Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:18 pm UTC
Here's the bill in question:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.4004:
The proposal doesn't seem completely related to the bill.
Some issues from a differing side:
* The petition seems to want to reduce costs behind scientific journals. However, we pay exorbitant fees for scientific journals because of low distribution, high cost to market, and difficulty of the peer review process. That is, its an editing problem and it goes above and beyond just "opening up research".
* The research community is very small for each field. For example, there are only ~92,000 people registered in ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery), which is the largest computing society. That doesn't go into even more specific details like the size of say... the Algorithms research community or the HPC research community. For example, In the past year, there have only been 40,000 downloads of ACM's Database Journal. There are only ~2,500 subscribers for this journal.
When you consider that PH.Ds are the authors and editors of the journal (extremely specialized and trained individuals), and the size of their market, its no wonder that these kinds of journals cost so much money.
Ultimately... I like the idea of opening up research. But lets be honest here, forcing researchers to share their research for free doesn't solve any issues. There are so few researchers out there... and they are so in demand that they don't need the government's money. If I were a PH.D, I'd rather keep control over my research and take funds from say ... Insurance Companies... than be forced to give away my research for free. And I'd probably be in a good position to do so. You have to remember, these are the research and academic elites of the country. They probably can afford to say "no" to this deal.
Basically, I think it would be nice... but I expect that this sort of bill doesn't actually address the issue. I would be more in support of say... a public research journal funded by Government Money... rather than a bill that "micromanages" and "earmarks" funds and places restrictions on their distribution.
First Strike +1/+1 and Indestructible.
Postby Angua » Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:29 pm UTC
From what I hear, the overheads for prestigious journals are actually pretty low. You have to pay to have your paper published, the peer reviewing is done by academics who receive very little to nothing for doing so, and then people have to pay to subscribe to the journal. If an author wants their paper made public, then they have to pay the journal for the privilege of doing so. I know our library still gets a lot of paper stuff instead of switching to exclusive online access, because there's actually an exorbitant fee for doing so.
The problem is, if you want to be a well-respected scientist, you don't have much choice than getting at least a few publications in a prestigious journal, and you don't have much of a choice when it comes to keeping up with the literature.
Puppyclaws
Postby Puppyclaws » Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:40 pm UTC
KnightExemplar wrote: * The petition seems to want to reduce costs behind scientific journals. However, we pay exorbitant fees for scientific journals because of low distribution, high cost to market, and difficulty of the peer review process. That is, its an editing problem and it goes above and beyond just "opening up research".
These would be worthwhile considerations, except for the fact that those realities are not reflected in the journals' extreme costs. Peer reviewers and those PhD authors/editors do not generally see the monetary benefits of the work; in most cases they get essentially a pat on the back and a check mark on their CV (a valuable one, but still). This is why there are many people involved in the Elsevier boycott. It would seem that the only people being paid in many cases are those involved in compiling, marketing, and selling the journals; most of the really difficult work that is being done which you describe is not paid for by the journal.
Puppyclaws wrote:
I'm glad someone else is backing me up - all I had was a rant by one of my tutors on the scam that is the academic journal industry.
letterX
Location: Ithaca, NY
Postby letterX » Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:50 pm UTC
KnightExemplar wrote: Ultimately... I like the idea of opening up research. But lets be honest here, forcing researchers to share their research for free doesn't solve any issues. There are so few researchers out there... and they are so in demand that they don't need the government's money. If I were a PH.D, I'd rather keep control over my research and take funds from say ... Insurance Companies... than be forced to give away my research for free.
Yeah... this is not how research works. We already give our research away for free: I send off my paper to whatever journal or conference, they send it out to reviewers in the field (who almost always are unpaid volunteers), and then if they decide to print it, they put it in a big book which they then sell. I, the researcher, see exactly $0 of that money. Not that I was really expecting to, as I actually want my research to be published, but the only people getting paid are the publishers.
To be fair, the publishers do add some value in terms of editing and coordinating the whole process. However, it's unclear that open journals can't add the same value by an additional small amount of volunteer effort. The reason such journals haven't taken off is unclear. Possibly the paid companies have a monopoly on prestige. That is the point of the Elsiver boycott.
folkhero
Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:34 am UTC
Postby folkhero » Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:45 pm UTC
letterX wrote: To be fair, the publishers do add some value in terms of editing and coordinating the whole process. However, it's unclear that open journals can't add the same value by an additional small amount of volunteer effort. The reason such journals haven't taken off is unclear. Possibly the paid companies have a monopoly on prestige. That is the point of the Elsiver boycott.
I'm guessing the reason they haven't taken off is that young academics are the ones who would be most in tuned to the open culture and who aren't yet set in their ways, and therefore willing to change. And young academics are also most in need of the prestige that the established journals provide.
To all law enforcement entities, this is not an admission of guilt...
Metaphysician
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:58 pm UTC
Location: WV, The Tenth Circle of Hell
Postby Metaphysician » Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:54 pm UTC
KnightExemplar wrote: Here's the bill in question:
See but the government does give out a lot of money to researchers... so something like this would have an effect. This bill would make sure that what research the government does fund, is more openly available for the enrichment of society as a whole. If researchers don't need federal money, and they don't like this, they can get the money elsewhere and save US taxpayers some cash.
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
Postby johnny_7713 » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:34 pm UTC
Metaphysician wrote:
Not just US taxpayers either, it's the same system worldwide. Taxpayers give researchers money to do research, but if they then want to actually be able to have access to the results they have to also pay other people (i.e. journal publishers) (large amounts of) money. I also think KnightExemplar is overestimating the amount interest Insurance Companies have in fundamental science. How many companies do you think are funding CERN?
Postby Griffin » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:53 am UTC
I also think he's underestimating the large number of scientists who rely on government grants to do their science. There ARE very few researchers in a great many fields, and since they don't get paid by the publishers government grants are pretty much their sole source of income if they want to keep researching into that field.
Most scientists do NOT care about the money - they care about the science. And if they leave their chosen field due to a lack of grants to work at a company, most often they will not be conducting what they see as valuable science. And they lose essentially nothing from a law that says other companies that were completely uninvolved for their research and did nothing to pay for it can't have exclusive publishing rights to it.
Postby KnightExemplar » Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:13 am UTC
To be honest, I was playing the devil's advocate and failed horribly apparently. So I'll just step out of this issue that I don't have too much experience in...
Postby sourmìlk » Tue Mar 06, 2012 6:28 am UTC
I think the reason this petition isn't getting signed might be the same reason I'm not signing it: as nice as it appears on the surface, the issue seems far more complex than is something I can form a reasonable opinion on at the moment.
cjmcjmcjmcjm
Location: Anywhere the internet is strong
Postby cjmcjmcjmcjm » Tue Mar 06, 2012 10:57 pm UTC
If the government pays for it, there is no reason why we should pay for it twice (once with taxes, once with normal spending)
frezik wrote: Anti-photons move at the speed of dark
DemonDeluxe wrote: Paying to have laws written that allow you to do what you want, is a lot cheaper than paying off the judge every time you want to get away with something shady.
Location: The ivory tower
Postby iop » Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:07 am UTC
letterX wrote: However, it's unclear that open journals can't add the same value by an additional small amount of volunteer effort. The reason such journals haven't taken off is unclear. Possibly the paid companies have a monopoly on prestige. That is the point of the Elsiver boycott.
PLoS are doing fine, and, for example PLoS Biology has become quite a decent journal. Building reputation takes quite a while, though.
Also, note that since a few years, any research funded by the National Institute of Health (a large part of biology research in the US) is required to be freely accessible 6 months after publication. Thus, non-free journals get to sell subscriptions, but the general public will have access to the research within reasonable time.
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Contact pollywog
Postby pollywog » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:52 am UTC
I've never really thought about this too hard. I get all of my research articles free through my university, even if they're completely unrelated to my study (nursing) and I have on several occasions just looked through a few on random subjects. It's improved my knowledge, and if I've already paid for it through tax, why shouldn't I be getting it for free anyway? I can't think of a good reason why I should pay for knowledge.
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i'm fucking magic
Joined: Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:07 pm UTC
Postby masher » Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:44 am UTC
pollywog wrote: I get all of my research articles free through my university, even if they're completely unrelated to my study (nursing) and I have on several occasions just looked through a few on random subjects.
You aren't getting them for free; you're getting them at no-charge to you at the point at which you get them.
The University still pays a large chunk of money to the publishers to enable you to get access and you are paying for that through your tuition fess and others such things that you give to the university.
Postby iop » Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:01 pm UTC
pollywog wrote: I can't think of a good reason why I should pay for knowledge.
Packaging? Server space and bandwidth? Also, you may have happened to pay for books - why did you do that?
Postby Angua » Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:39 pm UTC
Necroing for this
Wellcome trust joins 'academic spring' to open up science
Spoilered below
One of the world's largest funders of science is to throw its weight behind a growing campaign to break the stranglehold of academic journals and allow all research papers to be shared online.
Nearly 9,000 researchers have already signed up to a boycott of journals that restrict free sharing as part of a campaign dubbed the "academic spring" by supporters due to its potential for revolutionising the spread of knowledge.
But the intervention of the Wellcome Trust, the largest non-governmental funder of medical research after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is likely to galvanise the movement by forcing academics it funds to publish in open online journals.
Sir Mark Walport, the director of Wellcome Trust, said that his organisation is in the final stages of launching a high calibre scientific journal called eLife that would compete directly with top-tier publications such as Nature and Science, seen by scientists as the premier locations for publishing. Unlike traditional journals, however, which cost British universities hundreds of millions of pounds a year to access, articles in eLife will be free to view on the web as soon as they are published.
He also said that the Wellcome Trust, which spends more than £600m on scientific research a year, would soon adopt a more robust approach with the scientists it funds, to ensure that results are freely available to the public within six months of first publication.
Researchers who do not make their work open access in line with the Trust's policy could be sanctioned in future grant applications to the charity.
Walport, who is a fellow of the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific academy, said the results of public and charity-funded scientific research should be freely available to anyone who wants to read it, for whatever purpose they need it. His comments echo growing concerns from scientists who baulk at the rising costs of academic journals, particularly in a time of shrinking university budgets.
The majority of the world's scientific research, estimated at around 1.5m new articles each year, is published in journals owned by a small number of large publishing companies including Elsevier, Springer and Wiley. Scientists submit manuscripts to the journals, which are sent out for peer review before publication. The work is then available to other researchers by subscription, usually through their libraries.
Publishers of the academic journals, which can cost universities up to €20,000 (£16,500) a year each to access, argue the price is necessary to sustain a high-quality peer review process.
A spokesperson for Elsevier said the company was open to any "mechanism or business model, as long as they are sustainable and maintain or improve existing levels of quality control".
He added that the company had been working on open access initiatives with funding bodies. "There has been a constructive collaboration as we've worked with the Wellcome Trust to build support and participation among authors … At the same time, we will also remain committed to the subscription model. We want to be able to offer our customers choice, and we see that, in addition to new models the subscription model remains very much in demand."
But the government has also signalled its support for open access. At the launch of the government's innovation strategy in December, David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said he aspired to have all government-funded research published in the public domain.
"We want to move to open access, but in a way that ensures that peer review and publishing continues as a function. It needs to be paid for somehow."
Science funders say this is not the problem. "I think publishing is a cost of research in the same way as buying a centrifuge is a cost of research," said Walport. "We have to maximise the public benefit of the research that we publish and we only do that by distribution."
According to David Prosser, executive director of Research Libraries UK, British universities spend around £200m a year on subscriptions to electronic databases and journals, which is around 10% of the block grants the institutions receive from government. The exact prices paid by university libraries are covered by confidentiality clauses with publishers but Prosser said that many of Britain's big universities "are spending, with some of our largest publishers, more than £1m a year each".
The rising costs of journal subscriptions have led many scientists around the world to question the business models of the publishers, which can make profit margins of more than 35% through selling access to the results of publicly-funded research. Proponents for open access in science argue that research papers should be freely available to anyone who wants to read them, with the publication costs borne by the authors of the work, perhaps as part of the research grant that pays for their work.
"If you look at the way the web works and what makes effective information dissemination on the web, then it's clear that open content spreads further, has more influence, is used in more ways than the people who wrote it could ever expect," said Cameron Neylon, a biophysicist who will take up a position as director of advocacy at Public Library of Science, an open access publisher, in July.
"From the perspective of research funders, particularly public research funders, the attitude has to be 'we fund this research, it generates these particular outputs, some of them are journal publications, how do we ensure that we maximise the impact that those outputs have?'"
The Wellcome Trust makes money available to its grant holders so that they can pay publishers to make their work freely available. The problem, said Walport, is that only 55% of Wellcome-funded researchers comply. Scientists often do not take up the open-access option or end up publishing in journals that refuse to make the work open access.
To force more scientists into submitting their work into open-access journals, Walport said the Wellcome Trust was considering sanctions for researchers and universities if Wellcome-funded research is not made freely available. One option under examination is to make grant renewals contingent on open access compliance, so that new money would be released only once a scientist's previous Trust-supported work is fully accessible.
Another proposal is to require universities to confirm that papers produced with a Wellcome grant are accessible before the final instalment of that grant is paid.
"If a journal won't comply with our grant conditions, then we're effectively saying you can't publish in that journal," he said, although the Trust does not support the boycott of paid-access journals.
Even the six-month stipulation keeps original research out of the public domain for too long, added Walport.
"Frankly, it's a bit like saying you can have the Guardian free after three weeks – the news section has little value at that stage. I would say that even six months is ultimately too long for research."
Another issue for many scientists is that publishing houses get the services of scientists, for the purposes of peer review, for free.
"One of the biggest costs in the whole scientific publishing world is borne by the academic community, which is the peer review," said Walport. "The journals have benefitted from having free, potentially very expensive consultancy. Again, why do we do that, if the end product is going to be locked behind a paywall?"
Walport said there was a trend for conservatism in the scientific community because scientists want to get published in the most prestigious journal brands such as Nature, Science or Cell. Until relatively recently, there were not many alternatives for researchers who wanted to make a big impact with their work – but the commercial success of open-access journals published by the PLoS group, has proved that open access can make money. "PLoS ONE is now the largest scientific journal in the world and this is ramping up," said Walport.
To address the lack of competition, the Wellcome Trust has teamed up with the Max Planck Society in Germany and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the US to set up a new open-access journal called eLife. "The idea is that that will take on the very top end of the scientific publishing industry, a visible high-profile competitor to Nature and Science," said Walport. "In no sense is this a war in which we're trying to put them out of business, the thing that would be best for them [publishers] to do is to change their publishing model."
Willetts has appointed Dame Janet Finch, a former vice-chancellor of Keele University, to sit down with academics and publishers to work out how an open-access scheme for publicly-funded research might function in the UK.
Research Councils UK, the co-ordinating body for the distribution of more than £3bn of government money via the science research councils, has issued a consultation on open access. The main recommendation is in line with the Wellcome Trust's policy, that the final version of research papers produced as a result of public money must be made open access online within six months of initial publication.
For those of you who don't know, the Wellcome trust is a massive funder of scientific research (a lot of the departments here get funding from them). They are even going so far as to bring in guidelines whereby scientists being funded by them who don't publish in free journals will face the possibility of having some of their funding pulled. They are also planning on starting their own online journal - e-life.
There's also stuff in the article confirming that other academic journals are making massive profit margins by making people pay for access to what they basically obtained for free (minus printing and server costs).
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Posts Tagged ‘Socialism’
About the Struggle of the Classes
The battle between Capitalism and Socialism has its roots in the Struggle of the Classes. Capitalism supports the UpperClass, The Masters, The Male. Socialists support the UnderClass, the Poor, The Slaves, the Female.
To solve the current crisis we have to leave this Struggle behind. We have to stop the Competitive Finite Game of Master and Slave and start to Play the Infinite Game of the Creator.
The Rich and the Poor are always competing because everybody believes something, The Cake, is Fixed and the Cake has to be divided between a Fixed amount of people. The Left, The Socialists, believes everybody has to have the same piece of the Cake.
The Capitalists, The Right, don’t agree with this. They believe you have to do something, to work hard, to own a piece of the cake. The harder you work the bigger the piece you get.
It is rather easy to divide a cake without getting into a Conflict. One person has to divide, the other has to chose. When you are Poor you believe the Rich divide the cake and you are Left with what is Left for you. The Left believe that the Right is doing nothing. The Poor are just collecting. The Right believes the same.
The Right believe the Capitalistic Society gives everybody the same opportunity. The Left know it is very difficult to move in one lifetime from the UnderClass to the MiddleClass or Higher.
They want to speed up the movement of the classes by providing free education and tax facilities. The Rich don’t like to pay taxes to help the Poor. They think poor people are losers because they are the winners.
The Sad thing is that a Movement Up of a certain Class always creates a new UnderClass. The New Underclass is probably much richer than the Old Underclass but this does not matter. When you are Poor you always want to move Up and when you are Rich you don’t want to go Down.
When a new Underclass is established the Fight to move Up starts all over again. This is the main reason why History moves in Cycles.
In the end it all comes down to Setting Priorities. The Right want to stimulate the Entrepreneurs directly. The Left want to stimulate the Infrastructures that stimulate the Entrepreneurs. The Right act on the Short Term. The Left have a Long Term Perspective. The Majority of the Humans Beings don’t like to wait too long. They want “it” now. This is the cause of all the major conflicts in History.
Capitalism and Socialism are two sides of the same coin. They are a product of the Industrial Revolution. Before this Revolution the Aristocracy was in Power. The Aristocracy was removed by the French Revolution in 1789. During the Industrial Revolution the MiddleClass, the Bourgeoisie, the rich Merchants, moved Up. The Industrial Revolution was not a Technical revolution but a Social Revolution.
During the Industrial Revolution the Underclass of the Aristocracy, The Serfs, also went Up. They (Masters and Slaves) created a completely New Underclass outside the Western Territory. This territory is called the Underdeveloped Countries.
Although Many people Moved Up in the West, the Master/Slave-relationship persisted. The Serfs of the Aristocracy were transformed into the Serfs of the Factory, the Serfs of the Mass Market and the Serfs of the Mass Media.
Slave and Master play a simple game, the game of Control and Allowing Control. When Slaves believe they are not Slaves anymore the Struggle to Move Up simply stops.
The Industrial Revolution has provided a brilliant toolset to deceive the Slaves. Examples are Democracy, Mass Consumption and Mass Media. At this moment a new method is developed called Mind Control.
The Class Struggle is a perfect example of a Game called the Political Game. In this Game The Master, Manipulates a Group, The Slaves, to accept a general Principle (Law, Model). The Game of Politics resolves the conflict between Principles and Opinions. Opinions (e)Value-ate a Principle, A Norm. Values are part of the Emotional System of a Human Being.
The Game of Politics is really a Conflict between the Emotions and the Expectation, The Power that wants to Control the Future.
Sadly enough the conflict between the Emotion and the Power of Control is always won by the Ego of Control because the Emotions are Collaborative until the Limits are Reached.
When the Power to Control the Future is not used for the Benefit of the Whole it will finally start a Revolution, a huge Transformation. When this transformation is postponed too long the Destructive Violent Emotions, the “Reptile Layer“, take over the Control of the Human being. The only thing that is left for the Controlling Power is to react with Violence. It is very difficult to end the Spiral of Violence.
At this moment we are moving into a new stage of the Long Term Cycle of Culture. The Industrial Revolution has ended. It has ended because we have reached the Limits. When the Limits are reached the Cycle has to Jump to another Level. There are two possibilities. The Cycle jumps Up or it jumps Down.
When it jumps Down the Old Culture is totally destroyed. This has happened often in Human History. It is very clear that Western Culture will be destroyed when we go on the way we are going. The only solution to survive is to Play another type of Game, the Infinite Game. When this happens the Cycle moves Up to another level of Consciousness.
If the resources are fixed we play a Finite Game. Finite games are the familiar contest of everyday life, the games we play in human relations. business, politics and educational contexts- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. In the end a finite game is always played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of the continuation off the play.
Infinite Games are the Game of the Creator, Spirit. They are Infinite because the amount of Ideas is infinite. The most beautiful example of an infinite game is Life itself.
Finite game Infinite game
Sharing knowledge is dangerous
Every game ends
Winning becomes more difficult
Opposite powers
Many losers, waste
Rules are fixed
Procedures, standards, fear
Compromise & Quantity
Monopolic
Threats, Incidents
Continuing the play
Help and educate
Partners, common purpose
Rules are flexible
Making mistakes means learning, experience
Synergy, growth
Surprise is a crucial element in most finite games. If we are not prepared to meet each of the possible moves of an opponent, our chances of losing are most certainly increased. Surprise in a finite play is the triumph of the past over the future. A finite player is not only trained to anticipate every future possibility, but to control the future, to prevent it from altering the past. Infinite players, on the other hand, continue their play on the expectation of being surprised.
If surprise is no longer possible, all play ceases. Surprise causes the finite play to an end; it is the reason for infinite play to continue. Because infinite players prepare themselves to be surprised by the future, they play in complete openness.
What one wins in a finite game is a Status, a Title. A title is the acknowledgement of others that one has been the winner of a particular game. Titles are public. They are for others to notice. Since titles are temporary, but exist only so far as they are acknowledged, we must find means to guarantee the memory of them. People are always looking for ways to prolong their Status even after Death (Biography, Statue).
Infinite players have nothing but their Names. Names, like titles, are given. When a person is known by title, the attention is on a completed past, on a game already concluded, and not therefore to be played again. When a person is known by name, the attention of others is on an open future.
From the outset of finite play each part or position must be taken up with certain seriousness: players must see themselves as teacher, as light heavyweight, as mother, as architect. In the proper exercise of such roles we positively believe we are the persons those Roles do portray. Even more: we make those roles believable to others.
Persons who assume a role must suspend their freedom with a proper seriousness in order to act as the role requires. Self-veiling is a contra dictionary act: a free suspension of our freedom. Infinite players do not eschew the performed roles of finite play, because finite games can be played within infinite games.
On the contrary, infinite players enter into finite games with all the appropriate energy and self-veiling, but they do so without the seriousness of finite players. They freely use Masks in their social engagements, but not without acknowledging to themselves and others that they are masked. For that reason they regard each participant in finite play as that person playing and not as a role played by someone.
The Infinite Games are called Design (Transforming Ideas into a Structure), Invention (Putting Ideas into Practice) and the most beautiful of all, the Game of Culture, the Game to Create New Games. This happens when Spirit cooperates with the Emotions.
To survive the clash of Western Culture we have to play a Very Strange Game. We have to Play Playing. Playing a Play is the Play of Children.
To play the play we have to accept that all the Infinite Games, the Cultures of the Earth, have Invented and Designed their own Games . When we accept the Great Big Melting Pot of the Earth (the Cauldron) we will see that the solutions for the current crisis are everywhere to find, especially in the Underdeveloped Countries! There is really no need to move Up and Down all the time.
We could finally step out of the Cycle into Unknown Territory and be Surprised to discover completely new ways to live and enjoy life.
About the Cooperative
About Mass Manipulation
About the Game of Politics
About Infinite Games
About the Effect of Violence
How to Avoid Violence
Tags: Bourgeoisie, capitalism, Cycle, finite game, Game, Industrial Revolution, Infinite, infinite game, Left, Male, masters and slaves, mind control, Norm, Revolution, Rich, Socialism, Trinity, Western Culture, Western Territory
Posted in Completed, History, Philosophy | No Comments »
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Global GDP, dollar help US regain inbound travelers
08 NOVEMBER 2018 9:45 AM
International inbound travel to the United States has rebounded after several years of slowing growth, but there’s still a long way to go to make up that lost market share.
By Bryan Wroten
bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com
@HNN_Bryan
GLOBAL REPORT—The U.S. Department of Commerce’s revised data on inbound international visitors shows the pace of global travel is back on the upswing.
Two recent webinars, one by the U.S. Travel Association and the other by the American Hotel & Lodging Association in partnership with Tourism Economics, helped shed some light on the biggest takeaways from the latest findings.
The global economy remains strong, said David Huether, SVP of research at USTA. The gross domestic product in the U.S. has grown by about 3% in past years, he said, and it should continue at a similar pace in 2019. There’s also solid growth in Asia, Europe and the rest of the Americas.
“Widespread growth in global GDP supports strong growth in global long-haul travel,” he said, defining it as international trips taken by people around the world outside of their home continent.
The macroeconomic environment defines travel performance, Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks said. The global economy is expanding, and the U.S. is leading that growth. The drivers behind GDP growth in the U.S. in 2018 were tax reform and the omnibus spending bill, he said, but those will disappear by 2020.
Global economic growth has slowed this year, he said, as purchasing manager indices show growth peaked in the early part of 2018. Global trade is softening, and year-over-year data shows trade has weakened because of recent tariffs. In looking at bilateral trade in the U.S., there is close to $400 billion exposed to additional tariffs this year, and there are threats for nearly $800 billion.
“In case you’re wondering, no one wins in a trade war,” he said.
The U.S. is expected to see a drop in GDP growth over the next two years, Sacks said, and China would suffer a bit more at the same time. He noted exporters are unhappy about how trade wars limit sale and consumers are unhappy about increased prices.
Overall international travel to the U.S. decreased by 1.8% in 2016, Huether said, but it grew by 0.7% in 2017. That amount is expected to accelerate to 3.5% in 2018 and 3.7% in 2019 to a level of about 83 million visitors, he said.
When excluding Canada and Mexico, inbound travel is expected to grow by 3.2% in 2018 and by 5.1% in 2019 after a decline of 1.5% in 2016 and an increase of 2% in 2017.
“Comparing overseas visitation to the United States with global long-haul travel, we see after underperforming the world in 2016, 2017 and 2018, inbound travel to the United States will accelerate and match global pace by 2019,” he said.
The U.S. lost a sizeable share over the last several years, Huether said, and to reclaim that 2015 share by 2024, it will need to increase overseas visitation by 7.5% a year for the next five years—the visitation pace achieved seen from 2010 to 2015.
Long-haul travelers
Fifty percent of international travelers visiting the U.S. are long-haul travelers, Sacks said. The total number of long-haul travelers is expected to surpass 350 million in 2019. These travelers account for a quarter of global travel, which is a 77% increase from 2009 through 2019.
From 2010 to 2015, long-haul inbound travel averaged about 8% growth a year, he said, which was faster than most of the United States’ major competitors and faster than overall global long-haul growth, which was about 5% at the time. However, from 2015 to 2017, that growth stalled in the U.S. while it accelerated overall globally.
“The U.S. turned from an overperformer to an underperformer in global travel,” he said. “As a result, the U.S. lost its market share from global long-haul travel for the last several years.”
This has happened before, Sacks said, most recently from 17% growth in 2000 to a low of 11.5% by 2006, driven by the events of 9/11, the war on terror and the overvalued dollar. Starting in 2007, the U.S. began to reclaim its lost share as the dollar lowered in value, Brand USA was born and the government implemented other supportive polices. The growth of inbound long-haul travel reached 13.8% by 2015, he said, but its share has declined to 12.2% growth since and is expected to edge down to just over 11.8% this year.
The cost of the most recent loss in market share is an additional 7.2 million travelers, $31 billion in spending and 100,000 more jobs in the U.S., he said.
While the U.S. has been losing share, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Spain have increased theirs.
An international survey by destination analysts found that while the U.S. remains the most desired destination, its lead has slipped since 2015. The strengthening of the dollar has made the U.S. more expensive to visit, Sacks said, the primary reason behind this slide. Others were concerned about their safety while traveling to the U.S., and the third reason is travelers—from Mexico and Germany in particular—were uncomfortable with the political climate.
Inbound outlook
Mexico and Canada make up 50% of the international visitors to the U.S., Huether said. Canada had dropped, but it rebounded in 2017 and is expected to grow in 2018 and 2019. Mexico saw a sharp drop in 2017, he said, but it’s expected to recover this year and next.
Europe comprises 20% of inbound visitation to the U.S., he said, but the number of European travelers declined 6% in 2016. However, it increased 1% in 2017 and is expected to accelerate to 3% in 2018 and be close to 4.5% growth in 2019. While these are improved numbers, they still fall short of the 5.5% growth seen from 2010 to 2015.
Travelers from Asia make up 16% of inbound visitation, Huether said, and growth is slower than in years past—12% from 2010 to 2015. It increased by a little more than 5% in 2016 and 2017, he said, and it’s supposed to reach 3% this year and increase to 6% next year. There’s evidence inbound travelers from China might be softening, he said, but travel from India might be stronger.
Political issues are having an effect on China, Sacks said. The consulate issued travel warnings over safety on traveling to the U.S., and there are also prospects China will weaponize travel and use it as a tool in the trade war since it ran out of things to put tariffs on, he said.
Latin America represents about 10% of inbound visitation, Huether said, and while it declined by 1% in 2016, it rebounded by 2.6% in 2017. Visitation is expected to grow by 3.5% this year and by more than 5% in 2019.
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Appeals Court to Hear Arguments in Case Charging Former Bolivian President for Role in 2003 Massacre
May 16, 2011, Miami, FL —The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral argument tomorrow in Miami, Florida in Mamani v. Sánchez de Lozada and Sánchez Berzain. The case brings claims under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) on behalf of ten Bolivian plaintiffs against the former Bolivian president, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, and Bolivian defense minister, José Carlos Sánchez Berzaín, for their roles in a 2003 massacre that included targeted killings of unarmed civilians. Both defendants now live in the United States.
“The United States should not be a safe haven for individuals who commit serious human rights violations,” said Judith Brown Chomsky of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who will argue the appeal on behalf of the plaintiffs. “The Alien Tort Statute is an important tool for fighting impunity, and allows our clients to seek justice for the deaths of their loved ones.”
The oral argument will be heard tomorrow morning, May 17, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. at the King Federal Justice Building, 99 Northeast Fourth Street, Miami, FL.
The district court previously ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor on the motion to dismiss, allowing claims for extrajudicial killing and crimes against humanity to proceed against both defendants. The defendants are contesting this ruling on appeal.
The oral argument will address three legal questions: (1) whether the defendants are entitled to immunity, despite an explicit waiver of immunity from the Bolivian government, which the U.S. government accepted; (2) whether the case presents a non-justiciable political question; and (3) whether the complaint, alleging intentional killings of peaceful civilians, states cognizable claims for extrajudicial killing and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute.
The original complaints against Sánchez de Lozada and Sánchez Berzaín were filed in September 2007. The complaints allege that the two defendants ordered Bolivian security forces to use deadly force, including high-powered rifles and machine guns, to suppress popular protests against government policies by targeting unarmed civilians in Bolivia’s indigenous Aymara community. During September and October 2003, 67 men, women, and children were killed, and several hundred were injured. Both defendants fled Bolivia in late October 2003, and have lived in the U.S. for the past eight years.
The attorneys on the case are Judith Brown Chomsky and Beth Stephens of the Center for Constitutional Rights; Susan Farbstein, Tyler Giannini, and James Cavallaro of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School; Steven Schulman, Michael Small, and Jeremy Bollinger of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP; David Rudovsky of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg, LLP; Ira Kurzban of Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger & Tetzoli; and Paul Hoffman of Schonbrun, De Simone, Seplow, Harris & Hoffman, LLP.
Alison Roh Park, CCR (212) 614-6480, apark@ccrjustice.org; David Lerner, Riptide Communications (212) 260-5000, dlerner@riptideonline.com; Cara Solomon, International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School (617) 852-6872, csolomon@law.harvard.edu.
Alien Tort Statute,
11th Circuit,
Aymara,
Beth Stephens,
Bolivia,
James Cavallaro,
Judith Brown Chomsky,
Mamani,
Sanchez Berzain,
Sanchez de Lozada,
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Downswell taking gospel 'All The Way'
Kimberley Small
Kevin Downswell
"I've always been someone who never settles. If I'm told not to try something because no one has ever done it before, you just gave me my greatest motivation to do it." These are the words of Kevin Downswell, Jamaican gospel musician, as he prepares to embark on a North American tour.
While juggling his time to include the other important roles he plays, including speaker, evangelist, businessman, author and husband, Downswell has chosen to extend himself further and take the gospel to other shores. Downswell has already made promotional appearances in Toronto, Canada, and Baltimore and Miami in the United States, with the intention to make a lasting international imprint on the gospel scene.
"We currently have a few persons on board working with us who are focused on building the brand internationally," Downswell told THE WEEKEND STAR. Following a successful launch of his latest album, All The Way, in Jamaica recently, Downswell and his team are paying keen attention to his music's impact on international charts.
"We have already been seeing fruit from this as track one from the new album, Goodbye World, has been number five on one of Europe's top reggae charts for two weeks now. We have also been receiving a tremendous amount of responses from persons in France, Belgium, UK, some places in Africa - like Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria," he said.
"No matter how good you are, if they don't hear you, they'll never know you. So with the release of this new album, it's all about working on increasing airplay, interviews, live performances, ministry and so much more internationally," Downswell told THE WEEKEND STAR. "All these persons all express how they are enjoying the new album, All The Way. We have been to some of these places, but for the rest of the year and 2017, it's all about strategically accessing and impacting these with the music and its message."
Though he has received 'lots of offers' to record secular music, Downswell told THE WEEKEND STAR that he's not just committed to the faith and his ministry, but he is happy doing it. "I know why I am here, and that is to bring glory and honour to Jesus Christ in all I do, and I plan to give every waking moment to accomplishing that. I believe that enjoying what you do is very vital to its longevity."
With that in mind, the gospel artiste declares that he is ready to take gospel all the way to the four corner of the earth. Downswell told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was preparing to embark on a North American tour to promote the album over the next few months. "US and Canada are the obvious prospects in the interim, but I am also reviewing a couple dates in the Caribbean and I am not ruling out Africa. I want to see Kenya, Ghana and other African countries on my radar, too. I am excited about taking the good news as far as God favours me," he said.
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INPEX officially opens Ichthys LNG onshore facilities
Darwin, Australia – A landmark celebration has officially opened the onshore LNG processing facilities of INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG – one of the largest and most complex resource developments in the world.
Japanese, Australian and Northern Territory government representatives unveiled a plaque to commemorate four decades of future benefits Ichthys LNG will bring to the Northern Territory, Australia, Japan and the region.
Symbolising the collaboration inherent in global enterprises on the scale of Ichthys LNG, Mr Hiroshige Sekō, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon. Matthew Canavan, Australian Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and The Hon. Ken Vowles MLA, Northern Territory Minister of Primary Industry and Resources united to declare the site officially opened.
INPEX CEO, President and Representative Director, Mr Takayuki Ueda said today’s official opening was the culmination of a truly remarkable global enterprise over the last 20 years, and paid tribute to all involved.
“We are standing here today thanks to the contributions of tens of thousands of people drawn from many nations across the world.” Mr Ueda said.
“Ichthys LNG is an iconic project. We are very proud of the economic and social contributions INPEX and Ichthys LNG have made to date – along with 40 years of future operations that will provide lasting economic and social benefits for Australia and energy security for Japan.”
Approximately 70 per cent of the LNG produced by Ichthys LNG is scheduled to be supplied to Japanese customers. Ichthys LNG will help to meet growing energy demand in the region, while contributing to the Australian way of life.
Ms Susie Pantall, Communications Manager, INPEX Australia
Office: +61 (0) 862136634
Mobile: +61 (0) 403330020
Email: susie.pantall@inpex.com.au
About INPEX
INPEX CORPORATION is Japan’s largest exploration and production (E&P) company, and a mid-tier E&P player just behind the world’s oil majors. INPEX is currently involved in approximately 70 projects across more than 20 countries, including the Ichthys LNG Project in Australia as Operator. Through sustainably growing its oil and gas development business, INPEX aims to become a top class international oil and gas E&P Company and continue providing a stable and efficient supply of energy to its customers. For more information, visit https://www.inpex.co.jp/english/index.html.
About the Ichthys LNG Project
The Ichthys LNG Project is a project led by INPEX (Operator, participating interest: 62.245%) alongside major partner TOTAL (participating interest: 30%) and the Australian subsidiaries of CPC Corporation, Taiwan (participating interest: 2.625%), Tokyo Gas (participating interest: 1.575%), Osaka Gas (participating interest: 1.2%), Kansai Electric Power (participating interest: 1.2%), JERA (participating interest: 0.735%) and Toho Gas (participating interest: 0.42%) that involves liquefying natural gas lifted from the Ichthys Gas-condensate Field offshore Western Australia at an onshore gas liquefaction plant constructed in Darwin, Northern Territory, and producing and shipping approximately 8.9 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and approximately 1.65 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak. The Ichthys LNG Project is a large-scale LNG project by global standards, and is expected to be operational over a period of 40 years. In 1998, INPEX acquired an exploration permit in the block where the project is located, and following development studies including exploration, evaluation and FEED work, the company announced its final investment decision (FID) in January 2012.
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Sharon John to Join Jack in the Box Inc. Board of Directors
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 2014-- Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) today announced that Sharon John will be joining the company’s board of directors, effective September 18, 2014. John is Chief Executive Officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., an interactive entertainment retailer with approximately 400 company and franchised Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide generating close to $400 million in annual sales.
John joins the Jack in the Box Inc. board with more than 25 years of retail marketing, branding and executive management experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. in 2013, she served three years as President of the Stride Rite Children’s Group, a footwear division of Wolverine Worldwide with more than 300 stores in the U.S. and abroad. From 2002 to 2010 John held several senior management roles with Hasbro Inc., most recently as General Manager and Senior Vice President of its Global Preschool/Playskool business unit and, prior to that as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the U.S. Toy division where she managed a wide portfolio of brands, including NERF, Transformers and My Little Pony. In 2002, John founded her own toy company, Checkerboard Toys, and served as its CEO until joining Hasbro. In 1999 John was Vice President of Marketing & Product Development for the U.S. toy division of Vtech Holdings Ltd., and from 1994 to 1999 she held several senior management positions at Mattel, Inc., most recently as Vice President of International Marketing for the company’s Disney business unit. John also has experience working at top marketing and advertising agencies, including DDB Needham Worldwide and Backer Spielvolgel Bates, both in New York.
“Sharon is a tremendous addition to our board,” said Lenny Comma, chairman and CEO at Jack in the Box Inc. “For more than two decades she’s been a driving force at some of the most popular consumer brands in North America. We’re looking forward to benefiting from her extensive experience positioning businesses like Build-A-Bear Workshop and Stride Rite for growth and success as we continue to expand our Jack in the Box® and Qdoba® brands.”
John holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and an MBA in International Business and Marketing from Columbia University in New York.
brian.luscomb@jackinthebox.com
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About the Golden Helix Foundation
George P. Patrinos
George P. Patrinos obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Athens (Greece). He currently serves as Associate Professor of Pharmacogenomics and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in the University of Patras (Greece), Department of Pharmacy and holds adjunct Professorships at Erasmus MC, Faculty of Medicine, Rottetrdam (the Netherlands) and the United Arab Emirates University, College of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Al-Ain (UAE). Also, he is Greece’s National representative in the CHMP Pharmacogenomics Working Party of the European Medicines Agency (EMA, London, UK) and Scientific Director of the Golden Helix Foundation (London, UK), an international non-profit research organization in the field of Genomic Medicine.
His research interests involve discovery work and clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics, genomics of rare disorders and transcriptional regulation of human fetal globin genes. His group is also internationally recognized for its involvement in developing National/Ethnic Genetic databases to document the genetic heterogeneity in different poulations worldwide and of genome informatics tools to translate genomic information into a clinically meaningful format, while he also has a keen interest in public health genomics to critically assess the impact of genomics to society and public health.
George has more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and textbooks, some of them in leading scientific journals, such as Nature Genetics, Nature Rev Genet, Nucleic Acids Res, Genes Dev, and he is the Editor of the textbook “Molecular Diagnostics”, published by Academic Press, now in its 3rd edition. Furthermore, he serves as Associate Editor and member of the editorial board of several scientific journals, he has been a member of several international boards and advisory and evaluation committees and he is the main organizer of the Golden Helix Conferences, an international meeting series on Pharmacogenomics and Genomic Medicine. He has given numerous keynote and plenary lectures in international conferences as invited speaker and his research projects received funding from national and international funding agencies.
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The Bucks, the Federal Government, and a Billion-Dollar Question
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
by Andrew Sharp
Public financing for stadiums is having a bit of a moment right now. Charlie Pierce did a great job highlighting the issues surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks’ proposed arena deal last week on Grantland. And this weekend, the New York Times ran an article highlighting the fraught economic situation in Wisconsin.
The article begins by taking us back and discussing how the NBA threatened to move the Bucks to Las Vegas or Seattle if the team’s owners couldn’t come to terms on a publicly financed arena deal. It reminds us of the stakes (“If economists left and right share any single view, however, it’s that local and state governments should eliminate subsidies to arenas and stadiums”) and the context (“From start to desultory end, Milwaukee offered a case study in all that is wrong with our arena-shakedown age”).
And then, in granular detail, writer Michael Powell details the failed grassroots opposition to the arena and the eventual triumph of Bucks ownership, whose pledges of loyalty last year turned into a $500 million stadium this year. While one of the Bucks owners oversees a mortgage company that once owned abandoned foreclosed homes on one side of town, on the other side, the city (along with the state and county) will pay hundreds of millions for a stadium.
Read the whole thing. With a combination of reporting and bone-dry sarcasm, it’s one of the most damning indictments of stadium subsidies you’ll find anywhere.
But like most of the damning indictments of stadium subsidies, we never get to the real problem, or the most realistic way to solve it.
POPULOUS/KNTB/EUA
Don’t blame the owners of the Bucks. This is a tough ask, I know. It’s easy to look at billionaire hedge fund managers like Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry — who pressure Milwaukee officials while their lending companies foreclose on homes elsewhere in the city — and gawk at the audacity and hypocrisy on display. But this is how professional sports operate, and it’s been like this for decades. Owners aren’t crazy for demanding local money to help build a stadium; they’d be crazy not to do it. If cash-printing franchises like the Yankees and Cowboys are building stadiums with massive handouts from local governments, why should anyone expect the owners of the Milwaukee Bucks to adhere to a higher moral obligation?
Teams have real leverage. There are a fixed number of franchises in every sport, demand outstrips supply, and leagues are quick to cosign relocation threats, because it helps establish public funding as the standard model for everyone.
That same model helps ensure that cities will continue having these problems, too. As long as teams don’t own stadiums, it makes it even easier to threaten relocation again a decade or two down the line — it’s not like the owners would be abandoning a stadium that they spent hundreds of millions to build. And so the cycle continues. In every sport, every year.
It comes down to a case of idealism vs. realism. In a vacuum, it’s easy to downplay the value of new stadiums to local economies. It’s harder to quantify the vacuum left behind when one of these teams leaves town for a new home that will pay to attract them. It’s why the Bucks stadium deal ultimately had bipartisan support among local politicians. Cities and states have a choice of either participating in the pro sports business or watching it go elsewhere. Supporting billionaires may look bad, but losing a billion-dollar corporation and the national relevance that comes with it isn’t necessarily a better alternative.
So, somewhere between reading about the billionaire businessmen playing a game that’s rigged in their favor and the state politicians who are left choosing between two bad options, a question occurred to me.
Isn’t this what the federal government is for? If there’s interstate commerce that wreaks havoc on state and local governments as a rule, shouldn’t Congress step in to legislate the business back to sanity?
Even a local politician who helped craft the Bucks stadium deal admitted to the Times, “If Congress considered a law that would prevent any public financing for sports stadiums, I would support that.”
The most productive solution to date emerged without much fanfare earlier this year, buried in the 2016 budget proposal that the Obama administration presented to Congress. As the Wall Street Journal reported in March, the budget included a proposed ban on using tax-exempt municipal bonds to fund stadium projects. This is the way almost all cities have paid for stadiums over the past few decades.
The Minnesota Vikings, for instance, are using $468 million in bonds to build what will be a billion-dollar stadium. The $250 million that’s going to the Bucks is composed of “$55 million in state bonds; $47 million from the city of Milwaukee; $55 million in bonds from Milwaukee County and $93 million in bonds from Wisconsin Center District,” according to Bloomberg. In a separate look at the issue, in 2012, Bloomberg calculated that $17 billion of tax-exempt bonds have been issued for stadiums since 1986, costing federal taxpayers about $4 billion in subsidies to bondholders over the lifetime of the debt.
Saving that money is obviously one benefit for the federal government, but the real imperative should be saving local and state governments from themselves and all the shakedowns that have become standard in pro sports. If local governments can’t be trusted to stop offering welfare to billionaire owners, the federal government can take away the tools they use to make those payments.
Almost as soon as President Obama’s budget proposal was released, it was loudly dismissed by congressional Republicans. This isn’t surprising: Modern presidential budget proposals are mostly symbolic and not presented with any real notion they’ll get passed. But the municipal bond restriction quietly baked into the budget still makes sense. And given the money that both Republican and Democratic state governments are expected to raise for pro sports, there’s no reason it shouldn’t have bipartisan support in Congress.
Billionaire owners don’t deserve public handouts to subsidize their investments. When they buy into pro sports, owners inherit teams that appreciate in value by hundreds of millions of dollars every decade, with TV rights skyrocketing and all kinds of ancillary revenue streams springing from their investment. In exchange for those benefits, it’s fair to ask them to invest in infrastructure and assume some of the risk. It’s how the business should work.
Absent federal regulation, though, it’s naive to expect anyone involved to behave any differently from what just happened in Milwaukee. These scenarios feel outrageous and inexplicable, but they are also close to inevitable. There’s too much money on the line to expect charity from owners, and there’s too much civic pride and political capital on the line to expect local politicians to take a hard stance and send teams elsewhere.
It just seems like we’ve been focusing our energy in the wrong places with this issue. Any time a team asks for public help building a new stadium, we point to the net worth of the owners in question, but not the 30 years of precedent for publicly funded stadiums that have already been built. Maybe raising awareness about these shameless stadium deals will make it harder to sell them politically, but that didn’t work in Milwaukee, and in Missouri the governor and the St. Louis Rams just skirted a public vote altogether on $400 million of proposed funding for a new stadium.
At some point, it’s time to start asking why Congress allows this to happen to a new city every year. Whether it’s banning bonds from being used in these deals or some other kind of intervention, this is the only step that could really change things. In the meantime, demonizing owners or blaming local politicians doesn’t tell the full story.
The Bucks’ owners may not be the bleeding-heart saviors they were advertised as last year, but they’re also not the blackhearted shakedown artists you’re hearing about now. Their stadium deal didn’t game the system; that is the system. If you want to get outraged at anyone, start with the people who can change it.
Filed Under: NBA, Milwaukee Bucks, Barack Obama
Andrew Sharp is a staff editor at Grantland.
Archive @ andrewsharp
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The Warriors Are Angry; Long Live the Angry Warriors October 14, 2015
It’s Otto Porter Season in Washington, D.C. October 13, 2015
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‘The Lowe Post’ Podcast: Howard Beck on Pursuing Kevin Durant October 29, 2015
Five Minutes With Bulls Coach Fred Hoiberg October 29, 2015
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The Birth of Boykin: How Trevone Made the Leap From ‘Athlete’ to Star TCU QB
Matt Buschmann’s Yellow Brick Road: Will the Minor League Strikeout King Ever Reach the Majors?
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Jihad's Other Victims
During the 1992-95 civil war in Bosnia, hundreds of Islamic militants from all over the world came to fight for the "beleaguered Bosnians" in what they considered a part of the ongoing jihad against the infidels. Many stayed after the war's end, marrying local women and taking over ethnically cleansed villages, where they would establish theocratic communities based on Wahhabi Islamic teachings.
Bosnian Muslim leader Alija Izetbegovic wrote as early as 1970 (PDF) about the need to "re-Islamize" the Muslims as a way to improve their position in the world (Izetbegovic devoted a lot of space in his Islamic Declaration to the pathetic state of contemporary secular Muslim countries, comparing them most unfavorably with the former Ottoman Empire - a Caliphate, whose fall he blamed on the Western infidels). The Bosnian war provided him with an opportunity to put his ideas in practice. Izetbegovic's rejection of any agreement with the Bosnian Serbs started the war in the spring of 1992; his troops clashed with their erstwhile Croat allies from 1993 to 1994; and a portion of Muslims loyal to a rival politician in Western Bosnia were declared "traitors" and mercilessly repressed in 1995. Parallel to his efforts to establish a "Bosniak" nation, Izetbegovic and his followers sought to ensure its Islamic identity. Turkish and Arabic phrases that were once used only in religious context became commonplace; the new "Bosnian" language abounded with words borrowed from Turkish, Arabic and Persian, often resurrected from century-old linguistic oblivion; and new mosques appeared in every neighborhood.
In addition to their fighting prowess (which remains dubious), foreign mujahedin were one of the instruments of "re-islamization." Their integration into the "Bosnian Army" (ARBiH) enabled the Izetbegovic regime to transform it from a self-proclaimed "people's self-defense" force into a heavily Islamic organization. Thanks to universal conscription, the subsequently demobilized soldiers would come home more receptive to the message spread by immigrant imams from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and elsewhere in the Islamic world. As a side note, every Muslim soldier who died during the war was considered a "martyr" in a jihad, and given the appropriate burial. Izetbegovic himself is buried in a "martyrs' cemetery" in Sarajevo
After the war, hundreds of new mosques were built by foreign donors - most prominently Saudi Arabia - and the imams preaching there introduced a new, different version of Islam. Adherents to Wahhabi teachings were soon easily identified by long beards, distinctive headwear, and rolled-up trousers. The carefully nurtured atmosphere of hatred and mistrust of Bosnia's Serbs and Croats, coupled with a persecution complex and victim mentality (according to which the Bosnian Muslims were victims of "genocide" not just in the 1992-95 war, but multiple times in the 20th century, ever since the Ottomans were forced out), created fertile soil for widespread discontent. Jobless, frustrated men turned to the mosques, where the foreigners plied them with money and promises, if only they turned to the "true" faith.
From helping the "Bosnians" in their jihad against the Serbs and Croats, to recruiting "Bosnians" for the greater jihad in the West was but a small step. Mirsad Bektasevic, a.k.a. "Maximus," who was convicted earlier this year of a plot to conduct terrorist attacks against foreign embassies in Bosnia. Sulejman Talovic's rampage in Salt Lake City last month was in all likelihood an act of Islamic terrorism. Though Talovic was pitied by the American media as a victim of the Bosnian war (Americans even collected donations to fund Talovic's funeral; he was buried in Bosnia - as a martyr for the faith!), information that has surfaced recently indicates that he was in fact a jihadist, and that his shooting spree was a premeditated attack on "infidels" planned with the help of a "friend" at a nearby mosque. According to the young woman who claims to be Talovic's long-distance girlfriend, he had told her the night before the attack that tomorrow would be the "happiest day of his life."
Many Balkans Muslims, however, resent the heavy-handed attempts by the Wahhabis to impose their view of Islam as the only one allowed. There have actually been physical confrontations between the official Islamic clergy and the Wahhabis, both in Bosnia and in the Raska region of Serbia, which has a significant Muslim population. Last November, three people were injured in a shooting clash between the Wahhabis and traditional Muslims in Novi Pazar. And just last week, four men were arrested in Novi Pazar, when Serbian police raided a nearby Wahhabist camp and found weapons, explosives, and terrorist literature.
Serbia's leading expert on Wahhabi terrorism, Darko Trifunovic, was quoted by the Italian news service AKI on that occasion: "[T]here is no doubt that the main victims of the divisions in the Muslim community will be Muslims themselves."
With the well of coexistence with Serbs and Croats already deeply poisoned, fratricidal violence in Novi Pazar, and young Muslims being recruited for jihad across the world, it appears the bill is already coming due.
Labels: Bosnia, jihad, terrorism
FIFA Upholds Sieg-heiling Conviction
In November last year, when Croatia's soccer team managed to win passage to the 2014 World Cup by the skin of their teeth, one of the p...
Absence of Principle
All about the Germans?
The Baby Doth Protest Too Much
Humanitarian bombs, again
A compliment, of sorts
Jacobins in Serbia
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Area 35,672 square mi (92,391 square km)
Capital Lisbon
Highest Point Pico 7,713 ft (2,351 m)
Primary Natural Resources forests, cork, marble, fisheries.
THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC is located in southwestern Europe, sharing the Iberian Peninsula with SPAIN, which it borders to the north and east. To the west and south it borders the ATLANTIC OCEAN. Portugal is a parliamentary democracy. The prime minister leads the government and the president is the chief of state. The capital and largest city is LISBON (Lisboa).
The country is organized in 18 districts in the mainland and two Autonomous Regions, the archipelagos of Madeira and AZORES (Acores), located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The state is highly centralized, with only the autonomous regions enjoying a high degree of self-governance. Recently, a more geographic division comprising 5 major regions and 28 minor ones was designed and utilized for statistical purposes.
The area that became the country of Portugal has had a varied human presence since prehistoric times, in part because of its position as the crossroads between the MEDITERRANEAN SEA and northern Europe and the fact that several natural harbors existed along the coast. Settlers included Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Lusitanians, Romans, Suevi, and Visigoths, among others. Roman and Muslim influences endured, especially in the south of Portugal. The country’s name seems to have originated from the Roman designation of the area around Porto as Portus Cale (Port of Cale). Muslims from North Africa invaded the peninsula in 711 C.E., sparking a crusade effort by Christians that originated several kingdoms and feudal holdings in the area.
In 1143, Afonso Henriques (Afonso I) obtained independence from the kingdom of Castile and Leon and became the first king of Portugal, then confined to the area between the Douro and Minho rivers. He proceeded with the reconquest from the Moors southward, seizing Lisbon in 1147, and the coast of Algarve was reached in 1250. The Portuguese borders have remained almost unchanged since 1297.
Cornered in one extreme of Europe and motivated by the will to find a sea route to coveted Asian goods while spreading Christianity, Portugal turned to the sea from the beginning of the 15th century. It first occupied the stronghold of Ceuta (1415), then discovered Madeira (1419), and, supported by the vision of Prince Henry the Navigator, launched the Age of Discoveries that would allow the European expansion into new worlds and shift commerce to the Atlantic.
Portuguese mariners sailed south along the African coast on the way to INDIA and in 1500 claimed the lands that became BRAZIL. The country obtained great economic, political, and cultural influence during the 15th and 16th centuries, culminating its expansionist period with colonies in Africa, Asia, and South America.
In the 1600s and 1700s, Portugal faced increasing competition from other European nations, and lost much of its power with the Napoleonic wars and the independence of Brazil (1822).
After deposing the monarchy in 1910, the country experienced an unstable and short-lived republicanism. In 1926, a military coup initiated a long period of repressive fascist dictatorship, during which the country stagnated and grew more isolated from the world, leading many Portuguese to emigrate. Portugal lost the colony of Goa to India in 1961, and a war for independence erupted in the African province of ANGOLA, soon spreading to the colonies of MOZAMBIQUE and GUINEA-BISSAU.
In 1974, a peaceful military-led revolution reinstated democracy, and the following year Portugal granted independence to its five African possessions, triggering the return of many Portuguese settlers and an influx of immigrants. In 1999, the country’s imperial age would finally come to a close, when Macao, the last colonial holding, was returned to China. As if to seal its return to the European boundaries, Portugal became a member of the EUROPEAN UNION in 1986 and was in the first group of countries adopting the euro as official currency in 2002.
LAND AND RESOURCES
Despite its modest dimensions (roughly 342 by 124 mi or 550 by 200 km), mainland Portugal displays surprising physical diversity. The territory is situated on the edge of the Mediterranean basin, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, in the Subtropical Zone of the Northern Hemisphere. This transition area experiences both Atlantic and Mediterranean influences with expression in the climate and in the vegetation. Differences result mainly from the combination of latitude, elevation, and distance to the large Atlantic Ocean, as demonstrated by the complex plant cover. The main limiting factor of the natural vegetation is the irregular precipitation on account of latitude, and botanical domains have organized mostly from north to south.
The climate is maritime temperate (cool, rainy) in the northwest and markedly Mediterranean (warmer, drier) in the south. The northeast suffers similar hot and dry summers but has colder winters. On an average year, Porto receives 50 in (128 cm) of rain, and Lisbon 31 in (78 cm), with some areas in the southeast receiving less than 12 in (30 cm). A few mountainous areas get limited amounts of snow. The main climatic features of Portugal are summer drought and the irregular precipitation, with sequences of dry and wet years alternating frequently. Along the west seaboard, a steady wind blows from the northwest on typical summer afternoons, in response to a pronounced coastal upwelling effect. This process keeps the sea water cool year-round.
In Portugal, the natural conditions also combined with a long human presence to produce diverse landscapes, where native and many introduced plant species coexist. The former provincial division has some geographical meaning and is still used to designate the different regions.
Mainland Portugal sits mostly to the west of the large platform that dominates the center of the Peninsula, called Meseta. The area suffered major tectonic activity during the Miocene era: It was more intense in the north, where the main mountain ranges are found. This activity also originated the Central Range, rising from the southwest to the northeast and culminating in the Serra da Estrela, with the highest elevation of peninsular Portugal (6,539 ft or 1,993 m). The rivers flowing to the west from the interior of the peninsula have cut deep valleys through the western mountains on their way to the ocean. Main rivers, including the Tagus (Tejo), Douro, Minho, and Guadiana, have their sources in Spain and are heavily dammed, generating some dispute for the water between the two countries.
To the south of this core of older rocks, the basins of the rivers Tagus and Sado filled with sediments during the tertiary Era. Two platforms, starting to form 200 million years ago, spread to the west of the Central Range and along the southern coast of Algarve.
The Portuguese coastline stretches for about 517 mi (832 km). The coast is generally straight and sandy north of Peniche, interrupted by a few rocky capes. In some places it is indented by river estuaries and shallow saltwater lagoons. The broad estuaries of the Tagus and Sado provide good natural harbors, utilized as such since ancient times. The southwest has rocky shores interrupted by sandy beaches.
The Central Range is usually considered the main division between the mountainous north and the south, characterized by rolling plains and a few scattered small ranges.
In the northwest region of Minho, the ranges of granite mountains facing the ocean receive more than 79 in (200 cm) yearly and are the source of the rivers Lima, Cavado, and Ave. The flat coastal areas and river valleys are intensively cultivated, typically with corn fields or pastures surrounded by vines, and dairy farms are common. This green region has the highest population density of Portugal, with numerous villages and houses dispersed along the roads.
East of the mountains and experiencing a rain shadow effect, the drier northeast is basically a series of plateaus interrupted by valleys. Some of the broader ones are rich agricultural areas, as in Chaves and Vilarica. Isolated villages are surrounded by orchards, vineyards, and grain fields.
In part due to the pronounced summer drought, this region of Tras-os-Montes displays some similarities to the south of the country, with cork oak trees dotting the wide landscapes. Marking the oriental border with Spain, the Douro River runs for 62 mi (100 km) inside a rocky canyon before entering the deep, large valley, where port wine has been made since the 1700s. For thousands of acres on both sides of the river, the slopes were terraced by human hand to sustain the vineyards, in an endeavor of daunting proportions.
South of the Douro, the central region of Portugal is mostly mountainous, with forests covering the lower slopes and sheep and goats grazing at higher elevations. These mountains are the source of important water courses, such as the Zezere and the Mondego, the latter is the longest river whose source is in Portugal.
People have initially settled along these river valleys, and some towns in the interior regions of Beira Baixa and Beira Alta are still walled or protected by castles, attesting the wars once opposing Iberian kingdoms. In the Beira Litoral, closer to the ocean, crops occupy the flat lower river valleys, and forests of pine trees now cover ancient coastal dunes.
In the hilly region of Estremadura, north of Lisbon, the varied agriculture includes grain, orchards, vineyards, and vegetables to supply the metro area. To the west of the capital city, the humid Serra de Sintra stands out as an island of lush vegetation protected by old palaces and fortresses. South of the 621-mi- (1,000-km-) long Tagus River spreads the savannalike landscape (called montado) of the Alentejo, where wheat fields or cattle pastures are punctuated by cork oak trees. The declining population concentrates in settlements of low white houses. Part of the wild coast, with small beaches between rocky cliffs, is protected as a natural park.
The wooded mountains of the Serra de Monchique and Serra do Caldeirao separate the rolling plains from the southernmost region of Algarve. Here, the land slopes gently toward the calm ocean, with orchards and greenhouses for growing vegetables occupying the lower reaches. Along the coast, fishing gave way to tourism as the main activity, with villages becoming summer resorts and golf courses replacing cropland.
AZORES AND MADEIRA
The archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira have a volcanic origin and were both discovered and settled in the 1400s. The nine islands of the Azores occupy 896 square mi (2,322 sq km) and have 241,763 inhabitants (2001). The archipelago straddles the MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE and displays secondary forms of volcanism, such as geysers and fumaroles. The rainy climate and fertile soil allows for agricultural use and presence of lush vegetation cover.
Located 560 mi (900 km) southwest of Lisbon, off the coast of North Africa, the autonomous region of Madeira occupies 303 square mi (785 sq km) and has a population totaling 245,000 (2001). The archipelago includes the namesake island, as well as Porto Santo and two uninhabited group of islets, the Desertas and the Selvagens. The landscape of Madeira, the main island, is heavily eroded, with the mountainous interior revealing deep valleys amid jagged peaks. Fishing villages dot the rugged and rocky coast, almost devoid of sand. A rare and primitive type of forest dating from pre-glacial times occupies the intermediate elevations, giving way to pastures above that. A complex system of canals, called levadas, allows the watering of cereals and vegetables grown at lower elevations and on terraced slopes.
The climate is mild year-round with a mediterranean tone, enabling the presence of semi-tropical vegetation and production of sugarcane and bananas for export. Wine is also a hallmark product of the island, originating from the vineyards that cover the southern slopes. The area around Funchal, the main city, concentrates 70 percent of the population and the chief economic activities. The city is an important port of call for transatlantic cruises, and tourism is a major source of revenue. However, a long history of emigration still causes the population of Madeira to decrease.
Portugal has scarce natural resources, and is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. Hydropower accounts for 30 percent of the energetic needs, with the rest coming from coal-based power plants. Use of other renewable sources is slowly increasing. Mining included coal, gold, uranium, wolframite, and copper, but activity has been declining. The south has large reserves of copper and zinc still in exploitation, as well as marble quarries.
The combination of poor soil and Mediterranean climate results unfavorable for intensive agriculture in Portugal. The soils tend to be rocky or sandy, with the exception of fertile alluvial plains, notably along the lower Tagus. Olives, vineyards, and orchards remain important permanent crops, despite the recent increase in irrigated agriculture. Agriculture, forestry and fishing employ 13 percent of the workforce and create 4% of the GDP. Main agricultural products include wine, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, wheat, olives and olive oil, fruits, grapes, beef, and dairy products. Animal production also includes hogs, sheep, and goats. Farms are generally small, but diverse types of land ownership have contributed to differences in farm structure.
Forests cover about one-third of Portugal, but wildfires are a recurrent hazard in the summer, due to drought caused by the mediterranean climate: 1,047,700 acres (424,000 hectares) burned in 2003, the worst year on record. Oak and chestnut trees characterize the north, while pine occupies in the north and center. Introduced for wood pulp production, the eucalyptus has rapidly expanded in the last 20 years. In the south, the cork oak has great economic importance, with Portugal being the leading world producer of this material. Natural shrubs also cover large areas, with mediterranean-type maquis dominating in the drier south.
Portugal has the largest EEZ (exclusive economic zone) of the European Union (617,775 square mi or 1,600,000 square km), but the sea is under-exploited. Commercial fishing is in decline, yet the Portuguese remain important consumers of seafood. Aveiro, Lisbon, Leixoes (Porto), and Peniche are major fishing ports.
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Capital Ankara
Primary Natural Resources antimony, barite, coal, copper, emery.
TURKEY IS A NEAR Middle Eastern country located in northwestern Asia with a toehold in extreme southeastern Europe. It is about the size of TEXAS and LOUISIANA combined. About 3 percent of Turkey’s land area is in Europe. Thrace, its European area, is about the size of VERMONT at 9,412 square mi (24,378 square km). Its Asian area (Asia Minor) is called Anatolia and covers 291,971 square mi (756,202 square km). Turkey’s coastline is 2,211 mi (3,558 km) long.
Turkey’s eastern border is shared with IRAN, AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, and GEORGIA. Its Anatolian northern border is on the BLACK SEA. Its Thracian territory borders BULGARIA and GREECE on the north. Its western coast lies on the AEGEAN SEA facing Greek islands. The western part of the southern border is its MEDITERRANEAN SEA coast until it meets the Asian mainland. The center of its southern border is shared with SYRIA. The eastern part of its southern borders is shared with IRAQ.
Turkey has seven major regions: the Black Sea region, the Marmara region, the Aegean, the Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, East Anatolia, and Southeast Anatolia. The Black Sea region extends from the Bosporus Strait to Georgia. The Northern Plains run along the western half of the Black Sea coast in a narrow belt until the Northern Mountains meet the Pontic Mountains.
PONTIC MOUNTAINS
The Northern Mountains cover a large area in of northwestern Asiatic Turkey. They meet the Pontic Mountains about midway along the Black Sea coast. The Northern Plains then continue along the Pontic Coast of the Black Sea to the border with Georgia. In some areas the mountains come all the way to the coast. The Northern and Pontic Mountains receive enough moisture for them to be heavily wooded. There are only a few roads through the Pontic Mountains to the Black Sea.
The Thracian part of the Marmara region is covered by the Northern Plains, an area of gentle rolling grass lands and farms. Historic ISTANBUL (Constantinople) is located in European Turkey on a peninsula at the intersection of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara. An estuary called the Golden Horn separates it from newer areas. In addition, Istanbul has expanded across the Bosporus to the Asian side. European Turkey is separated from Asiatic Turkey by three connected waterways: the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles.
The Bosporus Strait, one of the world’s busiest waterways, is a narrow outlet from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is only a few hundred yards wide at its narrowest point. The Sea of Marmara is a saltwater sea but almost completely surrounded by land. It opens onto the Dardanelles, which is a strait formed by the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Northern Plains. The Island of Marmara in the Sea of Marmara is an important source of high-quality marble. The Northern Plains also extend along the Asiatic side of the Sea of Marmara, and beside the Dardanelles, they open onto the Aegean Sea.
The Aegean coast has many bays, peninsulas, coves, islands and fine sandy beaches. Its narrow coastal plains rise through the broad fertile Western Valleys to the Anatolian plateau. The Western Valleys produce numerous agricultural products, including olives, tobacco, and cereal grains. They contain the Gediz Plain and the Great Menderes Plain where grapes, figs, and citrus are grown.
The sea changes from the Aegean off the Island of Rhodes to the Mediterranean. The southern Mediterranean coast has a narrow belt of plains, the Southern Plains, that run from the Gulf of Antalya to the border with Syria. Rising just inland are the Southern Mountains, the most important of which are the Taurus Mountains (Toros Daglari). They are a folded chain of mountains.
The Taurus range runs eastward until it reaches the Arabian Platform, where it arcs around the northern side of the platform. The Taurus Mountains are rugged and have historically been a barrier to travel between the Mediterranean coast and the Anatolian Plateau except for a few mountain passes such as the Cilician Gates (Gulek Bogazi), northwest of Adana (Tarus).
The Central ANATOLIAN PLATEAU is a region of a small rivers fed by only occasional rainfall. Without irrigation the land is usually just grazed by herding. There are several salt lakes in central Turkey. It contains the volcanic tuff region of Cappadocia in the south, an area larger than RHODE ISLAND that has strangely shaped rock formations.
The Eastern Anatolian Plateau region is an area of rugged towering mountains. The area lies east of the Euphrates River and extends to Mount Ararat and the borders with Armenia and Iran. It also contains the large freshwater body, Lake Van, which is part of the original homeland of the Armenians. The Southeastern Anatolian region is part of Mesopotamia. It is a region of fertile plains and river valleys that lie between Turkey’s share of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The Euphrates rises near Erzurum in the Eastern Plateau. The Tigris rises in the Taurus Mountains near Lake Hazer in the Eastern Plateau.
Numerous Kurds live beyond the Tigris River in the Eastern Plateau in extreme southeast Turkey along its borders with Iraq and Iran. The Anatolian Plateau was an important part of Hittite, Armenian, Persian, Roman, Hellenistic, and Byzantine empires. Since its conquest by the Ottoman Turks in the Middle Ages, it has been the home to the Ottoman Empire and to modern Turkey.
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The Story Behind Jehu Rider
The Story of Jehu
Topical Study
The idea behind “Jehu Rider” is actually pretty simple, but far from boring!
Jehu was a commander, turned king in the Bible, who fiercely pursued the destruction of Ahab’s heirs, his family, and those that allied with him. Ahab was a dark hearted man with ill intent and desires. Though a king of Israel, he worshiped idols and was notoriously known for the murder of Naboth, a man who refused to give up an inherited piece of land to the king. The greed of Ahab and his wife over the land would turn out to be the fast track to their undoing. The first being met with Ahab’s untimely death from a mortal wound in battle. Ahab’s wife’s death would soon follow.
Jehu was an unlikely champion for Israel. Commander of Jehoram’s (Ahab’s son and now king) army, Jehu was bound to the will of the king. But Jehoram, following in the steps of his father, was just as evil and disliked in the land. A messenger was sent to the enemy camp by the prophet Elisha, where he requested a private audience with Jehu. There, on behalf Elisha and in accordance to instruction given by God, the messenger anointed Jehu king and before fleeing, commissioned him to destroy the blood line of Ahab and his allies.
In 2 Kings 9:16-29, the Bible chronicles the events that immediately followed Jehu’s commission. Supported by his men to end King Jehoram’s rule and bloodline, Jehu rode out to the king’s palace. Jehu, as the commander, was known for his reckless way of chariot driving. He rode with ferocity toward his enemies.
As he rode out to the king’s palace, along the way, he encountered scouts sent behind the palace gates to meet him. Each time, an ultimatum was spoken to the scouts, and none would return to the palace with reasoning for Jehu’s approach. As he got closer, all upon the gates realized that it was Jehu because of the way he rode out towards them.
Jehoram would eventually leave the safety of the palace to ride out and meet Jehu only to discover his true intentions. Jehu would go on to kill both Jehoram as well as his ally, King Ahaziah. After the death of Jehoram, Jehu would reach the city where he ordered the death of Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, fulfilling a prophecy spoken long before by the prophet Elijah.
To That One Person Out There July 30, 2018
A Hundred Billion Failures Disappear July 29, 2018
Back Up and Running July 26, 2018
I Know Enough To Know, I Don’t Know Much July 24, 2018
I’m back! July 22, 2018
Bethel Worship
United Pursuit
Clayton Jennings
Jehu Rider | 2018
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The Wench Is Dead, by Fredric Brown
I’m sorry to have neglected this page recently; other editorial responsibilities were demanding my more immediate attention. However, I don’t want to wave out November without mentioning at least one more dynamite front cover, this one from Bantam Books’ 1957 paperback reissue of Fredric Brown’s The Wench Is Dead.
The novel actually started out as a short story. As Jack Seabrook recalls in his biography, Martians and Misplaced Clues: The Life and Work of Fredric Brown (1993), the hard-boiled crime-fiction digest Manhunt magazine offered Brown $1,000 in 1953 to compose an original, 10,000-word tale. The author was then living in Venice, California, still chasing after fame (though he’d won an Edgar Award for his debut novel, The Fabulous Clipjoint), and he needed the dough. So he batted out “The Wench Is Dead”--which, Seabrook says, “the magazine’s editors loved and published in the July 1953 issue.”
Brown presumably took his title from a line in playwright Christopher Marlowe’s 1589 stage drama The Jew of Malta, but the story--about a young man of good family from Chicago, who finds a new life among the bums, crooks, and prostitutes of Los Angeles’ poorer quarter, only to become involved in the stabbing death of his girlfriend’s upstairs neighbor--is all Brown’s. Remarking on the set-up of that yarn, Seabrook notes that “in ‘The Wench Is Dead,’ the hero is an alcoholic and the killer a drug addict--quite a picture of life in the sordid world of the Los Angeles underclass.”
By the time Manhunt readers finally had a chance to enjoy “The Wench Is Dead” in print, Brown had already moved on to writing other short stories as well as the science-fiction novel called His Name Was Death (which would be published in 1954). But he returned to “The Wench Is Dead” in January 1954, intending to beef it up to novel length--a task he finished by September of that same year. The book The Wench Is Dead, which Seabrook says differs “strikingly ... from the novelette in a number of important ways,” was published in hardcover by Dutton in May 1955, and was reviewed widely. Critic and mystery writer Anthony Boucher offered his opinion of Brown’s book in the May 8, 1955, edition of The New York Times:
Despite appearances, don’t look for a regular whodunit here; as such [The Wench Is Dead] has marked weaknesses. The surprise lies, not in the murder plot, but in the development of the character of the detective--a high school teacher from Chicago, candidate for an M.A. in sociology, who spends the summer on Los Angeles’ Skid Row learning the life of a wino in order to do social research from the inside. The setting is so sharply observed that one almost believes Brown must have done the same; and the gratifyingly unconventional story is told with conciseness and bite.
While the Dutton hardcover front for this novel (right) was pretty damn lackluster, Bantam’s paperback version (top) was nothing less than outstanding. This is a tribute primarily to the artist, Mitchell Hooks, who I’ve talked about before on this page in relation to Mike Avallone’s The Voodoo Murders. Hooks’ painting captures not only the squalor that backdrops Brown’s L.A. tale, but offers immediate suggestions of sex, fear, and violence--all of which helped produce favorable paperback sales during America’s post-World War II era. And still make this cover a winner, even more than half a century later.
READ MORE: “The Wench Is Dead (1955), by Fredric Brown,” by Sergio Angelini (Tipping My Fedora); “The Wench Is Dead (Reading California Fiction); “The Wench Is Dead,” by Tom Simon (Paperback Warrior).
Labels: Fredric Brown, Mitchell Hooks
Bill Crider said...
I like a lot of Brown's novels, but this one's probably my favorite. I've read the shorter version, too, and it's not bad.
I have been collecting since I first visited the Rexall Drug store in the mid 1960's.
Mike Shayne covers by McGinnis was the lure that created the habit.
I took a break for about 15 years then the fever struck again.
I am helpless and love to collect.
Thanks for a great site.
Love Frederic brown. The Screaming Mimi appears on TV's TCM.
This is Bill Gold. I'm trying to get in touch with Will Teason, Mitchell Hooks and any other artist did work for me on movie posters. Please contact me asap at scgold21@yahoo.com. I'm doing a book and want to give you credit for your work.
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Identical triplets learn the real reason they were separated at birth
By Rebbekah Wiltons, Jun 11, 2018
Imagine welcoming a child into the world. Now imagining bringing in two, three, or even more at once? Life could suddenly go from calm to chaotic as parents adapt to life with all these little ones. Many things can affect someone’s chances of having multiples, such as their diet, genes, or even their lifestyle. However, the chances of having identical twins is around one in every 250 births. Having triplets is even rarer! Perhaps this is why twins have been the focus of many great films? Just take the comedy Twins. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito might look like unlikely siblings, but they are, in fact, twins. Only, the pair were split at birth as they were raised as part of an experiment to create the “perfect” child.
Another family favorite is the rom-com The Parent Trap. Here, two girls are reunited in the most unlikely of places at a summer camp. Only, when they realize there are some striking similarities between them both, they know it can’t be a coincidence. Of course – they are twins and have been separated. Now it’s their turn to get revenge on their parents! So what happens when the story isn’t on the big screen? These identical triplets were in for a surprise when they learnt the reason they were separated at birth. Only, the answer might not have been as simple as it first seemed…
The missing piece of the puzzle
Did you know that around 80% of Americans have a sibling? So for many of us, it might be impossible to think of growing up without a brother or sister by our side. Whether they are stealing your favorite top or helping you out of a sticky situation, it seems as though our siblings are always there – even if they aren’t always welcome. However, one man had grown up feeling as though part of him was missing. He was surrounded by family; what could it be? It wasn’t until he took his first step towards adulthood that he was about to discover a lifetime of secrets that could be about to explain everything…
New kid at college
Although Robert Shafran was the new kid on the campus, it seemed as though he was about to settle into college life better than he ever expected. Back in 1980, Robert enrolled at the Sullivan County Community College for the year. Only, while he should have been settling into his new life, it looked as though Robert was already making quite the impression. In fact, it was like all the other students had already become his best friends. As if that wasn’t enough, Robert was even getting kisses from random girls he had never met. It looked as though life at college was going to be kind to Robert. Perhaps everyone here was just overly friendly?
Robert got his class list, made plenty of friends, and set about finding his new roommate. Perhaps he could finally get some answers as to why everyone was so forward with the new kid? That wasn’t all. No matter how many times Robert introduced himself, everyone kept calling him “Eddy.” Maybe it was a nickname for the newbies? Robert found his room and met his new roommate, Michael Domitz. Only, Michael had the same reaction as everyone else. Robert looked like Eddy.
Not the first roommate
It looked as though Robert wasn’t Michael’s first roommate. In fact, Michael had been bunking with the mysterious Eddy before Robert took his place. Michael couldn’t get over how similar the pair looked. However, Robert just couldn’t shake a feeling from his mind. After all, how can two people look identical to each other? As if that wasn’t enough, Michael soon realized there were more similarities than just their looks. Robert and Eddy were quickly merging into one person.
Coming face to face
It was time to trust his instincts: Robert had to meet Eddy. After hunting him down, it was time to come face to face. It was like looking at a photograph. Amazingly, that wasn’t all. As the pair began to talk, they realized they shared a huge variety of things in common. They even acted the same and had the same sense of humor. To top it off, Robert and Eddy shared the same birthday. Surely this must all be too much to be a coincidence?
On the edge of their seats
The pair both agreed they needed to get a DNA test to uncover the truth. Sure, they could just be very similar, but something didn’t add up. They took the test and sent off to get the results. Now, it was time to sit back and wait for the results. They weren’t left waiting for long. The results were in, and they showed that Robert and Eddy were twins! How had they never heard about the other before? Neither of them knew this was only the beginning of the story…
A third wheel
It wasn’t long before the media caught wind of the boys’ story. How could something this unbelievable be happening on their very doorstep? As the story began to spread, someone realized they could be about to unlock the answers they had been searching for this entire time. One missing brother was crazy enough; could there be two? David Kellman saw Robert and Eddy all over the news. He, too, looked exactly like the pair. Now it seemed as though nothing was too mad to be true.
Another piece of the puzzle
Robert and Eddy had already discovered they were twins. However, this rollercoaster wasn’t about to slow down anytime soon. In fact, it was only just leaving the station. David met with the twins, and they immediately all saw the similarities that lay before them. Could there really be a third brother in the mix? Robert and Eddy had done it all before. They knew they needed another DNA test to prove if David could be a part of their family.
When two become three
Once again, the results were in, and David was their third brother. Suddenly, the family had gone from one, to two, to three – how could it all be happening so quickly? The brothers wasted no time in making up for all the lost years they had missed out on. Plus, hanging out gave them a perfect opportunity to learn all about each other. All three knew there had always been something missing, but never had an answer. They also shared many similarities, such as their habits and food choices.
Hitting the small screen
Of course, their unusual story meant Robert, Eddy, and now David were hits all across the nation. Every news outlet couldn’t wait to get some time alone with the young men and ask as many questions as they could think. Over the next few months, the men were interviewed by some of the greats, including the news anchors Phil Donahue and Tom Brokaw. The audience went wild for the newest celebrities in town. This was only the beginning for the triplets.
Brand new business venture
The brothers all shared a love of food, and they knew they needed to put their skills to good use. That’s why as well as gaining two brothers, Robert, Eddy, and David also gained business partners when they opened the doors to the Triplets’ Old New York Steak House. Now, they could spend all their time together with no one there to rip them apart. The restaurant was an instant success, even if many of the customers only arrived to meet the men behind the media story.
Move over, Hollywood
Their new restaurant wasn’t all Robert, Eddy, and David had to keep them busy. No, they were still getting calls from all over the country to star on the latest talk shows or as part of a news segment. One of the many opportunities they got was to appear in the comedy-drama Desperately Seeking Susan. As if that wasn’t enough, the men even got the chance to work with Madonna! Their roles might have been a cameo, but it was a massive leap into the spotlight.
Although the men were enjoying all the fun that came with their newfound fame, they all knew deep down that they had to get the answers they were looking for. How had they never known about each other? Why were they separated at birth? They all started with the only people that might have the answers: their parents. However, none had any idea about what had happened. They all headed straight to the Jewish Medical Center where they had been adopted all those years ago.
The missing sibling
As soon as they arrived, Robert, Eddy, and David were in for even more surprises than they ever imagined. They weren’t the only siblings. In fact, there was another sibling – they were quadruplets. Tragically, their missing sibling had passed away at birth. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. To think, there could have still been a fourth brother or sister out there in the world. As if three missing siblings weren’t enough already? This news only caused more questions from the brothers.
Trying to keep the peace
The agency had some answering to do. How could they have adopted the triplets to three separate families? According to the agency, they had a very good reason for their decision. They wanted to avoid any rivalries that would come with raising three brothers together. The agency added they felt as though having three boys in the same house could cause them to fight for their parents’ attention. However, something smelled off. It couldn’t be that simple.
A cause for celebration
The triplets and their parents had no choice but to leave. It looked as though they wouldn’t be getting any more answers. However, one of their fathers forgot their umbrella. Only, when he returned to get his missing item, he couldn’t believe the scene before his eyes. The agency was popping champagne and celebrating they had covered up their story. Everyone knew there was more to the story than they were told, and now they had proof. So how could they get the answers they needed?
Digging up the truth
The Louise Wise Adoption Agency was set up back in 1916 and quickly became the agency of the area for any Jewish couple looking to adopt a child. Although they seemed normal on the outside, this agency had a history of secrets lying beneath the surface. It soon became clear that unwed mothers could sell their children to couples looking to adopt. As if that wasn’t enough, the agency was also proven to have lied about children’s health, background, and even their biological parents.
Too many similarities
As the triplets continued to learn about each other, they realized something strange: they each had an older sister who were roughly two years older. Was it just a coincidence? On the other hand, taken from a socio-economic perspective, they all had very different upbringings: David had come from a working-class family whose dad ran a local store. Eddy’s dad was a teacher, and as such his family led a comfortable middle-class existence. And Robert was from a wealthy background thanks to his dad working as a doctor.
Tests, tests, and more tests
Everything was starting to fall into place. However, there was something that no one could understand. Throughout their childhoods, the boys had all been forced to go through several behavioral and aptitude tests. Their parents thought it was standard for the adoption. Now, it looked as though there could be more to the story. All three of the triplets had been diagnosed with separation anxiety. At the time, it seemed as though Robert, Eddy, and David would grow out of it. Could there have been a reason all along?
Picking out their choices
Going through adoption can be a lengthy process for anyone. After all, the agency has a duty to ensure the children are going to the best homes, as well as making sure they will get along with everyone else in the household. This can mean many parents go through a long screening process until the right ones are found. After looking at their backgrounds, it seemed as though these parents had been specially chosen from a list of potentials. It had to mean something.
Uncovering the truth
At last, the truth was finally revealed. Lawrence Wright worked as a journalist and author, but it was one of his studies that lay behind the real reason these identical triplets were separated at birth. He wanted to uncover the answer to the long-debated question of whether it’s nature or nurture that affects who we become. Lawrence contacted the Louise Wise Adoption Agency and was given at least five sets of multiples to use in his experiments. Robert, Eddy, and David weren’t the only ones.
One of each
Although Robert, Eddy, and David weren’t the only ones in the experiment, they were perfect. After all, they were triplets, meaning Lawrence Wright would have even more research for his studies. The journalist decided to use the triplets as part of a study that looked into how class affects someone’s characteristics, or whether we are born to become the person we are. It was all falling into place. Now, Lawrence had one brother for each major social class.
Working with a partner
As if that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t just Lawrence and the adoption agency that were working together on the experiment. Dr. Peter Neubauer worked in Manhattan for the Child Development Center. However, in the years before, he had been living in Austria throughout World War II. His role in the experiment was likened to those performed throughout the war where unwilling victims were tested. He especially had an interest in twins and multiples. Although the twins would get to survive, it might not be for long after these experiments.
Troubled childhood talks
David’s mother, Claire Kellman, finally had answers to questions she’d had ever since David began to talk. The mother reported that David would often talk about his brother while he was younger. However, his parents thought it must be David’s imagination. Surely he would grow out of having an imaginary friend? However, when Claire teamed this with the news he was a triplet, and the fact he had grown up with separation anxiety, it all began to make sense. David had known about Robert and Eddy all along.
Struggling to live apart
It’s not unusual for twins to show signs of separation anxiety, even if they grow up under the same roof. Some of these symptoms can be struggling to build or maintain a relationship with anyone, causing trouble in the family home, having low self-esteem, failing at school, or isolating themselves from their peers. As if that wasn’t enough, many twins can also develop an addiction to drinking or narcotics, as well as having thoughts about taking their own life.
Uncovering long-lost secrets
As the media continued to dig around into the triplets’ past, all of their secrets began to emerge. It looked as though Robert Shafran had been sitting on a hidden past all these years. At the beginning of 1980, Robert had found himself tangled up with the wrong people. Now, he was looking at a charge for killing an 83-year-old woman in a robbery gone wrong. The judge, however, believed Robert had played a minor role in her death, and the triplet was sentenced to community service.
A tragic end to a tragic tale
In 1995, years after the triplets had finally met, Eddy Garland sadly took his own life while he was 33 years old. He left behind a daughter and wife. Robert and David both knew that Eddy’s emotions stemmed from years of separation anxiety as a child and wanted the Jewish Board to take responsibility for what they did to their family. However, the agency then responded they merely wanted more parents to have the chance to adopt a child – they never deliberately separated multiples.
Getting the word out there
Robert and David have since gone on to make a documentary called Three Identical Strangers. In the movie, the two brothers document the entire journey they have been through as they try to uncover the truth of what happened. The film was greeted with rave reviews as no one could believe what they were watching. Plus, they want to raise awareness of the Jewish Board and the experiment; there could still be twins out there that need reuniting.
The man behind it all
Nancy Segal works as a psychologist and was given a chance to talk to Dr. Peter Neubauer before he passed away. Nancy reported she couldn’t believe what had transpired in their interview: apparently, the doctor showed no remorse for what he put the families through. A Jewish Board spokeswoman responded that they don’t condone any of the experiments, and hope the other twins can find their missing siblings. Could this all be too little too late for the agency?
Robert and David continued to run their successful restaurant for many years until the passing of their brother. However, Eddy’s death gave them a push to change their lives. Now, David works as an insurance consultant, while Robert used the chance to retrain to become a lawyer. Together, they continue to fight for Eddy’s memory, as well as looking for justice for all of those involved. Robert and David want to help everyone in the experiment, one set of siblings at a time.
The brother they lost
Eddy, the most affected by the discovery of the triplets, grew up having a strained relationship with his adoptive father. The two simply did not see eye to eye on much and often argued, disagreeing on what it means to be a man. After the reunion of the triplets, he put all of his energy into his brothers, often moving to be closer to them. Galland suffered from depression and showed signs of bipolar disorder, as well. David still stays in touch with Eddy’s wife and daughter after his death.
Wanting more answers
The brothers tried so hard to get more answers about the study that was done on them, but perhaps they will never get to discover everything they want. In the end, the study that changed their lives forever was not even published. Dr. Neubauer’s put it on hold and before he passed away in 2008, he directly ordered that all his findings and anything in relation to the study should be put at Yale University, not to be touched until 2065.
Throughout the search for answers, they found some alarming things about the study and the way the researchers went about it. There was footage of them as children, completing puzzles or taking tests. The children would be seen staring at the people filming them, trying to comprehend why they were so interested in what they were doing. As recommended in the terms of their adoption, the boys were each taken to Manhattan once a year for testing and they were also observed during milestones in their lives.
Even after the success of the restaurant, Robert left the business and that was the beginning the three began to naturally separate. Triplets eventually closed in 2000, but after Galland’s death in 1995, Shafran and Kellman also drifted apart. Upon the production of their documentary, the two eventually reconnected and working on the film together has helped them to become close again. They still want, however, justice for their late brother because perhaps his death could have been prevented.
Three Identical Strangers was released in U.S. theaters on June 29, 2018 and it tells the story the way it was meant to be told, through the eyes of the brothers involved. The documentary shares what the men went through in their attempt to uncover the truth and the obstacles they reached in the process. To this day, they are wondering how and why people could do this and at this point, they may never know because too many people are working to keep the answers to their questions secret.
Meeting mom
At the time of their discovery, the triplets were not interested in knowing who their biological parents were. They did meet their birth mother briefly back in the early 1980s, but it wasn’t exactly as emotional as the triplets reunion. The four met for drinks, but they didn’t pursue a relationship after that. The meeting was relatively underwhelming, but it was interesting to hear where they came from. Apparently their mother became pregnant as a teen and then gave them up for adoption.
Not the only ones
Possibly the saddest part about Eddy, Robert, and David’s story is it’s far from the only one. In fact, there’s no telling how many other sets of twins and triplets were affected by this study. Lori Shinseki is a documentary creator who also works as a news consultant with ABC. She made a documentary in 2017 called The Twinning Reaction, which highlights the lives and suffering of different sets of twins from the study, such as Doug Rausch and Howard Burack, and what they went through upon discovering their twins.
Other human experiments
The nature vs. nurture experiment that was performed on Eddy, David, and Robert (and an unknown amount of others) is not the only twisted test that has been done on humans. The famous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment tested the effects of role playing in a prison situation was performed on college students. Another experiment was The Monster Study, which tested the differences of positive and negative speech therapy on orphaned children. Both had disastrous results and proved, like the twin study, that humans are not meant to be lab rats.
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I Love You, Man
Movie name: I Love You, Man
Director: John Hamburg
Stars: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, JK Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Sarah Burns, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel
"I Love You, Man" follows the story of Peter Klaven, a young real estate broker, who is an all around nice guy, who proposes to his girlfriend Zooey and who has no real male friends. When Zooey and her girlfriends make some comments on how Peter does not have male friends, he decides to get help from his mom and gay brother who set him up on a couple of man-dates. These dates end up all without much success, but on one of his open houses, Peter meets Sydney, a young slacker who's out to meet some divorcees, and whose honesty and directness makes Peter immediately feel at ease. With the encouragement of Zooey, Peter starts going out more with Sydney in the hopes of having a best man for his wedding. The premise of this film is one that is rich with misshaps, and for some scenes the film succeeds in being funny, but most of the times it barely resonates. The choice of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel is spot on, since they both have come to tipify the characters they play: Rudd as the good guy who needs to get loose and Segel as the eternal slacker who needs to mature. However, unlike Judd Apatow's comedies that have a heart and a brain, this one has the willingness to debate things you don't see in romantic comedies, but it also has a lot of the Farrely Brothers school of comedy (the more "physical" part). It's a comedy that hits some spots, but one that in the end, doesn't register much.
Movie name: Duplicity
Director: Tony Gilroy
Stars: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Tom Wilkinson, Denis O'Hare, Kathleen Schalfant, Thomas McCarthy, Wayne Duvall
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Romance
After the success that was his first film "Michael Clayton", acclaimed screenwriter Tony Gilroy is back, on a lighter tone, with this story of industrial espionage/romantic comedy, that uses the palpable chemistry between it's two main leads. The film introduces us to a couple, Claire Stenwick and Ray Koval, both former secret agents, who decide to go to the private sector and get some quick money that will allow them both to retire and lead comfortable lives. They focus on two great corporate rivals, and try to find a way to make a profit out of a fantastic discovery that one of them has had. However between backstabbers and surprise twists, who is deceiving whom? The film is in many ways an ode to the classic hollywood style, much like Stanley Donen's "Charade" or even Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest", with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen filling in for Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. The story itself moves us back and forth, explaining how Claire and Ray came up with the plan and how everything comes to fruition. However one of the films main issues is it's rythm - the film feels stalled at certain sections. Some characters are very underdeveloped, particularly the severely underused Tom Wilkinson. The film belongs through and through to Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, who had played a couple in Mike Nichols' "Closer", but who are in much lighter mood here. They have such an easiness and cool rapport that they make this film worth watching.
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Movie name: Watchmen
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, Laura Mennell, Rob LaBelle
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Zack Snyder's third film is another adaptation of a graphic novel, following his hugely successful "300" (an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel). "Watchmen" has been a project that went through different hands, from Terry Gilliam to Paul Greengrass, and following the success of Zack Snyder's first two films ("Dawn of the Dead" was the first), he was chosen to bring the project to life. Alan Moore responsible for writing the graphic novel (he also wrote V for Vendetta, From Hell and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) has long distanced himself from the film adaptations of his work, and this was no exception. The film starts by introducing us to the death of a character called the Comedian. We find out he was part of a group of masked superheroes named Watchmen. The year is 1985 and the heroes have long been in retirement, since the 70s, when they helped the US and president Richard Nixon win the Vietnam War. The world is at the brink of nuclear war and the only one who can stop it, is one of the heroes called Dr. Manhattan, a blue superbeing who was transformed after an experiment gone wrong. The film follows the lives of these super heroes, flawed human beings with their own hopes and fears, all anchored in the dark character that is Roscharch, the one desperately trying to find the culprit behind the death of their former colleague. This faithful adaptation of the comic book, oscillates between being fantastically enthralling and visually stunning and at points borderline cheesy and ill conceived. The film hits the high marks visually, with the attention to detail and the production design and the photography of Larry Fong, that makes everything look eternally gloom, but on the other hand, it has pacing problems, sometimes over explaining things or presenting a very dubious ideology. The acting is also mixed, with high points being given to Jackie Earle Haley (who gives the best performance) and Billy Crudup, with low points being given to the wooden Malin Akerman and Matthew Goode. To sum it up, it's an entertaining, yet uneven film. Notheless worth checking out.
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Movie Name: Scanners
Starring: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside, Lawrence Dane, Robert A. Silverman
Genre: Horror, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
Brilliant director David Cronenberg followed his excellent "The Brood" with yet another fantastic feature, which explored the limits of the human body, and how it keeps evolving and morphing into something else. The film follows the story of Cameron Vale, a young man who is initially, on the streets living of scraps and leftovers. We quickly learn he has telepathic abilities, which he can't control. He gets captured and taken to ConSec, a private company that is running a "scanner" program, under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Ruth. "Scanners" is the designation given to people with telepathic abilities, and there's a current war raging between different factions, with ConSec wanting to leverage their abilities commercially, and an opposing one, under the leadership of Darryl Revok, who has far more sinister motivations. Dr. Ruth sends Cameron underground, so he can unveil Revok's motivations, and simultaneously uncover an underground ring of Scanners. What Cameron discovers is far more complex than what anyone expected.
David Cronenberg has been able to build a fantastically diverse body of work. "Scanners" is one of his original screenplays, one that tackles body mutations, one of his recurring themes, during a large part of his career. These mutations are not intended to demonize the characters or to portray them as demigods, they are typically reflections on the constant evolution of the human body and how that impacts the relationships between human beings (and to a certain extent, how that conditions the notions of morality, good versus evil and also the sexual dynamics). "Scanners" is a perfect example of his point of view, since it manages to embed his concepts of mutation within the fabric of society, and how the corporate world/capitalism ambitions to monetize these changes. The film has great visual effects from Chris Walas and his team, alongside the fantastic score from Howard Shore and cinematography from Mark Irwin (all usual collaborators of Cronenberg). A great film from a truly unique talent.
Movie Name: The Terminator
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich, Bess Motta, Earl Boen, Dick Miller
Director James Cameron started his career working with Roger Corman, and had an opportunity to direct the sequel to Joe Dante's "Piranha", with "Piranha II: The Spawning" in 1981, which he directed with assistance of other professionals. "The Terminator" was his first solo directorial assignment and the first collaboration with star Arnold Schwarzenegger, then making a name for himself after John Milius' "Conan the Barbarian". The film follows the story of Sarah Connor, a waitress living in LA, who suddenly finds herself as the target of a seemingly unstoppable man, intent on killing her. In her defense comes Kyle Reese, a young man who reveals that he is from the future, as is the man trying to kill her, whom he reveals to be an actual machine, going by the name of Terminator. Sarah and Kyle have to resort to their intelligence and wit to escape the persistent Terminator.
James Cameron was able right from the start, to understand that action films only resonate with audiences if there are actual characters to care for. "The Terminator" is able to draw the central characters quickly, and establish their motivations and their arc. Sarah, Kyle and the Terminator, all have very clear goals/motivations, and though their backgrounds are economically exposed, it makes them all compelling enough for the audience to embark on their journey. "The Terminator" is a B-Movie at its core, with a dash of futurism incorporated, and it's a testament to the capabilities of the director/co-writer, that the results influenced so many films that came out in the 80s (and afterwards), specifically on post-apocalyptic films. The actors are all solid in their roles, even if none of them are very memorable, but they all went on to bigger ventures after this, where they were able to showcase their versatility and talent. The cinematography from Adam Greenberg was solid, as was the music from Brad Fiedel, which became iconic and associated with this series. An emblematic film from a very talented storyteller.
Movie Name: X-Men 2
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Alan Cumming, Kelly Hu, Bruce Davison, Katie Stuart
After the surprise success of "X-Men", director Bryan Singer was given more time and budged to carve out a worthy sequel to that film, which came in the shape of "X-Men 2". The film follows the adventures of the superhero team, as they face a foe hailing directly from the Government: Colonel William Stryker. He invades the mutant school, capturing young mutants in the process, while simultaneously capturing different team members, in different circumstances, all with the goal of getting access of Cerebro. His ultimate goal, is to use the machine, combined with Professor Xavier's abilities, and destroy all mutants on Earth. It's up to the team, with the help of a few new additions, and unexpected allies, to tackle this herculean threat.
"X-Men 2" is a lesson of how a perfectly honed screenplay, successful vision and visual style, can blend to create an impeccable action film. The story marries a series of interesting topics, such as political threats, persecution of minorities, and includes very relevant metaphors for topics such as coming out experiences and family dynamics in those contexts. All of these within the domains of a big budget visual effects film, is indeed pretty remarkable and quite intelligently built. The film is also impeccably edited, in the sense that it goes from action set pieces, to plot development, to character insight, just enough to keep the momentum going. The visual effects are also fantastic, but don't undermine the story/narrative, instead making it blend seamlessly with the characters that they pertain to. And the actors finally manage to build a level of comfort with the characters and within the group, which makes them surpass the almost campy factor that hovered over the first iteration of the series. It's a lesson on how to perfectly orchestrate a dynamic and thoroughly orchestrated film, without relying too heavily on pyrotechnics, while also benefiting from great work from cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel and editor/composer John Ottman. A solid film from an irregular director, but one worth watching.
Mary Queen of the Scots
Movie Name: Mary Queen of Scots
Director: Josie Rourke
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Brendan Coyle, Ian Hart, Adrian Lester, Gemma Chan, David Tennant, Simon Russell Beale, Maria Dragus, Eileen O'Higgins, Liah O'Prey, Martin Compston, James McArdle, Ismael Cruz Cordova
Synopsis & Review:
"Mary Queen of Scots" is director Josie Rourke's film debut, and she does so with the adaptation of of the book by John Guy, with a screenplay by Beau Willimon (well known for George Clooney's "The Ides of March" and the show "House of Cards", which has lasted 6 seasons on Netflix). The film follows the story of Mary Stuart, the only daughter of King James V, who was brought up in France, while regents took over the state of Scotland. She married the dauphin of France at 16, and found herself a widow at 18 when he died of complications of having an ear infection that morphed into a brain abscess. Mary who was brought up catholic, returned to Scotland, and took her place as queen, much to the concern of Elizabeth I, queen of England. Mary's goal was to become an heir to the throne of England, since according to some factions, she was the direct descendant of King Henry VIII's sister, whereas Elizabeth, was considered an illegitimate successor (being that she was the daughter of Anne Boylen). Mary eventually falls in love with her cousin, and marries him, baring a son by the name of James. While this occurs, she has to battle her half brother for control of the throne, while also uncovering some painful truths about her husband and her advisors. After her second husband is killed, Mary finds herself in yet another dangerous situation, which leads her to another painful alliance, and a confrontation with Queen Elizabeth.
"Mary Queen of Scots" is a film that has at its core, a fantastically rich historical backdrop to build a narrative about the thirst for power, and the ruthlessness of politics, as it was in the 16th century. On top of it all, it also has the interesting viewpoint of having two strong female points of view, battling for power, in a game rigged by men. It's a film that focuses on the challenges experienced by a young but strong monarch, someone who clearly knew where she wanted to go and above all, who she wanted to be, and a world and a political system that simply wasn't prepared or willing to aide her. The film is richly produced, and features a great central performance from Saoirse Ronan and equally strong supporting turns from Jack Lowden and Ian Hart, but overall it ends up being more illustrative, than captivating. The film lacks a strong point of view, and for a time frame that was so gruesome, cutthroat and violent, it's surprisingly lifeless. The supporting queen, played by Margot Robbie, also feels underdeveloped, particularly when compared with the richness that Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth" captured (and Cate Blanchett, so successfully portrayed). It's a perfectly well rendered film, but one that lacks a stronger perspective. The cinematography from John Mathieson is fantastic, as is the score of the stupendous Max Richter. It's a forgettable, yet watchable endeavor.
Movie Name: The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp
After the critical success of "The Lobster", director Yorgos Lanthimos returned with another disturbing tale, which made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (where it won the award for best screenplay). The film follows the story of Dr. Steven Murphy, a respected medical surgeon who lives a peaceful life with his beautiful wife and two children. Steven we come to know, has made friends with the son of a former patient who passed away, by the name of Martin. Martin visits frequently, and ingratiates himself in the family of Steven. Things take a sinister turn, when Martin explains that Steven will have to make a decision on whom to sacrifice within his family unit. He states that's the only way to balance life, since he believes Steven was responsible for the death of his father, and therefore restitution must be placed. Odd things start occurring to the Steven's children, who suddenly stop being able to use their legs, which according to Martin, is only going to escalate to something worse, before they finally die.
Yorgos Lanthimos films are surreal tales that always expose the anguish of relationships between people (parental, romantic, familial), and how far people are willing to go to maintain the sense of composure and normalcy that they deem adequate. His stories and universe typically goes in the direction of unsettling scenarios, but all these tropes are allegories for what life actually is comprised of. "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is at times, eerily similar in tone to Todd Haynes' "Safe", since the story starts going in an unexpected direction, but Lanthimos' definitely takes a much darker tonal mode, one that surfaces the human fallibility, and how consequences of actions are never actually measured, until one is confronted with them. It's a beautifully realized film, with strong performances from Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan (who is indeed a revelation), and featuring a stunning cinematography from Thimios Bakatakis. An impeccable film from a truly unique voice in cinema.
Movie Name: Vice
Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Tyler Perry, Jesse Plemons, Justin Kirk, Alison Pill, Lily Rabe, LisaGay Hamilton, Eddie Marsan, Bill Camp, Don McManus, Shea Whigham, Matthew Jacobs
Director Adam McKay has returned, following the critical and commercial success of "The Big Short". Much like "The Big Short", "Vice" is a darkly satirical view at the world of politics in the US, this time around specifically focused on Dick Cheney. The film introduces us to Richard Cheney in the 60s, when he's a troubled youth, and is dating the beautiful and ambitious Lynne. After a second arrest for a DUI, Lynne gives him an ultimatum, one that puts Dick on a path to politics, where he eventually starts working for Donald Rumsfeld. He works in politics and in the White House through the 70s, including the fallout of Richard Nixon, navigating health problems, Democratic stints in power in the late 70s and 90s, until he comes back in full force as a Vice President, starting in 2000, where he holds more cards and power than ever before.
Unlike "The Big Short", where Adam McKay managed to create a compelling narrative, broken across different threads to fully explain the events behind the collapse of the world economy in 2008, "Vice" goes for a biopic structure, one focused on a key political figure, while simultaneously attempting to detail the machinations of power behind the political events in the US since the 70s. The film is darkly comical, shocking and also emotional, for what it untangles, but also because it does show the more human side to the story of Dick Cheney and his family (and the ambitions surrounding them). Unlike "The Big Short" the film is not as successful showcasing analogies, metaphors and the informational aspect to the story, as much as that film was."Vice" ends up being a testimony to a life spent pursuing power, however unlike "The Big Short", it lacks the satyrical tone, and the borderline absurdity that permeated that film in certain parts. It does however feature a truly phenomenal performance from Christian Bale, who is completely unrecognizable in the role, and who truly embodies and personifies a man in his 60s, in love with his pursuits, and with his family. Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell and Alison Pill are all equally compelling in their performances. The cinematography of Greig Fraser is fantastic, as is the score from Nicholas Britell. It's a compelling film, driven by a director with a point of view that deftly mixes comedic elements with informational ones, but this time around, the performances come across as the strongest element about it. Worth watching.
Movie Name: Bird Box
Director: Susanne Bier
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, Jacki Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald, Tom Hollander, Pruitt Taylor Vince, BD Wong, Lil Rey Howery, Parminder Nagra, Vivien Lyra Blair, Julian Edwards
Danish director Susanne Bier has made a name for herself with quite a few successful features, namely "Brothers" (which was remade by Jim Sheridan) and more recently "In a Better World", which won the Academy Award for best foreign film. Following the troublesome "Serena" with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, "Bird Box" is his first feature in 6 years. The film is another production from Netflix, and follows the story of Malorie, who when the film starts, is pregnant, and going to a routine checkup with her younger sister, Jessica. During their conversation they witness on the news a strange incident being reported - massive suicides occurring everywhere, unexpectedly, and seemingly all over the world. After learning everything is well with her pregnancy, Malorie and Jessica head back home, until Jessica is hit with the same virus/issue, causing them to suffer an accident, shortly followed by Jessica's death. Malorie manages to escape to a nearby house, where a few other survivors are taking hideout. The group soon realizes that whatever the virus or menace is, manifests itself through the eyesight, prompting them to start using blindfolds to walk around when outside. As the group suffers casualties, Malorie finally finds herself pursuing a hopeful chance of salvation, one that includes a dangerous journey down a river.
"Bird Box" has been compared to John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place", but even if there are some tonal similarities between both films, Krasinksi's film goes in a far showier direction than "Bird Box". Susanne Bier focuses on showcasing the ordeal of these challenges, but more circumspect to Malorie's journey (both her inner journey towards her acceptance of motherhood, and outwards, in the sense of Malorie finding an actual physical shelter for her family). The film never explains the reasoning behind the strange occurrences, or even provides a visual of what that menace actually is, which in the end is actually quite satisfying, since it makes the whole journey more focused on the resilience of the characters, more so than in the unveiling of whatever threat or alien or virus actually is or comes from. This isn't a monster film - it's a character study on how people survive in extreme circumstances, and how the bonds of motherhood are forged and nurtured. The film is really strong when it builds the relationships between all the survivors, and there's so much more material to mine from that set up, but sadly it quickly moves on to focus solely on Malorie. There isn't enough that gets flushed out from the central character, and even details such as the passing of time doesn't seem to affect the physical and emotional aspect of the character at all, but Sandra Bullock still manages to give some depth and gravitas to Malorie. The cinematography from Salvatore Totino is beautiful as is the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Entertaining and worth watching.
Movie Name: Aquaman
Director: James Wan
Stars: Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Ludi Lin, Michael Beach, Randall Park, Graham McTavish, Leigh Whannell, Kaan Guldur
Genre: Action, Adventure
Following the success of "The Conjuring 2", director James Wan is back, this time around tackling a comic book movie, with the adaptation of the classic character, Aquaman. The film follows the story of Arthur Curry, who we learn is the son of a lighthouse keeper, and Atlanna, queen of Atlantis, the mythical underwater realm. In the present times, Arthur goes under the moniker of Aquaman, and helps those in need, but that suddenly changes when he is approached by the beautiful Mera, who warns him that his half brother Orm, wants to declare war on the surface world. In order to establish a balance, Arthur has to uncover an ancient artifact, that grants him power over all underwater creatures, and allow him to rightfully take his place by the throne. He and Mera are however being chased by Orm and his posse, who will stop at nothing to capture and bring them in.
"Aquaman" is quite possibly James Wan's biggest budget endeavor so far in his career, but coincidentally enough, also the most generic and least successful, narratively speaking. It's shocking that a film that has so much production values and visual effects, is surprisingly so threadbare when it comes to creating an engaging story, one that is polished, fresh or enticing. There isn't a single cliché that is untapped in this film, and sadly they're all touched upon with a level of taste and lack of restraint that is very surprising, considering the films that James Wan has directed and released so far in his career. There's a cacophony of visual styles and aesthetics, that makes this film at times look like a carnival, one that mixes James Cameron's "Avatar", Steven Spielberg's "A.I." and even Joseph Kosinski's "Tron: Legacy". It's a film that also suffers from pacing issues - for a feature that jumps around, from location to location so quickly (and seemingly instantaneously), it drags on for what it seems an eternity (the film runs for 135 minutes, but it feels like 195). There are some positive points, namely the beautiful cinematography from Don Burgess, the costumes from Kym Barrett (who usually works with the Wachowski siblings) and the stunning visual effects on display. The cast is mostly underused, with Willem Dafoe and Nicole Kidman basically lost and perplexed at the material they're having to work with, while the equally talented Patrick Wilson does what he can with a cartoonish villain role. It's a hollow endeavor, one that even when it tries to engage on actual problems such as ecology, ends up pushing those to a footnote. It's a pass, from an intelligent director, who this time around, got swallowed up by the material.
Movie Name: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Waits, Willie Watson, Clancy Brown, David Krumholtz, Stephen Root, Bill Heck, Grainger Hines, Saul Rubinek, Tyne Daly, Jonjo O'Neill, Jefferson Mays, Harry Meling, Michael Cullen, Sam Dillon
After the disappointing "Hail, Caesar!", the Coen brothers return with a film written, produced and directed for streaming giant Netflix. The film is an anthology of short stories taking place on the old west, varying in tone, length and focus. The first segment focuses on Buster Scruggs, a deft, resourceful and somewhat ruthless gun slinger, who rights some wrongs, and who eventually finds his match. The second segment follows the story of a Cowboy, who following an unsuccessful robbery attempt finds himself at the mercy of the law, only to be rescued right before being hanged, but who then immediately falls under the law's long embrace. The third segment follows the story of an Impresario who goes from small town to small town with an artist, who basically performs and narrates poems/plays in order to make a living for the both them. The fourth vignette focuses on the story of a Prospector, who is aiming to discover gold. He eventually finds what he is looking for, only to be confronted by a young man intent on getting what he has discovered. The fifth segment tackles the story of Alice Longabaugh, who is moving to Oregon, with her brother and her dog, in the hopes of settling and starting a new life there, with a potential associate of her brother's. However during the journey, he passes away, and Alice has no money to pay the young cowboy handling her caravan, and she falls under the protection of kind and considerate Billy Knapp. The sixth segment follows a group of characters, all traveling within the same stagecoach, and who come to realize that the two finely dressed gentlemen who are part of the group, are bounty hunters, and are in reality carrying with them someone they've hunted down.
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is an uneven film, much like a lot of the films that are part of the Coen brothers extensive body of work. However it's also a film that allows them to paint stories quickly and to the point, which at times feels like one of their initial trademarks (which they displayed on "Raising Arizona" for instance). The stories/vignettes that they illustrate, are uneven, and the characters very economically presented, save for the most interesting and juiciest segment, which features strong performances from Zoe Kazan, Bill Heck and Grainger Hines, the segment under the title "The Gal Who Got Rattled". If most segments feel superficial and mostly impeccable illustrations of two directors who have a somewhat surreal sense of humor and comedy, the most dramatic ones suggest more to explore, though that's never the direction that the film embarks on. There's a somewhat uneven tone to the stories, though the dark humor permeates throughout, ultimately making them watchable (though not sufficiently memorable). The cinematography from Bruno Delbonnel is stunning as is the score of Carter Burwell. Another well executed, yet forgettable endeavor from a talented directorial team.
Movie Name: Under the Tuscan Sun
Director: Audrey Wells
Starring: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Raoul Bova, Vincent Riotta, Kate Walsh, David Sutcliffe, Jeffrey Tambor, Mario Monicelli, Roberto Nobile, Anita Zagaria
Director Audrey Wells initially made a name for herself as a screenwriter, with a series of well received films during the 90s, which included Michael Lehman's "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" and also Sam Weisman's "George of the Jungle". Her first directorial effort, "Guinevere", was also very well received, and featured another great performance from Sarah Polley. She followed that feature with "Under the Tuscan Sun", which was made right at the heels of Diane Lane's first Academy Award nomination for Adrian Lynne's "Unfaithful". The film follows the story of Frances, a writer whose life is suddenly turned upside down, when she finds out her husband has been having an affair. After a messy divorce, Frances is convinced by her best friend, to embark on a tour of Tuscany. While doing the tour, she falls in love with the area of Cortona, and ends up buying a dilapidated villa. She embarks on a fixer up project, while getting to know her neighbors, making friendships and possibly embarking on a romance.
"Under the Tuscan Sun" is a lively film that lives and breathes from the endless charm, talent and beauty of Diane Lane. It's a story of a woman pursuing her dreams, of taking a chance, just when she thinks that the chapter of life devoted to happiness is closed. It's not exactly a radically different narrative, but the film anchors its interest on the fact that it has a beautiful locale, and a central performance that is nuanced, showcasing enough grief, warmth and hope, to make Frances more than a simple cliché character. The film does go through the tropes of the romantic comedy mechanism, but it's a film that is charming enough to be quickly savored and quickly forgotten, save for the presence of Diane Lane. Nicely entertaining and worth watching.
Movie Name: The Favourite
Stars: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss, James Smith
Prolific director Yorgos Lanthimos is back, following the well received "The Killing of a Sacred Deer", which premiered in 2017. The film based on true facts, follows the story of the relationship of Queen Anne with Lady Sarah Churchill and Churchill's destitute cousin, Abigail, in the 18th century.
We're introduced early on to the three characters, as Queen Anne shares an intimate (and amorous) relationship with Sarah, who in turn uses her leverage with the Queen to get what she wants politically. The Queen has issues with her health, something that Sarah also uses to keep her under her control. Abigail, destitute and without means of survival, notices the mechanics of this relationship, and starts ingratiating herself on the good side of the Queen while simultaneously plotting the downfall of Lady Sarah. These games keep escalating, until matters take a sharp turn, something that Abigail seizes to further her position and influence.
Yorgos Lanthimos has managed to create a career peppered with surreal events, that in the end, showcase the ironic, brutal and at times, destructive nature of human relationships. Some of his stories take place in different realities that are in turn, metaphors for the current human condition. "The Favourite" is very much like that, even if it looks to the past to build a bridge to how relationships are established between people in the present. These three women use power, sex, and virtually every game possible, to get attention, and ingratiate themselves in positions of privilege and influence. As some grow in importance and credibility, others flail and falter, all of them losing themselves and their integrity in the process. It's an apt metaphor for our times, for how quickly people grow in importance, all based on shallow feats and promptly riding the coattails of someone else. It's a film with a powerful message, powered by an energetic cast, where Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz in particular invest their characters with an energy, romance, longing and sadness that is unlike anything they have done in the past. The cinematography from Robbie Ryan is fantastic, as are the phenomenal costumes from the always stupendous Sandy Powell. A very good film worth watching, from a truly unique voice in film.
Movie Name: Roma
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa, Nancy Garcia Garcia, Veronica Garcia, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero
Celebrated director Alfonso Cuaron is back, following his hugely successful latest endeavor "Gravity", which garnered him the directorial Academy Award in 2013. This time around the focus and scope of the film is definitely in smaller scale than the previous one, but no less rewarding. The film follows the story of Cleo, a young housemaid for an affluent Mexican family in the early 70s. Cleo lives with a large family, taking care of the children, since both parents work. Her daily chores keep her regularly busy, but she still has time for a personal life, including dates with a young man who is very much enraptured by her. As life changes in the household, so does it for Cleo, who suddenly sees herself in an unexpected situation, but who finds nonetheless the support, love and care from the family she has always provided for.
"Roma" is an autobiographical film for the director, who captured his childhood and the relationship he had with his family's housemaid/caregiver during the early 70s. It's a film stylistically stunning, featuring a beautiful cinematography, one that captures a time that has gone by, without making it ostensibly reverential, but more like a time capsule - the Mexican daily life for an affluent family in the 70s. It's a film focused on observing life, the daily chores, the relationships between people, how love united this group of people, allowing them to move through challenges and even political upheavals, without unraveling what the concept of family truly was. Even if the film focuses on Cleo, there's however a certain lack of depth in how her character actually gets captured - the camera shies away from probing deeper, it always stops just close enough. In a way, this film is like going through a beautiful photo book, one that illustrates the life of a family, but without really going deep enough to make us understand the aspirations, dreams and desires underlying its members. It's perfectly captured, with impeccable production design, and acted with just enough naturalism to render the film beautifully and authentically. It's a strong snapshot from one of the most technically virtuous directors working today.
Movie Name: Vox Lux
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Ehle, Christopher Abbott, Matt Servitto, Erik King, Meg Gibson
Actor and Director Brady Corbet has followed his debut feature "The Childhood of a Leader" with this observation on violence, the price of fame, the instantaneous and quickly forgotten nature of current events (even dramatic ones). The film follows the story of Celeste, a young girl who in 1999 experiences a traumatic event, when the high school where she goes to experiences a dramatic and traumatizing shooting rampage (from one of her classmates). Celeste suffers a serious gun-wound, and while recovering in the hospital, composes a powerful anthem with her sister Ellie. The song captures the attention of talent scouts, and soon Celeste has an agent, and her career quickly skyrockets, always with the assistance of her sister. The film then jumps to 2017, and Celeste is now a recognized public figure, with a teenage daughter, and she's releasing a new album, after a few dramatic occurrences in her personal life. We accompany her in the day she's about to start touring, and we get to witness her handling the press, her family, agent and fans.
"Vox Lux" is an interesting even if a bit uneven of a film, but one that is memorable immediately for three things: stylistically the film is impeccably shot, the score from Scott Walker and Sia is fantastic, and the film features a cracking performance from Natalie Portman, unlike any of her previous work. Brady Corbet manages to capture the evolution and the arc of Celeste from her early childhood, through her challenging adolescence, and finally her somewhat bitter adulthood. It's a film that goes in a different direction from what Bradley Cooper did with "A Star is Born": where this latter film went for a certain naturalistic approach, Corbet goes for a stylized observation on fame, instant recognition, and the fleeting attention span that arrests people's attention. It's a film that has sections possessed of a voice and point of view that are strong and arresting, namely the relationship between the sisters, but also a bit uneven in how it gives Celeste some dubious rantings and monologues that are seemingly philosophical, but that end up a bit hollow. The film hits its strongest notes when it lets Natalie Portman shine, and she gets an opportunity to create and inhabit a performer from Long Island who is somewhat loud, out of control, but also effective on putting on a show. The cinematography from Lol Crawley is beautiful, perfectly capturing the different modes of Celeste's life. It's a very interesting film from a young director.
Movie Name: Rampage
Director: Brad Peyton
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello, Marley Shelton, P.J. Byrne, Demetrius Grosse, Jack Quaid, Breanne Hill, Matt Gerald
Director Brad Peyton and actor Dwayne Johnson return, following their previous successful collaboration, "San Andreas". This time around, the film follows the premise of a scientific experiment going terribly awry. The film introduces us to a scientist in space, who perishes trying to evacuate the station and carrying with her the results of her research. When her shuttle is destroyed, the results of that research crash land on earth, come in contact with and mutate a few animals. One of them is George, a silverback Gorilla, currently being taken care of by Primatologist Davis Okoye. George starts increasing his physical size, the same going for the other animals that came in contact with that debris. That debris is property of a company under the ruthless tutelage of Claire Wyden. When she summons the animals to Chicago, it's up to Davis, with the assistance of Kate Caldwell to try to discover the antidote, save George and prevent the city from being completely destroyed.
"Rampage" is loosely based on the video game by the same name, and ends up being a film as hollow as the game upon which it's based on. Director Brad Peyton focuses primarily on the action set pieces, leaving the character development under-nourished. Whatever sketches are on screen, exist mainly due to the actors charisma and capability to be engaging, since the script provides no substance to any of the characters that are suppose to be the human element of the film. Peyton hasn't learnt much from Roland Emmerich, who is the director typically in charge of big catastrophe films, since at least on Emmerich's films, there's an attempt at building a rapport between the characters. "Rampage" is mostly a canvas to showcase the excellent visual effects, and they make the chaos and destruction look plausible, the same occurring for the gigantic creatures (the film is oddly reminiscent of Emmerich's "Godzilla" in some parts). It's unmemorable and a sad waste of talent for everyone involved.
Movie Name: Underworld
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, Sophia Myles, Wentworth Miller, Kevin Grevioux, Erwin Leder
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
"Underworld" is the directorial debut of Len Wiseman, who made a name for himself directing music videos for the likes of Megadeth and Rufus Wainwright. The film follows the story of Selene, a death dealer, a vampire who has been tasked with hunting down Lycans (werewolves). In one of her outings, Selene comes across Michael, a young medical student, who is being targeted by the Lycans, for reasons that are unknown to her. As she starts to trace what is happening, she comes to realize that the web of deceit and treachery looms all around, including in her own coven. She decides to awaken one of the elders, in order to provide guidance, but that awakening has unexpected results.
"Underworld" was a low budget foray into the vampire genre, one that was insightful and successful enough to generate interest, and that has multiplied to 5 other sequels (so far). The film mixes the vampire mythology, with a Romeo and Juliet type of love story (opposing factions falling in love), and it does so with an aesthetic and stylistic approach that makes it stand out a bit more than previous versions this story might have had. The story of Selene and Michael, and how their paths cross, is somewhat predictable, but the director manages to stage the events in a surprisingly effective way, with a tone that borderlines on a B-movie with a slick gothic style, that fits this unpretentious story perfectly. The characters are rough sketches, and some of the actors don't get to do much, but the film is exciting enough, particularly when the great Bill Nighy enters the narrative. The film introduces this universe, without much backdrop explanation, but again, it's efficient in making the opposing factions seem vivid and motivated. It's not much of a start, but it's fairly entertaining, for a director who knows how to cultivate a slick B-movie aesthetic and approach to his films.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Movie Name: Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Director: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Directors/producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have made a name for themselves with a prolific output of TV shows, but have also gained accolades with their documentaries which have included "Party Monster" (which they later made a fictional film out of), "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" and "Inside Deep Throat". "Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures" is a thorough view of one of the most controversial artists of the 70s and 80s, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The documentary details his humble beginnings in New York, his academic experiences, all the way through his association and relationship with the iconic Patti Smith. The film also trails his relationship with Sam Waggstaff, and his progressive fame, ambition, and how that trickled across his personal relationships, both amorous and familial ones. The documentary also captures the reality of the art world in New York, both in the 70s and 80s, and how the queer movement, sexual liberation played a large role in Mapplethorpe's art (and how he, and his point of view, also played a role in bringing awareness to queer artists). It's a documentary that vividly portrays an ambitious and talented artist, but one that doesn't solely portray a single side to Mapplethorpe - in the end, it presents him as someone deeply humane, with flaws, longings and fears, just like everyone else. And it does so, while also showcasing the beautiful work of someone who has brought so much attention to Photography as an art form. An excellent documentary worth watching.
I Feel Pretty
Movie Name: I Feel Pretty
Director: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein
Stars: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Rory Scovel, Adrian Martinez, Busy Philips, Aidy Bryant, Lauren Hutton, Tom Hopper, Naomi Campbell, Sasheer Zamata, Caroline Day, Olivia Culpo, Gia Crovatin
"I Feel Pretty" is the feature directorial debut for Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, after a prolific career as screenwriters for mostly comedies, which has included Raja Gosnell's "Never Been Kissed", Ken Kwapis' "He's Just Not that Into You" and Garry Marshall's "Valentine's Day". The film follows the story of Renee Bennett, a professional knowledgable woman, who has always felt insecure about her looks. She works for a cosmetics company in their e-commerce arm of the business. After a freak accident at a spinning class, Renee is delighted to realize, upon looking in the mirror, that she's absolutely stunning - she's under the impression her body has gone through a profound change (that only she can tell). This new realization reinvigorates her ambition, passion and self-worth, making her pursue what she wants in her career and personal life, and in the process inspiring her boss, Avery, to also take chances and have a voice of her own.
"I Feel Pretty" feels at times like two films competing for the same real estate or screen time. On one hand, there's the Amy Schumer led storyline, which feels like it wants to be riskier and edgier, and on the other hand, there's the more sanitized and conventional plot, which all the trappings of a mediocre romantic comedy, which is what the film ends up embarking on. What has always been interesting about Amy Schumer, the central performance of the film, is how her type of comedy oscillates between the self deprecating, self mocking and inadequacy, and the strong voice she brings to women who don't feel the need to be fitted in a particular cliché or role. The film which is perfectly tailored to her strengths, and features a lot of her accomplices from her sketch show, sadly dims the edgier material she thrives on, going instead for a tone that is predictable, sugary and instantly forgettable. What made her "Trainwreck" film so interesting, was the opportunity it gave her to balance the rougher sides of her personality, with the sweeter, all under the guise of a romantic comedy. This film mostly feels like someone shaved almost everything that has always made her an interesting voice in comedy, in order to make a palatable comedy to please "everyone". In an attempt to reach a wider canvas, this film has turned out to be completely anonymous. The supporting cast doesn't really stand out much, with the exception of the talented Michelle Williams, who even in a small role, proves that she has a versatility that continues to impress. A missed opportunity.
Movie Name: The Kindergarten Teacher
Director: Sara Colangelo
Stars: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael Garcia Bernal, Michael Chernus, Anna Baryshnikov, Rosa Salazar, Daisy Tahan, Sam Jules
Director Sara Colangelo has followed her feature directorial debut with "The Kindergarten Teacher", which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, and went on to premiere on Netflix. The film follows the story of Lisa Spinelli, a kindergarten teacher who is currently enrolled in adult classes, specifically literature ones (with a focus on poetry and creative writing). While Lisa seeks those classes as an outlet for her creative endeavors, the results are somewhat lackluster. Her family life is also somewhat placid, with her teenage children getting ready to tackle the challenge of college life, while her husband quietly supports her endeavors. Lisa is perplexed one day to hear one of her young students, the little Jimmy, who is all of 5 years old, express eloquently a poem he has created. Lisa recites the poem on her class, where the reception is unanimously favorable and borderline enthusiastic. Lisa becomes increasingly focused on the life of Jimmy, and making sure his precocious talent doesn't go to waste.
"The Kindergarten Teacher" is a remake of an Israeli film from 2014 with the same name. In this case, director Sara Colangelo creates a universe where the central protagonist, Lisa, looks tired and worn out by a life of having her voice tampered and muffled. The bond she creates with Jimmy, is mostly driven by her need to make sure that the precocious and talented young boy doesn't get crushed by life as she has been. Nothing about Lisa suggests a hardened existence, fraught with complications - there's instead a longing to being heard, understood, and being able to express herself in a way that is true to her inner workings. It's a film that uses the fantastically talented Maggie Gyllenhaal to build a portrait of a woman whose inner voice was lost at some point, due to family and other obligations, and who suddenly is reawakened, and loses her grip on reality. It's an impeccable character study, of a less than a perfect character, all the more rewarding precisely due to that.
The supporting cast is uniformly good, from Michael Chernus, Gael Garcia Bernal and the young Parker Sevak. Worth watching and discovering.
Movie Name: 28 Days Later
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, Noah Huntley, Leo Bill, Ricci Harnett, Luke Mably, David Schneider
After the poorly received "The Beach", director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, returned with the fantastic "28 Days Later". The film follows the story of Jim, a bike messenger who wakes up in London, following a near fatal accident. As he roams the city, he notices that London is completely deserted. Jim also discovers that a virus has decimated almost the entire population of the country, save for a few pockets of survivors. He is rescued by Selena, when he is attacked by a series of individuals infected with the virus. She informs him of all the events, and they eventually find solace with a father and daughter duo, Frank and Hannah, both of whom are isolated in their apartment. All 4 of them decide to head out, and seek other survivors up north, where apparently there's a rescue center, and where the infection hasn't made its way.
Danny Boyle is a masterful storyteller, one that has been able throughout his films, to find unique stories to tell, that perfectly marry his sensibility and aesthetic. "28 Days Later" is a perfect example of that. Behind the facade of a zombie film, Danny Boyle builds a story that is a testament to the best and worst that can be found in human nature, respectively the kindness/giving nature, and the antithesis, in the shape of the violence, greed and brutality that they can exhibit. It's a film that also manages to explore to a perfect point, the virtuosity of digital cinema, by giving it a documentary style that makes the film feel real, particularly considering the apocalyptical aspect of the narrative. The relationship between the central characters is also built in a way that makes everyone feel and look realistic and not super heroes, or self-aggrandizing characters. It's a perfect mix of the fantastical with the realistic, something that Danny Boyle has mastered in his features almost to perfection. The film is also excitingly shot by Anthony Dod Mantle, and the central performances from Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston are all fantastic. A great film from a terrific director.
Movie Name: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken, David Andrews, Mark Famiglietti, Earl Boen, Moira Sinise, Christopher Lawford, Chopper Bernet
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Jonathan Mostow made a name for himself with "Breakdown", which turned out to be an unpretentious and successful film in its own right. "Terminator 3" is of course the sequel to the highly successful "Terminator 2", which director James Cameron tackled and was released in 1991. This time around, the story focuses on John Connor who is a young adult, and who has been living off grid ever since the occurrences from the second film. All of this changes when two terminators arrive. One is of course, intent on destroying him, and his generals, and the other one, is the more archaic and familiar, T-1000, who saved John as a child. In the process, John and the T-1000, capture Kate Brewster, whom John quickly learns is bound to become his wife in the future. It's up to the three of them to prevent the destructive power of the new terminator, and prevent Skynet from nearly destroying all human life.
Jonathan Mostow smartly decided to tackle this property from the perspective of a slick B-Movie. This means he has managed to deftly capture the main characters, and quickly define the cat and mouse game that drives most of the film. "Terminator 3" doesn't have the ambition and scope of the previous two entries in the series, but manages to poke fun at itself, with a lot of humor and just enough heart to make it entertaining. The film does borderline at times on self mockery, but pulls back just in time, making it an enjoyable feature that is as easily watchable as is forgettable. The cast is adequate, with Claire Danes bringing her intensity to a role that is somewhat underwritten. The cinematography from Don Burgess is great, as is the impeccable editing by Neil Travis and Nicolas de Toth (those chase sequences are impeccable). A fun film worth watching.
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At least 39 have died, 293 injured in shooting at Kenyan shopping mall
It seems that this is another mass public shooting that will greatly exceed the deaths in any US attack. From the UK Daily Mail:
British and American nationals have undoubtedly been caught up in the 'callous and cowardly and brutal' terror attack at a shopping centre in Kenya that has left 39 people dead and 150 injured, according to Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Mr Hague said 'we should be ready for that and aware of that' as he revealed a rapid deployment team is being sent to Kenya to help in the aftermath of the atrocity at an upmarket shopping centre in the capital.According to the Sunday Telegraph, a pregnant woman was among several Britons caught up in the attack.
Somali-based militant group al-Shabaab has now claimed responsibility for the atrocity in which men armed with guns and grenades stormed the mall and targeted non-Muslims.Terrorist gunmen remain at the scene and police officers supported by the army are still fighting to bring the situation to an end. . . .
Apparently, Americans were among those killed. From CNN:
The State Department said it had reports of American citizens injured in the attack but had no further details. It condemned "this senseless act of violence that has resulted in death and injury for many innocent men, women, and children." . . .
posted by John Lott at 6:38 PM
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Democrats having problems with Obama's leadership
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Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball
Holland America Line Donates $25,000 to Seattle Children’s as Part of K’s for Kids with the Seattle Mariners
Seattle’s Hometown Cruise Line gives back to the community with the Seattle Mariners
SEATTLE, September 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ — Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford presented a check for $25,000 to Seattle Children’s Uncompensated Care Fund Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, at the Seattle Mariners’ home game at Safeco Field. The company made the donation as part of its partnership with the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team and the K’s for Kids program. Holland America Line became the presenting sponsor of the program during the 2014 baseball season.
Read more about Holland America Line Donates $25,000 to Seattle Children’s as Part of K’s for Kids with the Seattle Mariners
Holland America Line Makes Third $25,000 Donation in Honor of ‘Ks for Kids’
Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford presented a check for $25,000 to Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Uncompensated Care Fund Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at the Seattle Mariners’ home game at Safeco Field. The company made the donation as part of its partnership with the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team and the “K’s for Kids” program that debuted during the 2014 baseball season.
Read more about Holland America Line Makes Third $25,000 Donation in Honor of ‘Ks for Kids’
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New World Stages
Rooms: A Rock Romance was a 2009 Off-Broadway musical, which opened to a slew of good reviews. The show, follows the off-and-on romance of Monica and Ian, wannabe rock stars from Glasgow It’s the late 1970s and, restyled as a punk duo, they write a hit song. The script follows their relationship past and present.
This, two-character story takes place in dozens of locations in Glasgow, London, and New York. The lighting sketches in various locations, including street scenes in Glasgow, London, and New York, various homes, performance spaces, and backstage at CBGB’s.
We created over 35 distinct locations achieving most of them using texture, color temperature and gobos.
The director (Scott Schwartz) and I decided early on that squares would be used heavily to represent rooms and isolation.
Conceptually the show is about Monica who wants to see every room in the universe and escape Glasgow, While all Ian wants is to stay isolated in his own place until Monica drags him out of his shell. This allows us to create a feeling of freedom and openness for Monica as she paces her moon strewn room, while bathed in textures that evoke swirling galaxies, Concurrently Ian is trapped by squares of light that shutter kinetically and keep him isolated throughout the show.
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Pelosi Appoints Dr. Matthew Wasniewski as New House Historian
On October 20, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the appointment of Dr. Matthew Wasniewski as the new Historian of the House of Representatives. Dr. Wasniewski, who currently serves as the historian in the House Clerk’s Office of History and Preservation, received the unanimous recommendation of the House Historian Search Committee appointed by Speaker Pelosi with the input of House Republican Leader John Boehner who concurred on the appointment.
The appointment of Dr. Wasniewski follows the retirement of Dr. Robert Remini as Historian earlier this year after serving for five years. Speaker Pelosi decided at that time to have a panel of distinguished historians conduct an impartial and professional search for the replacement, rather than rely simply on a Speaker appointment, as House rules permit.
“Dr. Wasniewski brings enormous experience and energy to the job of House Historian, Pelosi said. “His knowledge of congressional history, and his familiarity with cutting edge research and archival techniques make him the perfect candidate for this position. I want to thank Leader Boehner for working cooperatively throughout the appointment process, and supporting the work of the non-partisan, independent Search Committee.”
House Republican Leader Boehner said: “I’d like to thank the Speaker for working in a collaborative way throughout this process. Dr. Wasniewski’s interest in the history of the federal government, and his long-time association with the House, make him an excellent choice who will continue to find innovative ways to not only help the public be better engaged with their House, but to help Members better perform their duties through an understanding of the history of the institution”.
The members of the search committee included:
Dr. Richard D. Brown, chair: Board of Trustees Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Connecticut
Dr. Allen Guelzo, Professor of History, Gettysburg College
Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson, former Acting Archivist of the United States
Dr. Donald Spivey, Professor of History, University of Miami
Dr. Julian Zelizer, Professor of History, Princeton University
The Search Committee also recommended the consolidation
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of the existing Office of the Historian with the Office of History and Preservation, which is located in the office of the House Clerk, Lorraine Miller. Speaker Pelosi had asked the Committee to consider the consolidation of the two offices in order to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and cut costs.
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Pingback: History Buzz November 1, 8, 2010: Historians Assess Midterm Elections « History Musings…
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HBO Max set for 2020 streaming launch, nabs 'Friends' from Netflix
The popular comedy series "Friends," whose cast is seen in a 2002 photo, will be offered on the new WarnerMedia streaming platform next year, and will no longer be available on Netflix
Los Angeles (AFP) - WarnerMedia will launch its new Netflix rival “HBO Max” in early 2020 after reclaiming the rights to stream its hugely popular television comedy “Friends,” the company said Tuesday.
The new service will enter an increasingly crowded TV streaming marketplace, vying for customers with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon as well as the soon-to-be-launched Disney+, Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Apple’s upcoming product.
“Friends” – which ended back in 2004 – is believed to be one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, capturing a new generation of viewers since it was licensed by WarnerMedia to the streaming market leader in 2014.
Although Netflix rarely publishes viewership figures, it reportedly paid $100 million to extend streaming rights by just one year for the New York-based sitcom starring Jennifer Aniston in 2018.
“We’re sorry to see Friends go to Warner’s streaming service at the beginning of 2020 (in the US). Thanks for the memories, gang,” Netflix said Tuesday in a Twitter post labelled “The One Where We Have To Say Goodbye.”
As well as all 236 episodes of “Friends,” the HBO Max platform will group together WarnerMedia’s vast library of shows and films, along with premium HBO content including “Game of Thrones,” and new original programming.
Pricing for the new service has not been announced, with more details to follow later this year, a WarnerMedia spokesman told AFP.
The launch of HBO Max will see WarnerMedia become the latest media-entertainment conglomerate to move into on-demand streaming, as consumers shift away from traditional “linear” television and hefty cable TV bundles.
The announcement indicates parent company AT&T will offer a single streaming product, expanding on its existing HBO service, rather than a separate service with content from its newly acquired Time Warner and Turner television operations.
As a result, the new service will also include exclusive streaming rights to shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Pretty Little Liars.”
HBO Max will debut with some 10,000 hours of “premium content,” according to the WarnerMedia statement.
“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment.
AT&T survived an antitrust challenge and last year finalized a deal to acquire Time Warner, which included the Warner Bros studios, Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting and other assets for some $85 billion.
While antitrust enforcers claimed the tie-up would lead to too much concentration, AT&T argued that the deal would create a new player capable of competing with the increasingly dominant online platforms.
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Position: SS Born: 3/17/1990 Birthplace: San Juan, DR
Bats/Throws: R/R Draft: Undrafted by Angels (2007)
General Batting
Date Opp Result AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
3/28 Atl W10-4 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500
3/30 Atl W8-6 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 .375 .375 .500
Mar. Totals 12 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 .250 .308 .333
4/2 @Was W8-2 5 2 3 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 .353 .389 .471
4/3 @Was L8-9 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .364 .391 .455
4/5 Min W10-4 5 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .370 .393 .481
4/6 Min L2-6 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .355 .375 .452
4/7 Min W2-1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .324 .361 .412
4/8 Was W4-3 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .342 .375 .421
4/9 Was L6-10 4 1 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 .333 .378 .452
4/10 Was L1-15 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .304 .347 .413
4/12 @Mia W9-1 5 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .370 .451
4/13 @Mia L3-10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .309 .345 .418
4/15 NYM L6-7 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 .323 .380 .462
4/16 NYM W14-3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .328 .384 .478
4/27 Mia W12-9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .324 .387 .471
4/28 Mia W5-1 4 2 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .347 .405 .514
4/30 Det L1-3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .329 .386 .487
Apr. Totals 64 12 22 4 2 1 11 5 7 1 0 .344 .400 .516
5/1 Det W7-3 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .338 .391 .500
5/6 @StL L0-6 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .337 .381 .510
5/7 @StL W11-1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .320 .364 .485
5/8 @StL W5-0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .306 .348 .463
5/10 @KC L1-5 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .304 .345 .455
5/11 @KC W7-0 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .302 .347 .448
5/13 Mil W7-4 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 .302 .343 .444
5/14 Mil L1-6 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 .308 .348 .446
5/16 Mil L3-11 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 .312 .349 .486
5/17 Col W5-4 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .324 .360 .500
5/20 @ChC W5-4 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 .318 .360 .481
5/21 @ChC L2-3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .318 .363 .484
5/24 @Mil W6-4 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .322 .366 .503
5/26 @Mil L1-9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .315 .361 .489
5/28 StL W4-3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .308 .354 .478
5/29 StL W11-4 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .306 .352 .473
5/30 StL L3-5 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .307 .355 .471
5/31 @LAD L3-6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .301 .348 .461
May Totals 117 21 33 7 0 4 12 7 16 2 1 .282 .323 .444
6/1 @LAD L3-4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296 .346 .454
6/3 @SD L2-8 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .287 .339 .441
6/4 @SD W9-6 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .285 .336 .440
6/7 Cin W4-2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .287 .336 .440
6/9 Cin L3-4 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 .293 .342 .455
6/10 Ari L8-13 5 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 .291 .339 .463
6/11 Ari W7-4 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .289 .336 .461
6/12 Ari L0-2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .284 .331 .453
6/14 @Atl L8-9 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 .285 .336 .452
6/15 @Atl W6-5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279 .330 .443
6/16 @Atl L1-15 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .275 .328 .437
6/19 @Was L2-6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .270 .322 .429
6/21 Mia L1-2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .269 .319 .432
6/25 NYM W7-5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .273 .320 .443
6/28 @Mia L2-6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270 .315 .453
6/30 @Mia W13-6 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .272 .316 .452
Jun. Totals 112 13 25 7 1 5 15 5 13 2 0 .223 .261 .438
7/2 @Atl W2-0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .275 .318 .453
7/3 @Atl L2-9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .272 .317 .449
7/4 @Atl L6-12 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .274 .319 .448
7/5 @NYM W7-2 5 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 .276 .320 .450
7/6 @NYM L5-6 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .276 .321 .448
7/12 Was L0-4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .275 .318 .442
7/14 Was W4-3 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 .275 .320 .442
7/15 LAD L2-16 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .271 .315 .435
Jul. Totals 42 7 11 2 0 0 3 2 5 2 0 .262 .311 .310
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ISBN: HB: 9781787381193
Hurst Publishers
Twice-Born
Life and Death on the Ganges
For sale in CIS only!
When Aatish Taseer first came to Benares, the spiritual capital of Hinduism, he was the Westernised teenager of an Indian journalist and a Pakistani politician, raised among New Delhi's intellectual and cultural elite. Nearly two decades later, Taseer leaves his life in Manhattan to go in search of the Brahmins, wanting to understand his own estrangement from India through their ties to tradition.
Known as the twice-born, the Brahmins are a caste devoted to sacred learning. But, for Taseer, Benares is the window onto an India as fractured as his own identity. At every turn, the seductive, homogenising forces of globalised modernity collide with the insistent presence of ancient customs amid a rising tide of nationalism, driven forth by a brutal caste system, cries of "Victory to Mother India!", and vengeful anti-Muslim violence.
From the narrow streets of the temple town and a Modi rally in Delhi to the blossoming cotton trees and burning corpses of the Ganges, The Twice-Born charts one diasporic Indian's struggle to reconcile magic with reason, and faith in tradition with hope for the future. Taseer's lyrical, compelling personal account confronts his own myths about himself, his past, and his countries, old and new.
Aatish Taseer was born in 1980. He is the author of the memoir "Stranger to History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands" and three acclaimed novels: "The Way Things Were", a finalist for the 2016 Jan Michalski Prize; "The Temple-Goers", which was short-listed for the Costa First Novel Award; and "Noon". His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is a contributing writer for The International New York Times and lives in New Delhi and New York.
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13 Devilish Facts About Rosemary’s Baby
BY Matthew Jackson
Paramount Home Video
In the late 1960s, a B-movie producer, a filmmaker untested in America, and a TV star untested on the big screen got together to make a horror movie. They produced a classic.
Rosemary’s Baby is a kind of godmother to all of the Satan-themed horror films that followed it, from The Exorcist to The Omen to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It’s scary yet elegant, eerie yet oddly romantic, horrifying yet beautiful in its design. It’s the product of a meticulous director who went over his shooting schedule, a young star who persevered even in the midst of a divorce, and a cast and crew who may have ultimately suffered a curse for their part in it.
As the film nears its 50th anniversary, here are 13 facts about Rosemary’s Baby.
1. WILLIAM CASTLE ORIGINALLY WANTED TO DIRECT IT.
Even before Ira Levin’s novel hit bookstores, Rosemary’s Baby became a hot property in Hollywood. The galleys of the novel caught the eye of director/producer William Castle, best known for B-movie horror films like The Tingler and House On Haunted Hill. Castle, eager to make a prestigious film, snapped up the rights to the book, and sought a deal with Paramount Pictures to get the film made. Producer Robert Evans also saw potential in the novel and agreed to adapt it for the screen, but insisted that Castle only work on the film as a producer. Castle, who’d hoped to direct the film himself, reluctantly agreed.
“It was too good for Bill Castle,” Evans later said.
Evans ultimately decided on Roman Polanski, who made his American debut with the film, to direct Rosemary’s Baby.
2. ROMAN POLANSKI MADE ONE VERY SIGNIFICANT STORYTELLING DECISION.
William Milsom/Evening Standard/Getty Images
When Evans offered him the film, Polanski was immediately engaged by Levin’s novel, and decided to write the screenplay himself. He had little difficultly, but as an agnostic, there was one particular aspect he wanted to remain intact onscreen: ambiguity. He set out to tell a story where, in theory, you could perceive everything that happened to Rosemary as something she was imagining.
“Being an agnostic, however, I no more believed in Satan as evil incarnate than I believed in a personal god; the whole idea conflicted with my rational view of the world,” Polanski later said. “For credibility's sake, I decided that there would have to be a loophole: the possibility that Rosemary's supernatural experiences were figments of her imagination. The entire story, as seen through her eyes, could have been a chain of only superficially sinister coincidences, a product of her feverish fancies ... That is why a thread of deliberate ambiguity runs throughout the film.”
3. IRA LEVIN MADE DRAWINGS OF THE BRAMFORD APARTMENTS.
Prior to shooting Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski gathered the cast for rehearsals on soundstages, complete with taped-off layouts of each apartment (the interiors were all shot on constructed sets) to give the actors an idea of how their movements would work within the eventual sets. Helping that process along was Levin himself, who provided detailed layouts of the apartments.
4. POLANSKI MADE SKETCHES TO CHOOSE THE SUPPORTING CAST.
When it came time to choose the supporting cast, Polanski did something a little unorthodox: He drew them. Feeling that each resident of the Bramford needed a very particular look, he felt that it would actually be easier if he simply showed those looks to the Paramount casting director. So, he made sketches of each Bramford resident and turned them over to the studios. That’s how actors like Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer made their way into the film.
5. ROBERT REDFORD WAS THE FIRST CHOICE FOR GUY WOODHOUSE.
In casting Rosemary’s Baby, Evans and Polanski didn’t always agree from the start, so several different incarnations of the cast were possible. They did, however, agree that Robert Redford would be perfect for the role of Guy Woodhouse, Rosemary’s ambitious actor husband. Unfortunately, Paramount and Redford were locked in a contractual dispute at the time, so he wasn’t available. So the studio went searching, and other choices included Robert Wagner, Richard Chamberlain, James Fox, Laurence Harvey, and Jack Nicholson (who actually tested for the role). Ultimately, Polanski decided on John Cassavetes, a talented filmmaker he was already familiar with.
6. MIA FARROW WAS NOT POLANSKI’S FIRST CHOICE FOR ROSEMARY.
Harry Benson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
For the role of Rosemary Woodhouse, Polanski set out to find an “All-American” actress. His choice was Tuesday Weld, then known for her work in films like The Cincinnati Kid. Evans and Castle had a different idea: Mia Farrow, then best-known for the TV series Peyton Place. After auditioning a few actresses, Polanski ended up agreeing that Farrow was right for the role.
“Mia was a little left-of-center. That’s the reason we wanted her,” Evans said. “She wasn’t just another pretty face.
“She had another dimension. And what she didn’t have, Roman got out of her.”
7. POLANSKI CLASHED WITH THE STUDIO DURING PRODUCTION.
Rosemary’s Baby was Polanski’s first American film, and his attention to detail ultimately created some problems with Paramount. According to Evans, the director fell behind his shooting schedule very quickly, to the point that Castle was calling and warning him that problems were ahead. Evans and Castle, according to Polanski, stood by their director, and it also didn’t hurt that the footage coming back from the film was impressive. In Polanski’s recollection, it took a fellow director—the great Otto Preminger (Laura, Anatomy of a Murder)—to convince him he had nothing to worry about. In a chance meeting on the Paramount lot, Polanski explained his schedule problems to the legend. Preminger asked him about the “rushes,” the raw footage screened for studio executives. When Polanski explained that Paramount seemed to love his footage, Preminger put him at ease.
“‘So what do you care?’ he says,” Polanski recalled. “‘They never fired anyone because of schedule, because of lagging behind, but if they don’t like the rushes, you’re out very soon.’ So, that was the case. They really liked the material very much.”
8. POLANSKI AND JOHN CASSAVETES CLASHED DURING PRODUCTION, TOO.
Harry Benson/Express/Getty Images
John Cassavetes is still remembered as a titan of independent film, known for his freewheeling, improvisational productions like A Woman Under the Influence. Polanski is a different kind of director, known for his precision. Though Cassavetes was only working as an actor on Rosemary’s Baby, their respective filmmaking styles still clashed. According to Farrow, Cassavetes longed to improvise and let the moment carry him through the scene, while Polanski would be annoyed if an actor lifted a glass mere inches from where he imagined it to be. Though Polanski and Cassavetes knew each other, and apparently liked each other, prior to filming, their working relationship became a bit strained.
“John Cassavetes was not my best experience, I must say,” Polanski recalled.
9. FARROW REALLY WALKED OUT INTO NEW YORK TRAFFIC.
According to Farrow, Polanski’s directing style often involved him acting out the scenes himself to show the actors what he wanted, and this apparently had the effect of convincing Farrow to do a few outrageous things. For example, she ate raw liver on camera through several takes, even though she was a strict vegetarian. The most extreme instance of this, though, came during the sequence when Rosemary is attempting to flee the Bramford and walks out into traffic in an effort to quickly cross the street. This was not a carefully orchestrated sequence in which streets were blocked off and stunt drivers were employed. According to Farrow, she really did just simply walk out into a New York street and hoped the oncoming cars would stop. This was Polanski’s idea, and he assured Farrow that “Nobody will hit a pregnant woman.” He was right, and the scene was shot several times, with one caveat: Polanski himself had to operate the camera, because no one else dared to.
10. FRANK SINATRA FILED FOR DIVORCE FROM FARROW DURING PRODUCTION.
Keystone/Getty Images
At the time of Rosemary’s Baby’s production, Farrow was famous for two things: starring in Peyton Place and being married to legendary singer Frank Sinatra. When Farrow got the script for Rosemary’s Baby, she asked Sinatra to read it, and after he finished he turned to her and said “I can’t see you in it.” Farrow agreed to do the film anyway, but as Polanski’s shooting schedule stretched out it began to conflict with a planned role in Sinatra’s own film, The Detective. Farrow hoped she could make the schedules work and do both films, flying coast-to-coast in the process, but ultimately Rosemary won out, and Sinatra issued a demand that she choose between the movie or her husband. When she decided to finish Rosemary’s Baby, he sent his lawyer to the set to deliver divorce papers. Farrow signed them in “a blur of tears,” then continued shooting.
The incident created such tension that Sinatra and Evans didn’t speak for several years, to the point that Evans would call restaurants and ask if Sinatra was dining there before he decided to go. According to Farrow, she and Sinatra remained friends until his death in 1998.
11. WILLIAM CASTLE THOUGHT THE FILM WAS CURSED.
According to Farrow, actor Sidney Blackmer (who played coven leader Roman Castevet) once said on set “No good will come of all this ‘Hail Satan’ business,” and apparently he wasn’t the only one who thought so. William Castle later became convinced the film was cursed. Shortly after production he suffered gallstones to such a severe extent that he required surgery. As he recovered from that illness, Rosemary’s Baby composer Krzysztof Komeda suffered an accidental fall that led to a coma and, eventually, his death. Then, in the summer of 1969, actress Sharon Tate—Polanski’s wife—was infamously murdered by the Manson Family. For Castle, it all added up.
"The story of Rosemary's Baby was happening in real life. Witches, all of them, were casting their spell, and I was becoming one of the principal players,” he later recalled.
12. CASTLE MADE A CAMEO.
Castle initially wanted to direct Rosemary’s Baby himself, and had to settle for a producer’s role instead. He did also get to act a little in the film. When Rosemary goes to the phone booth to call Dr. Hill’s office, a man with a cigar comes up and waits outside. Because the paranoia level in the film is so intense at this point, the viewer initially wonders if the man is part of the conspiracy against Rosemary. Ultimately, he’s a man just waiting to use the phone. The man is Castle.
13. THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SEQUELS.
Rosemary’s Baby was an instant hit, and the Satanism woven into its plot ultimately started a craze that led to other hits like The Omen and The Exorcist. So, naturally, a sequel was in the cards. In 1976 a made-for-TV movie titled Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby aired on ABC during the Halloween season. It stars Patty Duke as Rosemary, was directed by Rosemary’s Baby co-editor Sam O’Steen, and even features the return of Ruth Gordon as Minnie Castevet.
In 1997, Levin himself produced a sequel, a novel titled Son of Rosemary. The film was also remade as an NBC miniseries in 2014, starring Zoe Saldana as Rosemary.
Lists Movies News Pop Culture
Pottery Barn Is Launching a Friends-Inspired Furniture Line That Includes Rachel’s Iconic Apothecary Table
Gga2015, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0
To celebrate this fall’s 25th anniversary of the premiere of Friends in 1994, Pottery Barn is releasing a line of furniture inspired by the beloved NBC sitcom, Deadline reports.
The collection will feature accessories, furniture, and tabletop items, including Central Perk mugs. One highlight is a replica of the apothecary table that made a name for apothecary tables everywhere with its spotlight-stealing performance in the season 6 episode “The One with the Apothecary Table.” In it, Rachel purchases an apothecary table from Pottery Barn and, when she finds out Phoebe hates Pottery Barn, tells her the table is an antique from the “days of yore.” It gets more complicated (and hilarious) from there.
According to BuzzFeed, the episode was actually part of a product placement deal with Pottery Barn, and Entertainment Weekly even ranked it first on their “Best Product Placement” list for Friends.
You can shop the collection beginning on July 30, with prices starting at $12.50. If you’re a diehard Friends fanatic looking to celebrate its 25th anniversary in a way that Rachel Green would be proud of, you can also enter Pottery Barn’s sweepstakes for a chance to win a free trip for two to Los Angeles, complete with a $1000 shopping spree to Pottery Barn and a Warner Bros. Studio Deluxe Tour which includes, of course, a visit to the Central Perk set.
And, if you haven’t seen “The One with the Apothecary Table,” you can watch it on Netflix before Friends leaves for WarnerMedia’s new streaming service HBO Max in 2020.
[h/t Deadline]
entertainment fun furniture News Television tv
Target Has Launched a Harry Potter Line of Clothing, Accessories, and Home Goods
BY Jessica Bowman
No more blending in with the mediocre Muggles—now wizards can decorate and accessorize like the magical creatures they are with Target's brand-new line of Harry Potter clothing and home goods.
Target shoppers will feel like they’ve stepped through Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station as they wander the Harry Potter-stuffed aisles. Popsugar reports that Target will carry more than 500 Harry Potter-themed items, including socks, lanterns, pillows, dolls and much more.
You’ll be able to wake up in your Hogwarts sheets, have your morning coffee in a Slytherin mug, and take a ride on a foam Nimbus 2000 replica while rocking a Potter t-shirt. Not sure what house you’re in? No sweat! Target is even carrying a real-life sorting hat.
Whether you need a gift for the kiddos, or just want to treat your inner witch, Target is sure to have the perfect find in its Wizarding World line.
entertainment Harry Potter News shopping
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10 Fun Facts About Play-Doh
BY Stacy Conradt
As any Play-Doh aficionado knows, September 16th is National Play-Doh Day! Let's pay tribute to your favorite modeling clay with some fun facts about the childhood play staple that began life as a cleaning product.
1. IT WAS FIRST SOLD AS WALLPAPER CLEANER.
Before kids were playing with Play-Doh, their parents were using it to remove soot and dirt from their wall coverings by simply rolling the wad of goop across the surface.
2. IF IT WEREN'T FOR CAPTAIN KANGAROO, PLAY-DOH MIGHT NEVER HAVE TAKEN OFF.
When it was just a fledgling company with no advertising budget, inventor Joe McVicker talked his way in to visit Bob Keeshan, a.k.a. Captain Kangaroo. Although the company couldn’t pay the show outright, McVicker offered them two percent of Play-Doh sales for featuring the product once a week. Keeshan loved the compound and began featuring it three times weekly.
3. MORE THAN 3 BILLION CANS OF PLAY-DOH HAVE BEEN SOLD.
Since 1956, more than 3 billion cans of Play-Doh have been sold. That’s enough to reach the Moon and back a total of three times. (Not bad for a wallpaper cleaner.)
4. IT USED TO COME IN JUST ONE COLOR.
Back when it was still a household product, Play-Doh came in just one dud of a color: off-white. When it hit stores as a toy in the 1950s, red, blue, and yellow were added. These days, Play-Doh comes in nearly every color of the rainbow—more than 50 in total—but a consumer poll revealed that fans' favorite colors are Rose Red, Purple Paradise, Garden Green, and Blue Lagoon.
5. FOR QUITE SOME TIME, DR. TIEN LIU HAD A JOB SKILL NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD COULD CLAIM: PLAY-DOH EXPERT.
Dr. Tien Liu helped perfect the Play-Doh formula for the original company, Rainbow Crafts, and stayed on as a Play-Doh Expert when the modeling compound was purchased by Kenner and then Hasbro.
6. YOU CAN SMELL LIKE PLAY-DOH.
Want to smell like Play-Doh? You can! To commemorate the compound’s 50th anniversary, Demeter Fragrance Library worked with Hasbro to make a Play-Doh fragrance, which was developed for “highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.”
7. HASBRO TRADEMARKED THE SCENT.
Anyone who has ever popped open a fresh can of Play-Doh knows that there’s something extremely distinctive about the smell. It’s so distinctive that, in early 2017, Hasbro filed for federal protection in order to trademark the scent, which the company describes as “a unique scent formed through the combination of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough.”
8. IT CAN CREATE A PRETTY ACCURATE FINGERPRINT.
When biometric scanners were a bit more primitive, people discovered that you could make a mold of a person’s finger, then squish Play-Doh in the mold to make a replica of the finger that would actually fool fingerprint scanners. Back in 2005, it was estimated that Play-Doh could actually fool 90 percent of all fingerprint scanners. But technology has advanced a lot since then, so don’t go getting any funny ideas. Today's more sophisticated systems aren’t so easily tricked by the doughy stuff.
9. IT HOLDS A PLACE IN THE NATIONAL TOY HALL OF FAME.
Unsurprisingly, Play-Doh holds a coveted place in the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. It was inducted in 1998. According to the Hall of Fame, “recent estimates say that kids have played with 700 million pounds of Play-Doh."
10. YOU CAN TURN YOUR PLAY-DOH CREATIONS INTO ANIMATED CHARACTERS.
While Play-Doh may be a classic toy, it got a state-of-the-art upgrade in 2016, when Hasbro launched Touch Shape to Life Studio, an app that lets kids turn their Play-Doh creations into animated characters.
Art fun kids Lists News Pop Culture toys
10 Fascinating Facts About Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was one of England’s most controversial queens. In 1533, King Henry VIII annulled his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) and was in the process of breaking with the Catholic Church to wed the charming noblewoman. But their happiness was not to last: Just three years later, Anne was executed. It’s a compelling story, one that’s been dramatized in plays, novels, movies, and TV shows. But today, we’re setting the pop culture depictions aside to take a look at the real Anne Boleyn.
Anne Boleyn’s formative years were spent in France and Belgium.
Born in the early 16th century (possibly in 1501 or 1507), Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, an English diplomat. As a child, she went abroad to study in Margaret of Austria’s court, located in present-day Belgium, and later continued her education as a member of Mary Tudor’s elegant household in Paris. By the time she returned to her native England in the early 1520s, Boleyn had mastered the French language—and she carried herself like a Parisian, too. “No one,” wrote one of Boleyn’s contemporaries, “would ever have taken her to be English by her manners, but [instead] a native-born Frenchwoman."
Anne Boleyn played the lute.
Even Boleyn’s harshest critics had to admit that she was a good dancer. She was also fond of music, and reportedly played the lute (a guitar-like instrument popular at Tudor gatherings) quite well. A songbook that bears her inscription can be found at London’s Royal College of Music. It’s unclear if Boleyn ever owned this book, but its selection of tunes is historically significant.
Anne Boleyn almost married someone other than King Henry VIII.
In 1522, Thomas Boleyn and his cousin, Sir Piers Butler, were both trying to claim some Irish land holdings that had belonged to one of their mutual ancestors. To settle the dispute, Anne's uncle suggested marrying Anne to Butler’s son, James, so that the factions could be unified in the future. By the time Anne returned to England, the marriage was already in the works. King Henry VIII—whose mistress at that time was Anne's sister Mary—supported the match, but the marriage never went through. Anne also had a romantic relationship with one Henry Percy, a future Earl of Northumberland who wound up marrying the Lady Mary Talbot.
Anne Boleyn was pregnant at her coronation.
King Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was annulled on May 23, 1533. He’d been courting Anne Boleyn for years; many of his love letters survive to this day. As the king’s infatuation grew, so did his desire for a healthy male heir—which Catherine never gave him. But Pope Clement VII refused to dissolve the royal marriage. So the Archbishop of Canterbury went ahead and annulled it. Henry VIII would soon be declared “Supreme Head of the Church of England,” severing its ties with the Vatican. Boleyn was crowned queen on June 1, 1533. Her first child, Princess Elizabeth, was born a little over three months later.
Anne Boleyn’s emblem was a white falcon.
The Boleyns took a white falcon from the traditional Butler family crest. For Anne’s coronation ceremony, poet Nicholas Udall wrote a ballad that likened the new queen to this elegant bird of prey. “Behold and see the Falcon White!” declared one verse. “How she beginneth her wings to spread, and for our comfort to take her flight” [PDF]. The new queen also used a white falcon badge as her personal emblem; at some point, a graffitied version of this was carved into the Tower of London.
Anne Boleyn’s religious views are hard to pin down, but she appeared to sympathize with reformers.
At a time when Latin-language Bibles were the norm in Catholic Europe, Boleyn consistently supported the publication of English translations—a controversial notion at the time. As queen, she and her husband arranged for the release of Nicholas Bourbon, a French humanist whose criticisms of saint-worship and other theological matters had landed him in jail. Bourbon went to England, where he tutored Boleyn’s nephew (at her request).
Anne Boleyn was the first of Henry VIII’s queens to get beheaded.
Like Catherine before her, Anne Boleyn failed to deliver Henry VIII’s long-sought male heir. In 1536, she found herself on trial, accused of high treason, adultery, and incest. (Rumors circulated that she was having an affair with her brother, George.) Though many historians dismiss these allegations, they sealed her fate nevertheless. Boleyn was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Henry VIII wed his third wife, Jane Seymour, that same month. Two spouses later, history repeated itself when the king had queen number five—Catherine Howard—decapitated in 1542.
It has been claimed that Anne Boleyn had 11 fingers.
When you replace a popular monarch and spur the change of the religious fabric of an entire country, you're bound to make enemies. One of Boleyn’s detractors claimed that she had a “devilish spirit,” while another famously called her a “goggle-eyed whore.”
And then there’s Catholic propagandist Nicholas Sander, who wrote an unflattering description of the former queen many years after she died. According to him, Boleyn had “a large wen [wart or cyst] under her chin,” a “projecting tooth under the upper lip” and “six fingers” on her right hand. But his claims are highly suspect. There’s no proof that Sander ever laid eye on Boleyn—plus, her contemporaries didn’t mention any of these physical traits in their own writings about the queen. At worst, she might have had a second nail on one finger—which is a far cry from saying she possessed an extra digit.
Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, ruled England for decades.
Coronated at age 25 on January 15, 1559, Queen Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish Armada, promoted exploration, and foiled multiple assassination plots during her 44-year reign. She held the throne right up until her death in 1603.
There’s only one surviving portrait of Anne Boleyn (that we know of).
When Henry VIII executed her, most Anne Boleyn likenesses were intentionally destroyed—and now, there's just one contemporary image of the queen known to exist: a lead disc—crafted in 1534—with Boleyn’s face etched on one side, which is held at the British Museum in London. It’s the only verified portrait of the former queen that was actually produced during her lifetime.
But there may be at least one more image of the queen out there: In 2015, facial recognition software was used to compare the image on the disc to a 16th-century painting currently housed at the Bradford Art Galleries and Museums. The picture’s subject, a young woman, has never been identified, but according to the program, the figure looks an awful lot like Boleyn’s portrait in that lead disc—though the researchers cautioned that their results were inconclusive due to insufficient data.
History Lists News
6 Strange Maritime Mysteries
BY Claire Cock-Starkey
Neville Mountford-Hoare/iStock via Getty Images
The oceans cover over 70 percent of our planet, so it's little wonder that their seemingly impenetrable depths have provided a series of fascinating mysteries, from missing ships to eerie monsters. Below are six mysteries of the deep—some of which scientists think they've at least partly explained, while others remain truly puzzling.
The Mary Celeste
On December 5, 1872, the crew of the British ship the Dei Gratia spotted a vessel bobbing about 400 miles off the coast of the Azores. They approached the Mary Celeste to offer help, but after boarding the ship were shocked to find it completely unmanned. The crew had disappeared without a trace, their belongings still stowed in their quarters, six months' worth of food and drink untouched, and the valuable cargo of industrial alcohol still mostly in place. The only clues were three and a half feet of water in the hold, a missing lifeboat, and a dismantled pump. It was the beginning of an enduring mystery concerning what happened to the crew, and why they abandoned a seemingly sea-worthy vessel.
Numerous theories have been suggested, including by crime writer Arthur Conan Doyle, who penned a short story in 1884 suggesting the crew had fallen victim to an ex-slave intent on revenge. A more recent theory has pointed the finger at rough seas and the broken pump, arguing they forced the captain to issue an order to abandon ship. Since the missing crew have never been traced, it seems unlikely that there will ever be a satisfying answer to the enigma.
The Yonaguni Monument
An area known as the Twin Megaliths at the Yonaguni Monument
Vincent Lou, Wikimedia // CC BY 2.0
In 1986, a diver looking for a good spot to watch hammerhead sharks off the coast of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan came across an extraordinary underwater landscape. The area reportedly looked like an ancient submerged village, with steps, holes, and triangles seemingly carved into the rocks. Ever since it was first discovered, controversy has surrounded the site that's become known as the Yonaguni Monument, with some researchers—such as marine geologist Masaaki Kimura—arguing it is a clearly manmade environment, perhaps a city thousands of years old and sunk in one of the earthquakes that plagues the region. Others believe it's a natural geological phenomenon reflecting the stratigraphy (layers) of sandstone in an area with tectonic activity. The area is open to scuba divers, so the really curious can strap on air tanks and decide for themselves.
The Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle has probably spawned more wild theories, column inches, and online discussion than any other ocean mystery—more than 50 ships and 20 aircraft are said to have vanished there. Although the triangle has never officially been defined, by some accounts it covers at least 500,000 square miles and lies between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico.
The mystery first caught the public imagination in December 1945 when Flight 19, consisting of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers and their 14 crewmembers, were lost without a trace during a routine training operation in the area. Interest was further piqued when it was later reported that one of the search-and-rescue planes dispatched to find the missing team had also disappeared. Articles and books such as Charles Berlitz’s The Bermuda Triangle, first published in 1974 and having since sold over 20 million copies in 30 languages, have served to keep the mystery alive, providing potential theories both natural and supernatural. Scientists—and world-renowned insurers Lloyd’s of London—have attempted to debunk the myth of the Bermuda Triangle, offering evidence that the rate of disappearance in the vast and busy triangle is no higher than other comparable shipping lanes, but such is the power of a good story that this is one story that seems likely to continue to fascinate.
The Kraken
A model of a giant squid on display at the Natural History Museum in London in 1907
Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
For hundreds of years, sailors told tales of an enormous sea creature with huge tentacles known as the Kraken. Stories around the mythical kraken first started appearing in Scandinavia in the 12th century, and in 1555 Swedish cartographer Olaus Magnus provided an account of a sea creature with “sharp and long Horns round about, like a Tree root up by the Roots: They are ten or twelve cubits long, very black, and with huge eyes.” The stories persisted, often mentioning a creature so large it resembled an island. In his 1755 book The Natural History of Norway, Danish historian Erik Ludvigsen Pontoppidan described the kraken as “incontestably the largest Sea monster in the world."
Scientists have proposed that these stories might derive from sightings of giant squid (Architeuthis dux), although evidence for an even larger, yet extremely elusive, colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) has also come to light. The colossal squid is found in the deepest part of the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, and is thought to be up to 46 feet long and 1100 pounds. The problem is that the animal is so rare very few specimens have been found intact, and no live specimen has ever been observed, which means that estimating its exact size is difficult. Researchers have also noticed that sperm whales have been observed with large scars, and have suggested that these could be the result of violent encounters with the colossal squid, which is known to have sharp rotating hooks on the ends of their tentacles.
The Treasure of the Merchant Royal
The remains of the Merchant Royal are known as one of the richest shipwrecks ever. The ship set sail from the New World in 1641 laden with 100,000 pounds of gold, 400 Mexican silver bars, and thousands of precious gems—in total, a haul thought to be worth $1.3 billion today. The ship got caught in a storm and was thought to have gone down somewhere off the coast of Cornwall, England. The lost wreck became known as the “el Dorado of the seas” due to the enormous value of its cargo, and over the years numerous treasure hunters have searched fruitlessly for its final resting place, which remains undiscovered. In 2019 fishermen snagged what is thought to be the anchor from the Merchant Royal, but to date the dangerous conditions and extreme depths at which the wreck is thought to lie have meant it has remained unclaimed.
Attack of the Sea Foam
In December 2011, residents of Cleveleys, England, awoke to what appeared to be a soft blanket of snow. But as locals ventured out into the streets it soon became clear that this was no snowstorm, but instead something far more puzzling. Trees, cars, roads, and houses were all wrapped in a thick, white layer of foam. The Environment Agency were quickly deployed to take samples of the sea foam, since residents were understandably concerned as to the origin of the strange, gloopy substance, fearing it might be caused by pollutants.
The dramatic images of the foam-soaked town soon had journalists flocking to the region to investigate the phenomena, but as quickly as it appeared the foam disappeared, leaving behind only a salty residue. Scientists analyzing the foam confirmed it was not caused by detergents, and instead suspected that it was caused by a rare combination of decomposing algae out at sea and strong winds, which whipped up the viscous foam and blew it into land. The phenomena has apparently occurred at other times before and since, and researchers are now working to try and understand the exceptional conditions that cause it to form so that residents can be warned when another thick blanket is set to descend.
Bonus: The Bloop—Mystery Solved
Over the years, the oceans have produced a number of eerie and often unexplained sounds. In 1997, researchers from NOAA listening for underwater volcanic activity using hydrophones (underwater microphones) noticed an extremely loud, powerful series of noises in the Pacific Ocean. The unusual din excited researchers, who soon named it “The Bloop” in reference to its unique sound.
Theories abounded as to the origin of the bloop—secret military facility, reverberations from a ship’s engine, or an enormous sea creature. The most fanciful suggestion stem from H. P. Lovecraft fans who noticed that the noise came from an area off South America where the sci-fi writer’s fictional sunken city of R’lyeh was supposed to be. They proposed that the bloop might have originated from Lovecraft’s “dead but dreaming” sea creature, Cthulhu. In 2005, however, scientists found that the mysterious sound was in fact the noise made by an icequake—or an iceberg shearing off from a glacier.
Lists mystery News oceans ships
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Liberal Party of Canadas
The Liberal Party of Canada's Leader Justin Trudeau issues
“It is with great affection that I extend my best wishes to His Highness the Aga Khan on the occasion of his 78th birthday.
… On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary Caucus, I am delighted to wish His Highness and all Ismailis in Canada and around the world, ‘Khushali Mubarak.’”
– The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau
OTTAWA – The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the birthday of His Highness the Aga Khan:
“For more than fifty years, the Aga Khan has stood as a beacon of tolerance and compassion. As the spiritual leader of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, his tireless work to alleviate poverty, promote pluralism and diversity, and improve health and education outcomes for those less fortunate, has had a vital and long-term impact across the developing world.
Recently, I was very pleased to attend the official opening of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, an important example of the long-standing relationship between Canadians and His Highness.”
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Terry Hayward is former Government of Canada employee. He held senior positions with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada during his 33 year career in the civil service. Hayward is currently the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate in the Manitoba riding of Provencher.
Hayward was born in Brandon, Manitoba. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Animal Science.
Nancy Charest (born November 28, 1959 in Matane, Quebec) is a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Matane in the National Assembly of Quebec from 2003 to 2007 as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. She was defeated by Pascal Bérubé of the Parti Québécois in the 2007 provincial election.
She ran as the Liberal Party...
@Charlene Desrochers: The Lord said he is teaching the Liberal Party of Canada a good lesson re leadership. He heard everything they said about people. Thu, 25 June 2015 06:09 PM
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Next for Disabling Back Pain? New Discs From Patients' Own Cells
TUESDAY, Nov. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- People with disabling back pain may one day receive replacement spinal discs grown from their own stem cells, researchers say.
Preliminary results in goats are encouraging, according to the University of Pennsylvania researchers who've been working toward this goal for about 15 years.
In their latest effort, the team implanted bioengineered spinal discs into goat spines and studied them for up to 20 weeks. The researchers said the new tissue functioned well.
"We have every reason to be optimistic that the success will continue, and if it works, we can change the way we think about treating some of these disc diseases," said study co-author Dr. Harvey Smith, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery.
Spinal discs are the soft tissue between the vertebrae that act as cushions. But the discs can wear out. When this happens, the bones of the spine rub against each other and pinch nerves, making movement painful and difficult.
About half of Americans suffer from back pain at any given time, the researchers noted. It's a leading cause of disability in the United States, with an estimated cost of $195 billion a year.
For pain caused by a degenerated disc, two treatments currently exist. In one, surgeons remove the damaged disc and fuse together the spinal bones above and below the surgical location. But this causes the other discs to shift, often leading to damage and pain.
The other surgery involves replacing the damaged disc with one made of plastic, metal or a combination. These replacements wear out over time.
In the current experiments, scientists developed a method for taking stem cells from goats and growing new tissue on a matrix that resembles a spinal disc.
When they implanted the engineered discs back into the goats' necks, the discs became a part of the animal's own tissue, the researchers said.
MRIs after eight weeks showed the discs maintained or improved their shape, and their function matched or exceeded that of the goat's own cervical disc.
Senior researcher Robert Mauck said, "It will be exciting to see how it performs over longer periods, and especially exciting to start providing some hope for these people who are debilitated by the pain they live with every day."
Previously, Mauck, who is a professor of education and research in orthopedic surgery, and his colleagues implanted discs into rat tails and showed they worked over five weeks.
In the new study, the researchers chose goats because their cervical spine discs (in the neck bones) are about the same size as human discs. Also, the animals often stand on their hind legs, mimicking the disc compression in people.
Using this technique in humans is still years off, Mauck said. First, the research team must experiment with more goats and keep the implants in longer to see how they fare over time. Only then will the researchers approach the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to see what is needed to start human trials.
Dr. Qusai Hammouri, an orthopedic surgeon at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City, said, "This is an exciting development and could have the potential to help many patients with degenerative disc disease."
But Hammouri, who was not involved with the study, pointed out that just because it works in animals doesn't mean it will work in people. "Many successes in animal models fail to achieve the desired results in humans," he said.
Moreover, the process of back and neck pain isn't completely understood. Most treatments have mixed results and are less successful as more long-term follow-up data becomes available, Hammouri said.
"This study could be the first step on the roadway to helping many or just another dead end," he said. "Science and spine surgery history is filled with exciting developments that eventually lead nowhere. Still, it's a great step in the right direction."
The report was published Nov. 21 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
For more about spinal surgery, visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
SOURCES: Robert Mauck, Ph.D., professor, education and research in orthopedic surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia; Harvey Smith, M.D., associate professor of orthopedic surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia; Qusai Hammouri, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, Staten Island University Hospital, New York City; Nov. 21, 2018, Science Translational Medicine
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Iraq, films
"Updates on the Iraqi 'Elections'" (Layla Anwar, An Arab Woman Blues):
- A martial law/curfew will take effect in all of Iraq, starting on the eve of the 6th of March and that for 48 hours. That will include the closing down of ALL borders, airports, streets, etc...(some democracy huh !)
- Killings continue in Baghdad and its provinces. In Baghdad,- Hurriya district, 4 women gunned down by the silencer, Baghdad's morgue is receiving more bodies - total number so far 70, killing of a judge by the famous silencer and the number of judges killed since 2003 according to the puppet police is 15.
- a cheap ploy by Al.Maliki's government in encouraging 20'000 members of the ex-Iraqi army to apply for jobs in the government. A cheap ploy and a dangerous one because last time a similar offer was made, about 2 years ago, hundreds of ex army officers presented themselves for their pension and were murdered in broad daylight in front of the ministries. So if any of you are reading this - make sure you don't fall in this trap, however difficult your situation is now.
-3 mortars fell on Green zone and a "rain" of mortars fell on an unused airport now transformed into a joint American/Iraqi base in Al-Ammara in Mayssan province - Southern Iraq.
- Diyala - a US convoy was attacked with road explosives.
- Baquba - a joint US/Iraq force caught 4 members of Iranian special forces with another cache of explosives
- Mosul : a witch hunt against Iraqi Christians is taking place in the Nineveh province, 6 have been gunned down by the famous "silencer gun". Iraqi Christians are fleeing Mosul in droves.
- On the Kurdish front a serious split is taking place. A splinter group from the PUK of Jalal Tabalani calling itself the Party of Change is now in some alliance with the Kurdish Islamic group and a few Kurdish communists, their main grievances - lack of transparency, corruption and dictatorship by the Kurdish leadership.
On another note regarding the Kurds and this is an VERY IMPORTANT POINT so pay attention please.
In the past the Kurds managed to secure about 58 seats in the Iraqi parliament, this time around, they are aiming for more seats BECAUSE - MOSUL, KIRKUK and a part of DIWANIYA is placed under the Kurdish electoral list.
- Snoring General Odierno has asked has made a special preliminary request to Obama to keep a good number of troops notably in KIRKUK past their deadline to secure "peace in the area". Obama has given a preliminary OK.
- VP Tariq Hashimi during his visit to Egypt states that IRAQ needs an ARAB government. (No shit - Did he just discover dynamite or what ?!)
- Al- Lami (Chalabi's best friend) of the Justice and Accountability committee has not only banned Saleh Al-Mutlaq from the elections but is presenting him to Iraq's Higher criminal/penal courts. Dr.Al-Mutlaq has been urged by people who support him to leave Baghdad for his own safety, something which he refuses to do...
C.I. had to flip the template and the new one changes up the permalinks meaning that if someone posts, their site goes to the top until someone else posts, etc. So I saw that Layla Anwar was at the top and wanted to grab something from her.
She's a very interesting woman and I love her anger. If you're not angry, you're not paying attention.
I am just tired. Long sessions today. The elections, back to the elections.
The smartest move a crook like Nouri made to cover his own tracks was the insistance that journalists be registered. He knew that would take out most of the in depth reporting by the West since they really do rely on stringers -- both to go out throughout Iraq and also to find the promising leads.
I'm not sure how much truth we would have gotten anyway from, for example, the New York Times. But what's his little 'rule' has done is, in effect, turn the Western reporters into human veal. They're penned in and unable to move freely as usual but now they can't even rely on the Iraqi reporters working for their outlets.
I think there's going to be huge fraud (I base that on the fraud that took place in 2005) and I don't think anyone's going to care. I think international observers see their role solely as legitimatizing the vote by any means necessary.
Those are my thoughts, anyway.
"Where's the election coverage" (The Common Ills):
Turning to an idiot named Martha P. Nochimson whose life made her hateful and stupid. At Salon, she insists Kathryn Bigelow is a transvestite and means it as an insult. She's got her panties in a wad because Kathryn directed The Hurt Locker. And she's convinced herself that it's a 'macho' movie and 'unnatural' to women. Yes, folks, that's how disgusting Martha is, all these years after women have had to fight for equality, prove that could do any job they wanted to go out for, along comes Martha to trash Kathryn.
And where is the feminist outcry calling this out? For a second, let's pretend that Kathryn's a lesbian. (She's not, we're pretending.) Would it be politic for Martha to call her a transvestite? No. And if Kathryn had what was seen as a masculine appearance, would Martha get away with this 'critique'?
No, she wouldn't.
So why is she getting away with it now and she's not the only one pulling this s**t?
Martha wants to whine about Julie & Julia not getting 'respect.' She wants to compare Kathryn to Nora Ephron.
There is no comparison. First off, Julie & Julia was a flat movie. With the exception of Meryl, the performances are bad, the script is bad and the source material was bad. The direction is static. There are some wonderful shots of food due to Nora's historic obsession with food. That's really all it's got.
Nora is a former columnist and reporter (and media critic). She's very familiar with the word. And that hasn't translated to a visual talent. 'Her' best movie remains When Harry Met Sally . . .
which she wrote but Rob Reiner directed. Nora really doesn't have a visual sense. Not a problem for a writer but a problem for a director.
There are many directors with a visual sense -- Nora isn't one of them. Which is why she needs Meg Ryan to invest a visual into her material. Close ups create the visuals for Nora's film which is why the non-Meg Ryan films flop. There are few actresses or actors who can carry that kind of weight/burden. (Nora's worst films -- Mixed Nuts and Lucky Numbers -- tend to leave audiences exasperated and wondering what the director sees since it appears the camera meanders around with no rhyme or reason.) If you doubt Nora's lack of visual expertise, contrast the bookstore scene in WHMS, directed by Rob, where Meg and Carrie Fisher spot Billy Crystal. Rob uses the space and the framing aspect of the camera as well as angles to add a nice tension to the scene. Contrast that with Meg spying on Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle and realize how the whole thing is basically a close up that exists with no care taken to angles or visuals other than push the camera into Meg's face and make her sell the whole damn scene. Remember too that it turns out her character is almost run over in that scene and there's no visual set up for it, there's nothing done to shape it. The whole scene depends on Meg. That's a big burden to carry and Nora's very lucky to get Meg to play those roles.
Nora has directing strengths. They include a rhythm that can't be topped when she's really going. It leads to scenes that really snap. But in terms of a visual feel, she's never had it. Fair or not, the directors nominated for Best Director (all but four have been men) are usually known for their visuals. A good craftsperson doesn't generally get nominated. That doesn't mean they aren't talented (and Nora is talented), it doesn't mean they can't make a profitable film (Nora's directed many hits) or one that reaches audiences (Nora's Sleepless reached in ways that many directors never do). It just means a writing award may consider the style and a directing award may focus on the visuals.
Kathryn has a visual sense, she's always had a strong visual. Whether it was Point Break, Blue Steel, Strange Days or what have you, the visual sense, a strong director's eye has always been present. There's really no reason to compare the two. It's amazing that Kathryn has to compete against four men for the title of Best Director AND Martha wants her to compete with every woman director as well. Martha's the one who raised the comparison to Nora or I would've kept quiet. I know Nora and I've never offered a take publicly on her films other than that I enjoyed them. But if Martha wants to go there, let's go there. (I'm not taking the bite on Nancy whom I also know and who does have a strong visual. But I like Nancy more than I like Nora -- a lot more.)
Kathryn has made films that speak to her interests and they don't speak to Martha's so Martha trashes her as being a man in drag and think she's offered a criticism of Kathyrn when all she's done is reveal how sexist she is and how determined she is to set the cause back for all women. I know Kathryn, leave that aside. I have campaigned (offline) with other voters, leave that aside. What Martha's done is say that a woman must do something 'girly' or not be considered a woman. That's sexism.
Martha's slobbering over Quentin Tarantino while trashing Kathryn. I'm not aware of any strands of racism running through Kathryn's films. I'm not aware of her attempting to make a buck off exploiting racial stereotypes. But Martha loves her some Quentin and thinks his movies -- violence and all -- are perfectly natural. I'm not remembering Kathryn doing such blantant rip offs of Brian DePalma that she should be sued in a court of law. (That would be Quentin for the Daryl Hannah hospital scenes in Kill Bill Vol. I.) I'm not remembering a scene in one of Kathryn's films where we're supposed to laugh as Bridget Fonda (or any woman) is shot dead because she won't 'shut up.' That doesn't bother 'feminist' Martha. Quentin, famous for comparing Madonna's vagina to "Bubble Yum" (implying Madonna's had 'too much' sex) in his first film, doesn't bother Martha. But Kathryn -- who has long been the female action director -- directing The Hurt Locker is 'unnatural.'
A woman and her work are being termed 'unnatural' because Martha P. Nochimson thinks women should just be interested in romantic coupling. And this sexism on Martha's part isn't being called out?
This is why women lose over and over. Not just awards but in real life. We let a Martha act bitchy (only term for it) and refuse to call her out. She needs to be called out. How dare she declare any woman to be a 'transvestite' (as an insult) in order to spit on that woman's choices. You better grasp that -- and the US is in multiple wars right now -- it's a very short step from trashing Kathryn as 'masculine' to trashing women in the military as the same. You better grasp that Martha's attack on Kathryn is of the same cloth and fabric. And it needs to stop, it damn well needs to stop.
Martha, in the supposed name of feminism, wants to tell all women to sit down and look pretty in a dress while the boys go outside and play. There's nothing feminist about that and there's nothing feminist about Martha. A functioning feminism would result in Martha P. Nochimson being loudly and repeatedly called out.
Jennifer Merin actually knows a thing or two about film. She offers a critique of The Hurt Locker for Women's eNews.
I read the above yesterday morning and thought, "Friday, I'm cross-posting or re-posting." That is just too good. I love C.I.'s writing. I always have and something like this, it reads like it's spoken. (Which is the feel C.I. went after online from the start, a conversation.)
I think she's saying something so amazing in the above and saying it amazingly well.
Friday, February 26, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, election frenzy continues in Iraq, KBR gets a set back as well as a win (on a technicality), did Gordon Brown scream "You ruined my life" at a well known figure and why, Iraqi Christians flee Mosul, and more.
Iraq elections start in less than seven days (voting lasts from March 5th through March 7th) and there's been very little coverage of the campaigns. In part that's due to the restrictive press environment in Iraq which has only gotten more restrictive. Ernesto Londono (Washington Post) speaks with Iraqi journalist Nadjha Khadum who made her name with repeated investigative reporting during Saddam Hussein's era. She says that back then, you only had to prove that it was true. Today, it's much worse and journalists are targeted for assassinations for exposes. (This is true throughout Iraq -- in the KRG as well as central and southern Iraq.) Since the start of the Iraq War, things have only gotten worse for the press. Londono notes, "The guidelines that Iraq's Communications and Media Commission issued last month bar journalists from withholding the names of sources and threaten action against those who publish information that incites violence -- a criterion that is ill-defined. The rules also say news organizations must apply for licenses, register equipment with the commission and provide a list of employees." Supposedly this elections (voting starts March 5th and ends the 7th) are monumental. The press and the US administration has invested all this meaning in them which, alone, would mean the campaigning would be covered. When you add in that the increase in violence as well as the bannings give it an increased 'timely' quality and news value (conflict is always news), you should expect to read tons of coverage on the campaigning. That's not happening. And it's in part because Nouri's insisting that those covering the elections register with the government. Most outlets rely on Iraqi journalists to be stringers and eyes and ears as well as to be the co- or sole reporter on news reports but many of the Iraqis cannot register as journalists due to threats that might follow as a result of their occupation being known. This has seriously curtailed a great deal of coverage news consumers would otherwise be receiving. And Reporters Without Borders releases an overview today of the problems in the north where the Kurdistan Regional Government rules. Awene newspaper's founder Asos Hardi states, "The authorities do not stop talking about freedom of expression, constantly boasting of media's independence. But these words are meaningless. In practice, the authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan do not believe in freedom of expression." AFP reports on the overview and also notes, "Iraq's election commission has imposed a 9:00 pm curfew on campaigning in Sulaimaniyah province after a number of violent incidents were reported. The province has been the focus of considerable tension between rival Kurdish parties, vying for maximum leverage in the event that the Kurds are kingmakers in the next Iraqi government." Sarwar Salar Chuchani (The Comment Factory) interviews Joost Hiltermann -- he's with the Crisis Group which makes him US government adjacent:
Chuchani: Do you believe the Kurdish participation in multi-list Iraqi elections will weaken their position in Baghdad?
Hiltermann: It will not affect the Kurds' position with regard to key questions concerning Kirkuk and other disputed territories, oil and gas, or the powers of the Kurdistan region. But it may have an impact on a host of other questions, such as most importantly the Iraqi presidency, unless -- I suppose -- the Kurdistani list make certain concessions to Goran that Goran is asking for. I don't know whether they will be able to reach an agreement.
Chuchani: What is the debate over Kirkuk leading to?
Hiltermann: Hopefully to a peaceful, negotiated, compromise solution that can be sustainable.
Chuchani: Do you believe Kurdish parties are committed to the establish of the rule of law, democracy and human rights?
Hiltermann: I don't know. But since they have said they are committed to this, they should be held to their word. In this respect, the opposition parties and the KRG's international sponsors could play a constructive role. International pressure has certainly contributed to a certain progress on this front since 1991.
Kirkuk is the disputed region claimed by both the KRG and the central government or 'government' in Baghdad. Each side argues historical rights to the area. The Kurds have repeatedly called for a census and a vote on the issue. In that call, they are on strong ground because the Iraq Constitution mandates that both take place -- both were supposed to have taken place by 2007 and still haven't. Missy Ryan, Mustafa Mahmoud, Khalid al-Ansary and Samia Nakhoul (Reuters) note today that, "The dispute over Kirkuk, which Kurds want to make part of their semi-autonomous northern region, is now seen as a chief threat to security as Iraq emerges from a bloody sectarian war and tests its fragile democracy in national polls on March 7."Voting will take place in 16 other countries besides Iraq due to Iraq's large refugee population. Bassel Oudat (Al-Ahram Weekly) reports from Damascus that no campaigning is going on there yet within the Iraqi refugee community and Oudat notes, "Many had expected changes in the electoral process, but their hopes have been dashed. Now, the refugees believe that the forthcoming Iraqi elections may well turn out to be a farce." In Iraq, Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reports, "A little over a week before the Iraq eleciton, the country is a cauldron of political attacks, sectarian divisions, and conspiracy theories that could limit the turnout in the country's most important national elections to date." Sami Moubayed (Asia Times) offers, "In Karbala, a massive turnout of poor people showed up at a rally for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, breaking through security to present him with petitions, knowing that no time is better for ordinary Iraqis to reach out directly to top officials -- and have all their requests answered immediately."
Candidates are running to become one of the 325 members of Parliament. The Parliament elects the Prime Minister. Technically, the current Parliament and Prime Minister (Nouri) aren't 'in office' -- their terms have expired. Elections were supposed to take place in December and then moved back to January and now March. In Iraq, the process is such that the votes will not be counted for several days or weeks. After the vote tallies are released, the Parliament will be known. However, it could be (could be) weeks before a prime minister is named. The naming could take place quickly. If, for example, State of Law holds a large number of seats and enters into political alliance with other major blocs, Nouri could be re-named prime minister in a matter of days. How likely is that? Well, when you run off all your competition, you make it a lot easier. But naming any prime minister may take much longer. There are new factions and parties and the creation of those may have led to grudges that could be hard to put aside. December 15, 2005, the last Parliamentary elections were held (for only 275 seats back then). The election results were not 'official' until January 20, 2006. (They still weren't certified at that point.) And Nouri, who was not the first choice, was not named as prime minister until April 22, 2006.Something similar may take place this time around. If it took as long as last time (which most observers -- including at the UN -- do not expect), it would be July before a prime minister was selected. On the second hour of today's The Diane Rehm Show (NPR), Diane's panel was composed of Thom Shanker (New York Times), Farah Stockman (Boston Globe) and David Wood (Politics.Daily.com) and, discussing the arrest in Pakistan of Abdolmalek Rigi, Iraq came up.
Thom Shanker: [. . .] and this arrest came literally one week after Gen Ray Odierno, the senior American commander in Iraq, was in Washington spoke very forcefully and for the first time about Iranian influence in the upcoming elections in Iraq and the fact that two leading Shi'ite politicians had been in Iran recently meeting with Quods forces commanders who are on the terror watch list. So this is a lot of sort of, you know, tic-tac-toe and tit-for-tat going on here.
Diane Rehm: Now what about these elections scheduled for March 7th? We're told that the anti-American bloc is gaining power, Thom?
Thom Shanker: Well it's a very complicated situation. The Shi'ite majority have been trying to block some of the Sunni candidates on the grounds that some of their leaders were former members of the Saddam Hussein political party, the Ba'ath Party. Uh -- the Sunni were going -- many parties were going to stay out of the election. They just announced this morning [C.I. note, he means they announced yesterday] they got wisdom and they will participate after all. Although, you know, if it's a fair majority rule vote, they're going to lose. But the Shi'ite majority government did something else very interesting. It reinstated several thousands maybe 10 - 20,000 former Saddam era military officers not at the highest levels but at the mid-levels so there's lots of politicking going on which, overall, is healthy and it's probably going to be thirty, sixty or ninety days after the vote whether we see it will be a stable movement forward or whether things fall apart.
Diane Rehm: And how strong is Nouri al-Maliki right now -- the prime minister?
Thom Shanker: Well, he's in the driver's seat so he has all the advantages of incumbancy but the problem is again that we see in these very tense, kind of confrontations, it's the more radical people who always get the upper hand. In this case, it's Moqtar [Moqtada] al-Sadr who has -- I think the name "fire brand" is permanently attached to his name. He's an extremest, uh, Islamic cleric and led a militia which fought bitterly against US forces for years and was sort of based in Sadr City and so on. It's likely that he will have a major hand in the next government and so the interesting thing is: So what? He can have a lot of anti-American rhetoric and so forth which would be politically helpful but what will it actually mean? US Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill said the other day that he'd gotten assurances from major Iraqi political features that whatever agreements Iraq had reached under the current government would still be held by who ever takes power next. Uh, he also said that they'd agreed during his campaign to be nice to each other, not to call each other names and abide by the outcome of the elections, so who knows?
Diane Rehm: Farah?
Farah Stockman: Well it's just fascinating to watch Iraqi politics unfold and if you go back to the days when we were orchestrating everything and the people we put in power and now it's just going to be a surprise to see what happens.
Programming note: Al Jazeera's Inside Iraq begins airing this evening and repeats throughout (and streams online) the weekend. The guest will be Ahmed Chalabi who will respond to comments by Odierno and others. One of the political parties competing in the elections is the Ahrar Party and they issued the following today:
Ayad Jamal Aldin unveils Ahrar plan for security, public services and employment within Iraq
Last night Ayad Jamal Aldin, leader of the Ahrar Party, cemented the Ahrar Party's electoral credentials in a live TV interview, with questioning from a three-man panel and the public, for Al Baghdadiya.
Revealing Ahrar's plan for security, public services and employment within Iraq, Ayad Jamal Aldin received an unprecedented reaction from the viewers.
Following the interview, Al Baghdadiya reported that they received over 1,000 callers and emails supporting Ayad Jamal Aldin and predicting that he could well be the future prime minister of Iraq.
During the interview, the outspoken leader once again challenged current Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, to a live TV debate where he promised to "demonstrate to the Iraqi people how corrupt the current government has become." So far, Maliki has yet to respond to any of Jamal Aldin's previous invitations.
Jamal Aldin, a descendent of the prophet Mohammed, was asked by viewers how his party's secular policies conformed with his clerical garments. "You make a big issue about my clothes. There are many men wearing clerical dress and they used to wear the military uniform during Saddam's time. It doesn't matter what you wear, what matters is how wear it."
Jamal Aldin's secular views and strong anti-Iranian stance have not made him popular amongst certain factions within the country. He's been the victim of six assassination attempts since 2003. However, he reassured viewers over Ahrar's stance on Israel. "Iraq is an Arabic nation and we are part of the Arab League. We take the same position on Israel as the rest of the Arab world."
The Ahrar Plan for reconstruction within Iraq includes inviting the leading construction companies in the world to pitch for business in the future development projects within the country.
One caller stated that other parties were offering free housing; which Jamal Aldin dismissed as frivolous lies. "If any politician says he will build you a housing compound and give it to the people for free, he is lying. Ahrar knows what needs to be done. We will create a new bank, specifically for these projects, and inject an initial $5 billion dollars. We will then ask rich companies from around the world to be part of the bank. This bank's role will be to provide low-interest loans to the Iraqi people to enable them to build their own houses."
Another viewer asked him about the financing of his campaign and the reported $10 million - of his own money - he was using to fund the party. "Would this money not be better off being spent on reconciliation projects for the poor?"
"$10 million is incomparable to the billions of dollars that the people of Iraq have been deprived of through the corruption and wastage of the current government. If my $10 million enables me to win a position where I am able to force changes within Iraq then it has been an extremely worthwhile investment."
When asked about the likelihood of this occurring, Jamal Aldin accepted it was probable that some cheating would occur however urged people to "come out and vote in order to ensure that corruption within the polls is less likely."
Ahrar Media Bureau Tel: +964 (0)790 157 4478 / +964 (0)790 157 4479 / +964 (0)771 275 2942press@ahrarparty.com
About Ayad Jamal Aldin:
Ayad Jamal Aldin is a cleric, best known for his consistent campaigning for a new, secular Iraq. He first rose to prominence at the Nasiriyah conference in March 2003, shortly before the fall of Saddam, where he called for a state free of religion, the turban and other theological symbols. In 2005, he was elected as one of the 25 MPs on the Iraqi National List, but withdrew in 2009 after becoming disenchanted with Iyad Allawi's overtures to Iran. He wants complete independence from Iranian interference in Iraq. He now leads the Ahrar party for the 2010 election to the Council of Representatives, to clean up corruption and create a strong, secure and liberated Iraq for the future.
Today, Reuters notes a Mosul dumpster bombing which claimed 2 lives and left ten people injured and a Mosul car bombing which wounded nine people (three were Iraqi soliders). Staying with violence, earlier this week Ruth offered "The assault on Iraq's Christians." She's not 'mass media,' but she's covered the topic. Edward Pentin (Catholic News Agency) notes the "mass media" silence on the attcks and on the fact that "Christian families are leaving the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in their droves to excape a concerted campaign of violence and intimidation." He writes:
Chaldean Bishop Emil Shimoun Nona has said that Mosul is experiencing a "humanitarian emergency" and that "hundreds of Christian families" left the city Feb. 24 in search of shelter, leaving behind their homes, property, commercial activities, according to Asia News. The situation "is dramatic", he said, and warned that Mosul could be "emptied completely of Christians".
The families have chosen to flee after a spate of violent attacks which left five Christians dead last week, and members of a whole family murdered on Tuesday. "In one house all the family members were killed -- five people," said an Iraqi member of Open Doors, a non-denominational charity helping persecuted Christians.
Adel Kamal (Niqash) explains how this may be tied into the elections:
Following the Archbishops' memorandum, the Naynawa governor, Osama al-Nujaifi, ordered the Naynawa Operations Command to restore security in Mosul. He called on the army command to "shoulder their responsibilities for protecting the Christian community and disclosing the results of the criminal investigations regarding the crimes committed against them." Al-Nujaifii told Niqash that after the earlier attacks on Christians he asked the Operations Command to set-up a joint security. They responded curtly: "Security is our responsibility." "In that case," al-Nujaifi said, "They must take that responsibility and restore security." The Kurds in the area have boycotted the Governorate Council since al-Nujaifi took office and the governor sees the violence as politically motivated. "There are sides wanting to draw the Christians into a conflict that they are not part of." The conflict he is referring to is between the Arab al-Hadba list, which al-Nujaifi heads, and the Kurdish List. Like al-Nujaifi, the Deputy Chairman of Naynawa Governorate Council, Dildar Zaybari, refused to accuse the Kurds.
Meanwhile Liz Sly (Los Angeles Times) reports on the extra-legal Justice and Accountability Commission's decision to remove 580 Iraqis from the country's security forces for being alleged 'Ba'athists.' Mohammed Tawfeeq and CNN report on the simultaneous announcement yesterday that 20,000 military officers under Saddam Hussein would be reinstated, "Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said al-Maliki was simply trying to secure more votes. 'This contradicts his anti-Baathist election campaign and it is very obvious that he wants to appeal to voters'." Leila Fadel and K.I. Ibrahim (Washington Post) quote the extra-legal commission's Ali Falial al-Lami stating they have proof that banned candidate Saleh al-Mutlaq is a 'Ba'athist.' Apparently, they've forced some more confessions in Iraq yet again. Al Jazeera adds, "Mohammed al-Askari, the defence ministry spokesman, said on Friday the resinstatement would begin immediately."
On Monday the top US commander in Iraq, Gen Ray Odierno, gave a briefing in DC where he noted that the draw down could be slowed. This was a testing the water move (by the administration -- though some want to pretend Odierno was a 'loose canon' acting alone). Wednesday morning's New York Times featured a column by former journalist Thomas E. Ricks (speaking for Michele Flournoy to be sure) advocating for a longer US presence in Iraq. Thursday, it was learned that slowing the draw down was actually a request currently submitted to the administration. That's the background. Today Jason Ditz (Antiwar.com) observes that Barry O's "soft pullout" just got softer while Michael Hastings (The Hastings Report, True/Slant) takes on Rick's suck up to Australian -- who really needs to take his ass home -- David Kilcullen's assertion that entering stupidly doesn't mean you have to depart stupidly. Hastings observes, "So, if you never leave, there's no worry of acting stupid. Except that you never leave. Which seems kind of stupid, too."
Turning to the issue of one-time Haliburton subsidiary KBR, the Democratic Policy Committee earlier in this entry and we'll close with this news release:DORGAN: ARMY DECISION TO DENY MILLIONS IN BONUSES TO CONTRACTOR KBR IS "RIGHT CALL," BUT ONLY A "FIRST STEP" ( WASHINGTON , D.C. ) --- U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who chaired Senate hearings on electrocutions of soldiers in Iraq resulting from shoddy contracting work by KBR, said Thursday the Army's decision to deny million of dollars in bonuses to the firm for its 2008 work in Iraq "is the right call, but it is only a first step." Dorgan chaired two Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) hearings in 2008 and 2009 on KBR's shoddy electrical work in Iraq . The hearings revealed widespread problems with KBR's electrical work there including countless electrical shocks including one that killed Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, and perhaps others, and injured dozens more on their own bases as they showered and engaged in other routine activities. Following the hearings, Dorgan and Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) wrote the Army asking that it review KBR's work and the electrocution death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth. They also asked the Army to re-evaluate the millions of dollars in bonuses it has routinely awarded KBR for supposedly excellent work, even when the Army's own evidence made clear it was highly questionable. The Army's investigation of Maseth's January 2008 death found that KBR's work exposed soldiers to "unacceptable risk." A theatre-wide safety review that resulted from the Dorgan-Casey request -- Task Force SAFE -- also found widespread problems with KBR's electrical work that exposed soldiers to life threatening risks. "The decision to deny KBR millions in bonuses for its work in 2008 is welcome news, and is a significant change from the Army's past practice, but the Army clearly needs go much further," Dorgan said. "Specifically, it needs to review the $34 million bonus and other bonuses it awarded KBR for shoddy work that may have contributed to other electrocution deaths and other serious electrical shocks." Dorgan said the Army's decision "will send a long overdue message to military contractors that they will be held accountable for their performance. But the Army needs to send that message much more powerfully. Not awarding a bonus for widespread sloppy contracting work that killed soldiers is just the beginning, not the end point, of accountability." Dorgan has chaired 21 Senate DPC hearings on waste, fraud and corruption in military contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. Evidence at those hearings he said, "has been overwhelming that KBR's work was shoddy and put the lives of U.S. soldiers at risk. KBR's electrical workers were often unqualified, poorly trained and poorly supervised. When questions were raised, they simply denied there was a problem and proceeded with the same shoddy business as usual."Senator Byorn Dorgan addresses the issue in a video at DPC as well. A large number of veterans and contractors have filed suit against Halliburton and/or its subsidiary KBR. Jon Murray (Indianapolis Star) reports that Judge Richard Young of the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiaina dismissed the case filed on behalf of 47 members of the Indiana National Guard with the finding that that he lacked jurisdiction due to KBR being based in another state (Texas) and the exposure (he would say "alleged exposure") took place in Iraq. He only ruled on jurisidiction and did not address the merits of the case. There are at least 22 cases against KBR/Halliburton filed in 22 different district courts across the country. Whether or not the judges in 21 of those will find as Judge Young did isn't known. 21? One of the cases is filed in Texas.
We're moving to England but, before we do, shouts of joy echo all over DC with this White House announcement. And have fun under the bus, dear. Monday the the Iraq Inquiry announced that the current Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown, will offer testimony to the Inquiry on March 5th. When former prime minister Tony Blair's date was announced, BBC noted that "3,000 people have applied for seats at Tony Blair's appearance" and yesterday the BBC attempted to make it seem that Gordon Brown was 'in demand' as well by insisting, "More than 300 people have applied . . ." Alice Tarleton (Channel 4 News) points out that there are 120 seats available because Brown testifies in the morning and afternoon -- while there were only 60 available for Tony Blair's and that this is "a fraction of the 3,041" applying for Tony tickets. Is that why Gordon Brown screamed "You ruined my life!" at Tony Blair? No. Patrick Wintour and Andrew Sparrow (Guardian) report that "Gordon Brown repeatedly shouted at Tony Blayr: "You ruined my life" in the final confrontation that forced Blair to agree to announce a date by which he would stand down as prime minister, according to Andrew Rawnsley's new book" The End of the Party. The Telegraph of London adds that he also plotted to undermine Alastair Campbell and that Brown's response to the assertions is, "Given that they are both completely wrong, and that you can almost laugh them off, they are so ridiculous." The Iraq Inquiry is chaired by John Chilcot and Chris Ames (Iraq Inquiry Digest) reports today:
On Tuesday Labour MP Graham Allen met Sir John Chilcot. Allen was one of the organisers of the rebellion of Labour MPs against the war and wanted to highlight "the three fundamental institutional flaws which were revealed by the lead-up to the Iraq War so that they are not repeated."
Allen told me: "I wanted to give Sir John Chilcot a perspective he has not been exposed to before. I'm hopeful that the story of those who tried to stop the war will form part of the report. The three things I put forward, had they happened the first time round, would have significantly diminished, if not eliminated, the prospect of Parliament authorising the war." Although he declined to reveal what Chilcot's response was, Allen told me that he was "extremely generous with his time" and "open and frank and well-informed".
TV notes. NOW on PBS begins airing Friday on most PBS stations (check local listings):
In 1995 and 1996, 66 gray wolves were relocated from Canada toYellowstone National Park and central Idaho to help recover a wolfpopulation that had been exterminated in the northern Rockies. The graywolf relocation is considered one of the most successful wildliferecovery projects ever attempted under the Endangered Species Act; todaythere are more than 1,600 wolves in the region. But a debate has eruptedbetween conservationists and ranchers over the question: how many wolvesare too many?Last year, the Obama Administration entered the fray by removing federalprotection for some of these wolves, paving the way for controversialstate-regulated wolf hunts. The move has wolf advocates fuming, withmore than a dozen conservation groups suing the Interior Department torestore federal protections. On February 26 at 8:30 pm (check locallistings), NOW reports on this war over wolves and implications for thearea.
Staying with TV notes, Washington Week begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (and throughout the weekend, check local listings) and we'll note who joins Gwen around the table this are Naftali Bendavid (Wall St. Journal), John Dickerson (CBS News and Slate), David Shepardson (Detroit News) and Karen Tumulty (Time magazine). Meanwhile, has a president, in the 'modern era,' ever refused to deliver a State of the Union speech? Washington Week, as part of its site redesign and increased web presence provides an answer to that by dipping into the archives and making available a February 2, 1973 installment of Washington Week. You can also view the Webcast Extra for last week's show (or any other show this year or last year) which is an additional segment where Gwen and her guests discuss topics submitted by viewers of the show. Meanwhile Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Karen Czarnecki, Avis Jones-DeWeever, Melinda Henneberger and Tara Setmayer to discuss the week's events on PBS' To The Contrary. Check local listings, on many stations, it begins airing tonight. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes:
Stealing American Secrets"60 Minutes" has obtained an FBI videotape showing a Defense Department employee selling secrets to a Chinese spy that offers a rare glimpse into the secretive world of espionage and illustrates how China's spying may pose the biggest espionage threat to the U.S. Scott Pelley reports. Watch Video
Battle Over HistoryBob Simon reports on what the Armenians call their holocaust - the 1915 forced deportation and massacre of more than a million ethnic Armenians by the Turks - an event that the Turks and our own government have refused to call genocide. Watch Video
Kathryn BigelowLesley Stahl talks to Academy Award best-director nominee Kathryn Bigelow about her award-winning film, "The Hurt Locker." If she's chosen, she would be the first woman ever to win in that category. Watch Video
60 Minutes, Sunday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Lastly the Salem-News has a feature on the questions regarding 9-11 (link has text and video) by Tim King and here's the opening, "The mainstream press is showing interest in a taboo, however glaring subject; the inconsistencies in the Bush White House 9/11 account. As The Washington Post reports today, 'A lingering technical question about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks still haunts some, and it has political implications: How did 200,000 tons of steel disintegrate and drop in 11 seconds? A thousand architects and engineers want to know, and are calling on Congress to order a new investigation into the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7 at the World Trade Center'." Thank you for community member Mia for catching the above. I'd written it would be noted in Thursday's snapshot, I forgot. Others wondered if I was 'scared off' by the subject? Tim King covers Iraq and does a fine job. If he goes into another area, we can make a little space to note that from time to time. If he goes into this area? He's raising questions and, in a democracy, we should all welcome that. 9-11 is not our issue at this site (or my issue offline) but we do not attack people who question here (or people who offer theories -- for example, we've never attacked the 911 Commission and, yes, there 'findings' are a theory). If we were a religious site, we'd say, "Go with God." We're not so we'll just note that Tim King's a fine reporter and anytime we have the space to note him, we will. In my offline life, I have friends on all sides of this topic (there's more than just two sides) and I respect everyone's opinion (even those friends whose opinion is the same as the 911 Commission's). I know this is a controversial topic and I know people look for signs and indications. My forgetting on Thursday was just my forgetting. There was too much for that snapshot and I was trying to squeeze in the House Veterans Affairs hearing. That hearing was covered by Kat covered it last night in "Subcommittee on Oversight hears about Iraq," Wally filled in for Rebecca and covered it in "Filner asks the money question" and Ava filled in for Trina and covered it in "Stats aren't science." Back to the topic of King's articles about questions. This has been addressed here many times before but my forgetting led to e-mails (and I understand that but I did just forget, I wasn't trying to be 'respectable' -- no one who knows me would ever accuse me of that, trust me). Those who search for answers -- on any issue or question -- are not attacked here. Our fire is aimed at the gas bags and the politicians. There is enough frivilous in the country -- especially among so-called adults -- and anyone dedicating themselves to a 9-11 search has a worthy and admirable topic and, as with the researchers into the assassination of JFK, their work may never turn up a single answer but it will turn up many things of value, that's what research does. And in a democracy, we don't attack those who ask questions (we welcome a free exchange), and in terms of discourse and information, independent research has produced so much information throughout the history of this country. I hope that clarifies it (and if you wrote an angry e-mail, don't worry about it, this is a heated topic, I understand that but, no, we're not part of any clampdown here, nor do we think we're any better than any other citizens of the US, we'll leave the sneering at We The People to the gas bags of cable TV). If not, please e-mail again and I'll try to make it more clear. (And if you're late to the party and wondering what "my issue" is -- it's the word in the title before "snapshot.")
the washington posternesto londono
the christian science monitorjane arraf
nprthe diane rehm show
antiwar.comjason ditztrue/slantmichael hastings
the guardianandrew sparrow
patrick wintouriraq inquiry digest
cnnmohammed tawfeeqthe los angeles timesliz slyk.i. ibrahimleila fadel60 minutescbs newspbsnow on pbsto the contrarybonnie erbe
MoveOn and other liars
A.N.S.W.E.R. and other organizations are sponsoring March 20th marches in DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The march is to demand the withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. I grabbed that from the snapshot. I need to do my part in promoting that. Ava and C.I. have been running to A.N.S.W.E.R. poster in their TV commentaries since December. They have done their part online to get the word out (they've done more than that online). I haven't done anything.
I can do one more thing.
I hate logging into Flickr. But C.I. told me a trick that lets you bypass that and makes including the poster very easy so there it is. March 20th.
Why do I bring this up? MoveOn. The useless WalkOn.org. "It's time to march!" screeches their e-mail. Is it? Good, let's get to marching. I'm so sick of WalkOn and their weak ass 'protests' against the war but, hey, they haven't done a thing on Iraq in years. So let's see what their march is, it might be something worthwhile and . . .
If you've never picked up the phone to call Congress about health care, today's the day to change that. Will you join the Virtual March for Real Health Care Reform?
With the future of health care reform hanging in the balance at the president's summit tomorrow, this may be our last big chance to make sure Congress knows that voters want real health care reform.
So we're aiming to send one million messages to Congress TODAY. The message? It's time to get the job done and pass comprehensive health care reform.
That's their march? You know what, they just need to go away. MoveOn doesn't have members. They're damn liars. In 2004, I joined to vote for Howard Dean in their MoveOn poll. I've never given them money (I never would). I've never voted in anything else they've ever done. I have no connection to MoveOn and haven't since Howard Dean dropped out of the 2004 race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. That was close to six years ago.
Yet they still count me as a 'member.'
You need to remember that when you read about how MoveOn has all these millions of members. They don't have any members. They have lies. They're liars at MoveOn.
I have given to the DNC in the past -- many, many dollars. That includes on the recounts, on everything. If we added it up, I've easily wasted over a million dollars donating to the DNC and it's other committees in my lifetime. (I'm not including individual candidates in that tally, for example the money I gave to Howard Dean's campaign is not counted.) But I think I'm done forever giving to the DNC.
Got a little e-mail from them today too:
Yesterday morning, President Obama unveiled his health reform proposal.
The President's health reform proposal builds upon existing legislation and includes provisions to cut waste, fraud, and abuse while making health care more affordable and available.
It goes on and on and never stops and wants me to know what his proposal means for me? Not a damn thing, Tim Kaine but you wouldn't know that because you're anti-choice.
The DNC never should be run by an anti-choice person. I will not give any money to the DNC during Tim Kaine's reign and I will not give if his replacement is anti-choice.
While Tim Kaine with his little Sandra Dee, girlish button nose goes ga ga, others tell it like it is.
"White House Health Care Plan Fails Women" (NOW):
"The President's proposal to revive health care reform from its current state of paralysis needs major revision," according to Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. "Although his proposal is an improvement over the status quo on issues such as affordability and accountability of insurers, the effort fails because it embraces the same harmful that are in the Senate health care bill."
The worst feature of the President's proposal -- a real poison pill as far as NOW is concerned -- is retention of the Senate bill's Reid-Nelson anti-abortion language. Forced upon the Senate in order to reach the crucial 60th filibuster-proof vote, this provisions requires any exchange-based health insurance plan that covers abortion care to segregate funds by charging separate premiums each month for abortion and all other services. In practice, everyone in a plan that covers abortion care would have to write two checks each month and health experts have predicted that these restrictions would lead to the end of private as well as public insurance coverage for abortion care. Since about one-third of women in this country have abortions, and nearly 90 percent of private health plans currently cover abortion procedures, the President's plan, like the Senate's, would deprive millions of women of insurance coverage they currently have.
This offensive, discriminatory provision bows to the grandstanding of those who would overturn Roe v. Wade. We had hoped that President Obama -- as a supporter of a woman's right to decide -- would have upheld that right and the notion that abortion is to be treated like all other kinds of health care.
The President's proposal also lets stand a Senate bill provision that permits insurers to charge women more because they are women. Although we have been repeatedly told that gender rating would be prohibited -- and President Obama even stated in a major health policy address that gender rating would be banned in reform legislation -- his Proposal leaves this costly and discriminatory provision in place. As a result, women who get insurance through the new health insurance exchange could be paying as much as 48 percent more than men -- as is currently the case in the discriminatory individual health insurance market.
Another damaging feature is the retention of age rating -- the practice of charging older individuals more for their insurance coverage. The Senate bill allows insurance companies to charge as much as three times more than they charge a younger person. For many middle-aged women who have modest incomes, this is an unacceptable burden.
There is no public option in the President's proposal. Given that a substantial number of House members have refused to accept the Senate bill because of its lack of a public plan, this is curious omission. Some White House spokespersons have asserted that there is a public plan in their proposal, but they are referring to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) as being the "public plans" where states are encouraged to innovate.
We need a strong public option in both the Senate bill and the President's proposal. Without a strong public plan -- which according to numerous polls is very popular with the general public -- there can be no true competition and very little incentive for private insurers to control their premium rates. NOW supports a single-payer approach similar to that in Canada, which would bypass the need to generate billions in profits to private insurers and bring our health care expenditures in line with what many other industrialized nations pay. At a minimum, health care reform should allow states to adopt their own single-payer plans.
That's the reality. Find out what does for me? For women, it sets back the clock. That hideous poison pill of bill may be swallowed by some, but not by me. It did, however, help me make the decision that the DNC gets no more money from me.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, election madness continues, more alleged 'Ba'athists' are banned, rumors swirl about who is meeting with which country, the US peace movement gears up for action next month, and more.
"I don't know anything about police training but I think if I had a 2.5 billion dollar contract, I could figure out how to train police. That is outrageous," declared US House Rep Russ Carnahan today as he chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affair's Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight. The subcomittee heard from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen this morning about contracting issues, specifically the lack of oversight. We'll note this key exchange.
Stuart Bowen: This is the top story, Chairman Carnahan. We looked at this four years ago and the problem that we identified four years ago was lack of contract management -- raised in our first audit, issued in the first month of 2007. Then we got into the whole contract and found it was inauditable and so we issued a review in October saying the State Dept asked for three to five years to put things in order because it was just a mess. And then we went in in 2008 to see if there were remedial measures and there were but then we go in last summer and find the same problem, 3 person in country overseeing a contract that is spending hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars. And more-more disturbing the lack of clarity about who is supposed to do what. The in country contracting officer representative my people interviewed said, 'Well invoice accountability is being done back in Washington.' Ask them, they say it's being done in Iraq. Huge vulnearbility.
Chair Russ Carnahan: And with regard to the contractor, Dyncorp, describe how that contract was initially awarded.
Stuart Bowen: It was an existing contract that was held by the State Dept that was, that was used. I don't have the specific facts of the bidding, but it was -- it was -- it was in 2004 and used to apply to this -- to this program at the level of 2.5 billiion. And again as I said it was DoD money that went into it so I think DoD was looking for a vehicle that is could use to spend this money and it did so. I think there are some questions about that process. It certainly shows how bifurcated or disjointed both the source of the money, the contract management of the money and then the execution of the contract. All different places. Uh-uh, it shows, I think, just the lack of clarity in stabilization reconstruction contracting.
Chair Russ Carnahan: In your reviews, to what extent can you account for how that money has been spent?
Stuart Bowen: Uh, we're looking at the execution of it now. My auditors in Iraq today are reviewing that matter and the outcomes, which are an important question for you, we will answer in a later review.
Chair Russ Carnahan: And you expect that report out when?
Stuart Bowen: By July, no later than July.
Chair Russ Carnahan: I'm going to yield to Judge Poe.
US House Rep Ted Poe: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [To Bowen] Which of our government agencies, in your opinion, was most irresponsible about money? DoD, State Dept, USAID
Stuart Bowen: I think that the State Dept did not carry out its contract oversight responsibilities sufficiently enough. In this particular contract we're discuss -- discussing is the most egregious example and the most disturbing point is it hasn't remediated that weakness sufficiently today.
We attended three hearings today and I'll try to pick up the VA one tomorrow. But this hearing was the most sparsely attended by the press. It was scheduled opposite big-ticket or 'hot topic' hearings such as Senator Carl Levin's hearing (Senate Armed Services Committee) on contractors in Afghanistan which is where the bulk of the press went this morning. I was not at that hearing but I have the opening statements of the Chair (Levin) and the Ranking Member (John McCain) and have spoken to Senate staffers about it. Some of the statements and questions are built around a hope that something was learned about contracting in Iraq -- with attention to oversight and cost effectiveness. For example, McCain declared, "Too many scarce tax payer dollars were squandered in the rebuilding of Iraq. I hope we have learned lessons from our experience there." No, there have been no lessons learned. That was obvious throughout the hearing Bowen testified at today.
The problems he is addressing regarding lack of oversight are the same ones he first noticed in 2004, the same ones he flagged in his early reports are still being flagged today. What is the point of having an Inspector General over reconstruction if they have no power? And Bowen obviously has no power or else he doesn't know how to use it. The same mistakes do not get called out over and over unless no one's taking the issue seriously. And if John McCain or Carl Levin are really hoping that Iraq 'lessons' can be taken to Afghanistan, they better get serious in hearings and oversight about what's going on in Iraq still in terms of the lack of oversight on US monies spent.
Not only do they need to pay more attention to it, so does the press. Again, this Subcommittee hearing that Russ Carnahan chaired this morning? Barely attended by the press. Kat plans to cover an aspect of it at her site tonight and Wally's going to sit in for Rebecca tonight and cover another aspect of the hearing.
March 7th, elections are supposed to be held in Iraq. These are Parlimentary elections and the Parliament will then select a prime minister. Yesterday, NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro (All Things Considered) offered a report on the campaigning:Lourdes Garcia-Navarro: Nouri al-Maliki is Iraq's unlikely strongman. Initially seen as a weak compromise candidate when he was installed as prime minister four years ago, Maliki is now accused by his rivals of being a dictator in waiting. To secure another term, he needs to win big in Iraq's Shi'ite south. On a multi-city tour of the region this past week, Maliki told the crowds that he is a man who can deliver.Nouri al-Maliki: We have achieved security. We've signed huge oil contracts which will give Iraq money. I'm not telling you that we want to achieve something, we have already achieved something.Lourdes Garcia-Navarro: Maliki's coalition, called "State of Law," did well in provincial elections last year but more recently his popularity has waned according to some Iraqi analaysts. A series of high profile terrorists attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere have called into question his security credentials and what some call his heavy-handed approach to governance has also provoked criticism. Maliki's main rival in the south is the Iraqi National Alliance It includes the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, or ISCI, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political bloc. ISCI's leader, Ammar al-Hakim, was also campaigning in the south this week. Speaking to a crowd in Diwaniyah, he said the time is right for change. Ammar al-Hakim: Iraq deserves better than what it has now. With the grace of God and your help, the Iraqi National Alliance will be able to revive this country.Lourdes Garcia-Navarro: Both sides are using whatever means they can to secure votes. In last year's provincial elections, Maliki won significant support from so-called tribal support councils that he established. In return for money and positions, tribal leaders promised to deliver votes for the prime minister -- and they did. Of the process thus far, Olivia Ward (Toronto Star) offers this recap, "The election started with a call for unity, which gradually unravelled with scores of people killed in bombings, candidates targeted for assassination or attack, and up to 400 would-be candidates disqualified under a 'de-Baathification' law meant to prevent a resurgence of Saddam Hussein's supporters."
AFP states that the coalition led by al-Maliki and the one led by Allawi are the two chief rivals based on a new National Media Centre poll and they note the NMC "is linked to Prime Minister Maliki". Ayad Allawi is a candidate running. UPI reports unnamed 'sources' are saying that both "Tehran and Damascus would back Allawi" as the next prime minister. If false, the rumor may come from Ahmed Chalabi who is mentioned in the article. UPI claims "sources" for the rumor. Alsumaria TV, reporting the same claim, relies on a "source" -- "an informed governmental source speaking on condition of anonymity". If that source is indeed Chalabi, it would explain why Ammar al-Hakin is also targeted -- the unnamed insists that al-Hakim is in league with Allawi. Earlier this week Muhanad Mohammed, Waleed Ibrahim, Aseel Kami, Rania Elgamal, Souhail Karam, Mohammed Abbas and Richard Williams (Reuters) reported on Allawi's trip to Saudi Arabia spawning rumors (for some) and accusations within Iraq. Iran was worried as demonstrated by Press TV's report on the visit today.
For the record, there's nothing 'wrong' about ties with their neighbor Saudi Arabia. For example, Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Feb. 16th that their Embassy in Riyadh was doing workshops including their Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ghanim Alwan al-Dumaili, doing a lecture on his work with NASA. And February 17th their Embassy in Tokyo hosted "the monthly meeting of Council of Arab Ambassadors. During the meeting the Charge d' affaires a.i. reviewed developments in Iraq and general elections which [are] to be held on the seventh of next March and the Iraqi government's keeness on the success of this national event." Yesterday Michael Wahid Hanna (World Politics Review) observed, "Iraq has also mismanaged its diplomatic relations with its regional counterparts. Most conspicuously, on separate occasions Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hampered international efforts aimed at thawing Iraqi-Saudi relations by lashing out intemperately against the Saudi monarch. Al-Maliki's rhetorical excess also reversed the historic re-establishment of full diplomatic relations with Syria in the aftermath of catastrophic coordinated bombings in Baghdad in August 2009." So the panic or alleged panic over Allawi seems a bit inflated at best. Tariq Alhomayed (Asharq Alawsat Newspaper) reminds, "The attacks made by the Dawa party and the supporters of the ruling regime in Iraq on Dr. Ayad Allawi can only be understood by recalling an important issue which is that Allawi's visit to Saudi Arabia came at a time that reminds the Iraqi electorate that Nuri al-Maliki's government is isolated from the Arab world, and this is something that has led to the isolation of Iraq as a whole. Of course, this is something that is troubling to the Dawa party followers and the State of Law coalition, especially since the Iraqi elections are just around the corner." Let's leave Allawi for a moment to note Chalabi. Marc Lynch (Foreign Policy) explains today, "So you thought that Ahmed Chalabi and Ali al-Lami's Accountability and Justice (De-Ba'athification) Committee had done all they could to wreck Iraq's elections and advance their political agendas? Not even. Yesterday, in what al-Hayat calls a surprise move, Lami announced that the AJC had named 376 military, police and intelligence officers for de-Ba'athification. The list includes a number of important people in senior positions." Lynch offers his take on it which is that Chalabi is setting a trap because al-Maliki either drums out the latest group of 'Ba'athists' or else he looks like a sympathizer (with does not play for the "State Of Law" political party).
al-Maliki, Allawi are only two thought to be vying for prime minister. Reuters notes the two and others thought to be in the running: Bayan Jabor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Adel Abdul Mahdi, Ahmed Chalabi, Jawad al-Bolani, Qassam Daoud and Raad Mawlude Mukhlis. Reuters also examines some of the political alliances. The Ahrar Poliltical party issued the following today:
Yesterday on the Race to Parliament programme, Ayad Jamal Aldin declared that the Iraqi government has lost control
The leader of the Ahrar Party announced that the government had failed the Iraqi people by failing to tackle three major problems: a census, the constitution, and national reconciliation.
He blamed corruption for this failure and stated that Ahrar has a plan to unite Iraq and end bribery and dishonesty.
Ayad Jamal Aldin said: "This government has lost control and has been overrun by corrupters and outsiders intent on dividing and destroying Iraq.
"Ahrar is the only party to have a credible and detailed plan to end the violence and intimidation that every Iraqi faces every day. We will create a united Iraq with water, jobs, and electricity.
"On March 7 the Iraqi people have a choice. They can vote for more corruption, more violence, and more division. Or they vote for change, with jobs, security and unity. A vote for Ahrar is a vote for change."
While some alleged 'Ba'athists' are being banned, Hannah Allam, Warren P. Strobel, Laith Hammoudi and Jonathan S. Landay (McClatchy) and Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) report that candidate Abu Mahdi al Mohandas is campaiging on the stand 'I'm an enemy of the American government.' He tells McClatchy and the Monitor, "I was told, officially, by the speaker of parliament and a high-ranking Iraqi official that it's preferable I don't show up before the election because they couldn't assure I was protected. Since 2005, the Americans have conveyed a message through an Iraqi mediator that they'll kidnap or assassinate me." (Allam, Hammoudi and Arraf reported Monday on what may have been violence targeting a campaign -- link has text and video.)
Now back to Allawi. Andrew England (Financial Times of London) reports that he is accusing the current government in Iraq of "reviving sectarianism" through the previous bannings and they quote him stating, "It's a beginning of going back to the drawing table where they started sectarianism. You can sense it unfortunately, in the political landscape again. If this sectarianism becomes an issue, which it already is, and continues to do so then definitely we will slip into more violence and this may lead to a civil war." Meanwhile ever since John Jenkins, British Ambassador to Iraq, made it a 'hot topic,' military coup in Iraq just doesn't go away. The latest to wade in is Adil Abdel-Mahdi, Iraq's Shi'ite vice president. DPA reports that he has expressed concerns about "militarization" in Iraq and what that could mean for the country's future, noting, "There is a historical precende in this case. The country is set for military coups." Iraq has another vice president, Tareq al-Hashemi. Waleed Ibrahim and Rania El Gamal (Reuters) quote al-Hashemi declaring today, "(Reconciliation) is one of the projects that the government has failed at unprecedentedly and . . . the reason is that there is no real intention for national reconciliation. There is no real will for reconciliation."
Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .
Reuters notes a Baghdad bombing which claimed the life of 1 "senior judge". KUNA identifies him as Justice Mohammad Abdulghafour and notes that he "specialized in cases of terrorism".
Reuters notes 1 female employee of the Independent High Electoral Commission was wounded in a Baghdad shooting.
In my mind I can't study war no more
-- "Save The Country," written by Laura Nyro, first appears on her New York Tendaberry album, also a hit for The 5th Dimension
Turning to the US, yesterday, a protest against the continued wars and their toll on humanity took place in New York. The demonstration was staged by NYC Peace Grannies. Joan Wile is the founder of Grandmothers Against the War and has written the book Grandmothers Against the War: Getting Off Our Fannies and Standing Up for Peace. She was part of the demonstration and has written "Rain-Drenched, Wind-Tossed New York City Peace Grannies Hold Memorial For The 1,000 Dead G.I.s in Afghanistan:"
It seems as if most of our U.S. populace has forgotten that U.S. soldiers are dying in Afghanistan. Focused on Tiger Woods' sex life and, more understandably, the seemingly endless, unresolvable health reform and jobs battles in Washington, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be ignored.
However, a group of New York city peace grannies and their supporters DO remember, and they publicly so acknowledged on Tuesday, Feb. 23, the just-announced grim tally of 1,000 U.S. soldiers' loss of life in Afghanistan. The event was coordinated by Grandmothers Against the War and the Granny Peace Brigade. Members of Peace Action New York, Veterans for Peace, The World Can't Wait, the Gray Panthers, Brooklyn for Peace, and the Raging Grannies attended as well.
On the cold, wet and windy evening, approximately 30 mostly elderly people assembled in front of Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to pay tribute to the 1,000 American G.I.s sacrificed in the wrong-headed war in Afghanistan. They also mourned the many Afghani deaths caused by our missiles and bombs.
The great actor-author, Malachy McCourt , opened the proceedings with a powerful speech lambasting the tragic expenditure of life and resources in the hopeless pursuit of peace through war. A statement of support by NY State Senator Bill Perkins, who had to be in Albany with the legislature, was read. Following that, the vigil members read the names of deceased soldiers AND deceased Afghani civilians to the accompaniment of a single muffled drum beat.
It was startling and extremely saddening to hear that so many of the Afghanis whose names were read were small children. One wondered: How can we feel morally justified in waging a war that causes so many innocent people to die whom we are supposedly protecting?
Strangely enough, the police erected a barricade around the anti-war stalwarts. This had never been done before in the six plus years that Grandmothers Against the War, the Vets for Peace and the Granny Peace Brigade have been holding a weekly Wednesday vigil on that Rockefeller Center site.
The soggy Peaceniks then walked down Fifth Avenue and over to the Times Square recruiting station where the Raging Grannies sang familiar songs with their revised anti-war lyrics. They kept singing despite the fact that several policemen insisted that the group leave. Finally, thoroughly soaked and shivering, the hardy old folks (and a few young ones) dispersed.
It is worth quoting part of Sen. Perkins' statement: "It is obvious that the lessons of the unjust war launched by the previous Bush administration have yet to sink in on the current administration. Each day the goal of honorable victory will be ever more elusive. The goal of an honorable peace for a dishonorable war will continue to have its price."
As I write, one day later, the tragic number of our young military dead in Afghanistan has climbed to 1,006.
A.N.S.W.E.R. and other organizations are sponsoring March 20th marches in DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The march is to demand the withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Students for a Democratic Society are another organization that will be participating and they note:
While the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan is growing ever larger, the occupation of Iraq is still raging, nearing its seventh anniversary. With over 4,300 US soldiers and over 1.3 million Iraqi civilians estimated dead, something has to be done to stop this senseless slaughter.
This year Students for a Democratic Society will hold a national week of action March 15th to 20th where students will organize protests and direct actions at campuses across the country in opposition to the ongoing, brutal occupations.
The need for a vibrant anti-war movement has rarely been felt more than this very moment, while the United States drops trillions of dollars into unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, during the worst economic crisis in 80 years. Students are struggling to pay for school while tuition skyrockets, and states lose billions of dollars to two continuing occupations.
On Saturday, March 20th, SDS will participate in a massive National March & Rally in D.C. hosted by A.N.S.W.E.R. to finish the week of action with tens of thousands of people in the street!
We're calling on students and youth from across the country to join us the week of March 15-20th in demanding: Fund Education, Not Occupation!
For more information visit: http://sdsantiwar.wordpress.com/
March 13th, a Peace Camp will be set up in DC. Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan (Cindy Sheenhan's Soapbox) explains some of the goals of the Peace Camp in her open letter to US President Barack Obama:
In 2005, I asked for a meeting with President Bush that was never granted, and as you know, Camp Casey in Crawford became the spark that lit a prairie fire of anti-war sentiment that swept you and your cohorts in the Democratic Party back into power and now we are coming to collect the spoils of that victory--which is not more war--but more Peace. You Democrats owe much to your anti-war base--and we will not be quiet nor be ignored as we were in the previous administration. It's time for you to pay the Peace-piper, Mr. Obama. Our demands are profound, yet simple for you to perform: troops out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (where three soldiers were just killed); no more drone bombings anywhere; close the permanent bases and torture prisons; and bring the mercenary soldiers home, too. We will not be closing up Camp, or the movement, until positive progress in the direction of Peace is noted. The first week of Camp (March 13-20), we are asking for a meeting with you to discuss setting up a Peace Council that you will regularly meet with that will have a seat at the table when decisions that will kill, maim, displace, or harm our troops or civilians in any way are being discussed. We also demand that this Peace Council be comprised of grassroots members of the Peace Movement and not rubber-stamp status quo worshippers, or other "Peace" Prize laureates like Henry Kissinger, who already, reportedly, has your ear. If you do not meet with representatives from Camp OUT NOW, we will be a thorn in the side of the War Machine, and we will not go away without a struggle. If you do meet with us and agree to a Peace Council, we will pack up our tents, but we will still be a thorn in the side of the War Machine until Peace is finally achieved--the only difference is that we won't be camped across the street from your home.
Yesterday we noted "foundation ugly" Thomas E. Ricks and Nir Rosen. Today Robert Dreyfuss (The Nation) notes the latest bits of foundation ugly:
Thus it's no surprise that Tom Ricks, a former reporter and author who's taken up residence at CNAS, has fired the opening gambit in what is likely to be a direct challenge to President Obama by the military, by conservatives and neoconservatives, by surge-lovers and empire builders, and others, to keep US forces in Iraq.
Ricks penned an op-ed in the New York Times entitled "Extending Our Stay in Iraq," as if the 98,000 troops there were business travelers asking the front desk for a late checkout. "Our stay"? He means, the US occupation of Iraq.
And Ricks pulls no punches. Obama should forget about his pledge to reduce US forces to 50,000 by August and to zero by the end of 2011. Instead, Ricks says, the troubling internal contradictions in Iraq -- including Iran's influence -- means that the United States should "keep 30,000 to 50,000 United States service members in Iraq for many years to come."
So much to comment on. First, Ricks is doing an 'international sweep' shortly. Dreyfuss has made college students in one country very happy because they've been arguing with Ricks' sponsor (for his talk) over whether or not he's a journalist. He's not. He's now a counter-insurgency (war on a native people) guru at a War Hawk think tank. And this professor has told the students that Ricks doesn't have an opinion because he's a reporter, told the students he's objective. So we should all be grateful that Ricks has yet again pulled his War Hawk Stub out and waived it around yet again. Second, we should be grateful for the column he wrote. We now know where Michele Flournoy stands. Most of us already suspected it but Ricks doesn't write a word that Flournoy (who left his think tank to join the administration -- where she now stalls Congress on the Iraq 'withdrawal' plan) doesn't approve of.
Lastly, TV notes. NOW on PBS begins airing Friday on most PBS stations (check local listings):
In 1995 and 1996, 66 gray wolves were relocated from Canada to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho to help recover a wolf population that had been exterminated in the northern Rockies. The gray wolf relocation is considered one of the most successful wildlife recovery projects ever attempted under the Endangered Species Act; today there are more than 1,600 wolves in the region. But a debate has erupted between conservationists and ranchers over the question: how many wolves are too many? Last year, the Obama Administration entered the fray by removing federal protection for some of these wolves, paving the way for controversial state-regulated wolf hunts. The move has wolf advocates fuming, with more than a dozen conservation groups suing the Interior Department to restore federal protections. On February 26 at 8:30 pm (check local listings), NOW reports on this war over wolves and implications for the area.
iraqnprall things consideredlourdes garcia-navarro
the toronto starolivia ward
hannah allammcclatchy newspapers
warren p. strobel
jonathan s. landay
laith hammoudi
pbsnow on pbs
peace granniesjoan wile
the nationrobert dreyfuss
Power-sharing
Lila Giggles and her worthless Connect the Dots
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Pathetic ZNet and lying Glenn Greenwald
An e-mail came in about ZNet and Sunny passed it onto me. Since Michael Albert's embarrassing nonsense awhile back ('I didn't read the petition before I signed it!'), I've had no stomach for that site. (I know Albert from years ago in the New Left.) The e-mail was about the hurdles you have to jump through just to see content at ZNet.
So I took a trip this evening. I Googled ZNet and then clicked on it. Taking to a beg for money message. (Really, Michael, all these years later you're still begging for money? How very sad, how very, very sad.) Click that you don't want to donate and you're taken to a Z page where you have to pick ZNet again. You're taken to a page that you can't read because of a big ad across it and it takes forever after you click to get it off.
It's disgusting. So is the non-stop begging. I'm serious, when you get to be a certain age and you're still begging, you need to find something else to do. That's the universe's way of telling you you've chosen the wrong career path.
So why should you pay money to ZNet? For those Congressional reporters on their staff?
Oops, they don't have that. They don't have anything. In fact, they're reposting transcripts from Democracy Now! -- and not even concerned that Glenn Greenwald's lying.
I'm not a big fan of faux lefty Glenn and really wish he would spend all of his time in his little lovenest outside the US -- instead of just some of his time there.
Glenn's supposed to be telling about the judge's verdict but he either didn't read or just wants to lie. It's an arrest warrant that's out for Julian Assange and Assange was supposed to be questioned before he left Sweden.
That last one? You're thinking, "I know! Julian and his lawyer keep talking about that! Have for months! If they had a real case, they would have interviewed Julian when he was in Sweden waiting to be interviewed!"
That's not what I'm saying. The verdict, read it in full, goes over how that's a lie. It's a lie that Julian's Swedish attorney attempted to tell the British court and was then forced to admit that before Julian had left Sweden, the attorney had been contacted about questioning and had said it was a go. This was six or seven days before Assange left Sweden.
They lied. They lied over and over in the press and in the court. The judge is very clear on this. C.I. covered the judge's decision in yesterday's "Iraq snapshot." Because C.I.'s bolded decisions from the judge's opinion, I'm going to set off the excerpt with "****" indicating the start and I'll put "****" to indicate the end of the excerpt as well.
The attorneys are currently whining about all the money spent to translate paperwork (from Sweden) into English but, in their own documents submitted to the court, appeared to struggle with English. (I'm referring to repeated typos.) They also appeared to struggle with facts. Including who was president of the United States and when he became president of the United States (Barack Obama is president and became the president when he was sworn in January, 2009). When you have so many errors like that, you're not helping anyone. Why you needed to bring in the President of the United States into your paperwork about a matter between the governments of England and Sweden is beyond me but, having decided to, you need to get your facts right.
Not only did they struggle with facts in their paperwork, they struggled it with facts in their presentation. And they got caught lying. Repeatedly. Bjorn Hurtig has been Julian Assange's attorney for some time and fed the press repeated claims. Any smart person would have realized that Hurtig, a defense attorney, can say anything to the press and it doesn't have to be true. Instead, too many put faith in the claims Hurtig has been making since December. Hurtig bumped up against a judge that wasn't pleased with being lied to.
Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle's ruling can be read [PDF format warning] here in full. The big witnesses were Assange's attorney Hurtig and former judge Brita Sunderg-Weitman. The former judge didn't impress Riddle. After listing the many things Sunderg-Weitman claimed, Riddle notes, "In cross-examination the witness told me she is not an expert in Mutual Legal Assitance. She confirmed she had no direct personal knowledge of what happened in this investigation before Mr Assange left Sweden. Her evidence is based upon the facts supplied to her by the defence lawyers. [In her proof she said Ms Ny had made no effort to interview him before he left with her permission and knowledge on 27th September.] She confirmed that if the defence lawyer had told the prosecutor that he was unable to contact the defendant for interview, then the position would be different." The judge is referring to the fact that before Assange left Sweden, attempts were made to question him. His attorneys have lied about that repeatedly to the press leading idiots like Naomi Wolf to insist that if Sweden was serious, they would have questioned him before he left the country. As the court learned (and as Assange's attorney confessed), there was an attempt to question Assange. Their chief expert offered testimony that she was not qualified to offer. They brought an expert to the witness stand to give hearsay evidence. No, that doesn't impress. Check out the following sentence fragments:
*Overall the witness appeared unclear . . .
*At first she appeared to avoid the question . . .
* Again she had difficulty directly answering the question.
These are just the first set. The witness did not impress the judge for obvious reasons. He was bothered by the fact that she didn't know the facts independently and that she relied (unquestioningly) on the defense to feed her information. This was also an issue with witness Sven-Eric Alhem but the judge noted that, in his written evidence, Alhem had made it clear that he got his information from the defense.
Then there's the part of the judgment recounting when Hurtig had to admit that there was an effort to interview Assange and he'd been contacted September 22nd about it and agreed to it. After agreeing to that what happened? From the judgment:
In summary the lawyer was unable to tell me what attempts he made to contact his client, and whether he definitely left a message. It was put that he had a professional duty to tell his client, and whether he definitely left a message. It was put that he had a professional duty to tell his client of the risk of detention. He did not appear to accept that the risk was substantial or the need to contact his client was urgent.
It only gets worse. The judge notes, "Mr Hurtig was asked why he told Brita Sundberg-Wietman that Ms Nye had made no effort to his client. He denied saying that and said he has never met her." Right there, you've got a huge problem. Their star witness has her facts wrong and states she got them from Hurtig. Hurtig, after being forced to admit the truth, then denies he ever spoke to the star witness. It gets worse. Confronted with what he wrote down and submitted to the court, Hurtig has to admit "that is wrong. He had forgotten [. . .] They must have slipped his mind." Slipped his mind? The judge didn't buy that claim.
Riddle continues, "He also agreed that it is important that what he says is right and important for his client that his evidence is credible." The judge then notes that the witness asserted he had a flight to catch, "The witness was clearly uncomfortable and anxious to leave."
As bad as that is-- and it's bad -- we're not even to the basic findings Judge Riddel offers -- 19 points on pages nine and ten. We'll emphasize two. First, here he is on Julian Assange's attorney Hurtig (the one Ray McGovern and Naomi Wolf have relied on when attacking the women who may have been raped):
10. Mr Hurtig [is] an unreliable witness as to what efforts he made to contaact his client between 21st, 22nd and 29th September (see transcript pages 122-132). He has no record of those attempts. They were by mobile phone, but he has no record. He cannot recall whether he sent texts or simply left answer-phone messages.
And point 15 goes along with that:
15. Mr Hurtig said in his statement that it was astonishing that Ms Nye made no effort to interview his client. In fact this is untrue. He says he realised the mistake the night before giving evidence. He did correct the statement in his evidence in chief (transcript p.83 and p.97). However, this was very low key and not done in a way that I, at least, immediately grasped as significant. It was only in cross-examination that the extent of the mistake became clear. Mr Hurtig must have realised the significance of paragraph 13 of his proof when he sbumitted it. I do not accept that this was a genuine mistake. It cannot have slipped his mind. For over a week he was attempting (he says without success) to contact a very important client about a very important matter. The statement was a deliberate attempt to mislead the court. It did in fact mislead Ms Brita Sunderberg-Weitman and Mr Alhem. Had they been given the true facts then they would have changed their opinion on a key fact in a material way.
When your attorney is ruled "an unreliable witness," you and your case have problems. Now Assange had a respectable lawyer but he wouldn't play the game Hurtig will and that's why Julian Assange dropped him. Now he's got a lawyer who lied repeatedly to the press and who the jugde caught in one lie after another.
The offshore tax haven that is Glenn-Glenn is an idiot. He didn't know what he was talking about or he was lying, take your pick. (I choose lying because he's lied so damn much in the past.)
Julian Assange is their poster boy, they beat off to him. Don't confuse it with revolution or protest and certainly don't mistake them for truth tellers. They're still trying to tell you that Saint Julian could end up in Guantanamo or in the military brig!!!!!!
They're such liars. I really can't stomach them and shame on you, Michael, no wonder you have to beg for money.
Friday, February 25, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, Iraqis take to the streets with their demands, protesters are shot at and attacked, one governor resigns another is pressured to, the US stands on the sidelines, and much more.
For weeks, protests were planned for today in Iraq. This was done publicly, not hidden away. Along with using Facebook, organizers and planned participants gave interviews to the press. Clerics publicly supported the protests at the start of the month. Nouri al-Maliki then began making weak, generic statements of support which seemed to be empty lip service forced by the actions of the clerics. Last Sunday, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani issued a statement of support for the protesters. Wednesday, things suddenly changed as Moqtada al-Sadr leaves Iran and shows back up in Iraq. He's had no interest in Iraq since his brief layover in January but suddenly he's back and insisting that the protests must stop. al-Sistani also says the protests need to stop. Nouri al-Maliki makes clear that he was just mouthing empty words as he now declares that the protests must stop and starts resorting to fear mongering by again trotting out his claims that Ba'athists, from outside the country, are behind the protests and that the protests will tear Iraq apart.
It wasn't just words. Alsumaria TV reports that attempts to stop the protests included curfews that immediatley went into effect in Samarra, Nineveh and Sulaimaniah. Al Mada quotes Nouri's desparate plea last night where he labeled the protests subversive and insisted that intellecturals, writers and civil society organizations, workers and peasants, doctors, institutions and scientists, teachers, engineers and everyone must not participate in the demonstration Friday, they must drop their objectives because the terrorists are using this event to advance their own interests. He continued that there was a "legitimate need" for basic services and reforms but this was trumped by "compelling evidence" that terrorists were behind the demonstrations in order to return Iraq to its "former Ba'ath era of black days and mass graves and chemical weapons and lack of freedoms."
No where in his speech claiming to understand the protesters did Nouri mention or acknowledge that Iraq's had one prime minister since 2006: himself. And that under his leadership for years now, basic services haven't been provided. He's lied. In 2009, trying to get votes for his candidates in provincial elections, he claimed basic services were just around the corner. He'd show up in towns with a large 'block' of ice to provide them fresh (temporary) drinking water and swear that their own safe water would flow shortly but he got the votes he wanted and discarded his promise. He did that over and over. The demands the Iraqis are making are not new demands that just surfaced in the last 48 hours. Justin Raimondo (Antiwar.com) points out:
So this is why we killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, sacrificed thousands
of our own, and spent $3 trillion on "liberating" Iraq – so we could install this Gadhafi clone in office. Of course, Maliki hasn't unleashed his hired thugs
(hired by you) on the protesting populace quite yet – "only" three or four protesters have been killed, so far, in Iraq. Yet it isn't hard to imagine a
Libya-like scenario playing out in "liberated" Iraq: the country is a powder
keg waiting to go off.
Occupied Iraq where the war continues and gears up for its eight year mark next month. Occupied Iraq where billions in oil revenues flow into the government each year, where the population isn't even half a million, is barely over a quarter million, and yet the last eight years have seen an increase in poverty, an increase in an unemployment, destruction of infrastructure and basic services and much, much more. The government can't even provide safe drinking water. Iraqis had it before the start of the war. Now many are required to boil water before drinking it. Or there are those little purification tablets the UN passes out in order to mitigate the annual fall cholera outbreaks. The rivers are polluted -- which makes them unsafe for drinking as well -- as are the streets and basic sanitation is a problem. Basic electricity even more so as generators have had to become household items as common as stoves. The disabled, the widows and the orphans are largely left to fend for themselves with little help other than that provided by NGOs.
In this environment Moqtada al-Sadr waded in -- presumably doing the bidding of the government of Iran, the country he's made his home for how many years now? -- and declared that protests must cease immediately and that, instead, he'd hold another one of his wonderful (inept) referendums. The New York Times hailed Moqtada (wrongly) as second in influence in Iraq only to Nouri. What was going to happen?
Al Rafidayn reports Baghdad saw thousands congregate at Tahrir Square with the army and the police surrounding the area. Activist Lina Ali, who stood holding flowers while protesting in Tahrir Square, explains that electricity and potable water are not available. Al Mada adds comments from various people -- including some Iraqis -- about how the internet has changed things and offers, as one example, that Saudis twenty years ago didn't learn that Iraq had invaded Kuwait until three days after due to a media blackout; however, now the information travels. Ahmad Ezzeddine, Microsoft's director in Iraq, is quoted (from an interview with Alsumaria TV) stating that at one point Iraq's internet was a series of network connected to Dubai, England or Germany but today it is far greater and it's not as simple to block or censor. Iraq also now has over 45 satellite channels.
Ben Lando (Wall St. Journal) notes military helicopters flew over Baghdad -- he doesn't note whose military: "As well as criticizing the demonstrators, the government has strictly limited freedom of movement across the capital in an attempt to curb Friday's protests. There has been an increase in military helicopter traffic and heightened security at checkpoints in the capital on Friday. In Baghdad's commercial district of Karrada, police and army officials are stopping and questioning pedestrians." Stephanie McCrummen (Washington Post) explains Baghdad "was virtually locked down" last night with a curfew imposed: "Near midnight Thursday, a red banner flashed across state television broadcasts announcing the curfew, a draconian measure more often deployed to deal with insurgent attacks." BBC News reports, "Soldiers blocked every road leading into Baghdad to try to stop protesters from carrying out their planned day of rage, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in the Iraqi capital. No vehicles were allowed into the city centre and thousands of riot police took up position in and around Baghdad Tahrir Square." Realizing at the last minute that the protesters weren't going to just drop the demonstration, Al Mada reports, the Baghdad Security Committee issued a desperate order that the protesters would not be allowed to carry "anti-government" banners. Despite this, Jane Arraf reported for Aljazeera that protesteros chanted "No to unemployment" and "No to the liar al-Maliki."
Alice Fordham and Raheem Salman (Los Angeles Times) report, "In Baghdad, witnesses said security forces fired live ammunition and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Many people were beaten and chased through the streets. No deaths were reported in the Iraqi capital." AFP adds, "A journalist said security forces had used a water cannon and tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowd. An interior ministry official said 15 people were wounded." Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) observes, "Despite government attempts to portray the demonstration as politically motivated, many of the young men who raged against Mr. Maliki had much more basic reasons, complaining of a lack of jobs and public services and of the perception that in a country listed as among the world's most corrupt, officials are stealing the wealth." She quotes protester Oday Kareem stating, "I'm a laborer. I work one day and stay at home for a month. [. . .] He [Nouri al-Maliki] said people will do beter than they did under Saddam Hussein -- where is it?" For All Things Considered (NPR), Kelly McEvers filed a report which included:
But many of the protesters here calling Maliki a liar were young, unemployed men. They called for jobs, better electricity an end to corruption. They
repeated a word they'd heard in other protests around the region: peaceful, peaceful. But then one group toppled concrete blast walls blocking a bridge
to the fortifide Green Zone where Iraqi officials live and work. Riot police responded, protesters began throwing rocks. Okay, we're just beyond the
outskirts of what's going on but it's turned very violent, The sound you hear is people banging on corrugated steel as they are throwing rocks and clashing
with riot polie.
Charles McDermid and Karim Lami (Time magazine) report:
According to eyewitnesses, at least three protesters were shot dead by police during the standoff. Despite television footage to the contrary, the Baghdad Operation Command and Baghdad Police Department have denied that any protestors were killed or injured.
Multiple issues had helped bring out the protesters. Among the banners on display at Baghdad's Tahrir Square were, "Maliki has become just like Saddam," "We want the government to get rid of corruption and punish the corrupt," and "What happened to all the billions in oil revenue?" Many consider the lack of electricity, clean water and sanitation an insult for a nation known to have some of the world's largest proven petroleum reserves. As unemployed Baghdad resident Mohammed Khuadier al-Hamadani, 49, says, "There is no power, water , basic services, good infrastructure, food rations or jobs in a wealthy oil country like Iraq. This is unjust. They must stop this oppression. I want my share from oil just like the Gulf States. You know the Emir of Kuwait gave his citizens [profits and food rations]. Why can't we be just like them and have a prosperous life?"
Aswat Al Iraq counts nine people injured in Baghdad -- seven police officers and two civilians. Protests took place not just in Baghdad but across the country, some were more sedate, some saw more violence. BBC News has a photo essay of various protests. Aswat Al-Iraq reports a number of disabled and/or challenged persons demonstrated in Thi Qar carrying signs (which hopefully they made and/or approved) declaring to the government, "God made us dumb and deaf but why are you like us?" Kadhim Ajrash and Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) report one Shi'ite cleric publicly bucked the call of Nouri and Moqtada, that Sheikh Ahmed al-Safi joined thousands in Karbala's Imam Hussein Square today declaring, "Demonstrations on the streets of Iraq are taking place because people are collectively saying that they wants to be heard. The constitution guarantees the right of protests and it is the right of any person to protest peacefully." The reporters note that al-Safi's roles include serving as spokesperson for al-Sistania. In Kut (Wassit Province), activist Fadel Aanied described his fellow protesters, "The gathering, most of them are young men, raised banners accusing officials of stealing oil revenues and criticizing bad services in the province. They also chanted slogans against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and against Lawmaker Hayder al-Abadi, who described them as rioters." Mustafa Abdul Wahid (Iraqhurr.org) reports from Karbala that protesters made their way through the city carrying a coffin to symbolize the electricity problem that continues to plague the country. They also had banners condemning the Ba'ath Party.
Aswat Al Iraq reports that security forces shot 16 protesters in Falluja who were 'storming' the local government compound. Fang Yang (Xinhua) reports over 1,000 demonstrated in Tikrit and they "stoned the government building and clashed with the guards demanding resgination of the provincial governor [Salahudin Province] and the provincial council members, who are blamed by the protestors of being behind the deterioration of public services and corruption. Also in the province, angry protesters attacked the city council of Sulaiman-Pek and set fire to the building after clashes with the security forces. Seven people were injured, a local security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity." At NPR's The Two-Way, Bill Chappell notes this from Kelly McEvers, "The most violent protests were in the northern city of Mosul where demonstrators tried to burn the regional government headquarters demanding jobs and better services. Guards opened fire." The Guardian offers, "Anger over corruption and abysmal basic services erupted in a 'Day of Rage', with the most serious clashes in Mosul and Hawija, in the north, and Basra in the south. At least six people were killed – three in Mosul and three in Hawija – and 75 injured in clashes with security services as protesters tried to attack government buildings." Mosul is in Ninewah Province. Aswat Al Iraq reports that there were 5 deaths in Mosul with fifteen people injured and quote an unnamed security source stating, "The injuries were the result of shooting, shrapnel and stun bombs." Aswat Al Iraq adds that the Ninewa Provincial headquarters were set on fire. Al Rafidayn is reporting that Nouri al-Maliki has called on Speaker of Parliament Osama Nujafi to persuade his brother, Ethel Nujafi, to resign as governor of Ninewah and, citing an unnamed source, says Nouri fears the anger is building in Ninewah but that Nujafi is standing by his relative and has accused Nouri of being behind the protesters who stormed the government buildings and set them on fire..
Ramadi was the site of demonstrations as well. Iraqhurr.org notes that Radio Free Iraq's Ahmed al-Hiti (Iraqhurr.org is the website for RFI) reported that the Anbar Province city saw calls for improved basic services today and that protesters were not scared off by yesterday's suicide bombing in the town. They were, however, fired at by security forces.
The protest in Kirkuk is said to have wounded 23 police officers. Aswat al-Iraq reports 39 police officers were wounded in the Basra protest, Al Rafidayn reports Basra protesters were calling for the resignation of the governor as part of their demands. Aswat Al Iraq notes that al-Iraqiya satellite TV is now reporting that, according to MP Ismail Ghazi, Shaltagh Abboud (Governor of Basra) will resign in two days. Aljazeera reports, "While in the south, a crowd of about 4,000 people demonstrated in front of the office of Governor Sheltagh Aboud al-Mayahi in the port city of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, located 550km southeast of Baghdad. They knocked over one of the concrete barriers and demanded his resignation, saying he had done nothing to improve city services. They appeared to get their wish when Major General Mohammad Jawad Hawaidi, the commander of Basra military operations, told the crowd that the governor had resigned in response to the demonstrations." Alsumaria TV reports that Sheltag Abboud has held a press conference announcing his resignation as governor.
The numbers are still being counted and may rise but currently Stephanie McCrummen (Washington Post) reports 23 protesters were killed across Iraq today. Human Rights Watch issued the following today:
The Iraqi authorities should order an immediate independent inquiry into each of eight killings and any unlawful use of force by security forces during demonstrations on February 25, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Dozens more were injured in crackdowns on demonstrations in several Iraqi towns and cities. Human Rights Watch observed security forces beating unarmed journalists and protesters in Baghdad, and counted at least 18 injured.
Any unlawful use of force, especially force resulting in deaths, should lead to the prosecution of those responsible, including those who gave the orders or who were otherwise responsible, Human Rights Watch said. The Iraqi authorities also should lift all unnecessary restrictions on peaceful assembly and protest.
"The Iraqi authorities need to rein in their security forces and account for every single killing," said Tom Porteous, deputy program director for Human Rights Watch. "The security forces need to use the maximum possible restraint in dealing with protesters."
In Mosul, security forces opened fire, reportedly killing at least two people and wounding 20, after demonstrators tried to force their way into a provincial council building. In the town of Hawijah, security forces shot stone-throwing protesters, killing at least three and wounding more than 12, according to news reports and a local journalist interviewed by Human Rights Watch. In Ramadi, security forces fired on about 250 demonstrators, killing one person and wounding eight. And in Tirkit, police fired on demonstrators trying to raid a government building, killing two and wounding nine.
In Baghdad, security forces severely limited demonstrations after imposing strict restrictions on vehicle travel, starting in the early morning. The ban by Baghdad Operations Command forced protesters to walk to the center of the capital for the demonstration and prevented television satellite trucks from covering the protests live. Scores of demonstrations have taken place across the country since early February, mainly focused on the chronic lack of basic services and perceived widespread corruption. Since February 16 security forces have killed more than a dozen protesters and injured more than 150 at demonstrations throughout Iraq.
Earlier this week, Iraqi police allowed dozens of assailants to beat and stab peaceful protesters in Baghdad. In the early hours of February 21, dozens of men, some wielding knives and clubs, attacked about 50 protesters who had set up two tents in Baghdad's Tahrir Square. The assailants stabbed and beat at least 20 of the protesters who were intending to camp in the square until February 25, when groups had called for national protests similar to the "Day of Anger" in Egypt. The February 21 attack came directly after the police had withdrawn from the square, and witnesses suggested the assailants were in discussion with the police before they attacked.
On June 25, 2010, in response to thousands of Iraqis who took to the streets to protest a chronic lack of government services, the interior ministry issued regulations with onerous provisions that effectively impeded Iraqis from organizing lawful protests. The regulations required organizers to get "written approval of both the minister of interior and the provincial governor" before submitting an application to the relevant police department, not less than 72 hours before a planned event. These regulations are still in effect.
Iraq's constitution guarantees "freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration."As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iraq is obligated to protect the rights to life and security of the person, and the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Iraq should also abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which state that lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life, and must be exercised with restraint and proportionality. The principles also require governments to "ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offense under their law."
Human rights law on the right to life, including article 6 of the ICCPR, requires an effective and transparent investigation when deaths may have been caused by state officials, leading to the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators of any crimes that took place.
On its main page, Kitabat features an essay noting today was the statement of the Iraqi people, that they wrote it in blood as they took to the streets to decry the betrayal of freedom, this was the statement of the people as they risked arrest and brutality frm the regime of tryants who resort to attacks on journalists, secret arrests of activists and attempts to crackdown on the people in order to circumvent the demonstrations. The mood of the people, the essay continues, was peaceful but the security was in a panic at the unarmed people in the streets, the government was on a "holy war" too silence the voice of the people. Today, the essay concludes, was the last warning to the Parliament, the political elites and the government that the people will not be silenced by repressive forces and that peace and demonstrations will continue to grow in Iraq.
Iraqis stood up today. They have stood up many times before. In the not-so-distant past, they were asked to stand up during the first Gulf War of the early 90s, when George H.W. Bush was president. Lance Selfa (ISR) reminds what took place:
On February 15 -- a month into the air war -- Saddam's government announced it would accept UN resolutions calling for its withdrawal from Kuwait. The U.S. and its lackey, Britain, dismissed Saddam's surrender. Instead, Bush called for Iraqis to rise up and overthrow Saddam: "[T]here's another way for the bloodshed to stop, and that is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands, to force Saddam to step aside." Bush's statement communicated two points: first, that the U.S. wouldn't settle only for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, and second, that the U.S. might back anyone who rose up against Saddam. The first point proved that expelling Iraq from Kuwait was a mere pretext for wider U.S. designs in the war. The second point proved a lie only weeks later, when masses of Kurds and Shiites took "matters into their own hands" and rose up against Saddam.
Saddam had essentially cried "uncle," but the U.S. wanted to mount a ground offensive anyway. In six days, U.S. and coalition ground troops swept across Kuwait and southern Iraq, forcing Iraqi troops into a full-scale retreat. In the last 40 hours of the war, before Bush called a cease-fire on February 28, U.S. and British forces mounted a relentless assault against retreating and defenseless Iraqi soldiers. The road leading from Kuwait to Basra became known as the "Highway of Death." Iraqi soldiers fled Kuwait in every possible vehicle they could get their hands on. Allied tank units cut the Iraqis off. U.S. warplanes bombed, strafed and firebombed the stranded columns for hours without resistance. In a slaughter which a U.S. pilot described as "like shooting fish in a barrel," thousands of Iraqi conscripts were killed on a 50-mile stretch of highway. So many planes filled the skies over southern Iraq that military air traffic controllers maneuvered to prevent mid-air collisions.
The "Highway of Death," and, in fact, the ground war itself, served no military purpose. Saddam had admitted defeat before the ground war began. Attacks on retreating Iraqis merely delayed the war's end. But the U.S. mounted this barbarism for one reason only: to render an example of what would happen to any government which bucked the U.S. For nearly two days, the Pentagon invented the excuse that the Iraqis were staging a "fighting retreat," a fiction which they knew was a lie. "When enemy armies are defeated, they withdraw," said Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill A. McPeak. "It's during this time that the true fruits of victory are achieved from combat, when the enemy is disorganized . . . If we do not exploit victory, the president should get himself some new generals."
The savagery of the U.S. war took some of the luster off Bush's victory. But nothing so revealed the callous disregard for ordinary Iraqis as U.S. complicity in Saddam's suppression of the Kurdish and Shiite uprisings in the weeks following Iraq's defeat. Demobilized soldiers in the southern, predominantly Shiite sections of the country returned to their hometowns and vented their fury on all symbols of Saddam's regime. Kurdish guerrillas launched a coordinated uprising in Iraqi Kurdistan. In the week following the Gulf War cease-fire, ordinary Iraqis stormed the regime's police headquarters, barracks and prisons. Crowds broke into underground dungeons and torture chambers, freeing political prisoners who hadn't seen daylight in decades. Masses of people lynched officials of Saddam's government. For almost two weeks, ordinary Iraqis controlled whole regions of the country and Saddam's government seemed on the verge of collapse.
Then, Saddam got a helping hand from an unlikely source -- the U.S. government. Bush had meant his call for Saddam "to step aside" as a signal of U.S. support for a military coup against him -- not a popular uprising. An uprising from below might set the wrong example for the populaces of the U.S.-allied feudal dictatorships in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States. U.S. officials also expressed fears that successful uprisings could lead to a breakup of Iraq and the strengthening of the other Gulf bogeyman, Iran. U.S. military officials refused to meet with emissaries of the rebels. And U.S. forces stood by as Saddam's government, officially violating the terms of the cease-fire agreement, mounted a counterattack. When Saddam's forces dropped firebombs on fleeing rebels near the southern Iraqi city of Kerbala, American planes patrolled high above, surveilling the attack.
In the wake of all the slaughter and destruction, George Bush promised that Desert Storm would usher in a "new world order." But the new order looked quite a bit like the old order.
In Kuwait, U.S. bayonets restored to power the ruling al-Sabah family, a feudal dynasty. Bush had made much about the rights of the Kuwaiti people to determine their own destiny free from Iraqi rule. But in restoring the al-Sabahs to the throne, Bush restored a political system which allowed only 3 percent of Kuwaiti residents any political rights at all. Women still can't vote in Kuwait. As soon as the al-Sabahs returned, they launched a reign of terror against Palestinian "guest workers," whom the al-Sabahs accused of pro-Iraq sentiments. Kuwaiti police rounded up thousands. They summarily executed hundreds of them. Kuwait expelled more than 400,000 Palestinian workers -- many of whom suffered under the Iraqi occupation -- from the country. Human rights organizations denounce Kuwait's disregard for elementary human rights.
By the end of March 1991, Saddam had put down the Shiite/Kurdish rebellion. The immediate result was a humanitarian catastrophe that dwarfs even the horrible situation in Kosovo today. As many as 3 million Kurds fled into Iran and Turkey. When destroying Iraq, the coalition air forces flew one raid a minute. In the first week of the Kurds' torment in makeshift camps in the mountains, those same forces could manage only 10 flights. The total relief for Kurds that Congress approved in April 1991 amounted to about eight hours of spending on the war. When the U.S. announced Operation Provide Comfort, it used the safeguarding of Kurds to establish a military occupation of northern Iraq.
Today Iraqis stood up on their own, for themselves, without any promises of assistance from the US or any other government. This was the protest of the Iraqi people, by the Iraqi people. They followed no one, they led. It was homegrown and it was the voice of the people. In what played out like a bad attempt to short-circuit the protests (most likely played out that way because that's what it was intended to be), Moqtada attempted counter-programming with himself as the tasty treat. Al Rafidayn reports Moqtada led Friday prayers at a Kufa mosque (Kufa is in Najaf). They note the religious leader Moqtada last devliered a service to the congregation in 2007. But Moqtada al-Sadr could not short-circuit the will of the people, nor could the United States or anyone else. Stephanie McCrummen (Washington Post) quotes International Crisis Group's Joost Hiltermaan explaining, "Obama wants to convey that 'Yes, Iraq has a number of problems that need to be addressed, but the country is on the right track. You can't possibly say, 'Iraq is in a crisis, and by the way, we're leaving." McCrummen also notes that the US Embassy in Baghdad's spokesperson Aaron Snipe "played down Friday's violence, as well as the draconian measures Maliki took to stifle turnout."
The voice of the Iraqi people and their attitude towards their government may have been best expressed in Kelly McEvers' report for All Things Considered, "As one protester put it, just give us one-fourth of what you steal, we could be rich on just that."
Reuters notes a Garma home invasion resulted in the deaths of 6 family members, a Tuz Khurmato roadside bombing injured two people, an attack on a Hilla checkpoint claimed the lives of 2 Sahwa members (a thrid wounded), a Kirkuk mortar attack left three police officers injured and at least 2 protesters in Hilla were killed by police and twenty-two more injured.
Justin Raimondo (Antiwar.com), who has strong words for the Baghdad puppets but also feels tensions are highest in the Kurdistan Region, gets the last word:
The real nature of the Kurdish kleptocracy is well-known to my longtime readers, but the Kurds' public relations campaign – funded by you, the American taxpayer – has done a pretty good job, so far, of obscuring the truth. While Hitchens was having "a perfectly swell time" taking in the sights and sounds of ideological tourism in Kurdistan, Dr. Kamal Sayid Qadir, a Kurdish human rights activist, was being sentenced to 30 years in prison for "insulting" the President of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, and "defaming" the Kurdish people. His real "crime" was exposing the corruption of the Kurdish state-within-a-state. He was eventually released due to an international outcry, but what of all the other poor souls trapped in Kurdistan's notorious prisons, where torture is ubiquitous and the "legal" process is dicey, at best?
For years, the Kurdish government has been ethnically cleansing Arabs, Turkmens, and other minorities from its territory, jailing its internal critics, enriching its friends, and aiding the terrorist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), which uses Iraqi Kurdistan as a base from which to launch attacks on civilian targets in Turkey.
a rafidayn
the wall st. journal
ben lando
stephanie mccrummen
the chrisitan science monitor
caroline alexander
kelly mcevers
Thomas E. Ricks -- forever wrong
Yesterday's journal entry was "He just doesn't get it" and about the Columbia debate. A friend at Columbia sent me an article from the Columbia Spectator. This is the veteran who spoke at the debate for ROTC being on campus:
“Comments by a small number of individuals at the town hall meeting have not changed my positive experiences at Columbia,” Maschek wrote. “Thus far, my fellow students have been very interested in hearing about my past life and military experiences. Columbia has been attempting to get more veterans to share their experiences here, and the atmosphere here has been supportive despite the actions of a very small minority of the town hall participants.”
I noted yesterday that Thomas E. Ricks got it wrong and C.I.'s "On speaking and being booed in a democracy" was correct. Here is some of what C.I. wrote:
But if you get before an audience -- and I have many, many times -- three's a chance you're going to get booed. If you don't want to be booed, don't put yourself out there.
The veteran took a highly unpopular stand. He was allowed to speak, people were allowed to register their objection.
From the Daily Mail story, that's what happened. The only other news report is from the New York Post (I don't know right wing blogs and don't know how to evaluate them so I'm not looking at them). Again, oh well.
The outrage, I do want to note, that is being churned is being churned by the Daily Mail and the New York Post. The veteran is not quoted boo-hooing that he got booed. He's been in combat, I don't think he's a cry baby. He's seen a lot worse than a negative reaction to his taking what (he must have known) was an unpopular position.
He obviously believes in his position or he wouldn't have taken it. Why did he face an angry crowd? Because he probably hopes that his remarks would lay the groundwork for them to reconsider. And it might. Or it might make it easier for the next person who speaks out in the same manner. The veteran doesn't seem stupid -- the press does -- I doubt he expected a standing ovation. I would guess his hopes were more along the lines of "I'll plant some seeds and maybe they'll sprout in a few weeks or months."
That's what we all do, regardless of the issue and our position, when we speak out on something that's unpopular.
That is the point of the article in the student newspaper, that the outrage is being pushed from outside. C.I. was right there and she was also right about it not being a big deal to the veteran.
Good for Anthony Maschek who is a grad student at the university and obviously far wiser than many reporters. He firmly believes he was in Iraq fighting for freedom. I firmly disagree that was why the US was in Iraq. But good for him for not being a hypocrite. If you believe Iraq was about freedom, then you don't come back to the US and try to dismantle freedom. Whether you agree with his opinions on Iraq or not (or his opinions on the ROTC or not), we should all be able to agree that freedom is something to value and embrace in the US.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011. Chaos and violence continue, protest continue, Moqtada's back and wants to stop protests, Iraqi journalists remain under attack and more.
Iraq where the governmental war on the press never ends. Dar Addustor reports on the Iraqi military raid of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory in Baghdad after midnight this morning with the military seizing things including computers and personal items. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) quotes JFO's Bashar al-Mandalawy stating, "The only reason behind this is to stop freedom of the press and expression in this country." Wael Grace and Adham Youssef (Al Mada) reports notes that it was the Iraqi military and the police raiding the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory and that they entered by breaking down the main door and that the Baghdad Centre for Media was also raided at the same time. Meanwhile Iraq Freedom Congress' Amjad Ali (via US Labor Against The War) explains another attack on the press in Baghdad today:
At around 2:30 am Baghdad time a group of anti riot police raided the headquarter of Iraq Freedom Congress satellite TV (Sana) in Baghdad and destroyed every single piece of equipment in the office as well as confiscating a number of documents.
These attacks occurred following broadcasting segments of events took place in Tahrir Square in Baghdad by a number of TV Channels via Sana TV who filmed and documented a particular segment in which protesters clashed with the police on the night of February 20th, 2011 and one protestor was killed as a result, as well as the active participation of Sana TV in assisting of organizing the forthcoming demonstrations in Tahrir Square.
This is the Maliki government and its repressive practices; this is the democracy and freedom of expression which Maliki is bragging about. He continues sending his militias to silence his opponents and critics. He is no different than Ben Ali, Mubarak and Gaddafi in acts of torture.
Iraq Freedom Congress assert that it will carry on the fight and will not bow to the pracitices of Maliki and his mercenaries and vow that the demonstrations on February 25th, 2011 will continue the pace no matter how brutal this government practices is.
IFC pledges that it will continue [to] organize and fight with full force in the million people march on February 25, 2011.
Sunday the Journalist Freedoms Observatory called out the assault on the channel Nalia whose Sulaymaniyah office was set on fire after being raided by unknown assailants. Yesterday the Committee to Protect Journalists noted:
Attacks on the press also continue in Iraq. On Sunday, 50 gunmen raided a new, Sulaimaniya-based independent TV station called Nalia Radio and Television, according to Metro Center to Defend Journalists, a local press freddom group. Nalia TV only began broadcasting on February 17, when protests begen in Sulaimaniya. The boradcasting equipment was destroyed by bullets and arson, Metro Center reported. Iran's Press TV reported that two guards and a janitor were injured in the attack.
"They came in military uniforms," Twana Othman, a manager at Nalia TV, told Press TV. "They wore special hats so their faces could not be seen. They knew exactly what to shoot at and what to destroy. Then they poured petrol and burned everything."
Rahman Gharib, a local journalist who reports for Metro Center, told CPJ: "I think the attack on the station was connected to its editorial policy of covering the demonstrations and giving voice to the protesters."
On February 17, Hawlati, an independent Kurdish newspaper, evacuated its offices after threats from the guards of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) [KRG President Massoud Barzani's political party] building, Tariq Fattah, the director of the newspaper told CPJ. "Our office is close to where the demonstrations were taking place," he said. "The guards of the KDP were shouting at the door fo the paper that we are traitors and that we are stadning behind and leading the demonstrations."
Hisham Rikabi (Al Mada) reports that Nouri's spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh held a press conference where he declared that Baghdad will ban vehicles on Friday that can broadcast live. There may also be a curfew imposed. In Egypt, the world was watching. In Iraq, the few western reporters that are present include some smug frat boys who think that mocking the Iraqi people is doing their job. Does it seem strange to you that Nouri's attempting to ban video of the protests? Joao Silva, New York Times photographer (recently badly injured in Afghanistan) observed, "The Iraqis have learned the power of photographic images, and they know that if there are no photographs of a bomb, it has far less impact abroad. We still try to go, but usually the police stop us before we get near enough to the scene to photograph it. They will let a reporter go up close, but no cameras. Sometimes you get lucky and manage to get an image. And on the really big explosions, like at the Hamra Hotel in January [2010] and the government ministries last year, they are just too big to keep everyone away. But usually they are very careful not to let cameras near. It's hit and miss, but there is definitely a culture of 'See No Evil'."
And though Silva and Stephen Farrell know that, the paper's Jack Healy and Michael S. Schmidt feel they can disrespect and mock the Iraqi protesters. They can have 'fun' with the "patchwork" of demands. That's real strange considering that both men are US citizens. It was the US government that started the illegal war. Before the start of the Iraq War, the electricity outages weren't a daily feature. There was potable water. There was sanitation. Eight years after the Iraq War started, there is still not potable water, reliable electricity or santiation. I'm not understanding how it's funny -- or for that matter strange -- that the Iraqis are worse off with basic services than before the Iraq War. I'm not understanding how anyone would find it surprising that people would be outraged, in the 21st century, to live in an oil rich country that makes billions while the people don't have potable water. I'm not understanding how they think Egypt is something to compare Iraq too. Egypt wasn't occupied by a foreign power during their recent demonstrations, Iraq is. Egypt had every outlet in the US and every European outlet storm into the country to cover their protests. The Egyptians knew the world was watching, as did their government. By contrast, the Iraqis get less and less coverage every week. And despite this, they've been out in the streets protesting. If Jack Healy and Michael S. Schmidt had wanted to be honest about the protests throughout the country, they couldn't have had so much 'fun' mocking the Iraqis. If they'd bothered to report on Saturday's Baghdad protest involving widows and orphans, maybe they would have understood the issues. Reuters has video of one of the women demonstrating in that protest explaining, "The Iraqi people have been patient since the fall of the regime in 2003 and they want to improve their living conditions but now a single glance at Baghdad and other cities can show the tragedy that we've experienced. It's been eight years and government officials are still unable to ensure that power supplies are back or create job opportunities for the unemployed young people. The infrastructure is completely damaged. At the same time, we always hear reports and news about corruption and about those who steal the resources that belong to the people."
And these protests take place in a country that lived under repression long before the current puppets the occupation installed. In fact, the example the US set in the early 90s would likely give many pause to ever stand up. But Iraqis do stand up and they don't deserve to be mocked for it. For those who've forgotten what happened when Iraqis were encouraged by the US to stand up under then-US President George H.W. Bush, here's a refresher from Lance Selfa (ISR):
General Colin Powell announced what the U.S. had in store for the Iraqi army: "First we're going to cut it off, then we're going to kill it." Poorly paid and equipped Iraqi conscripts, two-thirds of them oppressed Shiites and Kurds, faced bombing 24 hours a day. Thousands of Iraqi troops deserted the battlefield. U.S. and coalition forces mowed down some of them when they tried to surrender. A military video showed in a combat briefing depicted Iraqi soldiers as "ghostly sheep . . . flushed from a pen . . . bewildered and terrified. Some were literally blown to bits by bursts of 30mm exploding cannon. One by one they were cut down by attackers they couldn't see or understand," according to one report. One U.S. officer anticipated another night of action: ". . . there is nothing that can take them out like an Apache [attack helicopter]. It will be a duck hunt." In scenes reminiscent of mass burials at liberated Nazi concentration camps in the 1940s, U.S. forces bulldozed the bodies of thousands of Iraqi soldiers into mass graves.
With that as a backdrop, it's amazing that any Iraqi protests. But they do protest and they are protesting all over the country and building up to what they hope is a huge turnout on Friday. Hoping for. Enter Moqtada.
AFP reports Iraq's own groundhog, Moqtada al-Sadr, has returned to Iraq -- it must be spring. And guess what? He wants to put the brakes on protests. Did Iran dispatch him? Michael S. Schmidt and Yasir Ghazi (New York Times) say that he and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a call today to ask that protests be delayed. This is a reversal on protests from last week for Moqtada and a reversal from Sunday for al-Sistani. Moqtada has an 'answer.' What is it? Alsumaria TV reports al-Sadr's proposing "a one week referendum in all provinces of Iraq including Kurdistan on February 28." Wow! A Moqtada referendum! Who wouldn't want that!!!! March 7, 2010, Iraq held elections. Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc came out with the most votes but Nouri was determined to hold on to the prime minister post. In April, al-Sadr held his own elections to see who his bloc should vote. From the April 7th snapshot:
Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc won 40 seats in the Parliament. Kadhim Ajrash and Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) report that Ibrahim al-Jaafari "won 24 percent of the 428,000 ballots cast in the internal referendum, ahead of al-Sadr's second cousin, Jafar Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, who obtained 23 percent, Sadrist spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi said today in the southern city of Najaf." Al Jazeera notes that Nouri al-Maliki received 10% of the vote and Ayad Allawi 9%. The US military invaded Iraq in March 2003 (and still hasn't left).
So Moqtada staged a referendum and the people's will would be followed! Except it wasn't. al-Sadr got credit for being a "king maker" for tossing his support behind Nouri al-Maliki. It would be different this go round how? Don't expect everyone to follow Moqtada al-Sadr and with an already weakening hold on his base (due to his most recent lay over in Iraq), it's probably not the best time for him to be tossing around "referendum" and inviting people to think back to last April.
Al Rafidayn reports that today UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq, Ad Melkert says that the "differences between the Arabs and the Kurds in northern Iraq" need to be resolved. You think? And how nice of Melkert to suddenly remember that issue . . . just as the region is alive with protests. Sky News reports Halabja is where hundreds of protestors marched today and shots were exchanged with the Mayor insisting the protesters did the shooting. If you were being asked to step down by the protesters, you'd probably work overtime to portray them poorly as well. One police officer died, another was injured. Sky News notes, "But protesters, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest, insisted that no-one at their rally was carrying weapons. They said that police fired into the air and the casualties were caused when the bullets fell downwards." Jack Healy teams with Namo Abdulla for a report on this and it's confusing because he tells us that "thousands of people" "over the past week" have been protesting in the Kurdistan region. But this is the same Healy who took part in mocking the protests and insisting they were small.
Joao Silva's earlier comment about the way the Iraqi government attempts to block images from reaching the public (especially international audiences) is included in the report Human Rights Watch issued yesterday, [PDF format warning] "At a Crossroads: Human Rights in Iraq Eight Years After the US-led Invasion" -- and let's excerpt from the section on journalism:
Murders, assaults, and threats continue against writers for doing their
jobs. Government officials, political party figures, and militias may all be responsible for the violence, intended to silence some and intimidate the rest. New obstacles to the free exchange of information have emerged in the period since 2007: the rising number of libel suits lodged by government officials against journalists, and increasingly restrictive regulations that constrain their professional activity. Legislation intended to create additional protections for journalists has been stalled for more than a year and is unlikely to move forward any time soon.
Iraq is obligated to respect the right to freedom of expression of all persons under international law and Iraq's constitution. However, its national laws and regulations are inconsistent with these obligations. As Human Rights Watch has documented in this report, the Iraqi government can use these laws to revoke or suspend broadcasting licenses and bring charges against individuals.
Two pieces of legislation designed to facilitate the work of journalists are stalled in Iraq's parliament, the Council of Representatives: the Access to Information Law, which ensures the right of journalists to obtain public information, and the Journalists' Protection Law, which aims to protect media workers and compensate them for injuries sustained while working. Local press freedom advocates and journalists expressed concerns that the Journalists' Protection Law should apply broadly and protect all journalists including those working in new media. The law currently defines "journalist" narrowly as someone who works for an established news outlet and is affiliated with the Iraqi Journalists' Syndicate.
[. . .]
Journalists who uncover corruption or criticize senior government officials are at particular risk of abuse.
Two television presenters, famous in Iraq for provocative shows that criticize the government, said they had been beaten by security officials on different occasions over the past two years. Human Rights Watch viewed one video filmed by his cameraman in which Iraqi security officials punched one of the presenters and attempted to drag him into a van during a taping on a busy Baghdad street in 2009.
Since the two presenters are well known, security forces on the streets of Baghdad can easily recognize them. In the fall of 2009, they said police detained the pair for allegedly not properly stopping at a Baghdad checkpoint. One officer slapped the passenger on the head and shouted, "You Ba'athist!" Six or seven police dragged them out of the car, kicking and beating them. The police arrested and took them to a police station. Although the police officially charged them with running a checkpoint, the line of questioning during their interrogation was political. An officer spat on one of the journalists and asked them, "Why do you incite uprisings against the government?" and "Why do you glorify Saddam?" The
police dropped the charges and released the pair after their television station intervened.
A journalist tells HRW, "In Basra, security forces act with complete disdian and disrespect for journalists." Another, also in Basra explains that security forces detained them and confiscated their equipment for no reason last year. Nouri's been prime minister since 2006. He can't blame it on those who came before him. And while the US media never wanted to address reality (AFP and BBC did address it), Nouri came to power promising to attack the media. His 'four-point initiative' (apparently now completely forgotten) that was going to curb violence never did that. But US outlets gushed over it. They reduced it to a three-point plan, though. They didn't convey to US audiences that one of the points was curbing the media, restricting freedom of the press. (This was in the fall of 2006. In the summer of 2006, he was touting a seven-objective plan. Before that, in May 2006, Nouri had a 24-point plan. As with most things he's proposed, all went no where.) The four-point initiative included a governmental media oversight body which would monitor reporting for that pesky 'bias' known as truth.
Reuters notes the following violence from Tuesday: a Mosul bombing left four people injured, a Mosul roadside bombing left ten people wounded, two Ramadi roadside bombs left five people injured and a Shirqat roadside bombign injured one police officer; and for today's violence they note that a Mosul roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier (two more injured) and that a Baghdad home invasion in which 1 Christian male was stabbed to death. Vatican Radio reports, "The European Union Council on Monday issued a statement denouncing intolerance, discrimination and violence on the basis of religion or belief, which specifically condemned acts of violence against Christians and their places of worship." Religious minorities have been targeted throughout the Iraq War. The latest wave of targeting Iraqi Christians began October 31st with the assault on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad causing many Iraqi Christians in Baghdad and Mosul to flee to northern Iraq or another country.
The Iraq War hits the 8 year mark next month. That's a long war with a lot of details. Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose noted in Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America, "The most serious split between ourselves and our allies was over the war in Iraq. As White House chief of staff Andrew Card observed, 'You don't roll out a new product in August,' so it was September 2002 before the administration officially announced it planned to attack a country that had not attacked us or anyone else." Two weeks ago, during a phone conversation with a friend (poli sci professor, leftist), I mentioned Card's statement in passing -- related to the current White House -- and he didn't remember it. I had to jog his mind (we'd discussed it in real time -- I have a memory like an elephant). He's smart, publishes papers and has a lot of things on his mind and had forgotten that moment. Which is why refreshers may be needed. On this week's Law and Disorder, Scott Bonn of Drew University discussed the early stages of the war and the selling of it with Michael Ratner, Michael S. Smith and Heidi Boghosian. As a refresher, it may be of value to someone. And I think the show's almost always worth listening to and one of the top five shows on public radio. But the segment didn't make it for me. If you're claiming you've developed a new "integrated and interdisciplinary theory," you should be able to use that "integrated and interdisciplinary theory." I did not find his book helpful or needed. I thought it was a total waste. If the one of the main points of the book is that the Iraq War is wrong, then what does that say for today?
The book said nothing. It's nothing but grudge f**king masking for scholarship -- and it's not a theory. A theory -- even in poli sci -- is tested and all Bonn has is a hypothesis. (An academic who does not know the difference isn't much of an academic.)
The Iraq War continues. Your grudge f**king didn't do a damn thing. It gave us a synopsis, a "last time on Gossip Girl" -- several seasons old. It offers nothing for today. It is no help at all to ending the Iraq War and Bonn can't even admit that the Iraq War goes on. I don't have time for that crap. He would probably argue (and makes this point in both the book and on the show) that if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it.
Repeat what?
The Iraq War has not ended. Bonn can't even use that tired bromide correctly. The point of "learn from history" is that if you don't learn, you will be trapped in a repeating cycle for years and years. The Iraq War has not ended. I don't know how else to put it. In the truest sense of that bromide, you're dealing with past events, not current ones, not ongoing ones -- that's what the term "history" in that sentence means.
Michael Ratner gave him a chance to somehow bring it to something beyond Bush bashing. All he could offer was he respects Barack Obama. Well good but don't pretend you wrote a book worth reading about the Iraq War because if you're truly appalled by it, you're not just appalled it started 8 years ago, you're also appalled it continues. I don't have time to obsess over the past. I'm not going to forgive the War Criminals of the previous administration but I'm also not going to pretend that in January 2009 the Iraq War ended.
Look at the Human Rights Watch report issued this week. Those actions described are the result of the puppet government. And Barack fought to keep Nouri al-Maliki prime minister. The hosts also speak with Stephanie Coontz. I'm sure that was much more productive. (I was asked to note the program, I called a friend who records it each week and said, "Play me the Iraq segment." That's all I heard. He also told me that there's a lively discussion of Clarence Thomas at the top of the show.) Bonn was often highly uninformed. (The world does not begin and end with the US. If discussing polling and why something's polled, it's not necessary to go to an outlandish they're-out-to-get-me hypothesis if you know what other countries are pushing for and if there's a global media mogul you're discussing, you need to be aware of the world holdings and not think you're an expert just because you keep mentioning one of the US holdings.) To hear about attitudes towards the Iraq War before and after it started (as well as today) the latest War News Radio features a segment with Richard Sobel that's heavy on facts. Sobel, Peter Furia and Bethany Barrett are the editors of the forthcoming (May 2011) Public Opinion and International Intervention: Lessons from the Iraq War.
It's because the Iraq War hasn't ended that two actions are taking place. This Friday,
Iraq Veterans Against the War have this event:
February 25, 2011 9:30 - 10:30 am
Busboys & Poets, Langston room
14th & V st NW Washington DC
This report back will be to answer questions from media and the peace movement about the recent trip back to Iraq by members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The war is not over but it is not the same as it was in years past. What is the humanitarian situation in Iraq?
How can we do reparations and reconciliation work?
Speakers are all returning from this delegation and include:
Geoff Millard (IVAW) Hart Viges (IVAW) Haider Al-Saedy (Iraqi Health Now)
Richard Rowely (Big Noise Films)
Also because the Iraq War is not over, next month there will be a march which A.N.S.W.E.R. and March Forward! and others will be taking part in this action:
March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Iraq today remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries.
The war in Afghanistan is raging. The U.S. is invading and bombing Pakistan. The U.S. is financing endless atrocities against the people of Palestine, relentlessly threatening Iran and bringing Korea to the brink of a new war.
While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or severely underemployed, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people.
Actions of civil resistance are spreading.
On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other anti-war activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, March 19, 2011, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, will be an international day of action against the war machine.
Protest and resistance actions will take place in cities and towns across the United States. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and more.
Click this link to endorse the March 19, 2011, Call to Action.
In legal news, a verdict has been rendered in the case of a man who killed his daughter. Dropping back to the November 3, 2009 snapshot:
In the US, Noor Faleh Almaleki has died. The 20-year-old Iraqi woman was intentionally run over October 20th (see the October 21st snapshot) while she and Amal Edan Khalaf were running errands (the latter is the mother of Noor's boyfriend and she was left injured in the assault). Police suspected Noor's father, Faleh Hassan Almaleki, of the assault and stated the probable motive was that he felt Noor had become "too westernized." As noted in the October 30th snapshot, Faleh Hassan Almaleki was finally arrested after going on the lamb -- first to Mexico, then flying to London where British authorities refused him entry and he was sent back to the US and arrested in Atlanta. Karan Olson and CNN note that the judge has set the man's bail at $5 million. Philippe Naughton (Times of London) adds, "Noor died yesterday, having failed to recover consciousness after the attack. The other woman, Amal Khalaf, was also seriously injured but is expected to survive. "
This year the trial finally commenced. Bill Chappel (The Two-Way, NPR) reports, "A Phoenix jury has convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder [yesterday] in the death of his daughter in what prosecutors say was an 'honor killing'." Carlin DeGuerin Miller (CBS News) adds, "Almaleki was also convicted of aggravated assault for the injuries suffered by the older woman. Peoria, Ariz. detective Christopher Boughey testified that Faleh Almaleki confessed to him during a lengthy interrogation that he did in fact intend to cause his daughter's death. Prosecutor Laura Reckart played a recording in which Boughey and another detective confronted Almaleki with their suspicions that he ran over Noor Almaleki because she had become too westernized and brought disrespect to the family." Lisa Halverstadt and Michel Kiefer (Arizona Republic -- link has text and video) report that sentencing was supposed to take place this afternoon, "At sentencing, he faces 10 to 22 years in prison for second-degree murder, 5 to 15 years for aggravated assault, and 2 to 8 ¾ years for leaving the scene of the accident. All of those sentences would be stacked on top of each other, meaning Al-Maleki can face 17 to 45 ¾ years in prison." However, I'm told the sentencing is April 15th. We'll cover the sentencing whenever it is and I'm sorry for the confusion.
alsumaria tv
hisham rikabi
bill chappell
carlin deguerin miller
lisa halverstadt
michael kiefer
jack healy
michael s. schmidt
law and disorder radio
wbai
heidi boghosian
He just doesn't get it
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The Resource Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria : message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257)
Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria : message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257)
The item Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria : message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257) represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Biddle Law Library.
United States, President 2017- : Trump
Trump, Donald, 1946-
United States, Congress | House | Committee on Foreign Affairs
Washington, U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2018
"Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs."
"May 9, 2018."
"79-011."
Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria
message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257)
Syrian property -- United States
Economic sanctions, American -- Syria
Syria -- Foreign relations -- United States
United States -- Foreign relations -- Syria
Syria -- History -- Civil War, 2011-
House document (United States. Congress. House), 115-118
House document / 115th Congress, 2d session
Economic sanctions, American
Syrian property
<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.law.upenn.edu/portal/Continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with/_dmme2Ip0xU/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.law.upenn.edu/portal/Continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with/_dmme2Ip0xU/">Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria : message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257)</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.law.upenn.edu/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.law.upenn.edu/">Biddle Law Library</a></span></span></span></span></div>
Data Citation of the Item Continuation of the national emergency with respect to Syria : message from the President of the United States, transmitting notification that the national emergency with respect to the actions of the Government of Syria, declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as modified, is to continue in effect beyond May 11, 2018, pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1622(d); Public law 94-412, Sec. 202(d); (90 Stat. 1257)
http://link.law.upenn.edu/portal/Continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with/_dmme2Ip0xU/
http://library.link/portal/Continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with/_dmme2Ip0xU/
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Prolonged pre-incubation increases the susceptibility of Galleria mellonella larvae to bacterial and fungal infection
Browne, Niall and Surlis, Carla and Maher, Amie and Gallagher, Clair and Carolan, James C. and Clynes, Martin and Kavanagh, Kevin (2015) Prolonged pre-incubation increases the susceptibility of Galleria mellonella larvae to bacterial and fungal infection. Virulence, 6 (5). pp. 458-465. ISSN 2150-5594
Galleria mellonella larvae are widely used for assessing the virulence of microbial pathogens and for measuring the in vivo activity of antimicrobial agents and produce results comparable to those that can be obtained using mammals. The aim of the work described here was to ascertain the effect of pre-incubation at 15�C for 1, 3, 6 or 10 weeks on the susceptibility of larvae to infection with Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. Larvae infected with C. albicans after 1 week pre-incubation at 15�C showed 73.3 § 3.3% survival at 24 hours post-infection while those infected after 10 weeks pre-incubation showed 30 § 3.3% survival (P < 0.01). Larvae infected with S. aureus after 1 week preincubation showed 65.5 § 3.3% survival after 24 hours while those infected after 10 weeks pre-incubation showed 13.3 § 3.3% (P < 0.001). Analysis of the haemocyte density in larvae pre-incubated for 3–10 weeks showed a reduction in haemocytes over time but a proportionate increase in the density of granular haemocytes in the population as determined by FACS analysis. Proteomic analysis revealed decreased abundance of proteins associated with metabolic pathways (e.g. malate dehydrogenase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and prophenoloxidase. G. mellonella larvae are a useful in vivo model system but the duration of the pre-incubation stage significantly affects their susceptibility to microbial pathogens possibly as a result of altered metabolism.
age; Galleria; immune response; immunity; insect; larvae; mini-model;
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Biology
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > Institute of Immunology
James Carolan
Landes Bioscience
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Le Havre (2011)
Directed by: Aki Kaurismäki
Date of birth: 4 April 1957, Orimattila, Finland
Writing credits: Aki Kaurismäki
Music by: Tero Malmberg (sound)
Country: Finland | France | Germany
Language: French | Finnish
Cannes (In Competition): FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention, Karlovy Vary (Horizons), Melbourne (International Panorama), Locarno (Piazza Grande), San Sebastián (Zabaltegi-Pearls), New York, Toronto (Masters), Telluride, Chicago (Competition): Gold Hugo, Vancouver (Cinema of Our Time), Stockholm (Open Zone), Rotterdam (Spectrum)
In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner.
With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation.
A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight. —The Criterion Collection
Cast: André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Blondin Miguel, Elina Salo, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Ilkka Koivula, Evelyne Didi, Quoc Dung Nguyen, François Monnie, Pierre Étaix, Roberto Piazza, Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Selected filmography of Aki Kaurismäki
The Man Without a Past - Mies vailla menneisyyttä (2002)
Juha (1999)
The Bohemian Life - La vie de bohème (1992)
The Match Factory Girl - Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö (1990)
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What is the body, where does it come from, and how does it talk?
Article By – James Oschman
Article Published – April 15, 2011 at the 2011 IBA Members Conference
Jim Oschman has been fascinated by John Veltheim’s scientific descriptions of Quantum BodyTalk. Explaining this approach to life and health to others can be challenging because of the ways our thinking has been influenced by the dominant materialistic paradigm. This paradigm has been shaken to its foundations in a series of breakthrough moments that forever change our perception of ourselves and the world we inhabit.
While the basic ideas can be traced to antiquity, their modern expression began at a specific moment at the turn of the century. On December 14, 1900, Max Planck reluctantly presented to the German Physical Society meeting in Berlin his discoveries about an obscure physical phenomenon known as black body radiation. His hesitation came from an awareness that his findings were totally contrary to the accepted notions of the nature of matter. Moreover, these notions were very dearly held, for they were widely viewed as a triumph of logic and reason – a means to understand all of nature. At the time of Planck’s lecture, all matter was viewed as composed of “billiard ball” atoms moving about predictably according to the laws of motion developed by Sir Isaac Newton. Lord Rutherford summarized the physicist’s self-confidence by stating that all of science was divided into two branches: physics and stamp collecting. Newton’s mechanics had led to an industrial revolution that offered much hope and enthusiasm for the future of technology (Figure 1, pictured above). Max Planck’s upsetting presentation led to the birth of quantum physics, and the end of an era of comfort in which physicists knew with great confidence they had the means to fathom all of the mysteries of nature. The universe had come to be predictable as a “clockworks” and the human body could be viewed an intricate machine made of parts that could be understood and fixed if necessary.
Quantum physics led to an entirely different worldview, in which the atom, its parts, and all things made of atoms including living things were better viewed as relationships rather than as isolated things. Electrons are no longer viewed as particles orbiting the atomic nucleus like the planets orbit the sun, but more as energetic essences with sizes and boundaries that can only be approximated.
There arose from Planck’s discoveries, and those that have followed, a sometimes uncomfortable awareness that our basic concepts, our language, our whole way of thinking, are inadequate to describe the world we live in. This is not just an intellectual problem, but an emotional issue. For it goes to the heart of the way we view the nature of reality and what we are taught about how the world works from the first days of our lives. Frijtof Capra’s Turning Point (1982) documented how this change in awareness of relationships has altered every aspect of our reality. There have been attempts to establish a Quantum Medicine, but it was not until Quantum BodyTalk that the discoveries in Quantum physics became part of the daily reality of many healthcare practitioners and their patients.
Jim Oschman will summarize his perspectives on some of the steps in the journey of discovery that has led to the development of Quantum BodyTalk. The description has to be more than an intellectual process; it has to include some group experiences. Some key issues Dr. Veltheim has raised will be discussed. For example, what is the quantum source of our physical form, the elusive “blueprint” of life? This question can be discussed by looking closely at the quantum view of the structure and properties of space and energy. Another issue is the role of cause and effect in medicine. Conventional medicine seeks the causes of illness and the interventions that will produce predictable cures.
{1} There is no nobler aspiration of the human intellect than desire to compass the cause of things. The Newtonian cause and effect model gathered momentum when it was discovered that pathogens cause disease and that bacteria can be reliably eliminated by antibiotics. However, the modern healthcare system is being overwhelmed with chronic diseases, for which antibiotics have little or no effect. One place the subject of causes and effects has been discussed with special brilliance is in the work of an important physiologist, E. Edward Adolph, who spent a lifetime studying physiological regulations and integrations. Adolph’s obscure but classic essay entitled Physiological Integrations in Action.
Parts of his essay can be described as a sort of poetry of BodyTalk:
{2} The biology of wholeness is the study of the body as an integrated, coordinated, successful system. The integrated human body is the sum of thousands of physiological processes and traits working together. Each breath and each heartbeat involves the working together of countless events. Huge numbers of functions are carried on simultaneously. The parts and processes within an organism are woven together with great intricacy. Coordination occurs at a thousand points. All of the systems interdigitate. This is possible because of communication. The mature observer recognizes that cause and effect are elusive because of the presence of multiple correlations. No properties are uncorrelated, all are demonstrably interlinked. And the links are not single chains, but a great number of crisscrossed pathways. Adolph’s essay provided an impossible challenge to the application of a Newtonian paradigm to physiology and medicine. How can you intervene in a system whose essence is thousands of processes working together, interdigitating, with countless crisscrossed communication pathways, with coordination occurring at a thousand points?
Andrew Packard stated the question slightly differently:
{3} How is it that an organism behaves as a whole, and not just as a collection of parts?
Mae-Wan Ho provided an answer:
{4} Quantum physics provides us with an exact science for which such a holistic view is only natural. It lets us understand how the wavefunctions of protons and electrons which make up an atom or molecule sink their individuality to a common wavefunction: an irreducible holistic property. I want to persuade you that a living organism is a quantum being, with a unified wavefunction, in the same way that an atom is. These inescapable perspectives help us understand the need for redefining healthcare in terms of the
quantum holistic approach that is the essence of Quantum BodyTalk.
{1} Chamberlin, T.C., 1890. The method of multiple working hypotheses. Science (old series) 15:92.
{2} Adolph, E.A., 1982. Physiological Integrations in Action.
{3}Packard, A., 2006. Contribution to the Whole (H). Can Squids Show Us Anything That We Did Not Know
Already? Biology and Philosophy 21: 189-211.
{4} Ho, M-W., 1994. The Rainbow and the Worm. World Scientific, Singapore.
James Oschman
http://energymedicineuniversity.org/faculty/oschman.html
Click here to view Amazon store
October 29, 2012 /0 Comments/by Kathi
Tags: BodyTalk, Energy Medicine, General Info, Guest Articles, James Oschman, Max Planck, Quantum
http://okbodytalk.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/okBTLogo3_no-Icon.jpg 0 0 Kathi http://okbodytalk.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/okBTLogo3_no-Icon.jpg Kathi2012-10-29 21:48:162018-01-26 12:00:02What is the body, where does it come from, and how does it talk?
Experience a New Definition of Health
Transform Your Health
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Kathi Springman Talks about What BodyTalk Really Is
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Rebuild Your Body and Improve Your (Golf) Game
Bruce Lipton: Mind Over Genes Sorenstam Continues Picking Up the Pieces
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Category: Time Travel
Cavedwellers and Love
Cowboys - General, Inspirational Western Romance, Oregon, Time Travel, Valentine's Day
With Valentine’s Day almost here, my thoughts are tripping around romance and love even more than usual.
In fact, Valentine’s Day always takes me back to the early days when Captain Cavedweller and I had just started dating. We met the day after Christmas (on a blind date), saw each other New Year’s Eve, then he went back to college nine hours away and I assumed that was all she wrote.
About two weeks later, he called to let me know he’d transferred schools and was back in town. After that, I don’t think a week went by that we didn’t see each other right up to the day we married.
Under all that cavedweller exterior, he really is a romantic at heart (just don’t let him know I shared that little secret).
That very first Valentine’s Day, he brought me gifts every day for a week. They weren’t expensive, elaborate gifts, just little tokens of affection that made this hopeless romantic’s heart melt and then melt again.
Fast forward several years to a point where we were both so busy with life, we’d kind of forgotten about what it felt like when we fell in love. The “spark” had been replaced with getting through one day and then another.
Unwilling to fully surrender what had once been an amazing romance to the mundane of everyday life, I decided we’d spend a year going on a weekly date, just like we did when we first met. And since this was an experiment, I thought writing our experiences in a journal might be fun.
You can read about all our dates and my feelings of each one (even when they were getting a little routine) in Fifty Dates with Captain Cavedweller. And it’s free right now on Kindle!
A marriage that lost its spark.
A secret journal.
And a woman determined to light a fire under an introverted cavedweller.
Share the adventure of one couple’s efforts at reigniting their relationship in this G-rated journey through fifty dates.
Waking up one day to discover they’d gone from perpetual honeymooners to a boring, predictable couple, USA Today Bestselling author Shanna Hatfield and her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller, set out on a yearlong adventure to add a little zing to their marriage.
This journal provides an insightful, humorous look at the effort they made to infuse their marriage with laughter, love, and gratitude while reconnecting on a new, heartfelt level.
And while I’m on the topic of cavedwellers and love, I have to share a little about another book with cavedweller in the title.
Captain Cavedweller and I celebrated our 25th anniversary back in December. Way last spring, I started thinking of something unique and special I could give him as a gift. I finally decided it would be fun to write a book inspired by him. Then I landed on the idea of making the book about a time-traveling cavedweller.
Oh, my gracious! The book was such fun to write! There’s the handsome cavedweller, a ranch with cowboys, and so much more!
Rob Foote, the amazing illustrator I hired to illustrate my children’s book and the covers of The Friendly Beasts of Faraday, took my whackadoodle ideas along with a wedding photo, and turned them into this fantastic cover.
I was so nervous when I handed CC a wrapped copy of the book on our anniversary. Would he love it? Hate it? Would he get that it was written with a heart full of love?
He opened it and started laughing. And laughing. And he totally got that whole love part of it, too.
Can true love endure beyond the constraints of time?
Archaeologist Hannah Clayton has the unique talent of clearly imagining the past as she unearths artifacts in the present. When she stumbles across a cave with a wall of hidden petroglyphs, she’s giddy with excitement. At least until a man dressed like a caveman appears out of nowhere and scares her witless.
Inexplicably drawn to the cavedweller who calls himself Thor, Hannah has to decide if he’s involved in an elaborate hoax or if he’s a walking miracle. Thor is unlike any man she’s ever encountered. From the moment they meet, she knows nothing will ever be the same.
He acts as though he adores her, makes her laugh, and fills her world with more joy than her heart can hold. But are the bonds they share strong enough to keep Thor beside her and prevent his return to the past?
Capturing the Cavedweller’s Heart is available on Amazon in digital and paperback formats.
To enter for a chance to win a digital copy of Capturing the Cavedweller’s Heart, just answer this question:
Would you rather receive candy, flowers, dinner out, or jewelry from your sweetheart?
Wishing you all a beautiful, love-filled Valentine’s Day!
Tags: @ShannaHatfield, #Cavedweller, #Cowboylife, #newrelease, #sweetromance, #ValentinesDay
Surprises in History (and a Boxed-Set Giveaway)
Kathleen Rice Adams
Behind the Book, Civil War, Colorado, Firefighting, Giveaways, Native American, New Releases, Oklahoma History, Outlaws, Religion, Texas, Texas History, Time Travel, western romance, Wild West Research
Research is one of the most important tools of the fiction author’s trade. Regardless what an author writes—historical, contemporary, fantasy, science fiction—he or she must have some knowledge of the real world in order to create a world in which characters live and breathe.
Good authors don’t beat readers over the head with their research, but what they dig up informs every aspect of their stories. Much of what we discover doesn’t make it into our books. Instead, the information clutters up our heads and trickles out at odd times.
This is one of those times.
Each of the five authors who contributed to Prairie Rose Publications’s new release, the boxed set A Kiss to Remember, uncovered historical tidbits that surprised, charmed, or saddened her. Since all of us are good authors and would never dream of beating readers over the head with our research in our books, we’re taking the opportunity to beat readers over the head with our research in a blog post. We can be sneaky that way.
Without further ado…
Her Sanctuary by Tracy Garrett
Beautiful Maggie Flanaghan’s heart is broken when her father dies suddenly and the westward-bound wagon train moves on without her, leaving her stranded in River’s Bend. But Reverend Kristoph Oltmann discovers the tender beginnings of love as he comforts Maggie, only to find she harbors a secret that could make their relationship impossible.
Tracy: I’m a “cradle Lutheran,” meaning I was born into a Lutheran family, baptized in the Lutheran church… You get the idea. Imagine my surprise when I began researching the history of the church in Missouri and found they’d been in the state a lot longer than I thought. It was fun, though.
Gabriel’s Law by Cheryl Pierson
Brandon Gabriel is hired by the citizens of Spring Branch to hunt down the notorious Clayton Gang, never suspecting a double-cross. When Allison Taylor rides into town for supplies, she doesn’t expect to be sickened by the sight of a man being beaten to death by a mob—a man she recognizes from her past. Spring Branch’s upstanding citizens gather round to see a murder, but everything changes with the click of a gun—and Gabriel’s Law.
Cheryl: Orphanages of the 1800s and early 1900s were mainly what I needed to research. And what sad research it was! The Indian orphanages and “schools” were the worst. The Indian children were forced to “assimilate”: cut their hair, wear white man’s clothing, and speak only English. Punishment was swift and sure if they were caught speaking their native tongues. In essence, they were taught they had to forget everything they knew—even their families—and adopt the ways of the whites completely. This only ensured they would never be wholly at ease in either world, white or Indian.
Outlaw Heart, by Tanya Hanson
Making a new start has never been harder! Bronx Sanderson is determined to leave his old outlaw ways behind and become a decent man. Lila Brewster is certain that her destiny lies in keeping her late husband’s dream alive: a mission house for the down-and-out of Leadville, Colorado. But dreams change when love flares between an angel and a man with an Outlaw Heart.
Tanya: The research that fascinated me the most was meeting and getting to know Dr. John Henry Holliday. What a guy. I’ve quite fallen in love with him. This handsome, soft-spoken, peaches-n-cream Southern gentleman can bring me to tears. He died slowly from tuberculosis for fifteen years after losing his beloved mother to the disease when he was 15. Talented pianist, multilingual, skilled surgeon who won awards for denture design… Most of his “deadly dentist” stuff was contrived. He needed a bad reputation to keep himself safe from angry gamblers. I was thrilled and honored both when he asked to be a character in Outlaw Heart.
The Dumont Way by Kathleen Rice Adams
The biggest ranch in Texas will give her all to save her children…but only the right woman’s love can save a man’s tortured soul. This trilogy of stories about the Dumont family contains The Trouble with Honey, a new, never-before-published novella. Nothing will stop this powerful family from doing things The Dumont Way.
Kathleen: Did you realize George Armstrong Custer was part of the Union occupation force in Texas after the Civil War? Neither did I. While I was double-checking my facts about Reconstruction-era Texas, I ran across that little tidbit. Texans may not have liked him any better than any other Yankee, but they were grateful for his kindness. During his five months in Texas, Custer was disliked by his own men because he strictly enforced Army regulations about “foraging” (read “stealing”) and poor treatment of civilians. I must admit I’m one of those who tended to view Custer as one of history’s real-life bad guys, but that one tidbit softened my impression. Funny how little things can make a big difference, isn’t it?
Yesterday’s Flame by Livia J. Washburn
When smoke jumper Annabel Lowell’s duties propel her from San Francisco in 2000 back to 1906, she faces one of the worst earthquakes in history. But she also finds the passion of a lifetime in fellow fireman Cole Brady. Now she must choose between a future of certain danger and a present of certain love—no matter how short-lived it may be. “A timeless and haunting tale of love.” ~ The Literary Times
Livia: I really enjoyed learning about the firefighting companies in San Francisco. The massive earthquake in 1906 was followed by an equally devastating fire, and there were a lot of heroes among those early firefighters.
Have you ever been surprised, charmed, alarmed, or vexed by something you’ve read—in either fiction or non-fiction? What was it? We’d love to hear! One brave soul who shares her or his discovery in the comments will win a digital copy of the brand-new boxed set A Kiss to Remember before it’s available to the public! The five books comprise more than 1,000 pages of heart-melting western historical romance…and that’s a fact.
Updated: July 19, 2016 — 7:57 pm
Tags: Cheryl Pierson, Civil War, Doc Holliday, Gabriel's Law, His Sanctuary, Kathleen Rice Adams, Livia J. Washburn, Lutherans, Outlaw Heart, Reconstruction, San Francisco earthquake, Tanya Hanson, The Dumont Way, Tracy Garrett, Yesterday's Flame
COMING LATE TO THE PARTY!
Behind the Book, History - General, New Releases, Personal Glimpses, Reading, Time Travel
Sometimes in life, I come late to the party. I haven’t ever attended a Harry Potter event. Nope,not me. Everyone has told me how great the books are and how much fun the movies are, but frankly, I never found the time or had the inclination to read the books or see the movies. Might I say, I believe all of you!
The same thing happened with Twilight. No way, would I read a story about a vampire family. But guess what, long after the first Twilight movie came out, my friend literally stuck the book in my face and told me to read it. I wouldn’t be disappointed. Guess what? I read the book and spent the next two weeks, buying or borrowing the rest of the series. I came late to the party with Twilight, but I am so glad I did. I read every word of the series and was first in line at the box office when the movies came out. Had to see Edward and Bella’s HEA, didn’t I?
Now, there’s this book called Outlander. I’d heard wonderful things about the story, and my friends would tell me not to let the page count (coming in at 866 pages) daunt me. It’s a fast read, they said. But I never attended the page party for Outlander either. Where would I find time to read such a long book? And only because I’m on Twitter and Facebook, did I hear about the new Outlander series for television, did I finally attend a celebration. Oh, and did I mention that when OUTLANDER, the first book of Diana Gabaldon’s AMAZING series hit the cable screens, it was the most talked about event on Twitter for the entire day? What can I say about the first episode…LOVED IT!! It’s right up my alley. Time travel, action, adventure, conflict, conflict, conflict and the most uncanny kind of love triangle I’ve ever seen. I swear to you, I watched the first five minutes the other night and knew in my heart that OUTLANDER was a beautiful work of art. The writing is fantastic. To think, I met Diana Gabaldon once. We traveled to a Romance Writer’s Convention on the same plane, years ago and I really was clueless as to her work and talent. Silly me, late to the party again.
I have to give props to the actors too. Claire, brilliantly played by Caitriona Balfe has a hauntingly beautiful voice and onscreen persona. She was perfectly cast as the feisty heroine. Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan was captivating as the very dashing, hunky Scottish hero. He’s swoonable, ladies.
Here’s a brief synopsis taken right off the Amazon pages. Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another… In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire’s destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life …and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire…and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
So tell me have you ever come late to the party? Have you ever discovered joy in something you’d previously decided against? Have you read Outlander? And the other books in the series? Did you watch the premiere of Outlander on television and what did you think?
While, I’m praising Diana Gabaldon’s wonderful book, I like to remind you that my newest release REDEEMING THE CEO COWBOY is available now on Amazon and all other online and retail bookstores! Here’s a very nice 4 **** REVIEW and ranking below and I’m happy to say that readers are enjoying the story. Is 8 your lucky number? It may just be mine!
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Series > Harlequin Desire
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Western
#88 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Westerns
Updated: August 11, 2014 — 6:07 pm
FAIRS and FARES and a Giveaway!
Folklore/Myths/Legends, Food, Frugality of the Old West, History - General, Just for Fun, Railroads, Time Travel, Towns, Travels
Travel Town in Southern California
Right after Christmas we took a little trip to Travel Town in a well-known park in our area that houses locomotives from the earliest days of travel. It was thrilling to see the steam and wood-burning engines attached to railcars that once barreled down the tracks with intent to reach the next city on the route in due and expected time.
We peeked into dining cars and strolled inside of rail cars that once accommodated many a traveler. It really got me to thinking about the cost of things way back when. What could the average American traveler afford? How much have costs changed over the years?
In 1869 Railroad First Class Fare from coast to coast including meals cost $250 to $300 round trip.
Wow, that’s sounds like a small fortune to me for most folks. Yet, coach fare (squeezing everyone into a crowded, smoky car) from Omaha to San Francisco was a more affordable $32.20. First Class Airfare today, is probably equally as costly in relation, whereas coach fare being more affordable. Yet, by 1886, less than twenty years later, First Class Rail fare between Kansas and California dropped to $12.00
A coal-burning locomotive
I suppose fluctuations have to do with supply and demand. Just like today when a product is new and innovative, the cost skyrockets. The very first video camera/recorder we owned cost close to $800.00 whereas today, more than twenty years later, we can buy a much more advanced camera for less than $100.00
Here’s a list of some other costs I found interesting:
In 1874 Doc Holiday charged $3.00 for a tooth extraction in his Dallas dental practice. (I’m going to the dentist this week…for him to just look inside my mouth is about $100.00)
In 1875 Wyatt Earp earned $60.00 a month as police officer in Kansas.
In 1880 Pat Garrett earned $10.00 a day as special deputy US Marshal.
In 1869 admission to a concert at a fair in Lincoln, Nebraska cost fifty cents. (compared to the last Tim McGraw concert ticket I purchased at $125.00 … okay Tanya Hanson knows that’s not true…it was more like $150.00)
In 1880 the standard price of an infant delivery in Madison, Nebraska was $10.00 with an additional charge of $1.00 for a house visit outside of town. (We all know how much it costs to have a baby these days)
About $8.00 worth of staples today
Butter was 18 cents per pound
Sugar was less than 1 cent per pound
Cheese (who doesn’t love cheese?) was 7 cents per pound
Rice was 6 cents per pound
Eggs were 20 cents a dozen.
Seeing these prices and how costs have gone up, don’t you wonder what a loaf of bread will cost in the year 2099? How much will it cost to have a baby or buy a car? What have you noticed lately that’s skyrocketed, ie: the cost of movie tickets these days? To offset these costs, post a comment here and be entered to win a FREE book.
You have your choice of my printed book, Secret Heir of Sunset Ranch or the Kindle/Nook version of The Cowboy Contract. And be sure to look for my next Harlequin Desire, the conclusion to the Texas Cattleman’s Club titled,
Win one!
Sign up for my newsletter at www.charlenesands.com
Updated: April 14, 2015 — 3:33 pm
ARTHURIAN-WESTERN SHORT STORY IS NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD! by CHERYL PIERSON
Christmas in the old west, Oklahoma History, Time Travel
Who likes the stories of King Arthur and his knights? I do! I have been fascinated with the entire legend of Camelot since I was a child. The Sword In the Stone, the Disney cartoon movie, was a favorite when I was young.
As I got older, I couldn’t get enough of the movie musical, Camelot, with Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, and Richard Harris in the starring roles. I valiantly tried to struggle through T. H. White’s “The Once and Future King” but finally had to admit, it was too heavy for a twelve-year-old. As an adult, I enjoyed it, along with Mary Stewart’s series of the Arthurian legend as told from Merlin’s POV—a “must read” set if you’re a Camelot fan.
So, the story I wrote for the “Six Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas” anthology is one that is dear to my heart in many ways. Even the title, “The Keepers of Camelot”, was not something I had to think about for long. This story has just been nominated for the 2013 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards in the Short Story Category. I am beyond thrilled. It also received a specific mention in Publishers Weekly when the anthology came out. Here’s a bit about the story itself.
Legend says that Arthur will rise once more when the world needs him the most. But in my story, something goes awry, and Arthur has returned in many times, many places, throughout the centuries since his final battle.
The story opens with Arthur on a stagecoach in the American west—Indian Territory—of the 1880’s. But in this life, he comes across two people he’d never thought to see again—Lancelot and Guinevere. Why are they here—and how will it all end…this time?
The stage is attacked by Apaches minutes before the driver gets the passengers to the safety of the next stage station. Though they’re safe for the time being, a nerve-wracking Christmas Eve is in store as the Apaches wait for them outside.
Arthur has a plan. He’s seen the fearless leader of the Apache—the man they call “Sky Eyes”, a man he knew as Lancelot du Lac a hundred lifetimes ago.
Will Lance’s prowess as a warrior combine with his legendary arrogance to seal the fate of the people inside the station—including Guinevere, the woman he gave up everything for in the past?
One young boy in the group unknowingly holds the key to Lance’s decision. But will the glorious legend of Camelot be remembered?
I have to wait until June 1 to know the outcome of the decision, but no matter what, I feel like I’m a winner to be in such wonderful company of the other nominees, Troy Smith, Jim Griffin, Wayne Dundee, and C. Courtney Joyner.
There are some excellent stories in this book by many great western writers, including Troy Smith, Courtney Joyner, Robert Randisi, L.J. Washburn, James Reasoner, and many more. They’re all paranormal in some way, and they all take place in a western setting—it’s not just for Christmas! I will be giving away an e-copy of SIX GUNS AND SLAY BELLS to one commenter today! Please remember to leave your contact info in your comment.
Here’s a short excerpt for you:
In my story, Arthur, and Guinevere have come back during the 1880’s to the western frontier. They are under an Apache attack, and Arthur has recognized the leader of the Apaches as none other than Lancelot du Lac. He knows that Guinevere has recognized him, as well. Guinevere is married to the stage station proprietor, and Arthur finds himself on the stage headed for New Mexico . They’ve each lived a thousand lives since that last fateful day they spent together, when Lance rescued Ginny and then fought with Arthur. The legend says Arthur will return, but why are Lance and Ginny here, too? Here’s what happens:
“Come now, Ginny. Let’s have done with this pretense, shall we? We both know Lance is leading that band of savages.”
Her gaze faltered, and she looked away from him, not answering.
“Do you really believe he’ll harm you?” The note of gentleness crept into his tone, in spite of his resolve not to care.
“I—I don’t know, truly. He was—so angry when we last spoke. When I told him I’d made my decision to go to the convent—”
“You haven’t seen him since—since we fought?”
She shook her head. “Not really…Oh, I’ve seen him, during these attacks, but never spoken to him. Arthur, I’ve lived a thousand lives, but not fully. I seem to just wake up in another time, another place. Somehow, I—” She stopped herself, then went on in a controlled tone. “I believe it must be the same for you. And for Lancelot. We’re all trapped in this circle.”
“How do we end it, Ginny?”
She moistened her lips in the nervous gesture he recalled so well. “I’m not sure. But I—I wonder if maybe it’s not somehow connected to…forgiveness.”
Anger flared quickly in Arthur’s heart. She dared ask him to forgive? Forgive her treachery? Forgive Lance’s betrayal? Forgive her causing the death of the dream he’d held so dear? A cold smile touched his lips.
“You ask much, my lady. Especially after all you’ve taken.”
She nodded, the stricken look in her eyes almost too much for him. Even in the near darkness, he could see the pallor of her flawless skin.
“Yes. You were always a much better person than I, Arthur. You had a generous heart. A loving soul.”
“Make no mistake, Ginny—I am first a warrior. A ruler.”
In the gathering darkness, she laid a hand on his. “No, Arthur. You are first a man. And a good one.” The softness of her skin on his in the shadows brought a flood of memories that he’d thought were carefully locked away.
“You know Lance won’t attack now.” His lips curved caustically. “He loved Christmas-tide more than the rest of us put together.” It had always been Lance who suggested they find the biggest Yule log in the forest, spearheading the effort to organize the men and making it a festive occasion. It had been Lance who sang the Yule songs with such fervor, his deep baritone booming through the stone hallways of the castle.
Ginny’s eyes filled with sudden tears. “Arthur—when I see him as he was today…I wonder if he even recalls the things we remember. It seems he’s become absorbed in the ways of the Apache. The look on his face is so intent, so—cruel. I don’t believe he’s the person we knew.”
“He was never the person I thought I knew, Ginny. Never.” At her quick look, he smiled. “Yet, there’s a part of me that, even now, wants to call him my brother, as I did before—before everything fell apart.”
Ginny nodded “I hope that same part of you remembers me in another light as well, Arthur,” she whispered.
To order a copy of SIX GUNS AND SLAY BELLS: A CREEPY COWBOY CHRISTMAS, go here: http://www.amazon.com/Six-guns-Slay-Bells-Creepy-Christmas/dp/1478189169/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351380533&sr=1-1&keywords=six+guns+and+slay+bells
All my other short stories, anthologies, novels and novellas can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
Tags: Arthurian legend, Cheryl Pierson, Christmas anthology, Oklahoma Territiory, Six Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas, western Christmas stories, Western Fictioneers, Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards
TIME PLAINS DRIFTER IS RELEASED…AGAIN!
Behind the Book, Oklahoma History, Time Travel
Time Plains Drifter is a different kind of romance novel than anything I’ve ever read. I think that’s why I enjoyed writing it so much.
After being released in December of 2009 with an unscrupulous publisher, I took my rights back after only three months and spent the next year searching for another home for it. Just this past spring, it was placed with WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER, an imprint of PUBLISHING BY REBECCA J. VICKERY. This is a marvelous company that handles some much “bigger” names than I have, such as Peter Brandvold, Jory Sherman, and Madeline Baker, among others. Print books are important to me, although I understand that e-publishing is growing by leaps and bounds. I’m sure that WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER will prove to be the perfect place for Time Plains Drifter, and I’m glad to say I now have the sequel in the works.
That being said, let me tell you why Time Plains Drifter is so hard to pigeonhole and why that may be a bit scary in today’s market.
I knew Time Plains Drifter was going to have to be classified as a time-travel romance; that’s how the H/h meet one another. She’s from 2010—he’s from 1879. That was the easy part. The part that was a bit harder to work around was that he was dead. I just couldn’t get past the premise that Rafe d’Angelico was going to be the “paranormal element” of the story. I didn’t want him to be a werewolf, vampire, or shapeshifter. So that left angels, demons, zombies and so forth. I chose for him to be an angel.
Working with Rafe—an angel who didn’t want to be an angel—was a challenge. I told him he had a pretty good deal going. He told me, “I want to be human again.” In the end, I realized he was right, and that was the only way to resolve the issue of time-travel-paranormal-angel-demon-human issues.
Jenni Dalton, the heroine, was completely unsuspecting in all this. She went out on a stargazing field trip with seven of her high school students one night and they never came home. Instead, they ended up in Indian Territory, 1895; one hundred-fifteen years in the past.
Jenni’s got it rough, trying to deal with her seven charges, four of them the senior class troublemakers. It takes Rafe to bring them to heel and get them to toe the mark, until the gravity of their situation causes them to all make some surprising adjustments.
As Rafe and Jenni realize their growing attraction to one another is fated, they also understand there is no way anything can come of it on a permanent basis—Rafe is an angel, and Jenni is human.
The twists and turns that finally bring the book around to the HEA were the most fun to come up with for me. But the story itself, being so unique, is tough to categorize.
Time Plains Drifter is special to me because it’s the first project my daughter, Jessica, and I have had the chance to work on together. She designed the cover art. I absolutely LOVE what she did.
Time Plains Drifter was the recipient of The Reviewer’s Top Pick Award by Karen M. Nutt, PNR reviews. It also received a 4.5 star review from Romantic Times Magazine. I was selected as the recipient of the Honorable Mention—Best New Paranormal Author category in PNR’s PEARL Awards last year (March 2010), based on Time Plains Drifter.
The sequel has been a delight to work on, with a different twist than the first book, and some familiar characters will be the stars of the show this time around since the story is built around Rafe’s brother, Cris, and Jenni’s sister, Victoria.
Time Plains Drifter is now available in all formats, including print, Kindle, and Nook. Take a look at my Amazon page to order. (See link below.)
Cheryl’s Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002JV8GUE
I’ve included the blurb and an excerpt below. Please leave a comment! I always love to hear from readers and other authors. Visit my website at http://www.cherylpierson.com
Trapped in Indian Territory of 1895 by a quirk of nature, high school teacher Jenni Dalton must find a way to get her seven students back to 2005. Handsome U.S. Marshal Rafe d’Angelico seems like the answer to her prayers; he is, after all, an angel. In a race against time and evil, Rafe has one chance to save Jenni’s life and her soul from The Dark One—but can their love survive?
EXCERPT from TIME PLAINS DRIFTER:
He closed his eyes, letting the pleasurable feel of her wet mouth on his body wash over him, along with her voice. “Some things never change,”she’d said earlier. Her Oklahoma accent was a slow waltz to his mind, its lilting cadence urging him to accept what they had between them. Still, he couldn’t let it go. Couldn’t ever be dishonest with her, of all people.
“Don’t you want to know—”
She stopped him, placing two cool fingers across his lips, smiling at the tickle of his moustache against her skin. The smile faded as she absorbed the worry in his expression, the smoldering fire in his eyes, and made it her own.
“Not now, I don’t. You asked me—earlier—if I felt it. Whatever it is between us. I do.” Debating with herself, she hesitated a moment before coming to a decision. “I want you, Rafe,” she murmured. “I trust you.” She nuzzled his neck.“It doesn’t matter now, who—or what—you are.”
His hand closed in a fist around the shimmering satin of her copper hair, his chest filling with a sweet peace at her quiet words.
Dead…alive…Mexican…American…man…ghost…angel…
His mind churned as Jenni kissed him once again. Accepting him, for whoever he might be. She loved him. She hadn’t said it yet, but he knew it by the gentle way her lips grazed across his, then claimed his mouth completely, as if that was the only way she had to let him know how she felt. They breathed together, as one.
He answered her wordlessly, his tongue going into her mouth, fingers splaying and tightening against her scalp as he pulled her to him.
She came across his bare chest, the stiffness of the material of her own blouse gliding with gentle abrasion across his nipples. He groaned in pleasure and felt her smile against his mouth. She made the move again as she lifted her lips from his, emerald eyes sparkling into his searing gaze.
“We’ll talk later,” she assured him.
“It’ll be too late to change your mind about me then,” he said, half-jokingly.
“I won’t change my mind, Rafe.”
The sweet sincerity in her voice and the promise in her eyes reassured him. He pulled her down silently. As their mouths melded once more, he rolled, taking her with him, changing their positions so he lay atop her.
She gasped, yielding to him, her cool palms sliding over the fevered heat of his skin, across his chest and shoulders. He began to unbutton her blouse as he kissed her, his fingers moving deftly. He pushed away the first layer of material with his customary impatience, then started on the stays of her corset.
She twisted beneath him at the loosening of the undergarment. He pulled her upright momentarily, whisking blouse and corset over her head, dropping them in a heap on the floor.
In silent invitation, Jenni lifted her hand to him. She touched his side, and he flinched slightly as her fingers lingered over the very place the Bowie had gone into him earlier that day. Even though a red scar marked the spot, there was no pain for him, and he saw no puzzlement in her eyes…only concern.
It was as he had suspected. She’d seen what had happened, how bad it should have been…but wasn’t. And she had accepted it, unconditionally. They would talk later, as she’d said, but somehow, he felt he would find the words he needed to explain things to her. He shook his head slightly. “No.”
A vulnerable uncertainty crossed her face for a moment. “Well, then, Marshal—what’re you waiting for?” He unfastened her skirt and petticoat, then made short work of the stockings and underpants.
God. Rafe swallowed hard, reaching to trace the faded tan lines across her shoulders. He moistened his lips, his teeth sinking into the lower one momentarily. His pulse raced as his gaze moved over her face—then lower, to her breasts, her flat belly, and the triangle of soft hair, below.
Updated: July 24, 2011 — 9:16 am
Tags: historical western romance, Indian Territory, Oklahoma City, paranormal time travel romance, Peter Brandvold, Victory Tales Press, Western Trail Blazers, www.cherylpierson.com
TRAVELING IN OUR WRITING–HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?
Oklahoma History, Time Travel
Writing a short story or a novel is a “journey” from beginning to end in many ways.
Hopefully, our main characters will learn something about themselves and grow emotionally and in their personal values of not only each other, but the world around them. They must become more aware of their place in the world as individuals to be able to give of themselves to another person, the hero to the heroine, and visa versa, or the story stagnates.
The main conflict of the story brings this about in a myriad of ways, through smaller, more personal conflicts and through the main thrust of the “big picture” dilemma. I always like to think of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell as a prime example of this, because the States’ War was the catalyst for everything that followed, but it also remained the backdrop throughout the book. This generated all of the personal losses and gains that Scarlett and Rhett made individually, so if the War hadn’t been the backdrop, the main original conflict, their personal stories would have taken very different routes and their love story quite possibly would have never happened.
No matter what kind of story we are trying to weave, we have to have movement throughout—not just of the characters’ growth, but of the setting and circumstances that surround them. Sometimes, that “ain’t” easy!
Have you ever thought about how important it is to have travel in your writing? No, it doesn’t have to be lengthy travel, although that’s a great possibility, too. Even a short trip allows things to happen physically to the characters, as well as providing some avenue for emotional growth and development among them.
One of my favorite examples of the importance of travel is the short story by Ernest Haycox, “Stage to Lordsburg.” You might know it better as the John Ford movie adaptation, “Stagecoach,” starring a very handsome young newbie…John Wayne. A varied group of people are traveling on a stagecoach that is attacked by Indians, including John Wayne, (a seriously good-looking young outlaw by the name of Johnny Ringo) who is being transported to prison. The dire circumstances these passengers find themselves in make a huge difference in the way they treat each other—including their hesitant acceptance of a fallen woman and the outlaw.
If the characters of the story are going somewhere, things are bound to happen—even if they’re just going to the store, as in the short story “The Mist,” by Stephen King. Briefly, a man goes to the grocery store and is trapped inside with many other people by a malevolent fog that surrounds the store and tries to come inside. Eventually, he makes the decision to leave rather than wait for it to get inside and kill them all. He thinks he can make it to the pickup just outside in the parking lot. A woman that he really doesn’t know says she will go with him. By making this conscious decision, not only are they leaving behind their own families (he has a wife and son) that they know they’ll never see again, but if they make it to the vehicle and survive, they will be starting a new chapter of their lives together. It’s a great concept in my opinion—virtual strangers, being forced to make this kind of life-or-death decision in the blink of an eye, leaving everything they know behind, when all they had wanted to do was pick up a few groceries.
In all of my stories, there is some kind of travel involved. In Fire Eyes, although Jessica doesn’t travel during the story, she has had to travel to get to the original setting where it all takes place. And Kaed is brought to her, then travels away from her when he is well enough. Will he come back? That’s a huge conflict for them. He might be killed, where he’s going, but it’s his duty. He can’t turn away from that. After what has happened to him in his past, he has a lot of mixed feelings about settling down and trying again with a family, and with love.
In a long ago English class, one of my professors once stated, “There are only two things that happen in a story, basically. 1. A stranger comes to town. Or, 2. A character leaves town.” Pretty simplistic, and I think what she was trying to tell us was that travel is a great way to get the conflict and plot of a story moving in the right direction. I always think of “Shane” when I think of “a stranger coming to town” because that is just such a super example of how the entire story is resolved by a conflicted character, that no one ever really gets to know. Yet, although he may have a checkered past, he steps in and makes things right for the Staretts, and the rest of the community.
In my upcoming novel, Time Plains Drifter, a totally different kind of travel is involved—time travel. The hero, Rafe, is thrown forward sixteen years from the date he died (yes, he’s a very reluctant angel) and the heroine, Jenni, is flung backward one hundred fifteen years by a comet that has rearranged the bands of time on earth. They come together in 1895 in the middle of Indian Territory. But the time travel is just a means to bring them together for the real conflict, and that’s the case with most of stories. Whether as readers or writers, we don’t want to look at the scenery/history for the most part; we want to see the conflict, and the travel is just a way to get that to happen.
For all the writers out there, how do you use travel in your writing? And for the readers, what kinds of travel passages bore you, or make the story come alive?
Here’s a short excerpt from Time Plains Drifter, which will be re-released at the beginning of June. Rafe and Jenni have just met, and there’s a definite attraction! Hope you enjoy!
FROM TIME PLAINS DRIFTER
For the first time, Rafe began to wonder what—and who—she might have left back there in her own time. Two thousand-ten. A mother and father? What about siblings? Was she as close to someone as he and Cris had been? Was she…married? Did she leave children of her own?
She was a school teacher, and he took comfort in that thought. In his own time, school teachers were usually women who were not yet married.
Suddenly, the question burned in his mind. Was she married? Did she have someone waiting for her? Hell, what difference does it make? He sighed. You’re dead, Rafe. Remember? Dead. All a mistake. Beck’s sure sorry, but—
If he was dead, why did his leg ache? He felt the pinch of the cramped nerve endings in his left calf just as he had always suffered from when he held this position too long. Was it real? Or did he just anticipate that pain, where it had always been when he was alive? He hadn’t imagined the instant response of his body earlier, holding Jenni Dalton in his arms. That had been real enough.
He stood up slowly with a grimace, and his fingers went to the small of his back automatically for an instant before he bent to massage his leg, then walk a few steps to ease the strain of the muscles. The twinges faded, but Rafe knew he hadn’t imagined either of them.
If I’m dead, how can I hurt? Was this part of what Beck had tried to explain to him earlier, about giving in to the “human” side of himself? Those “bodily urges?” Beck had seemed horrified that Rafe even entertained the thought of wanting to live again—in a normal, human state.
But he did, God help him. He did. And five minutes with Miss Jenni Dalton was all it had taken to reaffirm that conviction to the fullest measure.
There was something about her; something strong, yet, so vulnerable. Her eyes captivated him, her lips seductively beckoned to be kissed—but what if she knew she was kissing a ghost? A dead man?
His glance strayed to Jenni once more as she stood up, and he controlled the urge to go after young Kody Everett and choke the life from his body for his deceit.
Jenni came toward Rafe stiffly, her back held ramrod straight. Without conscious thought, he opened his arms to her, and she kept right on walking, into his embrace, until he closed the gates of safety across her back and held her to him, protected inside his fortress.
She didn’t cry, and Rafe knew it was because she was too exhausted. They stood that way for a long moment, breathing the night air. He wanted to give her what she needed—shelter, safety, and…togetherness. She wasn’t alone any more, and he wanted her to know it.
He felt her take a shuddering breath of bone-deep weariness. Who was waiting for her in her own time, to comfort her like this when she returned?
“Jen?”
“Hmm?” Her voice was a contented purr.
He smiled. “Where you come from, are you, uh—married, or—”
“Huh-uh. No husband. No kids. Nobody at all.”
“No—betrothed?” He searched for a word they might still use a hundred and ten years from now, and by the way she smiled against his shirt, he knew he had sounded old-fashioned to her. “Okay, what’s your word for it?”
“Boyfriend. Fiance. Lover—”
“Lover!”
She drew back at his indignation, looking him in the face. “It’s—It’s just a word,” she stammered. “It really doesn’t mean—”
“Don’t say that one,” Rafe growled. He shook his head to clear it. “What I mean is—you wouldn’t want to say that around anyone. They’d take you for a—loose woman.”
She looked up earnestly into his smoldering gaze, liquefying his bones with her piercing green eyes, her lips full and sensual, the tangle of copper hair blowing in the breeze. “Would you think I was ‘loose’ if I asked you to—to just lie down beside me? It’s not that I’m afraid,” she hastened to add. “I just feel—kind of shaken up.”
Tags: Cheryl Pierson, Indian Territory, Oklahoma City, old west, Time Plains Drifter, U.S. Marshal, Victory Tales Press, Western Trail Blazers, www.cherylpierson.com
MJ Fredrick ~ Time Travel and Romance
Texas History, Time Travel, western romance
If I could have any superpower, I’d want the power of time travel. I wouldn’t care about going into the future—I’d prefer not to know. But I would LOVE to go into the past. I drive by buildings and wonder what they were like in their heyday. I live in an old city, so there are a lot of old buildings. Depending on my mood, there are different eras I want to visit.
The early 1960s, the era when my mom was young. It’s also the era of Mad Men, and it’s just fascinating to see how different mores were in those days. A lot of the buildings around my neighborhood were built in that era, with the flat roofs and the plate glass, and I would love to see them when they were new.
The 1950s, when my mom was a child. She talks about shopping downtown, and the buildings are still there. I can just imagine her traipsing down the street in her little dress, going to the soda fountain. My dad’s hometown was also thriving in the 1950s, and I would love to experience that small town in that time period. I’d also love to travel Route 66, and stay in those motels along the way.
The post-Civil War era, during western expansion, the time of Laura Ingalls. I devoured those books when I was young, and while I didn’t really care about visiting that time period at the time, now I wonder what it must be like to have experienced that wide-open feeling.
MAYBE I’d want to visit a trail drive. Just for a few hours.
And downtown San Antonio as it recovered after the battle of the Alamo. I’m not sure I’d like to visit the time period that my book, SUNRISE OVER TEXAS from Carina Press, is set, during the time Stephen Austin brought the first families to Texas, when it was still a part of Mexico. The Texas frontier was wild at the time, and the Mexican government wanted it settled. I don’t think I could ever do the things my heroine Kit has to endure.
Time travel would be a fun power to have, but I’d want to return to my own time period, of air conditioning and transportation and hamburgers.
Where would you want to time travel?
MJ will give away a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble today to one lucky commenter. So get typing!
Tags: research, story ideas, western romance, writing
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Home / International News / Dominica PM Says Public Servants Salaries Will Not Be Reduced
Dominica PM Says Public Servants Salaries Will Not Be Reduced
in International News December 4, 2014 0
ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has told public servants that their salaries will not be reduced under his administration, even as the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU) announced it would not accept the government’s latest salary increase offer for the period 2012 to 2015.
“I can say here tonight, as the next minister of finance and the next prime minister of Dominica, that no public officers’ salary shall be reduced,” Skerrit told a public meeting of his Dominica Labour Party (DLP) in Pottersville, just on the outskirts of the capital, on Sunday night.
Skerrit, who is campaigning for the December 8 general elections, told supporters that his outgoing administration had managed the island’s finances in a “good and prudent” manner and had actually increased the salaries of public servants, allowing them to have more disposable income.
He said in addition, public servants and other employees receiving a salary of EC$2,000 (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) a month, were no longer paying income taxes.
“It is because of Labour, most public officers do not pay income tax in Dominica, because the Labour Party increased the tax threshold to EC$25,000, so anybody in Dominica making about EC$2,000 a month do not pay any taxes in Dominica.
“There are many people, when we came into office, who were making less than a $1,000 a month as full time employees, and the Labour Party took a decision that no one who is working full-time should make less than $1,000 a month…”
The DPSU said last week, that it held talks with the government negotiating team on the new salaries, but rejected the latest offer of a two percent increase for the first year and zero percent for the following two years.
“We met with the government…and we left the meeting and government’s latest position was two percent for the first year, no increases for the second year and no increases for the third year,” said PDSU general secretary, Thomas Letang.
The union is seeking a 10 percent wage increase over the three year period.
“As you may be able to recall our position of a ten percent increase over the three year period, that is three percent in the first year, three percent second year and four percent in the third year; that’s a total of ten percent and our position has not changed,” he said.
Letang said the union is proposing “the implementation of the recommendation of the job classification review exercise, the recommendation from the consultation.
Letang said the matter will be discussed with its membership soon and will determine its next course of action.
“Since the meeting, we have not yet met as an executive, we would have to do that so that the other members of the executive can be briefed on what transpired at that meeting, and following that discussion with the executive, we will be able to issue an official statement as to our position,” Letang said.
Skerrit told supporters that since his administration came to power 10 years ago, many public officers have been able to take advantage of loans with low interest rates to build their homes.
“And many public officers have homes today because of the DLP, and as minister of finance, I have control over the resources, I could have said, who should get loans and who should not get loans, but everybody who applied got qualified, got a loan and built their homes,” he added.
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post-digital-research
Kunshal Aarhus, 7-9 October 2013
Tag Archives: Aesthetics
Digital Money, the end of privacy, and the preconditions of Post-digital resistance
December 9, 2013 UncategorizedAesthetics, Electronic Money, Interface Criticism.Georgios Papadopoulos
Why not …
“I don’t want to live in a world that everything I do say is recorded” said whistleblower Edward Snowden in his recent interview with the Guardian, in order to justify his revelations over the extend of the surveillance and data-mining of communication around the world by the National Security Agency (NSA). The exposures about “Prism” a surveillance program that allegedly gives NSA direct access to email and telephone communication both in the United States and abroad, has raised concerns about privacy around the globe, including in some of US’ closest allies, including Germany and France. The fears about communication surveillance is fully justified, but there is seems to be little concern about the fate of the information about our economic data and how they circulate in electronic networks. Networked based economic transactions are founded on the principle of absolute verifiability and supervision, and in this domain the fear of Edward Snowden’ is becoming a reality. E-commerce and e-banking can exist only because everything is recorded, retrievable and verified. The same principles apply also to conventional banking before that, but there is one important difference. The information about electronic transactions is in a format that can be processed by the newly available software technologies in low cost and unprecedented speed giving insights about individual and collective behavior that can be both economically and politically useful.
What I think is the most obvious conclusion about the NSA surveillance program “Prism” is the complete failure of the rule of law to protect the privacy of citizens, independently of their location or the particular legal safeguards in their jurisdiction. However, the legal status of data about the economic transactions processed by banks and credit card companies does not entail the same degree of protection as private communications, even though bank secrecy laws give a sense of relative safety. Such data are owned both by the organization that processes the transaction and transacting parties. The proprietary status of the records of virtual economic transactions makes the possibilities of compromising the privacy of banking and credit card information likely. The value of such information is already recognized and in many used for marketing, for the prediction of price movements, and for the screening of transaction for potential dangers of fraud or default. Economic profiling is at par with security profiling but not in relation to potential illegal and harmful for the society actions, but for the creation of profit and the exclusion of the economically disadvantaged. The new flows of economic information may raise new barriers to participation in the official banking and monetary system, excluding first the illegal, then the migrant and potentially the poor and the precarious from accessing the financial system.
Usually the argument that is used to address privacy concerns such as those raised against is that if somebody has nothing to hide, there is no reason to be afraid. Such an argument is premised on the assumption of a benevolent and more importantly of a infallible government.It is not only the case that mistakes can and do happen, even in the most advanced systems of surveillance and processing of economic (and not only) information. What is even more troubling is that when such mistakes happen, there is no forum, or authority that can be called to rectify such mistakes. Once our digital profile is rejected by the algorithms of economic profiling there is nobody, and probably nothing that we could do to rectify our un-attractiveness as clients, something that can limit our access to credit, insurance, and even to a bank account.
Digital money rising
The revolution in information and communication technologies facilitated the expansion of the electronic payment systems and the organization of new types of payment instruments. Communications have became faster, easier and safer but also considerably cheaper. More efficient fund transfers systems emerged and as a result direct debits and credit transfers have been expanding at an increasing pace. Cards payments have been developing by providing added value services to consumers that rely on application of novel transaction interfaces, limiting the use of cash and of other paper based payment technologies and laying the foundations for a cashless society.
With increasing competition from all these new payment media the use of cash is confined only to a fraction of the total value of monetary transactions as the recent editions of the Blue and the Red Book indicate (ECB, figures for 2005; CPSS, figures for 2003). Before the introduction of the Euro (in 2000) cash in circulation amounted only to 1.9% of the GDP in Luxembourg (the lowest in the union), 2.1% in Finland, 6% in Italy, 6.2% in Germany and 8.9% in Spain (ECB, Blue Book 2003 27; CPSS, 84). In the same year cash in circulation as a share of narrow money (M1) was 0.8% in Luxembourg, 6.5% in Finland, 14.3% in Italy, 21.9% in Germany and 17% in Spain(ECB, Blue Book 2001 figures, 9). These figures imply that most of the economic value is transferred through other payment media, but cash still remains dominant in retail. In the Netherlands 70% of all retail payments in 2001 were made in cash, despite the availability and sophistication of electronic payment instruments available (CPSS, 298), in the UK the same figure was 74% (CPSS, 403). The numbers for 2011 within the EU, less than ten years after the introduction of the Euro, suggest a radical change in the landscape of payment technologies if one compares it with the pre-Euro, pre-SEPA times and the there is a strong tendency towards immaterialization. Only in 2011 the total of non-cash payments increased by 4.4% to 24.9 billion. The importance of paper-based transactions continued to decrease, with the ratio of paper-based transactions to non-paper-based transactions standing at around one to five. The number of cards with a payment function in the EU remained stable at approximately 727 million. This figure amounts to 1.44 payment cards per EU inhabitant. The number of card transactions rose by 8.7% to 37.2 billion, with a total value of €1.9 trillion. Finally, only in 2011, the total number of automatic teller machines (ATMs) in the EU increased by 0.9% to 0.44 million, while the number of points of sale (POS) terminals increased by 3.2% to 8.8 million (ECB, press-release). The average value per card transaction is around €52. Chart 1 below shows the use of the main payment instruments from 2000 to 2011.
Chart 1: Use of the main payment instruments in the EU 2000 – 2011 (ECB various publications, estimates of number of transactions in billions)
The phasing out of cash and other paper based payment instruments raises important theoretical questions both about the nature of money and the economic relationships in the new network economy. Interfaces, protocols and networks influence the structure of the market, the degrees of participation of different social groups and also the distribution of the social wealth. In addition the immaterialization of money, brought about by the gradual disappearance of cash opens new possibilities of bio-political control as well as new forms of suppression and resistance.
Digital Economy and the Bureaucratic control of Participation
The digital revolution has not exhausted all its potential, and the application of information technologies seems to be still expanding, but for some time there is a discussion about a new phase. The description of the new condition of the technological and consequently of the social and economic development as post-digital refers to maturation of information and communication technologies and the normalization of their use. We could describe the new condition of sociality as post-digital referring to a series of new organizing principles. The use of digital technologies becomes pervasive at the same time as it gets normalized and integrated in economic activity. The normalization suggest a series of further consequences for the digital framework of socioeconomic interaction which include commercialization, enforcement of common standards that often constrain freedom of expression, surveillance, and concentration in the power and control of electronic network in the hands of a limited number of agents. This later development is especially troubling but also unsurprising since digital networks have an ingrained tendency towards concentration.
The gradual replacement of the networked computer, which is the general purpose technology that carried more of the weight of the socio-economic transformation, by other information processing-devices which have a more restricted domain of application is a further important indication of the normalization of the ICT revolution. Smart-phones, e-readers, tablets, media players, and game consoles provide more restrictive access to content and to interaction, build around graphic interfaces, and allowing limited if any access to their supporting protocol. IT companies, which are simultaneously the producers of the devices, their software, and the retailers of the content, have a vested interest to prevent sharing and cooperation among users to a minimum. Controlled consumption, a term used by Henri Lefebvre, to describe the bureaucratic control of supply and demand in the affluent society, has assumed a new meaning where it becomes a model of restricted and temporary access to information, conditioned by the interfaces and protocols.
In the post-digital age, it is the interface, rather than the personal computer, that emerges as the medium of social participation and consequently as the object of analysis and critique, “for it is the place where flesh meets metal or, in the case of systems theory, the interface is the place where information moves from one entity to another, from one node to another within the system.” (Galloway, 936) If information becomes the main resource and the most valuable commodity, if the economy becomes post-digital, the interface is the most authentic concatenation of technological, social and economic principles. The transformation of individual property rights, and the consequent surveillance for their enforcement, have far reaching consequences over the individual and the economic freedom, reaching even to the fundamental right of economic as well as of political freedom. The intervention of money in digital exchanges commodifies cultural content by the ascription of prices. Here we allude to the economic function of money as an abstract standard of value (Papadopoulos, 957). In this capacity money supports interfaces of controlled consumption, transforming content into economic value and imposing the rules of market exchange on digital culture (Lefebvre, 9). Controlled consumption regulates the participation of the user by creating artificial constraints in the form of intellectual property rights that are inscribed on digital content.
The Payment Interface and the Constitution of the Subject
The investigation of the contribution of transaction interfaces in the support of the symbolic order should explain how the mystifications and the fetishistic attachments that money encourages are enacted in electronic networks. The informatization of money has increased the control of the master signifier of value over the subject by adding more layers of mediation between the subject and its desire, and new mechanism of control, intensifying surveillance and normalization. In the current juncture it is important to reflect on how desire and identity are represented or at least regulated by the new visual architecture of electronic interfaces. The new graphic interfaces impose a new aesthetic, normalizing further the visual representations of sociality and value. As Anne Friedberg argues “this remade visual vernacular requires new descriptors for its fractured, multiple, simultaneous, time-shiftable sense of space and time. Philosophies and critical theories that address the subject as a nodal point in the communicational matrix have failed to consider this important paradigm shift in visual address.” (Friedberg, 3) The forced participation in the market, the alienation of desire by the signifier, the inconsistency of the system of prices, the unjust distribution of wealth and resources, and the vacuity of the notion of economic value find their way in the simulated economic systems, in the interfaces social media and the aesthetics over-commercialized Web 2.0.
The ritualistic character of money is manifest in its repetitive and unreflective everyday use. Subjects relate to money on a practical level; theoretical understanding of the meaning and the functions of money comes only later, if at all. The process of acquiring this practical understanding is quite similar to that of language-learning. The subject is socialized in the use of money through guidance and imitation of the shared practices that involve the use of money. The unreflective relation to the monetary system is not limited to the quasi-automatic rule-following of the norms that regulate money, but extends to the acceptance of the dominant discourse about money and its relation to value. The subject may be agnostic about the role of money, the mysteries of economic value or the constitution of the system of prices, but the use of money is a continuous ritual of investiture in the ideological content. Money develops from a mere carrier of its social function, as standard of value and a means of payment, to the dominant organizing force of social interaction. Social relations are mediated and reconfigured through the intermediation of money. The signifying omnipotence of the master signifier is combined with the omnipresence of everyday use, effectively quilting the signifying chain of the system of prices both at the level of meaning and at the level of practice. The distance that the subject may assume from ideological content is neutralized by the reliance on money for social engagement. The intermediation of money in social relations affirms the symbolic order for the subject as well as its mandate inside this order, even despite the subject.
Money is the master signifier and provides the foundational organizing principle in the contemporary configuration of global capitalism. The salience of money is manifest in the dominance of financial speculation over ‘real’ production1. Money emerges as the vehicle that realizes the global economy of unequal exchange, and as the instrument that commodifies social relations and regulates bio-politics; it is the signifier par excellence. Money signifies the particular content that hegemonizes the universal ideological construction of capitalism providing a particular and accessible meaning to economic value, which colors the very universality of the system of prices and accounts for its efficiency. In addition, the use of money involves a ceremony of initiation in the ideological form, an everyday practice that reifies the dominant ideological form in everyday transactions. Money is the signifier/cause of desire, which symbolizes and signifies all commodities, as well as the articulation of desire and lack in the symbolic order of capitalism. Money is “the unconscious sinthome, the cipher of enjoyment, to which the subject is unknowingly subjected” (Žižek, 106) in and by the market.
The interfaces that support the circulation of economic value in the internet are imbued with a complex machinery for hiding things, be it the emptiness of the value form, the self-referentiality of money and its ability to mask its own history of production and the social division of labor that it generates. The success of of the interface is the ability to regulate information through inscription and execution, which is no doubt both an abstraction or a re-territorialization of the actual circulation of value globally. The structure of electronic payment facilitates the global system of unequal exchange. The relationships between center and periphery, between producers and consumers, between labor and capital, between finance and society are all neutralized by the algorithms of money and networks. The ability of money to reduce all qualities in an absolute quantity is being intensified by the functionality of protocols to domesticate social relations. Protocols reproduce the same fetishistic logic of money. “Users know very well that their folders and desktops are not really folders and desktops, but they treat them as if they were – by referring to them as folders and desktops” (Galloway 2006, 329); in the same fashion the semiotic flow of monetary value, be it through PayPal, through MasterCard or through Bitcoin, even though just a simulation it acquires a modicum of reliability through enforcement and representation as money via the providers of monetary interfaces.
Payment Interfaces and Post-digital challenges; a set of questions
Despite the disillusionment and the concerns about the emergence of a new totalitarian economy of controlled consumption, the new economic condition of digital culture is described by the proponents of the model of controlled consumption as a revolution, with its simulated existence presenting itself as the ultimate reality of value, which tries to make earlier forms of social participation subordinate and even unreal. Starting from this mystification of the effect of digital interfaces on social interaction, the paper aims to raise a series of questions for the analysis of the cultural effects of the mediating function of post-digital interfaces by focusing on their economic, technological and aesthetic conditions of existence. A critique to the new digital architecture of the monetary system and the market should start by investigating the different protocols of digital transactions, focusing on the dynamics of commodification by locating how money intervenes and signals the creation and transfer of economic value. The aim should be a theoretical framework for the analysis of the model of controlled consumption and its dependence on money and its function as a standard value. The ability of interfaces to impose, both overtly and covertly, new relations of ownership as well as well as new forms of surveillance, suggests their capacities as technologies of biopolitical control of the individual.
The model of controlled consumption is challenged by alternative economies, of sharing, gifting, and exchanging based on different standards of value. The critique of money interfaces and controlled consumption should start by studying the collective representations of value in money, the technologies of their dissemination, and investigate their contribution in the constitution of subjectivity in the digital realm. The shared representations of economic value support consumption and commodification by illustrating the cultural significance of the system of prices. A post-digital critique of money can be developed following a series of questions, the most important of which is how the new visual vernacular of digital monetary interfaces informs and shapes the representations of economic value and how are such representations are challenged and informed by post digital practices? The answer to this question comes from critical theory and philosophy rather than from economics, building on the literature on the reliance of the economy on representation and signification, and on an extensive literature on the social function of representation that spans from social ontology, and psychoanalysis, to media theory. The new socio-technological paradigm challenges the cultural foundations of the economy encouraging new representations of value that fit the format of the new media of circulation and the symbolic universe they inhabit. A post-digital critique of electronic money should try to assemble, organize and interpret the emergent iconographies in an attempt to construct a theoretical framework for the analysis of the new ‘digital’ identity of economic value investigating both its authoritative expression in the official monetary system and its alternative post-digital configurations.
The analysis of ‘digital value’ should be supported by the study of three interconnected themes of research combining the methodological framework of interface criticism and aesthetic analysis of monetary interfaces with a critical perspective on economic discourse. The analysis may start by looking back to the growth of the informational sector of the economy, revisiting the most important episodes, integrating them to the overall trajectory of social development tracing the relation of value and money with equivalent transformations in language and image. Such a historiography is important to contextualize the role of information about the economy as separate socio-economic system and to describe its input in social production. In this context the notion of economic value would be central as well as its transfigurations in the new economic system. Equally important would be the relation between money, language and code, which will support the analysis of the immaterialization of economy and value. The second theme would be the issue of uncertainty and its relation to economic growth. In the recent decades the financial markets have thrived on computational models that partly reduce uncertainty to risk, making it manageable. Uncertainty could be considered in two different capacities. It denotes both the unpredictability of future outcomes given the availability of information and the resources of processing it in the present, but also points to a gap between reality and representation, where uncertainty is the part of the undomesticated real that disrupts the relations of our theories to the world. The third part the analysis will address the dialectic relation between interface criticism and the further development of interfaces with a specific attention to artistic practice and political projects that aim at actual alternatives to the monetary system of valuation and exchange, both within and outside digital networks of participation. Ideally the outcome would be an archeology of digital payment media that is informed by the process of social antagonism. To that effect the project should try to compile a typology of the aesthetic and the operational principles of monetary interfaces including both their mainstream version and the critical attempts from the edges of the economic system. The conclusion of the analysis would be a critical history of money and its current reconfigurations in the digital condition.
Interface criticism emerges as a necessary methodology in order to understand the conditions of participation in the new social paradigm. Interface criticism addresses the conditioning of human behavior by new technological media with a specific emphasis on the sensible and persuasive qualities of the interface. Obviously aesthetics and its relation to economics and technology represents an important part in the methodological framework that is used in interface criticism and is a necessary supplement to socio-economic analysis. Here aesthetics is used in three interconnected meanings. Aesthetics denote sensory perception; an interface has a sensible component in order to create meaning and allow for the interaction between the user and the system that are connected through the interface. A second dimension of the aesthetics of the interface has to do with beauty; interfaces are often designed to be appealing, pleasing, and even seductive in an attempt to address the subject and its desire and to invite interaction. The key here is that the interface is within the aesthetic, not a window or doorway separating the space that spans from here to there. It is a type of aesthetic that implicitly brings together the edge and the center, or the protocol and the node, but one that is now entirely subsumed and contained within the visual architecture of the interface. This tension brings us to the last, and most subversive possibility in the aesthetic quality of the interface, the notion of aesthetics as artistic production. Art can operate as a force of consolidation of the power of the interface as it can function disruptively, unmasking the limitation and the normativities of the system, and acting as the real form of transparency.
Works cited:
Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems. Payment and Settlement Systems in Selected Countries. Basel: Bank of International Settlements, 2003.
Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems, Survey of Electronic Money Developments, Basel: Bank of International Settlements, 2001.
Drucker, Joanna. “The Humanities Approach to Interface Theory.” Culture Machine vol. 12 (2011): 1-20.
European Central Bank. Press-release of the payments statistics. 2011. (Web)
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2012/html/pr120910.en.html.
European Central Bank. The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA): An Integrated Retail Payments Market. Frankfurt: ECB Publications, 2006.
European Central Bank. Payment and Securities Settlement Systems in the European Union. Frankfurt: ECB Publications, 2006.
European Central Bank. Report on Electronic Money. Frankfurt: ECB Publications, 1998. (Web) http://www.ecb.int/press/pr980831.htm.
Ferguson, Niall. The Ascent of Money. New York: Penguin, 2008.
Flusser, Vilém. Towards a Philosophy of Photography. London: Reaktion Books, 2000 [1983].
Friedberg, Anne. The Virtual Window; from Aliberti to Microsoft. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2006.
Galloway, Alexander. “The Unworkable Interface”. New Literary History, vol. 39 (2009): 931-955.
Galloway, Alexander. “Language Wants To Be Overlooked: On Software and Ideology.” Journal of Visual Culture, vol. 5 (2006): 315-331.
Galloway, Alexander. Protocol; How Control Exists After Decentralization. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2004.
Galloway Alexander and Eugene Thacker. “Protocol, Control and Networks.” Grey Room, vol. 17 (2003): 6-19.
Genette, Gérard. Paratexts; Thresholds of Interpretation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
MacAskill, Ewen. “Edward Snowden, NSA files source: ‘If they want to get you, in time they will’.” The Guardian, Monday, 10 June 2013. (Web) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-why.
Papadopoulos, Georgios. Notes towards a Critique of Money. Maastricht: Jan Van Eyck Academy, 2011.
Papadopoulos, Georgios. “Between Rules and Power: Money as an Institution Sanctioned by Political Authority.” Journal of Economic Issues, vol. 43, 4 (2009): 951-969.
Žižek, Slavoj. “Object a in Social Links”. In (eds) Clemens, Justin and Grigg Russell. Jacques Lacan and the Other Side of Psychoanalysis: Reflections on Seminar XVII. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006: 107-128.
Who forgot to plug in the audience?
Post Digital Publishing, Hybrid and Processual Objects in Print
What is “Post-digital”?
Prototyping the Future of Arcade Cabinet Emulation (v1.5a)
Post-Digital is Post-Screen – Shaping a New Visuality – Josephine Bosma
Winnie Soon on Post Digital Liveness in Software
Georgios Papadopoulos on Digital Money, the end of privacy, and the preconditions of Post-digital resistance
Eric Snodgrass on Dusk to dawn: horizons of the digital/post-digital (2nd draft)
Josephine Bosma on Post-Digital is Post-Screen – Shaping a New Visuality – Josephine Bosma
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Occupations, Then and Now
By Ryan McGreal
Last week, the Iraqi government passed a resolution which they hope can bring about an end to the US military occupation of their country. Raed Jarrar and Joshua Holland from Alternet report:
The parliament today passed a binding resolution that will guarantee lawmakers an opportunity to block the extension of the U.N. mandate under which coalition troops now remain in Iraq when it comes up for renewal in December.
Defenders of the US occupation of Iraq are at desperate pains to draw friendly comparisons between it and the US occupations of Germany and Japan after the Second World War. Of course, one of the many differences between then and now is that the German and Japanese people wanted to be occupied.
They welcomed it. They had what Zbignew Brzezinski calls an "almost unbridled admiration for all things American" - mainly because sixty years ago, the US still represented something resembling freedom, democracy and the rule of law to the people of other countries.
The people of Iraq don't feel the same way. They hated being invaded illegally. They hate being occupied. They hate being dragged out of their homes, detained indefinitely without habeas corpus rights, tortured, and killed. They hate seeing their endownment of oil handed off to US oil companies with government connections. They hate naked pyramids of prisoners surrounded by jeering guards. They hate the carpet-bombing of "disobedient" cities.
Sixty years ago, the US spent billions of dollars to rebuild Germany and Japan after WWII, having learned the painful lessons of the punitive Treaty of Versailles, and those countries benefited materially from the US intervention. (The US, in turn, benefited materially from stable, prosperous allies and an automatic market for their surplus industrial production.)
Today, the US is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to subjugate Iraq, having forgotten the painful lessons of the stupid, immoral, destructive Vietnam War that came two decades later, and Iraq is suffering acutely from the US intervention.
So the occupied country, having been given a "democratic" government by the US, is attempting to exercise its democratic right to manage its own affairs in its own interests, based on what the Iraqi people want. What the Iraqi people want is for the Americans to get the hell out of their country.
The question is: after claiming to support and promote democracy, will the US listen?
Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan writes a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. He also maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.
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Home » Content » Diabetes Now Affects 23 Million U.S. Adults
Diabetes Now Affects 23 Million U.S. Adults
April 3, 2018 Jeanette Stern
By E.J. Mundell
THURSDAY, March 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The latest tally of Americans adults affected by diabetes finds more than 23 million struggle with the blood sugar disease.
Of those, the vast majority -- 21 million cases -- are caused by type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to overweight or obesity, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another 1.3 million cases are attributed to type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder where the body fails to produce enough of the blood sugar hormone insulin.
The number of diabetes patients is now "nearly 10 percent of the entire [adult] population," noted Dr. Robert Courgi, a diabetes specialist at Northwell Health's Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.
"As expected, the overwhelming majority is type 2 diabetes -- usually caused by obesity and treated with pills," added Courgi, who was not involved with the new report.
On the other hand, "type 1 diabetes results in a destruction of the pancreas, is difficult to diagnose and must be treated with insulin," Courgi said. "Type 1 must be recognized quickly and treated appropriately."
The new CDC numbers were based on 2016 data on more than 33,000 adults from the federal government's National Interview Survey. The researchers noted that the 2016 survey was the first to add "supplemental questions to help distinguish diabetes [by] type."
According to the team, led by CDC investigator Kai McKeever Bullard, certain populations seem to be hit harder by either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For example, the researchers said "white adults had a higher prevalence of diagnosed type 1 diabetes than did Hispanic adults," while "blacks had the highest prevalence of diagnosed type 2 diabetes."
While type 2 diabetes affected about 8 percent of white adults, that number rose to 9 percent of Hispanics and 11.5 percent of blacks, the report found.
Overall, diabetes prevalence rose with advancing age but fell as levels of education and income improved.
There were also about 800,000 cases of other forms of diabetes, such as a "latent" form of autoimmune diabetes that only emerges in adults, according to the study.
Dr. Caroline Messer is an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She said the new report is valuable because it helps "delineate the prevalence of type 1 versus type 2 diabetes in adults in the United States."
Messer said that research funding for the type 1 form of the disease has been somewhat neglected, since so many more people suffer from type 2.
But the release of these new numbers might help change that.
"While therapies for type 2 diabetes are entering the marketplace at a rapid-fire pace, hopefully this report will reinforce the importance of continued research into [type 1] autoimmune diabetes treatments," Messer said.
The findings were published March 30 in the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Find out about the warning signs of diabetes at the American Diabetes Association.
SOURCES: Robert Courgi, M.D., endocrinologist, Northwell Health's Southside Hospital, Bay Shore, N.Y.; Caroline Messer, M.D., endocrinologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; March 30, 2018, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Data And Technology Have Major Roles In The Healthcare Customer Experience
Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Poor Identified
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Prison Abolitionism: Abolitionist Feminism and the Anarchist Black Cross
Victoria Law, who is familiarly known as Vikki, is an anarchist activist, writer, freelance editor, photographer and mother. Law is of Chinese descent and was born and raised in Queens NY where she had her first brush with the law as an armed robber while still in high school. Her exposure to incarcerated people at Rikers Island prompted her to get involved with prison support. She has continued fighting for prison abolition, co-founding Books Through Bars NYC as a joint project between Blackout Books & Nightcrawlers Anarchist Black Cross in 1996 at the age of nineteen.
Nestor is a member of the Anarchist Black Cross and founder of the Omaha Freedom Fund. He organizes around many issues, but with a focus on prison abolition and antifascism.
Both guests join Brett in a two-part episode on different aspects of the prison abolitionist movment.
Find, Support, and contact Victoria Law through her website here: https://victorialaw.net
follow her on twitter @LVikkiml
Learn more about, and support, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation here: http://www.abcf.net
Follow the Omaha Freedom Fund on Twitter @Omahabail
Link to support and engage in prison abolitionist work with “Black and Pink” here:http://www.blackandpink.org
Transition Music by Church Fire - on my tongue
Outro Music: Bob Dylan All Along the Watchtower
Intro Music by The String-Bo String Duo. You can listen and support their music here: https://tsbsd.bandcamp.com/track/red-black
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I am housesitting Rightwingsparkle's blog. Mind her rules and there won't be... trouble.
Posted by BigDog at 9:41 PM |
I'd sugarcoat this truth but it costs too much
Subsidies are bad, m'kay?
Imagine this scene: The U.S. Congress is about to pass a bill that will offer cheap loans to American oil companies. The government will loan them $150 for every barrel of oil they produce, with the oil itself serving as collateral. This guarantees that oil will always sell for at least $150 per barrel, because the companies can surrender their oil to Uncle Sam at that price instead of selling it for less. Meanwhile, a system of tariffs will prevent foreign companies from selling oil at prices that can compete with $150 per barrel.
Sounds like a bad idea, doesn’t it? This would force taxpayers to put billions at risk for a program that makes their gasoline more expensive. It would also drive up prices for other goods and services that contain or require the use of oil or gasoline. Oil companies would be the only beneficiaries — at our expense, they would be rolling in dough.
So if this is a bad idea for oil, why is it a good idea for sugar? This is precisely the program currently in place, and Congress is poised to reauthorize it before it expires March 15.
If someone knows the state of this legislation, please let me know.
The Rise of American Incompetence
We used to be the world's most skillful entrepreneurs and managers. Now we're laughingstocks. What happened?
Hard to argue with the article's gist. Let me throw my two cents in: For decades now state and federal laws, rules and taxes have been hampering private individuals and enterprises. The Law and the Tax Code used to make a certain degree of sense. One didn't need a lawyer just to comply with the law in normal operation of business. Today, much of American productivity, effort, labor and talent is expended servicing the arcane and arbitrary legal system encompasing tort law, tax law and regulatory law.
You can thank Congress.
Website for Marine Small Wars articles
Want to know how and why we fight? Avail yourself on these resources from the premier American fighting organization.
Open Thread
"If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism." - Thomas Sowell
"Ideology, politics and journalism, which luxuriate in failure, are impotent in the face of hope and joy." - P. J. O’Rourke
"We're in a war, dammit! We're going to have to offend somebody!" - John Adams
Open thread. Comments are unmoderated this evening until further notice. I reserve the right to arbitrarily and capriciously delete comments without explanation.
Gone Fishing!
My family is heading out to my favorite place in the whole world...THE BEACH. It's spring break and I need a break. So I won't be here all next week. I'll think of all you while I'm sipping margaritas though..;-)
Update: BigDog will be posting while I am gone. So keep checking!
Obama's first real problem
His pastor Rev. Wright.
It's not just the clip you watched a few posts down. Wright preaches political plenty and he has had a lot to say (“God d*mn America!”). It might not matter so much if Obama hadn't gushed over him in his autobiography and named the book "The Audacity of Hope" after a sermon's of Rev. Wright.
Even the MSM is paying attention:
Sen. Barack Obama's pastor says blacks should not sing "God Bless America" but "God damn America."
Is Obama's Pastor a Liability?
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for the last 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's south side, has a long history of what even Obama's campaign aides concede is "inflammatory rhetoric," including the assertion that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own "terrorism."
No matter how one feels about the race issues, Wright's preaching is a big turn off and quite frankly, nutty to those not in his camp.
Obama is trying to dismiss concerns saying "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said Rev. Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with," telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.
Well then, let's discuss what you don't agree with him on. Let's flesh it out. It's time to be honest.
Update: This might be his second problem.
Michigan re-do a possibility
From First Read:
From NBC's Chuck ToddWhile the idea of Florica re-vote seems to be fading, there is a lot of momentum among Michigan Democrats for a June 3 re-vote, according to informed sources in the state. There are a couple of hurdles, including who would pay for the primary (100% Clinton donors or 50-50 split between Clinton and Obama donors; the preference of state Democrats). The state would pass a law that would appropriate the money to run this special primary election; not a mail-in, but a full bore in-person 100% open primary. The state, in turn, would be reimbursed by the Democratic Party or potentially other entities or even seeing if it's possible for donors to contribute to the state directly. Everyone seems to be on board in the state Democratic world of Michigan, including the governor, the Dingells, Carl Levin, the Kilpatricks and the U.A.W. For those that follow Michigan Democratic politics closely, you'll know getting all those folks in agreement isn't easy.
Also, there appears to be very little GOP resistance in the state legis. (or even the McCain campaign) from allowing this to happen. So, barring some major objection by the Obama folks (who are being briefed on this plan later today), the possibility of a Michigan re-vote on June 3 is very high. The only thing that could stop this primary logistically is if the state party is told, legally, they can't raise the large soft money contributions they would need to raise in order to come up with the $10-12 million. All of this needs to be agreed to (including by the state legislature) in the next 10-14 days.
Europe's biggest problem
They don't see children for the gifts the are. The greatest gift we are given. From Peter Robinson at NRO:
With just a single exception, the non-Muslim population of every country in Europe now has a birth rate at below replacement levels. (The exception is Malta, and God bless it.) Why, I ask Bruce Thornton today on Uncommon Knowledge, do Europeans so steadfastly refuse to reproduce?
Because, replies the author of Decline and Fall: Europe’s Slow-Motion Suicide, “children are expensive. They require you to sacrifice your time and your interests and your own comfort. If your highest good is pleasure, if your highest good is a sophisticated life, then children get in the way. Why would you spend so much money and so much energy on children if your highest good is simply material well-being? That's sort of the spiritual dimension of the problem."“The spiritual dimension of the problem.” There are so few children in Europe, in other words, because there are so few believers.There’s more. (Look for Chapter 4 of 5).
There is a profound truth in those two paragraphs that Europe would do well to understand (Actually the U.S. could do a bit better understanding this as well).
"A country controlled by rich white people.."
This is Obama's pastor. It gets better. His best and most offensive line? "Hillary ain't never been called a ni**ger."
via Riehl World View.
Outrageous!
dave bones, my socialist type buddy from across the pond at Malung News has been jacked by Sun
TV in Britain! As you can see they even have his logo in the bottom corner! They don't care! I don't know what we can do, but dave deserves some $$ for this I think!
Any suggestions???
Obama got to where he is because he is a black guy?
That is what former Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary supporter said. And then she "removed" herself from the campaign. Some say it can't possible be an asset to be black.
The truth is this. Obama would be getting a lot of attention whether he was white or black because he is young, refreshing, new, and charismatic. Not to mention an inspiring speaker. That draws people to him first. But the truth of the matter is that being black is icing on the cake.
Why? Because it is cool to think we have come so far in such a short time. It's cool to think that we could nominate a black man who realistically could become President in my lifetime (and I'm not that old).
When I was little blacks couldn't vote for God's sake. Blacks couldn't swim in the same public swimming pool where I swam. So yes, in that respect, I can understand black Americans coming out in droves to vote for him. It's historic and it's cool and let's face it, he's cool.
But he is also wrong on almost every issue, from abortion to national security, to the war, to taxes, to health care. He's just dead wrong no matter what his skin color was. He is also inexperienced. And that would be true if he were blue.
I don't blame blacks for coming out and supporting him. I understand it completely. And maybe this will bring us past color once and for all. Maybe next time a black man or women runs for the Presidency we won't be so excited about the color of his skin, but about his beliefs.
I'm looking forward to that day.
In case you are wondering..
..like those at Democratic Underground, whether banks volunteering information (actually required) to give info to the IRS is because of the Patriot Act.
That would be no.
Currency transaction reporting requirements were enacted in the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, and money laundering was made a crime in overhaul of the federal narcotics laws that took place in 1986. Believe it or not, Karl Rove did not diabolically dream these provisions up to trap unwary Democrats, nor are they part of George W. Bush's post-9/11 Politics of Fear.
Long before we had an international terrorism problem, these laws were developed to target domestic criminal enterprises (especially organized crime and drug trafficking). The biggest problem many of these syndicates have is hiding the mountains of cash they generate — unexplained wealth being among the best indicators of criminal activity, especially when it comes to the highest-ranking, most insulated crooks. To the extent these laws (and the Treasury Department's implementing regulations) have been beefed up significantly, a lot of that happened during the Clinton administration. (This Treasury Department publication lays out much of the history.)
Daily Show's ex-Marine "reporter" takes on code pink
He really is a Marine. Funny Stuff. via Ace
Pelosi says "Dream ticket" not possible.
When asked about a Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket her exact words: "That ticket, either way, isn't possible."
via Talking Points Memo
This whole Spitzer thing has me to thinking about temptation. Christian teaching is full of examples, warnings about it, and guidance against it.
What makes supposedly intelligent people throw everything away, even their careers, reputation, and family, for illicit desire?
And more importantly, what keeps most of us from giving in?
Want to share a story where you were tempted and didn't or did give in and why? Feel free to do so in the comments. You don't have to leave your name or e-mail.
Also, anyone out there stay with a cheating spouse? Why?
The resignation
Yeah, you can see it on his wife's face. But if you missed the actual resignation of Spitzer. Here you go. All two minutes of it.
I'm already sick of this, aren't you?
Lucky to be black and male
Former Democratic vice presidential candidate and former New York Rep. Geraldine Ferarro (also a fundraiser for Hillary) told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif.:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Please. If Hillary hadn't been married to Bill Clinton she wouldn't be in this position either. I wouldn't call her lucky though.
Re-vote...not looking good for Florida
Washington DC: The Members of Florida's Democratic Delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives issued the following statement regarding the seating of Florida’s delegates at the DNC National Convention this August.
“We are committed to working with the DNC, the Florida State Democratic party, our Democratic leaders in Florida, and our two candidates to reach an expedited solution that ensures our 210 delegates are seated.
“Our House delegation is opposed to a mail-in campaign or any redo of any kind.”
via Drudge
Dress for Humiliation?
Isn't that strange? They are wearing the almost exact same thing. via Rush
Remember when I said before that some Democrats seem to finally "get it" when it comes to the Clintons?
Well, add one more to the list. Former Senator Bill Bradley told The London Times this:
“The bigger the lie, the better the chance they think they’ve got. That’s been their whole approach,”
ABC News is reporting that the Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer prepared to resign yesterday but held back because lawyers advised him to keep the governorship as a bargaining chip to reach a deal in his case:
According to sources, Spitzer could face federal charges under money laundering statutes as a result of the way he allegedly manipulated his own funds in possible violation of bank secrecy laws to pay for his allegedly illegal activities -- sex with prostitutes.
Now there is talk of impeachment.
I wonder where a man of power who has so humiliated his family and disgraced his office, would get the idea that it was ok to not resign immediately and not put his family and party and state through such a tawdry mess?
Oh wait. Nevermind.
The exaggeration of experience.
The former Clinton White House counsel, Greg Craig who is now supporting Barack Obama, has blasted Hillary for claiming to have foreign policy experience.
There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton played an important domestic policy role when she was First Lady. It is well known, for example, that she led the failed effort to pass universal health insurance. There is no reason to believe, however, that she was a key player in foreign policy at any time during the Clinton Administration. She did not sit in on National Security Council meetings. She did not have a security clearance. She did not attend meetings in the Situation Room. She did not manage any part of the national security bureaucracy, nor did she have her own national security staff. She did not do any heavy-lifting with foreign governments, whether they were friendly or not. She never managed a foreign policy crisis, and there is no evidence to suggest that she participated in the decision-making that occurred in connection with any such crisis. As far as the record shows, Senator Clinton never answered the phone either to make a decision on any pressing national security issue – not at 3 AM or at any other time of day.
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. But he wasn't through. From NRO:
Craig writes that it is "a gross overstatement of the facts for her to claim even partial credit for bringing peace to Northern Ireland." Her claim to a role in bringing peace to Bosnia is also unfounded, Craig says. Her claim to have negotiated the flight of refugees from Kosovo "is not true," according to Craig, who quotes Bill Clinton's top envoy to the Balkans as saying, "I cannot recall any involvement by Senator Clinton in this issue." And on Rwanda, where Bill and Hillary Clinton have said that she pressed him to intervene with U.S. troops, Craig writes, "There is no evidence…to suggest that this ever happened." Finally, Craig attacks Hillary Clinton's claim that her 1995 speech about women's rights in China also qualifies as foreign policy experience. "It is strange that Senator Clinton would base her own foreign policy experience on a speech that she gave over a decade ago," Craig writes, "since she so frequently belittles Barack Obama’s speeches opposing the Iraq War six years ago."
Best Wishes????
Hillary on the Spitzer mess:
"I don't have any comment on that," she said, "but I obviously am sending, you know, my best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family."
Best wishes and thoughts to the governor??? Why? Because he was putting his wife's health at risk by being with prostitutes? Because he has humiliated his wife and teenage daughters in front of a nation? Because he was caught in a crime?? Because he is a perv??
It seems to me that Hillary, more than anyone, would have sympathy for his family, but not him. Best wishes my a**.
Oh wait, Spitzer is a superdelegate.
Well, that explains it.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to announce that he is a perv
Ok, well not exactly. But he is.
ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning.
By "involved" they mean skanking it up with prostitutes. Just so you know.
Mr. Spitzer, a first term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform an end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children.
It doesn't seem to matter how powerful, famous, or rich one is, common sense (and morals) go out the window when it comes to thinking with your *******.
Update: Jill alerted me to what the honorable Spitzer had to cancel this morning because of perv indictments. He was to speak to "family planning" activists:
As payback to his abortion industry supporters, Spitzer had supported “the Reproductive Health & Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP)” under the guise of “codifying Roe v. Wade.” It would:
* Allow non-doctors to perform abortions, including a dentist, a social worker, or a health care practitioner.
* Let girls as young as 12 obtain abortions throughout all 9 months of pregnancy without ever having to tell their parents.
* Force health practitioners or Catholic hospitals to lose their medical licenses if they don’t perform abortions since they would be denying women the “fundamental right” of an abortion.
Well, Mr. Spitzer, sometimes karma payback is hell. You deserve every bit of embarassment and ridicule that you receive. God help your children and wife. You are scum.
Nothing like people who honestly think it's ok for a 13 yr old to get a surgical procedure from a "practitioner" without her parents every knowing about it.
These people make me want to PUKE.
NRO editors nail it on Bush's security legacy
We believe history will judge that President Bush made his top priority the protection of the American people against a wily and ruthless enemy. Democrats, on the other hand, are treating our intelligence agencies as though they are the enemy. Whether interrogation or foreign surveillance is at issue, the Democrats’ priority has been to degrade our capacity to collect and connect the dots. Let the Democrats and the New York Times scoff: On the issue of national security, we’ll take President Bush’s legacy.
We all just take for granted that we haven't suffered another attack. No school bombed and children dead in the school yard. No plane flown into a building, killing innocent people just trying to make a living. No suicide bomber in the middle of the food court at your local mall. We didn't have to see the carnage over and over on CNN or Fox News.
All that taken for granted. We didn't stay safe by accident. It was hard work, intelligence, and interrogations. If you don't believe that, then you aren't living in reality.
Hillary will accept VP
From Mona Charon at NRO:
I was just on the John Batchelor radio program. He says that Chuck Todd, NBC News political director, has heard from Hillary's people that she would accept the number two spot on the ticket.
Wow, the Queen will lower herself to accept the VP spot. How grand of her!
Don't you do it Obama! Don't!
I just have this strange feeling that this trial balloon is being sent over to the Obama camp to get an answer. If the answer is no, then all hell is about to break loose.
The left begins to be honest with itself....
She has no idea how many times I defended her. How many right-leaning friends and relatives I battled with. How many times I played down her shady business deals and penchant for scandals -- whether it was Whitewater, Travelgate, Vince Foster, Cattle Futures, Web Hubbell, or Norman Hsu. She has no idea how frequently I dismissed her husband's serial adultery as an unfortunate trait of an otherwise brilliant man. For sixteen years, I was a proud soldier in the legion of "Clinton apologists" -- who believed that peace and prosperity were more important than regrettable personality traits.
And then she ran for president.
Many Clinton apologists like me — [have] watched Hillary's descent into pettiness and fear-mongering with the heartbreak of a child who grows up to realize that his beloved mother has been a terrible person all along.
Are the conservatives right about the Clintons? Will they do and say anything to get elected?
All I know is...I'm through apologizing.
Nice of you to see the light after all these years. Only problem? Too little, too late.
A gushing endorsement by Rolling Stone Magazine
Here is the Obamagasm. (The actual cover doesn't have pink stars, I got the pic from Pink is The New Blog)
Heh. From TimesOnline
And you figured Hillary alone was enough of a horror show...
From Marc Ambinder:
A Turkish-American Hill-Raiser who "who financed a film that depicted an American Jew trading in Iraqi body parts" has been cast out of the Clinton circle of trust, according to a report by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
PAGE SIX February 11, 2008 -- SEN. Hillary Clinton has gotten cozy with a Turkish-born businessman whom some have described as anti-Semitic. Clinton's campaign Web site identifies Mehmet Celebi as one of her "HillRaisers" - someone who has raised at least $100,000 for her presidential bid. This despite Celebi's controversial producing credit on "Valley of the Wolves: Iraq" - a 2006 movie that depicted a Jewish doctor removing the vital organs of civilian prisoners to sell to wealthy transplant patients overseas. "In accordance with the old anti-Semitic canard, the movie portrays Jewish-American doctors as forcibly harvesting organs from Muslims to give them to Jews," noted Detroit lawyer and columnist Debbie Schlussel observes on her blog. Clinton spokesman Jay Carson didn't get back to us for comment.
The Clinton camp is saying they didn't know about the involvement in the film, yet it looks like they have been asked about it before.
Harvesting body parts from Muslims to sell to wealthy Jews? Sounds like SAW VI.
I always figured Hillary was Jigsaw.
Is SNL slamming Obama working?
Their last few jabs have been at Obama. This one is pretty harsh.
Why Al Gore didn't run again
Because he is getting filthy filthy filthy rich.
What’s an Emmy worth? If you’re former Vice-President Al Gore, it’s worth just north of $1 million a year and roughly another $48 million in stock. That’s a hefty sum for a guy who of late has traveled the globe as a goodwill ambassador for mankind, stressing the need for humanity to wake up to the dangers of global warming.
You've heard of "green collar" jobs? I think Gore has a "green tux" job.
Something about this deal just doesn't sit right with me. Gore isn't just taking piles of cash. According to the filing Gore, who is listed as executive chairman, and his CEO partner, lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, each loaned the company $1 million to get it started. They'll get that back in the IPO. But the two guys also collect hefty salaries for a company that hasn't shown a profit in three years -- taking down $491,677 apiece last year in cash, plus bonuses of $550,000 each for, in Gore's case, helping get the company new affiliate agreements, broadening exiting agreements, and putting together a management team. The two currently receive $600,000 a year in salary and are eligible for additional bonuses, according to the IPO filing.
Better and better:
What really sticks out to me, however, is that Gore and Hyatt, who started the company in 2002 [and jump-started it with a broken-down Newsworld International channel they bought for $70.9 million] will have the kind of hammer-lock control over the company decried by shareholder rights activists and many of the same unions that supported Gore for years.
The root of all evil and all that...if you let it.
via LST
Obama got to where he is because he is a black guy...
Daily Show's ex-Marine "reporter" takes on code pi...
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to announce that he is...
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American Fighter Jet shoots down an Iranian drone
From Blackfive:
Those always helpful Iranians have continued to show why President Obama thinks they will be excellent partners for peace. Noah Shactman sends a scoop on our taking out an Iranian bird flying over Iraq.
An American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it was flying over Iraq, U.S. military sources in Baghdad tell Danger Room.....Iran has built an array of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. The pneumatically launched Ababil ("Swallow") has a wingspan of more than 10 feet, and cruises at 160 knots, according to Globalsecurity.org. The Mohajer or Misrad ("Migrant") drone is a bit smaller, and slower-flying.
Update: News Story here.
"The End Is Near!"
Nah, I don't really believe that, but between Glenn Beck's daily "the end is near" show and Peggy Noonan's piece in the WSJ, where she describes a "pandemic of fear," it's difficult not to keep my usual sunny optimism going.
There is no doubt that people I know personally, as Peggy does, are stashing cash in their homes, buying guns, and setting up a "if it all goes to hell" emergency plan. I get e-mail every single day referring to it.
People are scared. I don't think anyone expected everything to go so bad so quickly. Just within my own extended family there are layoffs, lost health benefits, and devastating losses in retirement. There is this sense that something bad is right around the corner.
It doesn't help when the Gitmo Five put this chilling statement:
“We are terrorists to the bone,” the Guantanamo detainees proclaimed. Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, and his four comrades consider the charges that they slaughtered nearly 3,000 Americans to be “badges of honor, which we carry with pride.”
And we are going to put these guys exactly where when Obama closes Gitmo?
It also doesn't help when violence at our border increases and is being ignored by our government.
Then there is President Obama. Douglas Schoen and Scott Rasmussen write in today's WSJ: (via NRO)
Polling data show that Mr. Obama's approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama's net presidential approval rating — which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve — is just six, his lowest rating to date.
The thing that is worse about Obama's falling poll numbers, which otherwise would be just the normal flow of things for a new President, is that people had such "hope" that he would bring about such "change."
But that hasn't been what we have gotten. He promised bi-partisanship, and then gave only lip service to Republicans. He promised a more moderate way of governing, and then proceeded in his first month to offend pro-life Americans by reversing orders and having taxpayer money pay for abortions overseas, and funding embryonic stem cell research, and his signing of FOCA, which will wipe away all reasonable restrictions on abortion, including parental notification of a minor seeking an abortion, is only a matter of time.
It was also frustrating that so many of Obama's appointees seldom seemed interested in paying their taxes at a time Obama seems determined that the successful pay more.
Obama promised no earmarks and he proceeded to sign a spending bill with 8000 of them. He promised bills would be online for five days for the public to see them before they are voted on. Didn't happen. He promised no lobbyists in his administration. Didn't happen. He said he would never tax the poor, yet starting April 1st there will be a 61 cent tax increase on cigarettes knowing that the majority of smokers are the working poor.
I think people are depressed that this wasn't a man who was really different. That he was, after all, just a politician like the rest of them. There is a lot of disappointment out here.
I wish I could say that I also don't carry this sense of unease within me. I wish I could say that things will get no worse. But what I really feel is that this will be a time for all of us to step up to the plate and help those in own families to get through these hard times. If you have a job and your brother doesn't, then you help him get through without turning to the government. This is how we get through this. Together.
We, as conservatives, know that the government isn't the answer. We are the answer. Now is the time to prove that.
Calling all from North Carolina!!
You guys know that I am all about bringing minorities into our party. The best way to do this is to elect, appoint, and support good strong conservative minorities.
Meet Timothy F. Johnson. He is seeking office as North Carolina's GOP Vice Chairman. The purpose of the NCGOP leadership is to provide effective party programs and resources to elect Republicans at every level in our state. As a 21 year US Army veteran, Timothy understand in detail the importance of bringing individuals who represent a variety of ideals to the table in order to accomplish the overall objective. It is time we work together as a unified party to elect Republicans throughout the state of North Carolina. How you can help:
You can vote for him at the North Carolina State Republican Party's Annual Convention, June 12-14 at the Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC Alternatively, you can donate to his cause http://www.ncgopvicechair.com/ Contact: Jean Louis Thompson(828) 582-7990jlthompson@NCGOPViceChair.com
The time is now my Republican friends. It's time we take back our party.
More on the immorality of embyronic stem cell research
From Steve Chapman at Reason Magazine:
"This order," said the president, "is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America" and "protecting free and open inquiry." Harold Varmus, co-chairman of the president's scientific advisory council, said it showed the president would rely on "sound scientific practice ... instead of dogma in developing federal policy."
But one person's dogma is another one's ethical imperative or moral principle. Science can tell us how to build a nuclear weapon. But science can't tell us whether we should use it.Just because research may be useful in combating disease doesn't mean it's ethically acceptable. The infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment—in which the federal Public Health Service secretly withheld treatment from infected black men to learn more about the disease—might have yielded valuable data. But no scientific discovery could possibly have justified it.
This is a perfect example. We experimented on those that we really didn't think mattered in society that much. We took their life and experimented with it thinking that the ends justified the means. It was wrong and evil then, and it's wrong and evil now. It is immoral to experiment on human life. Period.
Research on embryonic stem cells is controversial because it requires the destruction of live human embryos. Supporters find it easy to minimize the significance of this fact because the embryos are only a few days old—nothing more than "blastocysts."
But if it's OK to destroy 5-day-old embryos to further scientific inquiry, is it OK to destroy embryos that are five weeks old? Five months? Eight months? Science can't answer that question.You don't have to be part of the pro-life movement to have qualms about this kind of scientific inquiry. James Thomson, the University of Wisconsin biologist who pioneered the field, has said, "If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough." The president's new order suggests we shouldn't think too much.
The thing that I have noticed about men's immorality, is that nature usually has it's way in explaining how and why things are wrong. Even without a belief in God, nature herself has a moral code, so to speak.
We thought that we could be as promiscuous as we wanted to. The 60's brought free love and, the birth control pill. We thought we could have sex with who wanted and however many we wanted, with no consequences. But nature told us we were wrong. Sexually transmitted diseases run rampant now, even in our young. Many of these leave women sterile and some even cause cancer. AIDS was discovered in the early 80's to remind us of the consequences of multiple partners and, of course, despite the pill, we felt we still needed abortion because if you were having sex with someone you didn't want to be the father of your child, then there had to be a way out.
And on top of all this, is the deep emotional damage done to all who bought the lie of free love. We are a people in dire need of a compassionate forgiving God who can take away our pain.
Luckily for us, we have one.
No doubt, we will continue to experiment on human life, just as we will continue to destroy our unborn children. We are a selfish lot. But nature always has a way of reminding us that actions have consequences.
Update: Bill Clinton doesn't understand human biology. Good grief.
Just got this from Michael Yon:
Few people realize that New York Times journalist David Rhodes was kidnapped in Afghanistan back in November. There were a few scattered stories early on, but big reporting apparently has been squashed. In December, during a trip with Secretary Gates, I asked a New York Times reporter if she knew the status of the situation. The story had been kept so quiet that she didn’t actually know the kidnapping had occurred. The information came to me from several sources some weeks after the kidnapping in Afghanistan. I sat on the information, but there are a growing number of snippets on the web, and it can safely be said that the word is out. One extremely well placed Pentagon source told me in December that Rhodes is believed to have been moved to Pakistan.
I had no idea about this guy, did you?
Isn't this kind of big? Why is the NYT's keeping quite about this. Please don't say it's because of National Security or anyone's safety, because they proved long ago they care little for either.
My kids are on spring break this week and I had a bunch of meetings so we couldn't go anywhere, and you all know how I need my beach fix, so I'm not happy about that.
Anyway, that's my excuse for not blogging much and it reminds me of why I could never have done this when my kids were younger.
Just some things I've noticed today. Pres. Obama and the Dems have decided to spend their precious time going after Rush Limbaugh and the talking point "I want him to fail" is being repeated ad nauseum. Socialistic policies will fail of course, they always do. But in a flashback news story Fox News reports when Carville said straight out (ironically on 9-11) that he wanted Pres. Bush to "fail." He was not a radio talk show host though, but a democratic political strategist.
The whole thing is silly, and I find it incredible that Obama ever even mentioned Rush. It would have been like Bush mentioning Bill Mahr. It really is beneath what he is........the President. I think Obama needs to remember that and stop campaigning. I even see that my favorite liberal, Camille Paglia, an Obama supporter, is trying to get Obama to reign in his little flying monkeys:
"The orchestrated attack on radio host Rush Limbaugh, which has made the White House look like an oafish bunch of drunken frat boys."
Isn't it ironic that Congress slaps around bank presidents for flying to Washington when Pelosi uses our military aircraft as her own private jet?
In case you were wondering what the whole thing about The Employee Free Choice Act is about David Freddoso at NRO explains:
The Employee Free Choice Act would take away employers’ right to insist on elections — as soon as half of a company’s employees signed the cards, the union would represent the entire work force. Further, if the employer and the new union couldn’t come to a contract agreement within 90 days of negotiations, the two parties would have to enter mediation. After another 30 days, the parties would enter binding arbitration, meaning that a government-appointed arbiter (or panel) could force both sides to accept a contract. This provision would essentially eliminate any incentive for unions to enter labor negotiations in good faith.
This is also about Dem payback to the Unions. Small businesses will especially suffer here. It looks like Specter may once again be our betrayer. Go Toomey Go!
It's more than past time to fumigate our party from leaders that do not hold dear our most basic principles, and to bring forward those who do. Like this one:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is expected Wednesday to become the first governor to formally reject some of the federal stimulus money earmarked by Congress for his state.
The move will cement Sanford's growing reputation as a political powerhouse among Republican party stalwarts nationwide — though how much of the estimated $8 billion in stimulus funds destined for South Carolina will be affected is unclear. The law allows state legislative leaders to accept funds the governor rejects.
Finally, Jake Tapper, of all people, points out Obama's biggest lie of all:
Then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., one year ago this week, swooped in from the campaign trail to — along with then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. — vote for an amendment to impose a one-year moratorium on earmarks for fiscal year 2009.
All three then-presidential candidates voted for the amendment,offered by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC.
It failed: 71 NAYs, 29 YEAs.
Candidate Obama said then "we can no longer accept a process that doles out earmarks based on a member of Congress’ seniority, rather than the merit of the project. We can no longer accept an earmarks process that has become so complicated to navigate that a municipality or non-profit group has to hire high-priced D.C. lobbyists to do it. And we can no longer accept an earmarks process in which many of the projects being funded fail to address the real needs of our country."
Today, of course, President Obama will sign into law more than 8,000 earmarks for FY 2009, part of the $410 billion omnibus spending bill.
When it all goes to hell......
I'm finding me a Mormon.
I'm not kidding! Scroll through. They are amazingly ready.
Obama lied on stem cell research
Krauthammer’s Take [NRO Staff]
From last night’s All Stars.
On Obama’s executive order on stem cell research:
What Obama is doing is he's expanding the range of the federal funding of research involving embryonic stem cells. He is allowing the use of embryos that were created in fertility clinics and are not going to be used anymore.
Now, I supported that when I was on the president's council of bioethics and in my writing, which I suppose is why the White House invited me to the signing ceremony.
But I declined for three reasons. One is the president has left open the cloning of human embryos in order to destroy them in experiments. Secondly, he leaves open the creation of human embryos entirely for the purpose of research and experimentation.
And thirdly, he had a memorandum which he signed in which he talks about restoring the scientific integrity in government decisions, which is an outrageous attack on Bush.
I disagreed with where Bush ended up drawing the line on permissible research, but he gave in August of 2001 the single most morally serious presidential speech on medical ethics ever given, and Obama did not, even though I agree on where — I agree more on where he ended up.
So I think it was disrespectful. And in pretending, as Obama did, that there's never a conflict between ethics and science, he was wrong.
I suspect that they're not going to be asking me to any more signing ceremonies in the future.
This is a man deeply involved in this issue because of his own disabilities. I have great respect for him and always have. Even when I have disagreed with him (and I do on the use of embryo's for experimentation, even those from fertility clinics, which are a horror in and of themselves, but that is a different post), I have always listened carefully because he is one of the most intelligent men I know of.
If what he is saying is true, that Obama has left the door open for cloning and creating embryo's for the sole purpose of experimentation, then Obama just flat out lied to the American people in his address on the issue. Are we getting used to that yet?
It seems every move Obama makes either plunges our economy deeper into a morass or he emboldens the culture of death.
The thing that the msm seems to hardly mention is that embryonic stem cell research HAS continued during the Bush years. Bush DID NOT ban it, he only banned federal funds from funding it. And since we HAVE SO MUCH EXTRA MONEY NOW, why not use taxpayer money to fund something that offends so many of us?
Bush also allowed federal funding for research on 60 lines of embryonic stem cells.
And in those years of experimentation, Adult stem cells (and other stem cells) have proven to be much more useful, and embryonic stem cells have proven to be much less so. But don't let that get into the way of a culture determined to undermine those of us who believe in a culture of life.
Most Americans don't even know this happening. I meant to post on it earlier and forgot (from e-mail):
URGENT-WE ALL MUST CALL TODAY!! MONDAY, MARCH 09, 2009. THE VOTE WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN TONIGHT OR TOMORROW. CAN YOU MAKE ONE PHONE CALL TODAY? JUST ONE??
From www.numbersusa.com. Please go to the website for the full story. Here is the short version.
Your phone calls to your Senators are especially important today to ensure that E-Verify opponents don't kill the 5-year re-authorization by just "running out of time. Call your Senators now at 202-224-3121. Check www.numbersusa.com for talking points, and here are a few suggestions:
Do NOT vote for "cloture" (cloture= to terminate debate by calling for a vote) to shut off debate on the Omnibus before the E-Verify amendment comes up for a vote.
A vote for cloture before an E-Verify vote will be graded by NumbersUSA as a vote AGAINST E-Verify and a vote FOR hiring illegal aliens.
Because of your activism, Sen. Sessions' Amendment 604 to the Omnibus Bill (HR 1105) is on the list of amendments to be debated and voted on tonight and tomorrow. Please call your Senator to urge them to support E-Verify! Go to: www.numbersusa.com.
Since December of 2007, 4.4 million jobs have been lost while the federal government continues to bring in approximately 1.5 million foreign workers per year. Go to: www.numbersusa.com for a fast and effective ways to help.
The jobless rate jumped to 8.1% according to numbers released by the Labor Department this morning. It's the highest rate since 1983. Another 651,000 jobs were cut in the month of February. We Need Immigration Reform and We Need To Start With E-Verify!!! Please share this information with everyone you know and call today. Go to: www.numbersusa.com. They make it very easy and quick. If we all made one phone call think of the impact we would have. to tell your representatives what
There are now 12.5 million unemployed American workers, these people need Legal Immigration Rocks!! Illegal Immigration is, well ILLEGAL!!!
your help and one phone call could make the difference in their lives.
Embarrassing and Rude
I watched Glenn Beck today as he discussed the enormous gaffes and insults the Obama's made toward our greatest ally, Great Britain, in how they treated the Prime Minister and his wife while they were here.
I had read the stories from London, but I heard Beck had said that our media was pretty much ignoring it, so I came home and googled it in the news and found, astonishingly, that he was right. Imagine if this had been a Republican? Oh dear Lord, it would have been all we would have heard about.
The New York Post managed to sum it up:
London newspapers are howling over a string of alleged snubs by Obama to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his visit to Washington last week — including a squabble over presidential gift-giving.
"President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain," sniffed The Daily Telegraph Friday. "His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling."
The list of complaints is longer than the Magna Carta: Obama canceled a planned, podium-to-podium news conference with Brown (actually, none was ever scheduled) Excuse me, but isn't that even MORE insulting???
The London paper declared that the gifts to the Brown family were "about as exciting as a pair of socks."
After Brown presented Obama with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President (whose sister ship, HMS Resolute, provided the wood for the Oval Office's desk), Obama offered up ... 25 DVDs of American movie classics.
"Oh, give me strength," wrote one appalled Daily Telegraph staffer. "We do have television and DVD stores on this side of the Atlantic."
Oh, did I mention that our DVD's don't play in their players? Different configuration of some kind. The White House have people in charge of making sure things like this don't happen. Where were they? Helping out at the Treasury Dept where they are woefully shorthanded?
Equally insulting, decided the Times of London, was Michelle Obama's "solipsistic" and "inherently dismissive" gifts to the Browns' two little boys, Fraser and John.
The offending souvenirs? Toy models of Marine One, the President's helicopter — gifts no doubt plucked from the White House gift shop at the last minute, The Times decided.
Brown's wife, Sarah, by contrast arrived with dresses for Sasha and Malia from the UK's trendy Top Shop (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors.
"A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them," crowed The Daily Mail. "Lovely."
Beck also reported that Obama gave back to England a bust of Winston Churchill that we received on 9-11 as a show of unity.
I may disagree with Obama on a great many things, but I never thought him as classless. Until now.
The State of The Union By Me
I was determined to ask Sen. John Cornyn a question that he had never been asked before. I told him to let me know when that happened. I finally got there when I asked this; "If George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin suddenly appeared at the Capitol, what do you think they would think about how we are taking care of the country and the liberty they founded?"
Cornyn said that he thought they would be proud that this country has survived as long as it has and prospered. He also thought they would be alarmed by what they would see as some erosion's of the free market they created, in particular in regard to the judiciary to re-write the constitution.
I couldn't agree more. In my view, I think that we have forgotten that this is a government "of the people, by the people." We have allowed black robed activists to misuse and abuse the constitution. We have allowed the executive branch to ignore the will of the people, and we have made the Presidency a popularity contest.
We let activists and politicians take the belief of our founding fathers that we would never become a theocracy or allow a government to tell it's people what religion to follow, and warp that into believing that public faith has no place in the public square.
In the most profound way, we have lost the meaning of the following statement in our declaration of Independence:
Our forefathers would never approve of a nanny state. These men crossed an ocean, left a country and their former lives behind to begin, against all odds, a grand experiment that produced the most free and most prosperous nation on earth.
Last March I stood at the National Archives and gazed upon our Constitution. It's words are disappearing. Literally. My eyes filled with tears because it seemed to be a metaphor.
Republicans don't have the answers to our problems. Democrats clearly do not have the answer to our problems. But we don't need new answers. All that we really need to know and understand about governing can be found in our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. This is where we have gone horribly wrong, and what Sen. Cornyn was referring to. We should have always adhered to the original intent or meaning of our Constitution. To not do so brings in politics that literally changes and distorts it.
Did our founding fathers ever imagine, in their wildest dreams, this bloated over reaching government that is involved in almost every aspect of our lives? Could they ever have imagined how everything we touch, everything we earn, would be taxed?
They certainly could never have imagined in their nightmares"a right to privacy" found in the Constitution that would approve of the destruction of our children.
Imagine they returning to find all the diseases we have cured that have allowed most parents to go a lifetime without ever having a child die? A common thing in their day. All that grief taken away with our modern medicine. How astounded and thrilled they would be with that! But then to discover that instead of appreciating this and understand the true meaning of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we allowed our country to destroy that which makes it most precious, our children.
People oftn accuse of me of being a "one issue" voter. Maybe so. When that issue defines us fundamentally, then yes. It tells us who we are and what isn't or is important to us. If the value of human life does not matter to us, then what are we really left with?
There is a saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world." But if that hand is manipulated, assured, and convinced that the cradle can be empty, then we are a people lost.
How long will we remain lost? How long before we reap what we sow?
We have twisted the Constitution to our own means and desires. When we find our way back to it, then we will truly be free again.
Ann Coulter to debate Bill Maher on March 10th in Boston.
Great. The political equivalent of the World Wide Wrestling Federation.
I think I'll pass.
Obama is in over his head...
Gee...ya think?
I suppose the next four years could be a big "I told ya so" from all of us who warned that this charismatic smart man was not ready for the Presidency. Barely 2 yrs as a Senator with zero business experience, and zero foreign policy experience, and this is what we get.
Hillary tried to warn everyone, but the Democrats and many others in the country were besotted with the image of Obama. Politico's reporting of Obama's reliance on teleprompters is another indication that he is so overwhelmed he can't even think on his feet.
Normally this would be annoying just long enough to elect someone else in four years, try to reverse the damage, and move on. But the chilling truth is that Obama's incompetence is being displayed at a time where some decisions are irreversible. This economy may never bounce back to where we were before. Bigger govt, higher taxes, more social engineering, and more pork is the mess we will all wallow in the next few years. The fear is that we will drown in the muck and never truly recover.
The old adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" has never been more apt.
More on the immorality of embyronic stem cell rese...
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View 11 Of The Top Selling Cars And Trucks In America
The automotive sector continues to be as competitive as ever, with new models emerging down the pipe on a yearly basis, with a focus on technology, infotainment capabilities, and safety features to help distinguish themselves from the leaders of the pack. Despite all this, there continues to be cars and trucks that act as the leaders within this industry, with a reputation that precedes them as being the best of the best within the auto manufacturing business. Check out 11 of the top-selling cars and trucks in U.S. right now.
1. Toyota Highlander
A midsize crossover sports utility vehicle (SUV), the Toyota Highlander arrived on the North American auto scene in 2001, first being announced at the New York Auto Show in the spring of 2000. Built on the Toyota Camry’s platform, at that point in time, it was one of the first midsize car-based SUVs/crossovers.
As the Highlander was unable to use its name within the Australian and Japanese markets, due to Hyundai’s Terracan trim line trademark, the SUV was dubbed the Toyota Kluger in these regions. As the years have gone by, the Highlander has gotten longer and wider, and its design has transformed out of the original “boxy-type” look it once had.
It also received an update with technology and safety features, as most of today’s cars have experienced, including pre-collision and lane-departure warnings, as well as blind spot monitoring. Of course, the infotainment aspects of the model have also been enhanced, with Bluetooth capabilities, an over 6-inch screen, and improved audio system.
A most recent update of the Highlander saw its tail and headlights redesigned, with updates to the car’s hybrid options as well. A fun fact: the most updated Toyota Highlander was approved to be used as an official New York City taxi cab. If it’s good enough for the Big Apple, then it’s good enough for anyone!
By: RMAutoBuzz on April 18, 2019
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Club
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Images on Fanpop
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
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Source: thecelebritycity.com
what ever happened to baby jane
The What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Club
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9-11 remembered 16 years later
| Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Donald Trump has led tributes to the 9/11 victims on the 16th anniversary of the terror attacks, saying the United States grieves for the people "murdered by terrorists" in 2001. Meanwhile, at Ground Zero in NY, victims' relatives marked the anniversary by reading out the names of those who died. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes. [Full Article...]
What Hurricane Irma left behind in the Caribbean
| Friday, September 08, 2017
Then the storm is expected to take aim at Florida , where hurricane watches and storm surge watches were issued Thursday morning, and officials imposed mandatory evacuation orders for parts of the Miami metro area and the Florida Keys. [Full Article...]
Huawei is Now the Second Largest Smartphone Brand in the World
Further, Counterpoint suggests preliminary numbers point to Huawei holding onto second spot in August as well. On Google Trends today is the news that Chinese smartphone maker Huawei hasovertaken Apple in global phone sales for the first time ever, making it the second largest smartphone maker in the world behind Samsung. [Full Article...]
Goods train derails, hits Central Railway services
The Ranchi Rajdhani derailment takes the number of such incidents to four within the past 30 days - and the second since Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to appoint Piyush Goyal as the new Union railway minister. All the passengers were reported to be safe and no one was injured in the incident. Platform number 15 at the Delhi station was closed for restoration work, a railway official said. [Full Article...]
Korea plans 'Frankenmissile' to destroy North's underground military bases
| Thursday, September 07, 2017
Members of Congress from both parties have called on US President Donald Trump not to withdraw from a free trade deal with South Korea in light of the missile threat from Pyongyang. Plans for the Gothic-horror-sounding weapon emerged the day after President Trump agreed "in principle" to scrap a 1,100-pound warhead weight limit on the South's missiles. [Full Article...]
Nigeria's economy on a U-Shaped Recovery
The bureau, however, stated that the growth recorded in quarter was 2.04 per cent higher than the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2016 (-1.49 per cent). Damilola Ehinmitan, a banker, said that the naira to dollar exchange remained high at 305 in the interbank market and between 360 and 365 at the parallel market saying that did not reflect economic growth. [Full Article...]
No room for error: We can't afford defeat in Yaounde - Rohr
| Monday, September 04, 2017
Nigeria are now one step closer to reaching the finals, with only the winning teams in the five qualifying groups going to Russian Federation next year. Eleven minutes into the second half, Victor Moses combined with gangling winger Moses Simon before slotting home from inside the box. Moses laid off for overlapping Ogenyi Onazi whose precise cross from the right was guided into the net by ... [Full Article...]
Modi cabinet set for Sunday shuffle
| Saturday, September 02, 2017
Speculations on who all would be part of PM Modi's team are on but going by the previous record, the prime minister may again surprise everyone with his decision. In the first meeting, also attended by another top BJP leader, a detailed presentation on outreach plans for the states headed for elections in the coming years was delivered. [Full Article...]
Caixin China manufacturing PMI for August is 51.6, topping expectations
The PMI report said activity rose to its second-highest level in more than three years, as production picked up pace despite overseas demand for British goods easing from a near-record high in July. However, nearly 31% of companies said they experienced an increase in the price of materials required for their operations, generally linked to the rising cost of commodities. [Full Article...]
Virat Kohli surpasses Sanath Jayasuriya with 29th ODI hundred
Angelo Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne steadied the ship after three early blows and put on a decent partnership for the fourth wicket . Batsman Manish Pandey, left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Shardul Thakur may all have an opportunity in this match, with Kedar Jadhav , Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar the most likely to make way. [Full Article...]
West Nile Virus confirmed in Parma resident
| Thursday, August 31, 2017
Two Guelph area residents have tested positive for West Nile virus . It brings the number of positive tests from mosquitoes in Perth County to six. When infected, some people will experience flu-like symptoms. During that time, people should wear insect repellent to prevent mosquito bites, the board of health said. [Full Article...]
U.S. approves first gene therapy for cancer
In a key study of 63 advanced patients, 83 percent went into remission soon after receiving the CAR-T cells. It is the first gene therapy to be allowed in the United States - a "historic" approval, the agency said. Because patients can develop life-threatening side effects weeks after the procedure, doctors will ask patients to stay within two hours of the hospital for up to a month. [Full Article...]
CEX suffers security breach that may affect up to two million customers
The company says that it's working with the police and other "relevant authorities" to identify how the hackers bypassed its security systems. For "a small number of customers", it also says the breach may extend to encrypted data from expired credit or debit cards up to 2009. [Full Article...]
AAP wins Bawana by-election in Delhi by over 24000 votes
But the BJP's questionable manner of coming to power in Goa and the fallout of the lynching deaths in other parts of the country have cost Parrikar a sizeable chunk of Catholic votes as well as the trust of the Church. One of the 12 reserved constituencies, Bawana has one of the largest concentration of voters-2.94 lakh-and is dotted with 26 villages, colonies, and slums. [Full Article...]
Dems hammer Trump for 'trickle down' tax plan
It will, though, make the case that tax code changes , particularly the corporate rate, are necessary for improved economic conditions. He will speak at the Loren Cook Company , which designs and produces fans and similar equipment, in Springfield, the so-called birthplace of Route 66, which the official said is emblematic of Main Street America. [Full Article...]
Bangladesh offers Myanmar aid vs Rohingya
| Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Satellite imagery analysed by New York-based Human Rights Watch showed widespread burnings in at least 10 areas in northern Rakhine State since the August 25 militant raids, the group said in a statement. "Around 6,000 Myanmar nationals have gathered on the border and are trying to enter Bangladesh", a senior Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official told AFP, referring to the Rohingya . [Full Article...]
Mourinho refuses to take credit for Man United's super subs
| Monday, August 28, 2017
Marcus Rashford scored the opener three minutes after coming on and Jesse Lingard and Marouane Fellaini combined for the second goal to complete United's third straight win of the Premier League season. Shakespeare's hope now is that all of his players will be returning after an worldwide break which also sees the transfer window's closure, with Danny Drinkwater, Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez h... [Full Article...]
Slum visit hits Aussies hard ahead of first Test
In 2008, Australia were scheduled to host Bangladesh for two winter Tests, but that series was postponed until 2010 due to a clash with the Beijing Olympics. Tamim, who is Bangladesh's highest scorer in both Test and ODIs, showed he belongs in a class of his own as he did not lose his composure while seeing off the pacers during the crucial early period. [Full Article...]
Tropical storm watch issued for NC coast
The National Hurricane Center says there's a tropical storm watch in effect, meaning a system of clouds and thunderstorms could occur. The National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina has issued a tropical storm watch after low pressure off the Georgia Coast may become a tropical storm as it moves northward towards the SC and North Carolina coast Monday afternoon through Tuesday ... [Full Article...]
Dera violence: Rajnath to hold high level meeting
| Sunday, August 27, 2017
Speaking to reporters on the latest law and order situation in the state in the wake of Friday's violence in Panchkula after Ram Rahim was declared guilty by a CBI court, the CM said there had been no trouble anywhere since last night. She said it was the third such occasion when the Khattar Government has badly let down the people. They were Patiala, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Mansa, Faridkot, Bathi... [Full Article...]
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Future of ObamaCare in doubt after latest appeals court hearing
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HPV vaccine extended to boys in United Kingdom first
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Democrat Biden down in polls after debate
NDDOH confirms 1st WNV human case of 2019
Bernie Sanders defends Medicare for All push
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Valve letter tells 23 CS:GO gambling sites to cease and desist
| Thursday, July 21, 2016
The list includes CS:GO as well as DotA 2 gambling sites which are violating the SSA ( Steam Subscriber Agreement ). Under the SSA Steam and Steam services are licensed for personal and non-commercial use only. However, there are one or two sites missing from the list, including CSGO Shuffle so Valve's work might not be done just yet. Last week Valve promised to stamp out gambling websites tha... [Full Article...]
New No Man's Sky Video Shows In-Game Space Battles
No Man's Sky comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on August 9. You're incentivized to poke your nose into the game's autonomous economic systems, which include trade ships and freighters and the option to assault these ships and scavenge them for resources. [Full Article...]
Beijing to close off parts of disputed sea for exercises
Days after an worldwide tribunal ruled against Beijing's claim to ownership of virtually the entire South China Sea (SCS), Beijing on Monday said that it is closing off a part of the SCS for military exercises this week, reported AP. John Richardson meets with Adm. Wu Shengli, Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on July 18, 2016. Phillippines welcome the decision of world... [Full Article...]
Melania Trump speech dominates convention
Opponents brand Trump a bigot with his calls to temporarily ban the entry of Muslims and to build a border wall with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants. Senator Mitch McConnell, who orchestrated the party's first take-over of the chamber in nearly a decade, was briefly booed when he walked on stage. At the convention's half-way point, Democrats could barely contain their glee or hide their an... [Full Article...]
Microsoft's latest financial results are a big thumbs up for the cloud
Investors want to know Microsoft's plans for the networking site. By way of comparison, the company had grossed $22.2 billion in revenue and a loss of $0.40 per share due to the $7.6 billion write down related to its acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business. [Full Article...]
Beijing to Close Off Parts of South China Sea for Military Drills
| Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Another small group of activists gathered in front of the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi at around noon with banners that read "Thank you, Philippines, you have a courageous government" and "China, you must comply with global law", Tuyen said . [Full Article...]
ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 1060 STRIX Graphics Card
Ultimately, critics tend to agree that the GTX 1060 offers an incredible amount of performance for a price that Nvidia hasn't recently been attributed to, and we really do have AMD to thank for this. This GPU will take on the Radeon RX-470 at $199 or below. The first to get to my door was GIGABYTE's surprisingly impressive GeForce GTX 1080 G1 Gaming , and I'm going to walk you through why... [Full Article...]
Philippines warns imminent talks over China sea row unlikely
The tribunal ruled that China violated global maritime law by building up artificial islands in the South China Sea that destroyed coral reefs and by disrupting fishing and oil exploration. Richardson's comments Wednesday, July 20, 2016 , follow several fractious encounters between the two sides' ships and planes in and over the disputed South China Sea . [Full Article...]
Redmi Pro Set to Launch on July 27nd
There will limited stocks so, it will be first come-first serve basis. According to speculations, the new Redmi Note 4/Redmi Pro will be launched together with a new Xiaomi laptop iteration. As per many reports, the upcoming Redmi Pro is expected to sport 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) display and under the hood would be MT6797M chipset clocked at 2 GHz with 4 GB of RAM and 64GB of internal stor... [Full Article...]
Kashmir Unrest: Curfew, Separatist Called Shutdown Continue For 11th Day
Opposition National Conference, Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and others have been invited to the meeting. At Hatmulla, protesters attacked the Hatmulla Police Post. The resolution demanded release of political prisoners and lifting ban on the visit of political delegations. Hurriyat leaders like Shabir Ahmad Dar, Muhammad Iqbal Mir, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, Imtiyaz Ahmed Reshi and Ghu... [Full Article...]
Nintendo shares fall 10 percent after doubling on Pokemon GO craze
Its market cap now exceeds that of Sony by about ¥400 billion and account for nearly a quarter of the entire trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's main board. Pokémon GO is meant to be played on a mobile device and get you outside to explore your world! Nintendo's stock price soared by 25 percent on Monday after jumping up late last week with the app's launch, adding $7 billion to its market... [Full Article...]
The Walking Dead season 7: New image confirms character is alive
The problem? The show did not reveal who died. According to Nicotero, they have had a hard time shaking it off. The first look at Morgan (Lennie James) on " The Walking Dead " season 7 has been revealed. Alright, that's it for now, but more is coming next weekend from Comic-Con 2016, San Diego, CA, so stay tuned. The photo of Nick walking alone seems to have struck a chord among people who a... [Full Article...]
Sonic booms from SpaceX rocket prompt 911 calls
Early morning on July 18, SpaceX successfully launched a special docking port for astronauts and a science instrument, a DNA decoder that will be used for high-flying genetic research. In a bid to return back to Cape Canaveral, a series of engine burns were performed by Space X's first stage when it subsequently separated 2.5 minutes after liftoff. [Full Article...]
Iran's FM extolls country's ability to restore nuke program
However, one USA official pointed out that Iran will still only be able to store 600 pounds of enriched uranium for the full 15 years, and would only be able to use reactor fuel that is significantly below that needed for weapons. They include how much enriched uranium it has to work with, and restrictions on Iran's stockpile extend until the end of the deal, crimping its full enrichment program. [Full Article...]
AT&T Releases Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 for Galaxy Tab S2
Besides smartphones, tablets are being updated as well, and AT&T is now rolling out Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to Samsung's Galaxy Tab S2. Update file is 1074MB, which might requires a stable Wi-Fi connection on users' phone to carry on without being corrupted. [Full Article...]
Playing Pokemon Go may have health benefits
If and when these updates come, these new features will open new doors for businesses to harness the vast appeal of this augmented-reality phenomenon. While it might just be a few dollars off for them, it spreads your brand online. Lures can only be used in Pokestops, though, which are predetermined locations by Pokemon Go . [Full Article...]
China threatens regular South China Sea combat patrols
The Philippines' top diplomat said Tuesday he has rejected a Chinese government offer to hold talks "outside of and in disregard" of an worldwide tribunal's ruling last week that debunked Beijing's claim to ownership of virtually the entire South China Sea . [Full Article...]
Just pay Rs.1 and get Xiaomi phones
The Redmi Note 4 is going to come out equipped with Mediatek Helio X20 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front snapper and an oversized 4100mAh battery. The company also unveiled several new products including Mi power bank with 10,000mAh capacity and Mi Capsule earphones. On the other hand, it will offer hundred Mi Band (White LED) and ten Redmi Note 3 on July... [Full Article...]
China closing part of South China Sea for military exercises
On July 12, the PCA ruled that China had no historic title over the West Philippine Sea and that it violated the rights of the Philippines when it put up structures in contested islands and drove out Filipino fishermen. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson arrived in Beijing to discuss the South China Sea dispute. Beijing has blamed Washington for stoking tensions in the South... [Full Article...]
Black Lives Matter March in Rockford also Protests Police Killings
The petition comes at a time when racial tensions are high in the USA after the shootings of two black men by police in Baton Rogue, Louisiana and Minneapolis. She said a petition was circulating to get a Citizen Review Board on the ballot, but with the new requirement making that more hard they plan to take their request directly to city leaders. [Full Article...]
« Previous 1 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 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 Next »
Tropical Storm Barry hits Louisiana, could stay for a long, soaking time
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A total solar eclipse in an astronomer's paradise
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A Black Day – Rajya Sabha Passes Afforestation Bill – Campaign for Survival and Dignity
Message received from Campaign for Survival and Dignity
Today was a black day for forest dwellers’ rights.
The Rajya Sabha has passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2016. This Bill essentially gives carte blanche to forest officials to spend gigantic amounts of money (over 40,000 crores) without any accountability to the people whose forests, lands and lives will be damaged or destroyed by their activities.
The Congress moved an amendment (see here for the text) that would have been the bare minimum necessary to protect the rights of millions of people – our country’s poorest communities.
The government said we won’t do any of that. We respect forest rights so much that we think that we should make an Act that doesn’t say a single word about them. Our officials will continue to facilitate corporates grabbing people’s forest rights. We’ll just give you a paper assurance that we “will deal with it in the Rules.” Much of the opposition lined up for this sham; the Congress dithered and flip-flopped on its own amendment. And, driven by the greed of State and Central bureaucracies, the Bill was passed.
But this issue will not be settled with this. For 150 years the forest dwellers of this country have fought a criminal and oppressive colonial system for their rights. It was their democratic struggle that resulted in the Forest Rights Act. It is their struggle that will halt the forest bureaucracy in its tracks – no matter how much the NDA government tries to bend over backwards to please its bureaucrat allies and its corporate masters. The Environment Ministry will be held to its assurance today.
Campaign for Survival and Dignity
forestcampaign@gmail.com, http://forestrightsact.com, 9873657844
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Mega Trends
The definition of race in America politics has always been a treacherous topic. Politicians have used race and ethnicity to galvanize their bases and promote their election since the beginning of the republic. The decennial census continues to ask people to define their race and reports racial statistics. Per the CIA World Factbook, (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html ) the racial composition of the United States is described as “white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)
Note:a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic.”
This long caveat fairly jumps off the page, because it is unique to the United States entry in the People and Society section of the CIA World Factbook. By including Hispanics in the ‘white’ category, both the census and the CIA overstates the whiteness of America. If Hispanics were categorized by race, the Amerindian and Alaska native portion of the country’s population would jump from 1% to 12% and the census would show that the number of Native Americans is growing faster than any other racial group in the population. [Asian Americans may be growing faster on percentage basis, but Amerindians have the numerical head start.]
I can make this assertion because the United States Government defines an Indian in the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, Section 19, the so-called New Deal for Indians, (http://www.maquah.net/Kafkaesque/IndianCourt/IRA.htm) as “all other persons of one-half or more Indian blood”. By this definition, so-called Mestizos, another terms used in the CIA World Factbook to describe the racial composition of Spanish speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere, are legally “Indians” under the law of the United States.
Dissecting the Hispanic or Latino population data, the so-called Hispanics are 11% Amerindian/Mestizo and 3.9% white. Most of the white Hispanics come from the Caribbean islands of Cuban and Puerto Rico. This makes New York’s and Miami’s experience of Hispanic-ness is a lot more white (and Republican) than in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California where the majority of ‘Hispanics’ are Amerindians and mestizos from Mexico and associate with minorities and Democrats.
The Hispanicization of Mexican and Latin American Indians and mestizos is an interesting historical topic. According to Nicholas Oster, Empires of the Word, A Language History of the World, “if in 1810 there were 6.7 inhabitants [in Mexico], 45 per cent of them Spaniards or mestizos presumably speaking Spanish, by 1995 there were 95.8 million with fully 88 per cent of them first-language speakers of that language. “ It was the homogenizing impulse of Enlightenment and the liberation movements of the first half of the 1800’s that sped the loss of indigenous language and culture in Latin America. The nationalists “offered everyone an undifferentiated citizenship based on the common language, Spanish. The national movements of Latin America found it hard to embrace local languages, seeing even the bigger languages [like Nahuatl and Maya] as sources of division, rather than unity alien to Spain.” With this as a backdrop, Mexican or Latin American nationalists and US nationalists aren’t different; they both want to impose a single, homogenizing language on the electorate in an effort to build a stable democracy.
So why do Hispanic AmerIndians and mestizos not want to be counted as Native Americans? Why are they not proud of their heritage and the amazing accomplishments of their ancestors – for example, most of the world’s major food crops ? Can it be that the stigma of being a Native American is so negative to a person’s economic and cultural well-being that it pays to hide this genetic inheritance and pretend to be a Spaniard? Since Hispanics can present themselves as ‘white’ and ‘white’ confers upon the holder clear advantages in America, why would these people fight for a racial identity closer to the truth.
As the political analysts in both the Republican and Democratic campaigns ponder the Hispanic vote; as they think about how to manipulate this swing segment of the electorate, would either party gain advantage if it started to identify Hispanics as Native Americans, instead of whites?
If such a shift did occur, Barack Obama would be the clear beneficiary. Senator Rubio, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez would be isolated as representatives of the majority of the “Hispanic” community.
[ published on September 1, 2012 • categorized under Uncategorized ]
Paul L. Sterne Managing Partner
Copyright © 2008-2019 Sterne & Co. All Rights Reserved. Sitemap
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Bobby (2006)
In 1968 the lives of a retired doorman, hotel manager, lounge singer, busboy, beautician and others intersect in the wake of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
The movie Bobby, released in 2006, features 24 songs from artists like Perry Como, The Supremes, Luxurious and Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige featuring The Boys Choir of Harlem (as The Harlem Boys Choir). What is your favorite song from Bobby?
Songs from Bobby
Come See About Me
Never Gonna Break My Faith
Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige featuring The Boys Choir of Harlem (as The Harlem Boys Choir)
Tracks of My Tears
I Was Made to Love Her
Function at the Junction
Grazing in the Grass
Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)
Baby, I Love You
There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)
Hurdy Gurdy Man
Mickey's Monkey
The Miracles
Jason Huxley
Initials (from Hair)
Out Front
Pata Pata
Bobby Questions and Comments
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Micah Tyler
It’s hard to imagine how many times Micah Tyler spent his days wondering ‘what’s next,’ while driving a sausage delivery truck across southeast Texas. Surely, questioning his own discernment to quit his youth pastor gig, sell half of what he owned to move his family into a single-wide trailer and start traveling the region, performing songs he’d written.
Not an easy move for a guy in his late 20s living in somewhat-reclusive Buna, Texas with a wife, three kids, and no strong connection to the music industry, at the time. “I just knew I had to be obedient and step out into music full time,” Tyler recalls. “I told the Lord, ‘I don’t know how to be a professional musician, but you’ve taught me to be faithful.’ It was a daily decision to wake up every morning and stop worrying about tomorrow.”
Fast-forward down that long road, and the same guy behind the delivery truck wheel over a half-decade prior, is now the latest pop artist to sign a national record deal, garner a nod for “New Artist of the Year” at the GMA Dove Awards and release his debut album, Different, through Fair Trade Services, home to MercyMe, Newsboys and many other key industry names. The lead single from that project, “Never Been a Moment” is not only one of the biggest radio chart-toppers from a breakout act in 2016, it turned out to be more autobiographical in context than he even planned.
“(Nashville songwriter) Jeff Pardo and I jumped in to writing this song without a specific story behind it, until after it was completed,” Tyler says. “Then I realized, ‘Wow, this song is essentially a journal entry of the past six years of my life. Everything my family and I had gone through in this faith journey led up to this.”
A big part of Tyler’s journey included traveling 200 days per year, performing at youth and college-aged camps and leadership conferences throughout the South. His impact and understanding of his younger audiences was immortalized on a viral parody video titled “Millennials,” which has over 65 million cumulative views on YouTube and Facebook. Most budding artists pine for such organic exposure, but Tyler’s YouTube fame put him on edge, though leading him to a healthy resolve.
“Here I am, working hard toward becoming a serious musician when this funny video breaks loose—and I’m thinking this isn’t at all what I want to be known for,” Tyler says. “But in all of this, God’s helped me recognize he’s provided a special set of colors on my palette to paint with, and I’m the only one who can paint this unique picture with my life and story. If he calls it ‘wonderful,’ then I need to embrace that and celebrate its worth.”
Tyler’s epiphany hit him so clearly, that it inspired the album’s title track “Different.” “Writing this record brought to the surface a lot of insecurities I’ve dealt with my entire life. Not feeling good enough. Psalm 139, David’s praise of being uniquely created felt more like a punishment to me,” Tyler says. “I want to sing and look and perform like other artists, but I’m not called to be Jeremy Camp or Bart Millard. The only one he’s called me to be is Micah. There are times I’d rather be those other guys, but I’m ultimately learning to embrace who God has called and created me to be.”
With that said, hundreds of nights on the road have certainly honed Tyler’s purpose for ministry through a growing list of self-penned tunes borne from a place that’s as real as the person he’s trying to be. “These songs are battle-tested,” says Micah. “I want to live the music I’m writing. There are some songs I can’t write because I haven’t lived there yet. When someone comes up to me after a concert and tells me how my songs affected them, I want to make sure they know I can relate.”
Outside of the notable radio hits found on his newest 12-track LP, including the multi-chart No. 1 hit “Never Been A Moment” and current title track, Different includes “Soul Song,” “Directions,” “Comeback Song” and more. Tyler will continue his nearly constant trek on the road joining Big Daddy Weave and We Are Messengers for the west coast-focused “Set Free Tour” throughout the majority of the fall.
Different seems appropriate for Tyler since life looks a lot different thanFI
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Professor David W. Deamer
The Newsweek article Creating Life in the Lab said
David Deamer, an artificial-life scientist at UC Santa Cruz, spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Jeneen Interlandi about his research.
How far are we from creating a multi cellular organism? Quite a ways. But the race is definitely on to be the first lab to create life from nonlife. Someone will cross that finish line within the next decade or so.
What is the value of such an undertaking? If we can manufacture bacterial cells, we can use them as molecular machines to produce insulin and other useful molecules.
Are there environmental applications? Researchers are also designing bacteria that produce hydrogen gas. If they succeed, we will have an alternative, renewable fuel source beyond compare.
David W. Deamer, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry (Recalled), University of California Santa Cruz and on the Editorial Boards of Astrobiology, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, and the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes. His research interests include Membrane Biophysics, Model Membrane Systems, Membrane Transport Mechanisms, and Molecular Self-Assembly Processes.
Dave’s primary research area concerns the manner in which linear macromolecules traverse nanoscopic channels. Single-stranded nucleic acid molecules can be driven electrophoretically through a large channel embedded in a lipid-bilayer membrane, and the presence of the polynucleotide in the channel affects the ionic conductance in a manner related to chain length and concentration. This observation has considerable potential for characterizing DNA and RNA in microscopic volumes of nucleic acid solutions.
A second line of research concerns molecular self-assembly processes related to the structure and function of biological membranes, and particularly the origin and evolution of membrane structure. One example of such research was reported recently in which it was shown that photochemical reactions simulating those occurring in the interstellar medium give rise to amphiphilic molecules that can self-assemble into membrane structures.
He and his colleagues went on to show that membranes can self-assemble for simple amphiphiles such as fatty acids and alcohols, and that such processes are markedly affected by ionic content of the environment. These results help us to understand how primitive forms of cellular life appeared on the early Earth and were able to capture nutrients from the surrounding medium and incorporate them in intracellular growth processes.
Dave authored Assembling Life: How Can Life Begin on Earth and Other Habitable Planets?, coauthored Origins of Life: The Central Concepts, Liquid-Liquid Interfaces: Theory and Methods, Liquid Interfaces in Chemistry and Biology, Characterization of individual polynucleotide molecules using a membrane channel, and Microsecond Time-Scale Discrimination Among Polycytidylic Acid, Polyadenylic Acid, and Polyuridylic Acid as Homopolymers or as Segments Within Single RNA Molecules, and coedited Membrane Permeability, 100 Years Since Ernest Overton (Current Topics in Membranes, Volume 48) and Structure and Dynamics of Confined Polymers (NATO SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP SUB-SERIES: 3: Volume 87).
Dave’s undergraduate degree was in Chemistry at Duke University and his Ph.D. degree in 1965 was in Physiological Chemistry at the Ohio State University School of Medicine. Following post-doctoral research at UC Berkeley, he joined the faculty at UC Davis in 1967. In 1994 he moved to UC Santa Cruz to carry out NASA-supported research on the role of membranes in the evolutionary events leading to the origin of cellular life.
Read Selecting life: Scientists find new way to search for origin of life, Silicon chip beams light through a liquid-core waveguide to detect one particle at a time, and NeoGenesis: How Scientists Are Creating Alternate Life Forms.
Chemistry Board
Nanotechnology Board
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Jordana Esther Muwanguzi, M.S.
Jordana Esther Muwanguzi, M.S. is an experienced Bioinformatician with a history of working with genomic data. She is skilled in Data Analysis, Genomic Analysis, Pipeline Development, Big Data Analytics, and Machine Learning.
Jordana earned her Master’s Degree in Data Science and Bioinformatics at Northeastern University in 2017, where she also earned her Data Science Certificate in Bioinformatics. In 2014, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology at Makerere University in Uganda.
Jordana first became a Network Administrator at Computer Point, where she was working on a government project to set up small networks for schools in Eastern Uganda. She was also the trainer of network administrators.
She soon moved to Duluth, Georgia, where she worked as a Data Analyst at Karen Soft Consulting company. She performed data mining and data management on clinical and public health data. She worked on a Center for Disease Control (CDC) Project where she helped to design a Data Warehouse and she analyzed public health data.
In 2016, she started her work at Momenta Pharmaceuticals, where she developed a translational biology data analysis pipeline. She stayed there for a short time, to focus on her studies and after earning her Master’s she became Bioinformatician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Read Jordana’s posts on Medium. Follow her LinkedIn activity and view her LinkedIn profile. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Visit her old playlist on SoundCloud.
Information Sciences Board
Robotics/AI Board
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Contact Us | Search:
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Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program
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Email: policyfellows@nas.edu
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No. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was created by the federal government to be an adviser on scientific and technological matters, but is not part of the federal government. The Academy complex now consists of four organizations collectively known as the National Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the National Research Council (NRC). The National Academy of Sciences was created in 1863 by a congressional charter approved by President Abraham Lincoln. Under this charter, the National Research Council was established in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering in 1964, and the Institute of Medicine in 1970.
The National Academies is a private, nongovernmental organization and does not receive direct federal appropriations for its work. The majority of the studies carried out by the National Academies are conducted at the request of government agencies. However, many studies are privately funded.
Scientists and engineers with PhDs and other advanced degrees play a central and growing role in American industrial and commercial life. We increasingly depend on people with advanced scientific and technological knowledge in collective efforts to develop new technologies and industries, reduce environmental pollution, combat disease and hunger, develop new sources of energy, and maintain competitiveness. Traditional graduate education to the doctoral level, organized around an intensive research experience, has served as a world model for the advanced training of scientists and engineers. However, most PhDs will work outside academia. As a result, graduate students in science, engineering, and related disciplines need to broaden their professional experience.
The fellowships will take place in Washington, D.C. at one of the National Academies' facilities. In general, fellows will work at the Keck Center, 500 5th Street, NW in downtown Washington, D.C. Fellows may also work at the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW on the National Mall.
The program is very competitive. In general, less than 10% of applicants are selected for fellowships.
Applications for a session are due the fall before the session begins.
No. Fellows must complete the full 12-week term and be available to start their fellowship on the first scheduled day of orientation. Any request for scheduled leave (personal or professional) during the term of the fellowship must be approved prior to acceptance to the fellowship program.
The program has been funded to hold one session each year for the next five years beginning in January 2019. Sign-up for our mailing list to be notified of session dates.
No. Graduate work such as working as a Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant is part of your graduate education and is not considered work experience for the purpose of the fellowship application.
TWO online references are required to complete the application process. References must be relevant to your academic, professional, volunteer or other related experience. You will NOT be able to submit your application until BOTH references have been received. Mailed reference letters will NOT be accepted.
Once you complete the reference section of the application and provide your referees’ contact information, an automated email request will be sent to each referee. Be sure to provide your referees with as much time as possible to ensure that their reference is submitted before the application deadline.
Alert your referees that they will receive an automated "Information Request" email from Scholar Select/Mirzayan S&T Policy Fellowship Program. This email will contain a unique link to a recommendation form to be completed on your behalf. An email confirmation will be sent to you when a reference has been received. To ensure delivery of the reference request, you may wish to ask your referees to add automated.email@scholarselect.com to their contacts, email address book, or safe senders list.
Yes. However, if you have applied for a fellowship in the past, you must complete a new application. Application materials do not carry over from session to session.
Candidates selected for interviews are generally notified within three to six weeks of the application deadline. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified when the selection process is complete (approximately two months after the application deadline).
No. This program does not fund research, award scholarships, or provide financial aid assistance of any kind. If you are awarded a fellowship, a stipend is provided to offset expenses during the fellowship period.
For the 2020 session, the stipend for the 12-week program is $9,250. The fellowship stipend is provided to offset living expenses during the fellowship period.
The stipend is paid out in one installment during the first week of the program.
Please see the Prospective Units page for a listing of all the program units that may be accepting fellows. Look at the web page for each unit to gain an understanding unit activities and active studies.
No. All units may not participate during each session, and there is no way to know in advance which units are accepting fellows. You may apply for up to three units, and we strongly encourage you to select the maximum number. Please see the Prospective Units page for a listing of all the program units that may be accepting fellows. Look at the web page for each unit to gain an understanding unit activities and active studies.
Not necessarily. While we try to place fellows in the units of their choice, the purpose of this fellowship program is to broaden the fellow's experience. A prospective applicant should not apply for the program if they are only willing to work in their field of study. Additionally, although we do our best to determine what activities/projects will be active during the fellowship, these may change even in the few months between your interview and the fellowship. If you are interested in only working in a very specific policy area, then this fellowship is not the right one for you. You may be asked to work on any science and technology policy issue.
Fellows are responsible for obtaining housing during the fellowship period. Program alumni suggest searching Craigslist for housing opportunities. In addition, many universities in Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland offer suggestions for off-campus housing. Program alumni recommend visiting the Georgetown University, George Washington University, and American University web sites.
Acceptance to the program is contingent upon attending orientation in its entirety.
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Lisle Gee Adams
San Juan Record Classifieds, Events, Businesses In Monticello, San Juan County, Utah
May 10, 2016 | 5322 views | 0 | 368 | |
October 3, 1929 ~ May 4, 2016
Lisle Gee Adams, age 86, passed away peacefully in Provo, UT on May 4, 2016 surrounded by his family, including his wife of 68 years, Jewell Redd Adams, his four children, Greg (Connie), Mark (Jerilyn), Robert (Nancy) and Janice (Gordon).
He is survived by his wife and children, 18 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.
Lisle is also survived by three sisters, Deaun Johnson and Garda Nielson of Blanding, and Ardis Schloer of Cedar Hills, UT.
Lisle and Jewell were married in the Mesa, Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in March, 1948.
Lisle was born on October 3, 1929 in Provo, UT to John Ernest and Erma Garda Gee Adams. His early years were spent in Blanding, UT, where he learned how to work.
He worked with his father in the livestock business. In the spring and fall, he would help drive the sheep between the winter range south of Blanding and the summer range in the mountains of Colorado near Rico, a drive of 125 miles each direction that took two weeks to complete.
He loved the livestock business and spoke fondly of his experiences.
Later in life, Lisle branched out into other businesses in Monticello, UT, where he operated a general store and a propane distribution business, but livestock was always his first love.
Lisle was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a patient, kind, gentle and generous person who served all those in need, including family, friends and total strangers.
He was called by the Lord to serve in many ways, including as Bishop, as Stake President and as the first President of the Monticello, Utah Temple.
The Monticello Temple was the first “small” temple to be dedicated. President Adams was a pioneer who helped to develop and refine operations of the small temples.
Lisle also served faithfully in the community. He was a member of the Monticello City Council and he served for many years on the San Juan School Board. He was president of the school board for more than a decade.
Lisle loved life. He is remembered by those who knew him well as cheerful and patient, someone who made everyone feel good at the first meeting. He will be missed.
Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, May 12 at noon in the Monticello, UT North Chapel located immediately south of the Monticello Utah Temple. A viewing will be held at the church from 9-11:30 a.m. prior to the service.
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Edinson Vólquez
7.04 0-0 6
Position: SP Born: 7/3/1983 Birthplace: Barahona Province, DR
Bats/Throws: R/R Draft: Undrafted by Rangers (2001)
Apr. 5 5:28 PM PT6:28 PM MT7:28 PM CT8:28 PM ET20:28 ET0:28 GMT8:28 5:28 PM MST7:28 PM EST6:28 PM CST7:58 PM VEN4:28 UAE (+1)7:28 PM CT-The Rangers put Volquez on the 10-day injured list because of a sprained right elbow.
Analysis: Volquez missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2017. The right-hander went 3 2/3 innings in Thursday's 11-4 victory over Angels as he allowed two runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Volquez - who pitched a no-hitter with the Marlins in 2017 - had no record in two starts with a 7.04 ERA.
Apr. 5 11:01 PM PT12:01 AM MT1:01 AM CT2:01 AM ET2:01 ET6:01 GMT14:01 11:01 PM MST1:01 AM EST12:01 AM CST1:31 AM VEN10:01 UAE1:01 AM CT-Edinson Volquez allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in 3.2 innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 11-4 on Thursday. Volquez struck out three, ending the game with a 7.04 ERA and 2.35 WHIP on the season.
Mar. 30 8:58 PM PT9:58 PM MT10:58 PM CT11:58 PM ET23:58 ET3:58 GMT11:58 8:58 PM MST10:58 PM EST9:58 PM CST11:28 PM VEN7:58 UAE (+1)9:58 PM CT-Edinson Volquez allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in 4.0 innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-6 on Saturday. Volquez struck out three, ending the game with a 9.00 ERA and 2.50 WHIP on the season.
2005 Tex 0 4 0 - 0 6 3 0 12.2 25 22 20 3 10 0 11 2.76 14.21
2006 Tex 1 6 0 - 0 8 8 0 33.1 52 28 27 7 17 0 15 2.07 7.29
2008 Cin 17 6 0 - 0 33 32 0 196.0 167 82 70 14 93 5 206 1.33 3.21
2009 Cin 4 2 0 - 0 9 9 0 49.2 34 25 24 6 32 0 47 1.33 4.35
2010 Cin 4 3 0 - 0 12 12 0 62.2 59 30 30 6 35 0 67 1.50 4.31
2011 Cin 5 7 0 - 0 20 20 0 108.2 106 72 69 19 65 3 104 1.57 5.71
2012 SD 11 11 0 - 0 32 32 1 182.2 160 88 84 14 105 6 174 1.45 4.14
2013 SD 9 10 0 - 0 27 27 0 142.1 168 100 95 14 69 2 116 1.67 6.01
2013 LAD 0 2 0 - 0 6 5 0 28.0 25 14 13 5 8 0 26 1.18 4.18
2013 Tot 9 12 0 - 0 33 32 0 170.1 193 114 108 19 77 2 142 1.59 5.71
2014 Pit 13 7 0 - 0 32 31 1 192.2 166 75 65 17 71 6 140 1.23 3.04
2015 KC 13 9 0 - 0 34 33 1 200.1 190 89 79 16 72 1 155 1.31 3.55
2016 KC 10 11 0 - 0 34 34 0 189.1 217 124 113 23 76 1 139 1.55 5.37
2017 Mia 4 8 0 - 0 17 17 1 92.1 78 46 43 8 53 3 81 1.42 4.19
2019 Tex 0 0 0 - 0 2 2 0 7.2 10 6 6 2 8 0 6 2.35 7.04
Career 93 87 0 - 0 278 271 4 1532.1 1491 819 755 158 729 27 1316 1.45 4.43
2008 Cin 33 61 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 31 0 0 .098 .098 .098
2009 Cin 9 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 .063 .063 .063
2010 Cin 12 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 0 .118 .167 .118
2012 SD 32 56 2 4 1 0 0 1 1 29 0 0 .071 .088 .089
2013 LAD 6 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 .125 .125 .125
2013 Tot 33 42 4 5 1 0 1 4 1 23 0 0 .119 .140 .214
2014 Pit 32 53 3 2 0 0 0 2 3 27 0 0 .038 .089 .038
2015 KC 34 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2017 Mia 17 26 0 5 0 0 0 1 1 11 0 0 .192 .214 .192
Career 278 308 15 28 2 0 1 9 8 156 0 0 .091 .114 .107
2010 Cin Total 0 1 0 - 0 1 1 0 1.2 4 4 4 0 2 0 0 21.60
LDS 0 1 0 - 0 1 1 0 1.2 4 4 4 0 2 0 0 21.60
2014 Pit Total 0 1 0 - 0 1 1 0 5.0 5 5 5 1 3 0 3 9.00
WC 0 1 0 - 0 1 1 0 5.0 5 5 5 1 3 0 3 9.00
2015 KC Total 1 2 0 - 0 5 5 0 28.2 18 13 12 3 18 2 23 3.77
LCS 1 1 0 - 0 2 2 0 11.0 5 5 5 1 8 0 7 4.09
WS 0 0 0 - 0 2 2 0 12.0 8 5 4 2 6 1 8 3.00
Career 1 4 0 - 0 7 7 0 35.1 27 22 21 4 23 2 26 5.35
2014 Pit Total 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
WC 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2015 KC Total 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500
WS 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500
Career 7 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333 .333 .333
Fastball 82 94 89 92 50.31
Curveball 28 83 75 79.9 17.18
Changeup 53 85 79 81.5 32.52
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Agriculture Policy Experts Hope 2012 Farm Bill Maintains Sustainable Course Amid Budget Cuts
September 26, 2011 | Jon Christian
Congressional subcommittees are now working on the legislation which will set agricultural policy for the next half decade – and they are doing so under unprecedented public scrutiny of federal spending. Sustainable agriculture advocates and policy experts hope that lawmakers will seize the opportunity to push the long-term local farming and food security agendas, but in the current fiscal climate they remain realistic.
The Farm Bill is an omnibus package of legislation, passed approximately every five years, which regulates the United States’ agricultural policy. It typically affects farm and ranch subsidies, rural development, and research, and also funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps to eligible individuals. And this year, perhaps more than ever, there is an elevated public consciousness about the importance of the farm bill in setting conservation and sustainable agriculture policy.
“We’ve found from our members that there’s an unprecedented level of interest around food and farm issues,” said Kathy Mulvey, director of policy at the Community Food Security Coalition. “And people are really recognizing that the farm bill is a major piece of legislation that affects agricultural development and development in rural communities.”
However, lawmakers will construct the bill under the shadow of increasing concern about the national debt. Agricultural spending is one of many areas that lawmakers are now eying for budget cuts, newly wary of the attention voters are paying to fiscal policy following the debt ceiling crisis this summer.
“We need to come up with a way to save dollars overall, and also to transfer dollars from lower value things like direct funding to things like rural development and environmental conservation and protection,” said Ferd Hoefner, policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “Those have always been the shortchanged issues in the farm bill.”
In a recent column in The Hill, former secretary of Agriculture and Kansas representative Dan Glickman emphasized the need for continued research into sustainable practices and resource conservation in the face of growing shortages and climate stress.
“Sound research is essential to helping us feed a growing world and increasing yields of staple crops without placing stress on the environment,” Glickman wrote.
“The writing’s on the wall, that agricultural research is unlikely to see appropriations this cycle,” Hoefner said. “Relative to almost any other scientific field that the government funds–like energy, drugs, and the National Institutes of Health–the amount of money they put into agriculture is low.”
Key during this legislative session, he believes, will be to hold onto farm bill funding for conservation and sustainability research established in 2008–which includes moderate funding for organic, biomass and specialty crop research totaling over $400 million since the bill was passed.
“There has been funding in the current farm bill cycle, mandatory money for research, especially on specialty crops and organic funding,” Hoefner said. “We want to see all those programs continued. But that’s part of the big discussion going on right now. At least the funding that currently exists should be continued.”
Although farm and ranch subsidy programs are likely to be renewed, there is growing dissatisfaction among experts with their structural effects on sustainable and community agriculture.
“Our position has always been that there is no place for direct payment farm subsidies,” Hoefner said. “But we’re heartened by the fact that we used to be alone in that position, and now we have significant support.”
Mulvey agrees.
“Generally speaking, subsidies are not favorable to community and sustainable food systems,” she said.
Rather, she argues, a best-case scenario farm bill would build bridges between farms and their communities–for example, by connecting food stamp recipients to local food networks as a health initiative. Most crucially, she believes, Congress needs to take a broad and long-term approach to food security and the environment.
“There’s a lot that could be done to put together evidence that will show what direction our food system ought to be developing in,” she said.
In farm bill policy and more generally, the Community Food Security Coalition supports comprehensive reinvestment and rebuilding of the infrastructure of local and regional food systems, according to Mulvey. If nothing else, this legislative session is a chance to maintain and build on existing sustainability measures in the 2008 Farm Bill.
“If we can bring that work to the next level, that will have a real effect on food and nutrition, on the global economy and on putting local farmers and ranchers on the road to success.” Mulvey said. “There’s increased demand for local food, and new avenues are under development–but people are running into real barriers with the consolidated food system that we have.”
The 2012 farm bill will be the eleventh multiyear farm legislation package since 1965.
South Dakota State Extension Increases Use of Online iGrow Platform to Provide Info to Farmers
NMSU Ag Extension Service and Engineering Students Demo Alt Energy Option for Farmers
Food Securitylocal food systemsSustainable Ag News and Informationsustainable agriculture news
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Sixth-grader in Utah brings gun to school to avoid Connecticut-style attack, district spokesman says
Tuesday Dec 18, 2012 12:52 PM
A Utah boy claimed he brought a gun to school for protection after the Connecticut massacre, but his classmates say he threatened them. KSL's Andrew Wittenberg reports.
A sixth-grade student in Utah is in police custody after he was accused of bringing a gun to school Monday, reportedly claiming he wanted to protect himself in the event of a school shooting.
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The 11-year-old is a student at West Kearns Elementary School, in Kearns, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and brought the .22-caliber handgun to school in his backpack, Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley told NBC News.
The boy, whose name has not been released because he is a juvenile, indicated that he wanted to defend himself if there was an incident similar to what happened in Newtown, Conn. Last Friday, 20 students, ages 6 and 7, and six school staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School were killed when a gunman burst into the school and opened fire before fatally shooting himself. The gunman had killed his mother earlier that day.
“Obviously that’s not the correct approach,” Horlsey said of the 11-year-old's action. “We teach these kids on a regular basis that they have a responsibility to keep their school safe.”
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Some witnesses have said they saw the boy brandish the gun on the playground and point it at another child's head. Other reports said the boy verbally threatened another student with the gun. Police have not yet been able to confirm these accounts, Horsley said, noting that it's sometimes difficult to sort out the facts when all the witnesses are children.
Horsley said two of the boy's classmates complained to a teacher at about 3 p.m. MST, about 45 minutes before the end of the school day. The teacher immediately secured the boy and took him to the principal's office. It was the principal who retrieved the boy's backpack from his classroom and contacted Granite School District police. Police were able to find the weapon and secured the situation in three to five minutes, Horsley said.
The boy also had ammunition, although the gun was not loaded and it was not immediately clear whether the bullets were the appropriate ammunition for the gun, Horsley said.
The student was charged with one count of possession of a dangerous weapon on school property and three charges of aggravated assault, which is a third-degree felony, involving the alleged waving of the weapon at other students in a threatening manner.
Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com
Horsley said the student obtained the gun at home from an extended family member who moved out of the family’s house last week.
Previous reports indicated that the student claimed his parents told him to bring the gun to school for protection. Horsley said those claims are not accurate and said the parents have been "very cooperative.”
Horsley said the student is likely to face severe criminal penalties, adding that he was suspended from the school and will not be let back into the traditional school setting ever. “We have a variety of alternative placements for kids who violate school safety policies,” Horsley said.
No one was injured in the incident, and the school was not placed on lockdown, school administrators said, because the situation was resolved immediately, and, more importantly, they feared startling students.
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Man says he fired 50 times at Calif. mall parking lot to relieve stress
Paula Broadwell won't face charges of cyberstalking Petraeus
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An E-Commerce Quandry
By Karrie Wichtman
Underlying all e-commerce is the question: Where does the transaction take place? The location of the transaction is significant because it helps determine the legal authority with jurisdiction over the transaction. The location of the transaction—i.e., the jurisdiction—is especially relevant with tribal e-commerce as tribes search for ways to engage in e-commerce without sacrificing sovereignty.
Courts and lawyers have battled over the location of a transaction for well over 200 years—online e-commerce has cast the question in a new light. Over the past 20 years courts have created different methods to shoehorn e-commerce transactions into antiquated legal maxims. However, the courts cannot keep pace with the speed of technology and the question over where the transaction occurs remains problematic.
Tribal e-commerce suffered a significant setback with a recent federal court decision in California. For the past two years, the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel has battled with California and the United States over Desert Rose Bingo—Iipay’s server-based online bingo game. While Iipay’s computer servers are located on Iipay’s reservation, the bingo game is offered to off-reservation California residents that are over 18.
California alleged that, under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Iipay’s game was Class III and was offered to off-reservation players, which violated both Iiapay’s compact and California law. The United States argued that the game violated the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
The United States District Court sided with the United States and enjoined Iipay finding that the off-reservation gaming activity was illegal in California and that illegality was consequently a violation of UIGEA.
By finding that the players’ off-reservation conduct determined the location of the gaming activity despite the on-reservation location of the gaming servers, the court struck a blow to tribes interested in online gaming, but more significantly, may have struck a blow to tribal e-commerce.
Many tribal e-commerce models are structured to ensure the last act in an e-commerce transaction occurs on Indian land. Tribes house their computer hardware and personnel on-reservation, which directs consumers towards on-reservation activity. While consumers may be on-or-off reservation, the e-commerce transaction is consummated by the tribe’s on-reservation acceptance completing the last step of the transaction.
The Iipay decision is significant in that it is the first direct analysis and holding contemplating how off-reservation players’ conduct is sufficient to place the location of the transaction—i.e., gambling—at the player’s location regardless of the on-reservation computer infrastructure. The decision poses a very significant setback for tribes interested in online gaming. But more importantly, while the decision is in the gaming context, there is a direct comparison between the player’s off-reservation gaming activity and an e-commerce customer’s off-reservation activity.
Unless the court’s decision is ultimately overturned, tribes engaged in e-commerce will have to stave off efforts to use the court’s decision as controlling or persuasive authority to convince other courts that off-reservation conduct is sufficient to locate an e-commerce transaction within a state’s jurisdiction. This attack on tribal e-commerce will be especially problematic in state courts where tribal sovereignty issues are uncommon and tribes are disrespected.
Tribes active in e-commerce had begun to sway the courts to respect on-reservation activity and allow a sovereign immunity defense for attacks against tribes’ e-commerce activities. The Iipay decision is a setback to the tribes’ collective effort to ensure that the location of the transaction occurs on-reservation within the tribes’ sovereign jurisdiction.
Tribes engaged in non-gaming e-commerce activities should be able to distinguish their businesses from the online bingo activity here, because gambling requires the convergence of chance, consideration and prize—much different from an offer, consideration and acceptance under contract law, where the acceptance occurs on a tribe’s reservation. ♦
The Problem of Dual-Taxation in Indian Country: The Billion Dollar Tax Weevil
One Story of the Heritage of Native Banks
Tribal Sovereignty and Sovereign Immunity For Effective Tribal Enterprises
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In December 1900 a handful of mourners passed down Sandy Row, a simple funeral cortege of an old man who had died in poor circumstances in a Belfast garret. Few observers would have realised that this was the final journey of Vere Foster (1819 -1900), one of the most remarkable and unifying figures in the history of Victorian Ireland.
Born in Copenhagen into a privileged anglo-irish landed family with estates in both England and Ireland, Foster began his career as a British Diplomat in Rio de Janiero. He visited Ireland during the Great Famine of 1847 and was so moved by the poverty and hunger he encountered that he determined to devote his life to the social betterment of the Irish poor
Foster personally travelled with fleeing emigrants on the dreaded "coffin ships" - unseaworthy vessels where passengeres were abused and exploited - and his evidence to Parliament shocked MPs and helped secure much needed reforms.
Vere Foster used his vast personal wealth to pay the fares of 25 000 emigrants and sought to secure for them work and accommodation in the New World. His efforts convinced him of the urgent need to raise educational standards in Victorian Ireland. He paid for the building and equipping of schools, both catholic and protestant, designing his own Vere Foster Copy Books to improve literacy among the poor. Printed in Belfast, his Copy Books remained in use until the 1950s.
In 1870, he moved to Belfast, living in humble circumstances in an attic at 115 Great Victoria Street not far from the Sandy Row Medical Centre.
Vere Foster was also a founder of the RVH. THis selfless and generous man died on December 21st 1900 and there was scarcely a dozen people at his funeral to the City Cemetary on teh Falls Road. Vere Foster was a remarkable man - a social reformer whose life was a "record of unselfish devotion to humanity". He is a unifying symbol for society and will be remembered in the name of your Medical Centre.
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BODY PULLED FROM LAKE
A body was pulled from Crystal Lake in Burnsville on Tuesday. According to the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, it was that of a 40-year-old Iowa man whose death has been ruled a drowning… Andrew Lee Little. Little’s body was discovered floating in the water near the public beach. Although foul play is not suspected, investigators would like to speak with anyone who may have interacted with Little at Crystal Lake Beach on Saturday. Anyone with information can call the sheriff’s office at 651-438-4729.
Sep. 20, 2018 at 11:18 am
MINNESOTA COUPLE HIT WITH FELONY TAX CHARGES
The Minnesota Department of Revenue announced that Timothy O’Brien and Sharon O’Brien, both of Inver Grove Heights, have been charged with eight tax-related felonies each. They are each charged with four counts of failing to file individual income tax returns and four counts of failing to pay individual income taxes. Investigators determined that the couple willfully evaded filing state individual income tax returns and failed to pay income tax for tax years 2013 through 2016, despite the fact that the tax department sent more than 35 notices to the couple over several years regarding their unfiled returns and unpaid taxes.Each tax-related felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
111th Annual Gala Planned
Everyone is invited to attend the 111th Annual Celebration Gala, presented by the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce… Tuesday, September 25th, beginning at 5:30pm at the Hampton Inn and Suites. The Presenting Sponsor is Paul Bunan Communications. Major sponsors include Bemidji State University, 1st National Bank Bemidji, Sanford Health, and Sanford Center. Tickets are $30 per person… a table of 8 is $225. For tickets, you can email deb@bemidji.org. For more information, call the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce at 218-444-3541 or visit www.bemidji.org.
Delinquent Tax List Released
The Minnesota Department of Revenue has updated its online posting of Minnesota businesses prohibited from purchasing liquor, beer or wine to resell. The department updates the list each month to reflect companies that have failed to pay taxes to the state. Distributors are prohibited from the sale or delivery to the listed businesses. To view the list, visit www.revenue.state.mn.us/businesses
RED LAKE ROAD AWARD
The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians was one of the top recipients of the Minnesota State Government Innovation Awards for 2018. The award was for the Construction and Collaboration of the Red Lake Nation and Minnesota Department of Transportation to construct the Redby Bridge and the Highway #1 West Bridges. The road and bridges involved in this project serve residents of the Red Lake Indian Nation, on a remote stretch of Highway 1 is a crucial link in the transportation network in northwestern Minnesota.
TEAMSTERS PICKET
Teamsters picket a downtown Minneapolis hotel today as the Center of the American Experiment highlights the U-S Supreme Court decision prohibiting government employee unions from collecting so-called “fair share” dues from those who don’t want to join the union. Featured speakers include Mark Janus, one of the plaintiffs in that high-profile case. …
http://blogaudio.virtualnewscenter.com/WBJI-091718-JANUS-UNIONS.mp3
BUS DRIVERS URGENTLY NEEDED
With just one week under their belt so far, the Bemidji Area Schools’ transportation department says they haven’t had to cancel an after-school activities bus or a daily route, but they do still need drivers.
The school district maintains about 80 daily routes, and that can put a strain on the 85 drivers, requiring some office staff or fleet mechanics to sometimes step in to drive a route themselves. They still need at least 10 additional drivers.The district offers training.
MINNESOTA IS A HAPPY PLACE!
Happiness comes from a combination of internal and external factors. One thing that doesn’t drive happiness is money. Happiness only increases with wealth up to an annual income of $75,000. But one thing that can have a big influence on how we feel about life is where we choose to live. In a recent study, WalletHub examined the 50 states across 31 key metrics, ranging from depression rate to sports participation rate to income growth. The study shows Minnesota coming in near the top in happiness… at number three! The happiest state turned out to be Hawaii. Utah came in at number two. At the bottom of the happiness scale… and the most unhappy state in the nation… West Virginia.
MAN HIT BY TRAIN
A 59-year-old man was seriously injured when he was hit by a train near the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bemidji. Bemidji Police say it happened Saturday around 2:15 p.m. at the railroad crossing at the Lake Irving Access Loop. The man was treated at the scene, and then rushed by ambulance to the Bemidji Sanford Medical Cente. There has been no update on his condition. The accident remains under investigation.
Heather Horn Found Following Search
According to a news release by Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch, a missing person has been found. 42 year old Heather Horn of Cass Lake, was reported missing, but she has since been located and the public’s assistance is no longer needed with the investigation. No other details have been released surrounding the case.
Sep. 4, 2018 at 8:50 am
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In Featured News by Wireless Estimator July 8, 2019
In its lawsuit, Crown Castle is alleging that the Town of Hempstead, N.Y. doesn’t have the right to rip down 152 of the company’s nodes beginning July 6, 2019, and is asking for an injunction
Crown Castle filed an action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the Town of Hempstead on June 28, 2019, after officials terminated a license agreement and demanded that Crown Castle remove all of its 152 facilities from the town’s rights-of-way (ROW).
Crown is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Hempstead’s threat that if Crown didn’t remove the structures by July 6, 2019, that the town would remove them. In a July 2, 2019 court order, the town was given until July 17 to identify why they should not be prevented from removing Crown Castle’s equipment..
In its filing, Crown said that it was granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) by the New York Public Service Commission and it has a license agreement to construct and deploy small cell nodes within the town’s ROW.
Crown’s current customers include Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.
The town sent Crown a termination letter on May 29, 2019 informing them that the nodes shall be removed, otherwise “the Town shall perform or cause to be performed all reasonable and necessary work to remove said Equipment and to charge Crown Castle NG East LLC for the cost incurred by the Town to remove the Equipment.”
The town’s license agreement states that it may be terminated “by either party upon forty-five (45) days’ prior written notice and cure period to the other party upon a default by the other party.”
Crown said the town, the 16th largest population in the country with over 768,000 residents, never notified it of any alleged default.
The agreement of July 7, 2009, was for 10 years to be automatically renewed for three consecutive five-year terms. Crown alleges that the town did not issue a non-renewal notice and therefore the agreement was automatically renewed.
Crown said despite repeated attempts to negotiate the terms of a new agreement, the town has been unresponsive and unwilling to do so.
Crown claims that the town is using the termination as a pretext to negotiate a new license agreement with more favorable terms for the town.
“By preventing Crown Castle from operating, maintaining, or modifying its existing Facilities; completing its work to make Sprint’s nodes operational; and installing future Facilities in the Town ROW, Verizon Wireless’s, T-Mobile’s, and Sprint’s current and future customers, as well as the public at large, are significantly harmed by the Town’s unlawful conduct,” Crown said in its complaint.
Crown said that the town has breached their agreement and is also in violation of the FCC’s Declaratory Ruling and Third Report and Order.
The lawsuit says Crown, its customers, and the public-at-large will suffer “irreparable harm” if the injunction isn’t granted.
Crown and the town are no strangers to the U.S. Eastern District Court. In 2017, Crown brought suit against the town for alleged violations of the FCC’s shot clock requirements. A motion by Crown for summary judgment and a cross-motion by the town were denied and those decisions are currently being appealed.
Tags: 5G, Crown Castle, FCC, Lawsuits, Small Cells
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7/30/2018 7:51:34 PM (GMT+3)
2020 Tokyo Games qualifiers starts from Doha Worlds
Doha: A total of 196 places will be up for grabs between this year and the spring of 2020, but the first places will be awarded during the 2018 FIG World Championships in Doha, which will host the mega event from October 25-November 3.
Three medal-winning countries in the team competition will also pick up four tickets each to 2020 Tokyo Games (July 24 to August 9).
The qualifying process underwent an in-depth review after the 2014 Rio Games.
There are seven gymnasts from any given country who can qualify for both the men’s and women’s competitions respectively. Yet the maximum is not seven but six in the case of those countries who earn a ticket for the team competition.
The size of the national teams has been reduced to four members, who can take part in both the team and individual events. In addition to these four team members, each country can earn up to two additional places for the individual competition only.
The 2019 Worlds in Stuttgart, Germany (October 4-13) will be the next opportunities for the hopefuls -- nine remaining team places will be awarded along with 12 places for men and 20 for women, which will be decided by the rankings in the All-Around competition. Additionally, the three top gymnasts in each apparatus final in Stuttgart, excluding those from qualified teams, will also book their Olympic ticket.
Meanwhile, the specialists will have another opportunity with the Apparatus World Cup series between November this year and March, 2020.
The four women's and six men's winners on each apparatus - a ranking decided by taking the best three results of each participant in the series - will be Tokyo-bound (on the condition that these gymnasts have not participated in the qualification of their team).
There will be the possibility of gaining extra individual places for the competing countries via the 2020 All-Around World Cup series -- these will be available to the top three countries in this four-stage series running in March and April of that year.
The final qualifying opportunity will come at the continental championships in spring 2020 when there will be two individual places at stake for each of Africa, America, Europe and Asia and one place for Oceania.
Qatar delegation make strong presentation at FIG Council Meeting
Chow's appointment will boost Chinese women's team
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Mars makes bold food label move, but people may not do what it says on the tin
April 22, 2016 6.21am EDT
Rachel Norman, University of Stirling
Rachel Norman
Chair of Food Security and Sustainability, University of Stirling
Rachel Norman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
University of Stirling provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.
Quinoa, obviously. Roey Ahram, CC BY-SA
The move by food group Mars to introduce a worldwide labelling scheme that categorises its products as “occasional” and “everyday” based on their sugar, salt and fat content, is both unusual and potentially risky. The American company is behind products including Uncle Ben’s rice and Dolmio pasta sauces, though the chocolate ranges it is also known for aren’t part of this new initiative.
The plan to label around 5% of the Mars mealtime products as “occasional” may mean the public will perceive them to be unhealthy where they didn’t before. This could harm sales of certain Dolmio savoury sauces, for example, even though they are by no means the least healthy on the market.
Though Mars says it will reformulate the “occasional” products to make them healthier, I cannot think of another example of a company voluntarily introducing a labelling system that has the potential to reduce sales like this. Existing product labels are either the result of government diktat, such as cigarette health warnings or the UK’s nutritional traffic-light packaging – or they are used to advertise a positive quality, such as welfare standards for meat or fish.
This being the case, how big a risk is Mars really taking here? Do people pay attention to the labelling on packaging? And will they trust or respond to Mars’s new system more than any other food labels?
What the surveys say …
The jury is still out, is the short answer. In the UK, the market-research group Mintel reported in 2013 that only 49% of consumers trusted manufacturers to provide safe food; while DJS Research in 2015 found that 47% of UK consumers wanted companies to put more information on food packaging. Another 44% said they would trust manufacturers more if they supplied more information.
This may be at odds with a worldwide survey of consumers by the Nielsen agency in 2012, which found that 80% see assertions on labels as sometimes or never believable.
An American survey of 1,500 people by the advertising agency Sullivan, Higdon and Sink pointed to some moderately better news for Mars. It found that Americans’ trust in food manufacturers’ transparency about how they made their products had climbed from 17% in 2012 to 34% in 2015 – albeit this still meant the majority of people didn’t trust them.
A survey of more than 2,000 Americans in 2015 by the industry-funded Center for Food Integrity, meanwhile, reported an inverse relationship between the size of a commercial farm and the extent to which consumers think they have values in common. The bigger the farm, in other words, the more people perceive it to be putting profits ahead of consumer interests. It seems likely that the same would apply to food manufacturers.
Saucey. Mars Food
Enough already?
Another issue is whether Mars’s proposal to categorise products as “occasional” or “everyday” is precise or clear enough. The company suggests that “occasional” means you should only eat it once a week. But do people follow this kind of broad-brush messaging?
And breathe out … Nuttapong
The UK government’s “five-a-day” message about fruit and vegetables is not followed by two-thirds of the UK population. A message that can be tested over a longer period is cigarette packaging warnings, which date back to the 1970s, though these came at the same time as other anti-smoking initiatives. One survey of consumers in the UK, US, Canada and Australia by International Tobacco Control in 2005 found that people who noticed the warnings were more likely to believe they were true. Yet after decades of warnings, most smokers were still not fully informed about the risks of smoking.
As far as Mars is concerned, there is also the question of how the “occasional” message is interpreted. It will be interesting to see whether it is taken to mean, “eat once a week or less”, which is the spirit of the message, or “I can eat this every week”.
Past consumer surveys suggest Mars may not be trusted due to its size, albeit its attempt at transparency might act in its favour. It is possible that the messages will prompt consumers to eat more healthily, but don’t be surprised if most carry on regardless. No doubt Mars’s rivals will be watching with interest to see what happens. As for the Mars Bar, it has stayed mostly out of the limelight since the initiative was announced. Whether this can continue, time will tell. Where once the company told us that “a Mars a day helps you work, rest and play”, there now seems to be a strong argument for moving the flagship chocolate bar into the “occasional” category.
Traffic light system
health warning
Voting with their feet: many supermarkets already stock goods with GMO labeling, which a House bill would stop. Jason Redmond/Reuters
Study: GM food labels do not act as a warning to consumers
Unclear and sometimes misleading country-of-origin labelling in Australia is a source of confusion for consumers. Diego Sevilla Ruiz/Flickr
For safety’s sake, make food labels say what companies already know
Consumers prefer labelling on the front packaging of pre-packaged foods to help them make informed and healthy choices. Reuters/Brendan McDermid
Why greater transparency on food packaging should get the green light
The proposed star rating system is inferior to the traffic light food labeling system. Health Gauge/Flickr
Industry winning the fight against better food labelling
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MLK Day: Meet 9 lesser known women behind the civil rights era’s biggest achievements
By Alison Durkee, Mic
Jan. 16 marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day honoring the legacy and achievements of one of the foremost leaders from the civil rights movement.
But while male leaders like King and Malcolm X are renowned for their contributions to the influential movement, the role women played in the civil rights struggle goes largely unnoticed. Americans may know the names of Rosa Parks or Coretta Scott King, but the numerous other women who played key roles in the fight for equal rights are too often wiped from the history books.
“There’s a Chinese saying, ‘Women hold up half the world,”‘ the late civil rights historian and NAACP chair Julian Bond told NBC News in 2005. “In the case of the civil rights movement it’s probably three-quarters of the world.”
Here are just nine of the lesser-known women who made indelible contributions to the civil rights era:
Dorothy Height
Source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Described by President Barack Obama as “the godmother of the civil rights movement” upon her death in 2010, Dorothy Height served as the president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, making her, the Washington Post notes, “arguably the most influential woman at the top levels of civil rights leadership.”
During the civil rights era, Height coordinated on strategy with King and other civil rights leaders, the Post reports. Programs spearheaded by Height in her role at the NCNW included providing support to students who interrupted their studies to do activist work and “Wednesdays in Mississippi,” in which interracial groups of women traveled weekly to Mississippi to foster communication and encourage black voter registration.
In addition to her civil rights work, Height was also a tireless champion of women’s rights. “Dorothy Height deserves credit for helping black women understand that you had to be feminist at the same time you were African … that you had to play more than one role in the empowerment of black people,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said, as quoted in the Post.
“At every major effort for social progressive change, Dorothy Height has been there,” Rep. John Lewis said in 1997, the Post reports.
Ella Baker
Source: Jack Harris/AP
After serving as the director of branches for the NAACP, Ella Baker went on to play a key role in the civil rights movement by helping to organize both the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by King, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which went on to become one of the foremost advocates for human rights in the country.
“Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s son,” Baker said. “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.”
Amelia Boynton Robinson
Source: Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Amelia Boynton Robinson played a key role at the iconic Selma march, including helping to persuade King to focus his efforts on the city. During the influential march, which was nicknamed Bloody Sunday, Boynton Robinson was knocked unconscious and hospitalized. Her plight was immortalized in a famous photo from the demonstration.
In addition to her work in the Selma march, Boynton also holds the distinction of being both the first African-American and first woman to run as a Democratic congressional candidate in Alabama. She ran in 1964, prior to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, and earned 11% of the vote.
Jo Ann Robinson
While many remember Rosa Parks’ contribution to the Montgomery bus boycott, many don’t realize Jo Ann Robinson was the most instrumental woman in its success. Following Parks’ arrest in 1955, Robinson printed out and helped distribute 35,000 flyers encouraging a boycott of the Montgomery buses, and later worked with King and other local leaders to form the Montgomery Improvement Association.
The influential bus boycott, civil rights activists note, went far beyond Parks’ desire to sit down. The bus boycott, Ruby Nell Sales told the Library of Congress, “was a rebellion of maids, a rebellion of working class women, who were tired of boarding the buses in Montgomery, the public space, and being assaulted and called out of there names and abused by white bus drivers. And that’s why that Movement could hold so long. If it had just been merely a protest about riding the bus, it might have shattered. But it went to the very heart of black womanhood, and black women played a major role in sustaining that movement.”
Diane Nash
Diane Nash with, left to right, Walter Bradford, Bernard Lee and Charles Percy, the chairman of the platform committee of the Republican Party, 1960.
Source: Anonymous/AP
A founding member of the SNCC, Diane Nash served as a student leader of the sit-in movement in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the sit-ins, Nash played a key role in organizing Freedom Rides across the Deep South and later went on to help King as an organizer and strategist for the SCLC.
“It was clear to me that if we allowed the Freedom Ride to stop at that point, just after so much violence had been inflicted, the message would have been sent that all you have to do to stop a nonviolent campaign is inflict massive violence,” Nash said about riots and bus burnings in response to Freedom Rides in the PBS documentary Freedom Riders.
Fannie Lou Hamer
Source: William J. Smith/AP
Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer worked with the SNCC and served as one of the founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. The party was founded in 1964 in opposition to the all-white delegation the Mississippi Democrats had put forth. At the Democratic Party convention in 1964, Hamer delivered an impassioned speech for why the MFDC should be recognized.
“Is this America?” Hamer asked in the speech. “The land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?”
Septima Poinsette Clark
Dubbed the “mother of the movement” by King, Septima Clark was a tireless champion of education. After working as a teacher for 40 years, only to be fired for refusing to resign from the NAACP, Clark began conducting workshops at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, teaching literacy and how to fill out voter registration forms and educating students on their rights and duties as American citizens. Clark then went on to become the SCLC’s director of education, and the organization established the Citizenship Education Program based on her workshops.
Daisy Bates
As president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP, Daisy Bates championed racial equality and integration in the state. Bates played a key role in helping nine African-American students become the first to integrate into an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The fight for integration for the students, who were known as the “Little Rock Nine,” attracted national attention and the support of the federal government, and Bates’ home became the integration battle’s headquarters.
“Daisy Bates was the poster child of black resistance. She was a quarterback, the coach. We were the players,” Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, told NPR.
Pauli Murray
Source: Frank C. Curtin/AP
Lawyer Pauli Murray is a little-known trailblazer in the civil rights era. Murray, a queer woman who was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus 15 years before Rosa Parks, championed civil rights after earning her law degree from the University of California Boalt School of Law. Her book, States’ Laws on Race and Color, was used by NAACP leader Thurgood Marshall in the organization’s legal strategy on Brown v. the Board of Education, and Marshall referred to Murray’s book as “the Bible for civil rights lawyers.”
In addition to her legal contributions, Murray also co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966 and became the first African-American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. She became an Episcopal saint in 2012.
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The triple weight of being Black, American, and a woman
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Black America vows to follow whites to terrorize them
It's on a day like today, when the events of the past 22 months point to an incredibly unsettling truth, that any good will you had toward the United States of America fades away.
Yes, black people in Memphis, Tennessee believe they built this pyramid too
It's on a day like today that you look at a document, the US Constitution - revered by so many for reasons not so discernible anymore - and realize we now live under a tyranny far worse then any King George III could ever have created.
And that tyranny is all enforced in the name of the US Constitution.
What might I be referring too? [Suburbs study options after schools defeat:It's 'simply a delay, not a defeat', Memphis Commercial Appeal, 11-27-12]:
Suburban Shelby County residents had been preparing for swearing-in ceremonies for the municipal school board members they elected Nov. 6, but late Tuesday officials from Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington had dropped those plans and were reassessing their options.
After months of challenges, court proceedings and three days of mediation last week failed to reach an accord between the outlying cities and county commission, city council and city of Memphis over municipal schools, U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel "Hardy" Mays ruled legislation allowing the suburbs to pursue municipal schools this year is unconstitutional.
Mays' ruling means that, for now, the suburbs' plans for starting their school systems in August 2013 are on hold. That includes August referendums where suburban voters overwhelmingly approved establishing the systems, and the Nov. 6 elections of school boards in each of the respective suburbs.
Why might the suburbs of Memphis be starting their own school district? Because back in 2011, the black voters in Memphis decided to dissolve the city school system and merge it with the county. Here's more on the fight that makes perfectly clear the racial aspects of the situation [Memphis Schools Push For Merger With Wealthier, Whiter District, Newsone.com, 2-22-2011]:
A bold bid by the struggling, majority-black Memphis City Schools system to force a merger with the majority-white, successful suburban district has fanned relatively routine fears over funding and student performance into accusations of full-blown racism.
The fight over the fate of 150,000 public school students has stirred long-festering emotions in Memphis and surrounding Shelby County, creating a drama that has spread beyond school board meetings to union rallies, the state Legislature and federal court.
The spark for the schools consolidation fight began smoldering on Election Day last November, when Republicans took control of the state Legislature and saw Republican Bill Haslam win the governor’s race. Shelby County’s Republican politicians finally saw their chance to forever block a merger by securing special school district status.
The special status would draw a boundary around the Shelby County school district, protecting its autonomy and tax base – and, according to Jones, taking $100 million a year from the already underfunded Memphis schools system.
“We’re already a divided community in terms of racial polarization,” said Tom Word, who is white and a parent of three children in Memphis public schools. “That would further exacerbate that division.”
Memphis school board member Martavius Jones launched the charter surrender effort to get out in front of any effort by Shelby County to fence off its schools from the city.
Memphis schools began integrating in 1961 without the violence other Southern cities endured. White parents instead left the city for the suburbs or put their children in private schools, effectively re-segregating education into a mostly black city system and a largely white suburban system.
The 2010-2011 budget for Memphis City Schools is about $890 million to cover 103,000 students, 85 percent of whom are black. For the 47,000-student Shelby County system, which is 38 percent black, it’s more than $363 million.
The New York Times noted on November 5, 2012, race is at the center of the looming war to create a new municipal school board that would be deemed "unconstitutional" on November 27 [Merger of Memphis and County School Districts Revives Race and Class Challenges]:
When thousands of white students abandoned the Memphis schools 38 years ago rather than attend classes with blacks under a desegregation plan fueled by busing, Joseph A. Clayton went with them. He quit his job as a public school principal to head an all-white private school and later won election to the board of the mostly white suburban district next door.
Now, as the overwhelmingly black Memphis school district is being dissolved into the majority-white Shelby County schools, Mr. Clayton is on the new combined 23-member school board overseeing the marriage. And he warns that the pattern of white flight could repeat itself, with the suburban towns trying to secede and start their own districts.
“There’s the same element of fear,” said Mr. Clayton, 79. “In the 1970s, it was a physical, personal fear. Today the fear is about the academic decline of the Shelby schools.”
“As far as racial trust goes,” Mr. Clayton, who is white, added, “I don’t think we’ve improved much since the 1970s.”
The merger — a result of actions by the Memphis school board and City Council, a March referendum and a federal court order — is the largest school district consolidation in American history and poses huge logistical challenges. Memphis teachers are unionized, Shelby County’s are not; the county owns its yellow buses, the city relies on a contractor; and the two districts use different textbooks and different systems to evaluate teachers.
Toughest of all may be bridging the chasms of race and class. Median family income in Memphis is $32,000 a year, compared with the suburban average of $92,000; 85 percent of students in Memphis are black, compared with 38 percent in Shelby County.
But Kenya Bradshaw, who was recently elected secretary of a separate 21-member commission set up to recommend policies for combining the new districts, sees the merger as a chance for Memphis “to re-envision its educational system.”
“I hope people can see that this is an opportunity to reflect on our history and not make the same mistakes,” said Ms. Bradshaw, an advocate for educational equity, who is black. “If people are leaving for reasons that they don’t want their children to be around children of color or children who are poor, then I say to them, ‘I bid you farewell.’ ”
Though race has become the elephant in the room, the process actually began last winter as a struggle over finances.
Shelby County includes Memphis and six incorporated suburbs to its north and east. Tax money from the entire county is distributed to the two districts based on student population. Memphis, with 103,000 students, compared with 47,000 in the county, gets more of the money, though the suburbs contribute more per capita.
Fearing that suburban politicians and Tennessee’s Republican-dominated legislature might alter this arrangement to allow more tax money to stay in the suburbs, Memphis voted in December to surrender the school charter. Multiple lawsuits ensued, and a federal judge ruled on Sept. 28 that the two districts would be governed by a unified board but would run separately for two years, and then would combine in 2013.
Actually, the financial aspect of this story is about race too; why should white taxpayers in the suburbs of Memphis have to financially support the poor life decisions of black people and subsidize their fatherless children in K-12 education? Why can't their tax dollars be used to augment their children's education in the white suburban school district?
And why would white citizens of the thriving suburbs of Memphis be concerned with having their children attend the same schools as black kids? For the very reason that in 2008, the Memphis City Council decided to step in and stop A&E from filming its popular show The First 48 in the city [Memphis police cut ties with TV's 'First 48': Show sensationalizes city violence, council says, May 12, 2008, Memphis Commercial Appeal]:
The A&E police documentary that made TV stars of local homicide detectives appears to be DOA in Memphis.
Police director Larry Godwin decided not to renew the department's deal with the company that produces "The First 48" after several City Council members voiced concerns that the show made the Bluff City look like Murder Central.
"I heard out-of-town people say Memphis was out of control," said City Council member Wanda Halbert. "We were exposing the world to the worst aspects of our city."
For more on Memphis, black crime, and the sorry state of Memphis City Schools please read: President Mein Obama visits Memphis: Will he propose the Michael Oher Act?
Memphis has high rates of crime, poverty, blight, and misery and low property values because of its high population of black people; the suburbs of Memphis have high property values and low rates of crime, poverty, and blight because of its high population of white people.
This story makes perfectly clear the role that white people, be they from the greatest generation; retirees; baby-boomers; generation x; generation y; millennial's; currently enrolled in K-12 private or public schools; newborn; in the womb; or still in the reproductive organs of a white mother or father and just a fun night or two away from being conceived... play in 2012 America and all that they're good for: providing the tax revenue so that it can be racially redistributed to allow for the proliferation of non-whites.
If you dare protest -- then that revered document, the US Constitution, will be applied as a vigorous reminder that white people have only two choices: death and taxes.
White man and white woman: know your role, and shut your mouth.
Welcome to life in Black-Run America (BRA).
Source: http://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/and-king-george-iii-was-worse.html?m=1
Posted in: Africa,Anti Zog Media,USA
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Recession: Aero Contractors Commences Suspension of Services September 1
Posted by African Examiner Aviation, Business, Featured, Latest News Wednesday, August 31st, 2016
By Niyi Adeyi
LAGOS, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Owing to the lingering lull in the country’s economy, the management of Aero Contractors Airline has announced its plan to suspend scheduled services from Thursday, September 1, 2016.
The airline Wednesday explained that the move was part of the strategic business realignment to reposition the organization and return it to profitability.
It noted that the prevailing economic recession in the country which necessitated its business decision has forced some other airlines either to suspend operations or pull out of Nigeria.
Aero which is the second largest carrier in Nigeria, explained that the airline had been buckled down with many challenges in the past six months that have impacted on its business as well as scheduled services operations.
These factors, according to Aero, are both internal and external environmental factors that have made it difficult for it to continue its scheduled services.
While describing the challenge factors as internal; external and environmental, the airline restated that it has witnessed epileptic operations and services to the external public that were caused by non-alignment of fundamental issue of the business, which in some cases, had been frustrating and embarrassing to all parties including staff, customers and all stakeholders.
The airline management also informed in order to ensure company did not suffer from challenge of short life span and to it around, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) on February 6, 2016 appointed Mr. Adeniyi Adegbomire SAN as its Receiver Manager.
However, it indicated that despite the move, the operating environment unfortunately within and outside, had hindered any possible progress, especially in the last six months when the naira depreciated against the dollar thereby making it impossible for the airline to achieve its operational targets.
Aero added that with the prevailing realities and protracted engagements with all relevant stakeholders, its management strenuously reviewed and assessed options and opportunities on ensuring viability, safety and sustainability of operations during the period with a lot of sacrifices.
“The implication of the suspension of scheduled services operations extends to all staffs directly and indirectly involved in providing services as they are effectively to proceed on indefinite leave of absence during the period of non-services” said the airline.
The management however affirmed that it was aware of the impacts of its action on the staff and customers, adding that its moves were to ensure the organization “return back to operations within the shortest possible time” with reliable, safe and secure operations, which it said were the hallmark of the beleaguered airline.
Aero Contractors Fires 900 Workers
NCAA Announces Suspension Of Operations By Another Airline, The First Nation
AMCON Moves To Take Over Distressed Arik Airlines
Save us from Total Collapse, Airline Operators Beg FG
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