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SpaceUp Australia
Unconference >
Session Formats
SpaceUp
Australian Space Research Conference
Several special guests will attend the unconference to take part in its sessions. These special guests have been selected for their unique backgrounds in order to ensure that different perspectives on space research and exploration are present in the event.
Iver Cairns
Professor Cairns received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 1987. He worked at the University of Iowa (1986-1998) before taking up a prestigious 5-year Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Sydney, one of only 20 awarded over all research fields. In 2004 he was awarded a similarly competitive Australian Professorial Fellowship and in 2009 was appointed Professor in Space Physics (Teaching & Research) at University of Sydney.
Graziella Caprarelli
Dr. Graziella Caprarelli obtained her PhD in Earth Sciences in 1991 in Italy (University La Sapienza, Rome). She held two post-doctoral positions in Japan, at the Geological Survey of Japan and at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. She was a NSF research scholar at NASA Johnson Space Center in 2001-2002. She was awarded from the Australian Academy of Science a Scientific Visit to Europe Grant to carry out research at the International Research School of Planetary Science (Pescara, Italy). She is currently an Associate Professor in Space Science at the University of South Australia.
Paul Curnow
Paul Curnow (B.ED) is a council member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia and a former council member of the Field Geology Club of South Australia. He has been a lecturer at the Adelaide Planetarium since 1992 and became a lecturer for the Astronomy & Universe course (EDUC 2066) for the School of Education at the University of South Australia. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on Australian Aboriginal night sky knowledge.
Kerrie Dougherty was Curator of Space Technology at the Powerhouse Museum, during which time she developed Australia’s first major space exhibition and co-authored “Space Australia”, the first overview history of Australian space activities. Kerrie is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and serves on its History of Astronautics Committee. She is also a member of the International Austronautical Federation’s Space Education and Outreach and Space Societies and Museums Committees.
Alice Gorman
Alice Gorman is an archaeologist who specialises in the material culture of space exploration, with her particular focus being on orbital debris. Her aim is to contribute a cultural-heritage perspective to international agreements on reducing the orbital debris problem. Alice is also an Adjunct Fellow at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University and a member of the Space Industry Association of Australia and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She provides commentary on space events for The Conversation and publishes the blog Space Age Archaeology.
Bronwyn Lovell
Bronwyn Lovell is a Melbourne poet. Her poetry has been published in Best Australian Poems, Award Winning Australian Writing, the Australian Poetry Journal, Australian Love Poems, Antipodes, Cordite Poetry Review and the Global Poetry Anthology. Bronwyn has won the Adrien Abbott Poetry Prize and been shortlisted for the Newcastle, Bridport and Montreal prizes. Many of her poems have been influenced by an ongoing fascination with outer space. She is currently writing a science fiction novel in verse, inspired by the Mars One project.
Flavia Tata Nardini
Flavia Tata Nardini began her career at the European Space Agency as Propulsion Test Engineer, before she joined TNO to apply her technical knowledge to advanced space propulsion engineering projects. She has successfully completed full life-cycle development of satellites and several micro thrusters currently flying on actual space missions (Delfi Program’s CubeSats). She has written several papers on Micro Propulsion Systems and Space Debris Removal Technologies.
Tim Parsons
Tim is an aerospace PhD with 21st century strategic, brand, product management, marketing and technology skills who also helps businesses accelerate product strategy, delivery and customer engagement. A seasoned high-EQ executive, entrepreneur and consultant in lean, agile and digital tech with 20 years of experience. Most recently Tim was part of the founding team for the new Sydney-based delta-V Space 2.0 Accelerator, and is passionate about the future of Aerospace in Australia.
Tracy Smart
AIRCDRE Tracy Smart AM, BMBS, Dip Avmed, MPH, MA, FRACMA, FACASM, FAsMA, FCDSS, AFACHSM, joined the RAAF as an undergraduate in 1985. Career highlights include: Medical Officer/Senior MO at bases around Australia; exchanges with RAF, USAF; Commanding Officer, Institute of Aviation Medicine; Officer Commanding, Health Services Wing; and operational service in Rwanda, Timor Leste, Middle East and Lebanon. Promoted to AIRCDRE in 2009, she currently has responsibility for policy and research coordination, military medical advice, the Australian Army Malaria Institute and special projects in Joint Health Command.
Mark Sonter
Mark Sonter is Director of Mining and Processing at Deep Space Industries. He is an independent scientific consultant in Australian mining and metallurgical industries, with expertise in radiation management in uranium, mineral sands, and rare earths exploration, mining, and processing. His background in asteroid exploitation began as a visiting scholar at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, where he examined the technical and economic feasibility of mining near-Earth asteroids.
Wayne Short
Wayne Short has University degrees in both engineering and information technology. He grew up in Sydney in the 1960’s where as a child he was enthralled with the space exploration achievements of America and the Soviet Union in the race to first land on the moon. He is currently president of the National Space Society of Australia (NSSA) and also co-chair of the Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC).
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level up in training, kids BJJ, thoughts on Ariel Helwani’s predicament, RIP Ali & Kimbo
fight, friends, fun, trainingBy roxyfighter June 8, 2016
These past few week’s training content has been stupendous. In my private sessions with Coach John, I’m working on a few themes and REALLY being successful with them in live sparring. THAT’S SO COOL and exciting! I REALLY had fun in yesterday’s kickboxing….like legitimate fun. hat’s notable because I don’t like kickboxing and I do it because I have to. The only enjoyment I get is just being successful at something. 😀 But I liked yesterday.
I can’t tell you more because I don’t want my next opponents to read this, but I might drop a clue somewhere in this entry.
…I don’t think I was supposed to laugh so much at this music video. XD XD
I know I leveled up! I’m in fight talks at the moment but nothing is set in stone, and I REALLY WANT IT TO BE so I know how much ice cream and tostadas I can eat can try my moves out on my opponent soon! I know I have leveled up! My teammates have leveled up, too, especially Hannah and Serena, who I train with every day.
My kids class is growing! Ever since I became the lead instructor for the class ages 4-7, it’s been hard to grow the class, as I’ve said before. But yesterday I had 15 students! That’s my record!! 😀 And I have more, except some didn’t come today, so I’m so excited it looks like a nice, solid class! 😀 Yesterday we had them work on escaping from mount and most of them got it!
I like to have them bow in Judo (Japanese) style, on their hands and knees.
On a sad note, Muhammad Ali passed away this week. Honestly, I’ve never really watched him fight, but of course I know about him as much as the average person. I read his quotes all the time. I see his pictures and video clips. He has had an influence in our society and because of that….he is immortal. That’s so great. People who make a difference and are remembered are immortal. Even family members who aren’t public figures have a some immortality if we remember them when they pass on. I believe people should try to lead lives and be happy for themselves, but it’s nice when they can leave a bit of something behind that allows them to be remembered. Rest in Peace, Muhammad Ali, and know that your efforts and memories will live on forever.
Kimbo Slice also passed away. I don’t think he had quite as big an influence on society, but then again, how can you really quantify such things? Every life is part of a building block of history in some way. All life is special and sacred. It’s a shame he passed on so young and left a big family behind. :/ From what I hear, he was a kind, amazing guy. I only know him as a fighter. RIP Kimbo.
Another issue that arose last weekend and this week was MMA reporter Ariel Helwani getting booted and banned from the UFC because he broke certain news. I keep hearing this and that, like getting let go from FOX and think, poor guy, but well, he knows he’s not supposed to break news before the UFC and he’s doing it anyway, so it’s his choice and consequences.
THEN I watched his MMA hour video and learned a lot, about his history and about journalism in general. (I’ll post the video later) There’s no rule that says the reporter must run stuff by a source before making it public. There’s no rule that says he has to wait for the UFC to announce first before he reports it, and he actually referred to it in a negative way called “sitting on the news.” For me, when Invicta says, “Don’t tell anyone you’re fighting,” I can’t, or else there might be penalties such as them canceling the fight, or I dunno. But I’m under contract and I work for them. Ariel doesn’t. I hadn’t realized that. It’s kind of like, The UFC wants to be first but the info leaked? Too bad for them. If they want it top secret, they should make all fighters and everyone involved sign million dollar penalty waivers like they did for Ultimate Fighter, because Ariel found out by asking SOMEONE who felt free to talk, right? Two or more people. He said that he always confirms from various sources and different sides of the table. That’s really good.
It’s kind of like…well, they are both kind of right. I see both sides. This kind of tension just can’t be helped. shouganai, as they say in Japanese.
On the MMA hour, he shed a few tears when talking about how the UFC said his career was over, and he feels he did nothing wrong. I was really moved…. I was upset for the rest of the day and so sad for him. ;_; I read on a forum some guys making fun of him for “being a grown man crying because he couldn’t report.” Screw you guys! Everybody has a dream and a passion. If my leg got bitten off by a shark and I couldn’t do MMA anymore, I’d get hundreds of emails offering me consolation. Don’t belittle anyone’s passion, jerkfaces! ~_~; I was mad at them but didn’t feel like getting flamed by inconsiderate faceless trolls, so I held my tongue.
Let me tell you about how I met Ariel. I was living in Japan and occasionally flew back to the USA to fight. I forget where I first met him in person because it feels like I’ve known him forever. I’m GUESSING at a Strikeforce, because he typically covers large events. Maybe he would remember. I remember when, at Strikeforce in 2009 Fedor vs Rogers I fought Marloes Coenen. It was a last minute offer and I agreed to fight her at 145 lbs. I lost by arm bar in 63 seconds and was obviously devastated. ;_; Back stage he interviewed me and asked me something like, “So how does it feel to finally get on a big show and lose in front of so many people on national TV?” or something like that. I remember I could not BELIEVE he asked me such a horrible, sad question, and my answer was like, “Uh…bad?” Who was this guy? I thought.
Later on, because I’m Roxy and I don’t want to hold a grudge against anybody, I thought that he wasn’t trying to hurt my feelings, and maybe even he himself knew he could have worded it differently. It’s not easy to come up with stuff on the fly. We are all humans. He’s trying to do his job, right? So I started going out of my way to pay attention to his interviews and talk to him in later interviews and have had only positive experiences after that. LOL He’s a super nice guy and I really want him to be successful and happy. It broke my heart to hear of his troubles, and it appears that he’s un-banned now. It must not pay much to report on MMA, but he’s following his passion and that’s something to be admired, kind of like us fighters.
If ever I run into him just walking around (like at the MMA awards where I took this picture), I scream “Hi!” and run over. 🙂
edit: This is also a really interesting perspective. Seeing different perspectives is good: Joe Rogan gives his opinion, slightly different than both mine and Ariel’s.
http://www.mmawreckage.com/2016/06/08/joe-rogan-speaks-out-on-ariel-helwani-he-can-ruin-lives/
Lastly, update on my mom. She’s doing well in NY. Got a nice apartment, is looking for a job, helping take care of our sick family members. I miss her but we text a lot, and it’s nice not being told how to cook my food anymore…..
Here’s the MMA hour where he tells the whole story. I usually don’t listen to long podcasts and videos, but I listened to every second of this one.
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OOTP Developments Forums > Out of the Park Baseball 20 > OOTP Dynasty Reports
The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (MLB)
OOTP Dynasty Reports Tell us about the OOTP dynasties you have built!
Questdog
Location: In a dark, damp cave where I'm training slugs to run the bases......
So what happened was this:
In 1899, at the National League Winter Meetings, it was proposed that the League should contract back to 8 teams from the 12 it had currently, dropping Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington. Syndicate ownership and the fact that 11th and 12th place teams were finding it hard to generate any fan interest were the argued reasons. In real life, this proposal passed. But in our universe, someone had the bright idea to get rid of the syndicate ownership and keep all 12 teams, splitting the League into two divisions East and West. This would allow a natural post-season championship to be played as opposed to the artificial Temple Cup series that had pitted the first place club against the second place club and had proved unpopular. It would also save money on travel expenses as teams would play opponents in their division more often than clubs further away. The motion carried.
Thus, when Ban Johnson and his upstart American League tried to become a major league circuit in 1901, they found fewer places to invade in the East. With Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington still occupied by National League Clubs, they instead tried to put teams in Buffalo, Providence and Rochester. The National League magnates fought the upstarts tooth and nail and Johnson's league only lasted a season and a half before it folded up shop. So the National League had major league baseball all to itself.
The only change in the National League membership from 1892 to the present, was that in 1903, after the American League had evaporated, the Louisville Colonels moved to Detroit and became the Tigers.
Meanwhile, way out west, the Pacific Coast League owners were finding themselves less and less enamored of being considered an inferior league to the easterners and they especially did not like the practice of their players being drafted by the National League at prices far below market value. So in 1926, after a few seasons of unprecedented success, the PCL withdrew from the National Agreement and declared itself a major league. The National League did not react to this development with the same level of antagonism they had shown Ban Johnson's outfit because the PCL was not invading their territory or their rosters. There were 1,800 miles between St. Louis, the NL's westernmost club and San Diego, the PCL's easternmost team. Within a few years, the two leagues signed an agreement recognizing each other's rights and the National League formally acknowledged the PCL as an equal, even if informally they did not.
One thing the Pacific Coast League did when it declared itself a major league was to abolish the color line so that it could acquire as many major league caliber players as it could without raiding National League rosters. This quickly made it the superior league in quality of play, though the perception remained the opposite, especially in the East. In the 1930's there was talk of a championship series between the two leagues, but the NL balked, citing travel costs and the fact that there were only 8 teams in the PCL, which would mean a higher percentage of its owners would profit from the series. Those reasons were valid, but the more valid, unstated reason was that they did not want to play integrated ball clubs.
After World War II, the Pacific Coast League decided to remove the objections the National League had publicly offered and, buoyed by the explosion in attendance they enjoyed, expanded to a 12-team league. The Hollywood Stars moved to Kansas City, the Sacramento Solons moved to Dallas and the league added teams in Denver, Houston, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. When the National League integrated in 1947 and air travel became available and affordable, there was nothing stopping a National Championship Series between the two leagues from being staged.
Except the name of the series.
The Pacific Coast League objected to calling it the "National Championship Series" because it had the National League's name in the title and the "National League-Pacific Coast League Championship Series" did not easily roll off the tongue. Someone (we do not know who) suggested calling it the "World Series", for "surely there are no better baseball clubs in the world than in either of these two leagues!"
What about an All-Star game? Great idea! So the two leagues agreed to play an All-Star game in July and stage a "World Series".
We find ourselves now in Year 0 of the World Series Era in a universe where Baseball is frozen in time and it always plays like it did in the 1980's....
ayaghmour2 (04-06-2019), BoofBonser26 (06-06-2019), Bub13 (04-06-2019), Hendu Style (05-01-2019), Tiger Fan (06-17-2019), Westheim (04-05-2019)
Find More Posts by Questdog
It has been a long time since I have played OOTP due to my health and general malaise. Reading tiny letters on a computer screen had become more than just a chore and was sometimes impossible. But recently my eyesight has improved a bit to where I can spend a few hours at the terminal without inducing headaches, so I thought I would start up a fictional league in OOTP 20 and see how it goes.
A few of you may remember me as one who liked to dive off the deep end into elaborate setups that took a lot of work to run. I am not up to that sort of enterprise anymore (yet?) and have decided to just go with a simple league that will scratch my itch of running a team and falling in love with some players. Of course, I cannot just set up a plain old boring standard league and there are some things that I am still going to do manually that I feel are necessary for me to enjoy the game.
Namely, overhauling the defensive ratings of all the players. It irks me to no end when a player is only rated for centerfield, but has poor range or is only rated for left, but has an awesome arm. Ditto with the infielders. Shortstops with poor arms, who I cannot move over to second base, etc. And I hate having to scrounge the lists for utility players.
So I will be setting all players defensive positions based on their fielding ratings. I have a spreadsheet set up for this purpose and I do not personally see any of the ratings, so there is no cheating involved. Basically, if a player can play the outfield, his positions are based on his range and arm. Decent range means he can play center. A decent arm means he can play right. Anyone qualifying for center or right can also play left and if a centerfielder has a good arm, he can play right, too. Infielders are a little more complicated because their DP rating is also considered but the logic is similar. Anyone who fails to qualify for any position based on his ratings is given a rating for first base.
So the Universe has 24 teams, split into two leagues, each split into two divisions, just like the real major leagues from 1969 through 1976. Only instead of the National and American Leagues, we have the National and Pacific Coast Leagues. We are going play my favorite kind of baseball: 1980's style (minus the DH).
The league totals and modifiers are based on an average of the years 1982-1987. I am using ballparks from the 1980's (where possible). The park factors were set based on the average the park showed during 1982-87 for parks that existed in the majors then. Three teams play in parks that were not used in the Majors in 1982-87: Washington plays in RFK Stadium and its modifiers are based on the average it showed when the now Texas Rangers played there in the late 1960's and early 1970's; Denver plays in Mile High Stadium, which was used as a minor league park in 1982-87 and its factors are based on 1993 and 1994 when the Colorado Rockies played there; and Portland plays in The Skydome, which opened in Toronto in 1989 and its factors are based on the average it showed in the 1990's.
Each team has a complete minor league system, but instead of the convoluted AAA, AA, A+, A-, etc. naming scheme, the levels are AAA, AA, A, B, C, D and Rookie. That is 7 levels, technically more than have ever actually been used in real life, but in the 1950's the fewest affiliates any team had was 8. The Dodgers had 24 and the Cardinals had 21. The average was 14. So each of our teams having 7 is exactly half of what they actually had then, but more than they had in the 1980's.
We will be playing with Financials based on the Modern Era, but at only 10% of current values, so that a player making $2 million in our universe is equivalent to a modern player making $20 million. Free Agency is set to the A/B type compensation as it was in the 1980's. Our draft is set to 40 rounds because we need lots of players for the extra levels of minors.
Other Settings that are not default:
Scouting is ON, but Coaches are turned OFF. Scouting is on because otherwise there is no way to judge the International Free Agents. Coaches are OFF because 1) they actually add nothing to the experience as they are randomly hired and fired by the A.I. and their past records have no bearing on anything and 2) I need to utilize the strategy sliders to get the stats to look like the 1980's and we cannot have the managers all changing my settings. Plus, I set the sliders in a much more logical manner than any A.I. managers do.
Ratings scales are set to 1-100 with show higher values enabled. If a player is 125 runner, why should this be hidden from me? I should be able to see that he is clearly faster than the other 100 rated runners. Overall Ratings are set to the 20-80 scale (why no 1-100 here?)
You may ask, "Why 1-100? Isn't there a little more fog of war with a 1-10 scale or any other scale?" My answer is no, there is not any more fog of war with fewer ticks on the scale. With scouting on and set to normal accuracy, the 1-100 ratings are not equal to what the ratings actually are in the engine. The advantage of having a finer rating scale is that my scout can give me his advice on who he thinks is better at each skill more often than if the scale was only 1-10. He may not be right often, but having his opinion on such matters seems more realistic to me than having him say, "Well, these guys are all about the same and I can't tell them apart." If scouting were turned off and ratings were shown, then, of course, there would be more fog of war with a 1-10 scale than a 1-100 scale. But with scouting on, the scale is irrelevant to the fog of war.
Injury ratings are hidden and injury frequency is set to High (Realistic Modern Day).
Delayed Injury Diagnosis is turned off. This also adds nothing to the experience. It could be interesting if at least SOME information was given to you after an injury and the duration was just left unsettled, but as it is, it is difficult to explain in a report of a game what happened to the player.
"What happened to Bubba?"
"He's hurt."
"What's hurt? His head? His toe? His arm? What?"
"I dunno; he's hurt."
"Did you ask Bubba what hurts?"
"Yeah."
"What did he say?"
"He dunno; he's hurt."
Also, even with this turned off, injury durations are not set in stone and players sometimes heal faster or have setbacks and take longer to return than at first reported or sometimes the return date is actually reported as "uncertain".
Storylines are turned off. Another interesting idea, poorly implemented. They happen way too often and after a few seasons of play, they become repetitive. Also, some of them break immersion by not being relevant to the era you are playing. And a LOT of them will just tick you off (when your #1 prospect decides to quit and go be a ballerina or something).
AI Player Evaluation settings: Ratings/Current Year/Previous Year/2 Years ago = 20/45/25/10
Trading Difficulty set to Hard/Neutral
No DH in majors or minors.
No roster expansion in September. Our minor leagues are still playing through September, plus I never understood why this was a thing anyway.
Trading deadline is set to June 15, because that is the way it was before 1986 (85?). No waiver trades after the deadline.
Trading of Injured players is allowed (as long as there is full disclosure of the injury).
Average attendance is set to 22,500 and ticket revenue is adjusted to compensate.
25-man All-Star rosters. No DH in the All-Star Game.
Option years are enabled and the Rule V Draft is enabled.
10/5 rule is enabled.
DL length is set to 15 days as it was in the 1980's.
25 man rosters with 10-man pitching staffs in the majors and 30-man rosters on the AAA and AA minor league affiliates and 35-man rosters for all lower levels.
Player origins are based on actual data from the 1950's to the 2000's, with the 1980's weighted the most and the decades nearer to them weighted more than the ones further away.
Minimum salary is set to $50,000, rather than $55,000, because I like round numbers.
The stat totals and modifiers have been set to give us a near perfect Year I season that looks close to the average of the National League from 1982-87. They will not be changed and the stats output will be allowed to meander a bit as long as it does not get out of hand.
No Waiver Claims allowed, but I can lose players to waivers.
I cannot trade any free agents I sign until a World Series has passed since inking the contract. No flipping.
I simulated 1925-2000 (75 years!) and then erased all stats and history. Normally I sim for 25 seasons before I start a new universe, but changed my mind about starting in 1950 and decided to start in 2001 and call it Year I of the World Series Era. Simming at least 25 years really is necessary when you create a new league, because the players created initially are just not the same as the ones that come through the draft later.
I will be playing as the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League. I set them to a Market Size of 1 during the pre-sim to insure they were a crappy team for Year I. They lost 95 games in the final season. We will not have the first pick in the draft, though, because the Baltimore Orioles lost 98 games.
Here are the alignment of the teams and their park factors and Market Sizes (based on average payroll in 1982-87):
Giant Stadium is a clone of Yankee Stadium. Angel Stadium is not called Anaheim Stadium because the Los Angeles Angels are not in Anaheim; they are in Los Angeles.
The Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers are the defending champions of their respective leagues. The Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels were the other division winners in the final pre-sim season.
Last edited by Questdog; 04-07-2019 at 05:01 PM.
ayaghmour2 (04-06-2019), DD Martin (04-05-2019), Hendu Style (05-01-2019), Westheim (04-05-2019)
Reserved 2
Monday, October 16, Year 0
I started my new job in charge of the Portland Beavers eleven days after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League Championship. My first order of business was to find a new scouting director as ours was fired with the old management team. There were no sure fire, slam dunk hires available. I settled on Dave Dafoe, 53 years old from Richardson, Texas. He is reported to be good at all areas of scouting, with a particular expertise in International Scouting. Editor's Note: Good ratings everywhere, except Great at International and favors ability.
While I was negotiating with him, I made sure we had contract offers out to all the players that we would like to come back.
Tuesday, October 24, Year 0
Dafoe agreed to a 4 year contract at $43,000 per year. I told him to get to work immediately and start earning his money.
My next order of business was to look over all of our player lists and see what we have to work with. As one would expect of a team that lost 95 games, there is not a whole lot to be excited about.
We have 7 minor league affiliates, so there are a lot of players to look at, but very few that are pleasing to the eye.
Here is our minor league system:
AAA: Vancouver Mounties of the Western League
Vancouver, Washington is just across the Columbia River from Portland, but that is not where the Mounties play. They play in the city in Canada about 250 miles to the north.
AA: Jackson Generals of the Texas League
They are in Mississippi.
A: Visalia Oaks of the California League
Visalia is an inland city in south central California, between Bakersfield and Fresno.
B: Kinston Eagles of the Piedmont League
They play in North Carolina.
C: Dubuque Packers of the Midwest League
They play in Iowa.
D: Salem Senators of the Northwest League
They are right here in Oregon, 50 miles south of Portland.
Rookie: Helena Gold Sox of the Pioneer League
They play in Montana.
The Beavers were second to last in scoring in the Pacific Coast League with a paltry 577 runs. Two more than the last place Oakland Oaks, who play in an extreme pitcher's park. Our park is hitter friendly. The League average was more than 100 runs higher than what we scored and the Denver Bears, playing in Mile High Stadium, scored 199 runs more than us. The Beavers only hit .234, worst in the PCL (League Average was .253). In fact, the team was last in EVERY offensive category, except for runs scored and stolen bases, in which they led the League with 213. We only had two players in double figures in home runs and one of those had 10. The other, 2B Jeff Austin (28-R), had 27, but he only hit .263 and he is a crappy fielder. Our starting First Baseman hit .191 and had 33 RBI as a full-time player. He is Joe Harrison (34-R) and he is by far the highest paid player on the team. He will make $1.7 million for each of the next two seasons.... At age 29, the Beavers signed him to a 7 year extension in a season that he hit .257 with 24 HR and 84 RBI. The next season he hit .201 with 42 RBI.... In his best season since signing the big contract, he hit .235 with 14 HR and 62 RBI.... Hopefully, we can find a place to dump that salary this off season. The second highest paid player on the team hit .213 in 493 AB...
The pitching and defense were nothing to brag about, either, but they only finished 10th worst in runs allowed with 712. Most walks allowed with 586 and fewest shutouts with 7. The team leader in wins had 10, but he lost 21 to lead the League in losses for the second straight year. The #2 starter went 5-18 with a 5.17 ERA. He is already gone from the team, having been lost to waivers before I arrived. How sad... The Bullpen had the 3rd worst ERA.
As far as rising prospects go, we have very few. Even though the Beavers have been picking near the top of the first round almost every season for a long time, they have only 1 player ranked in the top 100 prospects by Baseball America: CF Perry Templet (22-L), who they put at #50. He looks like he will be a good player with only 2 weaknesses: 1) impatience at the plate and 2) getting caught stealing a lot. He will begin the season in AA.
None of their other first round picks in the past few seasons are worth a diddly. This past year's #1, 2B Earl Radke (19-R), has a big bat, but no glove at all. At least he may have some trade value, though, which is more than can be said for most of the others. CF Tom Keating (23-R), the #1 overall pick in the draft three seasons ago, hit .195 with a .568 OPS in B Ball this past year. B Ball is a long way from the Major Leagues. Editor's Note: On par with Low A in the modern minor leagues.
As a whole, our Minor League System was ranked dead last... The Baltimore Orioles were the only other team with only one prospect rated in the top 100, but theirs was rated as #1.
Monday, November 6, Year 0
The next order of business was the Arbitration Hearings and we only had 1 player to worry about: RP Lou Hertzberg (29-L). The other 5 players arbitration eligible were all non-tendered because they stink. Hertzberg actually did not pitch in the Majors last season, though he had a salary of $156,000. Our head scout, Dave Dafoe, does not think a lot of him, but he has been effective everywhere that he has pitched with a 2.63 career ERA in 6 major league seasons. 1.57 ERA last season split evenly between AAA and AA. We offered a pay cut at $140,000. He was awarded $225,000.
Tuesday, November 7, Year 0
Free Agents filed today and we did not have any players leave that we were sad to see go. We were sad that none of them had any compensation attached to them. I scoured the lists for any players that would help us (especially starting pitchers), but there were very few players who I have any desire to sign. The good ones were either too old, too injury prone or had Type A status attached (or all three).
I offered minor league contracts with Major League Options to 3 young starting pitchers who had good seasons in AAA to give us some competition in Spring Training, but that was it for pitchers.
For fielders, we desperately need help up the middle: 2B, SS and CF. I actually like the 2 catchers we have. Both are young and not terrible and, most importantly, can run a little. As anyone who knows me knows, if you cannot outrun my pet three-legged box turtle, I have no use for you. Even if you are a catcher or a first baseman. You do not have to be fast, by any means, and I don't care much about stealing bases, but you have to have SOME mobility. Incumbent second baseman Jeff Austin (28-R) will be moved to first because his glove stinks at second. Incumbent first baseman, Joe Harrison (34-R), will either be traded or paid $1.7 million to man the Gatorade cooler.
We are going to make a ton of trades. This will not be the norm every winter, but I need to get rid of all the players that I do not like who are too good to just cut.
In our first trade, we landed our starting shortstop and a starting pitcher.
Trade #1:
SP Dane Wynne (28-R), RF Steve Thwing (28-L) and 3 minor leaguers: RP Russ Long (19-R), 2B Don Russell (20-R) and RF Mike Griffin (26-R) to Boston for SP Terry Melton (25-R), SS Dave Lesley (25-R) and 3 minor leaguers: SP Will Garcia (23-R), 3B Omar Flores (19-L) and LF Woody Griesbach (23-R).
Wynne has serious stuff, but he only made 2 starts last year because of a tear in his shoulder. In the 15 innings he pitched, he only gave up 8 hits and struck out 13. The year before, however, he was in AAA and gave up 16 HR in 115.1 IP, which is a LOT in AAA, where there are fewer power hitters than in the majors. And Portland signed him as a minor league free agent, so he cannot be all that awesome. At 28, he has only pitched 33.2 innings in the Majors (though they have been a very good 33.2 innings). The fans will miss Steve Thwing. "Thwing! Steve!" I hate trading his name away, and he is a good hitter, except for the fact that Thwing swings at everything. He is a very good right fielder. None of the minor leaguers we dealt will be missed. Long is a non-prospect. Russell projects to have a decent bat for an second baseman, but makes errors by the bushel basket. Griffin has a big bat, hitting .302 with 18 HR in AAA last year, but cannot outrun my tripedal terrapin and is near stationary in the outfield.
Melton was a rookie this past season and as a swingman went 10-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 152.1 IP with 103 SO. He was originally the 2nd overall pick in the draft. His bugaboo is that he seems injury prone, especially in his back. Lesley is the reason for the trade and is a very good fielding shortstop with a decent bat. Those are very hard to find in this league and even harder to get the teams that have them to give them up. He has hit .254 with a .699 OPS in 2 seasons in Boston with 43 doubles in 583 AB. Of course, Fenway Park is the easiest place in the world to get a double, but he did have a .688 OPS last season on the road, his first as an everyday starter. Garcia was the last player extracted from them and the best I could get them to add to the pile. He is a middling prospect with a great curve ball that he can consistently throw for strikes. Flores is rated ridiculously high by Dave Dafoe and his staff of scout Beavers; not so high by the Scouting Combine. But at age 19, he hit .340 in B Ball, which is very impressive. Most 19 year olds are still struggling to hit their weight in the Rookie Leagues. His range at third is not impressive, but his hands are very good and his arm is exceptional. He has also developed a reputation as a very hard worker. Griesbach is that rare player who is solid in every area and has no weaknesses in his game. He is a 5 tool player, though none of the tools are exceptional, merely good. He will begin the season in AAA.
I tried to trade for a second baseman next, but there are very few that I really like and their teams would not give them up. There is a decent one available in the free agent market, however. Gary Long (31-R) hit .266 last season in Minnesota and has a solid, if unspectacular glove. He is a Type B free agent and is asking for a 6 year contract at just over a cool million per season. We cannot go that high or that long, but we will see what his agent has to say about 4 years at $850,000 per annum with the last year a player option.
Some more trades were made to get rid of some of the players I had no use for.
SP Frank Schindler (24-R) and minor league RF Jim Anderson (24-L) to Baltimore for minor league SS Pete Frey (21-L).
Schindler is another pitcher with serious stuff, but he also has serious control issues and is not shy about giving up long bombs. Anderson was the Beavers' 1st round pick 3 years ago and his only asset is his power. He is slow and not a good fielder and strikes out a ton.
Frey was a 4th round pick in that same draft when Anderson was taken in the first, so this is definitely a net loss for us. But if I had been drafting then, Anderson would not have been our first round pick. Frey projects to be a solid fielder who can play literally anywhere, except behind the plate, and his bat projects to be pretty good except that he has no power. He can run and will hopefully make us a good lead off hitter some day.
5 minor leaguers: 1B Rod Dixon (34-L), 3B Scott Benford (25-R), LF Jeff Raney (29-R), LF Don Cornacchia (28-L) and LF Bob Olsen (20-R) to New York for SP John Alecci (24-R).
What they want Dixon for, I cannot imagine. Benford is a decent prospect, but getting kind of long in the tooth for a prospect. He had a .728 OPS in AA last season. Raney is a disruptive malcontent who hit .197 in AAA and will be 30 before the season begins; why anyone would even want him working in the concession stand is beyond me. Cornacchia is a decent player with a solid bat, but swings at everything. Olsen is a middling prospect that both the Scouting Combine and our own Dave Dafoe and Company rate equally overall, but as two very different types of players.
Alecci has yet to pitch in the Majors. He is nothing special, but might be better than someone we already have. He will get a chance to show that in Spring Training. He is at least for certain worth more than the bundle of bums we sent to New York.
RP Jesse Adcock (27-L) to San Francisco for SP Frank Martin (25-R), SP Tom Horn (24-L) and RP Dave Ream (24-R).
Adcock had 30 saves for us this past season and 27 the year before when he had a 1.66 ERA. He is pretty awesome. But our Bullpen has 3 lefties in it and I do not want 3 lefties in it. He is the best, by far, but you have to give up something to get something.
Martin and Horn appear to be ready to pitch in the Big Leagues, though neither has actually started a game in the majors yet. They both pitched cups of coffee in relief this past season for the Seals. Horn looks like he has a chance to be special, but there are concerns about his durability. The Scouting Combine does not think a whole lot of Ream, but Dave Dafoe likes him a lot and he had a 1.41 ERA in AAA last year.
Wednesday, November 8, Year 0
Minor league RP Jon Budney (33-R) to New York for 3 minor leaguers: SP Larry Smith (25-R), RP Bill Clark (25-L) and RP Emanuel Glenn (23-R).
Budney has some skill (2.45 ERA in AAA), but is old and a slacker and coming off surgery.
Smith is not much, but might be useful. He does not strike batters out much, but has been successful in the minors. Dave Dafoe rated this as a non-transaction. Clark and Glenn are just fillers to pitch in the minors and are not prospects.
2 minor leaguers: SP Rick Hammer (23-L) and SP Ron Fiorini (21-R) to Pittsburgh for RP Barry Chapman (25-R) and minor league SP Joe Fuller (19-L).
Hammer was 2-1 in 3 starts for Portland with only 3 ER allowed after jumping to the majors from A Ball. He has definite skills, but lacks the stamina I require in my starters and the scouts say his control and gopher balls will both be issues, though neither has been so far in his minor league career or in the 3 starts he made for Portland. Fiorini is a middling prospect .
Chapman had a 2.90 ERA as a rookie last season. Fuller has a chance to be something very special if he develops an effective 2nd and 3rd pitch. If he does not, he will most likely still be a useful reliever. Right now, all he can throw well is his cut fastball.
Minor League SP Bob O'Neal (28-R) to San Francisco for 5 minor leaguers: SP Tony Kelley (24-L), SP Dan Snyder (25-R), RP Phil Keyer (23-R), RP Ed Rambo (24-L) and SS Hector Ruiz (26-S).
O'Neal was decent in AAA (3.39 ERA), but lacks stamina. None of the players we got are prospects and all are just to fill roles in the minors. Our AAA team had no shortstop and Ruiz is a good one, though he cannot hit.
3 minor leaguers: C Chris Robinson (21-R), 3B Ray Faircloth (23-R) and SS Lenny Bennett (20-L) to Detroit for 5 minor leaguers: RP Bob Kravtsov (25-L), C Ken Oberholtzer (23-R), C Bob Robbins (24-L), 1B Gene Johnson (24-L) and LF Tony Casarez (19-L).
All 3 of the players we are sending to the Tigers are solid prospects who's one weakness is that they are very impatient at the plate.
All of the players the Tigers are sending to us are minor league fillers, except for Casarez. The Scouting Combine has him filed as a decent prospect. He was rated #94 two years ago by Baseball America, but dropped out of the Top 100 this past April. However, our own Scouting Department thinks he is something very special and I have to go with Dave Dafoe on this one. He played in C Ball this past season and hit .291 with 52 extra base hits and 95 RBI. He was 18 years old. That is unheard of! 18 year olds do not hit the ball with authority in C Ball! Or in Rookie Ball for that matter...
Minor league CF Roger Lowell to San Francisco for 3 minor leaguers: SP Bob Grigg (23-R), SP Dick Petrie (23-R) and RP Wendell Rittweger (23-R).
Lowell is a middling prospect who is unmotivated.
Have I said this before? If not, let me say it again.....As everyone who knows me knows, I can put up with almost any kind of asinine behavior as long as you hustle. But if you do not hustle and practice hard, I have no use for you, no matter how talented you are.
Grigg is the only player we are receiving who has any chance of making the Major Leagues, and his chance is slim, especially since he will need another 6 months to recover from his elbow surgery.
Okay, that is all the trading for a while. I have not traded everyone I want to, but I need a vacation...
Before I head off to Tahiti, I made an offer to Free Agent 3B Glenn Pearce (38-R) of $200,000 for 1 season. He has no power, but he is a career .300 hitter and hit .322 in very limited action last season. If he signs, he'll be a backup and pinch-hitter. I also made offers to about 2,000 minor leaguers....
Thursday, December 7, Year 0
The Rule V Draft was today and 4 players were picked: 2 by us and 2 by Minnesota. We took RP Antoine Redd (30-R) from Pittsburgh and RF Gordon Saunderson (25-L) from Seattle. Pittsburgh lost 2 players, Seattle 1 and Denver 1.
Redd is great. In 5 MLB seasons, he has a 2.74 ERA, though only 8 SV. He immediately goes to the top of our Bullpen depth chart. We needed a backup right fielder and all the free agents were either too expensive or too stinky and I could not get a decent one in a trade without giving up too much talent. Saunderson is an Australian with average (or below) range and a very strong arm. He bats from the left side and hit decently in AAA this past season: .288/.389/.414. He stole 14 bases. He has never played in the Majors.
After the draft, I made a trade.
Trade #10:
SP Jorge Ortiz (28-L), LF Jim Bakutis (25-S) and 2 minor leaguers: C Ron Webb (19-R) and CF Chris Hagerty (23-L) to Dallas for 2 minor leaguers: SP Fred Hunt (18-R) and CF Jeff Schottler (24-R).
Ortiz is 39-29 with a 3.47 ERA in 4 Big League seasons, but his season ended in July this year with elbow surgery. Bakutis only hit .248 with a .652 OPS in 125 AB as a rookie this past year, but looks to be a solid hitter with power who is indifferent to playing defense. Webb was our 2nd round pick last June. He cannot outrun my pet three-legged turtle, though, so he has to go. Hagerty was our 2nd round pick 3 drafts ago and looks to be a solid line drive hitter with great speed, but not much home run power and he swings at a lot of bad pitches.
I like Big Prospects; I cannot lie! We got 2 of them in this trade! They were the first players selected by Dallas in each of the last 2 drafts. Hunt was chosen 10th overall this season. He gave up 1 earned run his senior season in high school. His inaugural pro season ended in August with surgery to remove bone chips, so we may have an injury prone fellow on our hands here. Or maybe it has been fixed up and he will be healthy from here on out. Only time will tell. Normally, that surgery would scare me off of trading for a player, but he looks so awesome that I had to have him. Plus, he is not all we are getting in the trade, so even if he turns out to be a bust, we can still come out ahead in the deal. Schottler was the 7th pick in the draft a year ago. He looks to be super solid in all areas of his game, though with no one big flashy skill. He will begin the season in AA. He can even play some second base, but though his range is excellent, his hands are not.
We should have more than one ranked prospect this April in Baseball America's annual list!
I also made one final offer to a free agent: $350,000 for one year to OF/2B Rob Watrous (33-R). He started 97 games for Seattle last year and got 354 AB. He hit .268 with 14 HR and a .765 OPS. If he signs, he will platoon in center, facing left-handers.
Hendu Style (05-01-2019)
Friday, December 8, Year 0
2B Gary Long (32-R) signed the offer we made to him today: 4 years at $850,000 per season.
Tuesday, December 12, Year 0
3B Glenn Pearce (38-R) signed a 1 year contract with us today for $225,000.
Sunday, January 7, Year I
OF/2B Rob Watrous (33-R) signed a 1 year contract with us for $350,000.
And with that, our team is pretty much set for the coming season. The fielders and Bullpen are fairly locked in place, barring injury. We will use Spring Training to decide which 5 starting pitchers will make the roster and which will begin the season in Vancouver (AAA).
I must admit that I have not transformed the worst group of hitters in Baseball into a run scoring machine. The only additions I made to the starting 8 are that we will have a new double play combo and neither of them are big hitters. I added 4 new faces to the bench. The Bullpen will not be any better than last season; newly added ace fireman Antoine Redd is not as good as departed ace fireman Jesse Adcock. Where I did most of my work on the active roster was in the Starting Rotation. Of the 5 pitchers who threw over 100 innings for the Beavers last season, only 1 is still on the team. None of the new arms I have added are proven talents, however, and we will have to wait and see if the work I did was in vain or not. It is hard to imagine that a rotation full of rookies will be exceptional, though.
Sunday, January 28, Year I
One of Dave Dafoe's minions signed a 17 year old in Mexico: SP Guillermo Gomez. He's a lefty and this is the last you will probably ever hear about him.
Thursday, February 22, Year I
Dave Dafoe's crew signed a 16 year old in the Dominican Republic: SP Roberto Ruvalcaba. Another lefty, but that is his only plus.
Next up: Spring Training!
Monday, February 26, Year I
The exhibition schedule began today at our Spring home in Glendale, Arizona, with a 9 to 3 win against the Oakland Oaks. Hopefully, we can make it through the schedule without any serious injuries.
Saturday, March 3, Year I
We did not make it very far....CF Buddy French, scheduled to be our starter against right-handed pitching, tore ligaments in his ankle and will be out about 3 months.
We have a crisis in center field, now. We hastily sent out invitations to our 2 elite prospects who were scheduled to begin the season in AA. I am also exploring trade options and there are a couple of old has beens still available on the free agent market.
Friday, March 9, Year 1
CF Larry Ford (33-R) inked a minor league contract with us this morning and made his debut in center this afternoon and promptly rapped out a hit and pulled a hamstring... He is expected to miss a month.
Of the candidates for the center field job, Perry Templet (22-L) is by far the best fielder, the only one with elite range, and is projected to be a good hitter eventually, but can we really expect him to make the jump from A ball to the majors in one go? John Scott (25-L) is the second best fielder, but is not much of a hitter at all. He was scheduled to be our starter this season in Vancouver (AAA). Jeff Schottler (24-R) and Ford have decent range, but will they hit? Anyone else we put out there had better hit well, because no one else really has the range to play good defense.
Westheim (04-06-2019)
Thursday, March 29, Year I
Our exhibition schedule ended today with an 6 to 2 loss to the Dallas Eagles. We ended up 14-16. Much better than our regular season results from last year, but still only better than San Francisco of the teams in our division.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Denver Bears both finished 22-8 to claim the best records. Baltimore, Kansas City and Milwaukee, the defending Champions of the PCL, all went 11-19 to tie for the worst Spring Training records.
Three players were put on waivers and designated for assignment: RP Curt Riley (35-R), who we never expected to make the roster, SP Tony Kelley (24-L), who has options, but we needed his spot on the 40 man roster, and OF Rob Watrous (33-R), who we signed to a 1 year contract at $350,000 to play center against lefties. Watrous was a huge disappointment this Spring, hitting .171 with no walks and 9 SO in 35 AB. We were planning to lead him off against lefties, but he did not score a run this Spring. Hopefully someone will claim him, as that is a lot of money to pay a AAA outfielder.
Next up: Meet the Beavers!
pauwoo
C’mon you Rainiers! Beat the Beavers!
Questdog (04-06-2019)
Find More Posts by pauwoo
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Campus / Featured Article
George Gollin: A physicist for Congress
December 13, 2013 / 12:58pm / By Farah Chalisa
When I think of politician, I think lawyer, businessman, or economist. I don’t think many people think... “physicist."
Democratic party candidate George Gollin is ready to break that tradition and bring a new type of personality to Washington D.C., one that will help him "find facts, rather than argue them," as he likes to say.
George Gollin received degrees in physics from Harvard and Princeton and joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a quarter-century ago; he and his family have been living in Champaign ever since.
George is now a candidate running for the House of Representatives for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. He became interested in politics five years ago after he discovered a criminal gang selling fake college degrees and fought to not only expose and punish this group, but to create legislation that would prevent the recurrence of groups like these.
I first met Gollin when I decided to intern for his campaign and found him to have a warm and kind-hearted personality. He graciously agreed to let me interview him, and the following interview gives an overview of both his path into politics and his platform for the coming election.
SP: What classes do you teach at U of I?
George Gollin: This term I’m teaching Physics 212, intended for students in engineering and the physical sciences. I also advise three undergraduates who are writing senior theses based on their work in my laboratory.
SP: Was there a single moment or event that led to your interest in politics?
Gollin: My entrance into public life was unintentional. Five years ago, I came across a multi-million-dollar criminal gang selling fake college degrees—including MDs. I published a report about them and they came after me and my family. I fought back, and won... the Justice Department took up the case and the bad guys went to prison.
In response to information revealed by the investigation, I helped several Congressional offices to develop new legislation to combat the problem of diploma mills. The bill almost became law, but was gutted by a single Senator. I saw then that we needed major changes in Washington.
Not that long ago, members of Congress would compromise to solve problems, putting country before party. It is no longer this way: Congress does not listen to us, and many of our representatives serve the interests of the affluent, without representing all of their constituents.
This must stop, and I hope to play a role in fixing that which is broken in our governance.
SP: Do you think an education background is an advantage or disadvantage in politics (as opposed to a legal one, for example)? Why?
Gollin: It's significant advantage. The nation’s capital is a city full of attorneys. I’m not: I’m a teacher and a scientist.
The law is an honorable profession, but attorneys are taught to argue about evidence, where scientists are trained to find facts, and act on them.
There is entirely too much argument in Washington now, and I’d say it’s no coincidence that there are 227 lawyers in Congress, but only three scientists. We need more facts and more solutions if we’re going to move our country forward.
Teachers are communicators, we engage and listen. And Washington needs more rational discussion if we’re going to get past gridlock.
SP: What is your political background?
Gollin: I was on the board of directors of the Washington-based Council for Higher Education Accreditation for six years. CHEA oversees postsecondary accreditation, and plays a leadership role in defining and promoting public policy. The amount of money in play—there is close to $200 billion in federal loans made available to students every year—makes CHEA’s activities highly political.
While on the CHEA board, I also spent a significant amount of time doing advocacy on Capitol Hill for the diploma mill bill.
SP: What are some of the main points of your platform?
Gollin:
A return to full employment through investment in infrastructure, innovation, and education.
Full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and its further evolution into a single payer plan, sometimes referred to as Medicare for All.
Driving down the cost of higher education, and guaranteeing that the U.S. postsecondary system includes an affordable path to a bachelor’s degree.
Protection of women’s reproductive rights.
Guaranteeing that veterans and their families receive the educational, medical, social, and psychiatric services that our nation is honor-bound to provide.
Establishing marriage equality, nation-wide.
Defending Social Security from attempts to privatize the program, or reduce the earned benefits collected by seniors.
Restoration of the regulatory protections such as Glass-Steagall that protected our economy.
Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and requiring auto manufacturers to increase, at a rapid pace, the fuel efficiency of the vehicles they sell.
Overturning the disastrous Citizens United decision and working towards meaningful campaign finance reform.
Rapid development and exploitation of clean energy sources, in particular solar, wind, and versions of nuclear which are free of concerns regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Recommitting the United States to fair (and progressive) taxes, fair trade, and vigorous protection of the right of employees to organize collective bargaining units, such as trade and labor unions.
SP: What do you believe is the most important issue current political issue?
Gollin: Restoring the country to full employment through a reinvigorated economy.
SP: What is your opinion on Social Security and Medicare?
Gollin: I want to be very clear on this question: There is no acceptable deal on Social Security and Medicare that lowers benefits for current or future retirees. There is no acceptable privatization scheme for Social Security, no acceptable coupon scheme for Medicare. We cannot break the chain of trust between generations.
There are people out there, and I’m sad to say that not all of them are Republicans, who want us to believe that there’s a Social Security and Medicare “crisis”. There simply isn’t.
Do we need to make some changes to keep these programs solvent? We do. Let’s start by passing the bill by Senators Begich and Deutsch that would remove the cap on payroll taxes. That, by itself, would almost completely close the future gap without lowering benefits and without raising taxes on 95% of Americans.
SP: How do you feel about the Affordable Care Act?
Gollin: We need to divide this into two questions. Despite the problems with the rollout, I support ACA as a good start. It addresses some of the issues and will expand coverage. Moving forward, I’ll work with Congress to allow those over 55 to buy in to Medicare, and to develop a public option for those under 55. Our eventual goal should be Medicare for All.
The poor execution of the federal portal us unacceptable, and we need a focused and effective effort to fix the problems. It is NOT helpful to have Republicans—and some Democrats—call for scrapping or delaying Obamacare. We are Americans, and we fix problems, rather that throwing up our hands
SP: How do you plan on improving education?
Gollin: Let’s start by treating our public school teachers with respect, and paying them like we really believe that children are our future.
We must stop diverting taxpayer money to private schools.
We must stop relying on high-stakes testing. It is unfair to hold a young child accountable for his or her education unless we hold politicians accountable for funding the schools.
We need incentives for better alignment of K-12, community college, and four-year college programs.
We must make college affordable: the load of debt carried by former students now totals to over a trillion dollars.
SP: Why do you believe you are a good candidate for this position?
Gollin: I have worked all my life in education, science, and technology. These are the drivers for economic growth and prosperity in an increasingly global economy. I have helped write, and pass legislation, and understand the importance of playing the long game, with tenacity. And I know to surround myself with experts, rather than relying on “received knowledge” and flawed analysis in promulgating public policy.
SP: What sets you apart from the other candidates running in the primary?
Gollin: I am the progressive who can beat Rodney Davis in 2014. We know that Illinois’s 13th Congressional District is strongly responsive to a clear progressive voice, and a candidate who can articulate that message to a broad audience. I am doing just that, and am building around the network established by Dr. David Gill in years past to accomplish this.
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Otto Geleng
German, 1843 - 1939
The Amphitheater at Taormina, Sicily
Framed: 30 3/4 x 46 1/2 inches (78.11 x 118.11 centimeters)
Signed and dated lower left: O. Geleng f. 1872
In the present composition, Geleng depicts the site’s Greek amphitheater, erected in the second century BC and expanded by the Romans. The crumbling walls and columns stand on a high plateau above the Bay of Naxos and Calabrian Coast. In the distance stands Mount Etna, with a thin stream of steam blowing from its snow-capped peak over the blue water.
Otto Geleng (German, 1843 - 1939)
Otto Geleng was known in his hometown of Berlin for his fine paintings, which he composed and painted in Italy but exhibited in Germany. The long tradition of artists training in Italy is still relevant today as it was in Geleng's time. What distinguishes Geleng, however, is his choice to depict the more southern regions where he captured the spectacular views and light of Sicily. He often painted the area's Greek colonial ruins, including Taormina, situated on the Mediterranean.
Taormina's first important tourist was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who dedicated exalting pages to the city in his book entitled "Journey to Italy," but perhaps it was Geleng’s views that made its beauty talked about throughout Europe and turned the site into a famous tourist center. The artist arrived in Sicily at the age of 20 in search of new subjects for his paintings. On his way through Taormina he was so enamoured by the landscape that he decided to stop for part of the winter. Geleng began to paint everything that Taormina offered: ruins, sea, mountains, none of which were familiar to the rest of Europe. When his paintings were later exhibited in Berlin and Paris, many critics accused Geleng of having an ‘unbridled imagination’. At that, Geleng challenged them all to go to Taormina with him, promising that he would pay everyone's expenses if he were not telling the truth. He returned to Taormina and created the first hotel from a noble mansion, now called the Timeo Hotel, thus opening the area to its first waves of tourism. Geleng married and spent the remainder of his life in Sicily.
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Parco Naturale Regionale Bosco Incoronata - Ferula communis L. subsp. communis
Plant Sociology numero 54 (2)
pag. 51-64: The third report on the conservation status of habitats (Directive 92/43/EEC) in Italy: processes, methodologies, results and comments
L. Zivkovic1, E. Biondi1, S. Pesaresi1, C. Lasen2, G. Spampinato3, P. Angelini4
1Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (D3A), Marche Politechnic University, Via Brecce Bianche, I-60131 Ancona, Italy.
2Via Mutten 27, I-32032 Arson di Feltre (BL), Italy.
3Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Località Feo di Vito, I-89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy.
4ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, I-00144 Rome, Italy.
doi: 10.7338/pls2017542/06
We present the third report (2007-2012) on the conservation status of habitats in Italy, made according to Art. ex 17 of Directive 92/43/EEC. We describe, analyze and comment the data relating to the distribution and conservation status of terrestrial habitats on the Italian territory and for each biogeographic region. These data are affected by the scale of investigation planned by the European Union and by the lack of consistent and objective information methods; however they allow to obtain a view of biodiversity in Italy, although incomplete, and provide a valuable guidance for developing environment’s protection and management policies. The large amount of information collected is an important source of georeferenced data with information on the distribution and habitat trends. The analysis of the habitats distribution shows that the largest number of habitats is mainly located in mountainous areas. The reporting data offer a snapshot of the Italian territory characterized by a biodiversity of habitats well distributed throughout the country and in particular in the Natura 2000 sites. The conservation status of habitats is not always satisfactory. Additional longterm monitoring programs are needed, at local, regional or sub-regional scales to allow administrators to properly manage the focal points of their territories. We also propose to make changes in the Habitats Directive increasing the number of habitats to be protected and reassigning the priority of the same at national and sub-national level. We also propose to identify, inside the biogeographical regions, subsectors with a major ecological significance which can be more useful to interpret the habitats. Finally we consider the fragility of many habitats subjected to the effects of global warming and of urban and infrastructure development.
changes in the Habitats Directive, conservation status of Habitat, Directive 92/43/EEC, distribution of Habitat, global warming, Italy, monitoring of Habitat, Natura 2000 Reporting, third report
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Women in Food: Sasha Kanno Brings Sustainable Farming to LA Suburb
December 3, 2014 | AJ Hughes
Sasha Kanno, president of and farmer at Long Beach Local, holds eggs that came from her farm. (photo courtesy of Sasha Kanno)
Southern Californian Sasha Kanno, 38, cares so much about where food for her friends and family comes from that she started a nonprofit biodynamic farm and training/education center in Long Beach, a Los Angeles suburb.
Prior to starting Long Beach Local, she directed Wrigley Garden, a community garden in Long Beach, and co-founded the Wrigley Co-op Food Exchange. Recently she received a Women’s Business Council small business grant for her work with Long Beach Local. She is a graduate of the American Community Gardening Association’s Growing Communities Workshop and is a supporter of Slow Food Los Angeles.
Kanno, along with a team of volunteers, grows specialty crops and flowers without chemicals or pesticides at Long Beach Local’s 1-acre farm, Farm Lot 59. The farm also has egg-laying hens and beehives. Not only does Kanno wants to provide her community with great-tasting, locally-produced food, she desires to teach farming to other urbanites and procure more agricultural space in the city.
“Before, there was not much food production in the city,” she says.
With the exception of gardening, Kanno was not exposed to agriculture during her childhood in Florida. Prior to her farming endeavors, she worked in the film industry. At first, Kanno spent a great deal of time gleaning farming information from the internet.
“I had a little Kubota tractor which I learned how to start by watching a video on YouTube,” she says, laughing.
Her growing enthusiasm also led her to attend EcoFarm, a small farm conference in Monterey, California. After speaking with others and learning even more, Kanno decided to start farming as a vocation.
From a distance, she viewed prominent Maine writer and small-scale sustainable farmer Eliot Coleman as a mentor. And she gained even more agriculture knowledge through trial and error. During her career of working in art departments in the film industry, she was used to long days. This has not changed now that she is a farmer; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. days are the norm.
Kanno has also received encouragement from a fellow traveler on the sustainability journey, Long Beach resident and boat captain Charles Moore, who has written articles bringing attention to the vast amount of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean. Moore was the founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach.
Kanno has found success and loves her farming career, but she has encountered roadblocks along the way. The biggest obstacle: finding good help. Currently, Kanno can only pay laborers in produce.
“Labor is my biggest challenge,” she says. “It’s hard to find people who are experienced.”
Another challenge has been dealing with the bagrada bug, an insect pest first reported in California in 2008. It feasts on a variety of crops, especially organic ones, and reproduces prolifically.
“There’s no organic eradication,” says Kanno. “The first year it wiped me out. I literally cried.” The next year Kanno delayed planting, which helped control the pest with hot and dry soil conditions.
Despite insect pests and labor challenges, Kanno has persevered, and has gained the attention of prominent Southern California restaurateurs. Every Thursday, she hosts a harvest for chefs, whom she also works with to plan menus. She also operates a rooftop garden owned by Michael’s Restaurant Group, and supplies the group’s restaurants with produce.
“Chefs pay the bills,” she says. Altogether, Kanno supplies six Long Beach restaurants with seasonal produce.
Kanno’s primary future goal is to operate in the black, to have a steady positive cash flow. She would like to become financially stable enough that she can afford to pay employees, in cash instead of crops.
Urban Agriculture: What’s Really Making a Mark?
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Stumbling around in Morrowind
I first played Morrowind right back when it was first released in 2002. But I didn’t get very far as I was just too confused about what I was expected to do and how to figure out how the many aspects of the game work. A few years later I gave it another try but after 20 hours or so I gave up on it once more. Many, many years later I played Skyrim (though that was more than a year after it’s release), and being a much more polished game I had a much easier time getting into it. But again, I soon got bored with it after 30 to 40 hours once I realized that doing all those sidequests is ultimately pointless. All the enemies are scaled to your level and the game is pretty easy to begin with, and nothing stops you from just doing the mainquests all in a row. And possibly be done with them in 20 hours. All the other stuff you do has some interesting sounding dialoges at the start, but then you always go into either a cave or a tomb and kill everyone you find there to get the item at the end and return it to the person who send you to get it. But for what? That person never again has any interactions with you after that and it’s not like you established any relationships or made any progress towards something. You improve your skills and gain treasures, which you can use to make better equipment and learn more spells. But for what? You are already strong enough to deal with everything. You don’t get any stronger because the enemies will always be adjusted to remain just as difficult. And unfortunately, the two main storylines both suck.
But from what I’ve heard, Morrowind is quite different from Skyrim in these respects. The main storyline is much more interesting and the culture of the land original and not just standard generic vikings. And there’s a point to going on other adventures because you have to become powerful enough to be able to survive in the areas where the main storyline takes you to. So with new hope I installed Morrowind again yesterday and jumped straight into it after roughly 10 years.
And at first I enjoyed it very much. But after 5 hours or so, the initial excitement about the weird landscape and intriguing culture started to fade. And I think it was about 10 hours into the game when I made it to the big capital city of Vivec when all motivation to continue left me. And shortly after I’ve quite playing, I realized that this was pretty much the same part of the game where I stopped the last time, 10 years ago. Because in Vivec, the huge flaw of the game becomes terribly obvious. The game is totally dead. It’s lifeless and lacks any soul.
If you’re familiar, that might sound very surprising and completely unjustified. The world of Morrowind is one of the most amazing and creative fantasy settings ever made. Which is true. But the way this amazing world is presented in the game is just mind crushingly dull. It’s so boring. Almost the entire game conists of nothing but deserted paths through the landscape and empty hallways that always look exactly the same. And unless you’re in a tavern or guild house, there just isn’t anyone around. Technical limitations are something that usually is not to be blamed on the designers. Back in the day, Morrowind actually looked very impressive to me. But aside from the giant mushroom trees, the world is really extremely monotonous. The only kind of decorations you find in the towns are wooden boxes. No plants, no animals, nothing. I had to think back to Baldur’s Gate, which was released four years earlier, and while the towns in that game where technically extremely simple, they just felt so much more alive. The colors not as washed out and much more detail on the 2D buildings and flat landscape. And most importantly, it had ambient sound. You hear people yelling in the distance, noises from people working, and lots of animals. Morrowind doesn’t have any ambient noise at all, and that’s perhaps one of the things that really kills the game. Skyrim does and it makes a huge world of difference.
I’ve always loved the world of Morrowind and from what I’ve read it has a very good story. But possibly the worst thing you could ever say about a game is that it is vastly more entertaining to read about it than to actually play the thing yourself. But with Morrowind, this is exactly what is the case. I love the world, but the game is just bad.
Author YoraPosted on 20/11/2015 20/11/2015 Categories review, video gamesTags Morrowind
2 thoughts on “Stumbling around in Morrowind”
Dsurion says:
I used to love Morrowind to death and completely ignore its many, many flaws, but after playing the Mass Effect and Witcher games, I can’t help but painfully feel Morrowind’s lifelessness as you describe here. It’s made me wonder what an Elder Scrolls game with the BioWare treatment would look like.
Yora says:
Mass Effect and Witcher are perfect counter examples. Mass Effect 2 and Witcher 2 are my two most favorite games of all. Partly because the environments look more alive, but most importantly because many of the people you encounter will show up a second or third time later on. Or sometimes you meet people who have connections to your character’s past. They don’t just stand in one place all the time and wait for you to talk to them. Some have their own things to do and their adventures cross over with yours.
Which of course is a lot easier to do when the game is somewhat linear. Open World just seems unsuited for games with story and character interaction.
Previous Previous post: New Fantasy Series Concept: The Old World
Next Next post: Movie Review: Interstellar
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Love Never Dies… but it"s hurting
Love Never Dies… but it”s hurting
Empty seats: Andrew Lloyd Webber”s Love Never Dies is struggling at the box office
Andrew Lloyd Webber is battling to keep his musical Love Never Dies running in the West End, even though it has lost 4million and stands little chance of recouping its costs.
Plans were well advanced to close the sequel to the phenomenally successful Phantom Of The Opera by the end of the summer, and replace it with something that might make some money.
But the composer has been buoyed by a new version of Love Never Dies that has its first night in Melbourne tomorrow. It has been directed by Simon Phillips, who headed the creative team behind the Priscilla musical.
‘There is no decision to close the show in London,’ an executive involved with Love Never Dies, which opened at the Adelphi in London just over a year ago, now tells me.
For a show that should have been a sure-fire hit, it has been beset by some of the bloodiest behind-the-scenes shenanigans seen in the West End.
The Adelphi is jointly owned by Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and the New York-based Nederlander Organisation.
Nick Scandalios, who runs theatre operations for Nederlander, has wanted a production to replace the loss-making Love Never Dies.
To that end, Scandalios and his associates were working on a proposed revival of the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical Camelot.
The idea was for the show to star Robert Lindsay (he had been approached), and for it to be directed by David Leveaux.
Camelot, about King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, has a dull and weighty book, but the plan had been to cut it back and concentrate on the songs, which include If Ever I Would Leave You and I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight.
But Camelot’s on hold now — for how long, no one knows.
‘We’re just about to phone Scandalios and tell him not to close Love Never Dies because the Melbourne version is previewing very well,’ the executive close to LND told me.
Lloyd Webber wants to introduce into the Adelphi show all the advances he and Phillips made in Melbourne. But that would mean shutting it down (again, because you may recall it was closed for a week earlier this year while Bill Kenwright ‘redirected’ it) and giving it new sets, costumes and cast.
Even harder would be persuading the public to shell out between 50 to 67.50 for an untested product (although there are heavily reduced seat prices to be had).
Many of those who worked on LND in London blame Lloyd Webber himself for its failure to take off. They insist that during rehearsals and previews last year the impresario refused to allow a single note of his score to be cut, which meant there could be no changes to the show’s structure. It’s easy to understand why Lloyd Webber wouldn’t want to cut his score — it’s one of the most beautiful he’s ever written.
But his recalcitrance caused mayhem behind the scenes and led to director Jack O’Brien, designer Bob Crowley and others asking lawyers to intervene.
Love Never Dies cost 5.5 million to put on and has returned about 1.3million to investors. Its producers aren’t allowed to raise further funds to keep the show running, so the Really Useful Group has for months been funding it itself. To do so, they slashed running costs by 15,000 a week.
The producers admitted to investors recently: ‘All of us are devastated that a project so full of promise has come to this pass. It’s hard to explain fully.’
Indeed it is. Really Useful claim they can afford to keep Love Never Dies running because it’s ‘haemorrhaging peanuts’ rather than haemorrhaging to death.
Rice”s novel musical won”t last an eternity
Tim Rice is adapting the James Jones novel From Here To Eternity for the stage
Tim Rice has a rule that musicals should be no longer than two-and-a-half hours, which may be a problem when it comes to adapting James Jones’s novel From Here To Eternity.
It’s a 900-page paperback, but Rice (right) and his collaborators on the musical version of the novel — about life in a U.S. military fort on the Hawaiian island of Oahu before Pearl Harbour — will fit as much as possible into that time.
The 1953 film version — starring Burt Lancaster — gets the storyline over very well, although Rice explained that the stage show is based on the book, not Daniel Taradash’s movie screenplay.
It’s taken several years to secure full stage rights. ‘It’s only really now that we are all gung-ho,’ Rice told me. He is producer and co-lyricist with Stuart Brayson, who composed the score, while Bill Oakes wrote the show’s book.
Rice has been working with director Tamara Harvey to structure the story. He joked that he needed help because ‘I’m a bit of an old codger these days.’
Nonsense. I saw Rice at a splendid bash Cameron Mackintosh threw recently to celebrate his 30-year business partnership with Nick Allott at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel, and he was full of vigour.
Who’ll be in it ‘George Clooney sings, doesn’t he’ Rice said. He’s kidding. We’ll have to wait and see.
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EUROPE / Carola and Salvini, a clash of civilizations
Original: Carola e Salvini, uno scontro di civilità
Translations available: Français
Carola and Salvini, a clash of civilizations
Guido Viale Γκουίντο Βιάλε
Salvini’s political career is built on an army of people who appear to believe that securing their future can only be done by the abandonment, drowning, torture and rape of thousands of other human beings.
Carola Rackete is a brave woman and an example of solidarity, who defied the prospect of imprisonment to give the gift of life to the shipwreck survivors whom she went to save.
Matteo Salvini is a cowardly and cynical man who underhandedly negotiated his escape from the trial in which he was accused of blocking shipwrecked migrants—only to continue to send refugees off to death and torture, on whose suffering his whole political career has been built.
Salvini has rallied an army at his feet, partly organized, partly spontaneous, made up of people with violent, sexist and vulgar language—as proven by their presence everywhere on the Internet—who appear to believe that securing their future can only be done by the abandonment, drowning, torture and rape of thousands of other human beings.
What happens beyond the borders of the country doesn’t interest them in the slightest: for now at least, they have outsourced the job of executioner to others (even if this is at the ultimate expense of Italians, such as Giulio Regeni: in that case, their motto becomes “Business first!” or, indeed, “Egyptians first!”). As history shows, tomorrow it could be their turn on the chopping block—or their turn to play the role of willing executioner.
On the other side, those who are rallying around Carola—as they rallied before around the meek figure of Mimmo Lucano—are the people for whom the value of human life is higher than any other consideration.
Accordingly, it is unavoidable that a bitter confrontation with Salvini’s followers will ensue. The first blows have already been traded on account of their sexist and racist language. This horrifies us, because we know that those words and those tweets are harbingers of real-life violence: of a universe of horrors, filled with disregard for life—not only that of others, but, in the end, their own as well—which is rising up to threaten every aspect of our common existence.
Thus, we find ourselves before a real “clash of civilizations” (for which Carola and Salvini are symbols), which, instead of pitting nations, religions or continents against each other, divides people who live right next to each other (the “Italians” whom Salvini pretends to want to defend, but actually only cares about some of them) and even impulses inside each of us, or inside some of the people we know, who are mostly not outright Lega supporters.
We must deal with the issues that lie at the origin of this clash of civilizations: those which provoke objections such as “we can’t welcome everyone,” “there is not enough space,” “why don’t they stay at home?” and the faux-conciliatory (and currently no longer used) “let’s help people here at home.” Do we have answers to all these? Yes, but these require stepping outside the mainstream, going beyond the narrow interpretation that politicians, the media and the “big newspapers” are pushing every day (including Travaglio’s newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, which on this point has chosen to side with those it otherwise claims to be fighting).
Meanwhile, Salvini, who is vituperating every day against the other EU governments—ironically, except for those working the hardest to sink both his and Italy’s prospects on the economic front—is handing them a priceless gift by willingly becoming the face of a policy of rejection which had actually been introduced and promoted at full steam by the “Europe of austerity” that Salvini is pretending to fight. It was a policy driven by Frontex (now the European Border and Coast Guard Agency) with the full support of all the intelligence services of the member states. In short, he is pulling their chestnuts out of the fire.
But neither the EU nor Salvini can stop the refugee flow. They are failing to stop it as we speak: hundreds of refugees are arriving in Lampedusa every week—something Salvini would rather sweep under the rug. And more of them will come as the conditions worsen in their home countries. The wars and dictatorships are the result of the looting of their lands and the degradation caused by climate change—which is in no way their fault, but caused by the economies of “developed” and “emerging” countries.
On this point as well, Salvini, as a climate change denier, fits perfectly with the EU, which pays lip service to the Paris agreement but rejects it in practice every day with its policies, despite the fact that—as climatologists warn—we only a few more years to prevent an irreversible change in the climate that made it possible for the human species to live on Earth in the first place.
Thus, we are moving forward with the wars, with the manufacture and sale of weapons, with pumping out oil, with building gas pipelines, highways, tunnels, organizing Olympics and all sorts of other “great works.” This is where the clash of civilizations, which we are now able to perceive through its symbols (Carola and Salvini), is showing its true roots: if we do not preserve the planet, we will not be able to save the lives of future generations, we will multiply the numbers of refugees seeking shelter, we will degrade our common existence, we will surrender to rampant cynicism and we will transform “Fortress Europe” into a prison for everyone, including us.
We don’t have much time left to act—but solidarity and respect for those who are worse off than us, who are suffering more than us, are inescapable preconditions for having respect for ourselves and for those around us. Both are rooted in a respect for the Earth and the environment, no longer seen as objects to be strip-mined, but as fellow travelers whose life cycles must be protected as well.
To do this, we must first reverse the precipitous trend of climate change by means of ecological conversion: large-scale investment plans that can offer new and more acceptable job opportunities for all, including the many (or few) immigrants arriving in Europe, which will only need them more and more.
Most importantly, such plans could also make it possible for those migrants who desire it (and very many of them do) to return freely to their homelands, or to alternate between Europe and their countries of origin, and make their contribution to the environmental and social regeneration of their ravaged territories.
Courtesy of il manifesto
Source: https://ilmanifesto.it/carola-e-salvini-uno-scontro-di-civilita/
Tags: Carola Rackete | Sea-Watch 3 | Rescuing migrants | Salvinini | Fortress Europe | Italy | UErope
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Quotes about Winning
"Be careful that victories do not carry the seed of future defeats."
Ralph Washington Sockman (October 1, 1889 – August 29, 1970) was the senior pastor of Christ Church (United Methodist) in New York City, United States. He gained considerable prominence in the U.S. as the featured speaker on the weekly NBC radio program, National Radio Pulpit, which aired from 1928 to 1962, and as a writer of several best-selling books on the Christian life.
"The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any hostilities. It is best to win without fighting."
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was the 26th President of the United States. He is famous for his energetic personality, range of interests and achievements, leadership of the Progressive Movement, and his "cowboy" image and robust masculinity.
"You don´t always win your battles, but it´s good to know you fought."
Lauren Bacal, born Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924) is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her husky voice and sultry looks.
"I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis "Lew" Alcindor, Jr. (April 16, 1947) is an American retired basketball player, coach, actor, and author. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar scored more points than any other player in league history, won six NBA championships and a record six regular season MVP Awards.
"When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat. "
Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist and painter.
"Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even. "
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (January 17, 1942) is a former American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers of all time.
"Most battles are won before they are ever fought."
George Smith Patton, Jr. also George Smith Patton III (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well-known for his controversial outspokenness.
"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."
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Totally Covered
No originals here.
31 October 2013 - Doctor and the Medics - Spirit In The Sky
Despite not being religious hippies like Norman Greenbaum, Doctor and the Medics did a really faithful cover of this song, a Christian classic. Their goth look now makes this song more appropriate for Halloween than church.
Their earnest performance makes the song - which I just told you a faithful cover of the faithful original - more associated with them than Norman Greenbaum - it's a better known song now because of Doctor and the Medics. Of course, it also gave them their only real U.S. exposure and their only U.K. chart hit, where it was a #1 smash.
Posted by redargyle at 8:33 AM No comments:
30 October 2013 - Au Revoir Simone - Fade Into You
Here are Brooklyn dream-poppers Au Revoir Simone doing a playful cover (love the dancing) of Mazzy Star's highest charting and most known song -- Fade Into You. Who would have thought this song would sound so cool with synths?
29 October 2013 (The Infamous Part 4!) - Karmin - No Scrubs & Lighters & Acapella.... wait, what?!
I pretty much promised you this was coming eventually.
If I am being totally honest, I thought I would have done it before now. Today's first cover is of the TLC classic "No Scrubs", in honor of the VH1 movie. This version sounds less angry and more.... well, lounge.
Today's second feature is their excellent cover of "Lighters". I put this here mostly because I am amazed at how well Amy raps and still plays guitar.
This third one is only kind of a cover. I mean, it's a Karmin song. Buuuuuuuuuuut, since the song is called "Acapella", doesn't it make sense that Mike Tompkins would team up with them to actually do it a capella? And yes, it is an interesting take.
Posted by redargyle at 1:01 PM No comments:
28 October 2013 - Over the Rhine - The One I Love
Happy Monday everyone...yeah, I know. Anyway, I just picked up Over the Rhine's latest double album Meet Me At The Edge Of The World and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing it. I just need to find an evening where I'm not glued to the TV watching a baseball game, hockey game, football game or The Voice (well, at least baseball's almost over). Until then, here's Cincinnati's finest husband and wife led Americana band playing a smokey version of R.E.M.'s The One I Love.
25 October 2013 - Broken Bells - Crimson and Clover
Well, I think I may be the last person on the planet to learn that Broken Bells a is project between James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. But probably not in this instance. Anyway, here's the indie supergroup playing a live version of a "rarely covered" Tommy James & The Shondells classic.
24 October 2013 - The Carpenters - We've Only Just Begun
Believe it or not, this song started off as a bank commercial, written by and performed by Paul Williams.
Until Richard Carpenter was watching television in a Quaalude-induced haze and saw that commercial. He knew it had to be theirs. And, with Karen Carpenter's powerful pre-anorexic vocals, a wedding classic was born.
Not kidding about it being a bank commercial first..... This was the first in a series of commercials using this song, envisioned by the legendary ad man Hal Riney for The Crocker Bank.
Posted by redargyle at 10:10 AM No comments:
18 October 2013 - Halestorm - Empire State of Mind
This one popped onto my Twitter feed a couple days ago and I had to share it. Here's hard rock band Halestorm playing the one Jay-Z song I don't mind (and that of course is because of Alecia Keys' fantastic vocal part...well that, and it just happened to be the unofficial anthem of the 2009 World Series win by the Yankees).
17 October 2013 - Blake Babies - Passionate Kisses
Some covers are planned and happen with a lot of preparation.
Some covers happen when a guy hands John Strohm a guitar and he happens to be in a band with Juliana Hatfield, who happens to be standing right next to him.
This is the latter. The Lucinda Williams classic has never sounded quite so raw, but still, it works.
16 October 2013 - We Are Scientists & Ash (WASH) - Touch Me I'm Sick
It's always cool when bands who tour together join up to play a song or two as an encore. Apparently, We Are Scientists and Ash (collectively known as WASH) felt the same a couple years ago when they toured together. Here they are in Melbourne playing the Mudhoney anthem Touch Me I'm Sick.
15 October 2013 - Guano Apes - Big In Japan
Rather than spend time on a blog post..... I watched the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0 to take a 2-1 series lead in the ALCS. And then I think back to Kevin Millar, one of the heroes of the 2004 Red Sox that broke the so-called curse of the Bambino - which was ridiculous, by the way - and how he was.... well, big in Japan, where he had played for a bit.
So here are Guano Apes, doing an Alphaville cover. It's quite heavy. Enjoy.
Posted by redargyle at 10:30 PM No comments:
11 October 2013 - Reel Big Fish - Take On Me
Here's third wave ska band Reel Big Fish playing a punked-up cover of Take on Me by a-ha. The video's kind of fun but how much cooler would it have been if they tried to recreate the original video...but without the animation?
10 October 2013 - Puscifer - Bohemian Rhapsody
Sometimes, a video tells the whole story. Sometimes, a video is just bizarre. This video falls into the latter category. It's weird, but the song itself is solid, full of the proper emotion, and faithful to the original.
And yet when you realize who Puscifer actually is - Maynard James Keenan, whose day job is lead vocalist of Tool and A Perfect Circle - this becomes all the more bizarre.
9 October 2013 - Ben Folds & Rufus Wainwright - Careless Whisper
The endless search is finally over. I am proud to present you with "The New Wham!" Here's Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright with a ridiculously earnest George Michael/Wham! cover.
How awesome would it have been if Ben and Rufus covered this Wham! gem instead?
8 October 2013 - The Bangles - Going Down To Liverpool
My first exposure to The Bangles was a song on a Saturday morning music video show in 1985. I didn't know at the time that this song was originally done by Katrina and the Waves (and was reissued afterwards as the B-side to "Walking on Sunshine"). I didn't know that Debbi Peterson was not the normal lead vocalist of this little group. I certainly didn't know why the camera was giving so much attention to the acoustic guitarist (it's Susanna Hoffs, if you weren't aware, and I would be aware two years later when she gave those sideways eyes again in the video for "Walk Like An Egyptian").
And I didn't know why Leonard Nimoy was so willing to appear in a video for four unknown women. But it made them cooler.
I know all these things now. Susanna Hoffs was friends with Adam Nimoy, Leonard's son.
7 October 2013 - Deer Tick - If I Should Fall From Grace With God
Here's a pretty rad live performance of The Pogues' classic If I Should Fall From Grace With God by Providence, RI indie rock/Americana band Deer Tick to get your week started out just right.
4 October 2013 - Coheed and Cambria - A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours
Whenever I can't think of, or feel too lazy to find a decent cover, I can always count on the The AV Club Undercover series. They've bailed me out on many a Friday (my most vacant brain day of the week) with a killer cover. Here's another good one. I've been a fan of alternative/progressive metal/hardcore band Coheed and Cambria since their exciting debut The Second Stage Turbine Blade came out (hard to believe it's been over 10 years). I wasn't surprised that they chose A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours by The Smiths. I WAS surprised however with their down-tempo acoustic approach to the song. It's very cool. Very cool indeed, Coheed.
3 October 2013 - Atomic Kitten - The Tide Is High (with a twist at the end)
So, what do we do to follow yesterday's epic post?
Well, today is our 400th post. And I could only think of one way to be truly epic for today.
Oooooookkkkkaaaaaaayyyy....... so why pick a British girl group who are seeming desecrating a Blondie classic? Well, 1. I don't think they are desecrating it and 2. I have a story. You see, "The Tide is High" - the Blondie version - is the first song that I remember being my favorite song. I was 8. I couldn't have told you at the time what the song was about, really. But I loved the island feel of the song.
This version of the song doesn't exactly have an island feel. It does have three young women - one of them significantly pregnant - earnestly performing a song that was specially crafted to include girl harmonies and fun dance moves.
Disney Channel fans actually know this song already. It was used in the opening credits of the Lizze McGuire Movie. (Oh yeah. We went there.)
Ready for the twist?
The Blondie version was a cover of a song by the Jamaican group The Paragons. So, really, Atomic Kitten was covering a cover. And the original was written to be sung by a man.
Diving Horses profile and interviews with DJ Dan and Jimi HaHa
Diving Horses was created by the Annapolis-based production duo of multi-instrumentalist Softeyes and DJ Dan. Their self-titled debut album due out this fall on Underground Wednesday Records re-imagines a range of seminal modern and classic rock songs (from artists as diverse as New Order and AC/DC) as indie-dancefloor anthems. It features vocalists from some of Annapolis, Maryland's best bands including Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, Future People, Swampcandy, Starbelly, Van Meter, the Geckos, Pompeii Graffiti, Cole Cash, Hypnotic Panties, Happy Little Robots, and Ethics Committee, as well as solo artists Tobias Russell Music, Dean Rosenthal and Joseph Karr.
Interview with DJ Dan of Diving Horses
I met DJ Dan Mollen at an Annapolis, MD bar around three years ago. I don't actually recall how it all went down, but I can imagine a Pixies song was playing on the jukebox and a music conversation started that continues to this day. While we share a boatload of music in common, it's our differences that make an afternoon kicking back a couple brews that much more fun. Usually we'll start out talking about some hot new indie rock band and then without fail he'll mercilessly mock my love for pop, country or some "passe" 90s alt band that I happen to be seeing that week. As you'll read in my Totally Covered interview, DJ Dan has very strong opinions on what music should be and I respect that.
Totally Covered (TC): What was the impetus for this project?
DJ Dan: I’ve been a DJ for a long time but since the advent of the iPod, it’s a moniker that’s become increasingly troublesome to me. When I started playing music, I got hired for three things: I had a lot of records, I had taste in music that people seemed to respond to, and not unimportantly, I had equipment. Obviously now, every bartender in America has an iPod and while that’s not always a bad thing, a lot of the time it is. But rather than hearing a broader variety of music when we’re out at night, we’ve been subjected to either increasingly homogenous playlists or stuff that frankly, blows. That’s a long way of saying that I saw this project as a way of paying homage to the music that really formed my sensibilities and a lot of that is grounded in what I would call college radio or classic modern rock. Plus I’ve always been a sucker for a good cover.
TC: How did it all come about? Ideally (and realistically), what are you trying to accomplish with this recording?
DJ Dan: As with anything else, it started off as a way to make music with my friends and have fun. But more than that, there were several things that I hoped to get in front of a broader audience. One, is that we have an incredibly vibrant music scene in Annapolis and it’s my hope that as a community, we can work together to get each other’s music heard outside of our immediate area. Secondly, it struck a chord with me to involve genuine talents in genres like folk, blues, or country and employ their voices in a dancefloor context. It’s not unlike the Verve Remixed series in that regard. Lastly, I really wanted to shine a light on the talent of my fellow Diving Horse, Softeyes. More people should be aware of his evil genius.
TC: We have previously spoken about IDM vs. EDM. Can you explain this concept for our readers?
DJ Dan: Defining EDM is tough because it’s become a uniquely American catchall term for a sound that has certainly permutated but has really been around for a couple decades at this point. But my mind conjures up several things when I hear the term -- simplistic but catchy vocals, big bass, grating synths, and a touch of white noise played really loud for shirtless frat guys in clubs where I would never go. I find its popularity to be somewhat perplexing especially when I consider how bad most of it sucks. But I don’t think that’s unusual for any genre really -- what seems to appeal to the mainstream is bad music of every stripe. Bad rock, bad rap, bad country, you name it. On the other hand, I’m really intrigued by this whole concept of Intelligent Dance Music (IDM). In my mind, it’s far more song-based and far less formulaic. When I think of the kind of dance music that Diving Horses aspires to, it’s artists like LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, and others that do such a great job of marrying lyrics that actually say something with electronic music that can do anything from soothe to rock. I’m not trying to compare us to them, but that’s the model.
TC: Are there any plans or thoughts to doing a live performance (even just a one-off) with the singers involved?
DJ Dan: That’s a tricky wicket, my friend, for such a studio-based project, but we’re ironing out the details, and I can tell you a few things. We’re going to have a release party. It’s going to feature a wide array of talented people that appear on the record. And it’s going to be great.
Interview with Jimi HaHa
Jimi HaHa (Jimmie's Chicken Shack and The Jarflys) sings Evil Woman and I Wanna Be Adored on the Diving Horses record. I thought it'd be pretty cool to check in with him (via DJ Dan) to talk about the record, his music and our great city of Annapolis. I desperately wanted to print Jimi's unedited responses but DJ Dan put the kibosh on that saying Jimi's depraved answers would destroy too many lives. I kind of agreed with DJ Dan, but only because I really didn't feel like doing the "fact checking."
TC: Did you have a previous connection with the guys in Diving Horses? What made you want to work with them?
Jimi HaHa: I've known both Dan and Casey (Softeyes) for years. I met Dan because of his DJing. We have a lot of the same taste. Oh except he loves Dave Matthews (editors note: HA! Dan was expressing his love for all things DMB with me just last week). I met Casey when he was playing in a band and he eventually ended up playing guitar with Jimmie's Chicken Shack for five years. When they approached me about being involved in the project I just thought it was going to be so cool. I had to do it. I loved the songs they picked and knew they would make something we all would enjoy.
TC: How was recording for this project different than your previous experiences with Jimmie’s Chicken Shack and the Jarflys?
Jimi HaHa: It was much easier. Basically I went into their studio and sang the tunes and my work was done. Dan remembers that I was sick. I don't remember that, but I count on his memory more than my own.
TC: What’s next for you musically?
Jimi HaHa: I hope to get working on a solo acoustic record. Just one guitar track and one vocal track. Stripped down to the core.
TC: What does Annapolis music mean to you? Is there truly an Annapolis sound?
Jimi HaHa: It just means good music to me. I don't know if you could say there is an "Annapolis sound" other than it tends to be quality. I think there is a wide range of sounds that bands have come up with. They are usually very honest and original.
Diving Horses Tracklist:
1. Ceremony (New Order) feat. Jennifer Van Meter
2. Money Talks (AC/DC) feat. Kahz
3. Evil Woman (ELO) feat. Jimi HaHa and Jennifer Reichwein
4. Heroes (David Bowie) feat. Pompeii Graffiti and Bri Ong
5. For Whom The Bell Tolls (Metallica) feat. Softeyes
6. Magnificent Seven (Clash) feat. Tobias Russell
7. Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush) feat. Ruben Dobbs
8. Let’s Go (Cars) feat. Joseph Karr
9. Never Tear Us Apart (INXS) feat. Starbelly
10. Cuts You Up (Peter Murphy) feat. Greg Harris
11. In Between Days (Cure) feat. Kevin Martin and Dean Rosenthal
12. I Wanna Be Adored (Stone Roses) feat. Jimi HaHa
Give Diving Horses a like on Facebook and then check out the first single Evil Woman feat. Jimi HaHa at Soundcloud. If you like what you hear, you can then buy Evil Woman at either Amazon or iTunes.
1 October 2013 - Sarah Brightman and Antonio Banderas - The Phantom of the Opera
Today is my daughter Juliana's 13th birthday. She is a huge Phantom of the Opera fan.
Happy birthday, Juliana. Here's some Phantom for you.
Follow Tony (@redargyle) on Twitter. Maybe Scott (@sneezeguard) will come back, too!
Our Covers Thus Far
31 October 2013 - Doctor and the Medics - Spirit I...
30 October 2013 - Au Revoir Simone - Fade Into You...
29 October 2013 (The Infamous Part 4!) - Karmin - ...
25 October 2013 - Broken Bells - Crimson and Clove...
24 October 2013 - The Carpenters - We've Only Just...
18 October 2013 - Halestorm - Empire State of Mind...
17 October 2013 - Blake Babies - Passionate Kisses...
16 October 2013 - We Are Scientists & Ash (WASH) -...
9 October 2013 - Ben Folds & Rufus Wainwright - Ca...
8 October 2013 - The Bangles - Going Down To Liver...
7 October 2013 - Deer Tick - If I Should Fall From...
4 October 2013 - Coheed and Cambria - A Rush and a...
3 October 2013 - Atomic Kitten - The Tide Is High ...
Diving Horses profile and interviews with DJ Dan a...
1 October 2013 - Sarah Brightman and Antonio Bande...
Our Biggest Fans
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Home » News » News Roundup » New Roundup » Featured » SBP eyes 2 naturalized players for Gilas pool
SBP eyes 2 naturalized players for Gilas pool
December 29, 2017 | Filed under: Featured,Headlines,News in Photo,Sports | Posted by: Waylon Galvez
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is looking at the possibility of having two naturalized players in the Gilas Pilipinas pool as part of its long-term plan for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“Yes, that’s my hope,” said SBP President Al Panlilio adding that having two bigs in the lineup would be an ideal set up for a team lacking in size.
Gilas has only one so far in former NBA player Andray Blatche.
Blatche, however, will no longer be a part of the 2023 squad since he would already be 36 years old when the country plays host to the world’s biggest basketball extravaganza.
Chot Reyes, the current Gilas coach, said the ideal age for national team hopefuls is between 26-32 years old.
One possible candidate for naturalization is Zeke Austin.
The 7-foot-1 American has already suited up as import of the national team in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in China last October.
Austin is only 24 years old, and by 2023, he will definitely be at his peak form like when Blatche – then 28 years old – first suited up for the national team during the 2014 World Cup in Spain.
In his initial stint with Gilas, Austin averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.1 blocks per game in seven games.
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Open-Source Hops Dryer Design Developed
Before beer ever reaches a frosty pint glass, the hops in it are often dried. But it’s not so straightforward: once picked, hops may mildew if not dried within 24 hours. Dried too much, the quality deteriorates. At worst, the essential oil-containing crop can spontaneously combust during processing or storage.
A team of Virginia Tech College of Engineering students has now developed a low-cost drying solution for the finicky crop — and they’re providing it open source to growers everywhere.
Hops driers, called oasts, are like kilns for fresh, wet hop cones, which are harvested from perennial vining plants during a one-month harvesting season late in the summer. While large-scale farms often have access to oasts capable of drying thousands of pounds of hops at a time, the local growers’ options are slim.
That’s why, as part of a larger hops grant, the Virginia Agricultural Council funded a mechanical engineering senior design project at Virginia Tech to develop an oast capable of being powered with only 120 volts, built using off-the-shelf materials, and costing no more than $4,000.
Over the course of two semesters and under the direction of principal investigator Holly Scoggins and research manager Daniel Jackson of the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the engineering team designed, built, and tested an oast capable of drying about 300 pounds of hops in 24 hours.
“This partnership between CALS and the mechanical engineering capstone program has been rewarding for all involved,” Scoggins said. “Daniel has carefully communicated the issues involved as well as facilitated construction. These talented students have responded to the challenges every step of the way. We can’t wait to fire this oast up at harvest time.”
Other open-source plans for oasts currently exist. But according to design team member and mechanical engineering senior Alexandra Ringer, these plans were lacking in certain capabilities that presented an opportunity for the team to improve.
At Virginia Tech, Jackson manages the hops research yard at the Virginia Tech Urban Horticulture Center just off Prices Fork Road. The kiln he currently uses can only dry 50 pounds at a time and must be checked often to prevent over-drying.
“He used to come in every few hours through the night, so he would drive into campus at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., 6 a.m. and come check on it,” Ringer said.
After hearing the limitations of existing oasts, the team set to work, prioritizing a steady airflow for even drying and an effective controls system that ensured Jackson and hops growers wouldn’t have to check on their hops so often.
Inside the 8-foot-tall wooden oast, 18 hops crates — two deep and three tall — can be slid in and out from the shelving, made of metal beams. Integrated sensors monitor temperature to prevent over-drying and track the weight of the crates — the most effective way to track the moisture content of the hops.
The control system will allow growers to check on their hops without opening the door and will let the farmer know when the hops reach the ideal moisture content of 8 to 10 percent.
“I’ve been extremely impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm the students have brought to this project,” Jackson said. “They have been highly engaged and want to learn more about this emerging industry, and are using technical knowledge and creative solutions to solve a real problem for the hop producers in this region.”
The assembly and operation instructions for the oast will be published later this season on the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Hops webpage, which contains additional resources for hop producers in the region. The unit will also be demonstrated at Virginia Tech’s Hops Field Days and other educational events.
For now, the proof-of-concept oast produced by the students will be used by Jackson and Scoggins, who is also a specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension, following the students’ final presentation of their project at the mechanical engineering senior design showcase.
“Being able to apply what we’ve learned to help the local community really embodies Ut Prosim,” Ringer said. “We’re hoping that by designing a way for growers to dry their own hops that the barrier to getting into the industry is lower.”
The student design team consists of eight seniors studying mechanical engineering: Justin Bakie, David Blackwood, Tim Garnier, Josh Gray, Austin Muff, Marianna Pittman, Alexandra Ringer, and Johnathan Russell.
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The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits is sweet ~ Aristotle
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela
Education is not a preparation for life, Education is life itself ~ John Dewey
The University of Southampton is a university situated in the city of Southampton, on the south coast of England. The university is a member of the Russell Group and of the Worldwide Universities Network.
In the most recent RAE assessment (2001), it has the only engineering faculty in the country to receive the highest rating (5*) across all disciplines. According to The Times Higher Education Supplement, the University has the second largest research income among British universities for the physical sciences and mathematics, and the third largest research income for engineering and technology. The University places great emphasis on inter-disciplinary cooperation and on collaboration with industry. This is most evident in the University's Business division.
The University of Southampton has its origin as the Hartley Institution which was formed in 1862 from a benefaction by Henry Robertson Hartley (1777-1850). Hartley was the son of a local wine merchant. On his death he left £103,000 to the Southampton Corporation on condition that it was invested "in such manner as might best promote the study and advancement of the sciences of Natural History, Astronomy, Antiquities, Classical and Oriental Literature in the town, such as by forming a Public Library, Botanic Gardens, Observatory, and collections of objects with the above sciences."
The city officials housed Hartley's books in a building in Southampton's High Street, in the city centre. The Hartley Institution was borne out of this, and became a university college in 1902. In 1919 it was renamed Hartley University College, and subsequently University College Southampton. Before 1952, the college's degrees were awarded by the University of London.
Having outgrown the High Street premises, the college was set to move to greenfield land near Highfield's Back Lane (now University Road). Although the new main building was formally opened on 20 June 1914, the outbreak of the First World War occurred before any lectures could take place there. The buildings were handed over by the college authorities for use as a military hospital. In order to cope with the volume of casualties, wooden huts were erected at the rear of the building. The college continued to use these after the war, eventually replacing the makeshift extension with brick buildings. With the continuing expansion, an academic bookshop was built on the site of Church Farm and the Students' Union complex and refectory were built on the site of Sir Sidney Kimber's brickyard.
In 1952, the Queen granted the University of Southampton a Royal Charter to award degrees in its own right. This conferred full university status and made Southampton independent of the University of London. Despite being one of the last of the "civic" universities, it grew rapidly and gained a reputation for a strong academic approach. It expanded rapidly during the 1960s, when a number of new plate glass universities were created; such as the University of East Anglia, University of Lancaster, University of Warwick, University of York and a number of others.
In 2005, a large fire destroyed part of the Mountbatten Building, holding optical fibre research laboratories (the world-renowned Optoelectronics Research Centre, ORC) and the microchip fabrication laboratories. It is estimated that the costs for rebuilding the centre and replacing the equipment will be around £50 million, making this what is believed to be the world's most destructive university fire.
List of Faculties, Schools and Centres
Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment (includes the centre for Environmental Sciences)
School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS)
School of Engineering Sciences (includes Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Ship Science)
School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES)
Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR)
Optoelectronics Research Centre
Transportation Research Group (TRG)
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (home of the School of Ocean and Earth Science) (NOCS)
Southampton E-Science Centre
Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences
School of Management - see below
School of Art (based at Winchester School of Art)
Parkes Institute
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences
Health Care Innovation Unit
Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute
ESRC National Centre for Research Methods
School of Electronics and Computer Science
The School of Electronics and Computer Science, generally abbreviated "ECS", has been at the forefront of the Open Access movement.
The school is regarded as one of the best in the UK for both computer science and electronics, scoring 5th and 1st for the subjects respectively in the Guardian Unlimited University Guide 2008 and 5th and 2nd respectively by both the Times Online Good University Guide and the Good University Guide.
ECS was the first academic institution in the world to adopt a self-archiving mandate (2001) and since then much of its published research has been freely available on the Web. It created the first and most widely used archiving software (EPrints) which is used worldwide by 213 known archives and continues to be evolved and supported from the School .
The University of Southampton is planning to develop the UK’s first wholly integrated ‘professional campus’. The plans will see the transformation of the University’s Boldrewood campus.
Lloyd’s Register, an independent risk management organisation, will move its London marine operations to the Boldrewood campus.
The practice of corporations and business schools sharing resources and facilities is well established in some countries but this will be the first ‘professional campus’ in the UK. The Lloyd's Register Group will maintain its building in the City of London as the corporate office and governance of the Group will remain based there.
Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI)
The University of Southampton and the MIT recently announced the launch of a long-term research collaboration that aims to produce the fundamental scientific advances necessary to guide the future design and use of the World Wide Web.The Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI), is headed by Professor Tim Berners-Lee.
University of Southampton ranked 80th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking
University of Southampton ranked 81st in the 2010 QS World University Ranking
University of Southampton ranked 75th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking
Labels: Southampton University, UK
Background Image of this blog courtesy of Laura Furniss at Flickr. The author owes a million thanks to her.
Disclaimer: Most of The information obtained are from Wikipedia.com and the corresponding universities' websites.Images may be taken from the internet, wikipedia.com and/or the corresponding universities' websites.The author does not have the rights to any of the images and thus request for information - if any- regarding the ownership of the pictures and/or images
TOP 200 UNIVERSITIES OF THE WORLD
Aarhus University, Denmark
Aberdeen University, Scotland, UK
Adelaide University, Australia
Arizona University, USA
Auckland University, New Zealand
Australian National University, Australia
Basel University, Switzerland
Birmingham University, UK
Boston University, USA
Brandeis University, USA
Bristol University, UK
British Columbia University, Canada
Brown University, USA
Calgary University, Canada
California Institute of Technology, USA
Cambridge University, UK
Cardiff University, Wales, UK
Carnegie-Mellon University, USA
Case Western Reserve University, USA
Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Colorado University, USA
Columbia University, USA
Copenhagen University, Denmark
Cornell University, USA
Cranfield University, UK
Dartmouth College, USA
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Duke University, USA
Durham University, UK
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Edinburgh University, UK
Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Emory University, USA
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Florida University , USA
Free University of Berlin, Germany
Geneva University, Switzerland
Georgetown University, USA
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Glasgow University, Scotland, UK
Harvard University, USA
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Heidelberg University, Germany
Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Helsinki University, Finland
Hokkaido University, Japan
Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Hong Kong University, Hong Kong
HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITÄT ZU BERLIN (Humboldt University of Berlin), Germany
Imperial College London, UK
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
Indiana University Bloomington, USA
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Keio University, Japan
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
King's College London, UK
Korea Advanced Institue of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea
Korea University,South Korea
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Kyoto University, Japan
Kyushu University, Japan
La Sapienza University, Italy
Lancaster University, UK
Leicester University, UK
Leiden University, Netherlands
Liverpool University, UK
LMU -University of Munich, Germany
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
London School of Economics, UK
Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
Lund University, Sweden
Maastricht University, Netherlands
Macquarie University, Australia
Manchester University, UK
Massachussetts Institute of Technology, USA
McMaster University, Canada
Melbourne University, Australia
Michigan State University, USA
Michigan University, USA
Monash University, Australia
Nagoya University, Japan
Nanjing University, China
National Taiwan University, Taiwan
New South Wales University, Australia
New York University, USA
Newcastle University, UK
Northwestern University, USA
Ohio State University, USA
Osaka University, Japan
Otago University, New Zealand
Oxford University, UK
Peking University, China
Pennsylvania State University, USA
Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea
Princeton University, USA
Purdue University, USA
Queen Mary, University of London, UK
Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Queen's University, Canada
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Queensland University, Australia
Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
Rice University, USA
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
School of Oriental and African Studies, UK
Seoul National University, South Korea
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Sheffield University, UK
Simon Fraser University, Canada
Southampton University, UK
Stockholm University, Sweden
Stony Brook University, USA
Sydney University, Australia
TECHNION - Istrael Institute of Technology, Israel
Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Technische Universität MÜNCHEN, Germany
Texas A & M University, USA
The University of Chicago, USA
Tohoku University, Japan
Tokyo University, Japan
Toronto University, Canada
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Tsinghua University, China
Tufts University, USA
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
University Catholique Louvain, Belgium
University College Cork, Ireland
University College Dublin, Ireland
University College London, UK
University of Alberta, Canada
University of Athens, Greece
University of Barcelona, Spain
University of Bath, UK
University of Bergen, Norway
University of Bern, Switzerland
University of Bologna, Italy
University of Bonn, Germany
University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
University of Calgary, Canada
University of California, Berkeley, USA
University of California, Davis, USA
University of California, Irvine, USA
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
University of California, San Diego, USA
University of California, USA
University of Campinas, Brazil
University of Canterbury, New Zealand
University of Freiburg, Germany
University of Ghent, Belgium
University of Groningen, Netherlands
University of Göttingen, Germany
University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
University of Iowa, USA
University of Karlsruhe, Germany
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Illinois Governor Vetoes Bill Tying Prevailing Wage to Union Contracts
Wednesday, July 27, 2016 2:51 PM - Walter - ABC News, Legislation, Politics & Policy, State/Local News, Prevailing Wage -
On July 22, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have significantly changed the prevailing wage calculation process by tying wage rates to union collective bargaining agreements. In vetoing the bill, Gov. Rauner said Senate Bill 2964 would effectively discount the wage rates of those who have chosen not to join a union and who make up a majority of the construction workforce.
“To limit the prevailing wage to the wage specified in a collective bargaining agreement would mean disregarding all those workers whose wages are not set by that agreement,” said Gov. Rauner in his veto message. “Senate Bill 2964 would fix prevailing wage to the wage applicable to as few as 30 percent of the workers in a given trade, meaning that the wage applicable to the remaining 70 percent of workers would be disregarded.” He also noted that the bill would raise the cost of taxpayer-funded projects and take too much power from local governments in determining their own prevailing wage rates.
ABC of Illinois President Alicia Martin expressed support for Gov. Rauner’s veto and referenced a 2014 study released by the Anderson Economic Group that showed prevailing wage rates increased school construction costs by about $1 billion over a decade-long period. “Each year, $2.9 billion in school construction expenditures are subject to Illinois’ prevailing wage laws. From 2002 to 2011, this amounted to over $29 billion. In absence of prevailing wage, the study estimated Illinois taxpayers could have saved $158 million each of the past 10 years,” she said.
In addition to his veto, Gov. Rauner also outlined a number of technical changes to the bill, including some that would preserve the authority of local governments in calculating and setting prevailing wage rates. The legislature may try to override the governor’s veto later this year.
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October Construction Unemployment Rates Down in 45 States Year Over Year
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IBM and West Virginia University Center for Disability Inclusion Unveil Mobile Workplace Accommodation Case Management App
IBM and West Virginia University's Center for Disability Inclusion (CDI) today announced they are developing a first generation mobile workplace accommodation case management app to help U.S. businesses create inclusive workplaces for employees with disabilities.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 20.4 percent of people with disabilities were employed in March 2017, as opposed to 68.7 percent of people without disabilities. Therefore, creating better support for job applicants and employees is critical to creating a diverse pool of talent in the workplace, optimizing the productivity of every worker, and increasing job satisfaction.
The Mobile Accommodation Solution (MAS) app is being designed to help increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities and streamline the disability accommodation process at various phases of the employment cycle. It will support talent management, human resources, and/or accommodation staff to create inclusive workplaces by facilitating the process of accommodating applicants, candidates, and employees. The app will also enable service providers by helping people with disabilities to better manage the accommodation process.
Users of the MAS app will be able to manage requests for workplace accommodation in real time from iOS and Android tablets or smartphones. The app will provide users with a suite of fillable, accessible forms and the capability to store, print, and export records that can be imported into enterprise information systems. IBM AbilityLab Mobile Accessibility Checker, an automated testing solution to help strengthen the accessibility features of mobile applications, is being used to help MAS conform to accessibility standards.
"With new technologies, such as cognitive computing, voice recognition, haptics, wearables, location-based services, and machine learning, businesses have more opportunities to help provide comprehensive and effective accommodations to allow employees with disabilities to achieve their full potential," said Dr. Ruoyi Zhou, Director of IBM Accessibility Research. "Collaborating with the CDI on MAS will help employers create a more inclusive workplace that empowers and engages employees."
"The MAS app will leverage the deep knowledge and tools of the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a leading source of free and expert guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues that is managed by the CDI," said Lou Orslene, MAS Project Manager and JAN Co-Director.
"With a solid business case, employers are increasingly seeking and retaining talented employees with disabilities," said Dr. DJ Hendricks, Director of CDI. "The mobile accommodation solution will provide employers with the technology and tools needed to effectively hire and retain members of this still largely untapped talent pool."
MAS can be used across the entire organization. For example, the Talent Acquisition staff can use the app to document and forward an accommodation request to employee relations; an employee can use the forms built into the app to initiate a request for an accommodation; or, the accommodation staff can provide case management and tracking capabilities while guiding an accommodation specialist through best practices for providing a specific accommodation.
MAS also provides users with information regarding emerging policies and best practices for workplace accommodation, developed from JAN's vast knowledgebase. JAN's guidance is built into the app to provide users with resources to help ensure the most inclusive accommodation process, while also providing the case management capability to capture any accommodation efforts being made. In addition, the app will provide functionality to contact JAN for coaching on the accommodation process or a specific accommodation solution.
MAS app availability
MAS will be previewed at the 2017 M-Enabling Summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
An iOS version of the app is expected to be available through the App Store by late 2017; while an Android version is expected to be available in 2018.
Funding for MAS was provided by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The MAS development process was informed by members of the U.S. Business Leadership Network, the National Business and Disability Council at the Viscardi Center, American Association of People with Disabilities, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Disability Management Employer Coalition.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-and-west-virginia-universitys-center-for-disability-inclusion-unveil-mobile-workplace-accommodation-case-management-app-300472307.html
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All posts tagged ritual
On Adaptable Modes of Thought
Posted by Damien Williams on August 29, 2016
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Future Worth Thinking About, auto^2, ethics, language, magic, magick, philosophy, philosophy of technology, politics, post-work economy, post-worker economy, religious studies, ritual, ritual space, ritual studies, safe spaces, technoccult, technological ethics, technology, the occult, trigger warnings. 2 comments
-Human Dignity-
The other day I got a CFP for “the future of human dignity,” and it set me down a path thinking.
We’re worried about shit like mythical robots that can somehow simultaneously enslave us and steal the shitty low paying jobs we none of us want to but all of us have to have so we can pay off the debt we accrued to get the education we were told would be necessary to get those jobs, while other folks starve and die of exposure in a world that is just chock full of food and houses…
About shit like how we can better regulate the conflated monster of human trafficking and every kind of sex work, when human beings are doing the best they can to direct their own lives—to live and feed themselves and their kids on their own terms—without being enslaved and exploited…
About, fundamentally, how to make reactionary laws to “protect” the dignity of those of us whose situations the vast majority of us have not worked to fully appreciate or understand, while we all just struggle to not get: shot by those who claim to protect us, willfully misdiagnosed by those who claim to heal us, or generally oppressed by the system that’s supposed to enrich and uplift us…
…but no, we want to talk about the future of human dignity?
Louisiana’s drowning, Missouri’s on literal fire, Baltimore is almost certainly under some ancient mummy-based curse placed upon it by the angry ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, and that’s just in the One Country.
Motherfucker, human dignity ain’t got a Past or a Present, so how about let’s reckon with that before we wax poetically philosophical about its Future.
I mean, it’s great that folks at Google are finally starting to realise that making sure the composition of their teams represents a variety of lived experiences is a good thing. But now the questions are, 1) do they understand that it’s not about tokenism, but about being sure that we are truly incorporating those who were previously least likely to be incorporated, and 2) what are we going to do to not only specifically and actively work to change that, but also PUBLICIZE THAT WE NEED TO?
These are the kinds of things I mean when I say, “I’m not so much scared of/worried about AI as I am about the humans who create and teach them.”
There’s a recent opinion piece at the Washington Post, titled “Why perceived inequality leads people to resist innovation,”. I read something like that and I think… Right, but… that perception is a shared one based on real impacts of tech in the lives of many people; impacts which are (get this) drastically unequal. We’re talking about implications across communities, nations, and the world, at an intersection with a tech industry that has a really quite disgusting history of “disruptively innovating” people right out of their homes and lives without having ever asked the affected parties about what they, y’know, NEED.
So yeah. There’s a fear of inequality in the application of technological innovation… Because there’s a history of inequality in the application of technological innovation!
This isn’t some “well aren’t all the disciplines equally at fault here,” pseudo-Kumbaya false equivalence bullshit. There are neoliberal underpinnings in the tech industry that are basically there to fuck people over. “What the market will bear” is code for, “How much can we screw people before there’s backlash? Okay so screw them exactly that much.” This model has no regard for the preexisting systemic inequalities between our communities, and even less for the idea that it (the model) will both replicate and iterate upon those inequalities. That’s what needs to be addressed, here.
Check out this piece over at Killscreen. We’ve talked about this before—about how we’re constantly being sold that we’re aiming for a post-work economy, where the internet of things and self-driving cars and the sharing economy will free us all from the mundaneness of “jobs,” all while we’re simultaneously being asked to ignore that our trajectory is gonna take us straight through and possibly land us square in a post-Worker economy, first.
Never mind that we’re still gonna expect those ex-workers to (somehow) continue to pay into capitalism, all the while.
If, for instance, either Uber’s plan for a driverless fleet or the subsequent backlash from their stable—i mean “drivers” are shocking to you, then you have managed to successfully ignore this trajectory.
Disciplines like psychology and sociology and history and philosophy? They’re already grappling with the fears of the ones most likely to suffer said inequality, and they’re quite clear on the fact that, the ones who have so often been fucked over?
Yeah, their fears are valid.
You want to use technology to disrupt the status quo in a way that actually helps people? Here’s one example of how you do it: “Creator of chatbot that beat 160,000 parking fines now tackling homelessness.”
Until then, let’s talk about constructing a world in which we address the needs of those marginalised. Let’s talk about magick and safe spaces.
-Squaring the Circle-
Speaking of CFPs, several weeks back, I got one for a special issue of Philosophy and Technology on “Logic As Technology,” and it made me realise that Analytic Philosophy somehow hasn’t yet understood and internalised that its wholly invented language is a technology…
…and then that realisation made me realise that Analytic Philosophy hasn’t understood that language as a whole is a Technology.
And this is something we’ve talked about before, right? Language as a technology, but not just any technology. It’s the foundational technology. It’s the technology on which all others are based. It’s the most efficient way we have to cram thoughts into the minds of others, share concept structures, and make the world appear and behave the way we want it to. The more languages we know, right?
We can string two or more knowns together in just the right way, and create a third, fourth, fifth known. We can create new things in the world, wholecloth, as a result of new words we make up or old words we deploy in new ways. We can make each other think and feel and believe and do things, with words, tone, stance, knowing looks. And this is because Language is, at a fundamental level, the oldest magic we have.
Scene from the INJECTION issue #3, by Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire. ©Warren Ellis & Declan Shalvey.
Lewis Carroll tells us that whatever we tell each other three times is true, and many have noted that lies travel far faster than the truth, and at the crux of these truisms—the pivot point, where the power and leverage are—is Politics.
This week, much hay is being made is being made about the University of Chicago’s letter decrying Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings. Ignoring for the moment that every definition of “safe space” and “trigger warning” put forward by their opponents tends to be a straw man of those terms, let’s just make an attempt to understand where they come from, and how we can situate them.
Trauma counseling and trauma studies are the epitome of where safe space and trigger warnings come from, and for the latter, that definition is damn near axiomatic. Triggers are about trauma. But safe space language has far more granularity than that. Microggressions are certainly damaging, but they aren’t on the same level as acute traumas. Where acute traumas are like gun shots or bomb blasts (and may indeed be those actual things), societal micragressions are more like a slow constant siege. But we still need the language of a safe spaces to discuss them—said space is something like a bunker in which to regroup, reassess, and plan for what comes next.
Now it is important to remember that there is a very big difference between “safe” and “comfortable,” and when laying out the idea of safe spaces, every social scientist I know takes great care to outline that difference.
Education is about stretching ourselves, growing and changing, and that is discomfort almost by definition. I let my students know that they will be uncomfortable in my class, because I will be challenging every assumption they have. But discomfort does not mean I’m going to countenance racism or transphobia or any other kind of bigotry.
Because the world is not a safe space, but WE CAN MAKE IT SAFER for people who are microagressed against, marginalised, assaulted, and killed for their lived identities, by letting them know not only how to work to change it, but SHOWING them through our example.
Like we’ve said, before: No, the world’s not safe, kind, or fair, and with that attitude it never will be.
So here’s the thing, and we’ll lay it out point-by-point:
A Safe Space is any realm that is marked out for the nonjudgmental expression of thoughts and feelings, in the interest of honestly assessing and working through them.
“Safe Space” can mean many things, from “Safe FROM Racist/Sexist/Homophobic/Transphobic/Fatphobic/Ableist Microagressions” to “safe FOR the thorough exploration of our biases and preconceptions.” The terms of the safe space are negotiated at the marking out of them.
The terms are mutually agreed-upon by all parties. The only imposition would be, to be open to the process of expressing and thinking through oppressive conceptual structures.
Everything else—such as whether to address those structures as they exist in ourselves (internalised oppressions), in others (aggressions, micro- or regular sized), or both and their intersection—is negotiable.
The marking out of a Safe Space performs the necessary function, at the necessary time, defined via the particular arrangement of stakeholders, mindset, and need.
And, as researcher John Flowers notes, anyone who’s ever been in a Dojo has been in a Safe Space.
From a Religious Studies perspective, defining a safe space is essentially the same process as that of marking out a RITUAL space. For students or practitioners of any form of Magic[k], think Drawing a Circle, or Calling the Corners.
Some may balk at the analogy to the occult, thinking that it cheapens something important about our discourse, but look: Here’s another way we know that magick is alive and well in our everyday lives:
If they could, a not-insignificant number of US Republicans would overturn the Affordable Care Act and rally behind a Republican-crafted replacement (RCR). However, because the ACA has done so very much good for so many, it’s likely that the only RCR that would have enough support to pass would be one that looked almost identical to the ACA. The only material difference would be that it didn’t have President Obama’s name on it—which is to say, it wouldn’t be associated with him, anymore, since his name isn’t actually on the ACA.
The only reason people think of the ACA as “Obamacare” is because US Republicans worked so hard to make that name stick, and now that it has been widely considered a triumph, they’ve been working just as hard to get his name away from it. And if they did mange to achieve that, it would only be true due to some arcane ritual bullshit. And yet…
If they managed it, it would be touted as a “Crushing defeat for President Obama’s signature legislation.” It would have lasting impacts on the world. People would be emboldened, others defeated, and new laws, social rules, and behaviours would be undertaken, all because someone’s name got removed from a thing in just the right way.
And that’s Magick.
The work we do in thinking about the future sometimes requires us to think about things from what stuffy assholes in the 19th century liked to call a “primitive” perspective. They believed in a kind of evolutionary anthropological categorization of human belief, one in which all societies move from “primitive” beliefs like magic through moderate belief in religion, all the way to sainted perfect rational science. In the contemporary Religious Studies, this evolutionary model is widely understood to be bullshit.
We still believe in magic, we just call it different things. The concept structures of sympathy and contagion are still at play, here, the ritual formulae of word and tone and emotion and gesture all still work when you call them political strategy and marketing and branding. They’re all still ritual constructions designed to make you think and behave differently. They’re all still causing spooky action at a distance. They’re still magic.
The world still moves on communicated concept structure. It still turns on the dissemination of the will. If I can make you perceive what I want you to perceive, believe what I want you to believe, move how I want you to move, then you’ll remake the world, for me, if I get it right. And I know that you want to get it right. So you have to be willing to understand that this is magic.
It’s not rationalism.
It’s not scientism.
It’s not as simple as psychology or poll numbers or fear or hatred or aspirational belief causing people to vote against their interests. It’s not that simple at all. It’s as complicated as all of them, together, each part resonating with the others to create a vastly complex whole. It’s a living, breathing thing that makes us think not just “this is a thing we think” but “this is what we are.” And if you can do that—if you can accept the tools and the principles of magic, deploy the symbolic resonance of dreamlogic and ritual—then you might be able to pull this off.
But, in the West, part of us will always balk at the idea that the Rational won’t win out. That the clearer, more logical thought doesn’t always save us. But you have to remember: Logic is a technology. Logic is a tool. Logic is the application of one specific kind of thinking, over and over again, showing a kind of result that we convinced one another we preferred to other processes. It’s not inscribed on the atoms of the universe. It is one kind of language. And it may not be the one most appropriate for the task at hand.
Put it this way: When you’re in Zimbabwe, will you default to speaking Chinese? Of course not. So why would we default to mere Rationalism, when we’re clearly in a land that speaks a different dialect?
We need spells and amulets, charms and warded spaces; we need sorcerers of the people to heal and undo the hexes being woven around us all.
-Curious Alchemy-
Ultimately, the rigidity of our thinking, and our inability to adapt has lead us to be surprised by too much that we wanted to believe could never have come to pass. We want to call all of this “unprecedented,” when the truth of the matter is, we carved this precedent out every day for hundreds of years, and the ability to think in weird paths is what will define those who thrive.
If we are going to do the work of creating a world in which we understand what’s going on, and can do the work to attend to it, then we need to think about magic.
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“Stop Northolt” concerned Hillingdon Council not giving residents enough information on Northolt expansion
Date added: November 21, 2017
Local group, “Stop Northolt”, aiming to end commercial flights at RAF Northolt, is furious with Hillingdon Council for what it considers one-sided coverage of the issue. Stop Northolt say the council’s own magazine, Hillingdon People (delivered 6 times per year to every home in the borough) featured an article about a Parliamentary debate on the Government’s plans to spend £45m renovating RAF Northolt. In the debate, Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said the Government had considered increasing commercial flights and indicated that expansion would benefit taxpayers. But the Hillingdon People article fails to include the minister’s concession that RAF Northolt would remain under-used by the military. ie. why is so much money being spent on renovations of the airfield? Stop Northolt is very concerned that the 10,000 commercial flights per year using Northolt are about to increase. They say the Government has admitted there is no military demand, “so this can only be to improve facilities for commercial flights, and they wouldn’t spend that much money without wanting to get it back.” Hillingdon had not pointed this out, or the problem of increasing numbers of commercial flights. Stop Northolt was set up in April 2017, following an announcement that the MoD plans to close the airport for 8 months in 2018 to upgrade and strengthen the runway.
Selective facts fed to voters by Hillingdon Council, says Stop Northolt group
16th November (Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times)
A PROTEST group – Stop Northolt – aiming to end commercial flights at RAF Northolt is furious with Hillingdon Council for what it considers one-sided coverage of the issue.
Stop Northolt’s anger is directed at the council’s own magazine, Hillingdon People, which is delivered six times a year to every home in the borough.
The latest edition features coverage of a Parliamentary debate on the Government’s plans to spend £45m renovating RAF Northolt.
In the debate, Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said the Government had considered increasing commercial flights and indicated that expansion would benefit taxpayers.The article, say protesters, fails to include the minister’s concession that RAF Northolt would remain under-used by the military.
It’s a comment which has raised suspicion about why the Government is spending £45m on renovating the airfield.
Anna Williams, of Stop Northolt, said: “The article selectively quotes from a speech in Parliament, hoping that nobody would check and call them out on it.
“Three thousand people across West London are rightly concerned that the 10,000 commercial flights a year at Northolt are about to increase.
“They’ve admitted there’s no military demand, so this can only be to improve facilities for commercial flights, and they wouldn’t spend that much money without wanting to get it back.”
She said the magazine had failed to remain objective and even-handed in its reporting on the RAF Northolt debate.
Whitehall has been waging war on council publications, nicknamed the Pravda Press, for several years. Its code of practice says they should not be issued more than quarterly.
Cllr Ray Puddifoot, leader of Hillingdon Borough Council, has insisted the borough’s magazine will continue to be published six times a year ‘to keep residents informed’.
Stop Northolt was established following an announcement in April that the MoD plans to close the airport for eight months in 2018 and spend £45m on upgrading and strengthening the runway.
It claims to be a cross-party alliance of politicians and other groups who want proper scrutiny of the airport and a proper say for people on the airport’s future.
http://www.hillingdontimes.co.uk/news/15666414.Protesters_angry_over__unfair__coverage_of_RAF_Northolt_plans_in_council_newspaper/
See earlier:
Local MP, Gareth Thomas, says RAF Northolt is becoming a commercial airport ‘in all but name’
Labour MP Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) says military base, Northolt Airport, in west London near Heathrow is hosting 10,000 passenger flights a year and this number could quintuple. It is used by many VIP passenger flights and by the royal family. It is not supposed to be a commercial airport, but it seems to have become one “by stealth” and it is “increasingly apparent that it is a commercial airport in all but name”, with military status used “as a smokescreen”. While it is a military airfield, the number of commercial flights has dramatically increased in recent years. The number of passenger journeys, mostly involving VIP jets, dwarfs the 3,800 military flights. In a report commissioned by the Ministry of Defence, consultants suggested increasing the number of commercial flights to 50,000 a year, with the regional airline Flybe among those campaigning for commercial passenger flights to start operating there. Local residents had not been consulted over further changes including the proposed increase to 50,000. Some enthusiasts for Northolt hope it could become “an alternative to London City airport” for regional flights with up to 100 seats and a “key access airport” for Heathrow. It is unsuitable for larger planes. Gareth Thomas said the number of flights was already having a major impact on local people’s quality of life, including noise pollution, poor air quality and concerns about safety.
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2017/09/local-mp-says-raf-northolt-is-becoming-a-commercial-airport-in-all-but-name/
Heathrow funded report suggests using RAF Northolt as an interim 3rd runway for domestic flights
Heathrow airport set up and funds a body called the “National Connectivity Task Force” (NCTF). This produced a report in March, looking at regional connectivity – and putting arguments that suit Heathrow. (Gatwick airport, unsurprisingly strongly disagrees with it). As well as saying how important links to regional airports are from Heathrow, though these have progressively been cut as long haul flights are more profitable, the NCTF report says RAF Northolt airport, just a few miles north of Heathrow, should be used as an extension to Heathrow, for smaller planes to regional airports. As this news broke about the same time as the Germanwings plane tragedy, it did not get press attention. What Heathrow wants is to have Northolt brought into service, as an interim measure, before it can get a new runway. If Gatwick was chosen for a runway, Heathrow could use Northolt for domestic flights it has been promising regional airports, in order to get their backing for a Heathrow runway. Heathrow says the Northolt runway could not be used at the same time as a Heathrow north-west runway. RAF Northolt does not comply with the safety standards required for a civilian airport. Its runway ends just short of the busy A40.
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2015/03/heathrow-funded-report-suggests-using-raf-northolt-as-an-interim-3rd-runway-for-domestic-flights/
Residents fight against ‘noisy neighbour’ RAF Northolt over changed flight path
South Ruislip residents are desperately calling on recently-elected MP Boris Johnson to get RAF Northolt to stop allowing planes to fly over their houses. A local resident has collected over 520 signatures,asking that the planes and helicopters stick to the designated flight path. People know for certain that aircraft are flying over areas they did not fly over before. RAF Northolt is said to use one runway with a designated flight path but residents who signed the petition regularly see planes taking off over their houses. In 2013, the decision to keep RAF Northolt as a military airfield included an instruction from defence ministers that it should aim to increase its revenue from commercial aircraft. The increase was set to rise from 7,000 flight movements, taking off or landing, to 12,000 a year. But an RAF spokesman admitted: “Military and government movements are uncapped but expect to remain constant with the total number of movements in 2016 not expecting to exceed 17,500.” Not the 12,000. John Stewart (HACAN) said the “flight paths seem to have changed without any thought of the impact of local communities.” Residents say they have not been listened to by Northolt in the past and a letter to them was “dumped in the bin.” They hope Boris will step in and do something.
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2015/06/residents-fight-against-noisy-neighbour-raf-northolt-over-changed-flight-path/
Posted: Tuesday, November 21st, 2017. Filed in General News, News about Airports, Recent News.
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Buy:$15.00
IV. Kuru: Pathogenesis and Characterization of Virus
Clarence J. Gibbs Jr., D. Carleton Gajdusek
Affiliations: 1 National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 19, Issue 1, 1 Jan 1970, p. 138 - 145
Kuru, a subacute, progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system of man, has an infectious etiology and is experimentally transmissible to other primates. Thus far, 91 chimpanzees have been inoculated with specimens from 37 human kuru victims (44 animals) or from other chimpanzees and spider monkeys with experimental kuru (47 animals). Among these, the disease has already developed in 35 chimpanzees: in 15 on primary passage, in 10 on second passage, in eight on third passage, and in two on fourth passage. Brain tissue from 11 human victims has induced disease in 15 animals, after incubation periods ranging from 14 to 38 months. The kuru virus remains viable in human brain tissue stored at -70°C for more than 5 years. The virus is serially transmissible in chimpanzees by intracerebral and peripheral routes of inoculation and can be recovered from visceral tissues as well as brain tissues. Serial passage is associated with a reduced incubation period, and the virus is detectable in the brains of chimpanzees before the onset of clinical disease. The virus has also been transmitted from a chimpanzee to spider monkeys after an incubation period of 2 years. In suspensions of both human and chimpanzee brain tissue the virus passes through a 220 µm millipore filter. By the intracerebral route chimpanzee brain tissue has an infectivity titer equal to or greater than 10-7.5 per ml. The virus is not completely inactivated after exposure to a temperature of 85°C for 30 minutes, and it remains viable after lyophylization and storage at a temperature of -20°C. Virus infectiousness for chimpanzees by the intracerebral route of inoculation was not neutralized at a dilution of 10-3 when mixed with pooled, undiluted serum from human kuru victims or pooled, undiluted serum from neighboring normal Anga (Kukukuku) people of the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea. Experiments are under way to investigate the possibility of infection after oral inoculation of chimpanzees with human and chimpanzee kuru-infected tissues.
Copyright © 1970, by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
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First Oman Islamic bank starts operations
Bank Nizwa, Oman's first dedicated Islamic bank, has opened its doors to the public to start a new era for banking in the sultanate.
The launch was announced after the release of the Islamic Banking Regulatory Framework by the Central Bank of Oman.
Sayyid Amjad Mohammed Ahmed Al Busaidi, chairman, Bank Nizwa, said: "The Islamic Banking Regulatory Framework, laid down by the CBO has positioned the economy of the nation towards achieving greater success.
"The launch of Bank Nizwa will propel Islamic banking and the economy of Oman to a higher level of development.
Last month, Oman's central bank took a strict approach to regulating Islamic banking in rules for the sector, setting higher standards for the industry than many other countries.
The sultanate announced last year that it would introduce Islamic finance, becoming the last country in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to do so.
The central bank's rules cover areas including banks' liquidity management, the administration of boards of sharia scholars who oversee Islamic financial institutions, and the operation of conventional banks' Islamic windows - and in many cases, the rules appear considerably stricter and more detailed than regulations in other countries.
A major provision is tight restriction of the use of tawarruq as a money market instrument for banks; this is expected to limit banks' flexibility in managing their funds overnight, and could thus raise their costs.
Bank Nizwa also said it will be the first bank in Oman to provide services like account opening through identity cards for Omanis and resident ID cards for expatriates.
Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, CEO Bank Nizwa, said: "We take pride in the fact that we are the first full-fledged Shari'a-compliant bank in the country.
"Our goal is to create an environment that serves as an inspiration for other Islamic banks and Islamic windows at conventional banks to begin operating in Oman so that the customer benefits from the best practices.
(Arabian Business.Com / 11 Jan 2013)
Labels: Islamic bank, Oman
What Islamic finance can offer
The Islamic approach to finance was once the most advanced in the world. The period of pre-eminence ended six or seven centuries ago, but the religion’s fundamental insights into the field could help form a financial system suitable for the 21st century.
From the beginning, Muslim teaching took a religious view of commercial relations and responsibilities. There are a few injunctions in the Koran and far more in the teachings traditionally attributed to Mohammad. I am not an expert, but the basic ideas seem clear enough: merchants should be fair, risks should be moderate and understood, and God condemns all rapacious financial practices.
During the first centuries of Islam, Muslims became great traders, providing an economic bridge between Asia and Europe. Europeans adopted and then further developed the Islamic techniques of providing credit and of sharing responsibilities, risks and rewards. Christian thinkers continued the Islamic debate over what was fair and just, and church authorities copied the Islamic teachers’ practices, ruling on the legitimacy of transactions, and exhorting merchants and investors to restrain their greed.
Of course, those exhortations often fell on deaf ears. However, until well after the start of the Industrial Revolution few Muslims or Christians would have argued with the notions that trade should be just and finance should serve the common good.
Indeed, much of the Western world’s financial system looked more Islamic than hard-edged capitalist until about 30 years ago. The vast majority of banking assets in Europe and a substantial minority in the United States were held by institutions which did not have profit-seeking shareholders. Rather, these mutuals, thrifts, savings banks, French caisses, co-operative banks, church banks and credit unions aimed first of all to serve their members and their communities. Insurance was also largely a mutual business.
Then came the era of demutualisation, when selfish profit-seeking became the norm. In the new era, the worst possible aspects of a financial system – greed, exploitation of the ignorant and excessive risk-taking – were allowed to run wild. Bankers became ridiculously rich while debts expanded at an unsustainable pace.
The free rein of financial selfishness ended in tears, as any traditional Islamic (or Christian) teacher would have predicted. Unfortunately, contemporary Islamic efforts in finance were too influenced by the free-market model. Jurists and bankers worked together to design instruments, from mortgages to hedge funds, which would be both compliant with the jurists’ interpretation of sharia (Islamic law) and economically identical to conventional financial products.
This finance of “sharia arbitrage”, as Mahmoud A. El-Gamal of Rice University calls it in his book “Islamic Finance”, is largely based on a narrow understanding of two prohibited practices: riba and gharar, usually translated as interest and risk. For example, jurists declare that riba is avoided if a loan can be portrayed as a sale at one price and a gradual repayment at a higher price, even if the gap between the two equates to an interest rate of 100 percent. El-Gamal is highly critical of this sharp practice.
I am not competent to opine on Islamic law, but the current approach to Islamic finance certainly misses what is most valuable for non-Muslims about riba and gharar: the way they fuse ethics with practice.
If El-Gamal is right, riba is best understood as unjust financial advantage, akin to certain legal definitions of usury. Following that definition, there is no riba when lenders and borrowers justly share the wealth created by a loan. Loans, which have fixed interest rates and must be repaid, can be free of riba. Equity investments (common shares) are usually even more just. The forced repayment of principal on loans at maturity can be unjust on the borrower; that possibility is avoided with the permanent capital of equity. Also, while fixed interest payments are sometimes unjustly low or high, shares’ variable dividends can reflect changing circumstances.
Finance always involves commitments in an uncertain world, so risk can never be avoided completely. Gharar, according to El-Gamal, properly refers to unnecessary or inappropriate risks, as exemplified in the classical example of selling the pearl diver’s future catch before the actual dive. Gharar seems to take in all unnecessary speculation. The prohibition is just, because financial gains should come from providing something of economic value, not from luck or from outwitting a trading partner about the risks of a bet.
The excesses and dishonesty which led up to the financial crisis show that the current system has lost its moral compass, but a new one cannot be plucked straight out of some previous era. Traditional banks and insurers would be too small and unsophisticated for today’s global economy.
Still, we can renew the best ideas of the past. Between them, riba or gharar account for most of the objectionable practices of contemporary finance. They should be banned.
(Reuters / 09 Jan 2013)
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NFF Immigrant and Refugee Communities Project
From Settlement AtWork Wiki
OCASI
jnozka@ocasi.org
Started in:
1 Sumary
2 What is OCASI’s role?
2.1 Project Management and Funder
3 NFF Website
3.1 The NFF Community of Practice Website
3.2 Website URL
3.3 Functions of the Website
4 Social Media
5 Other NFF campaigns in Ontario
6 Contact Person
Sumary
Recognizing that violence against immigrant and refugee women as a gravely important issue, OCASI has joined forces with the Ontario Women's Directorate (OWD) to facilitate Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) campaign. The NFF Immigrant and Refugee Communities Project is a culturally and linguistically sensitive training program that assists settlement workers at each participating organization to reach out to those closest to victims of domestic abuse - teaching them to recognize the signs of abuse and know what actions to take in response. The NFF Immigrant and Refugee Communities Project seeks to increase the public's confidence to offer support and make referrals to victims of domestic abuse by providing a series of Training Workshops for NFF Community Coordinators and Community-based NFF Champions. NFF brochures have been translated into multiple languages and are available to all community members. OCASI provides strategic guidance and support to implementing agencies. The project is funded by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Women's Directorate.
What is NFF?
Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) is a province-wide public education campaign run by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children, with support from the Ontario Women’s Directorate, to raise awareness of the signs of woman abuse so that those close to an at-risk woman or an abusive man can help.
Why the “Diverse Communities” focus of the NFF project?
The NFF campaign has been running successfully for several years in the mainstream, and subsequently, Aboriginal communities in the province. However, it has not made inroads in immigrant, culturally-diverse or faith-based communities. With OCASI’s support, NFF hopes to reach these communities. To promote the NFF campaign effectively, NFF staff want to work collaboratively with community leaders who best understand their community’s needs. Each community has different experiences with woman abuse, and has its own unique features, risk factors and safety issues to be considered. We understand that women and their children face multiple barriers, in relation to their gender, culture, language, geographic location, class, ability, faith/spirituality, and immigration status when dealing with violence and accessing supports. As such, implementation of the Neighbours, Friends and Families campaign must be rooted in the specific needs and assets of each community.
What is OCASI’s role?
Violence against immigrant and refugee women has been recognized by immigrant serving agencies as a gravely important issue in their communities. Violence, in all its forms, is a major barrier to women’s safety; self-reliance; and social, economic, political, cultural and psychological participation in society. To that end, OCASI has made the prevention of violence against immigrant and refugee women as one of its priority areas.
Project Management and Funder
The NFF project is managed by OCASI and funded by the Ontario Women’s Directorate (OWD).
NFF Website
The NFF Community of Practice Website
OCASI has also developed a community of Practice website which is geared towards continuing and expanding the discussions surrounding violence against immigrant and refugee women. This is a platform where individuals participating in a Neighbours, Friends and Families program can engage with each other by sharing knowledge and expertise.
The website's URL is http://www.immigrantandrefugeenff.ca/
Functions of the Website
The website (www.ImmigrantandRefugeeNFF.ca) has three main functions which will support you in your work:
ELearning: OCASI is currently offering four online courses, three (3) are self-directed courses and one (1) is a facilitated course. This means that there is no physical presence required to take these courses. All reading and assignments are on the Internet. The material is set-up in a way that you can complete the course at your own pace, for your own learning. There is no pre-requisite for completing any of the courses. Click to learn more Resource Center: This section includes material accessible to the general public including articles, research studies, government reports, community resources and community initiatives related to violence against women. Go to the Resource Center. Community of Practice Forum: The CoP Forum will provide the opportunity for service providers participating in the Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) campaign to create and sustain an online network to support one another in addressing issues of woman abuse, to promote enhanced professionalism and to increase quality of service to immigrant and refugee communities. The forum is also open to individuals not yet engaged in a NFF initiative to also join in the discussion.
NFF engages with diverse stakeholders through its social media initiatives. Follow NFF on twitter (@ircNFF) or like the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ircNFF.
Other NFF campaigns in Ontario
The NFF Campaign in Immigrant and Refugee Communities is one NFF campaign. Here are some others:
Neighbours, Friends and Families – This is main English language NFF campaign website.
Voisin-es, ami-es et familles – This is the main French language NFF campaign website.
Kanayayhitowin: Taking Care of Each Others Spirit – For women in Aboriginal communities in Ontario.
For more information on the site, please contact:
Jolanta Nozka
tel 416-322-4950 ext 270.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.settlementatwork.org/index.php?title=NFF_Immigrant_and_Refugee_Communities_Project&oldid=23704"
Immigration Status
Settlement and Employment
Create a page (search first)
Update existing pages
#CDNIMM
About Settlement AtWork Wiki
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Ahmet Erdem
Minister of Labour and Social Security
28 August 2015 – 17 November 2015
Faruk Çelik
Süleyman Soylu
Undersecretary to the Labour and Social Security Ministry
Fatih Acar
14 November 2007 – 6 July 2009
Ömer Dinçer
Enis Yeter
Birol Aydemir
Tokat, Tokat Province, Turkey
Ahmet Erdem is a Turkish civil servant who served as the Minister of Labour and Social Security in the interim election government formed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu between 28 August and 17 November 2015. He was formerly the General Secretary of the Labour and Social Security Ministry Supreme Arbitration Board, Deputy Undersecretary, advisor to the Minister and advisor to the Prime Minister. He serves as the Undersecretary to the Labour and Social Security Ministry since 28 April 2014.
1 Life and early career
1.1 Civil service career
2 Minister of Labour and Social Security
Life and early career[edit]
Ahmet Erdem was born in Tokat in 1956 and completed his primary, secondary and high school education there. He moved to Ankara for higher education and masters degree. He later became a civil servant, working mainly at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in various roles.[1]
Civil service career[edit]
Erdem spent much of his career working at the Labour and Social Security Ministry. He first became the General Secretary of the Labour and Social Security Ministry Supreme Arbitration Board before becoming the Deputy Undersecretary to the Ministry. He was later appointed as the advisor to the Minister and was then appointed as an advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey.[2] Between 14 November 2007 and 6 July 2009, he served as the Undersecretary to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.[3] On 28 April 2014, he was appointed to this role for a second time.[4]
Minister of Labour and Social Security[edit]
After the June 2015 general election resulted in a hung parliament, unsuccessful coalition negotiations raised speculation over whether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would call an early election in the event that AKP leader Ahmet Davutoğlu was unable to form a government within the given constitutional time of 45 days. As required by the 114th article of the Constitution of Turkey, the calling of a snap general election by the President necessitates the forming of an interim election government, in which all parties represented in Parliament are given a certain number of ministers according to how many MPs they have. If a party refused to send ministers to the interim cabinet, then independents must take their place.
Erdoğan called a new general election for November 2015 in late August, with Davutoğlu being tasked with the formation of the interim government. With the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) refusing to send ministers to the cabinet, the 8 ministries that the two parties were entitled to were vacated for independents. As a result, Erdem was appointed as the Minister of Labour and Social Security as an independent politician.
List of Turkish civil servants
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ http://www.on5yirmi5.com/biyografi/dunya/kisiler/181838/ahmet-erdem-kimdir.html
^ http://www.mynet.com/haber/guncel/mustesar-fatih-acar-gorevinden-alindi-1150647-1
Collection of all relevant news items at Haberler.com
Interim election cabinet of Turkey (August–November 2015)
Deputy Prime Ministers
Yalçın Akdoğan
Numan Kurtulmuş
Cevdet Yılmaz
Tuğrul Türkeş
Feridun Sinirlioğlu (Foreign Affairs)
Feridun Bilgin (Transport and Communication)
Müslüm Doğan → Cüneyd Düzyol (Development)
Ali Haydar Konca → Beril Dedeoğlu (EU Affairs)
İdris Güllüce (Environment and Urban Planning)
Yalçın Topçu (Culture and Tourism)
Ahmet Erdem (Labour and Social Security)
Ayşen Gürcan (Family and Social Policy)
Cenap Aşçı (Customs and Trade)
Selami Altınok (Interior)
Vecdi Gönül (National Defence)
Mehmet Şimşek (Finance)
Kutbettin Arzu (Food, Agriculture and Livestock)
Nihat Zeybekci (Economy)
Fikri Işık (Science, Industry and Technology)
Nabi Avcı (National Education)
Mehmet Müezzinoğlu (Health)
Kenan İpek (Justice)
Akif Çağatay Kılıç (Youth and Sports)
Ali Rıza Alaboyun (Energy and Natural Resources)
Veysel Eroğlu (Forestry and Water Affairs)
Italic: not in office
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ahmet_Erdem&oldid=903952848"
Ministers of Labour and Social Security of Turkey
Turkish civil servants
Members of the 63rd government of Turkey
People from Tokat
Use dmy dates from January 2014
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This article is about skeletal muscle relaxants. For information on smooth muscle relaxants, see antispasmodic.
A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeutic groups: neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics. Neuromuscular blockers act by interfering with transmission at the neuromuscular end plate and have no central nervous system (CNS) activity. They are often used during surgical procedures and in intensive care and emergency medicine to cause temporary paralysis. Spasmolytics, also known as "centrally acting" muscle relaxants, are used to alleviate musculoskeletal pain and spasms and to reduce spasticity in a variety of neurological conditions. While both neuromuscular blockers and spasmolytics are often grouped together as muscle relaxants,[1][2] the term is commonly used to refer to spasmolytics only.[3][4]
2 Neuromuscular blockers
3 Spasmolytics
3.2 Clinical use
3.3 Mechanism
4 Side effects
The earliest known use of muscle relaxant drugs was by natives of the Amazon Basin in South America who used poison-tipped arrows that produced death by skeletal muscle paralysis. This was first documented in the 16th century, when European explorers encountered it. This poison, known today as curare, led to some of the earliest scientific studies in pharmacology. Its active ingredient, tubocurarine, as well as many synthetic derivatives, played a significant role in scientific experiments to determine the function of acetylcholine in neuromuscular transmission.[5] By 1943, neuromuscular blocking drugs became established as muscle relaxants in the practice of anesthesia and surgery.[6]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of carisoprodol in 1959, metaxalone in August 1962, and cyclobenzaprine in August 1977.[7]
Other skeletal muscle relaxants of that type used around the world come from a number of drug categories and other drugs used primarily for this indication include orphenadrine (anticholinergic), chlorzoxazone, tizanidine (clonidine relative), diazepam, tetrazepam and other benzodiazepines, mephenoxalone, methocarbamol, dantrolene, baclofen,[7] Drugs once but no longer or very rarely used to relax skeletal muscles include meprobamate, barbiturates, methaqualone, glutethimide and the like; some subcategories of opioids have muscle relaxant properties, and some are marketed in combination drugs with skeletal and/or smooth muscle relaxants such as whole opium products, some ketobemidone, piritramide and fentanyl preparations and Equagesic.
Neuromuscular blockers[edit]
Detailed view of a neuromuscular junction:
1. Presynaptic terminal
2. Sarcolemma
3. Synaptic vesicle
4. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
5. Mitochondrion
Main article: Neuromuscular-blocking drug
Muscle relaxation and paralysis can theoretically occur by interrupting function at several sites, including the central nervous system, myelinated somatic nerves, unmyelinated motor nerve terminals, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, the motor end plate, and the muscle membrane or contractile apparatus. Most neuromuscular blockers function by blocking transmission at the end plate of the neuromuscular junction. Normally, a nerve impulse arrives at the motor nerve terminal, initiating an influx of calcium ions, which causes the exocytosis of synaptic vesicles containing acetylcholine. Acetylcholine then diffuses across the synaptic cleft. It may be hydrolysed by acetylcholine esterase (AchE) or bind to the nicotinic receptors located on the motor end plate. The binding of two acetylcholine molecules results in a conformational change in the receptor that opens the sodium-potassium channel of the nicotinic receptor. This allows Na+
and Ca2+
ions to enter the cell and K+
ions to leave the cell, causing a depolarization of the end plate, resulting in muscle contraction.[8] Following depolarization, the acetylcholine molecules are then removed from the end plate region and enzymatically hydrolysed by acetylcholinesterase.[5]
Normal end plate function can be blocked by two mechanisms. Nondepolarizing agents, such as tubocurarine, block the agonist, acetylcholine, from binding to nicotinic receptors and activating them, thereby preventing depolarization. Alternatively, depolarizing agents, such as succinylcholine, are nicotinic receptor agonists which mimic Ach, block muscle contraction by depolarizing to such an extent that it desensitizes the receptor and it can no longer initiate an action potential and cause muscle contraction.[5] Both of these classes of neuromuscular blocking drugs are structurally similar to acetylcholine, the endogenous ligand, in many cases containing two acetylcholine molecules linked end-to-end by a rigid carbon ring system, as in pancuronium (a nondepolarizing agent).[5]
Chemical diagram of pancuronium, with red lines indicating the two acetylcholine "molecules" in the structure
Spasmolytics[edit]
Main article: antispasmodic
A view of the spinal cord and skeletal muscle showing the action of various muscle relaxants – black lines ending in arrow heads represent chemicals or actions that enhance the target of the lines, blue lines ending in squares represent chemicals or actions that inhibition the target of the line
The generation of the neuronal signals in motor neurons that cause muscle contractions is dependent on the balance of synaptic excitation and inhibition the motor neuron receives. Spasmolytic agents generally work by either enhancing the level of inhibition, or reducing the level of excitation. Inhibition is enhanced by mimicking or enhancing the actions of endogenous inhibitory substances, such as GABA.
Because they may act at the level of the cortex, brain stem or spinal cord, or all three areas, they have traditionally been referred to as "centrally acting" muscle relaxants. However, it is now known not every agent in this class has CNS activity (e.g. dantrolene), so this name is inaccurate.[5]
Most sources still use the term "centrally acting muscle relaxant". According to MeSH, dantrolene is usually classified as a centrally acting muscle relaxant.[9] The World Health Organization, in its ATC, uses the term "centrally acting agents",[10] but adds a distinct category of "directly acting agents", for dantrolene.[11] Use of this terminology dates back to at least 1973.[12]
The term "spasmolytic" is also considered a synonym for antispasmodic.[13]
Clinical use[edit]
Spasmolytics such as carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine, metaxalone, and methocarbamol are commonly prescribed for low back pain or neck pain, fibromyalgia, tension headaches and myofascial pain syndrome.[14] However, they are not recommended as first-line agents; in acute low back pain, they are not more effective than paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),[15][16] and in fibromyalgia they are not more effective than antidepressants.[14] Nevertheless, some (low-quality) evidence suggests muscle relaxants can add benefit to treatment with NSAIDs.[17] In general, no high-quality evidence supports their use.[14] No drug has been shown to be better than another, and all of them have adverse effects, particularly dizziness and drowsiness.[14][16] Concerns about possible abuse and interaction with other drugs, especially if increased sedation is a risk, further limit their use.[14] A muscle relaxant is chosen based on its adverse-effect profile, tolerability, and cost.[18]
Muscle relaxants (according to one study) were not advised for orthopedic conditions, but rather for neurological conditions such as spasticity in cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.[14] Dantrolene, although thought of primarily as a peripherally acting agent, is associated with CNS effects, whereas baclofen activity is strictly associated with the CNS.
Muscle relaxants are thought to be useful in painful disorders based on the theory that pain induces spasm and spasm causes pain. However, considerable evidence contradicts this theory.[17]
In general, muscle relaxants are not approved by FDA for long-term use. However, rheumatologists often prescribe cyclobenzaprine nightly on a daily basis to increase stage 4 sleep. By increasing this sleep stage, patients feel more refreshed in the morning. Improving sleep is also beneficial for patients who have fibromyalgia.[19]
Muscle relaxants such as tizanidine are prescribed in the treatment of tension headaches.[20]
Diazepam and carisoprodol are not recommended for older adults, pregnant women, or people who suffer depression or for those with a history of drug or alcohol addiction.[21]
Mechanism[edit]
Because of the enhancement of inhibition in the CNS, most spasmolytic agents have the side effects of sedation and drowsiness and may cause dependence with long-term use. Several of these agents also have abuse potential, and their prescription is strictly controlled.[22][23][24]
The benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, interact with the GABAA receptor in the central nervous system. While it can be used in patients with muscle spasm of almost any origin, it produces sedation in most individuals at the doses required to reduce muscle tone.[5]
Baclofen is considered to be at least as effective as diazepam in reducing spasticity, and causes much less sedation. It acts as a GABA agonist at GABAB receptors in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in hyperpolarization of neurons expressing this receptor, most likely due to increased potassium ion conductance. Baclofen also inhibits neural function presynaptically, by reducing calcium ion influx, and thereby reducing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in both the brain and spinal cord. It may also reduce pain in patients by inhibiting the release of substance P in the spinal cord, as well.[5][25]
Clonidine and other imidazoline compounds have also been shown to reduce muscle spasms by their central nervous system activity. Tizanidine is perhaps the most thoroughly studied clonidine analog, and is an agonist at α2-adrenergic receptors, but reduces spasticity at doses that result in significantly less hypotension than clonidine.[26] Neurophysiologic studies show that it depresses excitatory feedback from muscles that would normally increase muscle tone, therefore minimizing spasticity.[27][28] Furthermore, several clinical trials indicate that tizanidine has a similar efficacy to other spasmolytic agents, such as diazepam and baclofen, with a different spectrum of adverse effects.[29]
The hydantoin derivative dantrolene is a spasmolytic agent with a unique mechanism of action outside of the CNS. It reduces skeletal muscle strength by inhibiting the excitation-contraction coupling in the muscle fiber. In normal muscle contraction, calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through the ryanodine receptor channel, which causes the tension-generating interaction of actin and myosin. Dantrolene interferes with the release of calcium by binding to the ryanodine receptor and blocking the endogenous ligand ryanodine by competitive inhibition. Muscle that contracts more rapidly is more sensitive to dantrolene than muscle that contracts slowly, although cardiac muscle and smooth muscle are depressed only slightly, most likely because the release of calcium by their sarcoplasmic reticulum involves a slightly different process. Major adverse effects of dantrolene include general muscle weakness, sedation, and occasionally hepatitis.[5]
Other common spasmolytic agents include: methocarbamol, carisoprodol, chlorzoxazone, cyclobenzaprine, gabapentin, metaxalone, and orphenadrine.
Side effects[edit]
Muscle relaxants are very powerful drugs that may produce negative effects, including heart failure and paralysis.[30] Patients most commonly report sedation as the main adverse effect of muscle relaxants. Usually, people become less alert when they are under the effects of these drugs. People are normally advised not to drive vehicles or operate heavy machinery while under muscle relaxants' effects.
Cyclobenzaprine produces confusion and lethargy, as well as anticholinergic side effects. When taken in excess or in combination with other substances, it may also be toxic. While the body adjusts to this medication, it is possible for patients to experience dry mouth, fatigue, lightheadedness, constipation or blurred vision. Some serious but unlikely side effects may be experienced, including mental or mood changes, possible confusion and hallucinations, and difficulty urinating. In a very few cases, very serious but rare side effects may be experienced: irregular heartbeat, yellowing of eyes or skin, fainting, abdominal pain including stomach ache, nausea or vomiting, lack of appetite, seizures, dark urine or loss of coordination.[31]
Patients taking carisoprodol for a prolonged time have reported dependence, withdrawal and abuse, although most of these cases were reported by patients with addiction history. These effects were also reported by patients who took it in combination with other drugs with abuse potential, and in fewer cases, reports of carisoprodol-associated abuse appeared when used without other drugs with abuse potential.[32]
Common side effects eventually caused by metaxalone include dizziness, headache, drowsiness, nausea, irritability, nervousness, upset stomach and vomiting. Severe side effects may be experienced when consuming metaxalone, such as severe allergic reactions (rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue), chills, fever, and sore throat, may require medical attention. Other severe side effects include unusual or severe tiredness or weakness, as well as yellowing of the skin or the eyes.[33] When baclofen is administered intrathecally, it may cause CNS depression accompanied with cardiovascular collapse and respiratory failure. Tizanidine may lower blood pressure. This effect can be controlled by administering a low dose at the beginning and increasing it gradually.[34]
Quaternary ammonium muscle relaxants
Caroverine
^ "Definition of Muscle relaxant." MedicineNet.com. (c) 1996–2007. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
^ "muscle relaxant." mediLexicon. (c) 2007. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
^ "Muscle relaxants." WebMD. Last Updated: February 15, 2006. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
^ "Skeletal Muscle Relaxant (Oral Route, Parenteral Route)." Mayo Clinic. Last Updated: April 1, 2007. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
^ a b c d e f g h Miller, R.D. (1998). "Skeletal Muscle Relaxants". In Katzung, B.G. (ed.). Basic & Clinical Pharmacology (7th ed.). Appleton & Lange. pp. 434–449. ISBN 0-8385-0565-1.
^ Bowman WC (January 2006). "Neuromuscular block". Br. J. Pharmacol. 147 Suppl 1: S277–86. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706404. PMC 1760749. PMID 16402115.
^ a b "Brief History". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ Craig, C.R.; Stitzel, R.E. (2003). Modern Pharmacology with clinical applications. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 339. ISBN 0-7817-3762-1.
^ Dantrolene at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
^ "M03B Muscle Relaxants, Centrally acting agents". ATC/DDD Index. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology.
^ "M03CA01 Dantrolene". ATC/DDD Index. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology.
^ Ellis KO, Castellion AW, Honkomp LJ, Wessels FL, Carpenter JE, Halliday RP (June 1973). "Dantrolene, a direct acting skeletal muscle relaxant". J Pharm Sci. 62 (6): 948–51. doi:10.1002/jps.2600620619. PMID 4712630.
^ "Dorlands Medical Dictionary:antispasmodic".
^ a b c d e f See S, Ginzburg R (2008). "Choosing a skeletal muscle relaxant". Am Fam Physician. 78 (3): 365–370. ISSN 0002-838X. PMID 18711953.
^ Chou R, Qaseem A, Snow V, Casey D, Cross JT, Shekelle P, Owens DK (October 2007). "Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society". Ann. Intern. Med. 147 (7): 478–91. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-147-7-200710020-00006. PMID 17909209.
^ a b van Tulder MW, Touray T, Furlan AD, Solway S, Bouter LM (2003). "Muscle relaxants for non-specific low back pain". Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD004252. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004252. PMID 12804507.
^ a b Beebe FA, Barkin RL, Barkin S (2005). "A clinical and pharmacologic review of skeletal muscle relaxants for musculoskeletal conditions". Am J Ther. 12 (2): 151–71. doi:10.1097/01.mjt.0000134786.50087.d8. PMID 15767833.
^ See S, Ginzburg R (February 2008). "Skeletal muscle relaxants". Pharmacotherapy. 28 (2): 207–13. doi:10.1592/phco.28.2.207. PMID 18225966.
^ "When Are Muscle Relaxers Prescribed For Arthritis Patients?". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia Tension Headache
^ "Muscle Relaxants". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ Rang, H.P.; Dale, M.M. (1991). "Drugs Used in Treating Motor Disorders". Pharmacology (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingston. pp. 684–705. ISBN 044304483X.
^ Standaert, D.G.; Young, A.B. (2001). "Treatment Of Central Nervous System Degerative Disorders". In Goodman, L.S.; Hardman, J.G.; Limbird, L.E.; Gilman, A.G. (eds.). Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (10th ed.). McGraw Hill. pp. 550–568. ISBN 0071124322.
^ Charney, D.S.; Mihic, J.; Harris, R.A. (2001). "Hypnotics and Sedatives". Goodman & Gilman's. pp. 399–427.
^ Cazalets JR, Bertrand S, Sqalli-Houssaini Y, Clarac F (November 1998). "GABAergic control of spinal locomotor networks in the neonatal rat". Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 860: 168–80. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb09047.x. PMID 9928310.
^ Young, R.R., ed. (1994). "Symposium: Role of tizanidine in the treatment of spasticity". Neurology. 44 (Suppl 9): 1. PMID 7970005.
^ Bras H, Jankowska E, Noga B, Skoog B (1990). "Comparison of Effects of Various Types of NA and 5-HT Agonists on Transmission from Group II Muscle Afferents in the Cat". Eur. J. Neurosci. 2 (12): 1029–1039. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.1990.tb00015.x. PMID 12106064.
^ Jankowska E, Hammar I, Chojnicka B, Hedén CH (February 2000). "Effects of monoamines on interneurons in four spinal reflex pathways from group I and/or group II muscle afferents". Eur. J. Neurosci. 12 (2): 701–14. doi:10.1046/j.1460-9568.2000.00955.x. PMID 10712650.
^ Young RR, Wiegner AW (June 1987). "Spasticity". Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. (219): 50–62. PMID 3581584.
^ "The Effects of Muscle Relaxant Drugs Are Powerful". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ "Cyclobenzaprine-Oral". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ "Carisoprodolx". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ "Side Effects of Metaxalone – for the Consumer". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
^ "Precautions". Encyclopedia of Surgery. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
Skeletal+Muscle+Relaxants at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Skeletal muscle relaxants (M03)
Peripherally acting
(primarily antinicotinic,
NMJ block)
Non-depolarizing
Curare alkaloids
Dimethyltubocurarine
4° ammonium agents
ultra-short duration: Gantacurium
short duration: Mivacurium
Chandonium
intermediate duration: Atracurium
Rocuronium
Vecuronium
long duration: Doxacurium
Pancuronium
Pipecuronium
Laudexium
unsorted: Hexafluronium (Hexafluorenium)
Depolarizing
Choline derivatives: Suxamethonium (Succinylcholine)
Polyalkylene derivatives: Hexamethonium
ACh release inhibitors
Centrally acting
Carbamic acid esters
Carisoprodol
Cyclarbamate
Difebarbamate
Febarbamate
Meprobamate
Phenprobamate
Styramate
Tybamate
Bromazepam
Clonazepam
Flunitrazepam
Tetrazepam
Nonbenzodiazepines
Thienodiazepines
Methaqualone
Anticholinergics
(Antimuscarinics)
Arbaclofen placarbil
Chlormezanone
Chlorphenesin
Chlorzoxazone
Eperisone
Fenyramidol
Inaperisone
Lanperisone
Mephenesin
Mephenoxalone
Metaxalone
Methocarbamol
Pregabalin
Promoxolane
Silperisone
Tolperisone
Zoxazolamine
Directly acting
Dantrolene
Pharmacology: major drug groups
Gastrointestinal tract/
metabolism (A)
stomach acid
H2 antagonists
Antidiarrhoeals/Antipropulsives
Anti-obesity drugs
Anti-diabetics
Dietary minerals
Blood and blood
forming organs (B)
Antithrombotics
Antiplatelets
Thrombolytics/fibrinolytics
Antihemorrhagics
Coagulants
Antifibrinolytics
system (C)
cardiac therapy/antianginals
Cardiac glycosides
Antiarrhythmics
Cardiac stimulants
renin–angiotensin system
Angiotensin II receptor antagonists
Renin inhibitors
Antihyperlipidemics
Fibrates
Bile acid sequestrants
Skin (D)
Cicatrizants
Antipsoriatics
Medicated dressings
system (G)
Hormonal contraception
Fertility agents
system (H)
Hypothalamic–pituitary hormones
Mineralocorticoids
Thyroid hormones/Antithyroid agents
Infections and
infestations (J, P, QI)
Antimicrobials: Antibacterials (Antimycobacterials)
Antiprotozoals
IVIG
Malignant disease
(L01–L02)
Anticancer agents
Antimetabolites
Alkylating
Spindle poisons
Antineoplastic
Topoisomerase inhibitors
Immunostimulants
Muscles, bones,
and joints (M)
Antirheumatics
Bisphosphonates
Brain and
nervous system (N)
Anorectics
Anti-ADHD agents
Antiaddictives
Antidementia agents
Antimigraine agents
Antiparkinson agents
Anxiolytics
Entactogens
Euphoriants
Dissociatives
Hypnotics/Sedatives
Mood Stabilizers
Neuroprotectives
Neurotoxins
Orexigenics
Serenics
Wakefulness-promoting agents
system (R)
Bronchodilators
Sensory organs (S)
Ophthalmologicals
Otologicals
Other ATC (V)
Senotherapeutics
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Muscle_relaxant&oldid=903182044"
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May OCT May
02 May 1999 - 15 Jan 2018
Collection: Common Crawl
Web crawl data from Common Crawl.
GANDHI AND SOUTH AFRICA
"...the striking role of India in the development of the struggle for national and social liberation in South Africa has its firm roots in the early campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi in that country, coupled with the continuing and active interest he took in the South African situation. All South Africans have particular cause to honour and remember the man, who was in our midst for 21 years and went on to enter the history books as the Father of Free India. His imprint on the course of the South African struggle is indelible."
- Oliver Tambo, in his speech in New Delhi accepting the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding on behalf of Nelson Mandela, 1980
"Gandhiji was a South African and his memory deserves to be cherished now and in post-apartheid South Africa. The Gandhian philosophy of peace, tolerance and non-violence began in South Africa as a powerful instrument of social change... This weapon was effectively used by India to liberate her people. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to combat racism in the United States of America...
"We must never lose sight of the fact that the Gandhian philosophy may be a key to human survival in the twenty-first century."
- Nelson Mandela, in his speech opening the Gandhi Hall in Lenasia, September 1992
Speaking at a prayer meeting in New Delhi on June 28, 1946, commending the passive resistance movement launched by Indian South Africans, under the leadership of Dr. Yusuf M. Dadoo and G.M. Naicker, Gandhiji said that he was born in India but was "made" in South Africa. When Dr. Dadoo and Dr. Naicker called on him in 1947, he told them:
"Truly speaking, it was after I went to South Africa that I became what I am now. My love for South Africa and my concern for her problems are no less than for India..."
It was in South Africa - where he spent two decades in the prime of his life - that Gandhiji realised his vocation and developed his philosophy of life. It was there that his views on the problems of India crystallised. It was there that he discovered and first practised satyagraha - a most civilised and humane form of resistance to injustice, with a willingness to suffer rather than hurt, to love rather than hate the adversary.
When he was leading the satyagraha in the Transvaal, Count Leo Tolstoy wrote to him from Russia on September 7, 1910, that his activity in the Transvaal "is the most essential work now being done in the world, and in which... all the world will undoubtedly take part."
Today, as South Africa looks forward to redemption from the centuries-old legacy of racist domination - after an essentially non-violent struggle of the oppressed people, supported by the solidarity of governments and peoples around the world - the centenary of the arrival of Gandhiji in South Africa takes on a special significance. The South African people have now the opportunity to realise Gandhiji's vision of a South Africa in which "all the different races commingle and produce a civilisation that perhaps the world has not yet seen".
M.K. Gandhi, a 23-year-old barrister, arrived in South Africa in May 1893, on a one-year assignment to assist an Indian merchant in a civil suit. He had shown little interest in politics, and had little experience in organising and leading people. But he had a strong sense of duty, an attachment to truth, an urge to serve humanity, a love of his motherland and an open mind.
Within days of his arrival, he was thrown off a train, assaulted by a white coachman, denied hotel rooms and pushed off a sidewalk - all because of his colour. He saw the dispossession and oppression of the Africans, the children of the soil. And he learnt of the harassment and humiliations suffered by Indians - not only the indentured labourers who were forced to work under semi-slave conditions, but those who had completed indenture, their children born in South Africa, and the traders who had arrived on their own. He agreed to extend his stay in South Africa and try to help improve the situation.
Gandhiji's first concern was to educate and unite the Indian community consisting of a little over 50,000 in Natal and about 12,000 in the Transvaal. It was dispersed, and divided by class, religion and language. Of those in Natal, one-third were indentured labourers in plantations and mines; about 30,000 were "free Indians" who had completed indenture and their children; and 5,000 who belonged to the trading community. There was little contact between the traders and the poorer sections of the community.
The Indians were mainly Hindus and Muslims, with a few Parsis and a number of Christians. They spoke many languages - Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu etc. Most of them were illiterate and communication among them was difficult.
Gandhiji helped establish the Natal Indian Congress in 1894 and the Transvaal British Indian Association in 1903 to defend Indian rights. These were mainly associations of traders, as membership fees were too high for the poorer sections of the community. But Gandhiji developed close relations with the youth and helped associate them in public work. He provided free legal services to indentured labourers and acted as a volunteer in a charitable hospital, thereby getting to know the workers and their families.
Gandhiji, at that time, had great faith in the principles professed by the British Empire. He felt that the colour prejudice in Natal was local and temporary, and would give way to the British sense of justice. He sought to persuade the Europeans that Indians were a civilised people entitled to equal rights under solemn commitments by Britain.
He lived in a European area and entertained Europeans and Indians in the hope of promoting better understanding. He drafted many appeals and petitions, organised deputations and meetings, and wrote numerous letters to the press. He led an Indian ambulance corps in the Anglo-Boer War, and later a stretcher-bearer corps during the "Zulu rebellion" - though his sympathies were with the Boers and the Zulus - to demonstrate that Indians were willing to shoulder the responsibilities of citizenship.
On visits to India and Britain and through extensive correspondence, he secured understanding and sympathy among Indian leaders and British friends for the plight of Indians in South Africa.
These efforts, however, proved almost fruitless, as more and more measures were enacted to make the life of Indians miserable.
Gandhiji came to recognise that petitions could help only when they had some sanction behind them - either physical force or the immensely superior soul force, satyagraha.
Meanwhile, he had continued his quest for self-realisation, drawing inspiration from thinkers like John Ruskin and Leo Tolstoy and from Hinduism and other religions which he considered different paths to God.
Concerned with human equality and quality of life, he believed that physical and manual labour was essential. He rejected uncontrolled industrial development which turned workers into slaves of machines and caused alienation.
By 1903, he began to give up most of his income for public work, established the weekly Indian Opinion to inform the Indian community and the Europeans, and set up the Phoenix Settlement as a place for simple communal living. He took a vow of celibacy in 1906, and subsequently gave up his lucrative legal practice to live in poverty and identify himself with the poor.
Non-violence, love and truth became to him indispensable in human relations. His attachment to non-violence was strengthened by his experience nursing the Zulus who had been brutally lashed by the European militia and left unattended.
In 1906, when the Transvaal Government issued the Asiatic Ordinance (later enacted as Asiatic Registration Act), he saw it not only as a measure designed to ruin the Indian community but as an affront to the dignity and honour of India. He decided to defy the law, whatever the consequences. The Indian community followed his lead and refused to register under the Act.
Thus began a new phase in the life of Gandhiji to which the years of petitions and appeals were a preparation. He discovered satyagraha - an active, yet non-violent, defiance of injustice with fearlessness, sacrifice and suffering. He said in 1909:
"A satyagrahi must be afraid neither of imprisonment nor of deportation. He must neither mind being reduced to poverty, nor be frightened, if it comes to that, of being mashed into pulp with a mortar and pestle." (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 9, page 447).
The Satyagraha
The resistance by the small Indian community against the racist laws was difficult and lasted eight years from 1906 to 1914. But thousands of people, young and old, joined the struggle and displayed great heroism.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who visited South Africa in 1912, observed that Gandhiji had shown "the marvellous spiritual power to turn ordinary men around him into heroes and martyrs."
In January 1908, after 150 Indians went to prison in defiance of the Act, a compromise was reached between General Jan Smuts, the Interior Minister, and Gandhiji, but it soon broke down as the Government refused to repeal the Act. Satyagraha was resumed and over two thousand persons out of a total Indian community of a little over ten thousand went to prison, several of them repeatedly.
The satyagraha was again suspended in 1911, after the formation of the Union of South Africa, in the hope of a negotiated settlement, but again the talks failed. The Union Government, moreover, declined to take action when the Supreme Court ruled that all marriages not performed according to Christian rites - that is, most Indian marriages - were invalid. It prevaricated on its promise to Gokhale to repeal the Natal law requiring former indentured labourers and members of their families to pay an unjust and exorbitant annual tax of �3 each.
So the third phase of the satyagraha was launched in September 1913 all over the country. Gandhiji invited women to join and called on the workers to strike until the �3 tax was abolished.
"The whole community rose like a surging wave. Without organisation, without propaganda, all - nearly 40,000 - courted imprisonment. Nearly ten thousand were actually imprisoned..." (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 20, page 15)
Gandhiji led the great march of 2,200 workers and their families from Newcastle to the Transvaal border and was jailed for the fourth time. There was then a spontaneous strike by all Indian workers in Natal, the biggest general strike that the country had ever seen. Thousands were confined in prisons and mine compounds and the prisoners were subjected to cruel treatment. Many striking workers were brutally assaulted and a number of them were killed or wounded.
Gandhiji led in sacrifice and members of his family repeatedly went to prison. The resisters included men and women of all faiths, rich and poor, and none flinched at the increasing severity of prison conditions and repression. Even when Gandhiji and other leaders were in prison, the resisters showed commendable discipline and adherence to non-violence.
Europeans like Henry Polak, Hermann Kallenbach and A.H. West, who had become admirers and associates of Gandhiji, identified themselves with the Indian cause and even went to prison. Supporters of the struggle in the European community, though a small minority, included many churchmen and prominent public figures - such as Olive Schreiner, the writer, William Hosken, leader of the Progressive Party, and Vere Stent, an editor.
General Smuts was obliged in the face of the determination of the Indian community, backed by a powerful national agitation in India and pressure from Britain, to sign an agreement with Gandhiji, conceding all the main demands of the satyagraha.
Gandhiji then left for India on July 18, 1914 - exactly four years before Nelson Mandela was born - leaving behind him the example of a righteous struggle which knows no defeat.
South Africa to India
Gandhiji carried with him to India not only his philosophy of satyagraha, but firm views derived from his South African experience on the problems of India.
His close association with the Muslims in South Africa, and their contribution to the satyagraha, convinced him that Hindu-Muslim unity must be an essential tenet of the Indian national movement. Outraged at the treatment of Indians in South Africa as virtual untouchables, he sought to eliminate the scourge of untouchability in India. His experience in trying to unite the Indian people in South Africa led him to advocate a national language for India.
He also brought with him respect for women who played a crucial role in the final stage of the satyagraha, braving imprisonment with hard labour, many of them with their infants. Valliamma, a 16-year-old girl, gave her life for the cause rather than accept early release from prison, and his own wife, Kasturba, came out of prison in shattered health.
Gandhiji was most impressed by the way the poor workers had acquitted themselves in the struggle. He said in London on August 8, 1914:
"These men and women are the salt of India; on them will be built the Indian nation that is to be."
He proceeded to bring the mass of the people of India, including women, into action while leading the struggle for the independence of India. He combined political struggle with a constructive programme to promote respect for manual labour, the regeneration of village industries and simple living.
The heritage of Gandhi
Gandhiji was against any cult of his followers. He disliked the term "Gandhism", as much as the title Mahatma, bestowed on him by a grateful nation. What he left for posterity was the example of his life, his search for truth and his actions in practising what he believed. "My life is my message," he said.
His outlook was universal. To him all religions make for "peace, love and joy in the world". "Let us all merge in each other", he exhorted, "like drops of ocean."
The example of Gandhiji and the satyagraha he led in South Africa and India have encouraged and inspired the struggles for freedom of oppressed peoples in many lands around the world where the leaders absorbed his thought and creatively applied it in the light of their own traditions and situations.
Non-violent defiance has been a major phenomenon in the world, especially in recent years, when powerful dictatorships have been toppled by popular resistance. It has been practised by many public movements for causes which Gandhiji cherished - such as peace, disarmament, and protection of the environment.
These struggles and movements have, in turn, enriched the heritage of Gandhiji.
As Nelson Mandela declared recently, the spirit of Gandhiji - that is, the satyagraha conceived and tested in Africa at the beginning of this century - may well be a key to human survival in the twenty-first century.
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Previous (Child abuse)
Next (Child support)
Child laborers coming out of a dye factory, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Child labor is the employment of children under an age determined by law or custom. This practice is considered exploitative by many countries and international organizations. However, sanctions against nations using child labor have been found to lead to even worse conditions for the children. Thus, the resolution of this issue remains contentious as humankind seeks to achieve a world in which the human rights of every person, adult and child, are respected and a life of prosperity is available to all.
2.2 Today
3 Debate over child labor
3.1 Defense of child labor
3.2 Movements against child labor
4 Child labor in society
Child labor, the employment of children under a specified age that is generally within adolescence, can include factory work, mining, quarrying, agriculture, helping in the parents' business, having one's own small business (for example selling food), or doing odd jobs. Some children work as guides for tourists, sometimes combined with bringing in business for shops and restaurants (where they may also work as waiters). Other children are forced to do tedious and repetitive jobs such as assembling boxes or polishing shoes.
The most controversial forms of work include the military use of children and child prostitution. Less controversial, and often legal with some restrictions, are work as child actors and child singers, as well as agricultural work outside of the school year (seasonal work).
Child labor was not seen as a problem throughout most of history, only becoming a disputed issue with the beginning of universal schooling and the development of the concept of human rights.
Child laborer, Newberry, South Carolina, 1908
The period best known for child labor is the Industrial Era, where use of child labor was commonplace, often in factories. In England and Scotland in 1788, about two-thirds of the workers in the new water-powered textile factories were children.[1] Subsequently, largely due to the campaigning of Lord Shaftesbury, a series of Factory Acts were passed to restrict gradually the hours that children were allowed to work, and to improve safety.
Historian E. P. Thompson noted in The Making of the English Working Class, that child labor was not new, and had been "an intrinsic part of the agricultural and industrial economy before 1780." However, he also argued that:
there was a drastic increase in the intensity of exploitation of child labour between 1780 and 1840, and every historian acquainted with the sources knows this is so. This was true in the mines, both in inefficient small-scale pits where the roadways were sometimes so narrow that children could not easily pass through them; where—as the coal face drew further away from the shaft—children were in demand as "hurreyers" and to operate the ventilation ports. In the mills, the child and juvenile labour force grew yearly; and in several of the out-worker or "dishonourable" trades the hours of labour became longer and work more intense.[2]
Other historians have disagreed with this verdict. Objectivist economic historian Robert Hessen said:
claims of increased misery…[are] based on ignorance of how squalid life actually had been earlier. Before children began earning money working in factories, they had been sent to live in parish poorhouses, apprenticed as unpaid household servants, rented out for backbreaking agricultural labor, or became beggars, vagrants, thieves, and prostitutes (Nutten). The precapitalist "good old days" simply never existed.[3]
William Anderson wrote:
The pre-factory age was not a time of happy, contented kids. From 1730 to 1740, 75 percent of children in England died before age five. From 1810 to 1829, supposedly the evil age of the factory, infant mortality fell to 32 percent and would continue to drop. Capitalism and the industrial revolution gave youngsters a chance to survive.[4]
Laws were passed to prohibit child labor in the industrialized countries; however it is unclear whether this legislation is the principal cause of the decline in levels of juvenile employment.[5] Clark Nardinelli, a neoclassical economist, suggests that child labor was already decreasing in the United States and Western Europe prior to the passage of legislation, due to an increasing demand for educated and literate adults brought about by an increasing technological sophistication of industry. The demand for educated workers also provided an incentive for children to stay in school to meet the new demands of industry.
Today, however, rather than in factories and sweatshops, most child labor occurs in the informal sector, "selling on the street, at work in agriculture, or hidden away in houses—far from the reach of official labor inspectors and from media scrutiny."[6] The introduction of compulsory education in most of the Western world led to a rapid decline in the use of official child labor over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Child labor is most prevalent in developing countries where access to school is often limited, too expensive, or families are living hand-to-mouth.
Today, the United Nations and the International Labor Organization consider child labor exploitative, with the UN stipulating, in article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that:
States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.[7]
Based on this understanding of the use of children as laborers, it is now considered by wealthy countries to be a human rights violation, and is outlawed, while some poorer countries may allow or tolerate it. In many countries, it is considered inappropriate or exploitative if a child below a certain age works, excluding household chores or schoolwork.[8] An employer is often not allowed to hire a child below a certain age. This minimum age depends on the country; in the United States, the minimum age to work in an establishment without parents' consent and restrictions is age 16.
However, children as young as four remain employed in production factories with dangerous, and often fatal, working conditions.[9] Poor families often rely on the labors of their children for survival, and sometimes it is their only source of income. This type of work is often hidden away because it is not in the industrial sector. Child labor is employed in subsistence agriculture, in the household, or in the urban informal sector. In order to benefit children, child labor prohibition has to address the dual challenge of providing them with both short-term income and long-term prospects. Some youth rights groups, however, feel that prohibiting work below a certain age violates human rights, reducing children's options and leaving them subject to the whims of those with money. The reasons a child would consent or want to work may vary greatly. A child may consent to work if, for example, the earnings are attractive or if the child hates school, but such consent may not be informed consent. The workplace may still be an undesirable situation for a child in the long run.
Debate over child labor
Defense of child labor
Child laborer, New Jersey, 1910.
Children's participation in economic activity was commonplace prior to the Industrial Revolution as children performed labor on their farms or for their families. Thus, Milton Friedman claimed that the Industrial Revolution saw a net decline in child labor, rather than an increase.[10]
According to this theory, before the Industrial Revolution virtually all children worked in agriculture. During the Industrial Revolution, many of these children moved from farm work to factory work. Over time, as real wages rose, parents became able to afford to send their children to school instead of work and as a result child labor declined, both before and after legislation. While accepting that overall child labor declined in this period, other commentators draw a qualitative distinction between domestic work and participation in the wider (waged) labor-market.
Friedman believed that the absence of child labor was a luxury that many poor states could not yet afford. To prohibit it is to prevent the economic growth necessary to relieve a society of the need for child labor. In poor societies, these children will be put to work by their families by whatever means because they cannot afford to feed idle and unproductive children. Moreover, in addition to possibly increasing family costs on a depleted family income, parents may have to forgo potential labor time and income, to care for idle children.
Some argue that if industrial child labor is legally forbidden, then many children are relegated to working in more dangerous black market occupations such as prostitution.[11]
Concerns have been raised that efforts to end child labor by boycotting products manufactured through child labor may force the children to turn to more dangerous or strenuous professions, such as prostitution or agriculture. For example, a UNICEF study found that 5,000 to 7,000 Nepalese children turned to prostitution after the United States banned that country's carpet exports in the 1990s. Also, after the Child Labor Deterrence Act was introduced in the U.S., an estimated 50,000 children were dismissed from their garment industry jobs in Bangladesh, leaving many to resort to jobs such as "stone-crushing, street hustling, and prostitution,"—"all of them more hazardous and exploitative than garment production." The study concluded that boycotts are "blunt instruments with long-term consequences, that can actually harm rather than help the children involved."
The usefulness of the experience of the industrial revolution in making predictions about current trends has been disputed. Economic historian Hugh Cunningham notes that:
Fifty years ago it might have been assumed that, just as child labour had declined in the developed world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, so it would also, in a trickle-down fashion, in the rest of the world. Its failure to do that, and its re-emergence in the developed world, raise questions about its role in any economy, whether national or global.'[12]
Movements against child labor
Two girls wearing banners with slogan "ABOLISH CHILD SLAVERY!!" in English and Yiddish. Probably taken during May 1, 1909, labor parade in New York City.
Concern has been raised about the public's moral complicity in purchasing products assembled or otherwise manufactured in developing countries with child labor.
The cocoa industry has been under consistent criticism for years over child labor in West Africa, especially Côte d'Ivoire. In July 2005, the International Labor Rights Fund filed suit against the Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill companies in Federal District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of a class of Malian children who were trafficked from Mali into the Ivory Coast and forced to work twelve to fourteen hours a day with no pay, little food and sleep, and frequent beatings. The three children acting as class representative plaintiffs had to proceed anonymously, as John Does, because of feared retaliation by the farm owners where they worked. The complaint alleges their involvement in the trafficking, torture, and forced labor of children who cultivate and harvest cocoa beans which the companies import from Africa. Chocolate manufacturers were given a 2005 deadline to end the use of child laborers, but they failed to meet the deadline, which was then extended to 2008.[13]
Child labor in society
Though children's labor may be necessary to the survival of some families, it does not represent the ideal for children or their family. Putting children to work too early can stunt their development socially and educationally as well as expose them to physical risks. This does not even factor in the daily peril faced by children working as prostitutes or soldiers. Movements for universal education and for the end to child labor seek to better serve children and provide the opportunity to escape poverty through education, which ultimately benefits both the individuals and society as a whole.
↑ Douglas A. Galbi, Child Labor and the Division of Labor in the Early English Cotton Mills. Retrieved on April 15, 2007.
↑ E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (Penguin, 1968), p. 366-7.
↑ Robert Hessen, "Capitalism," Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.
↑ William Anderson, Kathie Lee's Children. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
↑ Clark Nardinelli, Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution (Indiana University Press, 1990).
↑ UNICEF, The State of the World's Children 1997. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
↑ International Labor Organization, Worst Forms of Child labor Recommendation, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
↑ Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
↑ Milton Friedman, Take it to the Limits: Milton Friedman on Libertarianism. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
↑ Thomas R. DeGregori, Child Labor or Child Prostitution? Cato Institute. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
↑ Hugh Cunningham, The decline of child labour: Labour markets and family economies in Europe and North America since 1830, Economic History Review, 2000.
↑ Humphrey Hawksley, BBC News (April 2, 2007), Child cocoa workers still "exploited." Retrieved April 15, 2007.
Freedman, Russell and Lewis Hine. 1998. Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor. Clarion Books. ISBN 0395797268
Grootaert, Christiaan and Harry Anthony Patrinos, eds. 1999. The Policy Analysis of Child Labor: A Comparative Study. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312221223
Levine, Martin J. 2003. Children for Hire: The Perils of Child Labor in the United States. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 1567204333
Schmitz, Cathryne L., Elizabeth KimJin Traver, and Desi Larson, eds. 2004. Child Labor: A Global View. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313322775
Weston, Burns H. 2005. Child Labor And Human Rights: Making Children Matter. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 1588263495
All links retrieved February 11, 2017.
Teaching about Child Labor and International Human Rights
Child Labor in Agriculture
Photographs of Child Labor in America 1908-1912 History Place.
The Morality of Child Labor by Sam Vaknin.
Lightening the load of child miners - BBC
Child labour challenge toughens - BBC
The State of the World's Children - a UNICEF study .
Child labor and the division of labor in the early English cotton mills
Child Labor Anti-Slavery Society
Child_labor history
History of "Child labor"
Retrieved from http://web.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Child_labor&oldid=1003247
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You are at:Home»Online»Emilia Clarke game of Thrones scenes ruined the last
Emilia Clarke game of Thrones scenes ruined the last
Emilia Clarke, game of Thrones is one of the most active players on. From videos released from the back of the set, up activities organized by different organizations, “game of Thrones” we see in the first row. Here are 8. and last season, we eagerly waited for “game of Thrones”made new statements about the end of the beautiful actress.
Emilia Clarke “game of Thrones” he has completed filming
Who interview with Vanity Fair Emilia Clarke, game of Thrones‘the making of the last face in the series of shots and found important statements about ongoing Daenerys was filmed all the scenes where the character was found, he added. So in the last season Emilia Clarke‘s all the scenes that has taken place was captured. The player now kind of famous “game of Thrones” you can say goodbye to the world.
The important explanation at this point. Emilia Clarke, the array itself was virtually destroyed in the last scene, he added. These scenes are divulging information about Daenerys to the character of 8. you can do all kinds of shit in the season and we see it didn’t understand what it means when we say back what you did.
“Game of Thrones” interfere with the image that contains a spoiler for the players
Apparently, Daenerys, last season will ever confront us in a mighty way. yet the net the history of certain non – “game of Thrones”‘s 8. in 2019 and last season will be broadcast on HBO.
"Game of Thrones" Emilia Clarke HBO Series GoT
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Liam Neeson quotes
Oscar nominee for 'Schindler's List' (1993)
Background:"I never did think of myself as handsome, terribly attractive yes, but not handsome." Liam NeesonBritish actor Liam Neeson is widely recognized with his Best Actor Academy Award-nominated role as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s epic Schindler's List (1993). He continued to play major roles in such films as Nell (1994), Rob Roy (1995), Michael Collins (1996), Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999), Kinsey (2004), Kingdom of Heaven, Batman Begins and Breakfast on Pluto (all three in 2005). Neeson is currently on set completing his upcoming films: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (voice), The White Rose, Seraphim Falls, and an Untitled Steven Spielberg/Abraham Lincoln Project. The gifted actor also received praise on stage. He was nominated for Broadway's Best Actor Tony Award (Play) two times, in 1993 for his performance in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie" and in 2002 for a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Neeson was one of Empire magazine’s “The 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History” (1995) and Empire (UK) magazine's “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” (1997). In 1999, the Northern Irish actor was named an Officer of the Order of British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in her New Year's Honors List.On a more personal note, the 6'4" tall attractive actor was linked to several actresses: Helen Mirren (b. July 26, 1945; 1981-1985; met while filming Excalibur), Julia Roberts (b. October 28, 1967; 1988-1990; met while making Satisfaction), Brooke Shields (b. May 31, 1965) and singers Barbra Streisand (singer; b. April 24, 1942) and Sinйad O'Connor (singer; b. December 8, 1966). He is currently the husband of actress Natasha Richardson and has two sons.BoxerChildhood and Family:"I think I realized there were two communities in Northern Ireland when I was about nine or 10, not because there was any trouble but because in certain years my parents would keep us indoors on the 12th of July. I couldn't figure that out, because all my mates were out dancing in the streets and I wanted to go out and join them. So it was then that I sensed a 'them and us' attitude." Liam NeesonIn Ballymena, Northern Ireland, U.K, William John Neeson was born on June 7, 1952, to parents Barney Neeson (custodian; deceased; worked in a boys' primary school) and Kitty Neeson (cook; worked in a girls' grammar school). Along with his three sisters, Liam Neeson was raised Roman Catholic. As a teenager, 6'4" tall Neeson was a youth boxing champion. He attended St. Mary's Teaching School (dropped out) and Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While performing on Broadway in the play “Anna Christie,” Neeson met actress Natasha Richardson (born on May 11, 1963). The couple later exchanged wedding vows on July 3, 1994, and has two sons: Daniel Jack Neeson (born on August 28, 1996) and Michael Richard Antonio Neeson (born on June 22, 1995). Liam Neeson is the son-in-law of actress Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, and brother-in-law of Joely Richardson.Tough CallCareer:"Any successful actor in films will tell you that it's very, very hard to come by good material. Everybody gets pigeonholed. Laurence Olivier was pigeonholed. Marlon Brando was pigeonholed. But there are times when a script arrives and I say, ‘Okay, I can see myself playing this.’“ Liam NeesonOriginally interested in boxing, 9-year-old Liam Neeson joined a boxing team run by a priest. Seven years later, following a blackout after a bout, he gave up boxing and became a forklift driver. Neeson also wanted to be a teacher and an architect, but finally decided to take on an acting career. He signed up with the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast and made his professional stage debut in "The Risen People." Neeson joined the Lyric Players' Theatre repertory company for two years (1976-1978) and later moved to Dublin, where he united with the Abbey Theatre. In the next year, he played Jesus Christ in an educational film based on John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" for evangelical Bible students in Ireland. He also had bit parts in the big screen’s Christiana (1979) and Nailed (1981). While playing Lenny in the Abbey Theatre production of "Of Mice and Men," director John Boorman spotted Neeson and the filmmaker later cast the actor in Excalibur, a retelling of the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In the film, adopted from Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte D'arthur," Neeson played Sir Gawain, sharing the screen with the film’s stars Nicol Williamson, Nigel Terry and Helen Mirren. Afterward, he costarred as Blackie O'Neill in the syndicated miniseries "A Woman of Substance" (1983, starring Deborah Kerr, based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's novel) and later reprised his role in Hold the Dream (1986). Other television works include Merlin & the Sword, the US TV debut on the CBS miniseries "Ellis Island" and a guest appearance on the third season opener of "Miami Vice." He also appeared in the wide screen’s Krull (1983), The Bounty (1984) and The Innocent (1985). Neeson moved to Los Angeles in 1987 and was featured as a deaf-mute, vagrant Vietnam vet falsely accused of murder, opposite Dennis Quaid and Cher, in Peter Yates' chilling courtroom thriller Suspect. In the subsequent year, Neeson played film director Peter Swan in Buddy Van Horn's The Dead Pool (alongside Clint Eastwood) and starred opposite Diane Keaton in Leonard Nimoy's adaptation of Sue Miller's novel, The Good Mother.The early 1990s watched Neeson portray the titular, tortured antihero of Darkman (1990), in Sam Raimi's action thriller film with the same name and star as disgraced-cop-turned-private-detective in writer-director Simon Moore's Under Suspicion (1991, with Laura San Giacomo). He subsequently costarred with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith in David Seltzer's World War II romance film, inspired by Susan Isaacs' novel, Shining Through and with Mia Farrow, Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack in actor-writer-director Woody Allen's drama comedy Husbands and Wives (both in 1992). Filmmaker John Madden then cast him to play the title role in his big screen version of Edith Wharton's 1911 novel Ethan Frome (1993, with Joan Allen and Patricia Arquette). On stage, Neeson made his Broadway debut in a Tony-nominated performance in "Anna Christie" opposite Natasha Richardson."Before Schindler's List, I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change. But having seen what happened with Schindler's List, and touring the world with it, it really made me realize the power of images." Liam NeesonFollowing the Tony nomination, Neeson nabbed a Best Actor Academy Award nomination, thanks to the portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s epic World War II drama, for the true-story based Schindler's List (1993, alongside Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes). More roles arrived and Neeson was seen as local doctor Jerome 'Jerry' Lovell in Michael Apted's adaptation of Mark Handley's play “Idioglossia,” Nell (1994, also with Jodie Foster and Natasha Richardson) and as the Scottish hero Robert Roy MacGregor in Michael Caton-Jones' rousing film version of Sir Walter Scott's sweeping romantic adventure, the biopic Rob Roy (1995, costarring Jessica Lange). Neeson also starred with Meryl Streep in Barbet Schroeder's drama, based on the 1992 novel by Rosellen Brown, Before and After (1996).In 1996, Neeson played the crucial title role of the 'Lion of Ireland,' who led the IRA against British rule and founded the Irish Free State (Eire) in 1921, in writer-director Neil Jordan's controversial biopic, Michael Collins. Neeson's performance received good reviews and won a Venice Film Festival and an Evening Standard British Film Award. The rest of the 1990s saw Neeson star as Jean Valjean, a Frenchman imprisoned for stealing bread who must flee a police officer, in Bille August's adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic tale of injustice, Les Misйrables (alongside Geoffrey Rush), featured as Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn in the first of three prequels to George Lucas' celebrated Star Wars films, Episode I - The Phantom Menace and play a professor who conducts psychological experiments in Jan De Bont's remake of Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting. Neeson also returned to Broadway, playing Oscar Wilde in David Hare's drama "The Judas Kiss." Neeson narrated the 2001 documentaries Journey Into Amazing Caves and The Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure. After being nominated for a Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a play for his role opposite Laura Linney in "The Crucible," Neeson teamed with Harrison Ford in Kathryn Bigelow's submarine thriller K19: The Widowmaker and appeared in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (with Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis). He also played a recently widowed writer in producer-writer-director Richard Curtis' ensemble comedy Love Actually (2003, with Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson) and portrayed the title role of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer of human sexuality research who published the 1948's "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male," in writer-director Bill Condon's biographical drama Kinsey (2004).Recently, in 2005, Neeson could be seen playing a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, in Ridley Scott's epic adventure Kingdom of Heaven (with Orlando Bloom and Eva Green), Henri Ducard in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (starring Christian Bale) and Father Bernard in Neil Jordan's adaptation of Pat McCabe's novel, Breakfast on Pluto (alongside Cillian Murphy). Neeson will provide his voice to the upcoming Andrew Adamson's family fantasy adventure, adopted from C.S. Lewis' novel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Neeson is currently completing his next films: Allegra Huston's war film The White Rose (alongside Albert Finney) and David Von Ancken's feature directing debut Seraphim Falls (with Richard Gere and Pierce Brosnan), a Western drama about a colonel's quest to settle a grudge at the end of the Civil War. Neeson will also play Abraham Lincoln in an Untitled Steven Spielberg/Abraham Lincoln Project."It's such a tough call, trying to be a role model and having story lines revolve around that in a large way. It makes it hard for me as a human. We try to make sure it's not explicit." Liam NeesonAwards: Palm Springs International Film Festival: Desert Palm Achievement Award for Best Actor, 2004 Taormina International Film Festival: Diamond Award, 2000 Evening Standard British Film: Best Actor, Michael Collins, 1997 Venice Film Festival: Volpi Cup - Best Actor, Michael Collins, 1996 Cognac Festival du Film Policier: Best Actor, Under Suspicion, 1992
Live and die on this day... Live and die on this day...More Liam Neeson quotes [03/29/2018 05:03:36]
Well, from an acting point of view, I bear no relation, I don't look like Alfred Kinsey at all, but I thought somewhere in my artist's soul, my actor's soul, I could capture something of the spirit of the man.More Liam Neeson quotes [03/29/2018 05:03:36]
It's funny, but you get to a time in your life when you think you have all the friends you will ever have.More Liam Neeson quotes [03/29/2018 05:03:36]
I gravitate toward women.More Liam Neeson quotes [03/12/2018 02:03:32]
Before 'Schindler's List,' I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change.More Liam Neeson quotes [03/12/2018 02:03:32]
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Tag Archives: Tracking
Leopard Tracking in the Swartberg
Objective of the flight
To track and download data from collared leopards in the Swartberg range of the Western Cape.
Kgalagadi Cheetah Tracking
Mission: Kgalagadi Cheetah Tracking
Requesting organisation: Gus Mills and the Kgalagadi Cheetah Project
Location: Kgalagadi Reserve, Northern Cape
Pilot: Andre van Niekerk
The Bateleurs has again undertaken to support the work of Gus Mills and the Kgalagadi Cheetah Project by providing regular flights to track and record, via GPS, the movements of a number of collared cheetah in the Kgalagadi Reserve. The first of these flights in 2009 took place on 31st January, and we are very pleased and proud to report that it was flown by a brand new Bateleurs volunteer member, Andre van Niekerk, based in Upington. This is the report we received from Gus Mills:
Photo: One of the Kgalagadi cheetahs with her cubs.
“Because of the large ranges of Kgalagadi cheetahs it is extremely helpful to be able to track our radio-collared animals from the air. On Saturday 31st January, Andre van Niekerk a new Bateleurs pilot from Upington, kindly gave up his time to do a tracking flight in his Robinson 44 helicopter. It was a very hot day and even with the helicopter door off, and at 2,000 feet above ground, the air was hot! However, between 09h30 and 11h00 we covered most of the southern area of the park and managed to locate six of our collared cats – something that would have taken us at least two days to do from the ground, and with no guarantee that we would have found all of them. The only disappointment was that we did not find one of our females with a large cub up near Mata Mata. I have subsequently heard that she is in the area so it seems that there may be a problem with her collar. Hopefully, as it is a new collar, it has simply drifted slightly off frequency.
The most interesting observation was to find two males deep inside the territory of two other males. This is most unusual. We also located the resident males about 12 km from them. We have spent the last two days following these males and although they have started to move back to their own territory, they are still inside that of the original two. Fortunately these territories are large, several hundred square kilometres, so the two rival groups have not met up. If they did there would be trouble! The question is why? At the moment we are at a loss to understand this, but we will try to monitor the situation. Unfortunately we have had to leave them today because we need to go out tomorrow to check up on one of the females we located, to see if she has cubs.
Normally we expect to find all the animals, but not having found the female near Mata Mata, whose collar may be malfunctioning, led to our failing to find our most wide-ranging female. We spent more time than usual searching for the Mata Mata cheetah, and so did not have enough time to locate the other wide-ranging female. Nevertheless the mission was a great success and is hugely appreciated.”
Tracking Cheetah in the Kgalagadi
Mission: Cheetah Tracking at the Kgalagadi
Location: Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape
Pilot: Willie Snyman
Bateleur pilot, Willie Snyman (left) and Gus Mills of the Kgalagadi Cheetah Project, with Willie’s helicopter in the background.
Tracking the elusive cheetahs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, by Gus Mills
“The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Cheetah Project is aimed at identifying the ecological role, behavioural adaptations, demographic parameters, conservation status and threats to the cheetah in the southern Kgalagadi ecosystem.
An important aspect of this study is to understand the movement patterns of the cheetahs. To this end a number of cheetah have been fitted with radio collars. Although we expected the cheetah to range widely in this arid system, we did not expect them to move quite as extensively as they do. The females appear to be especially wide-ranging, covering areas well in excess of 1 500 km². So even with radio collars we can usually only detect a signal from 5 – 10 km from the ground.
The solution, therefore, is to get into the air from where the line-of-site transmitters can be picked up from 30km or more, and from where it is possible to cover large areas much more quickly than plodding through the dunes in a vehicle. For this reason we have turned to The Bateleurs for help and are most grateful for the positive way in which this difficult request has been approached. It is difficult, not only because the Kalahari is far away from flight centres, but also because this is a request for frequent help, not a one-off situation.”
Two of the elusive cheetah on a sand dune in the Kgalagadi
“On Thursday 10th January 2008 we did our first Bateleur flight, with local farmer Willie Snyman as the volunteer pilot, in his wonderful Robinson 44 helicopter. We were particularly interested in locating two females which we have not seen for some time – Thelma who was last seen on 01 October 2007 and who then had two small cubs in a den, and D’Urbyl, a female who was collared on 1 November. Despite flying for two hours over the areas where we last saw these two females we unfortunately were not able to pick up a signal. However, we did locate a single male, Harken, and John and Allen, a two-male coalition, so the flight was well worthwhile.
We look forward to many more flights with Willie and other pilots, and I am sure that sooner or later our luck will change and we will find the missing females. One thing is certain, we have a far better chance of doing so from the air than from the ground.”
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Court Sets Trial Date for Pembine Homicide Suspect
04/30/2019- A jury trial has been scheduled in the case against a Pembine man accused of killing his wife in January. A status conference was held yesterday for 55-year-old Gary Rogge who’s pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree intentional homicide for allegedly shooting his wife, 63-year-old Shelley Erickson-Rogge, at their home. He claims he and his wife had been drinking the day of his wife’s death and says he accidentally fired the gun while they were playing shooting games, but an autopsy has revealed Erickson-Rogge died from a contact gunshot wound to the chest. Both the prosecution and defense have agreed to a minimum of a five-day trial that’s now scheduled to begin July 29th. A pre-trial conference in the matter has been set for July 5th. If convicted, Rogge is facing life in prison.
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L'Oreal Paris - New Spokesperson Announcement
THE NEW FACE OF L’ORÉAL PARIS
Katrina joins Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto as the fourth Indian face of L’Oréal Paris
Mumbai, 20th January 2014: L’Oréal Paris is pleased to announce Katrina Kaif as the new face of the brand in India. Katrina is one of the most successful actresses in the Indian film industry and has created an impact like no other. As the new L’Oréal Paris spokesperson, Katrina Kaif joins Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto as the fourth Indian face of the brand.
“I am thrilled that Katrina joins our amazing roster of spokespeople. She exudes sheer glamour and is a beauty icon to millions across the globe. She has risen to the top through sheer hard work and is an inspiration to all. Today we are proud to welcome her into the L'Oréal Paris family and hope to have a fabulous association with her”, said Satyaki Ghosh, Director, Consumer Products Division, L'Oréal India.
“I’m honored to be a part of the L'Oréal Paris family; it’s been a brand that I have always admired for its glamour and powerful message of ‘Because you’re worth it’. The stunning women that represent the brand across the globe are strong motivators. It is an incredible privilege to be joining this league of ladies. I'm looking forward to working with the L'Oréal Paris team in India and creating some new global beauty trends,” said Katrina Kaif.
Manashi Guha, General Manager, L’Oréal Paris says, “In India, L'Oréal Paris has grown immensely to become an extremely important part of the L'Oréal consumer portfolio. We have made significant leaps in terms of our product range and their relevance to the modern Indian woman. Our spokespeople are passionate and talented individuals and sources of inspiration for our generation thanks to their vision, engagement and talent. Katrina beautifully embodies the qualities that represent our brand and we’re very happy to have her on board with us.”
Global ambassador for L'Oréal Paris - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who has been a part of the brand for 12 years said, “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Katrina to the L'Oréal Paris family. I am sure she will enjoy representing team India as brand ambassador and I wish her the very best.”
Katrina Kaif has an outstanding film record and has carved a niche for herself in the Indian film industry. She has received multiple award nominations for the variety of roles she has portrayed and has been a part of several successful films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Dhoom 3.
About L'Oréal Paris:
L’Oréal Paris is a truly global beauty brand combines the latest in technology with the highest in quality for the ultimate in luxury beauty at mass. Our signature phrase, “Because I’m Worth It”, is meant to inspire each and every woman to embrace her own unique beauty and reinforce her sense of self-worth.
As the biggest beauty brand in the world, L'Oréal Paris has an unparalleled commitment to technology, research and innovation, providing groundbreaking, high-quality products for women and men of all ages and ethnicities. The L’Oréal Paris brand encompasses the four major beauty categories – hair color, cosmetics, hair care, and skin care – and includes such well-known brands as Excellence Crème, Total Repair 5 hair care, Youth Code, Fall Repair, Revitalift, Volume Million Lashes Mascara, Colour Riche lipsticks, Superliners and True Match foundations among many others.
L'Oréal Paris truly believes that, whatever your age, gender, ethnicity or look, "you're worth it".
Labels: L'Oreal Paris - New Spokesperson Announcement, New Face of L'Oreal
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Glaucoma Refractive Surgery/Infections/Injuries
Pediatric Optometry
Contact Lens Specialist/Optical
Meet Greensboro Optometrists, Dr. Steven Bernstorf and Dr. Jennifer Flaherty.
Steven W. Bernstorf
O.D., FAAO
Steven W. Bernstorf, O.D., FAAO
Dr. Steven W. Bernstorf was born in Philadelphia in 1953. He is married with two daughters. Dr. Bernstorf grew up in Nashville, Tenn., and later moved to Greensboro in 1987 so that his wife could play in the Greensboro and Winston Salem Symphonies.
In 1987 Dr. Bernstorf earned 'The National Board of Examiners in Optometry Diagnostic and Therapeutic Testing Certification' after an intensive program at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Bernstorf enjoys the many different aspects of eye care, especially the urgent treatments such as minor injuries and infections.
Dr. Bernstorf is a member of several professional associations including the American Optometric Association and the Triad Optometric Society.
DePauw University – Greencastle, Ind.
Peabody College of Vanderbilt – Nashville, Tenn.
Indiana University School of Music – Bloomington, Ind.
Illinois College of Optometry – Chicago, Ill.
Kayaking, French Horn, Swimming, Sailing
Jennifer Flaherty
Dr. Jennifer Flaherty is Board Certified by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. She earned her doctorate in optometry at the University of Houston College of Optometry in 1994. While in Houston, she completed diagnostic and therapeutic testing with the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. She practiced in Texas and Illinois before settling in North Carolina. She was licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners Optometry, in 1998.
After 26 years of solo practice, Dr. Bernstorf is joined by Dr. Flaherty. She is a superb eye doctor and an incredible asset to this well-established eye clinic
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Chromebooks Coming June 15th..... Big Deal.....
Poster: Rich
Posted on May 11, 2011 at 2:38:23 PM
If Google actually expects people to buy these things, they better make them a lot cheaper. Different models will range from around $350 to $500 bucks. Netbooks and laptops with more capability can be had for the same price. Google's own products are going to start cannibalizing one another. Who needs Android for phones, Android for tablets, AND Chrome OS. I don't think they're taking the right approach. If they want to do anything with Chrome OS, they should just make it a free download and allow folks to just install it on their own hardware.
Samsung and Acer will each be offering the first Chromebook laptops starting June 15. The Samsung Chromebook will cost $429 for the Wi-Fi only version and the 3G version will cost $499. Acer's Wi-Fi only Chromebook will cost $349.
The devices will be available for sale in the U.S. from Amazon and Best Buy starting June 15.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20061896-266.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Tags Google hardware OS Chrome Announcement ChromeOS Chromebook
[Print] [Top]
ATI Catalyst 10.9a Hotfix
Poster: Daniel Doty
Posted on October 15, 2010 at 6:40:15 PM
According to AMD/ATI the new Catalyst 10.9a Hotfix drivers address some issues with the HD4850x2 and HD4870x2 video card performance. Hopefully this is the case, and hopefully it will address an issue that has been seen around the web dealing with CrossfireX on some of the HD48xx's and even some HD5xxx series of cards running specific motherboards. This issue is not really wide spread, however there are some of the "gamer" series of motherboards that have experienced this issue, and we can only hope that AMD/ATI has addressed these issues in the new "hotfix" drivers. This issue was addressed in the Catalyst 10.8b drivers, and we have to wonder why this was not carried over to the original Catalyst 10.9 drivers.
At any rate, this is what AMD/ATI has to say about the new 10.9a Hotfix Catalyst drivers:
* ATI Radeon™ HD 4870 X2 and ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 series of products use both Graphics Processing Units (GPU) for high performance
* Intermittent hangs with Pop Cap games in a system with an ATI Radeon series graphics card installed
* High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) overscan / underscan settings are restored upon system reboot
Download and install the ATI Catalyst hotfix from the following location:
* ATI Catalyst 10.9a Hotfix for Windows® 7 / Windows Vista®
Refer to Article 20870 for detailed instructions on how to properly install the ATI Catalyst™ hotfix.
Note! This hotfix is provided as is and is not supported by AMD. It has not completed full AMD testing and is only a driver update.
Applicable Products:
This article applies to the following configuration(s):
* Hardware
o ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 series of products
* Operating System
o Windows 7 32-bit Edition
o Windows Vista 32-bit Edition
For further information, or to download the new Catalyst 10.9a drivers you can go to the main download and information page below.
http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/ATICatalyst109Hotfix.aspx
Tags hardware computer video Graphics AMD ATI drivers Catalyst 10.9a hotfix issues
USB 3.0 Specifications Finalized
Poster: Aron Schatz
Posted on November 17, 2008 at 6:32:02 PM
The USB Promoter Group have finally provided the finalized spec for the "SuperSpeed" USB. It is said to be 10x as fast, I'm assuming that means around 4.8Gbps (Gigabites per second). Actually transfer speeds will probably be substantially less.
Among the initial devices, external solid-state (flash) drives and hard drives are expected to be popular. "The first SuperSpeed USB devices will likely include data storage devices such as flash (solid-state drives), external hard drives, digital music players, and digitial cameras," the group said. Products aren't coming until 2010, however. "It is anticipated that initial SuperSpeed USB discrete controllers will appear in the second half of 2009 and consumer products will appear in 2010," according to the group. "The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is now accepting adopters of the USB 3.0 specification, which as been finalized at the 1.0 level," the group added.
USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with the older specifications. It will be a smooth transition just as the original USB to USB 2.0 has been.
Tags Hardware USB
NVIDIA Aquires AGEIA
Posted on February 5, 2008 at 4:49:16 AM
It is official. NVIDIA is buying the PhysX maker. Full PR here. This may spell trouble for AMD considering that all major physics engines have been bought (Intel owns Havok). What the industry needs to do is make some open standards. They've got OpenGL for graphics. It sounds like it is time for OpenPL.
NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA), the world leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the GPU, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the industry leader in gaming physics technology. AGEIA's PhysX software is widely adopted with more than 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on Sony Playstation3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and Gaming PCs. AGEIA physics software is pervasive with over 10,000 registered and active users of the PhysX SDK.
You didn't know that AGEIA survives by supplying the physics engines of all three current consoles?
Tags Hardware AGEIA NVIDIA
AMD's Firestream 9170 Introduced
Posted on November 9, 2007 at 3:45:38 PM
AMD has finally introduced a graphics integrated processor since it's ATI acquisition. It's quite expensive, but an excellent step forward. I'm sure it will eventually lead to cheaper consumer market processors.
"The FireStream 9170 features up to 500 GFlops, or 500 billion floating point operations per second. AMD's second generation stream processor is built with a 55 nanometer manufacturing process and consumes less than 150 watts of power. The processor is a single-card product with 2Gbytes of onboard GDDR3 memory to compute large datasets without CPU traffic. Asynchronous direct memory access provides data flow without interrupting the stream processor or CPU. The FireStream SDK enables software developers to access application programming interfaces and specifications for performance tuning at the lowest-level of the processor, and for compatibility with future chips. The SDK is also available to develop third-party tools. The AMD FireStream 9170 is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of next year at a price of $1,999."
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202804105
Tags Hardware
Apple Releases the new iMacs
Posted on August 8, 2007 at 3:23:18 PM
Apple has released its new line of iMac computers. The new design spec is made of aluminum and glass. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, they also come with some better standard specs. The pricing starts at $1,199.00 for a 20" version. I guess Apple decided to do away with the 17" altogether. I would love to get my hands on one of these, but I will wait until the new version of OSX is released in October. Apple continues not only to lead with software innovation, but also in design innovation of all of its products. Clearly, they understand the difference between a good computer and a perfect peice of hardware.
I'm going to now go ahead and plug my own article about design innovation in tech products: »http://www.aselabs.com/articles.php?id=210
See the new iMac: http://www.apple.com/imac/
You won't be sorry.....
Dell To Offer Linux Pre-installed
Posted on March 29, 2007 at 12:59:29 PM
This is a huge move for open source software. Dell will begin offering Linux pre-installed on its computers. This is for home use even!
Dell has heard you and we will expand our Linux support beyond our existing servers and Precision workstation line. Our first step in this effort is offering Linux pre-installed on select desktop and notebook systems. We will provide an update in the coming weeks that includes detailed information on which systems we will offer, our testing and certification efforts, and the Linux distribution(s) that will be available. The countdown begins today.
You know what this means. Throwing out the garbage Broadcom chipset for wireless that has no open source support at all.
Tags Hardware Software Dell
Google Continues Its Campaign For World Domination
Google is going to release its own mass market phone............ Great........... This company is really starting to irk me. When is it going to stop? Enough said.....
"To be sure, feverish speculation about Google products has been wrong before. Google was widely reported to be building its own line of personal computers a little over a year ago. What in fact materialized was a set of free software programs designed to make any existing Windows PCs easier to use. But Richard Windsor, a phone analyst with brokerage Nomura in London, told clients late last week that unspecified Google representatives at a major European conference in Germany had confirmed the company is working on its own phone device. "Google has come out of the closet at the CeBIT trade fair admitting that it is working on a mobile phone of its own," Windsor said in a note entitled "Google Phone: From myth to reality." "This is not going to be a high-end device but a mass market device aimed at bringing Google to users who don't have a PC," he said."
Seagate's Most Secure Hard Drive.....Ever
Seagate has just produced the most advanced hard drive security. It uses a whole lot of authentication and encryption techniques. Seems pretty good to me, but maybe just a little overkill for the average user. It will be geared more towards the government and any private corporations that carry sensitive data. Using this tech, the company or government will also no longer have to publicly release information about lost or stolen laptops. Very interesting...... http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6166180.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
"The Seagate drives are equipped with the company's new "DriveTrust" technology, which the company promotes as a simpler way to safeguard data stored on laptops. The encryption technology is designed to make life tougher for computer thieves and to prevent embarrassing breaches. Seagate is also in discussions with major, brand name laptop makers and expects to announce more deals for its new hard drive midyear.
For more detail about the tech, visit: http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsid=8227
Apple New Notebooks May Use Flash Hard Drives
Apple is going to create a smaller notebook computer that will use flash memory (I guess this will be competing with tablet PCs). Obviously this has been done with the OLPC project, however, I think that they will be the first mainstream computer manufacturer to offer it. I'm sure it will be a bit more expensive. It's will also be featuring a more lightweight version of OSX..... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17521893/
"The maker of the popular iPod music player and Macintosh computers hopes to introduce so-called flash memory in small computers known as subnotebooks in the second half of 2007, Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research who has a "buy" rating on Apple shares and does not own any stock, said in investor notes Wednesday and Thursday. A shift to flash memory in place of much slower hard-disk drives would eliminate one headache for consumers: lengthy start-up times when turning on computers. Apple, known as a technology innovator, would be among the first personal computer makers to use flash memory for storing data in computers, a step that some chip memory makers, including Micron Technology Inc., have said is inevitable as prices for flash decline and storage capacity increases."
AMD's Onboard Graphics Chips
Posted on February 28, 2007 at 1:37:21 PM
We knew it was coming. Though, it's a bit disappointing that the graphics chips won't be for gamers. However, I do see the business side of what AMD is doing here. With these chips built onto boards, PC's will become fully "Vista Ready" without the need for a separate graphics card. This lowers the cost of "Vista Ready PCs." It'll be very popular in the mid and low end PC market, and a big win for AMD. AMD needed to find some way to create new revenue to fund further R and D. This way they can compete with Intel's Core 2 Duo, which is by far the best processor on the market today..... http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/16800947.htm
"Advanced Micro Devices will announce today the first fruits of its $5.4 billion acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI Technologies -- a new graphics chipset. The development is an initial step toward the ultimate goal of the merger: combining onto a single chip the functions of the microprocessor, the brains that orchestrate a computer's operations, with those of the graphics processor. AMD said the new graphics chipset, the AMD 690, can be placed onto the main motherboard of the PC, eliminating the need for an add-in graphics card to handle three-dimensional graphics. Sunnyvale-based AMD said the new chipset, available in March, should help lower the cost of graphics-capable computers. More than 30 motherboard makers plan to work with the new chipset, AMD said."
Kodak's New Printer Line
Posted on February 7, 2007 at 1:59:14 PM
This was a necessary move from Kodak. They've been constantly losing money since people started printing their own digital photos at home. Becoming competitive in the printer market is a perfect solution. They still get to make money printing people's photos at labs, and now at home. With ink prices as low as they intend to make them, I think I'll give their printers a try. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17003995/
"Kodak said it will in March start sales of 3 EasyShare All-in-One printers, ranging from $150 to $300, which will print, scan and copy document and photos. Black replacement ink cartridges will sell for about $10, and a color one for about $15, about 50 percent less than its rivals, Kodak said, adding that it will profit on sales of both printers and ink. Kodak said this strategy is meant to disrupt the market dominated by HP, Canon Inc. and Lexmark, where inexpensive printers are sold at a loss, and profits are earned over the long term in sales of replacement ink cartridges. In that model, consumers purchasing ink unknowingly also buy expensive brand-specific technology that is built into each cartridge, Kodak says. “You are throwing that (technology) away and buying a new one every time you buy one of their cartridges, which is pretty expensive stuff, said Cheryl Pohlman, a marketing director at Kodak. “With our system we have put that print head right into the printer... so all you have to buy is ink.”"
Intel And Sun Play Together
Posted on January 23, 2007 at 1:54:40 PM
The CEOs from both companies are new supporting each other. Previously, Sun had been AMD only. Intel is making strides into markets they lost due to the agile AMD.
Schwartz has been instrumental in transforming Sun into a more neutral company. In 2004, when he was promoted to chief operating officer and McNealy's No. 2 man, Sun buried the antitrust suit hatchet with Microsoft. He was willing to work with Linux, too. He even floated the idea of running Solaris on Intel Itanium and IBM Power processors--the latter idea now a reality by virtue of OpenSolaris' portability. And most relevant to Monday's news, he was an advocate of x86 servers, not just Sun selling its own, but also Sun offering Solaris as a free download that could be installed on machines from IBM, HP and Dell.
Tags Sun Hardware Company Intel
Apple Unveils It's Cellular Prodigy
Posted on January 9, 2007 at 8:12:38 PM
At the Macworld conference Apple finally gave truth to all of the rumors. The "iPhone" really does exist. The "iPhone", though Cisco legally owns the name, will debut with two models (4Gb and 8Gb). Though I'm sure the phone is very nice, it's a little expensive ($499-$599). Cingular will be the exclusive service provider (2-year contract required).
"Jobs called the phone a widescreen iPod, Internet communicator and mobile phone in one. The phone is thinner than a Motorola Q and features no physical buttons. Instead, it employs a revolutionary touch-screen interface that intelligently changes depending upon what a user selects. The Apple leader indicated that the company set out to develop a smart phone that would make today's current smart phones look dumb."
Of course, it will run OSX and much of the same software and widgets. It will also have GSM/EDGE Wi-Fi capabilities. Now, while you are reading this, I'll be purchasing some Cingular shares.
LG's Dual Format Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Player
It's almost a crime that Sony and Toshiba can't work out a standard format. Instead of working towards technological advances together, they take the over-capitalistic approach. Each wants its own tech to be the standard with no compromise. So, the war still wages. Meanwhile, LG takes advantage of the entire ridiculous situation by being the first to release a product that plays both.
"LG offers flexibility to consumers in the next-generation in optical disc drives. The GGW-H10N is compatible with both Blu-ray Discs and HD-DVD formats. The Super Multi Blue drive is compatible with Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD read/write and HD-DVD-ROM (read), offering consumers the most universal unit available. The GGW-H10N can record up to 50GB of data, equivalent to 4-1/2 hours of high- definition video or 22 hours or standard definition video (on a dual layer 50GB BD-R/BD-RE recordable media). Surpassing the market standard, LG is providing a 4x recording speed of Blu-ray Discs, which means that it takes only 23-24 minutes to burn a full single layer BD-R disc (25GB), compared with 46-47 minutes for conventional 2x recording."
I'm glad that LG is going to be the company laughing on the way to the bank, not the two greedy innovators.
SanDisk Rolls Out 32GB Flash HDD For Notebooks
The drive costs about $600 making it relatively cheap compared to previous incarnations. Flash can handle wear and tear better than traditional drive that use mechanical parts but they don't have the write cycle longevity of the traditional drives. New technologies help alleviate this problem.
The flash drive isn't for everyone. At 32GB, it is far smaller than the conventional drives found in current notebooks, desktops or even MP3 players. Many business users, however, never max out the capacity on their drives. The drive will also add about $600 to the cost of a notebook. Those prices will crimp sales, Handy said. "There are certain applications where it can be used, but I just don't see it for business where the most violent thing they (users) will encounter is a cab ride in New York," said Handy.
Tags Hardware HDD Flash
eSATA Coming Out In Force
Posted on December 19, 2006 at 4:12:01 PM
I understand the need to have a fast external connection port other than the old SCSI stand-by. I don't like how it can only connect one device at a time instead of daisy-chaining multiple devices. They say it isn't there to replace USB... Wait and see for high-speed devices.
The higher speeds of eSATA compared to USB could grow more obvious as consumers try to wrestle with ever-larger quantities of videos, photos, music and other data. "Backing up a terabyte across a USB port would be incredibly painful. That's going to drive demand for a high-speed port like eSATA, said Roger Bradford, who leads storage work for Intel's chipset and graphics marketing group. However, the challenges of eSATA are as considerable as its advantages. First off is the usual chicken-and-egg problem of technology that requires backing from multiple companies. It's not worthwhile for PC makers to add eSATA ports if there aren't eSATA drives, while eSATA drive sales are gated by mainstream availability of built-in eSATA ports.
Tags Hardware eSATA
Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC2-5300
Posted on December 4, 2006 at 9:50:26 PM
DDR2 is very mature. It has been out for a couple of years and the timings have really come down to make DDR2 a prime choice for overclockers. How does Crucial's Ballistix stand up? Find out here...Next Page »
Tags Hardware RAM Crucial
Notebook Batteries In Short Supply
This season may be light in Notebook sales due to a shortage in batteries. Get your laptop now. By the way, the difference between the original Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo is slim.
Some in the PC industry are shrugging off any notion of shortages, and others are remaining tight-lipped about the impact of the recall on their supply. Some even suggest that Compal might just be trying to use the situation to negotiate favorable pricing. But if there is an impact, analysts say the fourth quarter could shape up as a typical case of the haves versus the have-nots. "You don't want to have a situation where you can't sell a $1,400 notebook because you don't have a $25 battery," said Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates. "But if this plays out in the usual way, the big guys will get what they need, and the little guys will get screwed."
Tags Hardware Mobile
The FCC Sucks
Posted on September 21, 2006 at 1:41:55 PM
Everytime I read an article about the FCC, I am reminded on why it sucks. The latest reminder... the Cable Card. Yeah, what about that piece of technology that should be for all cable companies? I can get a HDTV with a built-in tuner and still require a tuner from the cable company.
In 1998, the FCC directed the cable industry to develop a physical device--now called a CableCard--containing the security functions that could be inserted into the equipment of independent manufacturers. That made sure their boxes could be used with cable systems around the country. The FCC thought this separate security device would allow multichannel video program distributors to retain control over the security function while enabling independent entities separately to market navigation devices. The cable industry has so far supplied about 200,000 CableCards for use in more than 140 models of digital cable-ready devices. But the vast majority of cable subscribers continue to use equipment leased from their cable companies.
Tags Hardware FCC TV
IBM Announces First Computer-Based Cell Processor
Poster: Logan King
Hot on the heels of the Intel Core Cuo 2, IBM has finally announced a non-console version of the "Cell" processor used in the PS3. I personally want to see how the Cell will do in normal computers.
It's being marketed as a device for "compute-intensive" operations, which confirms expectations that Cell would be introduced on the high end, and touted for its number-crunching ability. Each QS20 blade will feature a pair of Cells, each of which is what the STI coalition -- Sony, Toshiba, and IBM -- describes as a "multi-element" processor, rather than "multicore."
Tags News Hardware CPU Cell
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery Replacements
Some really interesting battery technology is coming down the pike soon. I'm talking about replacement laptop batteries. Imagine being able to use a laptop for an entire day (meaning 24 hours) on a 'charge'...
The borohydride solution releases its hydrogen as it flows over a catalyst made of ruthenium. The hydrogen passes through a membrane and combines with oxygen in the fuel cell, generating electricity and waste water. Theoretically, this could achieve an energy density up to about 2200 watt-hours per litre Gervasio says, compared to 200 watt-hours per litre for a lithium polymer battery.
Tags Hardware Power
Xbox For Stroke Rehabilitation
Posted on September 7, 2006 at 1:14:23 PM
In a twist of fate, the Xbox can be used for stroke rehabilitation by violating the DMCA. Things that should be legal (such as hacking something you purchased) can promote an increase in health and science as this news post shows. I am happy that this has occured and I hope that Microsoft sues under the DMCA. We need to get rid of these dumb copyright laws. Maybe some dumb lawsuits will get the skirts in Congress thinking for a change.
Rutgers' low-cost hand rehabilitation system is based on the commercially available Microsoft Xbox video game and Essential Reality P5 gaming glove that detects finger and wrist motions to manipulate on-screen images. The engineers made minor modifications to the equipment and created software that delivers two types of finger flexing exercises needed to help recover hand functions in stroke patients.
Tags Hardware Xbox
Apple Releases Core 2 Duo iMacs
Apple has released their new Core 2 Duo iMacs. You can get the details on Apple's website.
The fastest iMac ever, the 24-inch iMac provides professional performance along with the convenience of an all-in-one design. Like its 17-inch and 20-inch siblings, it features the new 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processor with speeds ranging from 1.83GHz to 2.33GHz. The new processor delivers up to 50% more performance than the previous 20-inch iMac. It also doubles the amount of L2 cache, the twin cores sharing 4MB between them. The result? Turbocharged performance, making it easier - and more fun - than ever to work with digital photos, movies, music, and the web.
Tags Hardware Apple
HDD + Flash = Bad Idea?
Posted on July 31, 2006 at 1:13:34 PM
There was a discussion on the forums about flash drive wear and tear. How about taking a hard drive and putting flash on it? And not stuff like D/SRAM, flash... yeah.
ReadyDrive has spawned a new category of flash-assisted hard drives. Both Samsung Semiconductor Inc. and Seagate Technology have announced hybrid drives that integrate a 1.5-in. magnetic hard disk with up to 256MB of onboard flash. Both are expected to be available early next year. A competing technology from Intel Corp., code-named Robson, places the cache on the motherboard, along with a controller chip. Robson will launch with Intel�s Santa Rosa notebook platforms in the first quarter of 2007.
Hardware Speed May Drive Holiday Sales
Posted on July 27, 2006 at 12:32:27 PM
There is a news article claiming that this year's holiday season may be driven by Core 2 Duo chips. The majority of retail sales are driven by margins and whatever the salesperson can push on the customer. Only a very small percent of the market will be swayed by the speed of the chips.
But some analysts, such as NPD Techworld's Stephen Baker, fret that without a compelling reason to upgrade a PC this holiday season, holiday shoppers will spend their money on goodies like digital televisions and gaming consoles. In that sense, "the Core 2 Duo probably couldn't have come at a better time," Titera said. On top of the buzz that comes with a new chip, the performance delivered by the Core 2 Duo could also generate interest in high-end desktops that also deliver better margins for PC companies, he said.
Tags Hardware CPU Intel Core
IBM and Georgia Tech Test 500 GHz Chip
Posted on June 20, 2006 at 1:17:50 PM
This is the largest overclock I have seen. This silicon germanium chip normally runs at 250 GHz at room temp. At 4.5 deg K, it runs at 500 GHz. Awesome stuff coming down the pike.
The experiments, conducted jointly by IBM and Georgia Tech, are part of a project to explore the ultimate speed limits of silicon germanium (SiGe) devices, which are said to operate faster at cold temperatures. Ultrahigh-frequency SiGe circuits have potential applications in commercial communications systems, military electronics, space and remote sensing. The research could make possible a new class of powerful, low-energy chips that will deliver future applications like HDTV and movie-quality video to cellphones, automobiles and other devices.
Tags Hardware CPU IBM
SiS 655TX Chipset
Poster: Madcat
Posted on October 17, 2003 at 12:37:46 AM
SiS has released it's new 655TX chipset for the P4 platform today. It's a DDR dual channel chipset that supports the latest P4 800Mhz HT cpu's as well as the addition of thier Advanced Hypersteaming Technology. Motherboard makers using the new chipset should be shipping this November.
SiS 655TX press release
Having seen a few preliminary benches from it's previous sibling the 655FX, this chipset should be able to outperform Intel's 875P chipset. It should also bring prices for P4 motherboards down to a more reasonable level.
Chip sales strong
Posted on August 18, 2003 at 7:14:24 PM
There has actually been an increase in semiconductor sales. Hopefully, this signals better growth ahead for the technology industry.
Market conditions have improved in the past few weeks. In device markets, inventories are back to normal levels, pricing has stabilized and in some cases, there are shortages of critical components, Gartner reported. The market for digital cellular handsets remains robust, and demand for consumer-electronics gear has not waned.
Athlon 64 Logo
AMD has just started a new logo plan for 64bit computing. I personally don't care about 'logo'ing things, just say something works. Damn Microsoft.
AMD, which refers to the 64-bit chips collectively its AMD64 platform, will offer three similar logos, including one for the AMD64 platform and one each for the chips. The logos will be used in AMD's advertising and packaging as well as ads and packaging from third parties that license the icons.
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First cyber security start-ups graduate from unique GCHQ Cyber Accelerator programme
Seven start-ups, focusing on online security issues and threats, today form the first cohort to graduate from the GCHQ Cyber Accelerator, powered by Wayra UK
The companies made huge progress during the three-month programme, including securing contracts with government agencies and projects with major corporates
GCHQ, DCMS and Wayra UK now intend to launch a call later in 2017 for more cyber start-ups to join a new programme
The first-ever GCHQ-backed accelerator programme for cyber security start-ups concludes today, with all parties involved hailing it as a huge success.
Seven cyber security start-ups joined the unique GCHQ Cyber Accelerator – a partnership between GCHQ, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and Wayra UK, the leading UK corporate accelerator that is part of the global Telefónica Open Future_ network – in January.
There, the companies received support to help them scale all aspects of their businesses, including high-quality mentoring and business services, office space, and access to GCHQ and Telefónica’s world-class personnel and technical expertise.
That support has helped the companies develop substantially, with successes including the securing of contracts with government agencies and projects with major corporations, as well as developing their products and embarking on funding rounds.
The entrepreneurs will today celebrate the end of the programme by pitching their start-ups to an audience of stakeholders and leading investors at a Demo Day in Cheltenham.
At the event, GCHQ, DCMS and Wayra UK will say that later in 2017, they intend to issue a new call for cyber start-ups to join the Accelerator for an extended version of the programme. Further details of the new call will be revealed in due course.
Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock MP said:
“Our recent Digital Strategy set out our ambition to create a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone and makes the UK the safest place to do business online.
“The Cyber Accelerator is helping to deliver this aim by supporting entrepreneurs and innovators as they turn great ideas into cyber security products and services, and I congratulate all those who have taken part in the first programme and contributed to its success.”
Gary Stewart, Director at Wayra UK and Telefónica Open Future_ (UK), said:
“This has been a textbook exercise in how to accelerate companies extremely quickly. We’ve been able to take our strengths and marry them to GCHQ’s world-leading cyber expertise, creating a perfect petri dish for these start-ups to scale. I’m immensely proud that we’ve been able to realise the promise of this collaboration, and enthused about moving the partnership forward in an even bigger and better way through a new call for cyber start-ups to join the programme.”
Company successes during the accelerator programme include:
· CyberOwl securing a proof of concept project with Cisco to provide early warning on data theft attacks. The company was also awarded Innovate UK funding of £75,000, and will collaborate with Qinetiq to solve the challenge of reducing the time and effort to detect data breaches in increasingly complex environments, such as the Internet of Things.
· Status Today substantially progressed commercial deals with some of the world’s largest defence and security companies. It is working with Cisco on a proof of concept project investigating advanced behavioural analytics. It is also working with Microsoft on platform support and pre-release access, and exploring opportunities with Microsoft’s National Safety Team for sales collaboration within the Public Sector. Founder Ankur Modi was also featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30.
· Elemendar securing a contract that enables them to continue to develop its machine intelligence platform, which reads cyber threat reports produced by humans and turns them into industry-standard structured information.
· Spherical Defence beginning a pilot programme with one of the largest payments providers in India. It is also undergoing its first seed funding round; the company is seeking $600,000, and the round will be led by a major Silicon Valley investor.
· CyberSmart went from a minimum viable product (MVP) and not only developed, but also launched its security compliance platform into beta. It also got its first customers and is now preparing for a public rollout.
· Verimuchme completed its MVP while part of the accelerator, and is now reaching out to enterprise clients to customise it to better meet their requirements
· CounterCraft received unbeatable technical mentoring and was able to leverage GCHQ’s and Wayra’s contacts to position its product strategically in the UK market.
The accelerator was launched to help keep the UK secure online, enable companies to produce the next generation of cyber security systems, and boost the country’s £22 billion cyber security sector, which currently contributes around £2 billion a year in exports to the UK economy.
The new accelerator is the first step in delivering the Cheltenham Innovation Centre, the first of two world-leading innovation centres to be created as part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme. A second innovation centre will open in London later this year.
The government’s new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, is making the UK the safest place to live and do business online. It is a single, central body for cyber security at a national level, managing national cyber security incidents, carrying out real-time threat analysis and providing tailored sector advice.
Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director of Cyber Skills and Growth said:
“The Cyber Accelerator initiative is helping to identify and develop innovative solutions to meet the cyber security challenges the UK faces today. I hope to see some of the companies we have worked with become household names in the future, providing things that will help keep us safe in an ever more connected world.”
PIVX price surges past $1, gains 74% value in just one day
Volvo boosts sales operations team as volumes grow
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On the eve of their wedding, Alison gets cold feet and decides to break up with her fiancé Phil. But rather than face the embarrassment of calling off the ceremony, Alison suggests to Phil that they proceed with a sham wedding. Phil is more than game to try, secretly hoping that a surprise gift he has for Alison will ultimately change her mind. Yet once the guests begin to arrive, more complications ensue than either of them could have ever imagined - even if they did know their wedding was bullshit.
PHILIP QUINAZ – Writer / “Phil Havemeyer”
Philip Quinaz co-wrote and stars in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. He is a professional wedding DJ with 472 followers on twitter. When that’s not happening, he stars as Phil Green the “Stunt Machine” in a web series he created with his brother, Victor, called STUNTED. When that’s not taking place, he's probably in costume improvising with the PERIODS crew in a web sketch that will only appeal to a small number of people with a certain sense of humor & never get him laid. And when all of that's not going on, he's usually somewhere trying to figure out where he went wrong. QUINAZ is a heavy sweater with a sharp wit & sensitive skin (make-up allergies). He is an anti-socialite with over 1,000 friends on Facebook. His low-angle comic prowess is unparalleled among the wedding DJ community. He's up to 66 pages on a Google search & it seems likely that he could hit 100 by early next year. With comparisons to greats like Bill Murray, John Candy, "the double-rainbow" guy, & his father, Quinaz might be a contender for something. And he's a good guy over-all. Help him out! Yeah! Woo!
ALISON FYHRIE – “Alison Jones”
Alison Fyhrie stars in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she received a BFA in Acting. Since moving to New York, she has trained in improvisational comedy at The PIT and UCB. At The PIT, Alison performed with the improv group Knifestorm, the house team Tomahawk, and the scripted show To Be Continued. Alison has appeared in ad campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Spike TV, the Canadian television network Dusk, as well as the webseries Roger, the Chicken. She currently enjoys performing with the comedy group PERIODS. Films, whose work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, and websites such as Entertainment Weekly PopWatch, New York Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Alison is thrilled to be making her feature film debut playing Alison Jones.
MARY GRILL – “Mary”
Mary Grill plays the maid of honor “Mary Kowalchik” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. Currently she plays Maggie on Fox's "The Mindy Project." Mary collaborates with PERIODSFilms.com and mattandmaryforever.com, making online comedy shorts. She's been a regular performer at The Upright Citizens Brigade on Maude Night, and alongside her husband Matt Hobby in their show "Tying The Knot!" She also writes & performs sketch comedy with “New Exc!tement” ("Just For Laughs," Montreal, ECNY nomination "Best Sketch Team,"). Originally from Chicago, Mary was an improviser with “The Second City House Ensemble” and was a sketch comedy writer & performer with “Self Centered Girl” at The Second City. She holds a BFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and has trained with The Second City Conservatory, The Peoples Improv Theatre, the SITI Company, and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Mary has been featured on NBC's "Whitney," ABC's "Don't Trust The B in Apt 23," HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," "The Onion News Network" and on Comedy Central's "Ugly Americans," “Indecision 2012” and “The 13 Days of Christmas.”
BRIAN SHOAF – “Brian Jones”
Brian Shoaf plays the role of “Brian Jones” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. He is an actor, playwright and filmmaker. Brian's credits as an actor include Broadway and Off-Broadway, and his plays have been produced in New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles at venues ranging from the HERE Arts Center to the Geffen Playhouse. Over the past two years, Brian has worked extensively with PERIODS Films, appearing in such shorts as Nam, Fops and East of Eden, and co-writing the group's latest feature screenplay, Forefathers. Brian directed Hamsters, a 22-minute pilot presentation (written by Damian Lanigan, starring Anna Martemucci and Mary Grill) that won the IFC Out of the Box Award at the 2012 New York Television Festival. He is currently at work producing his feature film-directing debut, Aardvark.
DAMIAN LANIGAN – “Damian”
Damian Lanigan plays the role of Phil’s boss “Damian Hayes” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. He was brought up in Manchester & attended Oxford University. He has published two novels, STRETCH, 29 and THE CHANCERS. He co-wrote two series of the Radio 4 series STOCKPORT, SO GOOD THEY NAMED IT ONCE with Jim Poyser. He wrote another Radio 4 series FATHERS. His first play, DISSONANCE, was performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, at the Bay Street Theatre, New York, & at the Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles. He has written two further plays, “SAN ANDREAS” & “THE TALENTS”. His first TV series, MASSIVE, aired on BBCThree. Damian wrote and played the lead in HAMSTERS, which won the Independent Pilot Competition at the New York Television Festival. As a consequence he has a deal with the IFC Channel. His show WASPS has just been announced on IFC's development slate. Damian has written & directed another pilot, SHARERS, which he also stars in. As an actor, Damian features in the upcoming independent movie WILDLIFE. He has also just appeared as a male lead in a pilot for Adult Swim, written by Joe Randazzo, the ex-editor of The Onion.
CHRIS MANLEY – “Bena”
Chris Manley plays the role of best man “Bena” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. He is a writer, performer, and clown living in New York. He is a founding member of the sketch comedy group New Excitement, which has performed around the country and internationally at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. He co-wrote, created, and performed in the clown play "Kill Me Loudly." Chris currently performs around NYC in the comedy duo, Neon Lights. He can be seen on Food Network's Restaurant Stakeout and the monthly late night live talk show "Night of the Living" as Noodles. Chris also played the role of the jilted groom in PERIODS.films' NAM.
The Filmmakers
VICTOR QUINAZ – Director / Writer / Producer / “Vic James”
Victor Quinaz directed, co-wrote, produced, & plays the role of "Vic James" in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. The film was based around the talents & comedy of his successful online film series, PERIODS. Films. Victor and his wife, Anna, created PERIODS. Films, a series of improvised historical comedy shorts with spectacular costumes & locations. The series has garnered hundreds of thousands of hits online & has been featured by many news outlets including the Huffington Post and New York Magazine. The series is in partnership with YouTube. Victor recently directed a pilot for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim & Thing X entitled DOG CEO. As a director/producer Victor has been part of many commercials, documentaries, & music videos with clients which include Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, IFC/Sundance Channel, H&M, YSL, & Rockstar Games. Victor has also designed & sold numerous online marketing campaigns to clients including the Independent Spirit Awards and BBE. He published his first graphic novel, MR. MURDER IS DEAD, with Archaia & Before The Door. The book was listed on several Top Ten Lists & was well reviewed. A film adaptation is in the early stages. Victor’s first short film, CHINESE DREAM played in over 50 international film festivals, was short-listed for the Academy Awards, & won Best Short five times, including The San Francisco International Film Festival Golden Gate Award. The film was honored at Los Angeles’ Indie Producers Gala as one of the top three short films of the year. It was accepted into the archives of Hong Kong University & is taught as part of their curriculum. CHINESE DREAM can be seen on PBS at all hours of the morning. In 2005, he was awarded a spot at The Screenwriters Colony in Nantucket for his script THE SWEET WATER. Victor is currently set to direct the next film he wrote, IMPERIAL PALACE, with Christine Vachon’s Killer Films, & Zachary Quinto’s Before The Door. He & Anna are also prepping their followup comedy to BREAKUP AT A WEDDING, called FOREFATHERS, also with BTD & producer Michael Bederman.
ANNA MARTEMUCCI – Writer / Producer / “Lenka Jones”
Anna Martemucci co-wrote, produced, and plays the role of “Lenka Jones” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. She created the short film series Periods. Films (periodsfilms.com) with her partner Victor Quinaz. Her short film collaborations with Victor and the Periods. Films team have been featured on The Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine's Vulture.com, Refinery 29, the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire, and Film Independent, among others, & the series was given a retrospective at Grauman's Chinese Theater. As a screenwriter & director, Anna is currently developing a feature film project as well as a television show with Natalie Portman's company, Handsomecharlie Films. Her screenplay LET’S GO ROME! is in development at Before The Door. Anna also directs the popular web series, MATT & MARY (mattandmaryforever.com) and co-wrote FOREFATHERS, which will be her and Quinaz’s next feature film. As an actor, Anna recently played the lead role in a forthcoming pilot for Adult Swim & Thing X entitled DOG CEO. She also starred in HAMSTERS, an official selection of the NYTV Festival & winner of the IFC Out of the Box Award. Anna can be seen in the popular webs series EAST WILLY B & in the film EXPLICIT ILLS alongside Paul Dano and Rosario Dawson. Anna trained with the People's Improv Theater in New York, Gary Austin (founder of The Groundlings), & she holds a BFA from NYU in screenwriting. She is represented by Anonymous Content.
GIOVANNI P. AUTRAN – Cinematographer / Editor
Giovanni P. Autran was the director of photography, co-edited, and plays the role of “Florist” in BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. He is a cinematographer, editor & EMMY® Award-winning documentary filmmaker, and he operates under his own Brooklyn based company, Nomadic Films. As DP of the popular Bushwick comedy web series, EAST WILLY B, Giovanni lensed and color-graded all six episodes of the second season. Giovanni is currently directing documentary post-production for Nuba Reports, a video journalism organization providing coverage of the conflict in Sudan's Nuba Mountains. With journalism banned in the region, Nuba Reports offers the only continuing coverage of the conflict. Giovanni founded a live music video showcase called, GEMS. At gemsnyc.com, the music blog scene watches verité performance films of the best live performances by burgeoning artists in New York City's most intimate venues. Voyage of the Vezo is Giovanni's short environmental documentary filmed on the remote southwest coast of Madagascar. It was broadcast on the KRCB series, Natural Heroes & won an EMMY®.
CHARLIE PORTER – Editor
Charlie has been working in Post-Production for close to 8 years and has made a name for himself in the editorial boutique world of commercial post-production as well as working for some of the industries top editorial houses and award winning agencies in NYC. His most recent clients include illy Coffee, Garofalo Pasta, and the behind-the-scenes for Before The Door Pictures' upcoming ALL IS LOST. Recently he worked on his first TV show for Adult Swim and Thing X, DOG CEO. Charlie has been PERIODS. Films head editor since his first short FOREFATHERS went viral. Charlie works out of his studio, GOOD LOOK, in Brooklyn which he founded with coeditor, Giovanni P Autran.
BEFORE THE DOOR PICTURES (producers Neal Dodson, Corey Moosa, & Zachary Quinto)
The three partners of Before the Door Pictures produced BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. Founded by STAR TREK star/actor Zachary Quinto, Corey Moosa, & Neal Dodson, Before The Door Pictures won the 2012 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for producing J.C. Chandor’s MARGIN CALL, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and was also the company’s first film. It stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, & Stanley Tucci. It played Sundance, the Berlinale, opened New Directors/New Films at MoMA, & was released domestically by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate. It went on to gross over $20 million globally & broke new ground for day-and-date distribution models. BTD is currently in post-production on Chandor’s follow-up feature film, a sailing adventure film called ALL IS LOST, which stars screen legend Robert Redford in a solo performance, which Lionsgate/Roadside, FilmNation, & Universal International will release this fall. They are also in post-production on Blair Erickson’s horror feature THE BANSHEE CHAPTER which XLrator Media is releasing in the fall. They have a dozen feature films in the works, including IMPERIAL PALACE with producer Christine Vachon, & Quinaz’s followup comedy, FOREFATHERS. The partners in Before The Door were honored by trade magazine The Wrap as one of “10 Producers Who Will Change Hollywood” & were included in Details Magazine’s “Mavericks” issue. Through their publishing deal with Archaia, they’ve published two acclaimed graphic novels: “Mr. Murder Is Dead” by Quinaz and “Lucid” by Michael McMillian, which they optioned to Warner Brothers with Akiva Goldsman also producing. Neal Dodson sold a pilot to TNT with showrunner Shaun Cassidy & actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley & a pilot to The CW with Matt Bomer, showrunner Mark Schwahn, & country artist Brad Paisley. Additionally, Quinto sold an unscripted pilot to SyFy with RelativityREAL. BTD has produced or executive produced over a dozen short films, many with the Brooklyn-based comedy collective called Periods. Films, & just released Sian Heder’s short film “Dog Eat Dog” starring Quinto, which was funded through Kickstarter. The three partners each earned a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama.
Anonymous Content financed and produced BREAKUP AT A WEDDING. Founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production and management company representing directors, writers, actors, and comedians. Anonymous Content has produced such award-winning and commercially successful films and television series as the Academy Award(r)-nominated films BABEL, which also won a Golden Globe(r) Award; WINTER'S BONE, which was nominated in four categories for the Academy Awards(r), including Best Picture; BEING JOHN MALKOVICH; ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, which won an Academy Award(r) for Best Original Screenplay; as well as the box-office smash 50 FIRST DATES. The company produced the recently released FUN SIZE, directed by Josh Schwartz and starring Victoria Justice, Jane Levy, Thomas Mann and Chelsea Handler, for Paramount. Upcoming film and television productions include the U.K.-set thriller U WANT ME 2 KILL HIM?, directed by Andrew Douglas; Erik Van Looy's edgy thriller LOFT, starring Karl Urban and James Marsden; the international espionage thriller BASTILLE DAY, directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Andrew Baldwin; the Cary Fukunaga-directed HBO series "True Detective," written by Nic Pizzolatto and starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson; the Showtime drama "The Angry Buddhist," created by Seth Greenland; Bill Condon's untitled film about Wikileaks for DreamWorks; director Paul Greengrass' feature soccer documentary, BARCA, inspired by the legendary Spanish football club; and the Secret Service drama CURRENCY, which was recently acquired by Participant Media and is written by Mark DiStefano with Ric Roman Waugh attached to direct. The company recently sold SON OF A BITCH, a comedy written by Twitter superstar and essayist Kelly Oxford to Warner Bros.
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24 Talybont Reservoir Bird Hide
Easy Access Attractions
1. Carreg Cennen Castle
2. Black Mountain Red Kite Feeding Station
3. Llandovery Tourist Information and Heritage Centre
6. Craig-y-nos Country Park
10. Garwnant Visitor Centre
12. National Park Visitor Centre
14. South Wales Borderers Museum
15. Brecknock Museum
17. Brecon Cathedral & Heritage Centre
20. Cyfarthfa Castle, Museum & Gallery
21. Brecon Mountain Railway
24. Talybont Reservoir Bird Hide
31. Tretower Court & Castle
33. Crickhowell Resource and Information Centre
37. Big Pit, National Coal Museum
40. Blaenavon World Heritage Site
41. Pontypool Museum
42. Goytre Wharf & Canal Visitor Centre
44. Abergavenny Castle & Museum
46. Abergavenny Tourist Information and National Park Centre
48. Llanthony Priory
At the far end of Talybont Reservoir is a bird hide that overlooks a protected wetland area that floods in the winter.
The hide is close to the road, has a wide, flat path leading up to the door and has benches and space for one wheelchair.
How to get there: The reservoir is just south of the village of Talybont-on-Usk, which is 8km south east of Brecon. The hide is at the Torpantau (southern) end of the reservoir.
Nearest town or village: Talybont-on-Usk.
OS Grid Reference: Explorer Map OL 12 or Landranger Map 160/161 - SO 090 179.
Distance: 10 metres.
Contact: Welsh Water on 01495 769281.
Facilities: There is a shop and Post Office with National Park information and several pubs in Talybont-on-Usk.
Parking: There is a small parking spot at the start of the path.
Toilets: Basic public toilets are located next to the White Hart Inn in Talybont-on-Usk. The nearest disabled access toilets are at Llansantffraed lay-by on the A40.
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City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > San Antonio
Is SA affected by hurricanes? (Houston, San Antonio: homes, construction, elementary school)
Last year Dolly, which hit the Valley area, gave us a tornado just a few miles from my home. It hit near Steves Ave/Presa St/Mitchell St on the south side. Pretty scary.
Hurricanes usually affect the city in other ways though, as "All Roads Lead to San Antonio," which means everyone who evacuates comes here....
Ike could have done significant damage if it didn't shift north before it made landfall.
But yes, bigger problem is flooding.
2DMaxx
Location: AGRESTIC
First I hope no one is negatively effected by a hurricane, now that I have said that bring them on, we need the rain this year.
2DMaxx, better to hope for El Nino - just rain, less wind damage, and more guarantee of rain. Except for Dolly, we seem to get the hot/windy/dry side of the hurricanes more often than not.
Originally Posted by Chaka
Your thinking is correct, but I did move here in September 98... I remember setting on my friends front porch in Timberwood Park (OCT98) and thinking, damn it rains hard down here.
ryneone
Location: San Antonio North
Tropical Storm Erin gave us a good soaking. Claudette even killed a few people in our neck of the woods six years ago.
AnthonySA
Sorry for showing up late to the party., disagreeing with most of the posts on this forum, and for potentially scaring you. None of the above are my intentions. However, that said, San Antonio CAN be affected directly by a hurricane. The thing is, it's very rare and the last time we have seen anything remotely of hurricane force winds was in the 1940s.
We are quite inland, but not inland enough to allow for a hurricane to completely dissipate before making it into town. Hypothetical (but serious) models show that if a category 4 or 5 storm were to strike Corpus Christi and maintain a northwesterly motion towards San Antonio, we would see sustained winds of hurricane force AND possibly in excess of 100 MPH. Now those are strong winds and will do a lot of damage, but I would hardly consider it catastrophic. It'll take a lot more than that to change the face of SA forever as we know it.
Do not let that alarm you, it is within the realm of possibilities, but it has never happened yet. Many places near the coast have suffered that fate and have rebuilt quickly. Just make sure you have a plan for when mother nature decides to strike (which basically means have food, batteries, medicine, first aid kits, etc.). As others have previously stated, the most frequent natural disaster here (other than drought -- for our agricultural friends this is catastrophic) is flash flooding. Make sure you don't live in flood plain. If you do, well you need to work on your backup plans for the next flooding event.
Snowglobe
The hurricane that spawned tornados in northwest San Antonio was Gilbert in September 1988. The HEB on Huebner and Babcock was damaged and some apartments in the Medical Center area had significant damage.
firstborn888
Originally Posted by Snowglobe
I was outside my home in Babcock north subdivision seconds before debris began hitting my house. My wife looked out the window and saw a tree up in the sky and that's when we realized what was happening. It did a lot of damage in both Babcock north and Oxbow subdivisions.
I heard mayor Henry Cisneros downplaying the strength of the twisters on the radio but my neighbors garage was GONE, sucked right off his house. A small boat was deposited in my backyard as well as a big heavy wooden porch swing. Our porch swing was gone as well as our porch pillars. Large, very large trees were uprooted and one stood upside down on it's branches in the middle of the next street with it's roots 30 or so feet in the air. Weirdest thing I've ever seen. Small flying debris damaged our house and car. Another neighbor had a gaping hole in his roof and yet another neighbor's house burned completely down as debris snapped his gas meter off and a downed power line fell on his metal shed sparking and igniting the open gas line under the eve of the house. We stood there helplessly and watched it burn.
True, these were small twisters but people could have easily been killed if in the wrong place at the wrong time. A small piece of roof decking and shingle punched a hole through my 3 year old daughters bedroom wall just inches from her bed (we were all taking shelter in the bathroom at the time). I gained a lot of respect and fear for even small twisters. Unbelievable experience.
Status: "Amused by Blue" (set 11 days ago)
Try finding a loaf of bread or a D battery if there is a sliiiiiiiight chance of heavy rain from a hurricane.
gy2020
Location: Universal City, Texas
Please don't forget Hurricane Ike. We were lucky that the hurricane was east of us. Ike went north and caused great destruction in several states including Indiana. It was a rare storm but it packed a wollop!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike
On September 14, after Ike became extratropical and was enhanced by an upper level shortwave trough, a major wind event took place across the lower and middle Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes, and significant rainfall and flooding took place to the west. Several areas in Illinois and Indiana, already flooded by the frontal boundary to the north, saw significant additional rainfall.[120] Due to flooding in Chicago, Todd Stroger declared a state of emergency for Cook County due to flooding of the Des Plaines River. Hurricane-force wind gusts were reported to the east of the center across parts of Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania with significant wind damage including structural damage to buildings and trees. The Louisville area declared a state of emergency due to major damage, and the Louisville International Airport was closed temporarily. A LG&E spokesperson said that this was the worst power outage in 30 years.[121] Later in the day, a statewide state of emergency was declared in Kentucky by Governor Steve Beshear.[122] Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport was also temporarily shut down, and the control tower was evacuated. In Shannon County Missouri, an outdoor music festival was taking place; though a large tree fell causing a power outage and Sinking Creek was high there were no injuries reported. In Cincinnati, numerous reports of roof damage were called in to law enforcement, and on September 15, most of the schools in Hamilton County, Butler County, and Clermont County had classes cancelled because of power outages, some of which lasted seven days. Wind gusts of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) were recorded at Columbus, which is equivalent to sustained wind levels found in a Category 1 hurricane.[123] Additionally, a state of emergency was declared in Ohio on Monday.[124] Also in Salem, Indiana, wind gusts up to 81 miles per hour (130 km/h) were recorded. In Floyds Knobs, Indiana near Louisville, Kentucky, winds were reported in excess of 70 mph. In Indiana, high winds caused more than 200,000 customers to be without power throughout the state. Wind gusts of 63 miles per hour (101 km/h) were recorded at Indianapolis International Airport. Coming to Indianapolis, on September 14, Ike also caused damages to the first-ever motorcycle Grand Prix held in Indianapolis, stopping both 125cc and MotoGP races after the two thirds of the distance, and causing the cancellation of the 250cc race.
Last edited by gy2020; 11-09-2011 at 06:49 AM..
Have you been personally affected?, San Antonio, 47 replies
How often is SA affected by Tornadoes and bad storms?, San Antonio, 22 replies
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ITM About
ITM Home
ITM Pedagogy
ITM G2 Narratives
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ITM Advisory Board
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The Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM) is a dynamic training program focused on the development of credible messengers working in the social services fields throughout New York City.
Back to itm home
The Institute for Transformative Mentoring (ITM) is a dynamic training program focused on the development of credible messengers (formerly incarcerated men and women) working in the social services fields throughout New York City. These mentors help young people navigate community violence and avoid the criminal justice system. Credible messengers are gaining systems-level recognition in New York City as an effective strategy to reduce crime and criminal justice involvement.
Need/Impact
New York City is increasingly employing credible messengers to engage young adults involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. These programs serve thousands of young people through youth justice, violence interruption, and after-school programs. For the programs to be impactful and norm-changing, they must provide alternatives and opportunities for both participants and credible messenger staff for lawful, gainful employment and support to build productive and healthy lives for themselves and their families.
Credible messengers are hired to stand in harm’s way in the streets and act as agents of change in young people’s lives. They also become staff at human services agencies and must adapt to an entirely different set of norms. The Institute was developed in partnership with social service employers and responds to the need for professional development and support for this vital workforce.
Credible messengers help make communities safer and reduce incarceration. Mayor de Blasio has recognized their impact on reducing gun violence and a new evaluation from the Urban Institute and the Department of Probation shows a 57% decrease in convictions among young people working with credible messenger mentors.
Because of ITM, mentors improve their job performance, increase employment retention and advancement, and enhance their personal development. Beneficiaries of the program include credible messengers, the youth they serve, the organizations that employ them, and the community.
The Institute for Transformative Mentoring is based at The New School and offers an intensive, semester-long training course. The Institute is intended to help credible messengers heal and enhance their practical skills so they are healthier, more knowledgeable and better able to help others. ITM is structured using restorative justice practices and interactive learning to support participants in engaging deeply with the material and each other.
The college-level course covers trauma-informed care, youth development, history of mass incarceration and a social justice framework, and career advancement. Students engage in activities, role play exercises, and develop lesson plans and strategies that they use in their daily work with young people. A director at Children’s Village remarked that by the third week in the program his staff members were already demonstrating increased insight in working with youth, greater initiative in planning activities, and more intentional engagement with other agency leaders.
ITM also offers a condensed version of the course during the summer for young adults who are mentees in the programs we serve and interested in becoming peer mentors. In 2018, we are expanding the young adult program into a year-long engagement.
Students from the professional and young adult programs also participate in workshops, film screenings and policy events that are designed to help build a professional network and a base for ongoing criminal justice reform efforts.
Target population
Credible Messenger mentors serve young people citywide (with a focus on high-poverty, justice involved areas such as the South Bronx, Harlem, Central Brooklyn, and Jamaica). Participating students are employed by 25 organizations including: Artistic Noise, Bronx Defenders, Brownsville Think Tank Matters, Center for Court Innovation, Center for Employment Opportunities, Child Welfare Organizing Project, Children’s Village, Community Connections for Youth, Exodus, Family Life Center – Tru 2 Life, Friends of Island Academy, GMACC, Good Shepherd Services, Incarcerated Nation Corp., KAVI, LifeCamp, Man Up!, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, NYC Civic Corps, Osborne Association, Phipps, Release the Grip, Sheltering Arms, Strive, and Young New Yorkers. Students range in age from 18 to over 60. Students identify as Black or Latino and one-third of participants are female. Students draw on life experiences from poverty, trauma, incarceration, gangs, surviving gun violence and interpersonal violence, and the child welfare system.
Early Outcomes
ITM has served a total of 80 students in four cohorts since January 2017. This includes 57 in the semester long college course and 23 participants in youth program.
38 Students (100%) completed the ITM semester-long course and earned 3 college credits; 19 are currently enrolled. All students who completed the course earned a grade of B+ or better (75% received an A) and attendance averaged over 90%.
15 of 38 students have been promoted (39%) to date and all but one remain employed in the field. These new roles include: Supervisor of Hospital Responders, Advocate Intervention Specialist, Outreach Supervisor, Site Manager, Program Manager, Program Coordinator, Supervisor of Parent Coaches, and Lead Mentor. These positions include a wage gain and sometimes also reflect a change from part-time status to full-time with benefits.
All 23 students in the young adult summer intensive completed the program, 21 are participating in the ITM internship program (with wages supported by MOCJ) and three of these students are enrolled in college.
Participants and their employers credit ITM with immediately increasing their capacity to serve youth. Pre- and post-assessments showed that students gained knowledge that will assist them in their personal and professional lives. Supervisors agreed that they saw new concepts, greater understanding of youth development, and increased initiative from their participating staff. Supervisors also reported that participants were more self-aware and better able to use their personal experiences to support others.
Young adults credit the experience with helping them to develop a support network, heal, recognize their strengths, and develop a greater sense of their capacity to give back to their communities. Several students reported improved interpersonal relationships and a young woman remarked that the program made her “a better mom”.
The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs developed the program in collaboration with credible messengers and social service employers, including Good Shepherd Services, Osborne Association, and Children’s Village. The Pinkerton Foundation helped to develop the program and is a funder of ITM along with the JM Kaplan Fund, Other Press, The New School, the Mayor’s Office for Criminal Justice, employers, and individual donors.
The Center for New York City Affairs is an applied public policy organization at The New School that is focused on practical solutions to the city’s most pressing social and economic challenges. The Center has a long-standing commitment to juvenile and criminal justice reform. The New School offers college credit for the course and participants benefit from campus resources and events, such as library and computer access, lectures by leading thinkers, concerts and film screenings, and other student activities.
ITM Staff
rahmans@newschool.edu | x 1291
Sajjadur Rahman | Program Director, Institute for Transformative Mentoring
Saj Rahman directs the Institute for Transformative Mentoring, a training program for Credible Messengers who use their experience to work with young adults to reduce incarceration and violence. Saj has more than a decade of experience in youth development, community based research, curriculum development, advocacy and non-profit management. Saj has designed and implemented programs in New York City that foster personal transformation and build leadership skills among formerly incarcerated credible messengers. Saj previously served as the founding director of Arches Alumni Academy for Advancement at Community Connections for Youth. Saj graduated with a bachelor and master’s degrees in Psychology from Wesleyan University. He received the 2006 Holzberg Fellowship in Clinical and Community Psychology.
wilsonb@newschool.edu | x 1292
Ben (Cincere) Wilson | Program Assistant, Institute for Transformative Mentoring
Ben Wilson is a Program Assistant for the Institute for Transformative Mentoring, where he leads trainings, offers college and career counseling, and coordinates program operations. He also serves as a high school equivalency instructor at Exodus Transitional Community Inc. and has personal experience with the criminal justice system. For over 15 years, he has facilitated GED, mentoring, poetry, and theater programs in correctional facilities. He designed a creative writing course with the primary focus on college prep. As a mentor, Ben has helped young men navigate the pitfalls of the street life that leads to prison by helping them focus on formal and informal educational pursuits. While helping these young men, he won an “Honorable Mention” award for his submission to the prestigious PEN Prison Writing contest (2015). Ben obtained a bachelor’s degree from Bard College.
Davira Jimenez | ITM Operations Manager
Davira (Dai) Jimenez is the Operations Manager for the Institute for Transformative mentoring. She is joining ITM after serving communities by way of the public health industry and in charter school education. And, is now excited to delve into trauma-informed care while supporting ITM and its ongoing endeavors to provide healing to our communities.
As a native New Yorker, Dai proudly took advantage of the City University of New York system and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a double minor in Sociology and Black Studies from Lehman College. She has earned an advanced certification in Public Administration & Policy and trained in Restorative Justice practices, all in hopes of promoting healing and uplifting of communities.
Keyonn Sheppard | Youth Program Facilitator, Institute for Transformative Mentoring
Keyonn Sheppard is the Youth Program Facilitator for the Institute for Transformative Mentoring, where he leads ITM’s Youth Program. Keyonn most recently was the lead mentor at the Harlem Justice Community Program (HJCP) and with the ARCHES/Next Steps programs in the South Bronx, both of which focus on anti-recidivism. Keyonn’s career spans 30 years, beginning as a founding member of the Citykids Repertory Company. He is the former Leadership Training Coordinator for the IMPACT Repertory Theatre Company in Harlem. Keyonn also serves as the Assistant Pastor of the New Beginnings Tabernacle of Deliverance in Brownsville, Brooklyn. When Keyonn isn’t mentoring youth in his programs or at his church, he is a proud husband and father of three beautiful children.
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Home Latest News Buhari’s Govt at two: Much of 2016 was spent clearing mess we...
Buhari’s Govt at two: Much of 2016 was spent clearing mess we inherited – Osinbajo
*reels out achievements
*says we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenges
*plans to dedicate some specific courts to the trial of corruption case By Levinus Nwabughiogu ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads ABUJA-Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the president Muhammadu Buhari led administration inaugurated on May 29, 2015 spent much of its first year in office in 2016, clearing the inherited “mess” from the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan. AG PRESIDENT OSINBAJO DEMOCRACY DAY CHURCH SERVICE 1. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo during the 2017 Democracy day Church service at the Economical Center in Abuja. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads Osinbajo also said that though the present regime has recorded a milestone in its efforts to reposition Nigeria, it is should be noted that overnight solutions to the numerous challenges of the country were not possible. The acting president’s assertions were contained in his message to mark the second anniversary of the administration on Monday. Enumerating most of the gains achieved so far, Osinbajo said that the government has delivered on its promise of restoring the hitherto lost country’s security especially in the north east where the dreaded Boko haram insurgents held sway before the advent of their regime. He also stated that the government was on course in the fight against corruption, revealing the possibility of creating special courts for corruption cases. The acting president also stated that the government had rolled out different programmes and policies to revitalize the economy and create more jobs for the teeming unemployed graduates. According to him, these included the Social Investment Programmes, the ease of doing business, the executive orders he signed recently amongst others. Osinbajo who also prayed for the quick recovery of president Buhari assured Nigerians of a better future, saying that the administration would not exclude any part of the country in this developmental strides. The speech runs in full: “Dear Nigerians, I bring you good wishes from President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who as we all know is away from the country on medical vacation. “Today marks the second anniversary of our assumption of office. We must thank the Almighty God not only for preserving our lives to celebrate this second anniversary, but for giving us hope, strength and confidence as we faced the challenges of the past two years. “Our administration outlined three specific areas for our immediate intervention on assumption of office: these were Security, Corruption and the Economy. “In the Northeast of our country, the terrorist group Boko Haram openly challenged the sovereignty and continued existence of the state, killing, maiming, and abducting, causing the displacement of the largest number of our citizens in recent history. Beyond the North East they extended their mindless killings, as far away as Abuja, Kano And Kaduna. “But with new leadership and renewed confidence our gallant military immediately began to put Boko Haram on the back foot. We have restored broken-down relations with our neighbours, Chad, Cameroon and Niger – allies without whom the war against terror would have been extremely difficult to win. We have re-organized and equipped our Armed Forces, and inspired them to heroic feats; we have also revitalized the regional Multinational Joint Task Force, by providing the required funding and leadership. “The positive results are clear for all to see. In the last two years, close to one million displaced persons have returned home. 106 of our daughters from Chibok have regained their freedom after more than two years in captivity, in addition to the thousands of other captives who have since tasted freedom. “Schools, hospitals and businesses are springing back to life across the Northeast, especially in Borno State, the epicentre of the crisis. Farmers are returning to the farms from which they fled in the wake of Boko Haram. Finally, our people are getting a chance to begin the urgent task of rebuilding their lives. “Across the country, in the Niger Delta, and in parts of the North Central region, we are engaging with local communities, to understand their grievances, and to create solutions that respond to these grievances adequately and enduringly. “President Buhari’s New Vision for the Niger Delta is a comprehensive peace, security and development plan that will ensure that the people benefit fully from the wealth of the region, and we have seen to it that it is the product of deep and extensive consultations, and that it has now moved from idea to execution. Included in that New Vision is the long-overdue environmental clean-up of the Niger Delta beginning with Ogoni-land, which we launched last year. “More recent threats to security such as the herdsmen clashes with farmers in many parts of the country sometimes leading to fatalities and loss of livelihoods and property have also preoccupied our security structures. We are working with State governments, and tasking our security agencies with designing effective strategies and interventions that will bring this menace to an end. We are determined to ensure that anyone who uses violence, or carries arms without legal authority is apprehended and sanctioned. “In the fight against corruption, we have focused on bringing persons accused of corruption to justice. We believe that the looting of public resources that took place in the past few years has to be accounted for. Funds appropriated to build roads, railway lines, and power plants, and to equip the military, that had been stolen or diverted into private pockets, must be retrieved and the culprits brought to justice. Many have said that the process is slow, and that is true, corruption has fought back with tremendous resources and our system of administration of justice has been quite slow. But the good news for justice is that our law does not recognize a time bar for the prosecution of corruption and other crimes, and we will not relent in our efforts to apprehend and bring corruption suspects to justice. We are also re-equipping our prosecution teams, and part of the expected judicial reforms is to dedicate some specific courts to the trial of corruption cases. “We are also institutionalizing safeguards and deterrents. We have expanded the coverage of the Treasury Single Account (TSA). We have introduced more efficient accounting and budgeting systems across the Federal Government. We have also launched an extremely successful Whistleblower Policy. “The Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance has succeeded in plugging leakages amounting to billions of naira, over the last two years. We have ended expensive and much-abused fertilizer and petrol subsidy regimes. “We have taken very seriously our promise to save and invest for the future, even against the backdrop of our revenue challenges, and we have in the last two years added US$500m to our Sovereign Wealth Fund and US$87m to the Excess Crude Account. This is the very opposite of the situation before now, when rising oil prices failed to translate to rising levels of savings and investment. “Admittedly, the economy has proven to be the biggest challenge of all. Let me first express just how concerned we have been, since this administration took office, about the impact of the economic difficulties on our citizens. “Through no fault of theirs, some companies shut down their operations, others downsized; people lost jobs, had to endure rising food prices. In some States civil servants worked months on end without the guarantee of a salary, even as rents and school fees and other expenses continued to show up like clockwork. “We have been extremely mindful of the many sacrifices that you have had to make over the last few years. And for this reason this administration’s work on the economic front has been targeted at a combination of short-term interventions to cushion the pain, as well as medium to long term efforts aimed at rebuilding an economy that is no longer helplessly dependent on the price of crude oil. “Those short-term interventions include putting together a series of bailout packages for our State Governments, to enable them bridge their salary shortfalls – an issue the President has consistently expressed his concerns about. We also began the hard work of laying out a framework for our Social Intervention Programme, the most ambitious in the history of the country. “One of the first tasks of the Cabinet and the Economic Management Team was to put together a Strategic Implementation Plan for the 2016 budget, targeting initiatives that would create speedy yet lasting impact on the lives of Nigerians. “Indeed, much of 2016 was spent clearing the mess we inherited and putting the building blocks together for the future of our dreams; laying a solid foundation for the kind of future that you deserve as citizens of Nigeria. “In his Budget Presentation Speech to the National Assembly last December, President Buhari outlined our Economic Agenda in detail, and assured that 2017 -would be the year in which you would begin to see tangible benefits of all the planning and preparation work. It is my pleasure to note that in the five months since he delivered that speech, we have seen tremendous progress, as promised. “Take the example of our Social Investment Programme, which kicked off at the end of 2016. Its Home Grown School Feeding component is now feeding more than 1 million primary school children across seven states and would be feeding three million by the end of the year. N-Power, another component has engaged 200,000 unemployed graduates – none of whom needed any ‘connections’ to be selected. Beneficiaries are already telling the stories of how these initiatives have given them a fresh start in their lives. “Micro credit to a million artisans, traders and market men and women has begun. While conditional cash transfers to eventually reach a million of the poorest and most vulnerable households has also begun. “Road and power projects are ongoing in every part of the country. In rail, we are making progress with our plans to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to upgrade the existing 3,500km narrow-gauge network. We have also in 2017 flagged-off construction work on the Lagos-Ibadan leg of our standard-gauge network, and are close to completing the first phase of Abuja’s Mass Transit Rail System. “In that Budget speech in December, the President announced the take-off of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative. Today, five months on, that Initiative – the product of an unprecedented bilateral cooperation with the Government of Morocco – has resulted in the revitalisation of 11 blending plants across the country, the creation of 50,000 direct and indirect jobs so far, and in the production of 300,000 metric tonnes of NPK fertilizer, which is being sold to farmers at prices significantly lower than what they paid last year. By the end of 2017, that Fertilizer Initiative would have led to foreign exchange savings of US$200 million; and subsidy savings of 60 billion naira. The Initiative is building on the solid gains of the Anchor Borrowers Programme, launched in 2015 to support our rice and wheat farmers, as part of our move towards guaranteeing food security for Nigeria. “All of this is evidence that we are taking very seriously our ambition of agricultural self-sufficiency. I am delighted to note that since 2015 our imports of rice have dropped by 90 percent, while domestic production has almost tripled. Our goal is to produce enough rice to meet local demand by 2019. In April, the President launched our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan which built on the foundations laid by the Strategic implementation Plan of 2016. The plan has set forth a clear vision for the economic development of Nigeria. I will come back to this point presently. “Another highlight of the President’s Budget Speech was our work around the Ease of Doing Business reforms. As promised we have since followed up with implementation and execution. I am pleased to note that we are now seeing verifiable progress across several areas, ranging from new Visa on Arrival scheme, to reforms at our ports and regulatory agencies. “The President also promised that 2017 would see the rollout of Executive Orders to facilitate government approvals, support procurement of locally made goods, and improve fiscal responsibility. We have kept that promise. This month we issued three Executive Orders to make it easier for citizens to get the permits and licenses they require for their businesses, to mandate Government agencies to spend more of their budgets on locally produced goods, and to promote budget transparency and efficiency. The overarching idea is to make Government Agencies and Government budgets work more efficiently for the people. “The impact of our Ease of Doing Business work is gradually being felt by businesses small and large; its successful take-off has allowed us to follow up with the MSME Clinics -our Small Business support programme, which has taken us so far to Aba, Sokoto, Jos, Katsina, and we expect to be in all other states in due course. “Let me note, at this point, that several of our Initiatives are targeted at our young people, who make up most of our population. From N-Power, to the Technology Hubs being developed nationwide, to innovation competitions such as the Aso Villa Demo Day, and our various MSME support schemes, we will do everything to nurture the immense innovative and entrepreneurial potential of our young people. We are a nation of young people, and we will ensure that our policies and programmes reflect this. “One of the highlights of our Power Sector Recovery Programme, which we launched in March, is a N701 billion Naira Payment Assurance Scheme that will resolve the financing bottlenecks that have until now constrained the operations of our gas suppliers and generation companies. Let me assure that you will soon begin to see the positive impact of these steps. “Our Solid Minerals Development Fund has also now taken off, in line with our commitment to developing the sector. Because of our unerring focus on Solid Minerals development over the last two years, the sector has, alongside Agriculture, seen impressive levels of growth – in spite of the recession. “On the whole, just as the President promised in the Budget Speech, these early months of 2017 have seen the flowering of the early fruit of all the hard work of our first eighteen months. “We opened the year with an overwhelmingly successful Eurobond Offer – evidence of continuing investor interest in Nigeria. We have also launched the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020, to build on the gains of last year’s Strategic Implementation Plan. And the implementation of our 2017 Budget, which will soon be signed into law, will bring added impetus to our ongoing economic recovery. “In the 2016 Budget we spent 1.2 Trillion Naira on infrastructure projects, another milestone in the history of this country. Our 2017 Budget will double that investment. That budget also provides for substantial investment to implement the rollout of Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs), as well as our Social Housing Programme. The Industrial Parks and Economic Zones will fulfill our ambition of making Nigeria a manufacturing hub, while the Family Home Fund of our Social Housing Programme will provide inexpensive mortgages for low-income individuals and families across the country. “These plans offer yet more evidence that we are ramping up the pace of work; the work of fulfilling all that we promised. In the next two years we will build on the successes of the last two. We have demonstrated a willingness to learn from our mistakes and to improve on our successes. The critical points that we must address fully in the next two years are : Agriculture and food security, Energy, (power and Petroleum,) Industrialization and Transport infrastructure. Every step of the way we will be working with the private sector, giving them the necessary incentives and creating an environment to invest and do business. “Our vision is for a country that grows what it eats and produces what it consumes. It is for a country that no longer has to import petroleum products, and develops a lucrative petrochemical industry. Very importantly it is for a country whose fortunes are no longer tied to the price of a barrel of crude, but instead to the boundless talent and energy of its people, young and old, male and female as they invest in diverse areas of the economy. “And that vision is also for a country where the wealth of the many will no longer be stolen by or reserved for a few; and where the impunity of corruption – whether in the public or private sectors – will no longer be standard operating practice; a land rid of bandits and terrorists. “As citizens you all deserve a country that works, not merely for the rich or connected, but for everyone. And our promise to you is that we will, with your support and cooperation, take every step needed to create that country of our dreams. “We also know that this journey will of necessity take time. But we will not succumb to the temptation to take short-cuts that ultimately complicate the journey. We did not find ourselves in crises overnight, and we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenges. “The most important thing is that we are on the right path, and we will not deviate from it, even in the face of strong temptation to choose temporary gain over long-term benefit. As the President has summed it up: “The old Nigeria is slowly but surely disappearing, and a new era is rising.” “And so we commemorate this second anniversary of our administration with confidence and optimism. I firmly believe that we have put the most difficult phase behind us; and we are witnesses to the ever-increasing intensity of the light at the end of the tunnel. We ask for your continued cooperation and support, to enable us realise all our best intentions and ambitions for Nigeria. On our part We will continue to carry you along on this journey, speak to you, explain the challenges, and share our Vision. “And while we all daily pre-occupy ourselves with pursuing the Nigerian Dream – which is the desire to better our lives and circumstances vigorously and honestly – it is inevitable that grievances and frustrations will arise from time to time. “This is normal. What is not normal, or acceptable, is employing these frustrations as justification for indulging in discrimination or hate speech or hateful conduct of any kind, or for seeking to undermine by violent or other illegal means the very existence of the sovereign entity that has brought us all together as brothers and sisters and citizens. “Nigeria belongs to all of us. No one person or group of persons is more important or more entitled than the other in this space that we all call home. And we have a responsibility to live in peace and harmony with one another, to seek peaceful and constitutional means of expressing our wishes and desires, and to resist all who might seek to sow confusion and hatred for their own selfish interests. “Before I end this speech, let me ask for your continued prayers for the restoration to full health and strength and the safe return of our President. “I congratulate all of you on today’s commemoration of this important day in the democratic calendar our country. Nigeria is on a journey of greatness, and together we shall arrive at the destination of our dreams “May God bless you all, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Source: vanguard
Atiku tells Nigerians to be patient but improve their choice of leaders in the next election
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Encountering Holy Land Christians: Witnessing Velma’s Dream
by Melodie Gabriel
The Catholic Women’s League (C.W.L.) of Canada is generously supporting projects to aid poor Christian families in the Holy Land through CNEWA Canada. Members of this fine organization — including Velma Harasen, C.W.L.’s former national president — were able to visit these projects during our Holy Land Pilgrimage.
The video above highlights the good work of two of CNEWA’s partners in the Holy Land:
The Infant Welfare Center in Jerusalem assists teenagers with learning disabilities and helps them to stay in school, as well as providing support for their families and teachers.
The Shepherd’s Field Hospital in Beit Sahour (near Bethlehem) provides much-needed health care to pregnant women, new mothers and their babies — including many of the poorest in the region.
Click here if you’d like to contribute to “Velma’s Dream.”
Next year, from 29 June – 9 July 2014, CNEWA Canada will again extend to C.W.L. members the opportunity to join us on a pilgrimage. We will visit the holy places of the Bible, meet Holy Land Christians and witness the good works of our many partners in the region. If you are interested, visit the trip page for more info. You can also watch our Holy Land pilgrimage promo video.
Tags: Holy Land Pilgrimage/pilgrims Donors Holy Land Christians CNEWA Canada
Encountering Holy Land Christians: Way of the Cross
During our Holy Land pilgrimage a few weeks ago, we had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa, or “Way of Sorrows.” While the route has varied over the centuries, tradition holds that this is essentially the path Jesus travelled on his journey to Calvary.
To walk in the last footsteps of Christ while we remembered his suffering and prayed the Stations of the Cross was both memorable and moving. You can follow along as we trace Christ’s path in the video above.
Tags: Holy Land Christianity Holy Land Christians Prayers/Hymns/Saints Christian
Encountering Holy Land Christians:
Arab Palestinian Christians in Israel
by Carl Hétu
The Church of the Beatitudes, run by Franciscans, was built on the site believed to be where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. (photo: CNEWA)
The first three days of our journey were spent in Israel. We visited the Mount of the Beatitudes and the surroundings of the Lake of Tiberias, referred to in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee; Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus; and the house of St. Peter in Capernaum, which was used for community gatherings by the very first Christians.
It seems so simple and peaceful to build a church, but the political climate of that era was complex and violent, making the process extremely hazardous. The Christians had to be strong, determined and forgiving.
In a similar way, we encountered a brave man who as a child was forced with his family out of his village and became a refugee in the new Israel. Archbishop Elias Chacour is the Melkite Catholic leader for Haifa, Nazareth and Galilee. Our group spent a good two hours with him in Haifa where he explained the difficult life of Arab Palestinian Christians in Israel since its creation in 1948.
Most of the Arabs live in segregated villages where Israeli Jews and Arabs rarely connect. He told us he had to go to court over 35 times as a priest, just trying to construct a parish hall, schools and a gym. “I never understood why the authorities didn’t want us to succeed,” he said.
One of his projects, a school for Israeli children from all backgrounds — Jewish, Muslim and Arab Christian — has seen great success, but it is an exception in this complex place.
We were all very moved by Archbishop Chacour’s presentation. Before we parted ways, he shared copies of his books with us — Blood Brothers and Faith Beyond Despair, in which he describes his life in Israel and how peace is possible. A few days later, one of my fellow pilgrims, Corina, told me that she couldn’t put the book down. “It’s too good,” she said, “and so informative. I never knew about Arab Palestinian Christians living in Israel. It’s a must read.”
Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour poses with Velma Harasen, former national president of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, and Carl Hétu, director of CNEWA Canada. (photo: CNEWA)
Tags: CNEWA Holy Land Pilgrimage/pilgrims Holy Land Christians Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour
Supporting Christian Livelihood
On our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we made it a point to give our patronage to Christian-owned businesses whenever possible. We felt it was important to show solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land in a tangible way by supporting their livelihoods.
For many Christians, running a local business is a major factor enabling them to stay in the Holy Land and thereby maintain a Christian presence there. Christians comprise less than 2 percent of the population and that number continues to decrease. Many emigrate due to high unemployment and a harsh financial climate.
Tourism plays a vital part in the Holy Land’s economy, and gift shops can grow quite large to accommodate this. (photo: CNEWA)
Some of our support for Christian businesses took the form of visits to gift shops to buy souvenirs. Many of us purchased olive wood holy statues — traditional handicrafts of the Holy Land. We also visited a wine shop run by Salesian Fathers, who have their own winery in the Cremisan Valley.
We stayed at the Ararat Hotel, a new Christian-owned hotel in Bethlehem in the Palestinian Territories. Our other accommodations were at the Mount of the Beatitudes and Stella Maris guesthouses run by religious orders.
We also enjoyed a traditional lunch with Nora Kort, a Christian woman representing the Arab Orthodox Society. The Arab Orthodox Society of East Jerusalem is dedicated to helping Palestinian women help themselves. One of their initiatives is the Melia Art and Training Center — “an organization of women from all over the West Bank” dedicated to preserving traditional Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery.
Catholic Women’s League of Canada members examine embroidery sold through the Melia Art and Training Center. (photo: CNEWA)
One of the most memorable details of our trip to the Holy Land was the food — pita bread with hummus and other dips, kebabs, tabbouleh and more delicacies. We ate at numerous restaurants and really experienced the local culture through its cuisine.
Tour guide Alex, left, breathed life into our excursion by providing historical and biblical context. (photo: CNEWA)
Finally, our tour guide, Alexander (“Iskandar” in Arabic), was a Palestinian Christian. Alex was awesome — he greatly enhanced our experience of the Holy Land. He was not only knowledgeable of the cultural and historical context of the places we visited, but we also saw to the very roots of his deep Christian faith. In every place we visited, he brought out a Bible and we read a passage from Scripture pertaining to the place, treating us to a more complete experience. We also appreciated his patience and his humor. He was a pleasure to be around!
Tags: CNEWA Catholic Pilgrimage/pilgrims Holy Land Christians CNEWA Canada
Encountering Holy Land Christians: Velma’s Dream Come True
by Velma Harasen
Velma Harasen, former national president of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada, meets children at the Infant Welfare Center in Jerusalem. (photo: CNEWA)
Velma Harasen is the past national president of the Catholic Women’s League (C.W.L.) of Canada. We asked for her reflections after participating in the C.W.L.’s Holy Land pilgrimage with CNEWA. She shares her thoughts below:
What a blessing, what a gift to have journeyed in pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a small group that soon became like family. My daughter, Lori, was my accompanying family.
Our guide Alex, a Palestinian Christian, was an amazing source of information and referred to Bible readings at the various holy sites that we visited. A tearful departure spoke volumes of the love and respect we had for him.
Father Geoff celebrated Mass for us and truly served as our spiritual leader, including when we renewed our baptismal promises at the river Jordan. He may never know how much he meant to all of us but hopefully our gift of the handmade purple stole expressed our thanks.
I have been to the Holy Land twice before but this pilgrimage was very special to me. We met, mingled and ate with the Christians of the Holy Land and learned more about their daily struggles. Life is not easy!
In a local parish in Reineh, we attended a Latin Mass celebrated in Arabic and were treated to a reception afterward. We visited a number of projects supported by CNEWA, plus the two projects that were part of Velma’s Dream.
The Shepherds’ Field Hospital in Beit Sahour is operated by the Cooperative Society for Health Welfare, which is comprised of local families maintaining the hospital for the poor of the area, mainly pregnant women and babies. With limited resources, they serve their community with Christian love. We met the board, the midwife, nurse and a doctor who volunteers his time.
In a very small, sparse labor and delivery room with two narrow beds, I wondered aloud how they could manage should there be two mothers in labor at the same time! The response: “Sometimes we have three; we can manage!” The board is working hard to build a larger facility and was proud to show us the excavation!
The Infant Welfare Center is in the heart of Old City of Jerusalem. Children from the age of 4 months to 5 years are accommodated in the daycare. When we were there, the babies were enjoying their afternoon nap. However, we spent time with the older ones assembling puzzles, talking and singing. One class made thank you cards for each of us while, in another class, we joined in singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”! The center also operates programs for teens to keep them in school and off the streets.
I was affirmed that both these projects supported by the Catholic Women’s League were worthy and our donations were put to very good use! We have made a difference!
Tags: Children Israel Holy Land Pilgrimage/pilgrims Holy Land Christians
Encountering Christians in the Holy Land: On Jordan’s Bank
Our pilgrims gather at the Jordan River. (photo: CNEWA)
On 29 June, the C.W.L. and CNEWA pilgrimage group headed to the Jordan River, where according to Scripture John the Baptist baptized Jesus with water “in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” (John 1:28)
Since our pilgrimage took us only to Israel and Palestine, we stayed on the west bank of the river, across from the Jordanian park Pope John Paul II had inaugurated in the year 2000. As with most of the Holy Sites we visited, the Israeli site marking Jesus’ baptism has its own history. Unlike most, it is an Israeli National Park and is not cared for by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land or the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic patriarchates.
The site has been open for only two years. Since the conclusion of the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel took control of the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, the entire border has been a military zone with fences, mines and soldiers.
Thankfully, we were privileged to drive to the site — well below sea level — under a scorching sun without any problems. Father Geoffrey Kerslake led us in prayer as we renewed our baptismal vows, and afterward invited us to take a dip in the river. It was an emotional experience as we then headed for the desert, the same desert where Jesus retreated for 40 days.
Tags: Palestine Israel Jordan Holy Land Pilgrimage/pilgrims
Encountering Christians in the Holy Land: A Dream for Children
by Megan Knighton
A little boy plays at the Infant Welfare Center. (photo: CNEWA)
Velma’s Dream brought together women from all over Canada to support the tremendous efforts of women in the Holy Land — efforts like the Infant Welfare Center in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel.
The Infant Welfare Center helps children with learning disabilities throughout Jerusalem. Unfortunately, many families are unaware of the special needs of their children, and attempt to integrate them in local schools. The Infant Welfare Center founded a school for remedial education to address these needs.
In addition to helping local children, the center runs classes and lectures for mothers. They offer courses in parenting, nutrition, mental health and even yoga!
The women and men behind the Infant Welfare Center welcomed the Catholic Women’s League, and brought them face to face with the children and mothers they help. What a joyous experience it was for the C.W.L. women!
Tags: Children Jerusalem Holy Land Education Disabilities
Encountering Holy Land Christians: Mass in Arabic
Father Geoffrey Kerslake from the Ottawa diocese concelebrates Mass with Father Elias Odeh, parish priest in Reineh. (photo: CNEWA)
On our journey to the Holy Land, we wanted to meet the “living stones,” the Christians ministering to people in this land. On Sunday, 23 June, we went to Mass in the Latin parish of Reineh, a small village beside Nazareth in Israel. That turned out to be a special day for several reasons. First, it was Pentecost Sunday (since Easter in this part of the world follows the Julian, rather than Gregorian, calendar). Also, the parish priest, Rev. Elias Odeh, was marking the 43rd anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. But it was another detail that may be most memorable: many in our party had a chance for the first time to attend a Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in Arabic.
For many in North America, this may be stunning news. ‘Aren’t Arabs all Muslims?’ some might ask. How is it possible that Arabs are also Catholics? Let’s not forget that Christianity was present in the Holy Land some 600 years before Muhammad, and many Arabs had converted long before. Today, even though they are in small numbers, these Arab Christians are proud of their heritage and their faith.
Rev. Geoffrey Kerslake, who accompanied us on the pilgrimage, concelebrated Mass with Father Odeh. Afterward, our group was invited to join the parishioners for coffee and cake in a warm and friendly setting. We were surprised to see how many spoke English very well!
[Editor’s note: we interviewed Father Odeh as part of our coverage of the Year for Priests. Check out what he had to say here.]
Members of CNEWA and the Catholic Women’s League of Canada take to the pews in a Latin Catholic church in Reineh. (photo: CNEWA)
Tags: CNEWA Israel Holy Land Holy Land Christians CNEWA Canada
“We Were All Drawn to Helping Women and Their Children”
by Bradley H. Kerr
The Catholic Women’s League of Canada’s Brenda Killick, right, speaks with a midwife and a nurse from Shepherd’s Field Hospital in Beit Sahour, Palestine. (photo: CNEWA)
The Catholic Women’s League of Canada partnered with CNEWA Canada to support two projects in the Holy Land. Last week 12 members had the opportunity to see the fruits of their generous and hard work. A few sat down with Bradley H. Kerr to reflect on the experience.
What is the Catholic Women’s League of Canada?
Velma Harasen, former national president: It’s a national organization of Christian women from across Canada. We have just under 100,000 women. Our motto is “For God and Canada.” We do work in parishes, community service, leadership development, spiritual development and social justice.
The theme during my two years as national president was Faith and Justice, and we looked for an international project we could all rally around. We thought: “The Holy Land is the center of our faith. We see the injustice there. Why don’t we find a project that supports Holy Land Christians, particularly women?” That’s when we started working with CNEWA Canada.
Janet McLean, former provincial president for Quebec: Carl Hétu from CNEWA presented eight options to our national executive and provincial presidents. I was involved with that discussion. It’s funny how we all picked the Infant Welfare Center as our first choice. It was unanimous. We were all drawn to the idea of helping women and their children.
The Infant Welfare Center is a Christian daycare in the Old City of Jerusalem. What did you accomplish for them?
Velma: The center is primarily a daycare, but our particular project was to assist young women aged 12-15 who are on the verge of dropping out of school in order to work in restaurants and hotels during the tourist season. When the season is over, the girls lose their jobs but don’t go back to school. The project we supported was to prevent dropping out and to try to get those who do, back into school.
Once you picked a project, what did you do?
Barbara McDonald: We took it to the grassroots — the provinces, dioceses and parishes. We explained the initiative, and brought some visuals. Then the ladies had a lot of bake sales and other fundraisers. The donations were very, very generous.
Velma: During my time as president, I had the privilege of going to every province to speak about it. It was amazing how generous people were. This was my dream, and it came true.
Now you’ve seen the Center. What did you think?
Barb: I was impressed by the director. She thinks about today and tomorrow. She’s creative. … She’s got energy.
Janet: They coordinate with the girls’ families and their schools. They get the mothers of the girls involved. That’s encouraging. Teenagers are the same all over the world — if it’s easer to earn money than go to school, they’ll take the easy way out. But three girls have gone back to school and are doing really well. It’s nice to know we were able to help them.
Angela Pomeroy: What a loving group of staff. There’s a lot happening in the Holy Land that we have difficulty making sense of. What Christians have to deal with — it would crush many people. But through it all, the Infant Welfare Center maintains the Christian values of love, dignity and hope.
You quickly met your fundraising goal and picked a second project with the Shepherd’s Field Hospital in Beit Sahour, Palestine. Can you tell us about it?
Velma: The hospital looks after new mothers and babies. The staff explained that vitamin deficiency is a common problem they see. We raised money to provide vitamin supplements.
Barb: The program also involves education and prevention.
Janet: They showed us pamphlets they distribute to mothers about how to stay healthy. I thought, “This is good. It’s the little things like this that don’t get the funding. But sometimes they are more important than the big things.”
What did you think of the hospital?
Velma: I was quite overwhelmed with the things they are accomplishing in very sparse conditions.
Barb: By our norms, the building is small.
Velma: The labor and delivery room had two cots. I asked the nurses, “What do you do when you have two women in labor at the same time?” They said, “Oh, we can handle three! We manage!”
Angela: When you look at us as mothers and what we had in delivering our children, it’s luxurious compared to what people cope with in Palestine. But they make it beautiful and loving with such little resources.
Barb: What struck me is that as much as it is a Christian hospital, they accept anyone and everyone who needs services. And it you can’t pay, if you don’t have money, fine. The staff maneuvers the finances so they can cover many free deliveries.
I was impressed that the hospital is a cooperative.
Brenda Killick: The members work collaboratively as a community of like-minded citizens to improve the health of women and children.
Barb: They are doing things for themselves, for their community, for those in need. It’s not that the hospital asks for handouts — yes, they do need help and we provided it — but families pay money to be a part of the cooperative. By our standards it’s not a high amount. … And when they use the hospital, the members pay a lower fee than nonmembers.
How are you going to take this experience back to your parishes in Canada?
Barb: I think those of us who came on this pilgrimage will be messengers. We will try to enlighten, encourage, incite and educate.
Janet: I would like to see the Catholic Women’s League stay involved. This trip has reinforced for me how important it is to support the Christians of the Holy Land.
Angela: I’m an educated woman. I think I know a little bit about some things. But I knew nothing about the Christians in the Holy Land and how they are living. I can’t wait to develop a presentation for my parish. There are things we can all do to help Holy Land Christians, and the most important is prayer.
Former C.W.L. President Velma Harasen meets with Infant Welfare Center Director Tania Awwad in the Old City of Jerusalem. (photo: CNEWA)
Tags: Holy Land Catholic Canada CNEWA Canada Women
Encountering Holy Land Christians: Hearing is Believing
I had the privilege to meet with Sister Marta from the Paul VI Ephpheta Institute for the deaf here in Bethlehem. Unfortunately, deafness is a common problem facing the Palestinian community. The incidence of deafness is approximately 3 percent, sometimes reaching as high as 15 percent in certain villages — a much higher percentage compared with other regions of the world.
CNEWA has sponsored the Ephpheta Institute since its founding over 40 years ago, helping the sisters, teachers and staff provide a quality education for deaf and hearing-impaired children throughout the Palestinian community. Sister Marta spent the afternoon showing us around the school and speaking about the challenges faced by these children. I could go on about the amazing work of these Sisters and the special life of the children they serve, but Sister Marta puts it better — listen to her talk about the importance of building trust and self-confidence in these children:
You can read more about the good work of Ephpheta here. And visit this page to learn how you can help children with challenges.
Tags: Children Holy Land Education Bethlehem Disabilities
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The Lobster Review
If you’re looking for complete counter programming to the usual big summer blockbuster movies, then look no further than The Lobster, a weird, dark, funny, look at love and whether we have a human need to be in a relationship. It’s not for everyone, however; there’s nothing mainstream about The Lobster. If you’re looking for some kind of quirky, funny light rom-com, this is not it. This is definitely more in the Art Film area. People in the theater with me were a bit perplexed.
My guess is that people read about the premise and then were all like, “Oh, I LOVE Colin Farrell, and to see him in a quirky romance-drama will be so dreamy” and then those people were wigged-out by the unusual energy of this film and the dark nature of the humor. Me, I love the weird. And I really liked The Lobster.
Here’s the premise: In a dystopian near future, the rules of The CIty state that single people must be sent to The Hotel where they will have 45 days to find a romantic partner. If they are unable to find a match by that time, they will be transformed into an animal of their choosing, and sent out into the Woods.
Is that weird enough for ya? This film is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by him and Efthymis Filippou, the same team that brought us the equally, if not more, weird Dogtooth in 2009. Dogtooth was an interesting film about three grown siblings whose father would not allow them to leave the confines of their family house and grounds until they lost their dogteeth. Dogteeth are not a real thing. It’s a fascinating film and I also recommend it.
The subject matter in The Lobster is, if only a little, more accessible. But it’s presentation is equally as odd. Some people in the audience were uncomfortable with some animal violence and I suppose these days you might say there are animal cruelty triggers here, even though it’s all fake movie effects. But if you don’t like seeing animals hurt, etc, this will have a couple scenes you won’t like. But these scenes are necessary and have meaning to the film, so removing them would diminish the narrative and subtext. Yeah, there’s some film school knowledge for ya.
The Lobster explores our need for love, companionship, as well as some people’s choice to be single. It’s also about how society pressures people to be in a relationship, as if to say we are less than normal to choose to be single. There are also messages about what lengths some people will go to be in a relationship whether they are certain of it or not. Indeed, there are many levels to this film – a lot to think about.
But it’s not without it’s humor – dark as it often is – and all of the cast does a great job here. Colin Farrell is so weirdly nebbishy with his 20-30 pounds of gained belly weight. He is such a “regular guy” here and he arrives at The Hotel with his dog, Bob, who is actually his brother, Bob. Bob was at The Hotel the previous year, and he “didn’t make it”, so he chose to be a dog. The whole “being turned into an animal” thing is really funny because every time you see one on screen, you can be pretty sure it was a person once.
The Lobster is a wonderful film and will surely give you something quite different if you’re sick of seeing superhero movies. But it’s also not a mainstream rom-com, so if you’re looking for something more challenging and off the beaten path, I highly recommend The Lobster. My only criticism might be that it’s a little long at two hours. They probably could’ve tightened it a bit, but still four kittenhands from me. I really enjoyed this one.
~ Neil T Weakley, you are average movie goer, looking for more weird films.
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the complete review - non-fiction
Reading the OED
Ammon Shea
Title: Reading the OED
Author: Ammon Shea
Availability: Reading the OED - US
Satisdiction - UK
Reading the OED - Canada
US title: Reading the OED
UK paperback title: Satisdiction
US sub-title: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages
UK paperback sub-title: One Man's Journey Into All The Words He'll Ever Need
B+ : good fun, fairly well done
The NY Times Book Rev. . 3/8/2008 Nicholson Baker
"(A)n oddly inspiring book about reading the whole of the Oxford English Dictionary in one go. (...) The effect of this book on me was to make me like Ammon Shea and, briefly, to hate English. What a choking, God-awful mash it is ! Surely French is better. Then I recovered and saw its greatness afresh." - Nicholson Baker, The New York Times Book Review
A book about someone spending a year reading the over twenty-thousand pages of a dictionary does not sound particularly promising -- and the author's statement that: "I think of Reading the OED as the thinking person's Cliff Notes to the greatest dictionary in the world" isn't exactly reassuring. On the other hand, what he proposes to do is fairly extraordinary: surely even fewer people read the Oxford English Dictionary cover(s) to cover(s) (there are twenty volumes in the edition he takes on) than climb Everest. Indeed, it is an audacious feat: yes, spread over a whole year, it averages to just less than sixty pages a day -- but sixty pages of dictionary-entries, day in and day out ? Who could manage that ? (On the other hand: for a fat book contract, who wouldn't give it a shot ?)
Shea is certainly an appropriate person to undertake such an adventure: he's long been fascinated by dictionaries, has a ridiculously large collection of them, and while not a professional lexicographer does know what he's talking about.
Aside from a brief introduction ('Exordium', here) and concluding chapter, Reading the OED is presented in twenty-six chapters, each devoted to a letter of the alphabet. Shea begins each chapter with a brief section describing various aspects of his undertaking, writing about everything from his reading-routine to an excursion to the bi-annual conference of the Dictionary Society of North America (where he shows admirable restraint in not: "asking for autographs from several lexicographers whose work I much admire") to various autobiographical disclosures to lexicographic odds and ends; most are fairly entertaining, making for a good sort of running story. Then, in the other half of each chapter, Shea presents: "all the words from the OED that I think people would like to know about, if only they didn't have to read the whole damn dictionary in order to find them", letter by letter (though, in fact, he also strongly encourages readers to go word-hunting for themselves). He gives the word and then one short definition from the OED (as he notes, most words have more than one -- and, for example, the entry for the word 'set' takes up more than twenty-five pages ...), and then adds his own comments, about why the word appeals to him and the like. This sounds like a potential recipe for disaster, but for the most part Shea is up to it -- beginning to win us over by eliciting the first smile already at the second entry:
Accismus - (n.) An insincere refusal of a thing that is desired.
As in: "No, please, I really would like for you to have the last donut."
This wordplay turns out to be a lot of fun. A few of the words are familiar (we figure we've probably used about five of them at some point in our lives), and quite a few are more or less comprehensible at sight (say, 'misclad'), but Shea generally has something that's at least moderately interesting or witty to say about even those. But the real fun is the words one has never seen or knew of.
How perfect, for example, is it to learn, after reading Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read, that one of the definitions of 'Bayard' is:
A person armed with the self-confidence of ignorance.
Other favourites include 'anonymuncule' ("an anonymous, small-time writer"), 'parabore' ("a defense against bores"), and 'penultimatum' ("the final demand before an ultimatum")
Occasionally it's the etymology that's interesting:
Gobemouche - (n.) One who believes anything, no matter how absurd.
From the French words gober (to swallow) + mouche (fly).
And often it's the observations Shea makes, as about 'lant', meaning: "to add urine to ale, in order to make it stronger", leading him to note that -- as, unfortunately, many other words will also attest to --:
The speakers of English have, over the past several hundred years, displayed what seems to be an unreasoning fondness for using urine, both human and otherwise, for a dizzying array of purposes.
Or, for example, the definition for 'wine-knight', "A person who drinks valiantly", leads him to ask the obvious: "How exactly does one drink valiantly ?"
Shea does about as a good a job as one can presumably do of conveying the feeling of immersing oneself so deeply in this massive dictionary -- with some nice observations along the way, like approaching the dreaded multi-volume 'S', wading through the section of Self-Explanatory words (451 pages of 'un-' words, which he found: "only slightly more exciting than reading the phone book"), or reaching 'W' and finding everything slightly off (since W-words are "overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon in origin", while the vast majority of the rest of the words are derived from the Greek and Latin).
So, somewhat surprisingly for a book that consists in large part of somewhat elaborated-on word-lists, Reading the OED turns out to be a fairly good read, too. It's certainly enjoyable, and recommended for anyone with any word-interest.
Reading the OED:
Perigree publicity page
Penguin publicity page
Interview at the OUP blog
Profile in The Times
Bookgeeks
The Book Lady's Blog
Independent on Sunday
The Times-Picayune (scroll down for review)
OED:
Ammon Shea:
Simon Winchester's OED-books, The Meaning of Everything and The Professor and the Madman (also: The Surgeon of Crowthorne)
Henry Hitchings' Dr.Johnson's Dictionary (US title: Defining the World)
See Index of Books on Books and Publishing, and Bibliographies
Ammon Shea lives in New York.
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Home Business Tomorrow’s Engine: A Profile Story On Clayton Banks
September 16, 2016 Business, Education, Lifestyle, Science & Technology Comments Off on Tomorrow’s Engine: A Profile Story On Clayton Banks
Tomorrow’s Engine: A Profile Story On Clayton Banks
By: Yasleen Trinidad
Co founder of Silicon Harlem, Clayton Banks’ journey towards success falls on following his passion.
“I believe everyone is born equal,” states Banks.
With his father serving as a Marine, Banks grew up in a military base and was exposed to an in-closed world of economic and social equality where everyone on the base was within the same rank and pay rate. He recalls the kids in the neighborhood all riding the same bicycles, wearing the same sneakers, and having the same toys. It wasn’t until Banks got to college that he saw the differences in the socio-economic classes.
According to Banks, because of his upbringing, it’s his, “ frame of reference to life…everyone’s equal and everyone has potential. It’s about having the access to apply yourself, no matter your economic situation.”
Graduating a double major in Communications and Business Administration from California State University of Fulton, Banks knew he was meant to be an entrepreneur, but was also aware that he needed to work in corporate first. So, he set out to work in what he loved, movies, video games, and comedy.
His first job was working for Showtime; one of the most popular American premium cable networks to-date, even landing an executive position.
“I was blown away that I working with a company that does movies. I love movies and was getting paid to do it,” describes Banks.
His next job? Getting the opportunity to work alongside Sega Channel creator and CEO, Stan Thomas. This gave Banks the chance to develop and work on his second love, video games.
Although leaving an executive position at an established company was risky, Banks states, “It was too fascinating of an opportunity to turn it down.”
The online video game service went on to become the first all digital network in the history of television, even winning Popular Science’s, “Best of What’s New” award in 1994. But although reaching great success, due to the rise of the internet and lack of advancement, the Sega Channel was discontinued by 1998.
Shifting his focus in a new direction, he went after his love for comedy and began a career in Comedy Central.
“Here I was in Showtime loving movies, then at Sega Channel for my passion of video games, and then BOOM! I love comedy and i’m at Comedy Central!,” states Banks.
Within a few weeks into the job, he was handed the script to the show that would eventually put Comedy Central on the map, South Park.
According to Banks, when he got there, Comedy Central had about 50% of penetration in the country. It wasn’t until the launch of South Park that the network was able to reach 100% of penetration within six months.
“It was a phenomenal experience getting to watch how one show can turn an entire network around,” states Banks.
After reaching corporate success and having met his passion for movies, video games, and comedy, Banks went after a new found love, technology. But this time, by launching his own company, Ember Media.
Focusing on technology, specifically multimedia across multi platforms, his company began developing interactive, online marketing tools for companies. Notably helping HBO’s The Sopranos launch on CD-ROM and having clients such as former president, Bill Clinton. It wasn’t too soon before Banks began to realize how technology was going to impact the industry.
“Having worked in Sega Channel in 1994 before the internet was commercialized. I saw where the world was headed… I knew the power and wanted to share it with those who couldn’t get access,” said Banks.
Thus came the birth of Silicon Harlem, a social venture that is designed to bring innovation and technology to the streets of Harlem.
Being a Harlem resident, Banks wanted to ensure that technology and innovation were being presented in urban markets, where he believed there was opportunity. But, after failing to win a $20 million dollar bid from the National Broadband Fund, Silicon Harlem was put on hold.
It didn’t stop Banks from finding out the latest in the tech industry. After going to several meetups in Downtown and Brooklyn, it was time to get the conversation going in Uptown. In 2013, Banks and his companions decided to put together a meet-up in Harlem and to their surprise, 500 people showed.
Banks states, “That’s when I knew I wasn’t the only geek Uptown, I realized that there are other people who care about technology and innovation.”
All rights belong to Silicon Harlem
Since then, he has held monthly events with constantly huge turnouts. It shows that the community is ready and engaged to put in real initiative that can move the community economically forward.
With the power of New York City’s dense market in terms of technology and having Wall Street, the investment capital of the world within the city, at their fingertips, Banks believes Silicon Harlem has the potential to become Silicon Valley. Within just three years since it took effect, seven coworking spaces, incubators, and several internet cafes opened.
From the perspective of the City of New York, Silicon Harlem is recognized as a major movement for Uptown technology and innovation for creating jobs, opportunities, and getting capital to startup companies and organizations.
So what comes after technology for Mr. Banks?
“Community…This latest chapter in my life has been, “How do you get the most out of your community so that people feel there is an economic engine that is sustainable to keep the community running?,” Banks continues, “The 21st century is telling us that technology is that sustainable engine.”
Tags Clayton Banks, harlem, Silicon Harlem, Yasleen Trinidad
Still I Rise: How Community Leaders and Restaurants of St. Croix Were Able to Revitalize the Island
The End of an Era: Johnshon Publishing Company Declares Bankruptcy
Applications Now Open! The Harlem Arts Alliances ‘Artistic Entrepreneurial Development Program’
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NJ Man is 8th Person to Die on Vacation in the Dominican Republic
New York City News
Benyamin Davidsons
Another American tourist is dead after going to the Dominican Republican on vacation. On Monday June 18th, the state department confirmed that Joseph Allen, 55, was found dead in his hotel room at the Terra Linda Resort in Sosua, on Thursday.
Another American tourist is dead after going to the Dominican Republican on vacation. On Monday June 18th, the state department confirmed that Joseph Allen, 55, was found dead in his hotel room at the Terra Linda Resort in Sosua, on Thursday. As reported by the NY Daily News, Allen is now the ninth American tourist since 2018 to die in the small Caribbean country.
Allen, a New Jersey man, was vacationing with his friends, confirmed his sister Jamie Reed. Reed said Allen, Allen, who is survived by a 23-year-old son, “complained about being hot at the pool. He said he was going to his room to take a shower. When his friends came back, he said he wasn’t feeling 100% again, and said he was going to lie down for the night. The next morning his friend said he hadn’t heard from Joe before breakfast, so he knocked on his door and there was no response.” Allen’s friends asked the resort to perform a wellness check. But to their dismay, “They found him on the floor,” Reed said. “He had been there for a while. Rigor mortis had set in, and he was cold.”
Reed said that her brother was generally in good health before the trip and didn’t have any known health conditions. Also, he regularly visited the Dominican Republic a few times a year, so the family had not been concerned about the recent wave of deaths “because he does this all the time.” Reed also said that she reached out to Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in hopes that the investigation in the Dominican Republic would not be blocked after her brother’s autopsy. “The families need answers,” she said. “We deserve answers … My brother was my best friend. I spoke to him every day. This is killing me.”
“My brother was a hard worker,” Allen’s brother, Jason Allen, told NBC. “He taught me a lot about sacrifice. … He taught me so many things about being a man. He was selfless.” Jason Allen said his family wants the matter investigated “no matter how much money or how much time it is”.
The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is facilitating collaboration between US and Dominican investigators, as per a statement released last Tuesday. “The safety and security of U.S. citizens that live in, work in, and visit the Dominican Republic remains our highest priority,” Ambassador Robin Bernstein said. “These incidents are tragic and we offer our deepest condolences to those personally impacted.”
By: Benyamin Davidsons
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Lives Reframed
Published on January 9th, 2017
Alex writes about the differing looks at the main characters’ lives in Manchester by the Sea and Jackie.
Today, while sitting in a theatre for a Tuesday afternoon screening of Manchester by the Sea, the lone brunette in a room full of white-haired octogenarians, the film faded out as its final scene came to a muted close. Two people sit perched on the edge of a boat, silently fishing before the picture slowly transitions to a black screen.
“That’s it?” one of the surrounding elders murmured.
“I guess,” said her companion.
That was, indeed, it. There was no rousing finale to send us flying into the streets of Toronto with a newfound sense of exuberance. This movie just kind of ended.
The film Jackie is an equally excellent film that delivers more of a sense of closure, albeit one that is built on a precise and well-constructed lie. We see Jackie Kennedy with her still-alive husband dancing in the White House, a picture of love and opulent happiness. It is only as viewers of the whole film up to this point that we are able to see this picture painted with doubtful, lonely hues of blue.
When I initially saw Manchester by the Sea a couple of weeks ago, I loved it. (I still do.) When I initially saw Jackie last Friday, I loved it. (I still do.) Over the weekend, thinking about Jackie while trying – and mostly failing – to eloquently explain its greatness to a fellow drunkard at a bar I didn’t particularly care to be at, I realized what I loved about it were the same things I loved about Manchester by the Sea. Seeing them back to back today only cemented what I had become sure of in the interim.
There’s an odd moment of musical selection that occurs at the midpoint of Manchester by the Sea, a moment I wasn’t initially sure I was accepting of. As the film’s most tragic moment plays out, a grand, overly dramatic piece of music plays (it is from Handel’s Messiah). Houses burn, parents cry, the aforementioned surrounding octogenarians gasp, and even John Williams wonders whether or not this choice of music isn’t a little too big for its setting. As the scene continues, as the music continues, everything escalates until our main character fails to commit suicide due to his lack of firearms knowledge. Lee Chandler is tackled, the gun is removed from his hand, and we snap back to the present. The music faded away, even though it was immediately clear Lee’s memory of the moment never would.
But then, some sixty-three minutes later, the movie ended and the quiet landing reframed everything that came before it, as so much of the movie had. When Lee finds out his brother Joe has passed away in the opening scenes of the film, Lee’s lack of emotion is initially confusing. As we learn the moment that came years before it, we start to understand why Lee is so emotionally blunted: when you are (drunkenly and accidentally) responsible for the death of your three children, your brother’s congenital heart failure is a relative zero on the familial tragedy scale. Each memory that we see in Manchester by the Sea reframes what we had seen before it, but none does more of the heavy lifting than the obvious, choir-scored one in the middle.
In Jackie, there is (of course) a similarly defining memory, albeit one presented in a distinctly different way. There is so much more fame involved in Jackie, so many more people who care about the former First Lady’s life, so there is so much more image construction to be done. The two framing devices of the movie are themselves pieces of precise image construction, as (in the more important frame) Jackie tries to paint the picture of her life days after attempting to cement her husband’s. Here, Jackie knows that she will be remembered, and she wants to control the way that memory is constructed.
Jackie approaches time in a way that Manchester by the Sea does not. In contrast to Manchester’s relatively simple flashback structure – the story in Manchester is told mostly chronologically (albeit through two different, forward-moving timelines) – Jackie jumps all over the place. There are short bursts of memories scattered everywhere, like the script was shattered and rearranged in post-production like Steven Soderbergh did with The Limey*. Where Manchester by the Sea has a measured, decisive approach to its flashbacks, Jackie looks at them like scattered shards of a mirror that will never be able to show a complete reflection.
*With Jackie, director Pablo Larrain shot many of the scenes in multiple locations, stitching them together in editing to create a pervasive feeling of uncertainty.
The approach to cinematography in each film is similarly different. Manchester by the Sea takes a simple, well-composed look at its subjects, while Jackie is more adventurous. While the cinematographic decisions ruling Manchester were to never distract from the story and the performances, Jackie by contrast seems to specifically want to confront its viewers with certain questions about identity and cultural memory. So many shots are framed with a character looking directly past the camera at an off-screen subject; the vast majority of the scenes with Billy Crudup’s unidentified reporter are shot like this, with he and Jackie talking past us as we sit directly in the middle of their conversation. What Jackie wants is for us to see her in a certain way, so the cinematography frames her in a precise, obviously thoughtful way. In contrast, all Lee wants is to be forgotten: ipso facto, the cinematography is forgettable*.
*This is not to say Manchester by the Sea wasn’t shot by a talented cinematographer. Jody Lee Lipes – despite not finishing the last few days of the shoot due to the birth of his child – is exceptionally talented, and was Trainwreck’s secret weapon. (In this overly violent metaphor, LeBron was the WMD of hilarity.)
Lee wants to live the rest of his life in anonymity, relatively safe in Charlestown, where perhaps a bank robbing Jeremy Renner may kill him but at least the ghosts of his past never will. Since his specific sort of fame is considerably regional, all Lee has to do is leave that particular region and begin to live the life of an anonymous janitor, returning only for the occasional visit with his nephew and accidental run-in with a crying Michelle Williams. Jackie, on the other hand, cannot flee. If her fame is considered regional, that region encompasses the majority of the world. What Jackie must do, in that case, is create a memory for herself before she can disappear from it.
The most intriguing element in Jackie is watching her doubt her contributions to the world, while simultaneously doubting her now-deceased husband’s work as well. In the midst of the event that everybody is talking about, Jackie becomes obsessed with deciding how her and her husband will continue to be talked about in the future, with a telling moment in the film coming inside a car with her husband’s coffin. Jackie asks her driver and nurse if they know who William McKinley and James Garfield were, each failing to recognize the names of two presidents who were killed while in office. Naturally, they recognize the name and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Jackie immediately requests information on Lincoln’s funeral be brought to her, as she plans a funeral procession that will be too grand to ever be forgotten. She wants the future common person to remember her and her husband, and she knows she has to create the appropriate images in order for that to happen in a way she desires.
The core idea of any traditional story is that said story is building to a climax. This isn’t true of all stories, of course, but it is what we have conditioned ourselves to believe through rampant repetition. Inception is building to a question of whether or not Cobb is in reality, just like The Marine Biologist is building to the answer as to whether or not the sea was angry that day. Time-shifting can be implemented, but we are still conditioned to understand that the main revelation will happen in the last of the novel’s pages, or the series’ finale, or the movie’s closing scenes. Jackie – coincidentally the less traditional of the two films I’m discussing – has the more traditional ending. After sorting out its various conflicts, the beautiful people get to dance in the ballroom, even though we’re only seeing this through the lens of Jackie dancing with the memory of a ghost. (Even that image itself is stained by the President’s own dalliances, the quiet issues within the pair’s marriage.)
Manchester by the Sea has no such traditional climax. As in other Kenneth Lonergan films, the director moves the defining event to a place the audience doesn’t expect, eventually leading to people walking out the theatre feeling underwhelmed by a perceived lack of narrative closure.
Each of these films depicts a life, a life told from the perspective of its subject, but each of these subjects shares the common thread of having a life defined long before their own life ends. Lee’s was defined when he caused his children to die in a fire, and Jackie’s was defined when her husband’s presidential head exploded in her lap. Their sadnesses are so profound and impossible to understand – Lee trying to commit suicide in a moment of self-ruled guilt is hard to watch, and Jackie Kennedy attempting to put her husband back together is an all-time depressing example of emotion trumping logic – that almost nobody could be expected to. These are movies about lives (mostly) unlike ours, so it is (mostly) impossible for us to understand them.
Which, of course, begs the question: how can each of these films be so impressive and (generally) well liked by the common person?
If one’s life had to be restructured into a narrative for Tuesday matinee consumption, invariably the timeline would be compressed, with seemingly key elements eliminated. That so-called defining moment of you finally beating your elementary school classmate in a game of basketball wouldn’t make it through the first draft. And this wouldn’t happen only in the first half of your life, either; if this theoretical film was being made about you after your death, it would almost certainly skip over your final couple of decades. Each life has a climax, but it’s so rarely at the end; I knew my grandfather for twenty-nine years, and each of those years occurred after where I would guess the climax to his life story could be found. And it is so rare for a person’s death to be the climax to their story – although it must be noted that John F. Kennedy’s death certainly was his – as most deaths happen slowly, and even the sudden ones don’t necessarily punctuate a life story properly. (Put simply, in most murder mysteries, the death of the victim is the catalyst for the story, not the exclamation mark on that story’s end.) If I dropped dead today, the presumptive climax of my story would have occurred more than half a decade ago. You never know when the most notable element of your story is going to come, all you know is you will have half a metaphorical film after it to parse its meaning to your continued existence.
What both Jackie and Manchester by the Sea depict is a life with a climax, albeit a life with a climax that occurs in the middle. Jackie Kennedy lived to 64, and Lee will presumably live another couple decades at least, but each was defined long before their respective death.
As Manchester by the Sea ended, its hushed ending reframed the middle of the film. As I recalled Lee trying to kill himself, I realized that was the climax of the film, the climax of his depressing existence. It was the most tragic moment of a tragic story, and the film’s overloud music reflected that. Everything that comes after was defined by that decision, so the placement of climactic music in the middle of a film becomes an acceptable choice.
With Jackie, the ending is equally decisive, if not exactly honest. We see Jackie in a happy moment, but we know that all of what she said means that there was no such pure happiness. There was never a Camelot, despite what the article said. Her life was defined in the middle, and all she could do was reframe it to make it seem like it wasn’t. Her life was redefined by the singular tragic moment (although I am willing to accept that the death of her child might have been equally traumatic – discussing Jackie as a film and Jackie as a real person can’t be unlinked), and all she could do in the aftermath was try to help the public settle on a certain definition.
Nobody’s life really finishes at the end of their story. The climax happens, and then it reshapes your life for the remainder of your days, regardless of what you say (or which Life reporter you talk to) about it. We’re consistently marching to an end we know will come, but we don’t necessarily know where the story’s end happens and its analysis begins. Jackie and Lee had such obvious ending points that they knew their defining moments immediately; most of us have to wait before we realize the impact a particular moment has on us. And then we will sit on the edge of a boat, waiting for the fade out. It may not always be particularly satisfying, but this is how it is.
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Category: Michael Longoria
Michael Longoria and Joe Piscopo Together Again
Catherine • May 25, 2012 • Comments (0)
Looking for a Midtown Men fix this Memorial Day weekend? Head down to the Jersey Shore where you will find Michael Longoria performing with pal Joe Piscopo at Wildwoods Celebration of Heroes Festival.
The Wildwoods salute America’s military service men and women, veterans and first responders with a live concert, entertainment, sports events, activities and a USO Variety Show featuring Joe Piscopo and his 17-piece orchestra; Michael Longoria; Miss America 2012 and Lee Greenwood.
The show is Sunday, May 27th at 8:00 p.m. Visit Wildwoods website for more information.
The Midtown Men Thrill in Dubuque
“It was a testament from these four musical ambassadors — the uplifting power of truly great music performed by truly great talent never fades.”
This is what Midtown Men fans love to hear: a reporter who GETS IT, just as we do. Oh What A Night it was in Dubuque!
Midtown Men croon at the Mississippi Moon
The foursome treats 2 sold-out audiences to a nostalgic trip back to the hits of the 1960s.
BY MEGAN GLOSS, Telegraph Herald staff writer
It was a night of sweet nostalgia and a groove down memory lane as the soaring sounds of four-part harmony, ’60s-styled, filled every crevice of the Mississippi Moon Bar on Friday, sending chills through the crowd.
The Midtown Men Michael Longoria (from left), Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer perform one of their two concerts Friday night at the Diamond Jo Casino's Mississippi Moon Bar
The Midtown Men took the stage for two sold-out performances, featuring high-energy and more crooning hits than one might think possible to pack into an hour-and-a-half show.
The Midtown Men reunites the four original stars from Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” — Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer — who performed alongside one another for more than 1,000 shows on Broadway. The hit juke-box musical opened in 2005 and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
While the show told the story of The Four Seasons and heavily featured the music of the famed quartet, The Midtown Men’s performance — now in its second year of touring the country — served as a musical smorgasbord of ’60s vocal groups, with a sprinkle of casual humor, favorite memories from “Jersey Boys” and stories of their most recent stints on the road.
The audience was made up primarily of those who grew up with the music of the ’60s.
From the show’s opening medley, “Let’s Hang On,” “Working My Way Back to You” and “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” to soul-inspired Motown renditions and the sing-along encore, “Oh, What a Night,” the four singers effortlessly transitioned from tune to tune, letting their voices and tight harmonization bask in the warm glow of the limelight.
“During ‘Jersey Boys,’ we naturally fell in love with the greatest decade of music,” Spencer said, accompanied by bursts of cheers and applause. “Back stage, in the dressing room, we started working out the harmonies to our favorite groups from the ’60s until it gave birth to a show of our own. We’re having the time of our lives.”
The foursome really shined on The Four Seasons selections, “Dawn,” “Candy Girl,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Sherry,” each featuring Longoria’s high soaring vocals, channeling Frankie Valli. His voice also was well-suited for a young Michael Jackson on the Jackson 5 hit, “I Want You Back.”
Patrons treated the group to a standing ovation and were singing in the aisles after the show, grinning from ear to ear.
Category: Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, Media, Michael Longoria, The MEN, The MUSIC
“Katie Couric turned the ‘Boys’ into ‘Men’…
‘Jersey Boys’ into ‘The Midtown Men,’ that is.”
Article by Bruce Miller, Sioux City Journal
J. Robert Spencer, Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria and Daniel Reichard are The Midtown Men. The four met in the original Broadway cast of "Jersey Boys."
Asked to sing at the former CBS anchor’s 50th birthday party, four members of the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” liked the experience and, says Christian Hoff, the idea of becoming a group “just snowballed from there.”
The four booked several concerts, liked the reaction and figured life as The Midtown Men “would be a side gig until our next Broadway shows,” Hoff says. “But what we set in motion was bigger than we ever expected.”
Now, Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer and Michael Longoria are so busy they’ve got concert engagements into 2013.
“What we’re doing is eclipsing our experience in ‘Jersey Boys’ — if that was at all possible. We’re living out a dream.”
All four sang as teenagers; two were in bands. Then Broadway entered their lives and acting looked like the chosen profession.
They met in the original cast of “Jersey Boys,” the musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Hoff played Tommy DeVito, Reichard played Bob Gaudio and Spencer played Nick Massi. Longoria was originally cast as Joe Pesci, then played Frankie Valli after John Lloyd Young left.
The four played around with other ’60s music during the run of the show. They liked what they heard and decided it would be fun to cover hits from some of the Four Seasons’ competition. The result? A catalog that includes the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Ike and Tina Turner, the Turtles, the Rascals, the Righteous Brothers — you name it.
“We made a choice to do less than 40 percent of our set from either the ‘Jersey Boys’ or Frankie Valli,” Hoff says. “Jersey Boys” producers were concerned they were going to do a Frankie Valli-lite version of the show.
“When the dust settled, they realized this was very different from ‘Jersey Boys.’ The only thing that tied us together was that we were in the show.”
Now, with a CD to their credit, the four are making a name for themselves in a different arena.
“It’s very surreal,” Hoff says. “We’re living out a life and a lifestyle that we once portrayed. You’re entertaining from your toes. You’re not portraying another person.”
People identify with them — not their characters — “and there’s no way to describe that. It’s an entertainer’s dream to live in the moment. It’s connecting to the music, yourself and the story of the song. You use your own life experience as the inspiration.”
While all four have had acting offers (can anyone say “Smash”?), they’ve had to put those opportunities on hold while they pursue this option.
Acting, Hoff says, will definitely be a part of their lives. “I’m very excited about the weight and experience this is giving me in my creative soul. These experiences are shaping my character.”
The Midtown Men’s future will definitely include original music. “We’re breathing new life into old music. What we’d like to do next is put our old sound on new music.”
Classics from the 1950s and 1960s, he says, have influenced artists like Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green and Adele. Competition shows are filled with young singers performing covers. “The music is still alive and well, whether you know it or not,” Hoff says.
And “Jersey Boys”? It keeps chugging along. In addition to selling out on tour, it’s still running on Broadway. Young, in fact, has agreed to return to the show.
Hoff, however, doubts any of the Midtown Men will follow his lead. “My gut instinct, as a group, is that’s a position we’ve outgrown. The phenomenon of ‘Jersey Boys’ lives on in a parallel universe.”
Interestingly, Hoff has never seen the show since leaving it.
“When I left ‘Jersey Boys’ I had been in the shoes of my character for 10 percent of my life — I was 40 and it was four years of my life. To relive it would almost be like trying to time travel.”
The show? It was more than just another job for Hoff. He was involved in its birth in La Jolla, Calif.
The show was tailored to the actors’ talents. And Hoff’s character? He became the heart and soul of the story. The actor earned a Tony nomination for the work — his first Broadway role in 10 years — and viewed the experience as something pretty magical.
The Tony nomination, he says, was validation he had accomplished “what I was called to do.”
The day of the Tony Awards was as hectic as show business gets. In the morning, Hoff and company rehearsed at Radio City Music Hall. In the afternoon they performed a matinee. At night, they did the red carpet, performed on the show and sat in the audience waiting to hear whose name would be called.
Hoff braced himself “and five minutes later I was on stage and the crowd was on its feet. It was so surreal…but it was a triumph for all of us.”
The Best Featured Actor in a Musical trophy sits on his mantel, a tribute to a perfect experience.
Now, Hoff says, there’s a new challenge, a new venture.
“When we started, we weren’t sure if this would have legs,” he says of The Midtown Men. “Now, we’re watching it becoming a phenomenon. We’re not just the talent. We’re the producers, the directors, the choreographers and we’re in control.
“With that control comes responsibility, but we’re ready for it.
“It was a dream of mine to be in a band. Now,” he says, “I’m living the dream.”
The Midtown Men will play Winnavegas Casino at 8 p.m. on May 19. Tickets are $20 in advance, $40 day of show. For more information, call Winnavegas, 1-800-468-9466.
Latest Quiz Answers (And Winner)
Catherine • May 7, 2012 • Comments (2)
Congratulations to Barbara Gandy! Barbara had the most correct answers on the latest 60s music quiz. Enjoy your Midtown Men tote, Barbara!!
Here are the answers:
The Four Seasons hit ‘Sherry’ was #3 for the year 1962, and spent 16 weeks on the charts – five of them at #1. (“Big Girls Don’t Cry also hit #1 in 1962 and also spent five weeks in the top position, so either answer was acceptable.)
“This kid could be the next (Michael) Bublé.” Joe Piscopo said this about Michael Longoria.
In 1966, the Beach Boys released the iconic album Good Vibrations.
Four Seasons #1 hit ‘Sherry’ was originally titled ‘Jackie Baby’, in honor of Jackie Kennedy.
In the name “Booker T & The M.G.’s”, the M.G. stands for Memphis Group.
In 2007, Daniel Reichard did a hilarious rendition of the Biz Markie rap song ‘Just A Friend’.
‘Marlena’ was the B-side to ‘Candy Girl’.
Patti LaBelle sang with the 1960’s girl group ‘The Bluebelles’.
Christian Hoff was up against, and beat out, Jim Dale for both the “Best Featured Actor in a Musical” Tony award in 2006, and the world record for “Most Character Voices in an Audio Book” for Tell Me How You Love the Picture.
Billy Fury had hits in the 1960’s with ‘Jealousy’, ‘Halfway to Paradise’, and ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’?
J. Robert Spencer lists Improv Olympic – Stand Up on his resumé.
‘Candy Girl’ was the first Four Seasons single NOT composed by either Bob Gaudio or Bob Crewe.
Category: Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, Michael Longoria, Q & A
The Midtown Men in Concert – Fresh, New and Comfortingly Familiar
Catherine • March 17, 2012 • Comments (2)
As I sit down to write this, The Midtown Men are taking the stage in Emporia, VA. And even though I’m several hundred miles away, I’m excited. I’m excited for the long-time fans who have been waiting, counting the days until they see their beloved MEN again. I’m excited for the hundreds who will see them for the first time, whose lives will not be the same after tonight for they, too, will be counting the months, weeks, days until they can see these fabulous MEN again. And I’m excited for Christian, Michael, Daniel and J. Robert, for another opportunity to do what they live to do – thoroughly entertain their audience. Something they never fail to do, night after night after night.
I had the extreme pleasure of seeing The Midtown Men last week in Lakeland, FL. And yes, I did count the months, weeks and days. And yes, the wait was well worth it. As I sat in the audience, filled with anticipation, and excited for the people around me who were seeing the show for the first time, I worried, “Can they possibly be as good as they were the last time I saw them? Or the four times before that?” I sure hoped so, because I had my “doubting Thomas” sister in tow, who, just a year before had turned her nose up at an invitation to see the show because she thought I was a little bit “Midtown Men” crazy.
Well, maybe I was, and maybe I still am, but now she understands why – she gets it. Because they absolutely were AS GOOD as the five times I’d seen them before. And more than that, they were somehow able to make me feel as if I were seeing them for the first time. They gave me goose bumps and made me smile so much my face hurt. And they seemed to be having as much fun as the audience. They were loose and funny, and so comfortable on the stage. The way they interact with each other and with the audience makes everyone feel a part of it. And the way their eyes light up when they spot a familiar face in the crowd is heart warming. They truly are a special group of men.
The fact that “my MEN” hadn’t changed in the five months since I’d seen them last was somehow comforting. No, they hadn’t changed, but some things were definitely different. The Midtown Men managed to change things up in such a way that a returning fan wouldn’t feel as if there was something missing, but would be excited at the fresh, new feel. They even changed their suits! Not to worry, they are still the very sharp dressers we’ve come to expect, but they literally changed from one fabulous suit to another at intermission!
The addition of a very cool backdrop – a black and white cityscape of Midtown Manhattan, with “MM” in spotlights in the sky – is fabulous! And I was thrilled that “Daydream Believer” was still in the set, in honor of Davy Jones. Daniel does such a tremendous job with that classic. But the biggest surprise of the night for me was Bobby Spencer rocking the house to “Vehicle” – so sexy and so cool – I was blown away.
Yes, new is fun, but I was very happy that my favorites hadn’t changed. I just love Christian’s “Time of the Season” – another sexy and cool performance (…hmm, I sense a theme.) And although I’d never heard “Candy Girl” before TMM, I love to hear Michael hit those ridiculously high notes, and the audience loves it. I could go on about my favorites, but that would take all night! Suffice it to say, by the end of the show the entire audience and I were on our feet, dancing, clapping and singing. “Oh What A Night” it was – thank you Midtown Men!
Click here to visit The Midtown Men’s concert calendar and find a show near you!
Sixties Hits Promo Video
I have so much to share about my visit with The Midtown Men in Lakeland, but I’ve been crazy busy. So please enjoy this very cool video in the meantime!
Click here to purchase your CD from The Midtown Men Store
Category: Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, Michael Longoria, The MEN, The MUSIC
The Midtown Men Hit Canada
Catherine • February 16, 2012 • Comments (0)
The Midtown Men played the first of three shows at the McPhillips Casino in Winnipeg last night. From there, it’s on to the Casino Regina (in Regina) for their last stop in Canada.
Check out the concert calendar to see where they’ll visit next. And check out this fabulous write-up in today’s Leader-Post:
Midtown Men freshen up classics
Show adds new twists on old hits
By Barbara Woolsey, The Leader Post
For four Broadway actors, Jersey Boys was just the beginning.
And some beginning it was – the production is one of the biggest musicals of all time, winning multiple Tony awards and spawning over a thousand performances.
Now, a few former cast members are embarking on a new adventure. This time, not as Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, but as The Midtown Men.
“We started singing together outside of the show, just for fun in our dressing rooms, for private parties,” explained group member Christian Hoff. “After we left (Jersey Boys), we really missed singing with each other and the unique bond that we had in the music . and what it’s brought us is more than a concert act, but completely beyond anything that we did portraying the Four Seasons.”
Hoff along with Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer and Michael Longoria, sing music from the likes of the Beatles, Beach Boys, and of course, Franki Valli. The biggest challenge, said Hoff, is trying to fully capture the era in a 90-minute show.
The hits are classic, but done with a fresh take. It’s that approach that’s being applauded by not only those who grew up with the music, but the new generation.
“What we do on stage, it’s very Rat Pack meets Mad Men, ” explained Hoff, who portrayed Tommy DeVito in the musical. “Old school, off the cuff. You know, we even rip each other. We bring our hearts to the music.”
Now, The Midtown Men are touring North America …
“We have to pinch ourselves constantly,” said Hoff. “Here we are in front of thousands of people and they’re standing and cheering for us as individuals and as artists and singers, not as the characters we played in Jersey Boys. That’s a great surprise.”
Such an accomplishment hasn’t come easily.
“We’ve turned down Broadway, TV and film to try and do this,” explained Hoff. “There have been great sacrifices . but what we’ve said no to has been eclipsed by the success we’ve had.”
The Midtown Men recently recorded an album called Sixties Hits and plan to hit the studio again soon. The band is also collaborating with orchestras in Canada and the U.S., to add another dimension to its live performance.
“The tension that keeps us together is like that of brothers or teammates,” said Hoff. “But when it comes to the music of the 1960s, we know that we are stronger together. It’s being together that’s blowing us up.”
On The Road Again!
Catherine • February 4, 2012 • Comments (0)
The Midtown Men kicked off their 2012 “TOUR” in perfect style tonight at the Tennesee Williams Theatre, located on the beautiful campus of Florida Keys Community College. A friend who was in attendance reported that the sold out crowd went wild! She also shared that she spoke with a reporter after the show who shared that he has covered shows down there (Key West, FL) for 18 years and has never been to a performance he has enjoyed like this one. WELL, WE COULD HAVE TOLD HIM THAT!!
What a fantastic way to start off the year! And let’s hope the MEN, Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, can get a little rest down there in the Keys, because they are in for quite a TRIP…in just the next eight weeks they will perform 19 shows in 16 cities, including 4 shows in CANADA!
Check out the 2012 Concert Calendar for a show near you. I will update the calendar as new shows are announced, so please keep checking back.
Oh What A Weekend, Part 2
Catherine • October 28, 2011 • Comments (1)
So…as you may remember from Oh What A Weekend, Part 1, I was in Birmingham with my niece and Atlanta “girls”, having just listened in on The Midtown Men’s sound check. And of course, to us, they sounded perfect! Now, still on our high from that amazing experience, we went in search of a quick bite to eat and got back just in time for the opening number.
This show at the Leslie Stephen Wright Fine Arts Center was my fourth time seeing The Midtown Men. And I can honestly say that the excitement hadn’t diminished one little bit. From the opening curtain to the final notes of “Bye, Bye, Baby”, I was entranced. I clapped, I sang, I laughed, I danced…but I didn’t miss what was going on in the audience around me…
…A young girl, a teenager, was with her mother in the row in front of us. She knew every word to every song, and she didn’t stop smiling throughout the entire show…
…A burly, middle-aged man sat next to his dancing-in-her-seat, singing, clapping wife, and I thought, “Oh, no, he’s not happy.” Then I could sense a change in him. He realized that he knew these songs, yes, he LIKED these songs. He began to sing every song, and before long was clapping as wildly as his wife…
…A young woman in the front row with her mother was mesmerized. I could tell that this show meant a lot to her and she enjoyed every moment of it. I later ran into her in the lobby and learned that she had met Bobby Spencer after seeing him in “Next to Normal” on Broadway, and was blown away by his performance. She saw on his Facebook page that he had “landed in Birmingham”, and rushed to find out why. She is now not only a J. Robert Spencer fan, but a Midtown Men fan forever…
…A woman in the front row was beyond ecstatic – clapping and dancing and giving many ovations. We learned half way through the show that The Men had met her (among a few others in attendance) on the airplane and invited them to come to the show. Well, they came, alright, and they had a ball…
…A gaggle of college girls laughed and giggled and hooted throughout the show…what good taste they have at such an early age…
…And there we were, all but my niece had the great fortune of meeting these Men when they were still together on Broadway, and we fell in love with them, with their sound, their talents, their kindness and genuineness. And we are so grateful that we have the opportunity to share in this “second life” that they have made together and that they so joyously share with all the fans.
L to R: Christian, Michael, Mary, Carolyn, Catherine, Bobby, Daniel
And of course, after the show, the Men were there, signing autographs, shaking hands, smiling and laughing and making every single person feel as if he were the only person in the room. They have that gift, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the hundreds of new fans they make at each and every show.
L to R: Bobby, Christian, Donna, Marilyn, Sharon, Mary, Linda, Michael, Daniel
Thank you, my friends, for making that day and night in Birmingham an awesome experience that I will think of fondly for a long time to come.
In my next installment, I follow The Midtown Men to Macon – another day, another show, a completely different experience (a good one, of course!)
The Midtown Men…A Well Crafted Evening of Nostalgia
By Punch Shaw
Special to DFW.com
Posted 11:24pm on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011
(excerpt)
FORT WORTH — Broadway has been proudly wearing its rock ‘n’ roll shoes for several years now, with efforts ranging from a slew of jukebox musicals to Green Day’s ambitious American Idiot.
The Midtown Men, a quartet that emerged from one of those greatest-hits shows, Jersey Boys, came to Bass Hall on Wednesday night to deliver an extremely slick evening of early ’60s rock nostalgia.
With their dark suits, skinny red ties, tight harmonies and highly choreographed dance steps, the group looked a bit like a Kennedy-era version of N’Sync as they smoothly glided through a 90-minute set of early rock immortals from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (the band celebrated in Jersey Boys) and a long list of other greats from roughly 1960 through 1966.
The group — Michael Longoria, J. Robert Spencer, Daniel Reichard and Christian Hoff — was at its best with midtempo pop numbers that feature strong harmonies, such as California Dreamin’ and all the tunes in a long Beach Boys medley that started with I Get Around and ended with Sloop John B. And of course the Four Seasons songs that the group sang on Broadway for years also went over well. But surprisingly, the best of that bunch was Candy Girl, which they did not perform in Jersey Boys.
Longoria, who had played Valli in the musical, was impressive while imitating a voice that cannot really be imitated. And in addition to doing more than justice to his Four Seasons numbers and those that do not require falsetto, he also did a brief (but hilarious) impersonation of the actor Joe Pesci. But Longoria was not the whole show. All four singers, who were backed by a seven-piece band, took leads at various times and passed their auditions…
…Overall, the show, played before a crowd of about 1,300, had plenty of energy and glowed with a love of its material. It was a well-crafted evening of nostalgia…
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Malmö, Sweden's The Brimstone Days are back with their second full-length album in 14 months. I reviewed their last album, 'On a Monday Too Early To Tell' only early this year and their formula of happy-go-lucky, riff-centric rock took me by surprise. They are one of the most unique bands out there in their approach to things, and while I may not share their 'everything is rosy' philosophy on a personal level, I can certainly appreciate their incredibly consistent level of hard rocking output. The same goes for their presentation, though I may not like 'choreography' as a general thing, I definitely marvel at the band's single camera, single take music videos. 'The Healer' offers up 11 tracks of pure fun and blue eyed soul. If there is a band today who wear their hearts on their sleeves any more vulnerably than this hard rocking trio, I haven't heard them.
As far as that consistency level goes, one may make the argument that 14 months isn't long enough time in between albums. Not enough 'life' has happened in the meantime and there isn't enough growth as an individual to put on showcase as an artist. That may or may not be a valid argument and if it is, it would apply here. Then again, The Brimstone Days was never the kind of band that was going to be steeped in contemplation and self-reflection. As a unit, they have been put on this earth to do one thing and one thing only: to have a good time. That's what comes through in the music most of all.
The album opens with "Black and Blue" which continues the band's observation of hard rock Holy Relics, as they had on their last album, paying tribute to Hendrix, Lynott and Clapton without directly ripping off any riffs. Southern swamp funk washes in to the appropriately titled "We Come In Peace". It's a pretty accurate statement of the band's overall party rock approach. They mean no harm. After all, what could be more peaceful than a raging housewrecker?
The Brimstone Days also have their old school soul moments, "Clap Your Hands" and "I Won't Let You Go", capturing the genuine funk flavor of Sam & Dave or The Staple Singers. Blue eyed soul is not the kind of thing you hear a lot of nowadays, The Brimstone Days pull it off with genuine soul and fire. But, the band finds their most positive moment on "Miss Understood". The line "They call me crazy I say misunderstood" really resonates for a lifelong weirdo like myself. The song is like a clap on the shoulder and a supportive wink. No, The Brimstone Days aren't going to engage in a deep, meaningful coffee shop conversation about "your illness", they are just going to stand there grinning and say, "yeah man, it's okay, go nuts if you want, we won't judge you". The only difficult thing in an atmosphere like that is for the crazy guy not to take things too far.
'The Healer' picks up where 'On a Monday Too Early To Tell' left off, but if there were a noticable difference between the two albums, 'The Healer' finds the band in a slightly more thoughtful mood. Quieter songs find a toehold on this album and certainly don't dominate, but their presence is felt. For every quiet song though, there are two or three of the exuberant kind. Of course, there are quiet moments within the exuberant songs ... But you know what, 'The Healer' pretty much sees the band continuing along a linear trajectory. A trajectory which points towards wherever the nearest party is.
And the nearest party happens in Sweden on November 6 when 'The Healer' will be released on an unsuspecting public pushing desperately through their humdrum lives. The Brimstone Days will brighten up the winter months. As for the rest of us around the world, we can expect a release date of December 8. The album will be released on CD and black and yellow vinyl through Transubstans Records. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a new video, I'm sure it will be crazy, but we won't judge them for it.
Highlights include: "Nightmare Is Here" and "Miss Understood".
From: Malmö, Sweden
Genre: Hard Rock, Funk, Soul
Reminds me of: Jimi Hendrix, Sam Cooke, Small Faces
Release Date: November 6, 2013 (Sweden), December 8 (Worldwide)
The Brimstone Days on facebook
Labels: Album Reviews, Rock, Sweden, The Brimstone Days, Transubstans Records
Magdalena 27 January 2014 at 05:25
Thanks for a great review! So happy you like The Brimstone Days!
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FeaturesNews and Features
GOP nativists have taken aim at a fundamental principle defining the American republic: birthright citizenship. Their legal rationale has an unlikely source: a liberal professor who totally opposes their aims. And that’s just where things start to get interesting with Constitutional law scholar Rogers Smith.
BY TREY POPP | Photograph by Candace diCarlo
Sidebar: Walls or Welcome Mats? | Plus: Further Reading
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”—US Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1
In July 2018, hot on the heels of a 14-month stint as a senior official in President Donald Trump W’68’s National Security Council, Michael Anton authored an arresting op-ed in the Washington Post.
Download a PDF of this article
Prior to joining the administration, Anton was probably best known as the author of “The Flight 93 Election,” a treatise he wrote under the pen name Publius Decius Mus. Addressed to conservative intellectuals, it posited that failure to defeat Hillary Clinton was tantamount to airline passengers not charging the cockpit of the Al Qaeda-hijacked flight. The essay lauded Trump as the first presidential candidate since Pat Buchanan to campaign against Washington’s “bipartisan junta” on the three “fundamental issues of our time”: opposing free trade, US war-making, and—most importantly—immigration, which Anton characterized as “the ceaseless importation of Third World foreigners with no tradition of, taste for, or experience in liberty” who pollute American life with “poverty, crime, and alien cultures.”
Anton’s preoccupation with immigration had been evident in his first post-White House Washington Post op-ed, titled “Why do we need more people in this country anyway?” (His answers: to ensure oligarchs an “endless influx of cheap labor” and swell the Democratic Party’s voting base—both of which he judged contrary to the national interest.) But it was his second op-ed that sparked a furor, for it targeted the most fundamental principle governing who “We the People of the United States” are: birthright citizenship.
Since the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, US law has automatically conferred citizenship on every person born on American soil. Birthright citizenship had already been customary but had previously been denied to free blacks and slaves. By codifying it in race-neutral terms within the Constitution itself, the Fourteenth Amendment’s framers aimed to establish a society without an underclass of people denied the American promise.
In a nation with a long history of exclusion—states had denied suffrage and other political rights to Catholics, Quakers, Jews, and unpropertied white men, and continued to exclude women from civic participation—the Fourteenth Amendment was a high-water mark of the Reconstruction-era Republican Party’s drive for inclusiveness. For many it exemplified Lincoln’s view of the purpose of the American republic: “augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people, of all colors, everywhere.”
But at points during the past 150 years, some have lamented it as overly inclusive. Most recently, voices within the modern Republican Party have decried the US’s approach to birthright citizenship for what they consider a critical defect: the fact that it grants citizenship to the newborn children of noncitizens. This is true. Although children of diplomats or enemy soldiers do not qualify, babies born to green-card holders, temporary legal residents, tourists, and others become citizens by dint of a US birth certificate. The class that most agitates many Republicans is unauthorized immigrants.
In proposing that newborns to such parents be excluded from birthright citizenship, Anton wasn’t saying anything that party leaders like US Senators Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul hadn’t said before. Trump himself had attacked birthright citizenship as a candidate, calling it “the biggest magnet for illegal immigration.”
Anton’s provocation was to declare that the Fourteenth Amendment had in fact been misinterpreted for the last 150 years—and that Trump had the authority to issue an executive order specifying that “the children of noncitizens are not citizens.”
The ensuing dustup followed a predictable template. Liberal pundits tarred Anton and his fellow travelers as xenophobes and racists. Others—including a fair number of conservatives—cited constitutional scholars to catalogue the ways Anton had misread the law. Consternation flared about whether a wrecking ball was being readied to demolish a central pillar of Lincoln’s legacy. After all, Trump had expressed the same unorthodox view of the Fourteenth Amendment in 2015, claiming that “some of the great legal scholars” agreed with him.
In fact, American legal scholars overwhelmingly disagree. Support for the conventional view of birthright citizenship runs from liberal Fourteenth Amendment authority Garrett Epps to originalist James Ho, a Trump-appointed federal circuit judge. But Trump’s alma mater happens to house a remarkable exception.
Rogers Smith, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, is about as far as you can get from Michael Anton or Donald Trump. The self-described “left liberal” has spent his entire professional life preoccupied by the ways race, ethnicity, and gender have been used to privilege some Americans at the expense of others. He has long advocated higher levels of legal immigration. He has argued that the US has incurred special obligations to Mexican nationals including favored “access to American residency and citizenship” as well as “leniency toward undocumented Mexican immigrants.”
Smith also pioneered the revisionist view of the Fourteenth Amendment’s citizenship clause now being deployed by nativists who stand in stark opposition to so many values he holds dear. This is the story of how that came to be, and why it matters. Moments when the far ends of the political spectrum converge can clarify the challenges facing a society, and sometimes point to fresh solutions. Moments when they simultaneously converge and clash can be even more revealing. As the United States wrestles anew with the question Who belongs?, and citizens confront competing visions of the nation’s purpose, there’s a lot riding on how we secure the ties that bind us together as a common people.
Portrait of a Teenaged Politico
Rogers Smith was born in 1953 in legally segregated Spartanburg, South Carolina. His family moved the following year to Springfield, Illinois, where his father started a wholesale drug distribution business. It was a typical Eisenhower-era childhood: Sunday School, cowboys and Indians, and brother-vs.-brother battles with World War II toy soldiers. By the time he was in second grade, Smith saw himself as a budding patriot of a familiar “white Anglo-Saxon Protestant” variety: “I knew that, like Lincoln and my parents, I was a Republican, and I watched and thought Nixon won the first debate” of the 1960 presidential campaign.
Smith may or may not have been the only seven-year-old in town with a hot take on the nation’s first-ever televised presidential debate. But there can’t have been many who fell for politics as hard as he did. After proclaiming himself a Goldwater Republican in 1964—a connection reinforced by an aunt who chaired the senator’s campaign in South Carolina—Smith dove headfirst into party politics. Interest morphed into action when his older brother discovered a “faltering and moribund” local teenage Republican club whose bylaws permitted new members to vote upon paying a $1 membership fee. The Smith boys rounded up a dozen friends with a dozen dollars, turned up at the club’s leadership election, and presto: at 13, Rogers became his brother’s vice president.
In short order he climbed the ranks to become president of the statewide organization and gained a reputation as an underage field commander in election-day turnout efforts. He went all in. While his three brothers worked summers for their dad, Rogers took patronage jobs instead. “I like to boast a little bit,” he chuckles, “that by the time I was 16, I had worked in all three branches of the Illinois state government.”
He was a page in the state senate, a clerk in the secretary of state’s office, and a clerk for the state Supreme Court. The experience was part intellectual intoxication, part political culture shock.
“Five Illinois governors during my lifetime have been indicted and convicted,” he reflects, adding that two more probably should have been. The state capitol was a feeding ground for corruption and graft. “My parents were very straight people. I was thrown into shockingly deep morasses of all kinds of evil.”
There was the “impoverished drunk” the Daley machine had installed in the state senate—where older pages were charged with keeping the coffee mugs filled with whiskey—who begged Smith for $15 to get back to Chicago at day’s end. There were the so-called “monkey girls”: women from country towns who hung onto their jobs in the state capitol “by their tails”—like a fellow page’s mother who frequented the majority leader’s chambers as his mistress. There was Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell, “drunk out of his mind” at 10 in the morning while signing Smith’s petition for the 18-year-old vote (which the GOP opposed). When Powell died a few years later, a search of his room at Springfield’s St. Nick Hotel revealed $750,000 in cash stashed behind old whiskey cases.
At the same time, Smith found inspiration in figures like Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon and Assemblyman Alan Dixon, who combined a glad-handing touch with integrity and intellectual seriousness. “These were guys with whom you could have an intelligent conversation about the ideals of politics, who did read and who did care,” Smith recalls. And it was people like these—both of whom eventually became US Senators—that really influenced policy.
Another brand of evil made an impression too deep to shake.
“Because I was this up-and-coming teenage Republican leader, I would get invited to the formal leadership conferences,” Smith recalls, where “the older guys, in their 20s, would hold late-night sessions where you got the real stuff. They would teach you dirty tricks you could play on opponents. And they would get drunk—we would get drunk—and then they would start singing obscene songs.” Like racist ditties set to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
“And that’s when I began to freak out,” he remembers. There was a “far-right racist element” in the Republican Party that was increasingly impossible to ignore, especially as the Nixon-era GOP “turned away from Lincoln’s cause of civil rights.”
Disillusionment sent him running from the party—but not from politics. As an undergrad at Michigan State University’s James Madison College, and then as a graduate student at Harvard, he worked for legislative and regulatory commissions in Michigan and Illinois. The experiences reinforced a lesson he’d taken from his political work as a teen: “People involved in immediate decision-making are very dependent on the universe of ideas around them. They reach for ideas thinking they’re going to be useful for them.”
In other words, original thought is rare in politicians. As John Maynard Keynes quipped: “Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.”
So Smith set out to become such a scribbler.
Liberalism, Republicanism, and America’s Dark Underbelly
The young idealist entered the Ivory Tower—as a professor at Yale—during an idealistic academic debate. On one side were historians who located the US’s fundamental political character in the liberal vision of John Locke, who conceived of government as the product of a social contract designed to protect individuals’ rights to life, liberty, and property. On the other were scholars who argued that America’s founders had been guided more by civic republicanism, which envisioned citizens not simply as rights-bearers engaged in private pursuits of happiness, but as members of a communitarian enterprise that demanded forms of civic service to achieve civic virtues. The rise of “originalist” jurisprudence, which attempts to interpret the Constitution according to the perceived intent of its framers, gave such questions some practical significance.
As a way of contributing to this debate, Smith set out to explore empirically how citizenship had been characterized in federal statutes, legislative debates, and court decisions—surveying some 2,500 cases stretching from colonial times to the early 20th century. A clearer idea of how Americans had officially defined citizenship over time might serve as a good starting point for contemporary arguments about whether the country was tilting too far toward either the Lockean liberal or communitarian extreme.
But Smith was soon “overwhelmed” by the quantity of statutes, speeches, and decisions that didn’t really belong in either category. “Rather than stressing protection of individual rights for all in liberal fashion, or participation in common civic institutions in republican fashion,” he wrote in Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in US History, a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in history, “American law had long been shot through with forms of second-class citizenship, denying personal liberties and opportunities for political participation to most of the adult population on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, and even religion.” [Emphasis added.]
The Constitution’s failure to define citizenship was emblematic of this pattern. Tensions over how to classify free blacks, and whether citizenship should be determined by states or the national government, had discouraged the framers from including a clear-cut definition. The result was not only a divide between those with and without citizenship status, but wide disparities in rights and responsibilities among citizens themselves.
Well into the 20th century, for example, a male citizen who married a foreigner conferred automatic citizenship upon her, whereas a female citizen who did so was involuntarily stripped of citizenship, even if she remained in the United States. Citizenship wouldn’t have afforded her all the privileges and immunities it afforded men anyway. Never mind voting rights: American married women lacked the right to enter into contracts, file lawsuits, and control property for much of the 19th century, and couldn’t obtain independent financial credit until the 1970s. Depending on the time and state, meanwhile, men’s access to citizenship’s rights and responsibilities varied according to their race, creed, wealth, or place of birth.
These inegalitarian arrangements arose from “some very different ideological systems,” Smith concluded, but they had an important commonality: “Against liberal and democratic republican views describing citizenship as a human creation that ought to rest on the consent of all involved,” they assigned (or withheld) political rights on the basis of inalterable characteristics like race, gender, and the religion into which people were born.
Citizenship and Consent
Smith saw consent as the sine qua non of a political community’s legitimacy. Like Locke, he believed no one should be coerced into citizenship against their wishes. Especially not in the US, whose Declaration of Independence explicitly repudiated perpetual allegiance and asserted that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” And like republican theorists, Smith thought the addition of new members also required the existing community’s consent.
A strong conception of mutual consent is intuitively appealing but not necessarily benign. The tension between popular self-governance and basic human rights was vividly illustrated by the Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott decision. Free blacks, Chief Justice Roger Taney reasoned, could not be citizens because the states party to the Constitution had never consented to their membership.
The Fourteenth Amendment’s citizenship clause was specifically drafted to overturn Dred Scott, making citizenship a national rather than state determination and guaranteeing it to native-born and naturalized African Americans: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
The debate about birthright citizenship centers on what, precisely, that middle clause means.
In 1985, Smith coauthored a book with his Yale colleague Peter Schuck advancing an answer. Citizenship Without Consent was an unusual blend of antiquarian intellectual history and public-policy brief. The policy question was whether the Fourteenth Amendment mandated birthright citizenship for the children of unauthorized immigrants. It was impossible to know exactly what the amendment’s framers and ratifiers thought, for the simple reason that there was no such category as “unauthorized immigrant” in 1868. Congress did not begin regulating immigration until 1875.
But the legislative record was unambiguous on another count: while its abolitionist framers aimed to extend birthright citizenship to African Americans, they were determined to withhold it from both foreign diplomats and Native Americans who remained members of officially recognized tribes. Since tribal members were not fully subject to US legislative or judicial power—enjoying, for instance, broad immunities from court trials—the jurisdiction clause emerged as a way to exclude them. (The degree to which Native Americans desired or spurned citizenship is an open question, but insistence on tribal sovereignty has been an enduring feature of many tribes’ relationships with the United States.)
Would the framers have considered unauthorized immigrants—who also originate from separate political entities and whose presence on US soil is not invited—as analogous to Indian tribal members?
Again, a definitive answer is elusive. During the legislative debate, Senator Edgar Cowan of Pennsylvania warned his colleagues that the amendment’s language threatened to confer birthright citizenship upon Chinese, Mongols, and Gypsies—which he regarded as undesirable races. Senator John Conness of California answered that this was in fact the amendment’s express intent—“that the children of all parentage whatever, born in California, should be regarded and treated as citizens of the United States.” Yet a racially defined group simply disliked by some or many Americans is legally different, Smith observes, from one whose presence contravenes American law.
Seeking a deeper understanding of the jurisdiction clause, Schuck and Smith turned to the 18th-century Swiss legal theorists Emer de Vattel and Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, who had influenced the Constitution’s framers. They had recognized that birthright citizenship presented a theoretical problem: it was a common-law tradition rooted in a doctrine of perpetual and irrevocable allegiance to a sovereign. That was incompatible with democracy’s insistence that government be based on consent. Their innovation was to justify the practice instead on the grounds that “parents should be understood to demand the offer of citizenship to their children as a condition of their own consent to membership,” as Smith puts it.
Viewing the jurisdiction clause through the prism of Vattel and Burlamaqui, Schuck and Smith concluded that it made the birthright citizenship guarantee conditional on the presence of mutual consent. They felt the amendment’s framers would have viewed unauthorized immigrants in the same light as Native American tribes. At a minimum, that interpretation seemed as supportable as a contrary one.
And “when the Constitution itself does not answer important questions with clarity,” as they put it in a 2018 follow-up paper, “decision-making should usually be left to the people’s elected representatives in Congress, so long as they do not violate fundamental rights. This properly leaves Congress with the authority to decide the question of birthright citizenship for these children.”
An Academic’s Agony
One of the ironies of Citizenship Without Consent is that its authors advocated higher levels of immigration. Both went on to argue that the children of undocumented immigrants deserved access to citizenship. Schuck proposed “retroactive-to-birth citizenship for the US-born children of illegal-immigrant parents who demonstrate a substantial attachment” to the country by residing here for some minimum period and completing a certain level of schooling (which would ensure a baseline level of English proficiency and civic knowledge). Smith, who joined Penn’s faculty in 2001, has consistently favored retaining the birthright citizenship rule as it has always been applied. (For one thing, birthright citizenship almost certainly pales next to labor opportunities as the “biggest magnet” for illegal immigration. For another, making what has heretofore been a simple universal rule conditional on parents’ citizenship status would require an expansive bureaucratic apparatus whose documentary demands would make childbirth even more arduous for citizens than it already is.) But both have steadfastly insisted that Congress be the arbiter—and, in the book, expressed confidence that “after the issues are fully explored, contemporary Americans will decide generously.” In 1924, they noted, Congress had granted citizenship to Native Americans by statute.
The book soon went the way of many academic volumes: out of print. Then it experienced an unwelcome revival.
In 1993 US Rep. Elton Gallegly, a California Republican, cited it while introducing a bill and a proposed Constitutional amendment to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of mothers (but not fathers) with citizen or legal-resident status. The proposals failed but kicked off a trend. Similar bills have been introduced in every Congressional term since. They formed a plank of the 1996 Republican Party platform, though one publicly rejected by presidential candidate Bob Dole. In 2003, the influential conservative jurist Richard Posner used a concurring opinion to call for rolling back the birthright citizenship guarantee, pointedly citing Schuck and Smith to suggest that it wouldn’t take a Constitutional amendment to do so. Current Vice President Mike Pence introduced Senate legislation restricting birthright citizenship in 2009, and six years later Donald Trump became the first major party presidential candidate to endorse it.
Smith has long been more comfortable with his critics than his citers. “The argument was used more persistently and prominently by nativist political forces than I ever anticipated,” he says. “And that has been a shadow over my work in life.” His subsequent writing about the issue brims with generous references to scholarly counterarguments. “Garrett Epps is indeed the best of our critics,” he emailed me when I approached him about this article, adding, “Others are good too!”
“I would prefer to read the Citizenship Clause” as some of them do, he wrote in 2008. “Yet I cannot escape [my own] conclusion.”
I had thought too little about the legal framework of birthright citizenship to have an opinion about it at the outset. Reading both Smith and his critics sparked more questions than convictions, but on balance I found his critics more compelling. Does “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” really require such a roundabout historical reading? Couldn’t it simply mean “subject to the nation’s legal authority”—as is the case for any non-diplomat? Unauthorized immigrants can be arrested, imprisoned, and tried in US courts. Undocumented males are even required to register with the Selective Service System for potential military conscription—the ultimate assertion of a government’s jurisdictional authority.
The most relevant Supreme Court ruling, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), centered on a child born in the US to parents who were Chinese subjects. The parents were legal residents—but, under the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, had been prohibited from attaining citizenship. The majority ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed the child citizenship and that Congress could not alter that guarantee. It interpreted “subject to the jurisdiction” as a geographical condition joined with a requirement to answer to US law (diplomats being exempt from the latter). It did not find Emer de Vattel’s consensual gloss on birthright citizenship germane—though the dissenting opinion did.
Smith contends that since Wong Kim Ark involved parents who were legally present in the United States, it has limited relevance to the question of unauthorized immigrants. But Congress had expressly excluded Wong Kim Ark’s parents from the US political community—and the Court nevertheless ruled that their child was automatically a part of it. The Fourteenth Amendment’s framers clearly were not “adopting revolutionary new principles of citizenship by consent,” argues legal scholar Gerald Neuman. “Taney had done that in the Dred Scott decision … [and the] framers sought to overturn Taney’s innovation.”
Smith is no Taney acolyte. Why, I wondered, was he so obsessed with consent? And why did he emphasize Congress as the superior vehicle for expressing it, when the Constitution’s amendments offer an arguably even deeper expression of a political community’s will?
The answers to those questions cast Smith’s position in, by turns, a more compelling and provocative light.
Toward a New American Story
Smith started his academic career with a Lockean “individualistic liberal” bent. He gradually came to see himself more as “an Abraham Lincoln, civil rights, small-r republican.” (He notes that many of Lincoln’s policies—which included expansion of the federal government’s role in the economy, progressive income taxation, publicly supported universities, and other initiatives aimed at reducing wealth inequality—typify today’s left end of the political spectrum.) But in America those traditions have never truly been in sharp opposition.
“Everybody was for individual rights, and everybody was for republican self-governance, and everybody was for civic virtue,” he says. In varying combinations, those principles have helped bring about the signal democratic reforms to American life. But each victory has been difficult and susceptible to reversal—in large part due to the other ways Americans have historically tried to order their society. “Almost everybody was for white supremacy, Christian hegemony, patriarchy, et cetera,” Smith inescapably concluded from his exhaustive survey of citizenship laws.
In other words, Americans (like other peoples) have never been content seeing themselves as merely part of a Lockean “arms-length alliance” exercising inalienable rights to which every human being on earth is entitled. They have insisted their nationality has a more particular meaning than can be supplied by universalistic liberal ideals. And too often, Americans have turned to racial, gender, or religious hierarchies in search of it. (And not just in the distant past. A 2016 survey found that a majority of Republicans, and nearly two-thirds of Trump primary voters, considered “being Christian” an important criterion for being an American; 30 percent of Trump primary voters regarded European heritage as another important criterion.)
“The weaknesses of America’s egalitarian liberal republican traditions as civic ideologies,” Smith writes, “have recurringly permitted and indeed fostered conditions in which illiberal, inegalitarian” policies have flourished. “The clear lesson is that failure to take the political requirements of nation-building seriously may produce morally culpable complicity in malevolent forms of national community.”
Liberalism’s defenders, in short, must supply a compelling alternative to the tribalism lately on the rise in the US and around the world.
Francis Fukuyama, the political theorist who famously suggested in 1989 that the impending “universalization of Western liberal democracy” signaled “the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution,” has lately turned his attention to this very issue. The bind facing modern democracies, he posited during a September campus visit, is that they afford only a “generic recognition” to citizens who demand more. This has fueled an identity politics in which various groups, emphasizing their marginalization from the body politic, advance “group claims of injustice in ways that contradict liberal values.” The adoption of this tactic by right-wing figures, on behalf of majoritarian ethnic or religious groups who have in fact traditionally dominated political life and still have the numbers to do so, has turned it into a particularly dangerous weapon.
It is not good for democracy, Fukuyama contended, if “everyone is aligning into identity groups that are fixed by the way you were born.” The antidote, he declared, lies in cultivating a stronger sense of collective national identity. But “it has to be a civic identity,” he stressed, rooted in “a certain set of universal principles.” In America’s case, he suggested, that would be “belief in the US Constitution, in the rule of law, in the principle of equality embodied in the Declaration of Independence. You would say an American is somebody who believes in these things.”
But if nominal belief in universal principles hasn’t been sufficient in the past, as Smith argues, the future calls for a stronger supplement in order to achieve a just society. And that is why the issue of consent looms so large in his thinking.
One of the biggest challenges facing democratic citizenship today, he has written, is the prospect that “the rhetorical triumph of the ideal of democracy is being accompanied by the practical eclipse of democratic practices.” The increasing sway of supra-national organizations has fostered feelings of powerlessness in the US and around the world (as entities like the European Union or International Court of Criminal Justice agitate the right, while the World Trade Organization and multinational corporations infuriate the left). There is a gnawing sense that judiciaries have become more assertive and determinative of policy than legislative bodies (hence the conviction that Supreme Court appointments present nothing less than existential stakes).
“The reality of governance in the 21st century is that most citizens experience it as the preserve of a variety of economic and political experts and elites, and they are right to do so,” Smith observes. Global challenges do in fact require expertise and decision-making at levels far removed from “the scale of a New England town meeting.” But there are costs when citizens feel they have lost control—and the US’s approach to illegal immigration has exacted an especially high price.
The original sin of modern US immigration policy, in the eyes of many immigration opponents, was the Reagan-era Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which was taking shape as Schuck and Smith wrote Citizenship Without Consent. That “amnesty” failed to stanch the flow of unauthorized immigrants. Schuck and Smith worried that if “an increasing number of newcomers [can] claim political membership only because their parents” were seen to have exploited the rules, hostility toward them would metastasize into broader xenophobia. The result would be “harsh policies born of resentment and prejudice” targeting a wider spectrum of legal immigrants and citizens. Smith thinks their anxiety has been borne out in developments like the Trump administration’s cancelation of DACA “Dreamer” protections, detainment of juvenile asylum seekers, crackdowns on (high-skilled) H-1B and (low-skilled) H-2B visa admissions, sweeping cuts to refugee resettlement, and the Muslim-targeted travel ban.
These are symptoms, Smith believes, of a perceived loss of control. And they can have negative consequences for citizens as well. The USA Patriot Act, for instance, initially appeared to eliminate certain legal procedural rights for aliens—but the Bush administration argued that citizens under suspicion could be stripped of them too. More recently, the Washington Post reported on a “surge” in the number of US citizens thwarted in their effort to obtain passports, because the State Department regarded their birth certificates as “potentially fraudulent.”
“Although economically and politically conservative measures are often advanced in nationalist tones,” Smith notes, “[o]ften they simply reduce the level of rights both [citizens and aliens] can claim.”
The antidote Smith prescribes is a reinvigoration of consensual democratic decision-making where it matters most: defining the national community. If “citizenship laws made nationality as much a matter of choice as possible, then Americans could more genuinely regard their Americanism as something they could define as they saw fit.” They could, in short, regain a sense of control.
In a 2008 article in Penn’s Journal of Constitutional Law, Smith made a case that Congress had effectively expressed the electorate’s will regarding birthright citizenship; the repeated and conclusive failure of 15 (now 25) years’ worth of restrictionist bills amounted to a clear expression that Americans, through their elected representatives, have consented to reading the Fourteenth Amendment as guaranteeing birthright citizenship to children of all aliens born on American soil.
But that is not the only or even primary issue that concerns Smith. Partly because of his experience being subjected to the draft during the Vietnam War, he believes—and argued in Citizenship Without Consent—that the government should notify all 18-year-old Americans of their right to expatriate themselves and permit those who do to remain permanent resident aliens.
Somewhat more provocatively, he argues that the US is not likely to do away with the “differentiated citizenships” that have characterized its history—and should in fact embrace some of the possibilities they present.
“I think we waste a lot of time when we say we just want to do away with all that, when we don’t seriously want to do away with all that,” he says. “We just want to do away with certain forms of it.” Someone who cites the ideal of strictly uniform citizenship to oppose special legal safeguards or remedies afforded to historically maltreated racial groups, for instance, may simultaneously prefer to exempt female citizens from mandatory registration for potential military conscription, or excuse religious business-owners from certain obligations that bind secular ones.
“The more honest way to discuss it,” Smith says, “would be to focus on which forms do we want to do away with and why, and whether we are acting consistently.”
Like James Madison, he sees “robust and explicit contests” among clashing views—including illiberal ones—as salutary to civic health. (Smith departs from some of his liberal brethren by insisting that a meaningful cosmopolitan pluralism must make room for traditional religionists who espouse illiberal principles. Allowing a fundamentalist baker to refuse to make a custom cake for a gay wedding, for instance, may be a “reasonable accommodation” as long as the broader marketplace offers sufficient alternatives. “If so many people refuse to sell you a cake that you can’t get a cake, then we have to outlaw that. If the truth is you can get a cake from 20 places, but you can’t get it from this one place—and that pisses you off because you don’t like the guy’s attitude, but in fact you can still get a cake—I think we allow that.”)
Legislatures, operating within constitutional guardrails, are superior arenas for forging political consent not only because they are the most democratic but because their decisions are always subject to reversal or refinement. So long as the clashing continues, and combatants believe they have the capacity to shape tomorrow’s outcome if not today’s, perhaps Americans would have better cause to see America’s exceptionalism in terms of an ongoing civic project rather than through the lens of ethnicity, gender, or other criteria that privilege some people over others in morally unacceptable ways.
“The US is not an inherently and automatically liberal democratic nation,” Smith writes. But understanding it as a series “of serious struggles among people, movements, principles, and causes with different aims and interests—struggles in which the actors a particular citizen decides to regard as the ‘good guys’ may not always, perhaps even not often, win” could give “the national story a plot” that energizes citizens with an awareness that it’s up to them to make the next chapter better.
“What you want,” he says, “is to have as democratic a process of defining peoplehood as possible, and to push within that democratic politics to make the choices as inclusive and egalitarian as possible, so that that definition of who we the people are may expand over time—but expand in a way that is sustainable because people have agreed to it, and it hasn’t been imposed on them.”
Maybe that would also foster a mindset more conducive to pursuing supra-national governance in some contexts, sub-national governance in others, and recognizing the reality that growing numbers of people claim membership in multiple polities. More than 2.5 billion people live in countries that permit dual citizenship. Many people legally live and work—be it in corporate suites or poultry plants—in nations not their own. Some countries have granted increased autonomy to sub-units, like Catalonia and Scotland. (And it bears remembering that America’s founders assumed that citizens’ primary loyalties would lie with individual states [See “Gazetteer,” pg. 22.])
“The long-term future of the globe,” Smith hopes, will entail “breaking down a system of nations claiming absolute sovereignty into networks of more cooperative political communities in which movement in and out is accepted [by] semi-sovereign nations that recognize authority in some areas, and in others [acknowledge] the desirability of flexible cooperative memberships and government relationships.”
That is less an expectation than an aspiration, but one Smith believes to be especially consonant with America’s purpose. And that is to “extend meaningful enjoyment of the basic rights to life, liberty, and happiness to ‘all people of all colors everywhere.’ Those are Lincoln’s words: ‘all people of all colors everywhere,’” Smith stresses. “That’s not just a matter of individual self-interest, or even the exercise of my own rights for my own pursuit of happiness. It’s a claim that we want through our collective endeavors to make sure that all people have these basic opportunities. And that’s a kind of liberal republicanism,” he says, “that I still think is a pretty good vision.”
When I asked Smith how it felt to find himself on the same side of the Citizenship Clause debate as nativists who espouse quite a different vision, he said, “It feels horrible.” He offered no elaboration. It wasn’t a very good question. Later I asked a better one. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and perhaps the most prominent figure in the rise of the “alt-right,” had recently insisted to journalist Michael Lewis that his movement was not about “ethno-nationalism” but about citizenship. “We’ve got to make citizenship as powerful as it was in the Roman republic,” Bannon told Lewis. When I asked Smith what he thought of that, he grew animated.
“There are some dimensions of citizenship we need to strengthen—and there are some we need to diminish,” he began. “Roman citizenship, after all, became a form of imperial citizenship in which Rome claimed rightful authority to rule the world. We don’t need that. But Roman citizenship also was willing to extend full membership to anyone throughout the empire who became a citizen. If they could make it to Rome, they could participate in the Assembly … And it also permitted them considerable flexibility in continuing to worship their own gods and pursuing their own customs and law. It accommodated lots of differences. We can use that. And the republican tradition of being willing to make sacrifices for the common good, we can use that, too.
“So there are dimensions of citizenship that we need,” Smith concluded. “But the one that we most need to combat is the sense that the only obligations that matter are to those who are currently juridically my fellow citizens, and that we’re entitled to put the interests of our citizen body over the rest of the world without any concern or doubt. What we don’t need is ‘America first and only.’”
SIDEBAR:
Walls or Welcome Mats?
Economic Perspectives on Immigration
In 2016, the Wharton Public Policy Initiative published a pair of issue briefs addressing immigration’s impacts on the labor market and the public treasury. According to Howard F. Chang, the Earle Hepburn Professor at Penn Law, “the single most important lesson that economics holds for immigration policymakers is that immigration restrictions are costly.”
Greater labor mobility would be expected to boost global GDP anywhere from 5 to 197 percent, according to a variety of studies. Chang noted that immigration may have a “small” adverse impact on low-skilled domestic laborers, but that US natives gain overall. “To the extent that immigration has any adverse effect on the distribution of income among natives,” he argued, “redistribution through progressive tax reforms rather than through restrictive immigration policies” would yield the optimal economic outcome.
Fears that immigrants overburden the public treasury, Chang observed, are belied by a 1997 National Research Council study that remains the “most comprehensive and authoritative study in the field.” The NRC study was the first to incorporate the projected fiscal effects of immigrants’ descendants—who tend to have higher incomes and pay more taxes—when measuring the overall impact. By that measure, “the average recent immigrant in 1996 has a positive fiscal impact of $80,000 in net present value.”
But drilling down past the “average” immigrant gives some credence to anxieties over the admission of low-skilled immigrant workers. Workers with more than a high-school education represent a positive fiscal impact of $198,000 in net present value, and those with only a high-school education are worth $51,000. But for immigrants who have not completed high school, the fiscal impact drops below zero to -$13,000.
For the full issue briefs, visit tinyurl.com/PPI-Labor and tinyurl.com/PPI-Treasury.
By Rogers Smith:
“The Question of Birthright Citizenship” (with Peter Schuck), National Affairs. 2018.
Political Peoplehood: The Roles of Values, Interests, and Identities . 2015.
Still a House Divided: Race and Politics in Obama’s America (with Desmond King).2011.
Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 and 2008, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. 2008.
“The Challenges Facing American Citizenship Today,” Political Science and Politics. 2005.
Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of Political Memberships . 2003.
The Unsteady March: The Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America (with Philip Klinkner). 1999.
Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in US History . 1997.
Citizenship Without Consent: The Illegal Alien in the American Polity (with Peter Schuck). 1985.
Liberalism and American Constitutional Law . 1985.
About Birthright Citizenship:
Garrett Epps, “The Citizenship Clause: A Legislative History,” American University Law Review. 2010.
Gerald Neuman, Strangers to the Constitution: Immigrants, Border, and Fundamental Law . 2010.
Cristina Rodriguez, “The Citizenship Clause, Original Meaning, and the Egalitarian Unity of the Fourteenth Amendment,” University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. 2009.
Ayelet Sachar, The Birthright Lottery: Citizenship and Global Inequality. 2009.
James Ho, “Citizenship by birth—can it be outlawed?” Los Angeles Times, March 10, 2007.
Joseph Carens, “Who Belongs? Theoretical and Legal Questions About Birthright Citizenship in the United States,” University of Toronto Law Journal. 1987.
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A Change in the Weather
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Lessons from the Shatterzone
Eric Welch '69
Intriguing article. It would seem to me that the failure of the change in birthright status amendment and bills in Congress since 1993 would form a strong measure of consent for the current situation.
EDWARD G STAFFORD
A useful and timely article. The editor’s clairvoyance to have this article produced before President Trump’s recent controversial assertion that he could restrict birthright citizenship via executive order that sparked furious interest in the topic is most impressive. Well done, even with the occasional and unnecessary liberal posturing on the author’s part. EGStafford FAS ’79
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Ultramar Player of the Week: Émile Samson (Oct. 22, 2018)
Armada ultramar player of the week
LHJMQ/QMJHL
For the second time in a row, the Ultramar Player of the Week resides between the pipes as Blainville-Boisbriand Armada’s Émile Samson has earned the latest honor. Samson, a 19-year-old from Lévis, Quebec, went 2-0 on the week with a 0.50 GAA, one shutout and a save percentage of .984%.
On Friday night at home, Samson was flawless, stopping all 32 shots he faced in a 4-0 Armada victory over the Val d’Or Foreurs. For the second year QMJHL netminder, it was his third career shutout. Samson was named the third star of the contest.
The following night, once again at home, Samson stopped 29 shots, including all 17 he faced in the second period alone, in the Armada’s 4-1 come from behind triumph over the Quebec Remparts. This time, Samson earned the game’s first star. The win left the Armada with 15 points on the season, very much in the thick of an early season race for positioning that sees 13 different teams within ten points of one another.
Samson, who made the Armada as a walk-on last season, has registered 23 regular season wins in the QMJHL following his victories from the past week. It was during the 2018 President Cup playoffs however, that Samson gained the attention of the league as he helped lead his club to their second consecutive QMJHL Final appearance, winning 13 games in the process. This year, Samson has picked up right where he left off, currently sitting second in the league in both GAA (1.86) and save percentage (.939%).
2018-19 Ultramar Player of the Week:
Week 1 | Sept. 20 – Sept. 23: Josh Lawrence (Sea Dogs | Saint John)
Week 2 | Sept. 24 – Sept. 30: Ivan Chekhovich (Drakkar | Baie-Comeau)
Week 3 | Oct. 1 – Oct. 7: Gabriel Bilodeau (Olympiques | Gatineau)
Week 4 | Oct. 8 – Oct. 14: Alexis Gravel (Mooseheads | Halifax)
Week 5 | Oct. 15 – Oct. 21: Émile Samson (Armada | Blainville-Boisbriand)
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Dec102018 by Voice of LondonNo Comments
Faces of discrimination: “It was really quite nasty”
Featured, Investigations, Podcasts, Specials
It's not a cliché that we're still talking about discrimination in 2018. If we are to quote the latest Global Gender Gap Report , we haven't progressed at all in the past ten years. The UK joins Slovakia and the Czech Republic among the other EU states that had not produced any significant change in reducing the levels of inequality when it comes to income, education, health, workplace or political engagement. Based on the current trends, it will take another century for the overall global gender gap to be closed, the study further shows. Listen to the first episode of our new podcast, Faces of Discrimination, where we will be talking about ongoing conversations about discrimination that shouldn't be forgotten. This one is on gender. https://soundcloud.com/teodora-
Dec92018 by Voice of LondonNo Comments
Sammy Virji: get to know this up-and-coming DJ
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Sammy Virji is a happy-go-lucky UK based DJ to watch out for next year. He has already amassed over 23K monthly Spotify listeners, more than 13K Soundcloud followers, and is ever growing with each track he releases and show he performs. Voice of London asked Sammy some questions that will help you get to know him and his music. VOL: Where are you from? Are you still based there? SV: I’m from Witney, near Oxford, but I’m based in Newcastle. VOL: Have you ever considered a path in life other than music? SV: I wanted to be a doctor before I went to university. My plan was to do a post-graduate in medicine after my biology degree but the music started to take off so I just went for it as it’s a been a dream of mine since I was little. VOL: How did you get into music?
Obesity: A growing problem for England
Health, Investigations, Specials
Almost two-thirds of adults (64%) in England are overweight or obese, a recent study by the NHS has found. The study also found that almost a third (30%) of children aged 2-15 were overweight or obese, with 17% of them who were obese. Tracy Parker, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation told the Voice of London that the findings paint a “troubling picture of people living in poor health” due to a range of lifestyle factors, including smoking and an unhealthy diet. She said it is “especially concerning that obese children are more likely to be obese adults”, as this, coupled with “spiralling diabetes rates” could lead to “thousands more people suffering heart attacks and strokes in the coming years." Mrs Parker believes that “greater availability of cheap calorie d
People are not having children ‘because of Climate Change’
Environment, Featured, Health, Specials
“There should be a pause on people having children. That’s a sacrifice that should be made. I wish that families would take a second before deciding to have their own biological children. It is a sacrifice that should be made for the sake of the environment”, Ellen, 29. An investigation by Voice of London has revealed that climate change is becoming a more important factor behind the decision of some people not to have children. Even though the discussion around Global Warming has increased significantly in recent times, the effort we - as human race - are putting to tackle it is mostly inappropriate, as recent studies show. The World Meteorological Organization has recently claimed that “2018 is on course to be the 4th warmest year on record. This would mean that the past four year
Why do we still care about Madeline McCann?
Has anything changed since Canada legalised weed?
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www.dessinacademy.com › No.❶ Art Classes For Kids in Kodambakkam › Current dir
Art Classes For Kids in Kodambakkam
6 Dots Play School - Kodambakkam
Batch 1 Tuesday 4:30 PM 6:30 PM
Batch 3 Sunday 4:30 PM 6:30 PM
6 Dots Play School
Mrs. Thillai Contact No
6 Dots Play School, 5th Subarayan Street, Kodambakam, Chennai- 600 024
Near David Towers
http://www.dessinacademy.com/art-classes-for-kids-kodambakkam.php
Drawing Classes in Kodambakkam
Dessin Academy is an art class that was founded as an Institute of Fine Arts. An art class that begun in 2004 with just 4 students, Dessin Academy has today evolved into an institution catering to more than 2000 students spread over 50 branches all over India. Dessin Academy’s art class, is an institute that nurtures young artists, gives wings to their boundless imagination and seeks to motivate them in the field of art and design.
The Dessin Academy is an art class that runs under the able guidance of its Founder/Director, Mr. R. Rajendran, MFA and a core group of dedicated faculty members who embrace diverse styles and working methods. This institute, in a reflection of the various age groups of its students, who range from 3 year old to 60 year youths, offers a wide spectrum of courses in its art class. These are (i) Fundamental Course Level-1 & 2 (ii) Intermediate Course Level 1 & 2 (iii) Advanced Course
The students of this art class have participated in several state level and national level competitions and, more often than not, have walked away with the highest honours. Dessin’s art class conducts an exhibition of its student’s work every year, with a maximum of 36 students participating, each of whom presents 6 paintings. Dessin Academy art class is where experimentation, ideas and concepts are encouraged to freely develop.
Learn Drawing Classes in Kodambakkam
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CPA has enough of doping control incidents: Riders have been tested on their wedding day or at funerals
Nov 08 2018 04:09 am CET
Photo by ASO/A.Broadway
The Association of Professional Cyclists (Cyclistes Professionnels Associes, CPA) has reacted to the doping control episode of Pieter Serry at the Belgian Gala of the Flandrien.
The Belgian rider was attending the gala that chooses the best cyclist of his country when he was contacted by anti-doping officers who were waiting for him at his home. Despite the rider's request of any doping controls to be taken in the morning, he had to miss most of the event to give some samples to the inspectors.
Serry was upset about the entire episode and even compared his situation to a 'prisoner wearing an ankle monitor'. One day after, the CPA has also something to say to protect the private lives of the riders.
The CPA has filed a complaint to the UCI and the Cycling Anti-doping Foundation for the persistence of incidents like Serry's. Even if riders tell the places and times they have available every day to the anti-doping authorities, inspectors often appear at the most unexpected moments.
"There have been reports of cases where riders have been checked on their wedding day, during a funeral or on their children's first day of school," said the president of the CPA Gianni Bugno. "Now we heard the case of Pieter Serry.
"We can no longer accept this way of working, which doesn't take into account the privacy of the riders. They pay two-per cent of their prize money to make these checks possible. They are the only athletes in the world who finance the anti-doping system themselves. The riders respect the measures to fight against doping, but they do ask their private lives to be respected."
PIETER SERRY
QUICK - STEP FLOORS
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Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing on sunlight
Among the many spacecraft and satellites ascending to space on Monday’s Falcon Heavy launch, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 may be the most interesting. If all goes well, a week from launch it will be moving through space — slowly, but surely — on nothing more than the force exerted on it by sunlight.
LightSail 2 doesn’t have solar-powered engines, or use solar energy or heat for some secondary purpose; it will literally be propelled by the physical force of photons hitting its immense shiny sail. Not solar wind, mind you — that’s a different thing altogether.
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It’s an idea, explained Planetary Society CEO and acknowledged Science Guy Bill Nye said in a press call ahead of the launch, that goes back centuries.
NASA details Deep Space Atomic Clock and other tests launching on SpaceX Falcon Heavy
“It really goes back to the 1600s,” he said; Kepler deduced that a force from the sun must cause comet tails and other effects, and “he speculated that brave people would one day sail the void.”
So they might, as more recent astronomers and engineers have pondered the possibility more seriously.
“I was introduced to this in the 1970s, in the disco era. I was in Carl Sagan’s astronomy class… wow, 42 years ago, and he talked about solar sailing,” Nye recalled. “I joined the Planetary Society when it was formed in 1980, and we’ve been talking about solar sails around here ever since then. It’s really a romantic notion that has tremendous practical applications; there are just a few missions that solar sails are absolutely ideal for.”
Those would primarily be long-term, medium-orbit missions where a craft needs to stay in an Earth-like orbit, but still get a little distance away from the home planet — or, in the future, long-distance missions where slow and steady acceleration from the sun or a laser would be more practical than another propulsion method.
Mission profile
The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted the “2” in the name of the mission. LightSail 2 is indeed the second of its type; the first launched in 2015, but was not planned to be anything more than a test deployment that would burn up after a week or so.
That mission had some hiccups, with the sail not deploying to its full extent and a computer glitch compromising communications with the craft. It was not meant to fly via solar sailing, and did not.
“We sent the CubeSat up, we checked out the radio, the communications, the overall electronics, and we deployed the sail and we got a picture of that deployed sail in space,” said COO Jennifer Vaughn. “That was purely a deployment test; no solar sailing took place.”
The spacecraft itself, minus the sail, of course.
But it paved the way for its successor, which will attempt this fantastical form of transportation. Other craft have done so, most notably JAXA’s IKAROS mission to Venus, which was quite a bit larger — though as LightSail 2’s creators pointed out, not nearly as efficient as their craft — and had a very different mission.
The brand new spacecraft, loaded into a 3U CubeSat enclosure — that’s about the size of a loaf of bread — is piggybacking on an Air Force payload going up to an altitude of about 720 kilometers. There it will detach and float freely for a week to get away from the rest of the payloads being released.
Once it’s safely on its own, it will fire out from its carrier craft and begin to unfurl the sail. From that loaf-sized package will emerge an expanse of reflective Mylar with an area of 32 square meters — about the size of a boxing ring.
Inside the spacecraft’s body is also what’s called a reaction wheel, which can be spun up or slowed down in order to impart the opposite force on the craft, causing it to change its attitude in space. By this method LightSail 2 will continually orient itself so that the photons striking it propel it in the desired direction, nudging it into the desired orbit.
1 HP (housefly power) engine
The thrust produced, the team explained, is very small — as you might expect. Photons have no mass, but they do (somehow) have momentum. Not a lot, to be sure, but it’s greater than zero, and that’s what counts.
“In terms of the amount of force that solar pressure is going to exert on us, it’s on the micronewton level,” said LightSail project manager Dave Spencer. “It’s very tiny compared to chemical propulsion, very small even compared to electric propulsion. But the key for solar sailing is that it’s always there.”
“I have many numbers that I love,” cut in Nye, and detailed one of them: “It’s nine micronewtons per square meter. So if you have 32 square meters you get about a hundred micronewtons. It doesn’t sound like much, but as Dave points out, it’s continuous. Once a rocket engine stops, when it runs out of fuel, it’s done. But a solar sail gets a continuous push day and night. Wait…” (He then argued with himself about whether it would experience night — it will, as you see in the image below.)
Bruce Betts, chief scientist for LightSail, chimed in as well, to make the numbers a bit more relatable: “The total force on the sail is approximately equal to the weight of a house fly on your hand on Earth.”
Yet if you added another fly every second for hours at a time, pretty soon you’ve got a really considerable amount of acceleration going on. This mission is meant to find out whether we can capture that force.
“We’re very excited about this launch,” said Nye, “because we’re going to get to a high enough altitude to get away from the atmosphere, far enough that we’ll really gonna be able to build orbital energy and take some, I hope, inspiring pictures.”
Second craft, same (mostly) as the last
The LightSail going up this week has some improvements over the last one, though overall it’s largely the same — and a relatively simple, inexpensive craft at that, the team noted. Crowdfunding and donations over the last decade have provided quite a bit of cash to pursue this project, but it still is only a small fraction of what NASA might have spent on a similar mission, Spencer pointed out.
“This mission is going to be much more robust than the previous LightSail 1, but as we said previously, it’s done by a small team,” he said. “We’ve had a very small budget relative to our NASA counterparts, probably 1/20th of the budget that a similar NASA mission would have. It’s a low-cost spacecraft.”
Annotated image of LightSail 2, courtesy of Planetary Society.
But the improvements are specifically meant to address the main problems encountered by LightSail 2’s predecessor.
Firstly, the computer inside has been upgraded to be more robust (though not radiation-hardened) and given the ability to sense faults and reboot if necessary — they won’t have to wait, as they did for LightSail 1, for a random cosmic ray to strike the computer and cause a “natural reboot.” (Yes, really.)
The deployment of the sail itself has also improved. The previous one only extended to about 90% of its full width and couldn’t be adjusted after the fact. Subsequently tests have been done, Betts told me, to exactly determine how many revolutions the motor must make to extend the sail to 100%. Not only that, but they have put markings on the extending booms or rods that will help double check how deployment has gone.
“We also have the capability on orbit, if it looks like it’s not fully extended, we can extend it a little bit more,” he said.
Once it’s all out there, it’s uncharted territory. No one has attempted to do this kind of mission, even IKAROS, which had a totally different flight profile. The team is hoping their sensors and software are up to the task — and it should be clear whether that’s the case within a few hours of unfurling the sail.
It’s still mainly an experiment, of course, and what the team learns from this they will put into any future LightSail mission they attempt, but also share it with the spaceflight community and others attempting to sail on sunlight.
“We all know each other and we all share information,” said Nye. “And it really is — I’ve said it as much as I can — it’s really exciting to be flying this thing at last. It’s almost 2020 and we’ve been talking about it for, well, for 40 years. It’s very, very cool.”
LightSail 2 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no sooner than June 24th. Keep an eye on the site for the latest news and a link to the live stream when it’s almost time for takeoff.
TAGS: hp News software square
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A review of San Francisco Cable Car...
Tile-laying games can be kinda hit-or-miss for me. I've never really enjoyed the very well-received and endlessly expanded-upon game Carcassonne as I found the aggravation of utterly random tile draws totally outweighed the enjoyment of seeing the land take shape. And yet I've recently fallen back in love with the nastily strategic and abstract Tantrix which could also fairly be accused of being a bit too random. Maybe the difference in Carc is that you always are looking for that certain one tile to complete your scoring and you just never draw it. Whereas in a game like Tantrix (or even Ingenious, for that matter) you try and make do with what you have and usually a clever move exists. San Francisco Cable Car (a reprint of the older Dirk Henn title Metro) is an excellent little board game that seems to fall somewhere right in between. The choice of what tile you play each turn is quite limited but exactly where you play that tile can make all the difference.
The gameplay of the basic game (which is exactly the same as Metro) is quite simple and, as in most Queen games, very clearly explained. Each player has the same number of cars in their colour which are placed on designated spaces around the outside of the board. Players take turns either playing their hidden tile onto the board or draw a random tile and play that one instead. Tiles must obey a few rules: all tiles must be oriented in the same direction, they must be connected to the outside of the board or another tile, and if at all possible they must not cause a car to score only a single point. If after the tile is played any player's car is connected in a continuous line of track to a station, then that player's car scores a point for every tile its track runs through. If that station happens to be the power station in the centre, then the points are doubled.
So in the basic version, players add tiles trying to extend the tracks of their own cars while running all of their opponent's cars into stations as fast as possible. It's pretty nasty stuff but a fairly short game so players don't tend to get too upset. Now, the big difference between Cable Car and its predecessor Metro is the new stock variant which in my mind takes a very light game and makes it much, MUCH more interesting. It is also, I think, what makes Cable Car so worth the purchase.
In the stock variant none of the coloured cars are owned by the players. There are now 8 companies with 4 cars each and each player is given a random set of 4 stocks in values of 10, 20, 30, and 40 percent. In addition to a regular play of a tile, on your turn you can instead exchange one of your stocks with one of equivalent value from the face-up stock or random from the top of the pile. This stock exchange is available only until one company manages to score 25 or more points and then all players' stocks are locked in till the end of the game. Once the final tile is played and all the cars have scored, players stocks are valued according to their percentage times the relative rank of the company. (For example, if the black company placed first out of the 8 companies and I had a 30 percent share, it would be worth 3x8=24 points.) In addition, there are some small company bonuses for players with majorities. Once the tally is done, high score wins.
So the stock rules don't add too much complexity to the game but they allow for players to focus on increasing the length of paths for multiple companies. They also shelter players a bit from being directly attacked although it's almost guaranteed that early on someone will make your 60 percent share company score a 2-point car. But at the point you just exchange your 40 percent share for one from a different and hopefully better company. Of course, this can only occur before one company scores big and then everyone's assets are locked in. And this adds a delicious tension and makes the speculation that much tougher as not only can exchanges only be done early on but you must also give up an opportunity to add track to the board. And since only 60 tiles can ever get played in a game, your options to influence the tracks are already fairly limited.
We played the original version once with everyone being their own colour and have only played the stock version since. The rules aren't much more complicated and the depth added to the game now feels like it should always be there. The stock game feels a bit lighter than say Ticket To Ride but plays much quicker and works perfectly well even with the 6 players. The satisfaction of completing that 20-point track in a company you've got investments in is quite satisfying and watching the board take form is pretty cool. I'm not surprised at how enjoyable and satisfying this game is considering it was designed by Dirk Henn whose credits include the classic Alhambra and the tense and tricky Atlantic Star. I was lucky enough to receive this as a Christmas gift (you have to be VERY careful when buying me board games as gifts) and boy am I glad I did as I probably would have overlooked this little gem. If you want a family strategy game that includes tile-laying, stock options, and a little bit of delicious nastiness, I don't think you could do better than this game. Easy-to-learn, fun, and very quick. But you gotta play with the stock variant....
Labels: Reviews, San Francisco Cable Car
Jacob February 12, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Eric, we played Mammut the other night (4P). I really liked it, I think the others did, too, but they're going to give me their opinions later. I'm pretty happy with it. But this game, more than most, has a huge gap between the learning portion and the strategizing porition. What I mean by that is the rules are simple enough, but everything we did on turn one was completely random because we didn't know what we were doing. We knew how to play but we sort of did whatever to push the game along. After the first scoring then the fun kicked in. Some games require you to use the first session as a writeoff to learn the whole thing. This one needed the first round only. That's a plus.
We had a situation where two of us possessed the same animal and when he stole from me and threw that animal back into the centre, I then did the same thing to him. We realized we could have been put into a continuous loop. This could use some sort of rule to prevent this.
Bottom line: I really like Mammut and I only hope it's got longevity to stay in my collection because it's an expensive game.
We also played 1812 last night - that is a fun game. I really like partnership games.
Eric Martin February 13, 2012 at 7:30 AM
Mammut should never have a continuous loop. I think you're playing a rule wrong. If you don't have tiles you can only draw from an opponent OR the centre of the board, not both. And each time you take from an opponent at least one tile goes back to the centre. Eventually the centre of the board gets too attractive and the last player HAS to take it all. (Remember the last player without tiles, if they decide to take the centre pile, MUST take all the tiles and end the round.)
Re-read the rules and get back to me as I think you guys may have misunderstood something. But I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's pretty nasty stuff.
Also, you never draw more tiles if you already have your share. You just sit and wait for the others to finish or your share to be stolen.
Thanks. I think we played it correctly, but our perceived loop wasn't from actual play. Thank you for the clarification.
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Did Someone End the Wars and Forget to Tell Me?
Noticeably absent from the political discourse leading up to next week's election is any discussion of the two or three wars that our men and women in and out of uniform are currently fighting. With only a few exceptions, this year’s congressional races are ignoring our wars in the Middle East.
Republicans, naturally, are focusing their campaign on the slow pace of our ability to extricate ourselves from the Bush Recession. Although President Obama and the stimulus package have slowed the hemorrhaging of jobs, the turnaround has not been fast enough to satisfy everyone. The GOP’s game plan in ignoring the wars is a smart one for them – making sure the public does not remember that it was the Republican president and vice-president that brought us into these wars under false pretenses. In fact, had John McCain and Sarah Palin won in 2008, we might be fighting today in Iran as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. And war is good business for Republican benefactors like Halliburton and Blackwater. So they’re happy to keep this out of the realm of public discussion.
Democrats are naturally fragmented on their approach to the wars. While the maxim “it’s the economy, stupid” dominates the campaign strategy, most Democrats are not leveraging the fact that the biggest drain on our economy is the four trillion dollar extravaganza in the Middle East. We are building infrastructure in Iraq using foreign labor, while our infrastructure here is crumbling and American jobs are not being created.
President Obama declared the combat mission in Iraq to be over, albeit without the grandiloquence of Dubya’s “Mission Accomplished” photo op. Yet, the streets of Baghdad are still dangerous, and unless we change our policy, American troops will be in harm’s way for years to come.
Like in the ‘60s, some Democrats are reluctant to speak out against the wars because they are afraid of being accused by the pro-war faction of not supporting the troops.
So despite the fact that American (and Iraqi and Afghan and other) men and women are dying, and despite the fact that war is no longer the choice of last resort, this election is not about the conflicts. We are letting our status as a military superpower diminish our status as an economic superpower as we pump more lives and treasure into these adventures.
Once the mid-term election is over, we will begin the long process of the 2012 presidential election. Will these never-ending wars finally become an issue? Will a lame duck President Obama finally act as Commander-in-Chief and unequivocally direct the military to accelerate withdrawal? Will the normally bellicose Republican Party finally become fiscally conservative and realize that the way to fix the economy is to make the same draconian cuts to the defense budget as they promote for education and social programs? Or like in 1968, will there be viable anti-war presidential candidates and an uptick in anti-war demonstrations that the media can’t ignore to help drive the political establishment toward a more realistic and economically viable approach to dealing with those that wish us harm? Realistically, it doesn’t matter who carries the anti-war banner. But someone has to.
Posted by Deciminyan at 11:37 AM 1 comment:
The Scariest Halloween Story – Ever
With Halloween coming up, it’s tempting to visualize a scary scenario where Sarah Palin glides into the White House without winning the popular or even the electoral vote.
There’s a better than even chance that Sarah Palin will capture the Republican nomination in 2012. After she abruptly quit her job as governor, she has been criss-crossing the country raising funds, acting as the Godmother of the party and supporting those candidates who drink the Tea Party Kool Aid. Her almost inevitable nomination would set up an Obama-Palin race. Yet, there are those who would find neither candidate to their liking. Independents and the ever-vanishing sane wing of the GOP might think Palin too unqualified and Obama too much of a disappointment for their tastes. Enter the ambitious and über-rich Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg could finance his own campaign and could conceivably capture some electoral votes from Palin or Obama. All he needs to do is carry one or two states in a close election to result in no candidate receiving a majority in the Electoral College. It’s even possible that he could win some electoral votes from the two states which allocate their electors proportionally.
So what happens in a scenario where neither Obama nor Palin receive enough electoral votes to win? The decision is made by the House of Representatives. And by all the punditry spewing across the airwaves, internet tubes, and in dead tree media, the Republicans are poised to take the House. In this situation, each state casts ONE vote for a presidential candidate, so the sparsely populated Alaska has the same clout as highly populated California. With a GOP majority in the House, the outcome from an Electoral College deadlock could be a President-elect Palin, even if she loses the popular vote and has fewer electoral votes than Barack Obama.
Posted by Deciminyan at 6:06 PM 3 comments:
Fundamentalism is Not Restricted to Religious Fundamentalists
Recently, the Jewish Standard, a newspaper of the Bergen County (NJ) Jewish community, printed a wedding announcement for a same-sex couple. There was an outcry by the Orthodox rabbinate, and the paper cowardly relented and announced that it would no longer publish such announcements. This policy was met with a vociferous outcry from the community and comments on the newspaper’s blog were overwhelmingly negative about the restrictive and discriminatory policy. The Standard is now in the process of reconsidering its policy.
Now, the same discrimination has come to a secular newspaper. The Manchester Union Leader has announced that it will not publish wedding announcements for same-sex couples, even though New Hampshire is one of a handful of states with full marriage equality. The rationale is that the paper is against New Hampshire’s marriage law, and to publish such wedding announcements would be against editorial policy.
The Union Leader has served the citizens of New Hampshire for almost 150 years, but this policy is a blunder. For a newspaper to be credible, it must separate its editorial policy from its responsibilities as a news organization. The newspaper has historically been one of the leading voices of conservative journalism, but this policy of blatant discrimination is a black mark on whatever journalistic integrity it had. Any newspaper has the right to print or not print whatever its publisher desires. But legitimate newspapers, especially ones that dominate a state’s circulation, have a moral responsibility to print the news without discrimination. Today, the citizens of New Hampshire are ill-served by their state’s largest newspaper.
Posted by Deciminyan at 8:37 PM 1 comment:
When the history of American politics in the first decade of the 21st century is written, there will be a lot of discussion about gridlock and obstructionism. But it will also be noted that one politician stood head and shoulders above the fray and managed to swim upstream and thrust crucial legislation through the quagmire of partisan politics.
In her relatively short tenure, Nancy Pelosi has been one of the most effective Speakers of the House in my lifetime. Vilified by the right and kept at arm’s length by her own party, she almost singlehandedly achieved the impossible – a quantum leap in health care reform – the most important legislation in this arena since Medicare was born in the 1960s.
Faced with an opposition party that quickly became irrelevant by its admission that its goal was to obstruct all of the President’s initiatives, Speaker Pelosi took on the challenge of building a coalition within her own party. She built this alliance among the most liberal, the middle-of-the road, Blue Dog conservative, and anti-abortion zealots, all living under the Democratic Party banner. What came out was a weak bill, still beholden to the for-profit insurance cartel, but one that also gave American citizens some excellent reforms. Extended dependent coverage, elimination of pre-existing conditions, and elimination of lifetime caps are things that should have been part of the American system decades ago, but with Mrs. Pelosi’s drive and skill, we have those benefits today.
Her opponents characterize her as a raging liberal, but nothing could be further from the truth. To the dismay of the left, when she assumed the role of Speaker in January 2007, she took the issue of impeaching President Bush off the table. While this was probably necessary to maintain political comity, it sets a dangerous precedent – telling future presidents it’s OK to start a war of choice based on deliberately false information. By this standard, a president can be impeached for lying about oral sex, but sending Americans to die in a trillion dollar war based on lies is neither a high crime nor a misdemeanor.
Mrs. Pelosi also earned the disdain of liberals by removing the most cost-effective option from Health Care Reform even before the debate began. She eliminated the single-payer, or Medicare for All, approach – leaving a lot less room to negotiate for a better health care bill. Again, something that was probably politically necessary, but did not serve the American people well.
No doubt, much of the venom directed at the Speaker is from those who are uncomfortable (to say the least) about seeing a woman in a position of significant power. We saw this with Hillary Clinton’s first attempt at reform and also with Madeline Albright’s tenure as Secretary of State. Many of these are the same people who refuse to accept the legitimacy of an African-American in the White House.
It is likely that Mrs. Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker will be cut short in January as John “Hell No We Can’t” Boehner will assume the podium in the House chamber. This is a shame because we still have a long way to go to improve health care and pass other progressive legislation in this country. But with the unlimited secret funding of right-wing candidates in today’s environment, it looks like the GOP/Tea Party will assume control. Further meaningful reform will be delayed longer than it should be while the 112th Congress will become an arm of corporate interests, sending jobs overseas and privatizing essential government services into for-profit enterprises.
Hopefully, Mrs. Pelosi as a back bencher can help stem the tide of Republican deconstruction of our recent accomplishments and lay the groundwork for campaign finance reforms and further improvement to health care in the years to come. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Posted by Deciminyan at 4:22 PM No comments:
Why Christine O'Donnell Matters
If Delaware voters have any sense, Christine O’Donnell will be soundly defeated by Chris Coons in their senatorial contest. But there’s a disturbing trend in American politics that is epitomized by her third try for a Senate seat.
O’Donnell is touting her somewhat-below-average academic career as one reason to vote for her over her Amherst and Yale-educated opponent. Her Palinesque argument is that she is “common folk”, closer to the average person than someone who attended prestige universities. (OK, you don’t have to remind me that Dubya attended Harvard and Yale, but those family connections and drinking binges are the exception to the rule.)
Realistically, once candidates are out of college for two decades, their track record in the “real world” is more important than where they matriculated. But the fact that a candidate was successful in a top-notch school and had the drive and intellect to receive a post-graduate degree does say something positive about that person. Would you go to a doctor who bragged about being educated at East Podunk Medical Correspondence School?
While it may have been a good thing in simpler colonial times, I don’t want a person with average intelligence representing me. I’d much prefer someone smarter than me who can deal with complex economic and trade issues, up-to-date scientific concepts, and the nuances of foreign policy – all at the same time. For too long, our nation has treated our educational system as a drain on our tax coffers rather than an investment in our future. O’Donnell’s attitude only serves to perpetuate this harmful attitude.
A Message for Deciminyan Readers
I am pleased to let you know that I am now a staff writer on the best political blog in the Garden State, Blue Jersey. You’ll be able to find my postings about the Garden Soprano State there. But the Deciminyan blog is not going away. I’ll continue to post items of general (i.e. non-Jersey) interest here.
I will let you know of my articles on both blogs through Facebook and Twitter. So if you “like” Deciminyan on Facebook or “follow” Deciminyan on Twitter, you’ll be informed of the latest postings on both blogs. And, as always, your comments are welcome. Thanks for following.
Posted by Deciminyan at 12:01 PM 2 comments:
Christie Running in 2012
All signs are pointing to a Chris Christie campaign to be on the 2012 presidential ticket. He has started this campaign already by crisscrossing the country to promote Republican candidates in state-wide races. But up until recently, he has not proactively promoted the conservative social agenda. Yes, he is anti-choice and against marriage equality, but he has not yet pursued these measures with the same “in-your-face” approach as he has with his vendetta against public education and teachers. He is aware of the large number of his New Jersey constituents who still want social justice, and is more circumspect with regard to promoting the conservative line on women’s issues and gay rights. His relatively low-key approach is most likely designed to avoid firing up the opposition and maintaining as low a profile as he can here. But to become a national figure, Christie needs to demonstrate his embrace of the right-wing social agenda.
Christie’s approach to implementing the conservative platform is not subtle, but more incremental. He pleased his base by vetoing a $7.5 million bill for women’s health services even as he approved a gigantic tax cut for millionaires. Now, he is embracing another Palinesque initiative – abstinence education. Despite the fact that our schools are in dire financial straits and that it has been shown that such initiatives do nothing to stem the rates of teenage pregnancy, the Governor is promoting a $1 million program to tell teenagers to “just say no”.
Ratcheting up the right wing agenda is not the only sign that Christie has national ambitions. If you think his gallivanting around the country is limited to the upcoming elections, you are mistaken. He is already on the post-election tea party lecture circuit.
It has often been said that every state governor has presidential ambitions, and it’s difficult to find a politician more ambitious than Chris Christie. And there are lots of reasons for him to make his move in 2012.
Given the secret funding of Republican candidates by shadow groups, the fact that the GOP has a propaganda arm in Fox News that is second to none, including Pravda, and the fact that the 2012 election will be the first under the census redistricting controlled mostly by Republican governors, there’s a good chance that Barack Obama will be a one-term president. If Christie is not on the 2012 ticket, his next chance to run for national office could potentially be 2020 – a lifetime in presidential politics. Sure, he’ll be only 58 years old then, but he will have had a much longer track record of mistakes and miscues than he has today. And the demographics of the electorate will be different, with a larger percentage of the non-white population included in the mix.
So is Christie aiming for the top slot, or looking to become Joe Biden’s successor? The way the stars are aligned today, it seems unlikely that he would be successful in challenging Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, or Mike Huckabee. But why would someone as ambitious as Christie settle for the number two spot? This question can be answered in two words: Dick Cheney. Cheney was the second in command to a weak, clueless, and gaffe-prone George W Bush. Christie may view himself in the same powerful role under a President Palin. And without any debilitating health problems like those that plagued Mr. Cheney, Christie would then be viable as a 2020 candidate at the top of the ticket. Of course, there’s plenty of time for the top contenders to stumble, leaving room for the Meshuggineh from Mendham to step in.
The only significant impediment to a Christie run is his lack of foreign policy experience. To the xenophobic Tea Party, this is not a significant issue because diplomacy requires nuance, and the GOP does not do nuance. But it might be an important issue to the rest of the electorate, especially given that we will still be in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and possibly Pakistan, when the election comes around. So watch for Christie to ramp up his foreign policy creds – perhaps by participating in missions abroad to promote New Jersey business, or perhaps by participating on foreign junkets with some of his congressional friends. Such actions would confirm his desire to be on the 2012 ticket.
Christie is smart to lay back and let the big guns fight it out right now. But don’t be surprised to see our absentee governor vacationing in Iowa or New Hampshire next year.
Republicans Cry Out for More Taxes
No, this is not an Onion headline. It’s true.
Medford is a town in Burlington County, and it’s as Republican as you can get. Assemblyman Scott Rudder hails from there, and Chris Myers (John Adler’s opponent in 2008) is its Deputy Mayor. Last year, Chris Christie carried the township with 60% of the vote in a three-way race.
So why at a public meeting this week were township residents clamoring for a tax increase?
Medford is one of two towns in the county that does not utilize the Burlington County central emergency dispatch system for 911 calls. At least until now. The township council recently adopted an ordinance to eliminate the town’s local dispatch service and transfer to the county system on January 1. While the savings estimates run from $300,000 to $600,000 per year, that was not the only reason for the switch. The county system employs more modern technology, which improves how dispatchers can handle cellular calls.
Residents were upset. Despite the financial and technical advantages, they felt that the local dispatchers knew the town better, and were willing to pay higher taxes if the revenue could be targeted for retaining the township’s services. Several wanted this to be decided by ballot, but it’s too late for it to be part of the November election.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an attempt at shared services suffer from what I’d call the Reverse NIMBY effect. Residents like home rule, close control, and familiarity with service providers. And while I’d bet that Medford residents overwhelmingly support tax cuts, when it comes to a specific service, they sing a different tune. But if the cost of government is to be contained, we will need more of these types of efficiencies which come with consolidation and sharing.
Governor Christie is squandering a golden opportunity. Our state has a large deficit problem, and our governor, who claims to be unconcerned with his popularity, should use his bully pulpit to promote consolidation as a means to save money for the taxpayers. Yes, during the transition from local to centralized services there will be a learning curve that would degrade performance for a short time. But with proper planning, these inefficiencies can be temporary and ephemeral. This is the true meaning of the governor’s “shared sacrifice” mantra. Accept short term inefficiencies to reap the long term benefits of economies of scale. This will benefit citizens of all political stripes.
Adler's (Other) Tea Party Problem
Monday night’s debate between John Adler and Jon Runyan had its share of Tea Party folks posing their wedge issues during the question and answer session. One person asked each candidate if he would vote for their current House leader (Nancy Pelosi for Adler, John Boehner for Runyan) as Speaker if their party were in the majority. Luckily for Runyan, the answer was a no-brainer. But I was surprised at John Adler’s response.
Adler is a skilled attorney and politician, and did not give a direct “yes” or “no” answer. Playing into the propaganda propagated by the Tea Party and Fox News, he stated that he felt that Speaker Pelosi was “divisive”, and that troubled him. Where has he been?
The capstone legislation of the 111th Congress is, of course, the Affordable Care Act. The House Republicans were just a dead weight in its passage through the labyrinth of legislation. All GOP members abided by their loyalty oath and publicly stated that they would vote “no” on every one of the president’s initiatives and obstruct this important bill, even though it is essentially the same bill that the Republicans promoted as an alternative to Hillary Clinton’s health care initiative in the ‘90s. So, as leader, Speaker Pelosi needed to corral all of the Democrats – Liberals, Centrists, and Blue Dogs – to cobble together a bill that they could collectively support. Pelosi is a masterful politician and got the compromises necessary to pass the bill, despite 34 Democrats (including Adler) voting against it. Her ability to bring this diverse group of Democrats under the “big tent” is by no means divisive – on the contrary it is close to miraculous.
Adler’s pandering to the right wing’s anti-Pelosi (possibly anti-powerful woman) mantra indicates his willingness to swing toward what is required to be re-elected rather than toward what is right and decent. His remarks will encourage other conservative Democrats to mount a challenge to the leadership of one of the most effective Speakers in my lifetime.
Cross-posted from Blue Jersey
Posted by Deciminyan at 6:34 AM No comments:
The Adler/Runyan Debate
Tonight was the big showdown. The first (and probably only) public debate between the diminutive incumbent, Congressman John Adler, and the leviathan ex-footballer Jon Runyan.
The social hall at the Cherry Hill Jewish Community Center was filled 30 minutes before the start of the debate, and attendees were standing around the sides and back by the time the debate started. Supporters from both sides were well-represented, although the Runyan supporters were clearly more vociferous. But there was a solitary Adler supporter who yelled “hee-haw” (referring to Runyan’s donkey tax deduction) every time Runyan made a point that the heckler disagreed with. Ersatz Tea Party candidate Peter DeStefano was conspicuous by his physical absence, but his quixotic entry into the race was present in the discussion (Adler disavowed any participation in the DeStefano campaign “to the best of my knowledge.”)
Following the candidates’ opening remarks, the event was conducted in three parts. First, a panel presented questions to each of the candidates. Then each candidate presented questions to his opponent (these questions were prepared in advance), and finally there was an opportunity for the audience to question the candidates directly.
The panelists consisted of Dr. Myra Gutin of Rider University (who, by the way, is a nationally recognized academic on the topic of First Ladies), Leon Tucker who is managing editor of the Courier Post, and Julia Roberts (no, not that Julia Roberts) who is the chair of the young adult division of the South Jersey Jewish Federation.
The positions of both men are well known, especially Adler because he has a voting record from his first term. Adler cited his experience by name-dropping of many of the people he’s talked with in his short career on the Hill – from Barack Obama to Ben Bernanke to General David Petraeus to Benjamin Netanyahu. Runyan touted his “tenacity” on the football field. I’ll highlight some of my impressions in areas that may not have received full coverage or where there are significant differences between the two candidates.
Government Spending. Unsurprisingly, both candidates were in favor of cutting government spending. They were asked to name specific areas where this could be accomplished. Runyan’s answers were very Christie-esque – across the board cuts to 2008 spending levels without consideration of priorities or changes to the external environment. He would cut out (unspecific) waste and espoused that there are a number of “simple solutions” to getting spending under control like capping government pay and cutting back the number of government employees (although he did not specifically say where). Adler cited instances where he voted for or would support cuts including agribusiness subsidies and repeal of the advanced income tax credit. The congressman proudly announced that he voted against eight of twelve spending bills. He proposed bringing all troops back home from Iraq – including the 50,000 we have there now – to help with the spending problem.
Energy. Adler is adamantly against offshore drilling from New Jersey to Virginia and is a proponent of wind farms and nuclear power. Runyan said that offshore drilling is a tenth amendment states’ rights issue and the Federal government does not have the right to regulate offshore drilling.
Israel and Iran. Both candidates are staunchly pro-Israel and would take action to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Neither ruled out military action against Iran, but Alder would consider a naval blockade before air strikes. He said the Senate has been dysfunctional on this and many other issues. Runyan said “nothing is off the table” with regard to military action against Iran. On the conflict with the Palestinians, Runyan said the United States should stay out of it and not pressure the two parties into anything. Adler pointed out that a two-state solution is unrealistic in the short term because there is no one to negotiate with. He said that the Palestinian Authority must unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist before negotiations begin. Runyan is in favor of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. Adler pointed out that this would have deleterious ramifications, and we should work this out with the Israelis.
Basic Rights. While both candidates touted their independence from party doctrine (and Adler has clearly demonstrated that), Runyan pointed out that he is pro-choice. When asked about support of laws that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, Adler said he has voted for such laws and would continue to do so. Runyan’s response was, “we are allowed to be different.”
Second Amendment. Adler said that certain weapons such as bazookas and machine guns should not be available to private citizens and that such bans have been upheld by the Supreme Court. Runyan is not in favor of any limitations on weapon ownership.
Tort Reform. Adler pointed out that he voted for tort reform when he was a state senator, and claimed that most doctors support his campaign. Runyan took a swipe at lawyers and lamented the fact that most politicians are attorneys. He cited the experience in Texas as a good example of tort reform (can anyone supply some background on Texas’ approach?)
Education. A question on education funding was asked by a Lenape High School student who was subsequently booed by the Tea Party contingent in the room. Runyan stated that it is the personal responsibility of parents to “educate their child at home”, although I don’t think he was espousing universal home schooling. Adler pointed out that his four children attended public schools and claimed “public schools are the key to America’s future.” Neither candidate offered substantive solutions.
Health Care. Adler said that even though he voted against the Affordable Care Act, he would not vote for repeal. Instead, he would promote fixing those areas that he feels need improvement such as cost containment. On Medicare, he pointed out that physician reimbursement needs to be increased in order to keep more doctors in the system. Runyan said he would vote for complete repeal of what the Tea Party calls “Obamacare”, although he then backtracked and said the ban on rejection for pre-existing conditions was a good idea.
Overall, Adler continued to hammer the fact that he is a centrist (he used the word “bipartisan”), even pointing out an instance where he co-sponsored a bill with right-wing extremist Scott Garrett. Runyan’s main points were anti-tax and small government. In response to one of the many questions posed by Tea Partiers, both men agreed that President Obama is neither a Muslin nor a Socialist.
With the exception of the abortion issue, Runyan toes the Tea Party line completely. He is in favor of the failed Bush economic policies and “nuance” and “compromise” don’t seem to be in his vocabulary. Adler is the “centrist” he claims to be – what we used to call a “moderate Republican”.
We have a clear choice in November. Yes, Adler is the lesser of two evils, but I’d rather be represented by an intelligent and independent thinker than an ex-footballer who is proud of his Tea Party endorsements. The bottom line is that for progressives, Adler is a flawed candidate. Runyan is a dangerous one.
Posted by Deciminyan at 11:28 PM No comments:
Nothing is Ever A Total Loss - It Can Always Be Used as a Bad Example
There’s a lot of talk about consolidation and shared services as a way to address New Jersey’s budget crisis. Some baby steps have been taken in areas such as public safety, county-wide purchasing, and library services.
While consolidation and sharing of services is a noble goal in the abstract, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Case in point: the Woodlynne Police Department.
Woodlynne is a tiny one-quarter square mile borough tucked between Camden and Collingswood. Four years ago, in an effort to save money, the borough disbanded its police force, sold off its squad cars and other assets, and outsourced police protection to Collingswood. Like almost all public service agencies, the Collingswood Police Department had severe fiscal challenges, and in 2009 started to cut back on police patrols in the Woodlynne borough. This soured the relationship between the two municipalities, and eventually they agreed on an amicable divorce – Woodlynne would resurrect its independent police department.
The borough of 3,000 residents hired about a dozen officers who were laid off from their police jobs in surrounding municipalities, and hired a former Camden police chief as their Director of Public Safety at a $60,000 annual salary. The new Woodlynne Police Department started operation this past Sunday. Much of the equipment such as bulletproof vests, guns, and forensic devices was recycled or donated from other departments or the state, although the borough did invest in two brand new squad cars.
I’m not qualified to comment on whether this insourcing initiative is good or bad for the citizens of Woodlynne. It’s possible that the lure of home rule, clash of personalities, or insufficient service from Collingswood all contributed to this reversal. What’s important here, though, for the rest of the state is to capitalize on Woodlynne’s and Collingswood’s experiences and apply those lessons learned to future cost-cutting efforts. The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety should interview the principal parties and document what worked, and what didn’t. The Department should establish a repository of lessons learned from this and similar efforts – those that succeed as well as those that fail. And those lessons need to be part of the planning process for future consolidation efforts and sharing of services. By systematically exploiting mistakes of the past, we have an improved chance of ensuring a better future.
As a rule, I don't cross-post material that I have not created from other sites. But this video from Ed Potosnak, candidate for Congress in NJ-7, is powerful, poignant, and carries an important message.
New Jersey's Blockhead
Becky and Charlie are ten year old twins. They sometimes play well together, but there’s also an element of sibling rivalry. Both enjoy playing with wooden blocks, and (pardon the stereotyping, but I’m using it to make my point) Becky likes pink blocks while Charlie likes blue ones. Their family is about to go on a long vacation, and the twins and their parents are scurrying to pack the minivan in order to get on the road.
Becky is busy helping Dad prepare lunches, and Mom calls out to Charlie for assistance. “The minivan is getting full”, she said, “but here’s a box to take for you to fill with blocks for you and your sister.” Charlie takes the box up to the bedroom and realizes that not all the blocks will fit in the box – so he has to choose which ones to take. He knows he likes the blue ones while Becky plays with the pink ones. What does he do?
If he’s a spoiled selfish kid, and doesn’t care about his sister, he will fill the box with blue blocks which would give him lots to play with on vacation. Maybe he’d throw in a couple of pink blocks to placate his sister and his parents. He’s looking forward to being able to brag to his friends how he got all the blue blocks he wanted. A more mature ten year old would realize that by sacrificing half of his blue blocks, and filling the box half blue/half pink, both he and his sister would have enough to play with, even though neither gets as many blocks as they would like.
Now fast forward, and suppose Charlie is Chris Christie. Clearly, he would fill the box with blue blocks – things that promote his own political self-agenda, curry favor with his cronies and millionaires, and say to hell with his sister and brother citizens of New Jersey.
When there are choices to be made with limited resources, no doubt tough decisions need to be made, and sacrifices need to be shared. A mature ten year old would realize this. A self-centered, bratty ten year old would not. Balancing budgets is more complex than apportioning blue and pink blocks, but the general approach is similar. I wish our governor would recognize that fact, and not act like a bratty ten year old.
The Landrum Cell
The year is 2015. Bob Landrum of Connellsville is one of the wealthiest men in southwestern Pennsylvania. A high school chemistry teacher by profession, Bob was an amateur inventor and had discovered a breakthrough in solar cell technology back in 2013. His new solar cell, using a technology that he patented, was nine times more efficient at generating electricity than the best state-of-the art cells were previously. Despite his wealth, Bob and his wife Carol sent their two children to public schools. “We want Timmy and Sarah to experience the diversity of America and they need to interact with other children from all walks of life and from all kinds of families” explained Carol.
Bob had started to manufacture his Landrum Cell, as he named it, in his garage. The process was complex, manually intensive, and required a high level of skill. Because of this, commercialization of the current design of the Landrum Cell was impractical, although Bob was able to sell his product to niche markets like NASA and electric car experimenters where the efficiency of electricity production was more important than cost.
Even though production quantities were limited, Bob’s product commanded a premium price, and his income soared. Eventually, he retired from teaching, hired a few smart engineering students from Carnegie-Mellon University to help with production and further development, and continued to produce small quantities of his product from his garage for a select group of customers. Carol, who was trained as a nurse, managed the non-technical aspects of the business like payroll, marketing, and personnel.
Bob and Carol knew they had to expand their business and make the manufacturing of the cells cost-effective. They wrote a business plan with the goal of taking his company public. Bob knew the demand for his product would soar, especially after President Palin’s disastrous invasion of Iran in 2013 which cut off much of the oil from the Middle East. With gasoline at $7.50 a gallon, oil company profits were soaring while average Americans looked back at the slow but steady Obama economic recovery as “the good old days” when unemployment was below 10%. Although credit was tight, with banks only supporting non-value-added ventures like hedge funds, Bob knew he had a winner with his patented technology and needed capital to expand.
The Landrums' business plan called for the establishment of a 177,000 square foot factory. The plan was conservative, but with the patented high-demand technology it showed the Landrum’s business becoming a $7 billion enterprise within five years, creating over 8,000 jobs. Because of the complexity of the Landrum Cell technology, this would be no ordinary factory, but would require highly skilled workers – many with advanced degrees in chemistry, physics, and engineering – to oversee the fabrication process. Bob and Carol immersed themselves in the challenges of starting up a new company and they became astute self-taught businesspersons. Bob was a “hands-on” type of individual and had a reputation of being a fair but demanding employer.
The process of taking a company public is complex, and the Landrums wanted to be close to where the action was – Wall Street. So they decided to leave southwestern Pennsylvania and move the operation to the New York metropolitan area. They started to search for locations for the new factory and R&D center there.
Many sites were under consideration, New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, and Westchester County. Competition among those sites was fierce, each one considering capturing the Landrum business as a plumb because of the exciting potential to make a significant dent in the high cost of energy using clean technology.
Like its competition, New Jersey did a full-court press to woo the Landrums to the Garden State. Officials offered development grants, tax abatements, and scoped out several potential sites for the factory. Governor Loretta Weinberg met with the Landrums personally. But it was not to be. The Landrums did not choose New Jersey for their factory.
After the decision, Carol explained to a reporter, “We firmly believe in sending our kids to public schools, and the schools in New Jersey, while they had a superb reputation, have deteriorated under the Christie administration. The best teachers were driven out and replaced by inexperienced recent graduates while class size has grown to unacceptable levels. Despite recent improvements under the new administration, New Jersey’s schools will take several more years to recover. Most of our workforce feels the same way, and we wanted to make the move attractive to them, also.” Bob added, “A significant part of our decision was based on the availability of good infrastructure. We need roads and rail to ship our product as our volume expands. Unfortunately, in New Jersey, roads deteriorated significantly due to the neglect under the Christie administration, and with the high demand for our product, we can’t afford to have it sitting idle in a traffic jam.” When questioned by the reporter, Bob added “As you know, our manufacturing process uses lots of water, and it costs us time and money to purify the water we get. Because of the neglect in water quality under the Christie administration, we have found that using New Jersey’s water would require additional purification steps, which are not necessary in the site we ultimately chose.” He continued, “I’m a big proponent of public transportation, and I need to meet with the Wall Street folks several times a week. The lack of a new Hudson River crossing makes commuting into the city from New Jersey pretty onerous, and it’s much easier from my new location.”
“We appreciate Governor Weinberg’s effort to attract our business,” he continued, “but right now, New Jersey is too far behind its competition to make this economically viable for our expanding venture. We like the new governor’s plans for making New Jersey a better place to live and work, and perhaps in the future, when our business expands further, we might consider a second factory there.” President Palin’s new Secretary of Education, Chris Christie, was unavailable for comment.
This parable is dedicated to the real Bob Landrum – my (New Jersey public) high school physics teacher who taught me the joys of calculus, how to learn from my mistakes, and encouraged me to pursue what turned out to be a rewarding 40-year career in engineering and program management.
Forgetting Who We Work For - Part Deux
Last week, I blogged about the debacle regarding road and rail projects and the Transportation Trust Fund. I reminded politicians on both sides that they work for us, and their lack of urgency in coming to terms with a multi-billion dollar issue is a failure their part to do the governing we pay them to do. They ended up kicking the can down the road – postponing a real solution until the end of the year, but at least the road crews are back at work.
Now, there’s an even more egregious instance where one of our elected officials seems to have forgotten who he is working for.
I don’t begrudge Governor Christie for hitting the campaign trail. Elected officials of both parties do this, and with today’s telecommunications infrastructure, a leader can be almost as effective (or ineffective) from Des Moines as he can be from Trenton. But I am very angry at the way our leader uses sarcasm to belittle New Jersey’s citizens. While campaigning in Iowa, Governor Christie mocked students and teachers by using a whiny voice saying “Mom, Dad, I can’t study. I can’t work. My grades are suffering because Mrs. Smith, she’s not getting her pay raise this year.” Perhaps the governor thinks that our students are too dumb to read newspapers, but how is a student supposed to respect his or her hard-working teacher when the governor doesn’t? The governor went on to categorize disagreements with his approach as “garbage.” Since when is legitimate disagreement “garbage?”
Following that comment, the governor added, “…and you wonder why I’m in Iowa?” Yes, governor – I wonder how your denigration of the Garden State will help attract business and tourists. You are the ambassador from New Jersey to the rest of the world. Keep your disagreements in Trenton – after all, you already have the legislature wrapped around your pinky. But when on the road, you should be promoting New Jersey, not smearing it. That’s what we pay you to do.
"...with liberty and justice for some."
I am not a lawyer, and am presenting my opinion based on what I can discern from on-line articles. Input and clarifications from any attorneys reading this blog are encouraged.
While our nation was founded on the idealistic principal of “justice for all”, and we continually strive toward that goal, it has never been truly attained. The wealthy can take advantage of high-powered attorneys to help them skirt the law, while the poor obtain their “equal justice” by working with taxpayer-supported public defenders. Often this works well, with defendants receiving a fair trial, but clearly there are limits. A rich defendant has almost unlimited resources to spend on obtaining exculpatory evidence and judicial theatrics (remember the OJ trial?). An indigent defendant’s resources are limited, even with free counsel. Now, a new thumb on the scale of justice is making it even more difficult for the poor.
An article in USA Today reports that some states are now restricting public defender services. In the landmark Gideon vs Wainright case, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to an attorney for felony cases. The participating justices in a New Jersey Supreme Court case on a related issue have ruled unanimously that legal representation for the poor must be provided in any case that might result in incarceration.
The USA Today article goes on, stating that some states are imposing fees for public defender services. Defendants are either coerced to waive their right to an attorney or forced to amass huge debts. Clearly, in a country where almost one person in one hundred is incarcerated, the “rehabilitation” aspect of prison life has been subsumed by a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” attitude. Elimination of adequate defense for all, combined with the Tea Party’s drive to eviscerate defendants’ Miranda rights, and the growing initiative to privatize prisons under for-profit companies, simply increases the burden on the taxpayer, adds to corporate coffers, and does not address the root cause of the problem.
Forgetting Who We Work For
Before I retired, I worked for Lockheed Martin and its predecessor companies for over 40 years. Like most large conglomerates, Lockheed Martin has established a corporate slogan to instantly summarize its values and goals. Several years ago, it chose the grammatically-challenged slogan “We never forget who we are working for.” Part of the reason for this choice was to remind employees as well as customers that their ultimate customer is the American taxpayer, who foots the bill for a vast majority of the corporation’s military and civil programs.
It would be a good idea if Governor Christie, Senate President Sweeney, and the other leaders of the State of New Jersey could adopt a similar attitude. Their most recent egregious example of forgetting why they are employed happened this weekend when the state transportation commissioner halted all roadwork due to the failure of the governor and legislature to come to agreement on funding.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even a civil engineer, to realize that these projects are not only expensive, but that to start and stop a major construction effort in the middle of its execution adds cost that is borne by taxpayers. Whenever a large project is stopped in the middle of its tracks, whether it is the Hudson River tunnel or the road improvements to I-295, there is work to be done to make the site safe, inventory work in progress, and bring things to an orderly shutdown. There’s the added inconvenience and safety issue to the taxpayer due to the need to drive through an incomplete road with temporary barriers and interim signs. And when the project re-starts, there’s the inefficiency of re-hiring, re-training, and re-orienting the workers whose momentum was lost during the shutdown. These costs add up, and guess who pays? Also, laying off hundreds of construction workers does not exactly help our struggling economy.
There’s enough blame to pass around for this latest fiasco. I don’t really care if it’s Governor Christie’s bullish attitude in refusing to provide long-term plans regarding the Transportation Trust Fund, or the legislature’s attempt to mirror the governor’s popular intransigent attitude by not taking up the issue until the last minute. Mr. Christie and Mr. Sweeney, don’t forget that you are working for me. As far as I’m concerned, your squandering of my money is grounds for termination. Maybe this issue is not front page news, but I will be reminded of your disdain for my tax dollars every day when I drive up and down I-295.
Sins of Omission
Jews around the world recently observed the beginning of a new year, highlighted by a day of prayer and fasting known as Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement. The day-long service gives us many opportunities to reflect on our deeds over the past year and enumerates the list of sins which we may have committed. We contemplate sins in various aspects such as those we have committed under duress, and those which we have committed willingly. Another way to categorize our transgressions is to consider those we have committed overtly versus those we have committed by not taking the correct action.
Most Jewish communities have local newspapers, usually published weekly, that contain news and articles of interest to the local Jewish community. Here in South Jersey, the Voice, published in Cherry Hill, fulfils that need. North Jersey, which has a higher Jewish population density, has several such newspapers, one of which is the Standard based in Teaneck.
Since these newspapers each serve a relatively close-knit community, it is customary for them to carry articles about life-cycle events such as births, bar/bat mitzvah, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, and obituaries. They do so for all branches of Judaism, from the most traditional to the most liberal. On September 24, the Standard published an engagement announcement celebrating the upcoming marriage of two individuals with deep Jewish roots. One works in the Manhattan office of an organization in Jerusalem that treats blind children with multiple disabilities and his father is the principal of a prominent Jewish day school. The other is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary and is working on an advanced degree in Jewish Studies. They plan to be married next month. Both are men.
Just like in the secular community, the Jewish community is divided on the issue of marriage equality. The Orthodox, which is the fastest growing portion of the Jewish community, is more traditional and is vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage. The Reform movement is the liberal wing, and same-sex marriage is permitted. Generally, Conservative Judaism is considered middle-of-the-road – embracing egalitarianism while maintaining most of the more traditional customs such as kashrut – the Jewish dietary laws. The Conservatives follow Halacha (Jewish Law), but unsurprisingly rabbis have come up with varying interpretations. It’s fairly safe to say that each Conservative synagogue can determine its own policy toward same-sex marriage.
While there is much overlap in the secular and religious debate, there are some important differences to take into account. As I pointed out in an earlier blog post, there is no legal basis to prohibit same-sex civil marriage in the United States, but the court battle is still a work in progress. And no proponent of marriage equality is proposing that religious marriage ceremonies be conducted outside the tenets of the faith.
After the Standard published the engagement announcement, there was apparently some virulent feedback from the more traditional community. In this week’s issue, they published the following:
We set off a firestorm last week by publishing a same-sex couple's announcement of their intent to marry. Given the tenor of the times, we did not expect the volume of comments we have received, many of them against our decision to run the announcement, but many supportive as well.
A group of rabbis has reached out to us and conveyed the deep sensitivities within the traditional/Orthodox community to this issue. Our subsequent discussions with representatives from that community made us aware that publication of the announcement caused pain and consternation and we apologize for any pain we may have caused.
Then, the editors of the Standard went on to announce that they were going to commit a sin of omission:
The Jewish Standard has always striven to draw the community together, rather than drive its many segments apart. We have decided, therefore, since this is such a divisive issue, not to run such announcements in the future.
This policy is hypocritical on many fronts:
First, a joyous event like the merging of two families through marriage does not drive the community apart – it brings us together. How does alienating and casting out of a loving couple promote the Jewish value of Tikkun Olom – repairing the world?
Like many American Jewish newspapers, the Standard accepts advertising from non-kosher restaurants. Those who choose to observe kashrut to its ultimate degree can choose not to eat at those establishments just as they can choose not to marry a same-sex partner or not to read an engagement announcement.
Unlike in Israel, here in the United States, there is no “chief” rabbinate. Each of the observant communities follows its own religious tenets while typically working with each other on community projects, support for Israel, and other aspects of Jewish life. Jews in America must be inclusive, not exclusive, to continue this good work.
The Orthodox are certainly entitled to their strict interpretation of Halacha and no one is proposing any changes there. But to foist their beliefs on the community at large and disenfranchise their fellow Jews goes against all of the principles of Judaism that my parents and grandparents blessed me with.
Events of the past week show the disastrous results when we cast out or marginalize members of our community. The Standard should reclaim its mantle as a community newspaper and reverse its unwise policy regarding engagement announcements. Sins of omission are as wrong as sins of commission.
Fundamentalism is Not Restricted to Religious Fund...
Nothing is Ever A Total Loss - It Can Always Be Us...
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Where I Stand
The opioid epidemic does not discriminate based on zip code – it has touched every community in Indiana. I support:
Increased federal funding for programs that provide substance abuse education, treatment, prevention, and ongoing recovery.
Expanding the research and development of alternatives to narcotics for pain relief.
Access to health care coverage for all Americans, including addiction treatment. It should be easier to access treatment than to obtain prescription painkillers.
Broad availability for naloxone. Increasing the availability (and lowering the cost) of naloxone (which is an emergency rescue drug for narcotic overdoses) will help first responders save lives, and will make it possible for family and friends of those struggling with addiction to reduce the chance of a fatal overdose.
The legalization of medical marijuana as a therapeutic alternative for Americans struggling with chronic and severe pain.
Criminal justice reform to ensure that every American is treated fairly.
All but three of our state’s counties have reported an overdose death from heroin or opioids within the past five years.
Drug overdoses now kill more people than gun homicides and car crashes combined. Every 25 minutes, a child is born addicted to opioids. This has become a generational problem that must be solved.
Our country declared war on drugs in the 1970’s, and the repercussions of those battles still affect us today. I remember the “say no to drugs” campaign and how it impacted the black community. It was launched to save lives, but rather than showing compassion and providing help to those in need, the “war” resulted in increased incarcerations for non-violent drug crimes and established mandatory prison sentences for certain drug offenders. The reactive policies of the 1980’s failed to take a holistic approach to the drug problem and many Hoosiers continue to suffer from the fallout.
Fast forward to today, where we are now confronted with an opioid epidemic that has its roots in rural America. This has become a tsunami that has overwhelmed many Americans.
To combat this growing crisis, we must engage multiple points along the supply chain – manufacturers, physicians and medical professionals, public safety experts, caregivers and families. We must both reduce the vast supply of opioids available and expand support for treatment.
We are always looking for passionate women and men to reach out to voters and connect with constituents. Interested?
Infrastructure Sign Up
Door-to-Door Canvassing
Call Constituents
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Op-Ed: Asian Security: Japan Needs Better Tools to Do Its Part
(Source: The Lexington Institute; issued Nov. 15, 2007)
(© The Lexington Institute; reproduced by permission)
By Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.
Earlier this month, defense secretary Robert M. Gates spent a week in East Asia, which has emerged as one of the most vibrant centers of economic growth in the world. Pentagon policymakers tend to use the word "transformation" too loosely, but the Western Pacific is a place where transformation is a very real thing.
Over the last 50 years, China, Japan and South Korea have all ascended to the status of world-class economies, and as they did their societies witnessed profound change. Not surprisingly, U.S. policymakers are devoting more of their time to developments in East Asia.
One recurrent theme in the public remarks of Secretary Gates as he traveled around the region is that local nations, especially Japan, should use their growing wealth to play a more active role in promoting global security. The biggest Asian powers all tend to be somewhat insular by comparison with their European counterparts, even though they are at least as dependent on access to overseas resources and a smoothly functioning trade system. The U.S. Air Force and Navy have increased the tempo of cooperative activities with militaries in the region, but getting local forces to do anything big outside the region is not easy.
Perhaps that is just as well, given China's ambivalence about democracy, South Korea's need to cope with an aberrant cousin to the north, and domestic resistance in Japan to any hint of militarism. But there is still a great deal that the countries can do to foster stability near home, such as restraining North Korea's aggressive impulses and policing sea lanes.
Japan in particular has motivation and potential to do much more, given its high per-capita wealth and technological sophistication. Unfortunately, Washington is sending mixed signals to Tokyo about just how much it really wants the Japanese to do.
A case in point was the recent debate about whether Japan should be permitted to buy the F-22 Raptor fighter, following an expression of interest by a senior Japanese official.
The F-22 is the Air Force's new top-of-the-line fighter, far superior to any other fighter in the world in its agility, survivability and versatility. It's so capable that policymakers aren't inclined to export it, even to trusted allies like Japan. But does that really make sense if Raptor is the plane best suited to protecting the Japanese home islands against cruise-missile attack or preempting a ballistic-missile launch by North Korea?
It sounds like Washington is saying it wants Japan to play a bigger role in regional security, but with inferior weapons -- or that the Japanese will have to depend forever on America to do the really tough missions.
Another case in point is the Air Force's most advanced unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, the Global Hawk. Like F-22, Global Hawk is the most capable aircraft of its kind in the world. It can stay aloft for 36 hours with a 3,000-pound payload of cameras, radars and eavesdropping equipment, far surpassing the persistence of any manned aircraft or satellite in low-earth orbit.
Japan's current inventory of reconnaissance planes consists mainly of older, less capable aircraft, and Global Hawk is well matched to the big distances in the Pacific. Since it's a purely defensive system, why isn't anybody talking about how Global Hawk might fit into the Japanese toolbox of expanded security options? Because it's a little too good to share?
In fairness to the Bush Administration, it has been willing to trust the Japanese with Aegis, the most sophisticated maritime air-defense system in the world. But if we really want the Japanese to be partners in regional security, we should be willing to trust them with other top systems too -- especially since they're the one ally we have that isn't inclined to export weapons.
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GOATLORD - REFLECTIONS OF THE SOLSTICE LP (GOLD VINYL)
The transition in style that Goatlord underwent between the releases of “Demo '87” and the “Sodomize the Goat” demo in 1988 began to expose some differences in the individual members' visions for the band's future direction. Although guitarist Joe Frankulin has been quoted as stating that the deliberate attempt to slow the pace of certain sections of the songs quite dramatically had gone a bit too far, vocalist Ace Still instead embraced this change wholeheartedly, which eventually led to him parting ways with Goatlord prior to the band's signing with Turbo Music for the recording of their first album, “Reflections of the Solstice,” in 1991. In the wake of Ace's departure, Frankulin and company enlisted the vocal services of Mitch Harris, who would soon become better known for his involvement in Napalm Death. Curiously, although it is commonly recognized that Harris indeed recorded lead vocal tracks for the entire album, it is instead the voice of Ace Still that appears on the released recording. Given the band's known indulgence in hallucinogenics, it is as fitting as it is mysterious that Ace Still somehow re-emerged from the fog to record the lead vocal tracks on “Reflections...,” and it is perhaps equally interesting to note that Harris' vocals only surface as a backing track on “Sacrifice.” These differences in musical visions aside, “Reflections of the Solstice” followed much in the same vein as the “Sodomize the Goat” demo. In fact, every song on the album had also been previously recorded for the 1988 demo, and the band continued to masterfully fuse frenetically-paced death/thrash segments with more tortured, black/doom dirges. On the other hand, at least one noteworthy alteration was made to one song's composition – namely, the extended delay-and-reverb-enhanced intro that was added to “Possessed Soldiers of War.” Moreover, the most significant difference that is pervasive throughout the album is the seemingly inexplicable use of an electronic drum kit, which adds to “Reflections...” a modern and technical element that was clearly not present on previous recordings. Notwithstanding the fact that over the years some have unfairly criticized this particular aspect of the album, the unnatural sound of the drums should instead be considered and appreciated as yet another bizarre anecdote in the band's development, which simply adds another important dimension to Goatlord's historic significance. Following the album's initial 1991 European release by Turbo Music, the U.S.-based label JL America licensed a version for the North American market the following year, albeit with different cover artwork and one additional track, and for some reason decided to rename it “Goatlord.” Fifteen years later, Nuclear War Now! rightly decided to resurrect this masterpiece in order to ensure its continued proliferation.
ILDJARN - 1992 - 1995 (CASSETTE)
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You are here: Home » Blog » Al Maktoum Airport » Dubai Airport set to be World’s number 2 this year
Dubai Airport set to be World’s number 2 this year
Upcoming winter airline schedules are set to catapult Dubai Airport into the place of the world’s 2nd busiest international airport.
Dubai airport is currently the world’s 4th busiest, but the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has predicted that it will be second only to London Heathrow in terms of passenger traffic by November 2011.
That jump means overtaking Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Dubai Airports ambitious expansion plans are no secret, it’s currently building what’s expected to be the world’s largest airport (due for completion in 2017) and is also upgrading its current terminals in the meantime.
Dubai flag-carrier Emirates is also investing heavily in new planes and is the largest customer for the enormous A380 super-jumbo, which carries more passengers than any other aircraft.
But while Dubai International has made public its ambitions to be the world’s busiest airport by 2015, it appears to be edging closer to rival Heathrow, offering 1.3 million international seats in throughput in November 2011, compared to around 1.5 million for London Heathrow.
An upswing in seasonal flights from Gulf carriers, and the increasing numbers of passengers choosing to connect between Europe and Asia via Dubai are responsible for the jump.
The size of an airport is normally judged using benchmarks such as aircraft movements, total number of passengers, domestic and international and the number of seats on board aircraft heading to and from that destination.
Last year, aviation analyst OAG said that Beijing Airport had overtaken Heathrow as the world’s second busiest in terms of total seat capacity, although both were still behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world’s biggest by domestic and international seats.
Category: Al Maktoum Airport, Dubai Airport Flights, Dubai Airport News, Dubai International Airport, Emirates Airlines
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Emirates Flight from Dublin to Dubai »
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War memorial in Hesleden
The Blackhall History Group have worked with Monk Hesleden Parsh Council to provide a War Memorial for Hesleden. The unveiling of the new War Memorial, which took place on 4th October 2017 involved children from the local school. Eight children, four of whom have relatives named on the memorial, performed the unveiling.
The unveiling was reported on the local news: https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2017-10-04/war-memorial-unveiled-in-hesleden-in-county-durham/
The memorial is listed on the North East War Memorials website: http://www.newmp.org.uk/detail.php?contentId=11647
Three wooden crosses, the original grave markers from France, are also situated in the Methodist Church in Hesleden. Two of these crosses bear the names of two men from Hesleden who lost their lives during the First World War; Private John Haswell and Private John Fairhurst. The third is for an unknown soldier and has the words “Field of Remembrance” incised on it. The crosses were originally housed at St John’s Church in Hesleden. After the closure of this church, the crosses were given to the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Collection. The crosses have now been returned to the village from the DLI collection to be on permanent display at the church.
For further information on the crosses:
http://thereturned.co.uk/crosses/hesleden-hesleden-methodist-church-co-durham/
http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=100&articleid=1365
Mildred Tempest, the niece of John Haswell submitted information about how the crosses came to be in Hesleden which can be found on the Durham at War site.
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Vol 22 No 15
Hope beyond disability support flip-flopping
Moira Byrne Garton
Amid last week's politicking on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Queensland Premier Campbell Newman revisited a previous proposal for funding the NDIS — a dedicated charge to the taxpayer, akin to the Medicare levy. While this strategy was a reasonable possibility when ongoing disability care and support first rose in public debate, the Productivity Commission recommended it as a second-best option for funding an NDIS.
There are good reasons why federal governments from both sides of politics avoid budget strategies which tie revenue to funding for almost all public policies in the long term.
Many forms of government revenue fund various expenses and public 'goods', and revenue received rarely matches the associated costs. Instead, revenue in the form of taxes and levies is based on citizens' and companies' obligations or market-driven willingness to pay. Likewise, expenditure is based on governments' responsibilities, political will and ability to pay.
Mechanisms for revenue-raising and budgeted expenditure reveal a government's policy priorities and values. Tying revenue to a particular expenditure purpose limits flexibility in delivering policy outcomes, and by implication, restricts the its ability to reflect community values in a timely manner. General purpose revenue and expenditure can have a redistributive effect.
In the Productivity Commission's Disability Care and Support Inquiry Report, in which it first proposed the NDIS, the Commission argued that the scheme should be funded from consolidated revenue on the basis that it was a core function of government akin to Medicare.
Currently, levels of disability funding wax and wane according to governments' budget resources, providing no certainty for those affected. A levy to fund disability support has similar potential to be viewed as discretionary, elective or temporary by successive governments or the community.
While it is heartening that there is general consensus between political parties on the NDIS, it is unfortunate that some state premiers' bickering over funding fuelled distress of affected people. In the last year, people with disabilities and caregivers have experienced many ups and downs.
After the report's release, the Liberal and National parties committed to supporting the NDIS at their respective Federal Council and National Conferences in the middle of last year. Labor announced its support and funding of $10 million to begin policy work on the scheme, along with a COAG Select Council to oversee the reform.
Then in December, shadow disabilities spokesman Mitch Fifield expressed reservations over funding. Various subsequent reports left readers to wonder whether the Coalition was as committed to the scheme as Labor.
Still, the prospect of reform raised hopes, which were partly realised by the Labor Government budgeting for scheme start-up costs in 2012–13 (though no extra funding for disability support was allocated in the short term). These hopes were again dashed when the Liberal Party equivocated on its support for the scheme in May.
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey stated in a National Press Club address that he 'cannot make commitments to promises and I will not make commitments to promises that we cannot fund ... we're not going to raise false hope for people out there'. Tellingly, he was willing to commit to 'a surplus in our first year in office and ... for every year of the first term'.
Although these statements conflicted with Tony Abbott's stated support, a formal commitment to the scheme by the Coalition has yet to be made.
On a more positive note, both major parties at the federal level insist that disability reform should be funded from consolidated general revenue rather than from a hypothecated levy, contrary to Premier Newman's suggestion. This signals the priority they have placed on disability reform.
Disability policy is no longer a short-term issue for political point-scoring, nor is it a second-tier funding issue where budgets can be trimmed on a whim according to available resources. Rather, disability reform is placed in the middle of the public policy sphere. It deserves this space.
Like health, disability is unpredictable. Anyone can become disabled through accident, illness or birth. While disability support itself is described as a lottery, life too is a lottery, and there's a chance that, like illness or injury, disability can happen to anyone.
Federal politicians' determination to fund the NDIS from general revenue at least signals to the community that should anything go wrong, the government is committed to ensuring that citizens receive the necessary resources for their disability support.
Moira Byrne Garton is the parent of four children including a daughter with significant physical and intellectual disabilities. Moira works part-time as a policy analyst, and is also a writer, political science PhD candidate and disability advocate, and will be a panellist at the Xavier Social Justice Network's Daring to be Different seminar Disability — Breaking Down the Barriers on 16 August.
Recent articles by Moira Byrne Garton.
Best of 2013: NDIS helps the common good
NDIS helps the common good
Declaring war on the r-word
Labor stops short on migration and disability reform
Fifty shades of rape culture
Topic tags: Moira Byrne Garton, NDIS
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If there's one thing that the recent election campaign and its outcome demonstrated, it's the depth of the divisions that exist in our Australian community.
Our politics is focused on point-scoring, personalities, and name-calling across party lines. The media, for the most part, don't help, driven by the 24-hour news cycle and the pursuit of advertising dollars into a frenzy of click-bait and shallow sensationalism.
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Existing comments
I'm a carer for an adult with a disability. I'm still in the dark as to what a NDIS will actually provide. I realise every disability is unique, but what will it provide that we don't get now?
David Gleeson | 03 August 2012
Thanks for your comment. That's a big question. I am not sure if you are a paid carer or an unpaid caregiver or family member, but your question seems to indicate that you and the person you care for already receive the services that need. This is not the case for many people.
Even for people who receive some services, there may be rigidity or a lack of choice. The NDIS will provide people with disabilities and their caregivers and families with more autonomy and flexibility in making decisions on services.
I'll see what I can do regarding further detail (the space in comments is not long). Meanwhile, Patricia Mowbray wrote this article which sets out some of the benefits of the NDIS.
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=31027
Moira Byrne Garton | 03 August 2012
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Seattle Mariners Minneapolis MN Tickets
Seattle Mariners Minneapolis Tickets
The Seattle Mariners are among the most accomplished sides in the MLB and hold the record for the highest number of wins in a single season with a hundred and sixteen. They are now in line to face off against the Minnesota Twins in what could be a very closely contested series. The Mariners have shown definite signs of improvement over the last few years and will be looking to stamp their authority over the rest of the league this time around. You can be part of this intriguing contest as well. Just get your Seattle Mariners Minneapolis tickets to watch all the action live at the Target Field.
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The Seattle Mariners are on the rise and are getting better by the season. They recorded their first winning season after five years in 2014 and with the right kind of investment, their performances are only going to get even better.
A winning mentality
The Seattle Mariners have never managed to get to the World Series. However, they have still enjoyed a lot of success over the years and have won three division titles to date. Their triumph in 2001 was also accompanied by a new record of going 116 games unbeaten which is as astonishing statistic.
With the team improving gradually over the last few seasons, they will be hoping that they have plenty more chances to add to their titles and become more consistent in the future. Their performances in 2014 should give them plenty of confidence heading into the latest campaign.
An intriguing fixture
The Seattle Mariners look to be hitting their stride once again and will soon face the Minnesota Twins very soon. The Twins have been disappointing over the last few years, posting losing seasons on a regular basis. They have shown some signs of progress but still have a long way to go before they reach the level they want to be at.
The Mariners have an edge over the Twins, historically, so they will be confident about coming out on top this time as well. If you want to see these two teams fight it out, then get your Seattle Mariners Minneapolis tickets and catch these epic clashes live at the Target Field.
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Flores Island Indonesia
Flores island, pronounced flôr ' es and is Portuguese for flower, is a large island inhabited by almost two million people and it belongs to the island nation of Indonesia. Flores Island was named so because of a showy flowery shrub named the Poinciana regia that dominates the Flores Island landscape. Indonesia, as a nation, is a vast collection of seventeen thousand oceanic islands. many of which are small volcanic islands that remain uninhabited and unnamed to this day. Yet the Indonesian islands are home to over 230 million people and is the fourth most populous country in the world. Flores, island, is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is heavily wooded, rugged, and mountainous, with peaks rising to 7,872 ft (2,399 m). Unlike Muslim Indonesia, the Flores Island inhabitants are predominantly Christian, mainly Roman Catholic; those in the west are chiefly Malayans, and those in the east are Papuans. Corn and coconuts are grown as staples. Ende is the chief town and port with a population in excess of 50,000. The climate on Flores Island varies considerably due to the mountainous terrain and is subject to both drought and monsoons. Flores Island is now enjoying a bit of a tourist boom and can even boast the addition of a four star hotel. So accommodations on Flores Island are no longer as stark as depicted in Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot.
Download this free fictional account of the discovery of the Ebu Gogo on Flores Island by two American Scientists!
There are many languages spoken on the island of Flores, all of them belonging to the Austronesian family. There are at least six separate languages that are identifiable. These are from west to east: Ngadha, Nage, Keo, Ende, Lio and Palu'e , which is spoken on the island with the same name of the north coast of Flores . Locals would probably also add So'a and Bajawa to this list, which anthropologists have labeled dialects of Ngadha. Modern humans, Homo sapiens, have occupied Flores Island for thousands of years. As for the western world, the island was originally discovered by the Portuguese and was named Flores . Much later under the rule of the princes of Sulawesi, Flores Island came under Dutch influence about the year 1618. The Dutch gradually gained control of the island, although Portugal held the eastern end until 1851 and the natives were not completely subjugated until 1907.
As to fauna the west coast of Flores is one of the few places, aside from the island of Komodo itself, where the Komodo dragon can be found in the wild. The Flores giant rat is also endemic to Flores Island Island . The rat's head and body length is 41–45 cm and tail length is 33–70 cm, making the Flores giant rat at least twice the size of an average Brown Rat ( Rattus norvegicus ). The rats has small, round ears, a chunky body and a small tail, and that the giant rat of Flores appears to be adapted for life on the ground and refuge in burrows. The Flores Island rat has dense dark hair and subsists on a diet of leaves, buds, fruit, and certain kinds of insect. Their large size is seen as an important adaptation to their island home.
In case you didn't know... The Ebu Gogo (pronounced abu, rhymes with Paula Abdul) are the main characters in a traditional folk story told by the Nage, a people on Flores Island. As the main characters in the island legends the Ebu Gogo are described as a small, nasty people with a voracious appetite that sometimes included the devouring of the occasional human baby. The Ebu Gogo were said to walk awkwardly and could be heard to murmuring in their own language and were said to be capable of parroting human speech. When they could tolerate the Ebu Gogo no more the Flores islanders drove the small people in the direction of the caves, perhaps near Liang Bau or perhaps they burned the survivors alive. In any case, these stories were probably told to keep truculent Flores children in line in much the same fashion as some western fairy tales are told.
Flores Island is also the starting point for the Flores Girl Adventure novel as our two intrepid scientists go in search for a long lost people. Download the free eBook novel today and join the Flores Island adventure!
Excerpt from the Flores Girl Novel Regarding Flores Island
“Richard, when you are right, you are right, and I’m dead tired. That’s it for today, and I’m going to bed early. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Thanks everyone. Have a good night!” Sarah said as she turned away to leave the dock.
Richard was having none of that from Sarah, and he grabbed her by her arm to stop her.
“Hey, not so fast young lady. This is our last day in the big city. Let’s get dressed up and grab a few drinks before we disappear into the wilderness for a few months. We deserve, no I might add, we need a night on the town,” he pleaded.
They both knew that was a joke. Flores Island was not exactly a premiere travel destination for the discriminating western tourist. In some of the smaller towns you didn’t ask about air conditioning, you were more concerned about whether or not your room had mosquito netting. Overall, conditions were somewhat primitive, and transportation was painfully slow; actually, everything on Flores Island was slow. Flores Island was a different world from what Sarah and Richard were used to, a world where it was more important to be polite than it was to be punctual.
For a westerner, the Flores Island food was sometimes very bizarre and often challenging. The word ‘challenging’ is almost desirable when used to describe a novel or a game, maybe even a sexual conquest, but not when it’s used to describe food! To a western observer, it sometimes looked as though anything that moved was fair game for the cooking pot. In reality, the staple diet for the local population consisted of rice, fish and vegetables. The local delicacies that the natives loved inevitably entailed the head of some small animal or dog meat. For a treat, entire chickens would be roasted with the feathers left on the hapless bird. Other than some meals consisting of chicken, fish and rice, the two westerners found it difficult to find enough edible food to eat, and maintain their weight. In the week they spent preparing for the expedition, they both had lost over ten pounds, and they spent much of their time racing each other to a toilet. However, the tropical sun, combined with their illness gave the two a distinctive leaner, almost healthier look. Sarah and Richard kidded one another about the possibility of forgoing the Ebu altogether, and promoting a new “Flores Island Diet Book” instead.
Flores Island
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Amazing World of Radio, Podcast
AWR0079: Stars Over Hollywood: The Experiment
A doctor falls in love with the prisoner who’s volunteered for her medical experiment.
Original Air Date: May 24, 1952
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EP2879: Rocky Jordan: The Perfect Witness
A woman tries to shoot a man in the Cafe Tambourine. The man runs away and can’t be identified.
Original Air Date: March 19, 1950
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Let George Do It, Mutual, OTR Detective, Podcast
EP2878: Let George Do It: Sedan from the City
A sedan arrives from the city arrives in a small town and then its leading benefactor is gunned down.
Original Air Date: October 30, 1950
Rebroadcast Date: January 27, 1953
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EP2877: The Saint: A Real Guy (Listener’s Choice Standard Division #11)
Simon investigates the death of a despised band leader.
Original Air Date: July 2, 1950
DVD Review, Golden Age Article, Telefilm Review
In “Lovers and Other Killers,” Jessica travels to Seattle as a guest lecturer at an University. While there she hires a young man named David Tolliver (Andrew Stevens) as her secretary to help her keep up with her writing. When Tolliver is accused of murdering an elderly woman, Jessica takes an interest in the case.
One recurring thing done in Television shows, movies, and comics of the area is that someone is that a man is looking for a Doctor, a scientist, or other important person and is given either their title and last name and initials and last name. They go to meet them and gasp (dramatic music)it’s a woman. Given that this trope is used so often, it’s interesting to see it reversed as Jessica is confused and a bit uncomfortable at a man applying to be her secretary.
I really enjoy Andrew Stevens as Tolliver. He plays the character just right. He’s got good looks and a certain amount of charm, but you also have a sense that this guy is bad news. He professes a lack of interest in women his own age, saying he prefers older women. His receipt of gifts and money from the woman who was killed are consistent with that of a gigolo, but he insists it was her way of making it up to him for causing a car accident. However, he also has a bit of a liar, so you can’t take that too seriously.
Jessica has mixed feelings on Tolliver. On one hand, she appreciates, his efficiency and seems to like him. On the other, she’s clearly uncomfortable at how familiar he gets with her. She arrives from a morning appointment to find him in her hotel room and tells him never to do that again. He does it later in the episode and claims to have forgotten.
However, Jessica continues to maintain that despite David being a conman, he’s not a killer. Yet, we’re given reason to doubt throughout. Is David really attracted to Jessica or is he a predator that she’s well-rid of? The answer is never spelled out in black and white, even by the time the episode ends.
Peter Graves put in a typically solid performance as an old flame of Jessica’s who’s now a college professor who is clueless that his long-time secretary is in love with him.
I also liked Jessica’s first lecture session as we got to see a little bit of Angela Lansbury’s acting versatility.
The plot is well-done with a lot of twists and mis-directions and a genuinely surprising reveal of the culprit. Jessica also faces more peril in this episode than in any other this season.
When Jessica picked up at the airport she by Grave’s character, she’s hold a baby which she hands off to two nuns from China. Had nothing to do with the episode, but my wife pointed out. there’s a major story there.
The title of the episode is a play on the 1970 comedy film Lovers and Other Strangers, though nothing in the plot of that film seems to tie into this one.
A very good episode. While the police foil isn’t great, there’s a bit of life in Greg Morris’ portrayal of Lieutenant Andrews. He’s mostly functional but that’s an upgrade over the unnamed Sheriff from last week.
And that functional performance is more than enough with a great mystery and solid work by Andrew Stevens and Peter Graves.
Rating:4.5 out of 5
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Home ... Who we are ... Ford End Church ... History of Ford End
The church, built in 1870 to the design of the noted local architect Frederic Chancellor, is the centrepiece of the small village of Ford End. It stands next to the small Village Hall and opposite the C of E Primary School (with which it works closely), the only two other public buildings in the village.
It has a confident cat-slide roof over the south aisle and wonderful brick detail inside and out. The windows, repaired in recent years, are of cathedral glass. The church was built on an old osier bed, so has been plagued by instability over the years. The chancel had to be demolished in the 1980s when masonry began to fall on the congregation. The tower was believed to be unstable too, and for many years the peal of six John Warner bells was not rung. They were brought back into use in 2002, and are used for training bell-ringers as they are very light to ring – they are believed to be the lightest peal of six in Essex.
Statues of St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke and St John guard the corners of the tower, and there is a lovely carving of an eagle (for St John the Evangelist) above the tower window. Inside the church there is a very good Bevington pipe organ, recently installed, a fine brick arcade to the south aisle, and the memorial to Rev’d Arthur Shearly Cripps, vicar here twice, who is revered as virtually a saint in Zimbabwe where he served as missionary. We also have Rolls of Duty & Honour listing villagers who volunteered to serve in WWI.
Arthur Shearly Cripps, from Ford End to Africa
Cripps was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and was educated at Charterhouse School and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read history. He then trained for the Anglican priesthood at Cuddesdon Theological College, coming under the influence of Charles Gore. From 1894 he held the parish Ford End in Essex.
A friend of Frank Weston, the leading Anglo Catholic priest who would become Bishop of Zanzibar he became a missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, intending to work in Mashonaland, after reading criticism of the methods of Cecil Rhodes. From 1902 he had a parish near Enkeldoorn (now known as Chivhu) in what was then Southern Rhodesia.
He was in conflict with the British South Africa Company over land distribution, taking the side of the African population. He was given the Shona name Mpandi, or 'the man who walks like thunder'.[1] After more than 20 years he returned to England for a time after a quarrel with the British administration; but went back shortly afterwards for the rest of his life, having in 1927 published Africa for Africans, on the land issue.[1]
Arthur Cripps lived for some time in Manyene Communal Lands, about 120 km South of Harare, 20 km North of Chivhu. An area of Manyene is now known by the name he gave it when he established the mission work there, Maronda Mashanu, which means "The Five Wounds" in the local Shona language. Father Cripps was buried in the chancel of the church (now a ruin) at Maronda Mashanu.
Some people from the area believe that Arthur Cripps performed miracles. For example there are claims that a white man who wanted to assault him for associating with Africans was crippled the moment he raised his hand. They claim that the man was only healed when Father Cripps prayed for him.
For more information on this inspirational man please visit these links:
Christian Courier, Arthur Cripps - Maverick missionary and activist for African rights
Owen Sheers - The Dust Diaries - Owen Sheers is the great nephew of Arthur Cripps and The Dust Diaries describes his journey following his uncles footsteps in Africa
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US Olympic Cyclist Kelly Catlin Dead at 23
Monday, March 11th, 2019 | no comments | Category : BREAKING NEWS
Kelly Catlin, the US Olympic track cyclist, was found dead in her campus dorm at Stanford University at the age of 23.
The Tragedy
Olympic track cyclist Kelly Catlin, who helped the U.S. women’s pursuit team win the silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, died Friday at her home in California.
This tragedy was an abrupt end of the 23-year-old accolade live and her family was devastated while announcing that she took her own life.
“There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived,” her father said in a statement. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
Mike Carlin referred to her as a warrior princess, saying that “part of her undoing was her personal code. She gave 110 per cent to whatever she was doing.”
She was also pursuing a graduate degree in computational and mathematical engineering. Back in February, Catlin described the struggle to balance school and cycling. She described retaking a three-hour-long final exam just after stepping out of the final round of team pursuit as the most difficult thing she’d ever done.
She simply couldn’t balance everything she had on her plate and saw suicide as her only escape.
The Cycling
Her brother Colin Catlin pushed her into cycling which was a hobby at first but when she started winning, everything changed.
He described her as someone who she liked winning things a lot. She suffered two crashes, one in which she broke her arm in October 2018 and another in which she sustained a concussion in December 2018, seemed to take away the control from Catlin.
She first attempted suicide in January and had become a complete stranger to her family after that. She couldn’t fulfil anything in front of her and has become indifferent towards everything around her. Life became meaningless and the depression was just too strong.
“Waves of despair come over us,” her father, Mark Catlin, said. “She promised us she wasn’t going to kill herself.”
USA Cycling chief executive Rob DeMartini said in a statement that the entire cycling community is mourning this gigantic loss. She was more than an athlete to them, she was a part of the family.
“We are offering continuous support to Kelly’s teammates, coaches and staff. We also encourage all those who knew Kelly to support each other through the grieving.”
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You are here: Home / Amazonino hires former mayor of New York City for security measures in Manaus / Uncategorized / Amazonino hires former mayor of New York City for security measures in...
Amazonino hires former mayor of New York City for security measures in Manaus
Rudolph Giuliani’s company will be providing consulting services to fight crime in Amazonas.
MANAUS – The Government of Amazonas will be advised by the former mayor of New York City (USA), Rudolph Giuliani, on public security measures. A letter of intent was signed by the governor of the State, Amazonino Mendes, with Giuliani Security & Safety, the American politician’s company, this Wednesday, the 18th, in New York City. The government of the State did not say how much it will pay for the assistance.
Giuliani became known worldwide for the program “Zero Tolerance” that was deployed in New York City when he was mayor, which reduced crime rates by more than 60% between 1994 and 2002. The former mayor also deployed successful measures to fight violence in Colombia, Guatemala, Canada, El Salvador and Honduras.
Amazonino said that he is counting on great results from Giuliani’s work in the fight of crime in Manaus. “Today is a truly historic date, the result of courage, determination, the specific desire to provide the population with tranquility, peace and security. Amazonas went after the legendary Giuliani. The man who built modern and effective techniques to fight crime,” he said.
The US staff’s work started with the delivery, by the governor’s private secretary, Col. Otávio Junior, of a survey about violence in the State. In May of this year, Giuliani’s staff will start to monitor the work conducted by the Department of Public Safety of Amazonas in person.
The first report with suggestions to support the integration of the entire security system and concrete measures to reduce violence will be personally presented by Rudolph Giuliani in June, when he will be coming to Manaus to meet with his staff.
May 6, 2018 /by Jonathan Sieling
/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_1692.jpg 1665 1986 Jonathan Sieling /wp-content/uploads/2017/04/logoxl.png Jonathan Sieling2018-05-06 21:35:102018-05-06 21:35:10Amazonino hires former mayor of New York City for security measures in Manaus
Giuliani’s right hand proposes action to the government – Politics –... New York Police Will Support Honduras
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Awards & Nominations, Public Appearances
Helen Mirren receives Gold Hugo at Chicago International Film Festival Spring Gala
Many thanks to Claudia for the heads-up on this one. As Helen Mirren walked the red carpet Wednesday night at the Chicago International Film Festival’s summer gala at the Loews Hotel in Streeterville, it was clear her thoughts were far away with the residents of Manchester in her English homeland. In an article by the Chicago-Sun Times, when asked for her thoughts on the terrorist attack on people at the Ariana Grande concert, the actress said, “I know Manchester very well. My very first job was in Manchester – in the theater. I long did a television show, ‘Prime Suspect,’ which was completely shot shot in Manchester. So I personally owe Manchester, the city, a great debt. “It’s a great city. It’s an ancient city. It’s a powerful city. The people from Manchester are extraordinarily resilient and are a strong people. This is a city that won’t be cowed or live in fear. As we all know, that sort of terrorism aimed at innocent people — in this case young girls, children really — is horrible. It’s beyond comprehension. All I can say is this: Manchester is a great city filled with great people, and in their pain and their suffering they will overcome it.” Turning to the career achievement award from the festival, being presented jointly to Mirren and her husband and fellow Oscar winner, director Taylor Hackford, Mirren smiled .
“Tonight, obviously, will be reflective, of course. I’ll be very reflective tonight, as I’m up there [on the dais] watching my younger self, doing her thing. However, in our business, we tend to live in the moment, or slightly in the future, thinking about the next gig. “So we don’t dwell on the past, frankly. Once you’ve done something, that’s it. My husband is very similar,” said Mirren, as Hackford nodded in agreement. “We don’t watch our old movies, or things like that. I’m not like Norma Desmond [Gloria Swanson’s famed character in ‘Sunset Boulevard’] up her hill, watching her old movies endlessly. You know, you move on.” Asked her first thoughts about the city hosting her, Mirren said, “That’s simple. Architecture. I first came to Chicago in the late ’60s on a theater tour. I took a train from San Francisco to Chicago — the most amazing train journey. When I arrived, Chicago was the first time I saw a high-rise American city. I hadn’t yet been to New York or anywhere else really. I was blown away by the architecture of Chicago.”
2017 Pirelli calendar unveiled with press conference and premiere
42nd Toronto International Film Festival premiere for “The Leisure Seeker”
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Physical Sciences >> Chemistry
319 Chemistry Building
Department Chemistry
The MSU Chemistry Department offers an exciting range of educational opportunities, with strengths in both the fundamental area of the discipline, and in significant new areas and applications. The Department of Chemistry offers a Ph.D. as the major graduate degree, although a small number of students are admitted to the M.S. degree program. Graduate-level course work and research opportunities are available in physical, organic, inorganic, and analytical chemistry as well as in a substantial number of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas such as polymers, materials, surface science, spectroscopy, theoretical chemistry, and biological chemistry.
Teaching and research facilities are predominantly located in the Chemistry Building, although faculty and students also pursue research activities in the NIH/MSU Mass Spectrometry Facility in the Biochemistry Building and in the MSU Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The Department has an excellent array of state-of-the art equipment for compound characterization, structural studies, and computational work. Notable examples include the Max T. Rogers Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, The MSU Shared Laser Facility, the Chemistry Department X-ray Facility, and the Chemistry Visualization Facility, all housed in the Chemistry Building. Graduate students have access to all departmental equipment.
Graduate Programs in:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biological Chemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Nuclear Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
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- Masters Degree in Computational Chemistry
Both teaching assistantships and research assistantships are available in the Department. Outstanding graduate students compete for fellowships at the department, college, university, and national level. Research assistantships are available to work with faculty on funded research projects.
Applications and descriptions of the programs available, including research in progress, may be obtained directly from the Chemistry Department. Transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination scores (General and Chemistry) are required. Applicants should have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in chemistry by the time that they expect to enroll. International applicants should also submit the results of TOEFL or MELAB tests. While there are no formal application deadlines, early completion of the application process is strongly encouraged.
Additional information may be obtained by viewing other parts of the Chemistry Department Home Page, by completing and submitting an information request form, or by contacting:
The Graduate Office
East Lansing, MI 48824-1322 USA
Telephone: (517) 355-9715, Ext. 362
E-mail: gradoff@chemistry.msu.edu
http://www.chemistry.msu.edu/
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Searching results for 'Jaan'
Nanu Ki Jaanu (2018)
Cast: Abhay Deol, Patralekha, Brijendra Kala, Manu Rishi Chadha, more..
Comedy,Drama
Begum Jaan (2017)
The story of eleven prostitutes who refuse to part ways with their brothel and each other during the partition between India and Pakistan.
Cast: Vidya Balan, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Ila Arun, more..
Ok Jaanu (2017)
Adi is a young game designer from Lucknow who dreams of emigrating to the US and living the American dream. At a chance encounter during his friend's wedding, he meets Tara. She is a recent architectu...
Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Leela Samson, more..
Romance,Romantic
Jaanisaar (2015)
Jaanisaar is an upcoming 2015 bollywood drama film directed by muzaffar ali and produced by meera ali. the film features imran abbas naqvi and pernia qureshi in the lead roles. A period drama set in 1...
Cast: Imran Abbas, Pernia Qureshi, Muzaffar Ali, Dalip Tahil, more..
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
A 5 years old girl from Pakistan gets separated from her mother at an Indian railway station. Lost and hungry she finds shelter at the home of Pavan,an ardent devotee of Hanuman, a devout Hindu and ha...
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Malhotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, more..
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
Jab Tak Hai Jaan is story of an ex-army man Samar(Shahrukh Khan), leading a double life in London, must choose between his wife and muse.
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Santi Scinelli, more..
Released on Nov 13, 2012
Na Jaane Kabse (2011)
Na Jaane Kabse is a romantic comedy, beautifully shot in snow-clad mountains of Leh-Ladakh, Shimla Hills & the 'sarson ke khet' of Punjab. What happens when a boy meets a girl? They fall in love of co...
Cast: Garry Gill, Amrita Prakash, Gurpreet Guggi, Sharat Saxena, more..
U R My Jaan (2011)
When Akash, a renowned tycoon, obsessed with wealth, meets Reena, a small town Indian girl with big starry dreams, he is confronted with perplexing choices and must make life altering decisions before...
Cast: Mikaal, Preeti, Himani Shivpuri, Anil Dhawan, more..
Jaana Pehchana (2011)
'Jaana Pehchana' is an emotional, sensitive romantic story with a unique flavor, delving deep into the nuances of the relationship between the two protagonists. It is about a successful entrepreneur w...
Cast: Sachin Pilgaonkar, Ranjeeta, Jr Mehmood, Birbal, more..
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010)
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is a Hindi period piece film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. It is based on the book Do And Die by Manini Ch...
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sikander Kher, Maninder Singh, more..
History ,Action,Drama,
Dunno Y..Na jaane Kyun (2010)
The film traces the relationship between two young men who do fall in love but fail to find a conducive atmosphere to freely express it. On the one hand, there is family pressure and on the other ther...
Cast: Zeenat Aman, Kapil Sharma I, Kabir Bedi, Hazel Croney, more..
Drama,Romance,
Anjaana Anjaani (pronounced Anjana Anjani; English: Strangers) is a Hindi romance film directed by Siddharth Anand, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Zayed Khan. The film is produced by Saji...
Cast: Adrian Bustamante, Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor, Kumar Pallana, more..
Released on Oct 01, 2010
Comedy,Drama,Musical,
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Offspring is in the Air: Sabroso Taco & Music Fest
By Dave Unbuckled
FEATURED IMAGE: ANTHONY MEHLHAFF
We arrived in Dana Point to swarms of sunburnt bros in Black Flag tees just in time for the Adolescents to take the stage. The festival’s audience was starting to accumulate and the free ‘sampler’ beer glasses riddled the grass to indicate festival-goers had already switched to larger cups. It was early and the taco lines started to get backed up, so we hustled to Holy Smoke and got BBQ before we jumped in the pit. It should be noted that after attending at least 20 of these large punk festivals in the past five years, I get as impressed by the food as I do by the performances, and am probably more critical.
related content: The Adolescents & The Dickies: Peckerwoods Gone Wild In Orange County
Holy Smokes did not disappoint, I’m going to keep an eye out for them next summer. The Adolescents didn’t disappoint either. They’ve had a major resurgence in the past year, bookended by some of their strongest touring in decades and the tragic passing of long time Bassist Steve Soto. Highlights of the Adolescents’ set were their performances of “Who is Who”, which will be turning 40 soon, “Queen of Denial”, and a rare performance of “Welcome to Reality”. This remained the highpoint of my day until Bad Religion took over in the early evening with a career spanning set that included their recently released single “My Insanity”, as well as classics: “Infected”, “No Control”, “Sorrow”, and “New Dark Ages”. Noticeably missing from the set was the band’s previous single, “The Kids are Alt-Right”, which may have come across a little too ironic given the fact that the race of the crowd was far from ‘grey’. Other Highlights from Day 1 included Strung Out’s performance of “Mind of My Own” and Lagwagon’s set, which included personal favorites “Coffee and Cigarettes”, “May 16”, and “Violins”, as well as a very audience participation rendition of Know it All.
related content: F*ck Feelings: Lagwagon Performs “Lets Talk About Feelings” At El Rey
The beginning of Day 2 felt a lot less eventful, though I did get to catch a few songs by Face to Face before Black Flag took the stage. It was instantly noticeable, as well as refreshing, that I wasn’t going to be on the older side of the audience… an extreme rarity for a mid 30s former punk rocker.
related content: OC Did It All For The Nookie: Musink Tattoo Convention & Music Fest 2019
Black Flag’s set was what most of us were there to watch. Not a lot of people get to see Black Flag perform in their lifetime, regardless of the lineup, and despite the backlash from the ‘groups’ horrendous 2013 album, What The, people were excited to see what Greg Ginn had in store for the 10,000 fans in attendance. It should be noted the majority of this excitement appeared to come from people who couldn’t identify Greg Ginn, and were under the impression that Black Flag had only had one constant singer for their entire run. It might also be possible that some of this excitement came from people who had Black Flag tattoos, but did not appear to know any of the songs performed for the entirety of the set except “Nervous Breakdown” and “Rise Above”.
It should also be noted that I do not hate on Greg Ginn. I can say with full confidence that in my own personal experiences with Greg Ginn, he has been nothing short of generous and kind, and I enjoy watching him perform. I probably would have enjoyed the set more in an intimate atmosphere, but that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. Overall Black Flag’s setlist seemed pretty spot on to what I would want to hear as a fan. It was most of the First Four Years, with a little Damaged spread in. When you watch them perform, it doesn’t look like the Black Flag you see in your head, but Ginn’s guitars are unmistakable, and the sloppiness of the set only adds to the punk aesthetic.
Mike Vallely’s vocals aren’t Keith Morris’ or Henry Rollins’, and they never will be. Considering this was his first show with the band in five years, he does appear to be more comfortable than in comparison to videos I’ve seen from the 2014 tour. Overall the set was both fun and mediocre. A breakdown at the end of “Louie, Louie” went completely off the rails, and there’s no sugar coating the fact that the musicians on stage look noticeably older, but they kept people entertained for the entirety of their set and that’s more than I can say for a lot of the band’s on these large summer lineups.
We got more tacos at Romega Taqueria and Buritto Bar and watched Descendents blast through nearly thirty songs, including set opener “Suburban Home”, “I Like Food”, “I Wanna be a Bear”, “Silly Girl”, “I’m the One”, “Everything Sux”, and the best performance of “Hope” I’ve ever seen. The Descendents stole the weekend and are proving to be the best reason to go to these large festivals year after year. We stopped by Border Grille before the Offspring closed the show, where I got my favorite tacos of the weekend. Border Grille’s Carne Asada and Fresh pico taco was the perfect combination to compliment the outdoor festival atmosphere, and I will say hands down the best tacos I ate all weekend (I ate about 20 tacos over the course of the weekend —-THANK YOU TACO VENDORS!!!!). The Offspring closed out the fest to an enormous crowd, with more sing a longs than I thought was possible. Set highlights included KROQ classics: “All I want”, “Come out and Play”, “The Kids Aren’t Alright”, and encores of “You’re Gonna go Far Kid” and “Self Esteem”.
These stacked to the brim punk festivals don’t seem to be going any time soon but these band’s aren’t getting any younger. Never in my life did I think I would see the Descendants and Black Flag in the same day. Sabroso’s blend of music, craft beer, and tacos adds a ‘something for everyone’ quality to it, which can be a double edged sword if you can’t get passed the crowd.
Words: Dave Unbuckled
Photos: Anthony Mehlhaff
Related Items:black flag, featured, flogging molly, plague vendor, sabroso taco and music fest, strung out, the offspring, wrestling
Take This: Win Two Tickets to PCW Ultra: Mind Crawler
France’s National Treasure: Charlotte Gainsbourg at El Rey
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Insights: PGA TOUR Q-School
Interview with PGA Golfer Jhonattan Vegas
Jhonattan Vegas is from Venezuela and began playing golf with a broomstick and a rock, and eventually began playing on a nine hole golf course built for oil camp employees. Jhonattan went to Tour Q-School in 2008 and played on the Nationwide Tour in 2009. He competed in two PGA TOUR events as well in 2009. Jhonattan's best finish in 2009 was a tied for 4th at the Nationwide Tour's Preferred Heath Systems Wichita Open. Jhonattan also ranked 3rd in driving distance on the Nationwide Tour for this year.
Q: Tell us a little about tour Q-school and what it means to you.
A: Q-School is the most pressure I have ever felt on a golf course. It is the qualifier where you are playing for your spot in one of the main golf tours for the following year and you want to make sure you play well. It is a qualifier that only comes once a year and because of that the pressure is so high. I totally felt it last year (2008). But at the same time it is one of the most exciting qualifiers to compete in because only the players who can handle the pressure move on and are able to make it all the way through to the last stage. It is a confidence booster for those who make it.
Q: Will you be in tour Q-school this year?
A: Most likely I’ll be playing Q-school this year, but I’m looking at it as an opportunity to improve for 2010 instead of a very difficult qualifier. I think now after a year as a professional I’m a little more prepared for it and I am hoping to play better this year.
Q: What stage are you playing in? Which course?
A: I think I’ll be playing in the second stage in Houston at Deerwood Golf Club because it is a course that I have played many times and I feel comfortable playing that course.
Q: How many years have you played on the PGA TOUR? How many years have you played in Q-school?
A: This is my first year on the Nationwide Tour, so I’ve been through Q-school only once but I have learned a lot from it. Being on the Nationwide Tour has prepared me more for Q-School and having a better goal.
Q: How do the results of this tournament affect your golf career?
A: It doesn’t affect it too much. I see Q-school as just an opportunity to reach to my goal, which is to get to the PGA TOUR. So, if I don’t achieve it, I try to find other ways to reach my goal.
Q: When playing in a tournament which determines so much, what helps you to stay calm and focused?
A: During golf tournaments the main factor for staying calmed and focused is not worrying about the score and just trying to hit the best shots possible for 72 holes and then finding out how well I did. And the most important part is to have as much fun as I can and no matter what, always have a good attitude towards the game.
Q: What is the biggest challenge you must overcome when competing in tour Q-school?
A: The biggest challenge that we must overcome when competing in Q-school is not thinking ahead of ourselves and taking it one day at the time and enjoying it as much as possible. Because a lot of us just get thinking so much of how big Q-school is that we never play to the level we are always used to playing.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring golfer who dreams of playing golf for a living?
A: The advice that I would give an inspiring golfer would be to practice as much as he or she can. Because when we think we are practicing hard, there is always someone practicing harder and getting better than us. That’s all it takes to reach our potential.
Return to Q-School Interviews
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Page 9 of 85 < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 59 > Last »
26th February 2019, 02:32 PM #321
Or telling a slow runner that unfortunately he doesn't have what it takes and is cut from the team.
If the slow runner then starts whinging about being oppressed by his genetics and society and demanding to be able to compete against woman and children while taking performance enhacing medicine to become the record breaking sprinter he knows he is inside, and that he is going to be incredibly sad and depressed if no one accepts him in this manner, what do you say to him? especially as phil/phyllis runs past training for the womans division.
Last edited by Hungry81; 26th February 2019 at 02:52 PM.
Roger Ramjets
For me, the biggest problem with trans gender related discussions is the lack of concern by advocates that people who wish to pursue a transgender life and are encouraged to do so are not as well off as people who wish to pursue a transgender life that are counseled that there is no medical method to accomplish what they wish and they should seriously consider that what they want is impossible.
But there is - at least as much as breast enlargement, hair transplants, and many other attempts to change human anatomy. Even heart transplants are 'impossible' without the body being constantly pumped with drugs to prevent it from rejecting the foreign organ - yet for some reason we don't think of the recipients as being Frankenstein-like monsters.
As medical technology improves your complaint will become totally invalid, and then where will you stand? Eventually we may be able to change our genetic makeup at will - then the bigots will really freak out.
We don't want good, sound arguments. We want arguments that sound good.
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Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets
Breast enlargements, hair transplants etc do accomplish what the recipient wishes because their wishes are entirely superficial. Heart transplants accomplish what the recipient wishes because they keep them alive.
There is no medical way to turn a man into a woman or vice versa. If medical technology ever does advance to the stage where that becomes possible we can then revisit the issue of transwomen in sports, but for now they shouldn't be allowed to compete with the girls.
Find More Posts by Strawberry
Originally Posted by baron
Men are far, far stronger than women on average. In the bench press, for example, an untrained man can be almost three times as strong as a woman of similar body weight, with advanced male athletes being around 60% stronger than females. The same is broadly true for all strength measures.
Sport includes all forms of competitive physical activity or games which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators.
In many sports physical strength is not the main component, and in some excess strength could even be a detriment. But whether it is important or not for a particular sport is up to those who compete in and organize it.
Originally Posted by Strawberry
Breast enlargements, hair transplants etc do accomplish what the recipient wishes because their wishes are entirely superficial...There is no medical way to turn a man into a woman or vice versa.
But psychologically they are women (or men) and it's only the 'superficial' features they want to change - just like a woman who wants to appear more 'female' or an insecure man trying to subvert his genes by putting hair where it shouldn't be.
but for now they shouldn't be allowed to compete with the girls.
Again, that's not for you to decide. If 'girls' and 'trans-girls' are happy competing against each other then why not let them?
You're the one who brought it up:
"Men may be stronger than women on average, but people come in all sizes and physiques, both male and female."
I'm saying that it's pretty much moot what sizes and physiques we're talking about, a man is almost always stronger than a woman. Men are also faster than women and outperform women in almost every sporting metric you care to mention. That's why we have women's sport and men's sport. If we had just sports, women would be restricted to dressage and gymnastics.
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Biologically they are not women, and changing the superficials does not make them so.
Girls are in many cases not happy competing against trans girls, and in some sports they are not safe doing so either.
But psychologically they are women (or men) and it's only the 'superficial' features they want to change
Your skeletal structure is not a superficial feature, and you cannot change it from male to female via surgery.
In many sports physical strength is not the main component, and in some excess strength could even be a detriment.
In almost every sport, physical strength is an advantage, even if just a small one. In no sport is physical strength a disadvantage.
In some sports, factors such as increased body weight which are associated with increased strength can be a disadvantage, but it is not the strength itself which is disadvantageous.
"A lot of "girls" aren't happy having to compete with 'trans-girls"
That's not the case, though, women are not happy about it at all.
Here are just a couple of examples:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/fe...ir-competition
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-...onwealth-games
And when an organisation does step up to protect its women athletes, they're bigots: https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports...0a66cce80b3dd5
This is a woman, according to the IOC: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...es-and-results
Puppycow
Why did you throw Caster Semenya in there at the end? She is not a "trans woman", she was born that way and it says "female" on her birth certificate. She may have a rare genetic condition, but she's not a bloke who decided at some point to "transition", she just is how she was born and what her genes make her.
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
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Caster Semenya is a different issue. She isn't transgender. Her exact medical condition isn't public, and she may have some intersex traits, but she's not a transgender athlete. Whatever any sporting body decides to do about her status, it likely won't have very wide spread effect, because she's a far, far more unusual case, one that can't be replicated by choice.
mgidm86
Replace men and women categories with Strong and Weak.
You try out and then get placed where you belong. That way men can enjoy beating the crap out of women in MMA all they want, because that's what will happen. It already is.
Or maybe these people who don't fit in can make their own categories instead of trying to destroy all sports? Kinda like the PGA Senior tour, or the Special Olympics, or amateur sports, or everyone else in the gawdamn world who isn't a top athlete.
No, everyone is special! I believed Mister Rogers when he told me I was special when I was 4, and I still think I am. I do not expect anyone else to though and I live my life accordingly.
So !!!
Franklin understands certain kickbacks you obtain unfairly are legal liabilities; however, a risky deed's almost never detrimental despite extra external pressures.
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davefoc
Location: orange country, california
As medical technology improves your complaint [that it is not now possible to medically change a man into a woman]will become totally invalid, and then where will you stand? Eventually we may be able to change our genetic makeup at will - then the bigots will really freak out.
It is plausible that it will never be possible to change a man into a woman. It is certainly not possible today which is what I meant in the post that you responded to.
A few comments on this issue:
1. I don't know what it is like to form a belief that one is mentally a different sex than they are. I identified as male early and I always assumed I identified as a male because I was a male and not because I wanted to be a male. This doesn't mean I reject the feelings of people who believe that they aren't mentally the sex they were born, but it is difficult to understand when I can't understand this mental drive to be a particular sex. I think I could be happy as a woman if I happened to be a woman.
2. I worry in these kind of threads that something I say might upset somebody that has seriously gone down the path of living life as a different sex than the one they were born. I would like to make clear that I don't know that there is any value in my thoughts about this kind of thing and regardless I wish somebody that has decided to transition their sex a good and happy life.
3. As I mentioned above it seems to me that men that decide to live much of their lives as women are making a reasoned decision to follow a particular life style . Men can wear women's clothes and behave in ways they see as feminine. If it makes them happy great for them. What I am unsure of is whether the decision to go further and get highly invasive surgery that will not succeed in making the person going through this into the opposite sex is good for the person having it done. In a world where people are falling over themselves to be politically correct on this issue, are the people seeking operations to change their sex missing a coldly candid assessment of the impossibility of what they desire so strongly?
The way of truth is along the path of intellectual sincerity. -- Henry S. Pritchett
Perfection is the enemy of good enough -- Russian proverb
Last edited by davefoc; 26th February 2019 at 11:16 PM.
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Archie Gemmill Goal
Originally Posted by Hungry81
Seems to be an argument for doing away with women's sports completely. I mean if they aren't capable of competing with the best in the field then that's just their genetics and tough luck. Right?
"I love sex and drugs and sausage rolls
But nothing compares to Archie Gemmill's goal"
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ponderingturtle
Orthogonal Vector
I think they missed an obvious 4th option
Just have another category
Men, women, trans
And of course cis women who fail the medical gender tests.
Sufficiently advanced Woo is indistinguishable from Parody
"There shall be no *poofing* in science" Paul C. Anagnostopoulos
Force ***** on reasons back" Ben Franklin
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Nobody said anything about attaching a stigma.
Being a woman isn't a disability. But maybe suffering from gender dysphoria is a disability.
If you're cismale, and an athlete, and competing in the men's division causes you psychological suffering, is that a disability? If the only thing that mitigates your suffering is being allowed to compete as a woman in the women's division, is that a disability?
And if that's the only way to treat your condition, does it really make sense to deny you that option? Does it really help you in any way to have a non-cisgendered division for you to compete in?
Sport isn't therapy for trans people, it's sport, you don't get to take it over because life sucks.
Originally Posted by Archie Gemmill Goal
Women are smaller, weaker and slower than men so we should do what exactly? Cease to exist?
Good luck with the childbirth and breastfeeding boys.
Belz...
Fiend God
Location: In the details
This is one thing me and you seem to (mostly) be on the same wavelength on.
Like you I do completely accept that... what Transpeople are trying to get across to society is a legit thing that exists. Stepping back from the labels some form of gender disparage is a thing that people can have.
I just think that, probably through no ill will or bad intention, the concept there were trying to get across solidifying into "identifying as the other gender" took the discussion and the movement (for lack of a better term) to... a less than ideal place. And now that's become the "standard" way of looking at it and as evidenced here it doesn't really... work.
These people absolutely deserve our respect and support and love. But we aren't beholden to conceptualizing it exactly as they do in order to achieve that.
According to some posters here, that means you want trans people to be subjected to bullying until they commit suicide.
Master of the Shining Darkness
"My views are nonsense. So what?" - BobTheCoward
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Maybe I should because the rest of you seem to have gone down the rabbit hole of lady brains and men trapped in women's bodies.
Gender dysphoria is a mental illness, end of.
Well, yes, but so what? If they want to transition, medical technology allows the to do that. If that allows them to live their live more comfortably, more power to them. And if they go through that effort and expenditure, I think it's fair to call them "she", in this instance. However, they are still not biological females.
Nasty conundrum on that.
From a physical - and presumably psychological - perspective, transitioning is much more effective if started before puberty.
Maybe, however before puberty I don't think the child's gender identity can be properly pinpointed. Children, and teens, are often confused about that or are often hard to fit into neat categories. That doesn't mean that once they're adults they won't fit right in. I think transitioning a kid amounts to child abuse.
In almost every sport, physical strength is an advantage, even if just a small one.
Hell, as I mentioned in the past, even in video game competitions, men have an advantage in clicking and typing because of their body structure. Life's just not fair.
Originally Posted by Belz...
No they're not. And actual biological females are getting increasingly sick of it.
Why is it always the women who have to move over and cede space to people who have a politically correct mental illness? How comes men aren't being asked to cede bathroom space or changing room space? Why aren't male athletes being expected to grin and bear it when someone with twice their body weight and skeletal structure wins every gold medal?
Women should go on strike from being female. If you lot think transwomen are really women then let them do the hard bit and bring your babies into the world.
Oh, what they can't? How surprising.
Do they? Aside from anecdotes, can you support that? Or are you projecting your own opinion onto other people?
Why is it always the women who have to move over and cede space to people who have a politically correct mental illness? How comes men aren't being asked to cede bathroom space or changing room space?
Er... they are, actually. By trans men.
Why aren't male athletes being expected to grin and bear it when someone with twice their body weight and skeletal structure wins every gold medal?
Well, they are. By other men.
My own opinion, as a woman, is that I'm sick of it.
Go and squeeze a pineapple out from your nostril and then come back and tell me that a man with breast implants and his mickey chopped off should be allowed to compete in women's sports.
Gender dysphoria is basically being used as a trojan horse to drive women back into the kitchen.
See? Why didn't say it like that to begin with, rather than drag all women with you?
I presume you're talking about giving birth. How about barren women or childless ones? Do they have a right to compete in women's sports? That is such a bizarre argument.
The actual argument is that trans-women have an unfair advantage. That's it. It's the only relevant argument, and since it's convincing, I see no reason to use another, weaker one.
Sheer nonsense. What's you basis for this? And how would that work?
Trans people represent 0.3% of the population at best. How are they going to destroy women's rights? You're talking crazy.
I've had to achieve an almost Zen like level of acceptance with the fact that I'm always going to be the villain in somebody's story.
While we’re on the subject I do completely agree that brutal honesty about what will and won’t turn out great for any particular aspect and degree of transitioning is very important. Being able to reconstruct something lost to accident or disease, and being able to construct something from scratch, are IMO great goals for medicine. But the people involved need to understand the depth of the risks and exactly how much reward is likely or even possible. Most of the trans community seems to think so too. Some of the worst anti-trans sentiment seems to come from people who got involved with early experimental quacks, people who were so eager that they saw only what they wanted to see, and misled one another into awful messes.
To the current topic, what I'd advocate is some kind of handicap system. It would take some maths and fine tuning but I don't think it'd be that hard to find the right spot where trans athletes can still win on occasion but don't obliterate the competition. Something like, say the cis male record time is one minute and the cis female record time is one minute ten seconds, let all the women race together but put a (10-x) second handicap on the trans women competitors. It would still hurt some feelings but at a level I think everyone could deal with. You do have to balance 'treat me like x' with 'give everyone a fair shot.' That is, if you want to formally compete in women's sport, yeah, you'd have to be out as trans and get the special rules. It's not ideal but neither is the world.
I approve of this grammatical vehicle.
Caster Semenya is a different issue. She isn't transgender.
Now, if you'd taken the extra 20 seconds to read all of my post instead of lazily reaching for the keyboard while still completely ignorant of what I'd typed, you'd have saved me needing to repeat myself.
I typed this:
Easy fix - have a "non-binary gender" third grade that allow MtF and FtM trans to compete against each other, along with those of indeterminate/intersex gender, like Caster Semenya and the other two medal winners at the Rio 800m for women.
... because she's a far, far more unusual case...
So unusual that all three medal winners at the Rio Olympics Women's 800m were intersex.
Not as unusual as you might think, I expect.
Originally Posted by Puppycow
Why did you throw Caster Semenya in there at the end? She is not a "trans woman", she was born that way...
Another one who doesn't read an entire post before typing nonsense.
The reason Semenya can go in the "non-binary" gender class is because she is not a biological female.
quadraginta
Becoming Beth
Location: Central Vale of Humility
Perhaps you would like Farsi? I was having a conversation with my friend that was born in Iran a few days ago and I was amazed to learn that Farsi doesn't have masculine and feminine pronouns. He mentioned to me that this was a part of English that he still has trouble with because in Farsi he didn't need to identify the sex of the individual to use a pronoun.
He ran home and she ran home in Farsi (Persian) from Google translate:
او به خانه زد
This brings up an interesting if not particularly on-topic observation.
In view of the historical record of women's rights and entrenched misogyny in Persia/Iran, it would appear that the existence or absence of gender specific pronouns has little to do with the treatment of women within a culture.
"A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
"Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation."
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Do you think that reversibly postponing puberty until a child reaches a socially acceptable age of majority so that their bodies don't make an irreversible choice for them is child abuse?
Because that is what is done by any reputable therapists and endocrinologists in the field. They are prescribed androgen blockers which delay a change which all evidence shows that they do not want. And even that is not done casually.
Transgenderism isn't some new fad. It has existed and has largely been accepted by most non-Judaic cultures for all of history. The dysphoria isn't a result of being transgender. It is a result of the social strictures forced on the transgendered by social systems which are intent on finding them somehow broken or even abominations.
Just because someone is a child does not mean that their evaluations of themselves are without merit and can be casually dismissed. There is a difference between 'tomboys' or 'sissies' and children who are transgendered.
Their input deserves consideration and review. Kids are not just given fistfuls of hormones because they say they want to try being a different gender. Years of counseling are involved. But their bodies don't operate on the same clock as society's legal definition of competence, and when puberty sets in there is no going back.
It is 'child abuse' to force them to be trapped in a body they detest when there is no significant physiological cost in preventing that.
Especially when compared to the psychological costs implicit in refusing such treatment. If you are at all interested in the causes of high rates of suicide in transgender youth that's a good place to start looking. That and the social rejection that goes with being trans in the first place.
That ostracism isn't the sort of thing that a child would choose to be subjected to. There is no good reason to force them to deal with having their bodies against them as well.
Last edited by quadraginta; 28th February 2019 at 09:01 AM.
Originally Posted by quadraginta
I think puberty is part of what makes a child into an adult able to make those sorts of decisions. There is no perfect solution to this issue.
Transgenderism isn't some new fad.
You don't need to tell me. There are surely a number of confused or pressured kids and teens who think picking a wacky gender is cool and all, but gender dysphoria is a real thing.
The dysphoria isn't a result of being transgender.
Er... yes, it is. That's the definition. Transgender people are those with gender dysphoria.
My point is that it's too early to tell at that age.
That ostracism isn't the sort of thing that a child would choose to be subjected to.
I hope you don't think I've ever claimed this.
What age? Onset of puberty? That isn't all that young.
What is the "child abuse" in allowing a child who has been determined through the treatment of clinicians to be very likely transgender to use reversible androgen blocking therapy to delay that puberty until society has deemed them 'old enough' to make the choice for themselves?
Still too young for children to understand their sexuality and gender fully. Hell, before 25 it's often hard enough for them.
Depends how you look at it. As a point in a particular developmental process, it's pretty young. The major development into maturity is still ahead.
As a percentage of an average human lifespan it's... I dunno? Entirely subjective?
And yet when the child assertion matches the societal mold we don't question their competence to make such a statement.
Prepubescent children do not know what the changes caused by puberty are like, and cannot know until they experience it. Their opinions about not wanting to go through those changes are uninformed. Delaying the choice through androgen blockers doesn't solve the problem, because while they may be older at a later date, they still won't be informed because the only way to truly get informed is to go through the process.
Uh... no. Social systems can place additional stresses on those with gender dysphoria, but if you don't have gender dysphoria, the feeling that your body should be of a different sex than it actually is, then there's no drive to be transgender.
Just because someone is a child does not mean that their evaluations of themselves are without merit and can be casually dismissed.
Casually dismissed? No, we should not casually dismiss it. But nor should we automatically defer to it. The fact that they are a child is absolutely relevant to how capable they are of making proper choices. We recognize this in most areas of life. It's not improper to recognize it here either.
Especially when compared to the psychological costs implicit in refusing such treatment.
You say that like there's no psychological cost to the treatment. I don't think that's even remotely safe to assume.
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The Tale of Lucia Grandi: The Early Years
POIGNANT AND TIMELESS TALE OF A DYING WOMAN’S COURAGEOUS ATTEMPT TO COME TO TERMS WITH HER PAST
Description: Author Susan Speranza’s stunning and poignant debut novel, The Tale of Lucia Grandi: The Early Years, tells a powerful and timeless story of a dying woman’s courageous attempt to come to terms with her past and the troubled family that dominated it. Reminiscent of older literary novels like ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and told in breathtakingly beautiful prose, The Tale of Lucia Grandi begins when an old woman is asked to recount the story of her life and tells an intense, poignant tale about growing up and surviving a warring suburban family during the 1950s and 60s. Written as memoir, where Lucia is the silent observer, each chapter describes a particular incident in her life, showing the constant struggle between her parents and the perverse effect it has on her and her family. From her complicated and unwanted birth, to her witnessing a suicide at age 3, to her stint as a runaway at age 14, the story progresses to the final crisis where, as a young woman, she is turned out of her house and banished from her family forever. An unforgettable read!
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GARDEN OF FLOATING EVENTS (2004)
'Garden of Floating Events' is an installation work consisting of video art, photography, etchings and sculpture. The space, designed to echo a hospital emergency room, is a lament to existentialism.
"Garden" is a small piece of heaven where seeds of goodness are planted and grow into grace. In Israel, the term "event" refers to an act of terror. 'Garden of Floating Events' equates happiness and hope for the future on one hand, but at the same time the garden is planted with seeds of anxiety and pain. The installation is made mostly of strong, hard and wounding materials, such as tin, Formica, Perspex and aluminium. The space is constructed as a trap to the viewer: The work 'Counter' is the entrance to the space, but at the same time it hides the inner area. This object is a reference to the counter at the emergency room that separates the wounded from their families. To its left, still in the outer space, is the work 'Late Talks with Mom' – etching on Perspex. The etching was made through repetition of the lines in the drawings of Lital's mother, made when she was a child, as part of a comprehensive, obsessive research dealing with the anatomy of the plant. This is an attempt to perceive memories and experiences of her mother, research into the possibility of a generational leap. 'Garden of Floating Events' was designed to be an active space: during the exhibition, green and fresh grass undergoes a process of withering. The left side wall features the object 'Bride', which is made of tulle cloth and designed as a feminine, containing vessel. The tulle slopes downwards, all the way to the dead grass. 'Groom' is just above it – a ready made silver tube with two handles embodying the essence of masculinity. An infusion tube commonly used in the emergency room binds the bride and groom in a blood bond and spirals out to the space and the ceiling in an orgiastic dance. This is the only component in the space which exists above the dividing line of the painted wall, in the white space above. Further on the wall, there are two video presentations: 'Breath of Water' and 'Breath of Ash'.
The piece 'Couple' is located at the centre of the dead grass – two beds which allude to beds in the emergency room. The beds are twisted and tilted in a manner which would not allow rest or stability. They face each other but instead of offering solace, they only offer thorns and aggression. 'Roentgen' is situated on the opposite wall. This is a light box with stills on transparencies, a metaphor to the Roentgen photographs reflecting the body of a terror attack victim. Watching the patients at the emergency room is perceived as a pornographic experience: the helplessness of the suffering, exposed body; the gathering around the naked body of those injured and their utter humiliation at being watched by those around them – caretakers, relatives and curious passers-by – all these enhance this experience. The work 'Roentgen' transfers the sense of pornography in the emergency room also to the battlefield between the sexes. This piece presents a woman opposite men. Here too the same elements are expressed: the total, pornographic exposure, the lack of communication in intimacy and the mental state of "being observed." Printing these images on transparencies is intended to sharpen the sense of transparency. The video presentation 'Night' is positioned underneath 'Roentgen'. A bright light (thunder storm? bombing?) floods the black screen with white light, diverting the viewer's attention from 'Roentgen’. The piece 'Women's Choir' consists of three monitors, video works and a piece of wall made of plaster bandages. The two video works 'The Accompanying Ladies' are a representation of Sisyphean act of bandaging the body. This act represents support, but self-dressing also expresses the need for defence and shelter. 'The Soloist' is a video work which illustrates the opposite meaning of dressing the body: the bandage makes a wreath of thorns cling to Lital's body, thus wounding it. The scratched, sore and bleeding body is yet another analogy to body images in the work 'Roentgen' and to the mental motif in the piece as a whole. The video presentation 'Rivka'le' is at the corner of the room and is projected onto the dry yellowed grass. The title of the piece, Rivka'le, is Lital's middle name, the name her mother gave her in memory of her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. In the video, Lital is asleep/floating in an amorphous space. The whiteness is blinding and her floating body is dismantling into organs which sway with the rhythm of the waves. This piece is an attempt to process the first traumatic encounter Lital had with a terror attack victim who arrived at the emergency room seriously injured but still awake. She died a slow death, as if falling asleep, in front of Lital's very eyes. The soundtrack accompanying this work is Chava Alberstein's special adaptation to the Yiddish song "Rivka'le", as a lullaby sang by a mother to her sleeping daughter. The viewers who turn away from 'Rivka'le' find themselves in front of a big mirror, just a moment before leaving the garden. The mirror allows the viewer a glance at the lower part of the body only, but this suggestive amputation of the body is to be reversed if one sits on the grass, thus making one feel at home. Only then can the viewers take a look at themselves, into themselves, still within the space of the garden, but a brief moment before leaving it and going back to real life.
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You can confer some of your site's reputation to another site when your site links to it. Sometimes users can take advantage of this by adding links to their own site in your comment sections or message boards. Or sometimes you might mention a site in a negative way and don't want to confer any of your reputation upon it. For example, imagine that you're writing a blog post on the topic of comment spamming and you want to call out a site that recently comment spammed your blog. You want to warn others of the site, so you include the link to it in your content; however, you certainly don't want to give the site some of your reputation from your link. This would be a good time to use nofollow.
There has been an increase in social media marketing in sport, as sports teams and clubs recognise the importance of keeping a rapport with their fans and other audiences through social media.[112] Sports personalities such as Cristiano Ronaldo have 40.7 million followers on Twitter and 49.6 million on Instagram, creating opportunities for endorsements.[113]
Sharing Curated Links — While using social media for marketing is a great way to leverage your own unique, original content to gain followers, fans, and devotees, it’s also an opportunity to link to outside articles as well. If other sources provide great, valuable information you think your target audience will enjoy, don’t be shy about linking to them. Curating and linking to outside sources improves trust and reliability, and you may even get some links in return.
By 2004, search engines had incorporated a wide range of undisclosed factors in their ranking algorithms to reduce the impact of link manipulation. In June 2007, The New York Times' Saul Hansell stated Google ranks sites using more than 200 different signals.[26] The leading search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo, do not disclose the algorithms they use to rank pages. Some SEO practitioners have studied different approaches to search engine optimization, and have shared their personal opinions.[27] Patents related to search engines can provide information to better understand search engines.[28] In 2005, Google began personalizing search results for each user. Depending on their history of previous searches, Google crafted results for logged in users.[29]
Page and Brin founded Google in 1998.[23] Google attracted a loyal following among the growing number of Internet users, who liked its simple design.[24] Off-page factors (such as PageRank and hyperlink analysis) were considered as well as on-page factors (such as keyword frequency, meta tags, headings, links and site structure) to enable Google to avoid the kind of manipulation seen in search engines that only considered on-page factors for their rankings. Although PageRank was more difficult to game, webmasters had already developed link building tools and schemes to influence the Inktomi search engine, and these methods proved similarly applicable to gaming PageRank. Many sites focused on exchanging, buying, and selling links, often on a massive scale. Some of these schemes, or link farms, involved the creation of thousands of sites for the sole purpose of link spamming.[25]
In December 2009, Google announced it would be using the web search history of all its users in order to populate search results.[33] On June 8, 2010 a new web indexing system called Google Caffeine was announced. Designed to allow users to find news results, forum posts and other content much sooner after publishing than before, Google caffeine was a change to the way Google updated its index in order to make things show up quicker on Google than before. According to Carrie Grimes, the software engineer who announced Caffeine for Google, "Caffeine provides 50 percent fresher results for web searches than our last index..."[34] Google Instant, real-time-search, was introduced in late 2010 in an attempt to make search results more timely and relevant. Historically site administrators have spent months or even years optimizing a website to increase search rankings. With the growth in popularity of social media sites and blogs the leading engines made changes to their algorithms to allow fresh content to rank quickly within the search results.[35]
Marketers target influential people on social media who are recognised as being opinion leaders and opinion-formers to send messages to their target audiences and amplify the impact of their message. A social media post by an opinion leader can have a much greater impact (via the forwarding of the post or "liking" of the post) than a social media post by a regular user. Marketers have come to the understanding that "consumers are more prone to believe in other individuals" who they trust (Sepp, Liljander, & Gummerus, 2011). OL's and OF's can also send their own messages about products and services they choose (Fill, Hughes, & De Francesco, 2013, p. 216). The reason the opinion leader or formers have such a strong following base is because their opinion is valued or trusted (Clement, Proppe, & Rott, 2007). They can review products and services for their followings, which can be positive or negative towards the brand. OL's and OF's are people who have a social status and because of their personality, beliefs, values etc. have the potential to influence other people (Kotler, Burton, Deans, Brown, & Armstrong, 2013, p. 189). They usually have a large number of followers otherwise known as their reference, membership or aspirational group (Kotler, Burton, Deans, Brown, & Armstrong, 2013, p. 189. By having an OL or OF support a brands product by posting a photo, video or written recommendation on a blog, the following may be influenced and because they trust the OL/OF a high chance of the brand selling more products or creating a following base. Having an OL/OF helps spread word of mouth talk amongst reference groups and/or memberships groups e.g. family, friends, work-friends etc. (Kotler, Burton, Deans, Brown, & Armstrong, 2013, p. 189).[81][82][83][84][84][84] The adjusted communication model shows the use of using opinion leaders and opinion formers. The sender/source gives the message to many, many OL's/OF's who pass the message on along with their personal opinion, the receiver (followers/groups) form their own opinion and send their personal message to their group (friends, family etc.) (Dahlen, Lange, & Smith, 2010, p. 39).[85]
Search engines may penalize sites they discover using black hat methods, either by reducing their rankings or eliminating their listings from their databases altogether. Such penalties can be applied either automatically by the search engines' algorithms, or by a manual site review. One example was the February 2006 Google removal of both BMW Germany and Ricoh Germany for use of deceptive practices.[54] Both companies, however, quickly apologized, fixed the offending pages, and were restored to Google's search engine results page.[55]
Several customers are turning towards social media to express their appreciation or frustration with brands, product or services. Therefore, marketers can measure the frequency of which customers are discussing their brand and judge how effective their SMM strategies are. In recent studies, 72% of people surveyed expressed that they expected a response to their complaints on Twitter within an hour.[111]
Snapchat is a popular messaging and picture exchanging application that was created in 2011 by three students at Stanford University named Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The application was first developed to allow users to message back and forth and to also send photographs that are only available from 1–10 seconds until they are no longer available. The app was an instant hit with social media members and today there are up to 158 million people using snapchat every single day.[60] It is also estimated that Snapchat users are opening the application approximately 18 times per day, which means users are on the app for about 25–30 minutes per day.[60]
In some contexts, the term SEM is used exclusively to mean pay per click advertising,[2] particularly in the commercial advertising and marketing communities which have a vested interest in this narrow definition. Such usage excludes the wider search marketing community that is engaged in other forms of SEM such as search engine optimization and search retargeting.
Mobile devices have become increasingly popular, where 5.7 billion people are using them worldwide [13]. This has played a role in the way consumers interact with media and has many further implications for TV ratings, advertising, mobile commerce, and more. Mobile media consumption such as mobile audio streaming or mobile video are on the rise – In the United States, more than 100 million users are projected to access online video content via mobile device. Mobile video revenue consists of pay-per-view downloads, advertising and subscriptions. As of 2013, worldwide mobile phone Internet user penetration was 73.4%. In 2017, figures suggest that more than 90% of Internet users will access online content through their phones.[14]
When I started out, I pitched SEO packages to local business owners that I met through networking, which is a good way to start building result-oriented business case studies that show the ROI (return on investment) that has been generated from your efforts. Once you have those and you can prove you consistently get results, you’ll be completely indispensable because nearly every online business succeeds or fails based on the quality of their digital marketing (and people who are really good at it are rare).
Search engines use complex mathematical algorithms to interpret which websites a user seeks. In this diagram, if each bubble represents a website, programs sometimes called spiders examine which sites link to which other sites, with arrows representing these links. Websites getting more inbound links, or stronger links, are presumed to be more important and what the user is searching for. In this example, since website B is the recipient of numerous inbound links, it ranks more highly in a web search. And the links "carry through", such that website C, even though it only has one inbound link, has an inbound link from a highly popular site (B) while site E does not. Note: Percentages are rounded.
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LSC Presidents
LSC-North Harris President
Dr. Gerald Fernandez Napoles became president of Lone Star College-North Harris in July 2015. He previously served as senior vice president of student and organizational success at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College and was vice president of student affairs for the institution.
Prior to joining Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Dr. Napoles served as dean of learner outreach/assistant to the president at Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, KY. He also spent six years working in the Dallas County Community College District, serving at both Richland College and Eastfield College. He has experiences working with the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and the Los Angeles Community College District Office.
Dr. Napoles is committed to servant leadership and lifelong learning. He has served on American Association of Community College’s National Asian Pacific Islander Council and is currently serving on AACC’s Commission on Public Relations Advocacy and Advancement. He also currently serves on the Lone Star College Foundation Board, Northwest Assistance Ministries, Greater Houston Partnership Health Care Advisory Committee, and Greens Bayou Coalition.
He has served as a guest lecturer for colleges and universities and was an adjunct instructor at Western Kentucky University.
Dr. Napoles has received the Administrator of the Year award from KCTCS and the John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College. He has been recognized as a Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of Kentucky and a Duke of Hazard by the Mayor of Hazard, KY. He was awarded a Humanitarian Award from the Latino Learning Center in Houston and is also on the Student Wall of Honor at Richland College.
Dr. Napoles holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in general studies in aging from the University of North Texas and a B.A. in sociology from Sam Houston State University. Gerald began his higher education journey at a community college, Richland College in Dallas.?
President's Bio
Vice President of Instruction
Public Relations and Community Outreach
Professional and Support Staff Association
College Newsletters
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Our local community is an integral part of our identity as a learning community in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. As a Catholic school, we are aligned with our local parishes and parish primary schools, we see the connection between secondary and primary spanning Prep through to Year 12 and enjoy the opportunity to make meaningful learning centred partnerships. These have included initiatives such as Reading for Life, From Kitchen Garden to Table and sports coaching.
We are proud members of the Moreland Youth Commitment Network and are involved in a range of Moreland Youth Services. We are actively engaged with our local council and look forward to hearing from community groups and those with expertise from which our girls may offer their energy and enthusiasm as well as develop life long skills.
The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia
The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA) is a leading voice for the advancement of girls’ education. The Alliance advocates for and supports the distinctive work of girls’ schools in their provision of unparalleled opportunities for girls. The Alliance contributes to the development and promotion of education in Australasia and the empowerment of young women to reach their potential and become influential contributors to our complex and changing world.
The Alliance connects educators from our 160 plus member schools across six countries. The AGSA represents over 132,000 girls and over 10,000 educators. AGSA members comprise girls’ schools throughout Australasia. The current membership spans girls’ schools in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and South Africa, and includes Government, Catholic and Independent schools.
"The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia is a not for profit organisation which advocates for and supports the distinctive work of girls’ schools in their provision of unparalleled opportunities for girls."
Watch the "Why choose a girl's school" video
Click here to go to the Allicance of Girls' Schools Australasia website
Mercy College has a partner school relationship with SMP Progresif Bumi Shalawat, a progressive Islamic junior (years 7-9) high school located in the town of Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia.
This partnership has been established through the BRIDGE (Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement) Program. The BRIDGE Program is facilitated by the Asia Education Foundation, a national not-for-profit initiative of Asialink at The University of Melbourne.
This ongoing partnership enables our Mercy students to develop:
New knowledge of Asia and Australia
A deeper intercultural understanding
Strengthen their Indonesian language skills
Real-life ICT skills
Kimberley Education Excellence Program (KEEP)
The Kimberley Education Excellence Program (KEEP) is an innovative approach developed by Wunan to help young Aboriginal people from the East Kimberley broaden their horizons and experience opportunities not available in their region. The program offers students scholarships to high-performing schools in Sydney and Melbourne. It is based on a model that involves a small group of students living together in a home setting with Aboriginal house parents. This unique approach is built on the premise that Aboriginal students do better while they are away at school if they feel connected to home and culture. In addition to school, KEEP strives to provide a well-rounded range of social, leisure and sporting experiences, as well as personal development support and pastoral care. For more information please visit: www.wunan.org.au
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Bathing at Wildwood, c.1910.
On the shores of White Bear Lake, Wildwood Amusement Park offered a dance pavilion, swimming, fishing, boating, picnic areas, amusement park rides, and carnival games. For only the cost of the streetcar fare, Twin Cities' residents could spend summer days at this park owned and operated by the Twin Cities Rapid Transit Corporation.
First built by the St. Paul and White Bear Railroad in 1889, Wildwood Amusement Park was designed to attract visitors to take the newly built line to White Bear Lake. At that point, Wildwood was a popular picnic spot, but the amusement park did not have many rides or other attractions. This initial venture was not a success, and the economic depression of the mid-1890s forced the closure of the St. Paul and White Bear Railroad. After the failure of the original management, Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company acquired the line in 1898, and the new owners decided to improve the amusement park. They hoped to make money both through concessions at the park and by charging fares to and from St. Paul. Admission to the park itself was free.
For more than three decades, men, women, and children could catch a streetcar in St. Paul, pay ten to fifteen cents, and ride to White Bear Lake from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Traveling at speeds greater than sixty miles per hour, they arrived at Wildwood about forty-five minutes after they left the city. After exiting the streetcar, guests took steps down from the depot, went through a tunnel, and emerged at the entrance to Wildwood Amusement Park.
Once there, visitors found a roller coaster, fun house, Katzenjammer Castle (a children's play house), penny arcade, shooting gallery, and other carnival games. In 1927, the park welcomed the first ever Tilt-a-Whirl, designed and built by Herbert Sellner of Faribault. Also on the amusement park grounds was a beach with large bathhouses where park goers could rent bathing suits. From there, they could swim in the lake or, if they were more adventurous, take a toboggan slide that deposited swimmers out into the lake. Also available for small fees were fishing boats, fishing gear, motor boat rides around the lake, and, occasionally, hot air balloon rides. Nearby were picnic grounds and concession stands where visitors could purchase refreshments. Companies from the Twin Cities often held employee picnics out at Wildwood.
In the evenings, the park hosted large dances in its dance hall pavilion. Nationally famous bands and orchestras would play in the pavilion. Fats Waller, Red Nichols, Glen Gray, and Guy Lombardo put on shows at Wildwood. Dancers could stay until 11:00 pm, when the park closed. They had to take the last streetcar back to St. Paul, or they would be stuck at the park for the night. Every July 4 the management put on a fireworks display in the evening.
At the height of its popularity, Wildwood Amusement Park welcomed thousands of visitors a week. However, after a few decades and the widespread adoption of the automobile, the streetcar company could no longer afford to keep the park running. In 1932, the amusement park closed, though the dance pavilion remained open until 1937. The next year, the transit company tore down the park and sold the land to developers.
Weber, Eric. "Wildwood Amusement Park." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. http://www.mnopedia.org/place/wildwood-amusement-park (accessed July 17, 2019).
First published: September 21, 2012
Last modified: February 7, 2019
Becker, Mark. "Wildwood Amusement Park: The Valleyfair of Yesteryear." Historical Whisperings 9, no. 2 (July 1982): 1–3; v. 9, no. 3 (October 1982): 3; v. 9, no. 4 (January 1983): 3; v. 10, no. 1 (April 1983): 3.
Smith, Alice R., Sharon F. Wright, and Judy Kaiser. Mahtomedi Memories. Self-published, 1976.
"Where the Children Find Fresh Air." St. Paul Globe, June 26, 1904.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1904-06-26/ed-1/seq-22/
"Wildwood Park Advertisement"Appeal, July 17, 1915
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016810/1915-07-17/ed-1/seq-2/
"New Views of Pleasant Places," Minneapolis Journal, August 31, 1905.
Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company Records, 1872–2001 (bulk 1890–1965)
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, Saint Paul
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00207.xml
Description: Holds the company records for the owners of Wildwood Amusement Park. While there is not much about the park, there are large maps of Wildwood and the surrounding area.
Lowry, Goodrich. Streetcar Man: Thomas Lowry and the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1979.
Videotape # 650
Audiovisual Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Martz, Chuck and Mike Wurm. The Mahtomedi Story: Tales and Trails of a Minnesota Original. VHS. Mahtomedi: Mahtomedi Public Schools, 1995.
Peiss, Kathy. Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1986.
"Quiet White Bear Lake Was Once a Minnesota Vacation Mecca," MPR News, May 8, 2009.
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2009/05/08/whitebearhistory
Vadnais, Cynthia E. Looking Back at White Bear Lake: A Pictorial History of the White Bear Lake Area. St. Cloud: Sentinel Printing Company, 2004.
The Washington County Historical Society.
http://www.wchsmn.org
Lowry, Thomas (1843–1909)
Wonderland Amusement Park
Lake Minnetonka Resort Hotels
Twin City Rapid Transit Company and Electric Streetcars
Sellner Manufacturing Company
In 1898, Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company acquires the streetcar line to Wildwood Amusement Park. Investing in what was a small park and enlarging it, the company turns it into a popular recreation spot for residents of the Twin Cities.
The St. Paul and White Bear Railroad runs to White Bear Lake. The company opens a small amusement park called Wildwood.
Wildwood adds a roller coaster to its park, as well as a roller rink. The St. Paul and White Bear Railroad electrifies the streetcar line to Wildwood.
Twin Cities Rail Transit Company acquires the line to Wildwood and the park itself. The transit company improves the park, the line, and the grounds.
A fire destroys many of the buildings and amusements at Wildwood, including the funhouse and roller coaster, but the company rebuilds.
The first Tilt-a-Whirl debuts at Wildwood. It was invented by Herbert Sellner of Faribault.
Wildwood Amusement Park begins to lose money.
Wildwood Amusement Park closes; the dance pavilion stays open.
During the winter, the bathhouse burns to the ground.
The dance pavilion closes, and the park is dismantled the next year.
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Throughout the months of February and March, I’m live reading my novel Pilgrim of the Sky. It’s a steampunk fantasy adventure that you don’t want to miss! And it’s free. What are you waiting for? Join in the hangouts live, or follow along here on YouTube.
Just when Maddie Angler thinks she’s over the death of her longtime boyfriend, Alvin, she discovers that he’s not only alive, but he may just be part god. And a killer. Now it’s up to her to unite Eight Worlds she didn’t even know existed in the first place, before chaos reigns.
Praise for Pilgrim of the Sky:
“… a lush, dreamy fable – both vintage gothic, and modern mystery … lovingly laced with magic and darkness from start to finish.” — Cherie Priest, author of Boneshaker
“Barron’s book is a sexy trek through alternate worlds, with a fascinating and detailed mythology. This one is a steampunk tale that doesn’t play by the rules.” — Mur Lafferty, award-winning author and podcaster of Heaven and Hell
“A brilliant, eloquent adventure through time, space, and the human heart.” — Jonathan Wood, author of No Hero
“Steampunk meets goddess worship in this unusual and highly original story of loves that cross the borders of time and space… Barron’s debut is an sf adventure that mixes high action with exquisitely detailed depictions of everyday existence in these alternate worlds.” — Library Journal
“Pilgrim of the Sky is an excellent and much recommended pick for fantasy readers.” — Midwest Book Review
“It will take you from the present modern world to a world born of an alternate history which parallels our own to a wholly ancient and powerful realm. It has plenty of originality while echoing the elements of other authors such as Neil Gaiman and Phillip Pullman… It’s a fun adventure and one I hope you embark on yourself.” — Wired.com’s GeekDad
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Home / Book Reviews • Books / Gunboats on the Great Lakes
Gunboats on the Great Lakes
October 22, 2018 Book Reviews, Booksbook review, books, british navy, Canada, cheryl mcdonald, great lakes, gunboats, Gunboats on the Great Lakes, john grady
Gunboats on the Great Lakes 1866-68, The British Navy’s show of force at the time of Confederation
By Cheryl MacDonald, James Lorimer and Company, Toronto, (2017).
Reviewed by John Grady
Gunboats of the Great Lakes is a “what if” book; and the “if” is directly connected to the untimely death of the author, Cheryl MacDonald.
As interesting as the subject is — Canadians demanding the Royal Navy come to their defense on the North American inland seas to hold back the Fenians, Irish nationalists, many of them Union Army veterans and operating from the United States, much of the larger context of how these waters became so contested in the 1860s is missing.
Sadly, so is the follow-on as to what became of the Tars when their service in Canada ended. Having said that as notes of caution, MacDonald, well-known as a local historian in Canada, left enough of a story about Britomart, Cherub and Heron, the turmoil in Canada that the Fenian invasion caused, and the steady fears these British subjects harbored ever since the American Revolution that their neighbors to the south coveted their part of the continent as much as they lusted for Mexican lands from Texas to the Pacific to make this worthwhile for readers interested in North American maritime history.
It is an abbreviated “time well spent” on a subject that receives scant attention in the United States: How our northern neighbor came to be and what we threatened that shaped that response.
MacDonald does a wonderful job of setting the stage on the Canadian side of the border not only for the Fenians to do battle with Canadian militia near War of 1812 combat sites, but also the sounding of alarm bells from Quebec to Hamilton to be on the alert for the Americans following the seizure of the British mail packet Trent in the Caribbean.
What MacDonald’s posthumous work didn’t include in any detail was how the Union in the American Civil War, tired of Confederates operating from Canadian sanctuaries against the North, including the seizure at gunpoint of two steamers in American waters and a wild bank robbing spree in Vermont, pushed aside the demilitarized treaty obligations on the Great Lakes to put more revenue cutters on these waters to back up its single heavy gunboat.
On this topic, this reviewer had to laugh to learn that George Denison, from a Loyalist family and diehard anti-United States, was charged with investigating the dubious performance of provincial militia to hold back the Fenians. Although he was from a line of militia officers in Canada and had written well-circulated and publicized pamphlets after the Trent affair to have the provincial parliaments put their money into modernizing their defense, Denison harbored Confederate saboteurs and spies at his suburban Toronto estate and actively sent them back to the United States as couriers and saboteurs. Most outrageously and publicly, he was the frontman for Richmond’s effort to buy a lumber carrier and convert it into a warship to attack Great Lakes cities.
Talk about putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
And oh yes, Denison later went on to become his province’s senior police official following the 1867 political union of the Confederation.
This work includes a very useful tutorial on the maritime landscape of lake commerce before the American Civil War. To understand how the gunboats from Great Britain, on station in Halifax, could reach such inland cities, MacDonald stresses and provides an important description of Canada’s canals. They made it possible to send shallow draft vessels from Lake Superior to Liverpool on the Atlantic coast of Great Britain or from Halifax to Thunder Bay.
The shortfall in Gunboats on what happened to the Royal Navy crews and greater details on the officers after their service in Canada would have been welcomed and is acknowledged. But MacDonald’s insights into desertion rates and absent-without-leave differences among the ships’ commands are very interesting and illustrate great disparities in command climate.
The shortfall is most noticeable in Chapter 7, but alas time she did not have in her struggle with cancer. The same need to provide more can be said about the provincial political pressure, particularly coming from what is now Ontario, that finally drove the patient Canadians from French-speaking Quebec City to the small villages west of the Huron Tract to throw up their hands over London’s seeming indifference to their very real concerns and immediate security needs. They finally said we can do this better ourselves and together — with the governor general’s knowing eye.
So in the end, did the gunboats make a difference in keeping the Fenians at bay?
But did their very presence reassure Canadians that if attacked again there would be an immediate response — not from its land or maritime militias, who may or may not have been ready?
MacDonald makes that case of reassurance very well. And probably deterrence as well. For its part, the United States also cracked down on the Fenians’ plots to spread terror across the border and force the issue of Ireland’s future.
John Grady is a veteran journalist and has conducted oral history work on behalf of the NHF.
Buy Gunboats on the Great Lakes 1866-68: The British Navy’s Show of Force at the Time of Confederation now!
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Gold Price Imminent Explosion Higher
Commodities / Gold & Silver 2009 Sep 08, 2009 - 01:02 PM GMT
By: Q1_Publishing
Six months ago, at the Prosperity Dispatch, we had the opportunity to sit down with John Embry, the chief investment strategist at Sprott Asset Management. He is one of the world’s leading gold experts.
That was March though and not too many investors were interested in buying anything. But Embry said to look past the short-term and focus on the big picture.
At the time, Embry predicted:
I think the major development is going to be ongoing issues of currency debasement. The value of paper money against real tangible assets is going to fall considerably. Right now, we are going through this deflationary scare. It won’t last. It will change into a hyperinflationary environment in the not too distant future.
Since then, gold and silver have climbed 9% and 25% respectively. They’ve done well, but the big gains have been in gold and silver stocks, where Embry pointed us to last time. The Philly Gold and Silver Sector Index (XAU) has climbed 51% and many gold and silver stocks have done much better.
The prediction has proved nearly prophetic. So I’ve invited him back to learn what he expects to happen in the short- and long-term and the opportunities he is seeing now.
In our most recent conversation, Embry reveals:
- the catalyst for an “explosion in the price of gold” over the next two months
- assets for which “demand is exploding”
- China’s “interesting problem”
- the sector where short-term sentiment is hiding a huge rally
- hidden impact of 10% official unemployment
That’s just for starters. There’s a lot more on silver, farmland, uranium, and plenty of other high-potential sectors.
Read on below for a full transcript of the exclusive conversation.
Good investing,
Andrew Mickey
Chief Investment Strategist, Q1 Publishing
John Embry and Andrew Mickey
Andrew Mickey: Thanks for joining us today John. A lot has happened since we last talked in February. Basically, it looks like almost everything we looked at last time - gold, silver, agriculture, and other hard assets – continue to be out of favor. There have been “gold shoots,” but nothing really sustainable.
That’s why, today, I want to get into a few more specific topics with you. And one thing that's really hot right now is what's going on in China with the real debt explosion. To me, it seems similar to the “Greenspan Solution” – cut interest rates so low they’re actually negative so its cost prohibitive not to borrow money, sit back, and watch an asset bubble form.
Do you see any problems in China? What are your thoughts on this?
John Embry: Actually, I have some fairly strong views on this subject. I don't think that you can do what they have done and end up without a problem.
To put it simply, they have force fed an enormous amount of credit into their economy through their banking system quickly. And the numbers, for such a short period of time, are quite staggering. But it seems to me that the kinds of loans that are being made are going to be hard to service. I think there are going to be a lot of loans made to people that are going to have to do uneconomic things, and I think we are seeing it also show up in the areas of speculation in stocks and commodities.
I don't think China is going to have a smooth ride. It just seems to me that people think China has got the magic solution and they are just going to continue to grow at 7% to 10% a year, forever. I believe they will have a huge hiccup at some point, and maybe sooner rather than later.
So yeah, I think that they sort of got a short term bail out with all this money they jammed into the system, but we will see how it works out in the longer term.
Andrew Mickey: The other thing that I wanted to talk to you about is agriculture, which has really fallen out of favor. It’s tough to imagine expectations getting much lower.
I know we’re both big on agriculture over the medium- and long-term, but what do you see happening right now. What's going on with this year's crop? What do you see happening in the near term and also more longer term?
John Embry: I think that crops are coming in better than what most expected. For example, if you have a longer term point of view, you are going to go through some bumpy spots for the simple reason that no one can predict what any individual growing season is going to be like. But the fact is, in my opinion, the long term view is still very intact. There are too many people on earth and more of them are becoming better off to the extent that they can eat better.
I suspect the climate is going to be an issue going forward; consequently, there will eventually be food shortages. In the short term, we appear to have gotten bailed out by an exceptional crop. Consequently as the crop actually starts rolling in, prices can be very volatile and perhaps move to the downside.
As I said in the short term, we cannot predict crops on an annual basis up here or anywhere. The industry is very large and a lot depends on unpredictable variables like weather.
However, at Sprott Resources, we are putting together a potential million-acre farm in Western Canada called One Earth Farms. We are putting our money where our mouth is. We think there is a huge opportunity over the full food cycle.
Andrew Mickey: I have heard a little bit about that. Is that going to be part of Sprott Resource Corp?
John Embry: At Sprott Resource Corp we have a joint venture with the First Nations in Western Canada. I think it's a hell of a concept. We are going to give them a fair shake because they haven’t been given a fair shake, in the past. They have some great land and we think that, if farmed efficiently, it's going to be a very successful economic venture.
Andrew Mickey: Where is this located?
John Embry: It's in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Andrew Mickey: So there has been a mutual agreement over the use of their land reached? I know that can be a problem for a lot of mining and energy companies in those parts.
John Embry: Yes it is. In the past, I think the natives were not treated fairly and in this instance we won their confidence and now things are going pretty well. We are putting it all together and getting it started, but it will take years to play out to its full extent, but things have gone smoothly to date.
Andrew Mickey: That’s an excellent idea. One thing that’s tough to do, from a retail investor’s perspective is to get exposure to farmland. You really may have something there.
What about uranium?
Just a few days ago, I saw that Southern Company (NYSE:SO) announced they are building a nuclear facility in the United States. Is this something that China is still going after? Do you think the cap and trade is beneficiary?
John Embry: My attitude is very simple on energy. We are going to have shortages, and alternative energy isn't going to come fast enough.
One of the more efficient ways to combat this problem will be, or seems to be, uranium. And again, right now we have been going through a challenging period in the commodity cycle, and clearly uranium has been hit, but I don’t think the longer-term picture is impacted too much.
Andrew Mickey: Let’s get into global infrastructure for a moment. Every country seems to believe building something will be the way out of this situation. The US has a couple of “show” projects. India has some very big aspirations. And infrastructure looks to be China's continued focus of its efforts. Do you see more opportunity in infrastructure?
John Embry: A lot has gone into that. China has got an interesting problem. It’s clear they grew off the back of the international demand for their manufactured products. This occurred in a sort of bubble-type atmosphere where the entire western world was over stimulating their economies and their consumer sectors. It provided a tremendous stimulus to China.
Now, China has to deal with the collateral damage from getting a significant proportion of their wealth from exports. They are going to have to develop their domestic demand and they as part of this have put a lot of money into their domestic infrastructure.
My concern is in the short run. China may have gotten into a significant overcapacity situation in a number of areas. That’s certainly the case on the manufacturing side. They can build roads and bridges and all sorts of things, including electrical plants because they need these and they have the money to do it. So I think infrastructure spending in China will continue to remain a very significant economic stimulus.
Ironically, in the United States where they are bailing out all the banksters, what the United States really needs is an infrastructure build out.
I don't know where the money is going to come from but there’s an awful lot of stuff that has been just kind of ignored for the last 20-30 years; roads, bridges and all the real structures. If it were up to me, I would be focusing significantly on that.
Andrew Mickey: Let’s switch our gears for a moment here to gold and silver…right at this point, everyone is focusing on the long, long term, say 10 years, 15 years out.
Read on here for why Embry sees the real gold boom could coming in the next two months.
Disclosure: Author currently holds a long position in Silvercorp Metals (SVM), physical silver, and no position in any of the other companies mentioned.
Q1 Publishing is committed to providing investors with well-researched, level-headed, no-nonsense, analysis and investment advice that will allow you to secure enduring wealth and independence.
© 2009 Copyright Q1 Publishing - All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
Q1 Publishing Archive
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Anne Hathaway and Automatic Stock Trading
Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2011 Mar 31, 2011 - 09:18 AM GMT
By: Robert_Murphy
A humorous financial story making the rounds concerns the apparent relationship between media mentions of the actress Anne Hathaway and jumps in the stock price of shares of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.
The presumed culprits are algorithmic trading programs, which raises the question, What does Austrian economics have to say about computers buying and selling shares of stock?
The Hathaway Effect
Dan Mirvish at the Huffington Post broke the story, in an article cleverly titled, "The Hathaway Effect: How Anne Gives Warren Buffett a Rise." Mirvish documents the apparently irrational correlation:
Whatever you may think of how Anne Hathaway and her co-host James Franco did as hosts of the newer, younger, hipper Oscars, one thing appears to be certain: When Anne Hathaway makes headlines, the stock for Warren Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway goes up. Think of Berkshire-Hathaway shares (BRK.A) as a really expensive version of the IMDb's StarMeter (which actually is designed to go up and down as actors make the news). But a bedrock member of the New York Stock Exchange? The evidence would indicate as much.
On the Friday before the Oscars, Berkshire shares rose a whopping 2.02%. And on the Monday just after the Academy Awards, they rose again, this time 2.94%. But it's not just an Oscar bounce, or something Warren Buffett may have said in the newspaper, or even necessarily something the company itself is doing (i.e. rumors afoot to buy Costco). Just look back at some other landmark dates in Anne Hathaway's still young career:
Oct. 3, 2008 — Rachel Getting Married opens: BRK.A up .44%
Jan. 5, 2009 — Bride Wars opens: BRK.A up 2.61%
Feb. 8, 2010 — Valentine's Day opens: BRK.A up 1.01%
March 5, 2010 — Alice in Wonderland opens: BRK.A up .74%
Nov. 24, 2010 — Love and Other Drugs opens: BRK.A up 1.62%
Nov. 29, 2010 — Anne announced as co-host of the Oscars: BRK.A up .25%
My guess is that all those automated, robotic trading programming are picking up the same chatter on the internet about "Hathaway" as the IMDb's StarMeter, and they're applying it to the stock market.
Although it's always risky to try to explain particular changes in stock prices, Mirvish's analysis seems plausible. Presumably there are computer programs guiding lightning-fast stock purchases and sales, which scour news sources in order to make "momentum trades." In other words, if a particular stock is being discussed in the media, then (other things equal) at least some of these programs buy shares, because it's "hot" and is likely to continue rising as more slow-footed investors read the buzz and want to get a piece of the action.
Of course, the downside of automated stock-trading programs is that they have no common sense (which isn't to say that human traders necessarily do, either). In order to beat their competitors to the punch, they can't engage in careful analysis of the news items; they simply look for "Hathaway" and take it as a bullish signal for Berkshire Hathaway A-shares. (I wonder if Mirvish could do another story on the fortunes of the Rand Capital Corporation as the new Atlas Shrugged movie premieres?)
Do Automated Trading Programs Have Any Benefit?
After stories such as these — and certainly after the huge financial collapse in 2008 — many cynics understandably dismiss all the newfangled derivatives markets and financial strategies as a casino for egomaniacs with above-average math skills. Yet there is a danger here in throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
It's true that economics — as conceived by Ludwig von Mises and his followers — is a logically deductive science. Mises didn't believe that economists should ape the physicists and develop empirical hypotheses that are then "tested" by the data. Rather, Mises believed careful introspection on the nature of human action could yield a core of economic principles or laws. It was this framework that allowed the economist to then interpret the mass of available data on commodity prices, unemployment rates, and so forth.
For example, Mises wouldn't "start with a blank slate" and look at the historical statistics to try to develop theories about the business cycle. Rather, he would first reflect on the operation of the capital structure in a market economy, think through the function of market prices and interest rates, and only then be able to start explaining the connection between credit expansion and unsustainable booms. Mises didn't reject the use of historical data — in fact he helped Hayek found an institute to study the business cycle — but he didn't fall for the positivist illusion that one could develop economic theories by "letting the facts speak for themselves."
Having said all that, Austrian economics doesn't forbid stock traders from using such techniques in their quest for profits. For example, suppose an analyst at a hedge fund starts cranking out regressions on "randomly" selected data. He discovers a startling correlation between the phases of the moon and the NASDAQ index. He shows the other analysts, and they confirm his results. They can only offer the most ad hoc "explanations" to their boss, but the relationship is nonetheless staring them in the face.
Suppose the hedge fund begins trading on the newly discovered relationship, and earns money. Over time, as the formula continues to perform, the hedge fund wagers more and more heavily upon it, and is never let down. At the bar the analysts' buddies ask, "Why are you guys up 84 percent this quarter?" but the analysts smile and say, "Ancient Chinese secret."
The question is, are these profits "real" or illusory? Is our hypothetical hedge fund actually doing something useful?
The social function of stock speculators is that they speed up price adjustments. The goal of the speculator is to "buy low, sell high" (or "short sell high, cover low" for an overpriced stock). In this respect, so long as the hedge fund's moon strategy is profitable, then that is prima facie evidence that it is performing a service to others in the market economy. Specifically, the hedge fund buys into the NASDAQ when its price is about to rise, and it sells when the NASDAQ is about to fall. In this limited yet important sense, the successful trading strategy is a time machine, giving the rest of the world advance access to future information.
In this grand sense, results are what matter. The fact that the hedge fund personnel can't really explain the correlation is irrelevant. By the same token, the workers at a utility company can't really explain the laws of physics; they just know that if they repeat certain actions every day, then consumers are able to turn on their lights and run their refrigerators. As David Hume famously pointed out, just because something has happened in the past doesn't mean it will happen in the future, but in many contexts we benefit from making just such an invalid leap.
What About Bubbles?
The arguments above might make some readers uncomfortable. After all, didn't the fancy quants on Wall Street look like hot stuff for a few years during the housing boom — until everything blew up in their faces?
Yes, but that is entirely consistent with the position we've laid out. Austrian economists do not naïvely endorse the most extreme versions of the "efficient-markets" approach of the Chicago School. Austrians know that investors can make colossal mistakes and that the going market price can be horribly wrong.
If a trading strategy yields profits for a few years, but will eventually bankrupt the company when a "black swan" comes along, then it is an unprofitable strategy — barring government bailouts. For this very reason, our hypothetical hedge fund managers had better be very careful with their uncanny moon-trading strategy. They have no business being shocked if and when the strategy completely backfires on them, and they had better position themselves accordingly rather than shooting the moon (if you'll forgive the pun) with each new trade.
To correctly assess the value of any entrepreneurial venture, we need some idea of the underlying uncertainty involved. (Note that Mises made a distinction between quantifiable risk and amorphous uncertainty.) To switch away from financial markets to something more concrete, suppose in January a t-shirt manufacturer sunk $1 million into producing shirts saying, "The VCU Miracle of 2011." After the VCU basketball team made the Final Four against all odds, the manufacturer was able to recover his investment as well as a tidy profit.
Now how should an Austrian interpret this event? Did the entrepreneur see beyond what others saw, and allocate resources more effectively to serve consumers? Or did he take a big chance but "get lucky"? At this point the question is almost philosophical rather than economic, but the scenario sheds light on automated trading programs yielding short-term profits.
Faced with such apparently nonsensical results as the Anne Hathaway effect, automatic trading programs look silly. On the other hand, this is true of any task to which humans put computers; it doesn't mean computers are useless.
The ultimate criterion for whether automated trading is socially useful is the profit-and-loss test.
If the financial institutions relying on these programs blow up in the long run, we'll have our answer — if only the government and Fed would stay out of it.
Robert Murphy, an adjunct scholar of the Mises Institute and a faculty member of the Mises University, runs the blog Free Advice and is the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism, the Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market, the Human Action Study Guide, and The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal. Send him mail. See Robert P. Murphy's article archives. Comment on the blog.
© 2011 Copyright Ludwig von Mises - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
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Neck and Neck nationally
Conservative, election, Labour, MP, Stratford Apr 17, 2010
Two polls are now putting the Lib Dems ahead of Conservative and Labour. No poll has put Lib Dems ahead since 1985, and all the polls are now agreeing that the gap between Lib Dems and the others is lower than the sampling error — in other words — we are truly neck and neck, and everything is to play for.
A Tory blogger is already claiming that this is all rubbish and he hasn’t noticed any of this on the doors. I don’t know what doors he’s been knocking on, but out on the streets of Shipston, Alcester, Tanworth and Claverdon, the story is totally different. People have been coming up to me for weeks telling me that they will vote for me for the first time because they are not satisfied with the Tory Central Office candidate here in Stratford. As of yesterday, people are walking up to me and saying “I have been a Tory voter all my life and I am voting for you for the first time because you have the finest leader in the land.”
It is changing. And it is likely to change more. Lab/Con spin doctors are saying that the Clegg will not have it his own way next time. My observation is this: in competitive situations, although the scores can reverse, they usually don’t. We all remember the great reversals of fortune because they make compelling stories. But, usually, the one who starts out in front increases their lead. I’ve seen this over and over again in competitive sports, and the psychology of sports is very similar to that of debate. Yes, anything can happen. But the most likely thing is that Clegg will solidify his dominance in the debates. Based on this week’s polls — and, again, anything can happen — this will be reflected in polls leads, and on election day.
‹ Decisive victory for Clegg › Clegg edges Cameron out 2:1
scottspeig
Apr 22, 2010 @ 15:37:50
But wasn’t Cameron in the lead at the start of the race? Just saying…
Cameron has definitely lost the most over the last week, and his performance tonight has not been enough to get him back.
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The Dancing Canvases - Exhibition by Nazir Tanbouli
From 21 of October until 22 November 2018.
We’re happy to feature the work of Alexandrian-born artist Nazir Tanbouli. “The Dancing Canvases“ exhibition opens on 21 of October 2018 at 7 pm and will run until 22 November 2018 at Mashrabia Gallery of Contemporary Art, 8 Champollion st., Downtown Cairo.
About Nazir Tanbouli:
Nazir Tanbouli was born in Alexandria in 1971. He started drawing and painting at the tender age of three and since has never stopped. He studied art and design at Alexandria University between 1989 and 1994, and worked as a painter, muralist, illustrator and graphic designer before moving to the UK in 2002 where he has been living since. In 2010 he was awarded the MFA from Camberwell College of Arts, the University of the Arts London, where he studied book art and printmaking.
He was awarded by the same university the “Creative enterprise award 2012” for founding and managing the artist-run space STUDIO 75-London. Since 2015, he has worked frequently in Alexandria.
Tanbouli's work is narrative, biographical, communicative, and often humourous. Both characters and places in his work are a dream-like rendering of all the people he knew and all the places he travelled to. Yet his works often contain many global themes and symbols that make them both non-culturally specific and widely appealing.
He has been exhibiting his work since 1990 in exhibitions in Egypt, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Russia, Germany, and Dubai. His works are held in many public and private collections around the world.
Artist's Statement:
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.” Martha Graham
I've never been a good dancer. I'm a left handed painter with two left feet. Nevertheless, I have been fascinated by dancing since my early childhood. I got hooked on dancing films as I grew up in Egypt during the 70s and the 80s.
Then there wasn't much of a dancing culture around me, but I watched all that I could get: old black and white films, the extravaganzas of the 1930s musicals, as well as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, West Side Story, and John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It was a relationship between the screen and me, trying to desperately copy any of the dance moves while making sure that nobody is watching.
Observing these dances on screen has fuelled my fascination with the ways that the dancers emulate patterns of nature, creating through movement and ever-changing shape an ongoing eternal universe of visio-organic – as simple, yet as complex as the continual splitting of micro-organisms.
Also I have grown to appreciate the decorative, geometric aspect of dancers on the screen, as they sometimes appear like a sheet of patterned textile or the ceiling of an ancient mosque. Many of the paintings in this collection have been painted through my relationship with the movie screen.
The second group of paintings in this collection is highly informed and influenced by my photographic relationship with dance. 17 years ago I moved to multicultural Britain, where every kind of dance was on offer. During my first summer there, I discovered carnivals and street festivals of all sorts: Caribbean in Nottingham, South Asian in Leicester, Brazilian in Liverpool, and Cuban in London.
I wanted to feel close to them but I could not dance. So I took on photography for the first time as it allowed me to get as close as possible to the action, and give me the chance to feel the heat of sweaty dancing bodies. I took hundreds of photographs over the years with no intention to exhibit them or to look at them while painting; their sole function was to allow me to be fearlessly in the middle of the action while seeing it from my camera’s screen.
I want these paintings to be very present, yet I want them to feel like they are seen indirectly, as if through the camera’s eye. I want to keep a visual tension, with the viewer being at the same time engaged with the intense visceral presence of the dance and being isolated from the scene, enjoying the security of a voyeur.
“Work like you don't need the money. Love like you have never been hurt and Dance like nobody's watching.” Satchel Paige, American athlete.
Music and rhythm are essential in my studio, especially while I’m working on this collection of “dancing paintings,” as I want them to be dancing paintings rather than just paintings of dance. I try to establish an input-output process, being more like a dynamo converting dance to painting, while keeping as much as possible of the energy,
Over the years I have accepted the idea that there are always those who dance into a trance and there are those who paint it. I am from the second lot. Yet for eight hours a day in my studio I dance my way back and forth within the three meters between me and my canvas.
These paintings are the closest I could get to dancing while being a left-handed painter with two left feet.
To the magnificent Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901)
Alexandrian Dream - Group Exhibition
Alexandrian Dream - Group Exhibition - 21 October to 22 November 2018 at Mashrabia ANNEX - 15 Mahmoud Bassiony St., Downtown Cairo.
A group exhibition featuring the works of Alexandrian-based artists:
Ahmed Senbel, Hany El Sayed, Mohamed AboEl Magd, Nagib Moueen, Omar Tousson, Said Badr, Sarkis Tounsonian, and Shady Habiba.
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Prof Bongani Mayosi and Assoc Prof Liesl Zuhlke have been awarded a R12-million grant from the UK-MRC to enable a multi-disciplinary research team to develop a comprehensive understanding of congenital heart disease in Africa. This work aims to reduce premature mortality from cardiovascular disease through improved diagnosis, management and follow-up of African children and adults with CHD. Prof Zar wished them and their team much success with this work.
Fri, 03 Mar 2017 - 04:00
Dr Liesl Zuhlke has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, given as recognition of “someone who has demonstrated exceptional knowledge and commitment to cardiovascular health”. This is a prestigious honour, and a further tribute to her work and contributions.
Dr Mignon McCulloch has been awarded the Roscoe Robinson award from the International Society of Nephrology for her contributions to paediatric nephrology globally. She will be presented with this award at the World Congress of Nephrology in Mexico later this year. This is one of the most prestigious awards in nephrology (adult and paediatrics) - it is extraordinary for someone to get this award at this stage of their career, so a huge accolade for Mignon and the work that she has done.
Dr Shrish Budree has been awarded the Hamilton Naki scholarship to undertake work on the role of the intestinal microbiome in childhood pneumonia in the Drakenstein child health study. He will be doing this work as part of his PhD and in collaboration with Ramnik Xavier's lab at the Broad Institute, Boston and our own microbiology and Drakenstein teams at the Red Cross Children's Hospital. The Department wishes him much success with this exciting work.
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Get to know Idaho’s open meetings law
December 7, 2011 by IDOG
From the Coeur d’Alene Press
If they’re making a decision, make yourself at home.
If they’re holding deliberations, pull up a chair.
But if a government entity is discussing personnel issues, say, hiring an employee or disciplining an officer, the door will be shut to civilians.
No use complaining. It’s the law.
The open meetings law, specifically.
And it’s there for a reason, explained Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden on Tuesday night.
“(The law) has helped us gain timely access to information,” he said, speaking to a crowd of citizens, reporters and government employees at the Spokesman Review building. “And it’s also protected information that the law ensures be restricted, like the investigative efforts of law enforcement.”
Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws might seem like dry subjects. But if anyone wants to hear a highway district deliberate on a tax increase, or wants a copy of an email between school board members, the information is useful.
That’s why the attorney general, with Idahoans for Openness in Government, held a seminar on the restrictions and allowances of the two recently updated laws on Tuesday.
“Everybody, even if you sing out of tune, you’ll recognize there’s a sheet of music,” Wasden said at the event, co-sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Press and the Spokesman Review.
The state’s open meeting law, Wasden said, ensures that almost every discussion and decision by a governing agency is open to public viewing.
Officials discussing policy privately at a restaurant, for instance, is illegal.
“You’ve been trusted with the public’s right to watch you conduct your business,” he said.
Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane spelled out the rules: An agency must provide notice of a meeting five calendar days ahead, and notice of the agenda 48 hours ahead.
Policy making outside of a noticed meeting is null and void, he said.
The law allows folks to observe, he added, but not participate.
“If you want to give (government officials) a piece of your mind, make an appointment to meet with them,” Kane advised.
Meetings for executive sessions, where members of the public may be excluded, must be specified on an agenda 24 hours ahead, he noted.
Decisions can’t be made in executive sessions, Kane said. Discussions are limited to a very narrow scope of subjects, like personnel and litigation.
“(Governments’) approach to executive sessions should be they’re the exception, not the rule,” he said. “If you can’t do anything without going into executive session, you’ve got a problem.”
Members of the public can record meetings, he said, so long as it doesn’t hamper the process.
For more about Idaho’s open meeting law, go to www.openidaho.org.
Complaints about violations at the local government level should be taken to the prosecuting attorney, Kane said.
Violations by state agencies should be reported to the attorney general’s office.
Kane noted that though officials can be charged up to $500 for knowingly violating the open meeting law, they can avoid fees by admitting error and holding a meeting again properly.
“My advice is, it’s OK to make a mistake. Just own it and fix it quickly,” Kane said. “It’s a lot easier than the road of denial.”
As for Idaho’s open records law, Wasden said, the custodian of a government document can’t deny a record request or question its intent, unless about it being used as a mailing list.
“A public record is a public record,” Wasden said, adding that there are some exemptions like personnel and litigation documents.
Accessible records include handwritten and typewritten documents, photographs, photostats, emails, phone texts and Facebook pages, property tax records and government credit cards.
“If you’re spending public dollars, the public has a right to see what’s going on,” Wasden said.
Kane noted that an agency can grant or deny a records request within three working days, or within 10 working days if more time is needed.
Under the new statute, the first two hours of labor for obtaining a record, or the first 100 pages, are free.
Wasden had simple advice for government employees about not leaking embarrassing intel.
“Listen to your mother, ‘If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all,'” he said. “And finally, listen to Mark Twain: ‘Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.'”
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Idaho media coalition reunites in fight for openness in private prison lawsuit
July 18, 2013 by IDOG
From the Idaho Press Club Communicator
By Todd Dvorak
BOISE – For the second consecutive year, a broad coalition of Idaho news organizations has joined together in a fight for openness. This time, the focus of the battle is a lawsuit in federal court pitting a group of inmates against the state’s only private prison contractor, the Corrections Corporation of America.
The case was filed last year and the inmates allege, among other things, that a pattern of understaffing and mismanagement at the prison has created a reality where gangs to run the lockup. Ultimately, that culture led to a brutal attack by the gang members on the plaintiffs in the case. The inmates are suing for damages and reforms at the prison.
But earlier this year, CCA lawyers filed a motion asking the judge to seal whatever it wants in the run-up to trial. The CCA motion is broad and could cover a range of motions, evidence and affidavits that in most other lawsuits would be ripe for public consumption. The plaintiffs in the case oppose the protective order and a judge is still weighing the merits.
Now the judge also has something else to consider in that decision making process: A motion to intervene by the Idaho media coalition and a separate motion arguing against sealing the court file. In June, the Associated Press led the charge to challenge CCA’s bid to close the court file by enlisting the help and financial resources of 16 other news organizations.
The list of partners includes: Idaho Statesman, The Spokesman-Review, The Times-News, KBOI-TV, Idaho Press-Tribune, Post Register, Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Coeur d’Alene Press, Bonner County Daily Bee, Challis Messenger, Shelley Pioneer, Jefferson Star, Pioneer News Group, Idaho Press Club and the Newspaper Association of Idaho.
The coalition, and through its Lewiston-based attorney Chuck Brown, contend sealing the court file would make it nearly impossible for reporters to cover an important lawsuit. Moreover, Brown argues the protective order would violate the public’s right to know what is happening in the federal courts and the specifics of allegations against a company that is paid $29 million annually by the state of Idaho.
“This civil case raises issues of profound concern to the general public,” Brown wrote on behalf of the news organizations. “… Drawing a curtain of secrecy behind which the defendants can operate simply does not comport with the requirements of the First Amendment, nor Ninth Circuit case law as to the openness required of our judicial system, but also the openness required of our government.”
Brown’s name should be familiar to Idaho media and Press Club members. He was the attorney who represented more than a dozen Idaho media organizations that sued the Idaho Department of Correction last year in an effort to change the agency’s execution policy. The news organizations won that case when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held the state’s policy violated the right for the public to see the full process of an execution.
Brown says he is confident the news groups have another strong case, one also supported in appellate court precedent. As of press time, U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge had yet to make a decision on the media’s motion to intervene to challenge CCA’s request for a protective order.
It should also be noted the same media coalition may be filing a similar action in a separate lawsuit involving CCA. This one involves the ACLU Idaho on behalf of inmates and a series of motions filed in a case that had been settled, but recently reopened and subject to mediation. Earlier this year, AP legal affairs reporter Rebecca Boone noticed that two motions and a judicial order had been filed under seal and separate from the mediation, which is routinely off limits to the public.
But because the new motions essentially create a court record, the media coalition has asked Brown to consider filing a motion to intervene in this case as well, arguing again that the motions and order should be unsealed and made part of the public record. Brown is still researching and deciding whether to file as of press time.
Todd Dvorak is the Boise correspondent for the Associated Press, and is the vice president of the Idaho Press Club board and chairman of the club’s First Amendment Committee.
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Reader Pulp Oct 21 2016
French artist Jacques Puiseux spins us round with his pulp influenced vinyl art.
Pulp Intl. friend Jacques Puiseux staged a gallery show earlier this autumn and e-mailed over a few of his pulp influenced pieces. The exhibition was in Aup, a small town in the French Provence region, and Jacques' trompe l’œil pin-ups mimicking vinyl records managed to draw the attention of local feminists, female and male, who staged a protest concerning objectification of the female body. Apparently, they compared his work to the famed Pirelli calendars and said Jacques was almost as bad as Donald Trump.
Pulp Intl. would doubtless likewise be labeled sexist by these particular protesters, but of course a pulp history website could hardly fail to be. We would simply suggest that appreciation for beauty, whether male or female, is not inherently exploitative. While many feminists are actually quite vocal in their appreciation of beauty and sex (personified by the new wave of woman centered porn websites), a subset seem to believe that any male expression of appreciation for female beauty is a form of violence.
As we've mentioned before, since 99.9% of humans came into being through an act of sex, and sex drives our existence, biologically speaking, it follows that it's unreasonable to expect it not to be on people's minds much of the time. We're all wired that way. And since it is on people's minds, those thoughts and desires will be expressed. We agree there's a best and worst way to do it, and that a refusal should be taken at face value, and that safety is paramount, but we disagree that any expression of sexual interest by an unknown male toward a unknown female is wrong.
The feminist cause is right and moral, but we don't imagine the coming world as one in which women are never looked at by unknown men as sexual beings, or approached by unknown men at bars or parties, or complimented on their beauty by unknown men. We imagine a world in which those things happen and it goes only as far as a woman's consent permits. That might be no farther than a few exchanged words, but conversely it might go all the way to someone's bed for a lovely night. Doesn't that sound like a fun world?
Jacques, we think, would agree. He's a guy who thinks women are beautiful and that interest comes out in his art, as it has for countless other artists and always will. He also likes pulp, et voilà—what you get is what he's done above and below. We really like these, and they fit nicely into our conception of modern pulp. You can see a few more Puiseux pulp stylings at this link, and feel free to check out more of his record-like creations at the tumblr page Vinyles Passion.
FranceAupsJacques Puiseux
The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1955—Disneyland Begins Operations
The amusement park Disneyland opens in Orange County, California for 6,000 invitation-only guests, before opening to the general public the following day.
1959—Holiday Dies Broke
Legendary singer Billie Holiday, who possessed one of the most unique voices in the history of jazz, dies in the hospital of cirrhosis of the liver. She had lost her earnings to swindlers over the years, and upon her death her bank account contains seventy cents.
1941—DiMaggio Hit Streak Reaches 56
New York Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio gets a hit in his fifty-sixth consecutive game. The streak would end the next game, against the Cleveland Indians, but the mark DiMaggio set still stands, and in fact has never been seriously threatened. It is generally thought to be one of the few truly unbreakable baseball records.
1939—Adams Completes Around-the-World Air Journey
American Clara Adams becomes the first woman passenger to complete an around-the-world air journey. Her voyage began and ended in New York City, with stops in Lisbon, Marseilles, Leipzig, Athens, Basra, Jodhpur, Rangoon, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Wake Island, Honolulu, and San Francisco.
1955—Nobel Prize Winners Unite Against Nukes
Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, which reads in part: We think it is a delusion if governments believe that they can avoid war for a long time through the fear of [nuclear] weapons. Fear and tension have often engendered wars. Similarly it seems to us a delusion to believe that small conflicts could in the future always be decided by traditional weapons. In extreme danger no nation will deny itself the use of any weapon that scientific technology can produce.
1997—Versace Murdered in Miami
Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace is shot dead on the steps of his Miami mansion as he returns from breakfast at a cafe. His killer is Andrew Cunanan, a man who had already murdered four other people across the country and was the focus of an FBI manhunt. The FBI never caught Cunanan—instead he committed suicide on the houseboat where he was living.
It's easy. We have an uploader that makes it a snap. Use it to submit your art, text, header, and subhead. Your post can be funny, serious, or anything in between, as long as it's vintage pulp. You'll get a byline and experience the fleeting pride of free authorship. We'll edit your post for typos, but the rest is up to you. Click here to give us your best shot.
Pulp art from around the web
Things you'd love to buy but can't anymore
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Frances McDormand To Lead 'Nomadland' From 'The Rider' Director Chloe Zhao
Chloe Zhao's The Rider was one of 2018's best-reviewed films, and honestly, it got the cold hard shaft this awards season, straight up. Fortunately, others have noticed Zhao's talents and she's making the big leap to Marvel's The Eternals at some point. But there's a new film that looks to be jumping ahead of that in line, and it already sounds pretty damn good.
Zhao will direct Oscar winner Frances McDormand in Nomadland, which Fox Searchlight has snatched up the rights to. The film will continue Zhao's practice of using non-professional actors such as newcomers Linda May and Charlene Swankie, alongside McDormand and David Strathairn.
Here is the road movie's synopsis: NOMADLAND is a road movie following Fern (McDormand), a woman in her sixties, who after losing everything in the Great Recession embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad. A signature of Zhao’s, the film includes real people turned actors including Linda May and Charlene Swankie.
In a statement, Zhao talks about some of the influence The Rider had in her decision to make Nomadland her next project...
“As I fell in love with the American West, it was impossible not to become fascinated with the roads that lead to the many adventures beyond the horizon. I’m very fortunate to be able to hit the road with a talented team and collaborate with a cast of professional and non-professional actors who are deeply giving and inspiring. I can’t wait to share their stories and what we’ve discovered along the way.” [Deadline]
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Home / News / Politics / OPINION: APC’s False Hope On Restructuring
OPINION: APC’s False Hope On Restructuring
January 31, 2018 News, Politics
Latest opinion trending, read below…
“In respect of political developments, I have kept a close watch on the ongoing debate about ‘restructuring’. No human law or edifice is perfect. Whatever structure we develop must periodically be perfected according to changing circumstances and the country’s socio-economic developments. We, Nigerians, can be very impatient and want to improve our conditions faster than may be possible considering our resources and capabilities. When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.”
– President Muhammadu Buhari in his 2018 New Year Day address
Last Thursday, January 25, 2018, the Mallam Nasir el-Rufai-led 23-member committee on the All Progressives Congress idea of restructuring submitted its report to the APC chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. The APC had on August 10, 2017 set up the committee with the aim of determining the meaning and scope of restructuring for the party. It will be recalled that for a fairly long time now, there have been strident calls for reform of the country’s political economy structure. It was indeed a campaign issue ahead of the 2015 general elections so much so that the APC promised “true federalism” and “devolution of powers” in its constitution and manifesto. Unfortunately, despite the repeated demands for the party to walk the talk, there has been loud silence from the party leadership.
Ahead of the voting by National Assembly on the constitution amendment, there was high hope that the federal lawmakers would vote in support of the reform of the country. However, both chambers of the National Assembly voted against devolution of powers on July 26 and 27, 2017. This was at a point that the agitation for a referendum for self-determination by the Indigenous People of Biafra was at its peak. Shortly after the defeat of this bill came the three months’ notice to quit issued by a coalition of Arewa youth groups against Igbo living in the 19 Northern states. It was the tension generated by this face-off that made the APC, in a volte-face, to set up the el-Rufai committee.
At inauguration, the APC chairman said to the committee: “Let me emphasise that your task is both critical and very sensitive, especially in the light of the clamour for restructuring, devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, resource control, and all other issues that describe the various forms of reforms that are being suggested for the restructuring of the current political architecture of our beloved nation. The APC constitution and manifesto vigorously canvass these issues and they are very elaborately provided for…It is your duty, especially having regard to the emotive nature of the national discourse on restructuring, to distil from our party’s constitution and manifesto the various ideas being canvassed in the different constitutional conferences that had been held in this country.”
It took almost six months for the party to define its position on the restructuring debate. According to el-Rufai, the committee engaged about 8,040 persons during 14 sittings throughout the federation; had 12 public consultations in all the six geopolitical zones in the country, while 409 memoranda were received from respondents. He stated further that in the process of their research, Nigerians indicated interest in 24 issues out of which the committee made recommendations on 13 in its four-volume report.
The 24 items identified by the committee and for which it carried out opinion surveys were creation of states, merger of states, state police, the derivation principle, fiscal federalism, local government autonomy, devolution of powers, type of government, independent candidacy, public holidays, the land tenure system, power sharing and rotation, type of legislature, affirmation for vulnerable groups like the physically challenged, women and youths, the minimum wage, border adjustment, secular statutes of the country, and the conduct of referendums.
Out of this lot, the committee recommended resource control, merger of states, state police and prison, State Judicial Council and State Court of Appeal, independent candidacy, public holidays, minimum wage, referendum, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, and local government autonomy. Of course, these recommendations are not devoid of their own controversies.
I applaud the effort of the APC but is it not too little too late? Why did the party wait for over two years, and for the lawmakers to vote against the party position, before embarking on this exercise? Are those recommendations already not contained in the 2014 National Conference report? Given the seeming opposition of the President and the National Assembly to devolution of powers, is the exercise not in futility?
What are the next steps for the party on this report? Will the party be able to deliver on this campaign promise before the 2019 elections as being demanded by the Niger Delta Avengers?
To my own mind, this issue has become a bone in the throat of the ruling party. It can’t swallow or vomit it. The party pledged it and didn’t know or is unwilling to deliver on it. In bureaucracy, there is a phenomenon known as KIV. It means one of two things. It is either Keep in View or Kill in View. The way the APC has mishandled this restructuring request, the party either wants to keep the issue in view and re-enlist it as a campaign issue for the 2019 general elections or kill it in view by hoping that by “filibustering” (using delay tactics) the issue will die a natural death. There is no gainsaying that there is no sincerity of purpose and political will by either the APC as a party or government to do the needful before the next general elections.
The deliberate late decision of the party on this issue led to a situation where it is proposing independent candidacy and rejecting local government autonomy which had already been voted on by the National Assembly. I am of the opinion that the APC’s timing of the release of this report is to serve as a red herring. It is to distract Nigerians from what many perceive as its poor performance. The party had subtly found a way to generate a new round of controversies.
What the APC has done on its purported true federalism and restructuring stance is similar to what President Buhari did when in October 2016 he set up the Senator Ken Nanmani presidential committee on electoral reform. Like the el-Rufai’s committee, that committee too sat for six months, submitted its report on May 2, 2017 to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice who promised to present the report to the President. Till date, no one knows of any action or decision that has been taken on that report.
There is an adage that, “If a man deceives me once, shame on him; if he deceives me twice, shame on me.”
– Follow me on Twitter @jideojong
OPINION: APC’s False Hope On Restructuring Reviewed by newsrepublique media on January 31, 2018 Rating: 5
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Home NEWS Until Rody says so; there will be no talks with the Reds
Until Rody says so; there will be no talks with the Reds
MANILA, Philippines - Even after CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison pushed both parties to return to the negotiating table, Malacañang remains non-committal on the appeal in resuming peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Unless President Duterte changes his mind on the termination of peace talks, presidential advisers and Cabinet members would have to respect Duterte’s decision, Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said yesterday.
The President said the leftist group went overboard when the New People’s Army launched attacks against soldiers in the countryside. It’s one of the reasons why President Duterte decided to terminate the peace talks a week after that incident.
Duterte said that unless he sees a compelling reason to do so, there wont be a peace pact that would be reached in his term. He terminated the peace talks after lifting a unilateral ceasefire.
“There is no formal statement coming from President Duterte. But all I can say is, I’m sure the President is a listening president and he will continue to consider the advice of his secretaries and his peace advisers,” Abella added.
Abella said the Palace would assess developments in the next few days.
The military urged the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the CPP to make sure that they are in full control of their men in case the government decides to the negotiating table.
“We said that there seems to be a disconnect between the leadership above and those who are on the ground below,” adding that the disconnect should be internally addressed among the NDFP, CPP and NPA, Abella said.
“(As to) the other conditionalities, we need confidence building measures. The NPA should show that they are really sincere if they are really interested in the continuation of the peace talks,” he added.
Urge to continue talks demanded
Following the collapse of the negotiations, senators and the youth urged the Duterte government and the NDFP-CPP-NPA to continue the peace process.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte’s ally, urged the NDFP-CPP-NPA leadership to mutually seek a peaceful revolution because it is under the Duterte administration that a meaningful change and reform would have the best chance of happening.
“The CPP-NDF group should understand and give more since the administration has met them more than halfway already,” Cayetano said.
He stated the administration’s attempts to institute reforms to fix the country’s poverty and inequality, the dialogues with the left and the opening up of Cabinet positions and all lines of communication.
Cayetano also said he supports the need for Duterte to take a firm position on the issue, but said it is not too late for the Government and the leftist to return to the negotiating table.
“Quoting former Israeli president Shimon Peres, in peace negotiations, if you give too much, you lose your base. If you give too little, you lose the other side. Thus, there has to be pressure from all of us Filipinos to get these two sides to give more and accept less,” he said.
“From the communists’ side, they think we are giving too little. But on the side of the government, we feel we have already given them so much. But no other President has given this much this soon,” he added.
Source: Christina Mendez (http://www.philstar.com)
Until Rody says so; there will be no talks with the Reds Reviewed by Biggs on February 13, 2017 Rating: 5
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Quebec Music Competition - National and International Music Competition for all ages and levels
报名参加线上比赛
Results for 2019 International Online Competition
2019 Competition
2019 Live Competition Results
2019 Prize Presentation & Gala Concert Program (Live Competition)
2019 Live Competition Adjudicators
Regles du Concours
比赛规则
PREVIOUS COMPETITIONS & WINNERS
Photos of 2018 Competition
2018 Gala Concert Photos
2018 Live Competition Gala Concert Photos & Results
2017 比赛结果，奖项，获奖者音乐会，照片
2017 Résultats de la compétition, trophées et prix, concert de gala, photos
Photos of 2019 LIVE Competition
Quebec Music Competition
Results for 2019 International Online Competition
Results for 2019 Quebec Music Competition
(International Online)
We are thrilled to announce the results of the 3rd edition of the Quebec Music Competition (Online International)
Congratulations and bravo to all winners!
We acknowledge the efforts and support of all the competitors and we encourage all of the participants who are not listed on the winners' list to keep working!
We look forward to more wonderful music from our next competition!
Videos of Quebec Music Competition (Online International) 2019 Winners
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY
FIRST PRIZE (Ex Aequo)
Lauren Lundy (Voice)
USA
Iwona Glinka (Flute)
Greece
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY - SECOND PRIZE
Ji Eun Kim (Piano)
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY - THIRD PRIZE
Aleksandra Machnik (Viola)
PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE
Michael Kaulartz, Caroline Fischer, Hanno Pilz
Denmark & Germany
SENIOR ENSEMBLE CATEGORY
SENIOR ENSEMBLE
Trini Leung and Chloe Retika (Piano Duo)
FIRST PRIZE
Aleksandra Magdalena Lenkiewicz (Violin)
SECOND PRIZE
Raffaella Cardaropoli (Cello)
THIRD PRIZE
Tamane Harata (Violin)
JUNIOR CATEGORY - FIRST PRIZE
Ziyan Wan (Piano)
JUNIOR CATEGORY - SECOND PRIZE
Lara Cherkas (Guitar)
JUNIOR CATEGORY - THIRD PRIZE
Felix Wang (Violin)
Biographies of 2019 Quebec Music Competition Winners
(Online International Competition)
Winner of Junior Category - FIRST PRIZE
Canada
Ziyan Wan（10 years old) started playing piano at the age of 5 with a local teacher in China. She began to study piano performance with Dr. Angela Chan at Lambda School of Music and Fine Arts from April of 2018. After 8 months of study, she won the Crescendo International Music competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in January of 2019.
As the first prize winner of Grand Prize Virtuoso competition, Ziyan was invited to perform in Paris and London in April of 2019. She also won First Prize in the Golden Classical Music Awards in 2019. As winner of the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, Ziyan will perform at Carnegie Hall the second time in November of 2019. Ziyan also won the gold medals in both the 10-12 years old category and challenge class in the Quebec Music Competition (Live Competition), and was awarded the Junior Advanced Trophy and Challenge class distinction Award（Junior). In June 2019, Ziyan is awarded first prizes in both the 2019 Schumann Competition and the 2019 Rising Talents of Asia and Oceania organized by the Great Composers' Competition series.
Besides piano performance, Ziyan enjoys badminton and reading. Ziyan's favorite genre of books is historical fiction of world history.
Winner of Junior Category - SECOND PRIZE
Lara Cherkas (Guitar)
Italy
Lara Cherkas was born in Torino (Italy) October 12th 2006. She began to study classical guitar at the age of 8 with Maestro Salvatore Seminara.
At present she is a student of Maestro Salvatore Seminara.
Lara Cherkas has already participated in many public performances at concerts and opening music festivals in Italy.
She has participated in the following National and International Competitions:
– 1st Absolute Prize – 2016 National Competition of Musical Performance "Valstrona", Valstrona (VB), Italy;
– 1st Absolute Prize – 2018 National Guitar Competition "G. MARZIALI", Seveso (MB), Italy;
– 1st Absolute Prize – 2018 National Guitar Competition (chamber music) "A corde libere - Favria City", Favria (TO), Italy;
– 1st Prize – 2018 International Guitar Competition "A corde libere - Favria City", Favria (TO), Italy;
– 1st Prize – 2018 International Music Competition "Stresa City", Stresa (VB), Italy;
– 1st Prize – 2018 National Guitar Competition "Villa Oliva", Cassano Magnago (VA), Italy;
– 2nd Prize – 2018 European Music Competition "Moncalieri City", Moncalieri (TO), Italy;
– 2nd Prize – 2018 North International Online Music Competition, Stoccolm, Svezia;
– 2nd Prize – 2018 International Guitar Competition "Sanremo City", Sanremo (IM), Italy;
– 2nd Prize – 2019 International Guitar Performance Competition "Savona City", Savona, Italy;
– 1st prize – 2019 National Music Competition "Riviera Etrusca", Piombino, Italy;
– Special prize "Best guitar player" at National Music Competition "Abbado" 2019, Milan, Italy;
– 2nd prize – 2019 International Guitar Competition "Rocco Peruggini", Milan, Italy;
– 1st Absolute prize – 2019 National Guitar Competition "Ansaldi", Mondovi, Italy.
Junior Category - HONORARY MENTION
Krista Shim (Voice)
At age 8, Krista Shim started receiving invitations to sing in public events such as sports events and product
promotions such as Central Chidlom, Bangkok Thailand in 2016
At age 9, Krista received a special invitation to lead a group of singers as a tribute to his majesty the late
King Bhumibol Adulyadej; Event “76 millions heart to King Rama 9” in front of a large crowd of more
than 50, 000 people in 2017
Participated in a reality survival singing program for television called ‘WeKid Thailand’ Season 1 in 2017
Be invited to be the Character of albino baby crow and sing in the concert “The Mask 2” in 2017
To be invited to sing for the Program “Challenge Cup of Asia 2017” by IIHF Ice Hockey World
Championship, Bangkok, THAILAND
Lead Singer of Rock Band at Bangkok Patana School since 2016
2nd Prize Vocal Competition in Program “KPIS” which is the group of international schools in Thailand
for age from 12 years old, in 2018
4th Prize Vocal Competition in Program “KPIS” which is the group of international schools in Thailand for
age from 12 years old, in 2019
Joining Singing Contest 2019
Top 7 in Program: Top One
TV ChannelOne 31
First Prize: Vocal in Music Competition Program “American Protege” and be invited to perform at
Carnegie Hall, New York, USA in 2017
First Prize: Vocal in Music Competition Program “Grand Prize Virtuoso” Vienna, Austria, in 2017 and be
invited to perform at Gläserner Saal, Musikverein in Vienna, Austria
Gold Award: Vocal in Music Competition
And The 6th Prize Category: Free Style - includes all instruments (She was only Voice Contestant to get
in)
Program “19th Osaka International Music Competition 2018”
Second Prize awarded in Hong Kong International Youth Performing Art Festival Level Preliminary for
Final Competition in 2019
Gold Award in Hong Kong International Youth Performing Art Festival; Final Round in 2019
Gold Award Program The North International Music Competition 2019; Russia from 43 countries
First Prize Winner 2019
The Muse 2019 Competition
International Art Association “The Muse” ; Athens, Greece, Category: Voice (Musical Theatre)
Result of Music Exams
Rock & Pop Vocal Trinity College 2016 Grade2 Distinction
Singing Grade 2 ABRS 2015 Distinction
Krista plays music instruments including the piano, drum, LaunchPad, Electric Guitar (Beginning)
Others activities include:
1 Composing her own songs.
2 Swimmer: Qualify Thailand Open in 2017 for 4 events
3 Wrote her 3 own books and sells at Amazon.com since she was 7 years old which is 1) The Secret of
Hippluto 2) Stuck in the Story 3) A Precious Life
Ella Shah (Piano)
Ella the 8 years old loves playing piano. She studies Grade 3 in the PLC Melbourne, Australia. Ella
enjoys her music and this year she has added Violin into her portfolio. Ella has grown significantly
since she started playing piano and now she plays many songs which requires her to use lots of
techniques plus pedal. Ella’s latest song by Franz Joseph Hayden has challenged her patience and
rhythm understanding. The song she loved it and enjoy the hard work went behind it during learning
and practicing. However, Ella got the support from her lovely mother who encouraged and
supported emotionally and physically to face the challenges and conquer the movements. Ella is
excited to see the new songs in similar Era and genre to explore her horizon of music.
Winner of Senior Category
Born in 2001. She began her violin studies at the age of 7. Since 2012 she is studying with Elżbieta Bolsewicz.
The lastest violin competitions Aleksandra attended include the following:
*I International Music Competition OPUS 2019 (Warsaw, Poland) – III prize (May 2019)
*I Ogólnopolski Konkurs Miniatur (Zamość, Poland) – II prize (May 2019)
*Rising Stars Grand Prix (Berlin, Germany) – honorable mention with good results (May 2019)
* International Music Competition The Music of Centuries – 17th Century (London, England) – I prize (May 2019)
*Ac Melos Violin Competition (Roma, Italy) – I prize (March 2019)
*Forte International Music Competition (New York, USA) – Gold Medal and Best Strings Technique Award (February 2019)
*Elite International Music Competition (New York, USA) – I prize (December 2018)
*VIVO International Music Competition (New York, USA) – I prize (December 2018)
*Glory International Music Competition – Romantic Music (London, England) – II prize from professional jury and II prize from students jury (September 2018)
* Glory International Music Competition – Conterporary Music (London, England) – II prize from professional jury and I prize from students jury (September 2018)
*FLAME International Music Competition (Paris, France) – I prize (July 2018)
*III Konfrontacje Skrzypcowe (Gdynia, Poland) – III prize (May 2018)
*II The North International Music Competition (Stockholm, Sweden) – I prize (May 2018)
*IMKA International Music Competition (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) – I prize (May 2018)
*6 Concorso Musicale Internazionale ‘Citta di Palmanova’ (Palmanova, Italy) – I prize (May 2018)
*International Music Competition The Music of Centuries -19th Century (London, England) – I prize (May 2018)
*28 Concorso Internazionale per Giovani Musicisti ‘Citta di Barletta’ (Barletta, Italy) – I prize (April 2018)
*International Music Competition The Music of Mediterranean Europe (London, England) - II prize (April 2018)
*International Music Competition The Music of Northern Europe (London, England) – III prize (April 2018)
*Malta International Music Competition (Valletta, Malta) – I prize (July 2017)
Last summer Aleksandra received the scholarship for music camp in United States – Luzerne Music Center. She was invited by Mrs. Elisabeth Pitcairn.
In September 2018 she performed with an orchestra as a soloist. She played W. A. Mozart – Violin Concerto in G major. This performance was prepared for music festival named ‘Szalone Dni Muzyki’ (‘Crazy Days of Music’) In February 2019 she performed in Carnegie Hall (New York City) as one of the winners of Forte International Music Competition.
Tamane Harata is a high school violinist from Japan. After spending three years of her childhood in Italy, she began her violin studies at the age of 6 with a local teacher in Tokyo. In 6th grade, she has lived in the United States for six months and began her lessons with Sandy Reuning while joining the orchestra and the Heifetz Ensemble group at Ithaca Talent Education. When she came back to her home country, she continued to learn the violin under the direction of Kentaro Kishida as well as participating in many strings workshops and masterclasses of Prof. Yuko Mori. In 2017, as a representative student of a French International school, she had the honor to perform in front of the French Ambassador, the city mayor and the President of the French city council. During the same year, she has won the 4th prize of Kyushu International Bach Music Competition and the 2nd prize in 2018. And she also won the First Prize of Great Composers Competition Rising Talents of Asia & Oceania (Age Group V) in 2019. She also had the great opportunity to join the Harvard Summer Orchestra 2018 as a first violinist during her studies in Harvard summer school. In February 2019, she has served as a soloist in Professor Mori's workshop concert. In her spare time, she organises violin recitals for a local welfare facility and performs there as a soloist. She also founded a quartet group named "Ensemble d'Helices" which she sometimes introduces to the welfare facility, and she wishes to continue this volunteer work. Besides the violin, she enjoys drawing, reading and writing in different languages such as Japanese, English and French, as well as Italian and German.
Honorary Mention
Bibiana Miškolciová (Piano)
Bibiana Miškolciová has successfully played piano for over 11 years. She excells in musicality, purposefulness and a relentless diligence. Her interpretation can be adopted by demanding professional audience. Her success is evident not only on a national level, but especially at international piano competitions in Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, Greece and the USA. Playing piano is not her only artistic focus. She is equally successful in playing organ and started her study in 2009 as a part of Maria Kosova's class. She appeared at a number of musical events, including the Nitra Music Spring Festival, the International Festival of music schools in Győr, the International Festival of Music School in Warsaw, the International Festival of Music Summer in Trenčianske Teplice and „Peter Michalica introduces talents of Nitra“. In 2015 she appeared in the Sunday matinée in Mirbach Palace in Bratislava and at the Festival of Prize Winners of International Competitions in Rajec.
In 2016 she continued her concert activity at the Music Spring event in Nové Mesto nadVáhom, the Slovak Institute in Vienna and at the Music Autumn event in Rimavská Sobota. Her greatest achievement in this year was the 3rd Prize at the prestigious global competition American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition in 2016 and her participation at the Winners' Concert at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City, July 3, 2016. In 2017 she presented her own recital in Nová Dubnica, in the Reneissance castle in Galanta, and at the Slovak Institute in Viena. In May she performed a concert in the Nitra Synagogue;Piano Concert - A Tribute to Beethoven Bibiana´s achievements in this year include the 1st Prize at eMuse Online International Music Competition and participation at the Winners´Concert which took place at Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, Greece. Her greatest achievement in 2017 was the 2nd Prize at American Fine Arts Festival Golden Era of Romantic Music Competition 2017 and invitation to the winners´ recital at Carnegie Hall, NY, USA. In 2018 Bibiana presented recitals at the Slovak Institute in Vienna, in the Nitra Synagogue and at the Empire theater in Hlohovec. She was selected as a participant of a piano course led by Pavel Gililov which took place in Briosco, Italy. Furthermore, Bibiana took part in the
Central International Music Academy in Vienna under the tutelage of Patrick Lechner. In this year she was awarded the 4th prize at the International Piano Competition „Riga“. Bibiana started off 2019 by giving a solo recital at the Mirbach Palace in Bratislava. She also presented solo recitals at the Hlohovec Museum and in the Nitra Synagogue. Furthermore, Bibiana was chosen as the 1st prize winner at the International Music Competition.
Annie Ping (Flute)
Annie Ping is a 16-year old high school student from California. Her musical training began at age five on the zither, a traditional Chinese instrument, and she has won awards in competitions ranging from local to international throughout the years. She began playing the flute when she was 12 years old in her middle school band. Since then, she has been selected to play in the NCBA All-Northern Honor Band and CASMEC’s All-State Honor Band in both middle school and high school. Out of the numerous competition she has placed in, recent competitions that she won include second in the 2019 United States Open Music Competition for Instrumental Solo Advanced Group, first place in the 2018 American Protégé International Woodwinds and Brass Competition, first in the 2018 American Fine Arts Festival Russian Music Competition, second in the 2018 Burlingame Music Club Winds Competition. She has performed at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall multiple times. In the summer of 2018, she attended American Fine Arts Festival’s summer music program in Germany, Austria, and Italy where she studied at Johann Nepomuk Hummel Music School and played in many solo concerts. More recently in December 2018, she took masterclasses in Moscow, Russia and performed solos in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. Besides playing music, she has been dancing since age three and has won many awards in competitions. Her favorite styles are ballet, contemporary, and lyrical. She also enjoys photography, reading, and competing in her high school’s Speech and Debate team. Annie would like to thank her parents and her teachers for their continuous support.
Winner of Senior Category - PIANO DUO
Trini Leung & Chloe Retika
Trini Leung has studied piano for fifteen years, beginning at the age of three at the Ellen Masaki School of Music. She is currently under the direction of Ms. Fonny Chandra at the Anna Poklewski Academy of Music. Among her many achievements in piano, she completed the Diploma level in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examination in 2016 and also the Advanced Level in the Music Teachers’ Association of California’s Certificate of Merit examination in 2015. Trini has also won gold in the 2019 United States Open Music Competition and in the 2017 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, receiving an invitation to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Most notably, she won first prize at the American Protege Competition and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2018.
Besides piano, Trini plays the euphonium for the Mission Peak Wind Symphony, is an active student leader at church, and was a part of her school’s basketball team and marching band.
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY (SOLO)
Winner of Professional Category
Lauren Lundy is a talented mezzo-soprano hailing from the midwestern region of the United States. She currently attends Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where she studies under Dr. Ann Cravero. She is engaged in several engagements across the United States, including the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine this summer. She is also actively preparing to sing Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte with her university’s opera theater in the spring. Additionally, she has competed nationally and internationally, have won awards and receiving encouragement prizes from the NATS competition and more. She is thrilled to accept this award from the Quebec Music Competition and hopes to make them proud.
An award-winning Dr Iwona Glinka is a soloist, educator, recording artist, orchestral and
chamber musician, and leading performer of new and experimental music. She founded the
Phasma-Music Ensemble in 2016, where she currently serves as the artistic director in addition
to playing many concerts a year as an ensemble member. She has given dozens of solo recitals
with classical and contemporary repertoire and has appeared as Principal Flautist with
orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. She has
developed a great interest in New Music, which since 1994 has resulted in over one hundred
world premières of works by Australian, Belgian, British, Canadian, Greek, German, Polish and
US composers, more than one hundred of them commissioned by and written especially for
Iwona Glinka was born in Kwidzyn, Poland. At the age of 18 she graduated from the Music
Lyceum in Gdansk with a Flute Diploma (Highest Distinction). She continued her studies at the
Music Academy of Gdansk, Poland. She graduated from the Academy in 1994 with the degree of
Master of Music in Performance (flute). Between 1991 and 1994, on the Baloise Holding Scholarship, she attended the Summer Courses of the Music Academy of Lenk in Switzerland with Peter-Lukas Graf. In 1992, on a scholarship from the Mayor of the City of Darmstadt in Germany, she attended the Ferienkurse für Neue Musik where she studied with Pierre-Yves Artaud. In 1996 there followed a further period of studies at the Accademia Internationale
Superiore di Musica in Biella, Italy, again with Peter-Lukas Graf and later at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France, with Pierre-Yves Artaud. Since 1995, Iwona Glinka has made Athens, Greece, her second home. In 2015, she relinquished her position with the Athens Symphony Orchestra and Hellenic Contemporary Music Ensemble to pursue a more active solo career after 20 years as an ensemble member and an orchestral musician. She currently divides her time between her family home in Piraeus and Kwidzyn.
Iwona Glinka is the first-prize winner in the Rome Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition 2018, the IMKA International Internet Music competition 2018 and she received the Most Distinguished Artist Prize & Special Mention at the IBLA Grand Prize Competition 2017. In addition to touring on a regular basis, she was chosen as a featured performer: for The International Conference “Research Hands on Flute” (2017, Aveiro,
Portugal), the National Flute Association Convention (2016, San Diego, USA), the Canadian Flute Association Convention (2015, Toronto, Canada) 5th and 10th Sacred Music of Patmos (2005 and 2010, Greece), Electro Media Works (2008, Athens, Greece), International James Galway Flute Festival (2007, Weggis, Switzerland), 3rd and 4th Mediterranean Contemporary Music Days (2005 and 2006, Istanbul, Turkey), 3rd Flute Festival (2006, Madison, USA),
Archanes Festival (2002, Greece), Days of Contemporary Music (2002, Athens, Greece), Schoenberg Festival (2001, Athens, Greece), International Flute Festival (1997, Rome, Italy), International Computer Music Conference (1997, Thessaloniki, Greece). She received major grants to commission, to record and to perform new works from: the Norwegian Society of Composers (2017), the Costopoulos Foundation (2013, 2017, Greece), the Adam Mickiewicz Institute Polish Culture Around the World (2015, 2016, Poland), the
Britten-Pears Foundation (2012, UK), the RVW Trust Foundation (2012, UK), the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (2012, Canada). Iwona Glinka has recorded extensively and appears on a dozen CDs available on the European, Canadian and US labels such as Sarton Records, Universal, BMG, Auris Subtilise, Centaur Records, Irida, Magni, Legend, Phasma Music and others. In 2018 her CD album PROGRESSIONS won the CLOUZINE International Music Awards Fall 2018 (Best Contemporary Album), the Akademia Music Awards - Music Award of Excellence (Composer, Flautist and Album), the Global Music Award - Gold Triple Medal - Awards of Excellence (Composer, Flautist and Album) and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards - ICMA 2018 (Contemporary Music). In 2018 her CD albums ALEPH and GIMEL won the Global Music Award - Gold Double Medal - Awards of Excellence ( Flautist and Album) and the Global Music Award -Silver Double Medal - Outstanding Achievement (Contemporary Classical and Instrumentalists), respectively.
In 2017 her CD album ONE MINUTE won the Global Music Award -Silver Double Medal - Outstanding Achievement (Contemporary Classical and Album).
In May 2009, she obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Performance (flute) from the Academy of Music in Cracow, Poland, for her dissertation on and a recital of Brian Ferneyhough’s complete flute music. In 2012, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, for her research on contemporary Greek music for solo flute.
Ji Eun Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. I began my piano studies at the age of seven. I continued my studies at Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School with Yoo Kyung Han. I graduated from Yonsei University and earned my Bachelor degree with Jin Ho Kim. I attended Yonsei University Graduate School, where I earned my Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Bong Ae Shin. I currently finished Doctor of Music Arts at Yonsei University under Geum Bong Kim. As a soloist, I won the prizes at ‘Brussel’ Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition, 'Stockholm' North International Music Competition, 'New York' Golden Classical Music Awards International Music Competition and 'Daegu' TBC Music Concours. In 2018, I have given a solo debut recital at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei (Seoul, South Korea). I also performed at Aston University (Birmingham, UK), Recital Hall at Seoul Arts Center, Chamber Hall at Sejong, Lotte Concert Hall, etc. (Seoul, South Korea) as a soloist and accompanist.
Winner of Professional Category
Aleksandra Machnik (Viola)
POLAND
Aleksandra Machnik is a Polish violist, born and studying in Cracow. She has toured with orchestras such as Arco Andare or A'Cordi Orchestra, both domestically and abroad. She works as a chamber musician playing in a piano trio and a string quartet. She studies at Academy of Music in Cracow under the direction of Janusz Pisarski. Additionally to her regular curriculum she has improved her skills in masterclasses of other renowned viola professors such as Piotr Reichert, Maria Dutka and Wolfgang Klos.
Silvio Caroli (Piano)
Silvio Caroli is a pianist, composer and educator originally from Italy. He began studying classical piano at the age of eleven and went on to major in piano at the Conservatory of Lecce, graduating with full marks in 2005. Silvio specializes in many styles of piano and has received numerous prizes at national piano competitions. After falling in love with jazz and improvisation when he was nineteen, he attended Lecce State Conservatory on a full jazz scholarship in 2012. His album “Flowing” is the result of a prize in the music competition "Giuseppe Tricarico" (Gallipoli,Italy) which he won and which allowed him to produce this record. It was released in December 2018. Now he works as a sheet music arranger.
Silvio is also a music teacher with many years of experience, whose students range in age from 5 to 60+. He encourages music study not only for performance success, but also for personal development. In September 2018 Silvio Caroli had the chance to lead workshops about jazz music in Santo Domingo at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, National Conservatory of Music and Academia de Música de Patricia Logroño.
Ezgi Ergin (Violin)
Ezgi Ergin is a violinist at Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, was born in Ankara, Turkey. She graduated with honors from Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of Bilkent University in Ankara. She studied with Mihail Mahmudov, Elena Posnova and Prof. Sarvar Ganiev. She studied with Mintcho Mintchev in masterclasses at the school in 2002 and 2006, Tuncay Yılmaz in masterclass at Hacettepe Conservatory in 2006, Prof. Joshua Epstein in Akademi IKSEV International Violin Masterclass in 2008, Ellen Jewet and Özcan Ulucan in masterclass of Akademi Datça 2008 International Summer Music Camp, Esen Kıvrak in İzmir 2017, also studied with Oktay Dalaysel and Davut Aliyev several times. She studied piano with Nigar Ethem two years too. She played in youth orchestras which were Bilkent Music Preparatory Orchestra in 2002 – 2004, Bilkent Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2004 – 2009, National Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2007 in Turkey and Jungenc Philarmonie Orchestra in Germany, played in “Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt” “Young Euro Classic – European Music Summer” Festival in Berlin 2009; played as a soloist and chamber music player at Bilkent Concert Hall, A. Adnan Saygun Concert Hall, Central Bank, Middle East Technic University, Ankara University Ahmet Taner Kışlalı Hall, Hacettepe Conservatory Concert Hall, İzmir Art, Bülent Ecevit Culture Centre and Ankara University State Conservatory Concert Hall in Turkey.
She started to work at Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestra in 2009. She played in festivals which were Aspendos, İstanbul, Bursa, Gölcük, Mardin, Gaziantep, Efes, İzmir in Turkey, Saaremaa in Estonia, NCPA Concert Hall in Beijing in China and Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in Russia; worked at Samsun State Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Antalya State Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Her composition was played in final concert of Composition Competition of Mersin International Music Festival in 2015 and her composition was selected 5th. She played as a soloist in Young Soloists Recital at Ankara Opera Hall in 2016. In 2018 violin category, she was awarded 2nd prize in London International Music Competition, she was awarded 1st prize in IMKA International Music Competition in Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina and she was awarded 3rd prize in Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition for Brussels Belgium.
Ezgi Ergin has been working at Ankara State Opera and Ballet Orchestra since 2009 and playing in festivals with the orchestra.
PROFESSIONAL (ENSEMBLE CATEGORY)
PROFESSIONAL ENSEMBLE (TRIO)
TRIO FISCHER PILZ KAULARTZ
Caroline Fischer. The German-Korean concert pianist Caroline Fischer enrolled in the Julius Stern Institute for very gifted students at the University of Arts Berlin at the age of nine. When she was only 16, she began her studies at the Academy of Music „Hanns Eisler“ Berlin and continued studying in Mannheim, Geneva, Oslo and Hamburg i.a. with the professors Pascal Devoyon, Paul Dan, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg. She completed all eight of her degrees (7 Diplomas, 1 Master’s degree) with outstanding achievement, including two Konzertexamen degrees. Ms Fischer graduated also with distinction in humanities studies - cultural and media management.
The pianist has given numerous successful concerts in Europe, Asia, South America and the USA and has performed in major concert halls, such as the Philharmonie Berlin, Carnegie Hall New York, Konzerthaus Berlin, Seoul Arts Center, Musikhalle Hamburg, Gumho Art Hall Seoul, Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, Ruhrfestspielhaus Recklinghausen, Theater Wolfsburg, Woori Financial Art Hall Seoul, National Theatre Bangkok, Thailand Cultural Centre, Teatro Municipal de Las Condes Chile, Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, Wiener Musikverein and the Wiener Konzerthaus. She has played as a soloist with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Korean Chamber Ensemble, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta de Cámara de Valdivia, New Symphony Orchestra Berlin, New Philharmonie Westphalia and at the International Steinway Piano Festival, EXPO Hanover and Yeosu, Beethoven-Festival Bangkok, Korean Festival Seoul, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Caroline gave concerts during the state visits of the former German Federal President Roman Herzog to South Korea and Mongolia and performed in Bellevue Palace Berlin for former Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel.
She has won 38 prizes and awards (first prizes, gold medals, audience awards) in national and international competitions: “Jugend musiziert” Competition, International Steinway Piano Competition Berlin, International Queen Sophie Charlotte Competition, International Competition for Young People Berlin, Köster Classic Award-Klassik Radio Hamburg, Lions Club Mannheim Music Competition, Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso, American Protégé International Concerto Competition, On Stage International Classical Music Competition, Classic Superstar Award and received 16 scholarships from renowned foundations. Her debut CD "Caroline Fischer Piano" (2006) her second CD "Lisztomagia" (2009) as well as her 3rd and 4th albums "Pearls of Classical Music" (2017) and "Piano Passion" (2017) were released by GENUIN classics. Highlights in 2016 and 2017 included performances in the Carnegie Hall New York, Singapore, Thailand, concert tours in Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil and the recording of her 3rd and 4th CD in the Gewandhaus Leipzig. In 2019 she will perform in South America, China, Denmark, Netherlands, Thailand, Brunei, Italy, Germany. From 2010 to 2013 she was the assistant piano teacher to Prof. Einar SteenNøkleberg at the Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo and was appointed youngest “visiting artist“ at the Chulalongkorn University Bangkok. She has given masterclasses at the Silpakorn University Bangkok. Ms Fischer has been also invited to give masterclasses at music universities in China, Thailand, Brunei, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Denmark. www.carolinefischer.com
Michael Kaulartz, born 1989 in Landau / Palatinate, got his first bassoon lesson with the age of 8 from the local bassoon teacher Bernhard Koelber. After three weeks he played in his first chamber orchestra. He quickly got extremely fascinated by this instrument and by doing music that he played at that period of life in 12 different youth and chamber orchestras aside the chamber music he also performed. Later he started his professional studies with Prof Ole Kristian Dahl in Mannheim.
During his studies Michael complemented his interest in Orchestra playing in the operas in Kaiserslautern and Mainz, the radio orchestra of the bavarian radio and the symphony Orchestras of Aalborg, Aarhus, Kristiansand and the chamber orchestra of Mannheim.
After meeting and studying one Erasmus Semester in Copenhagen with the exceptional bassoon player Audun Halvorsen, Michael played a 50% one year contract on 2nd bassoon in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. He got extremely inspired by the two Principal players of this orchestra, Audun Halvorsen and Sebastian Stevensson. With this experience the young bassoonist started his first position as a Pincipal bassoon player in Iceland's National Symphony Orchestra. Besides this job he is a demanded guest Principal in London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic London, Symphony Orchestra of the NDR Hamburg, Ulster Orchestra Belfast, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic and the danish National Symphony Orchestra
Besides soloistic perfomances with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the Heidelberger Symphonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Mannheim, Michael can be heard as a soloist on the Hänssler recording with Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante and the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra, which was also performed in concerts. After finishing his Diploma with 1,0 (highest possible grade) Michael completed a solistic study with Professoer Ole Kristian Dahl in July 2018. He recieved grants by the PE-Förderkreis and Live Music Now.
Hanno Pilz. Born in Berlin, Hanno Pilz began playing the clarinet at the age of 8 years. From 1993 he studied at music accentuated high school Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Berlin. In 1998, he followed a two-month summer scholarship in the Interlochen Arts Camp in the United States. Over the years Hanno Pilz gained several awards as first prize winner in the competition Jugend Musiziert both solo and in the category of chamber music and On Stage International Classical Music Competition.
From October 2001, he continued his clarinet studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Prof. Diethelm Kühn and later with Prof. Karl-Heinz Steffens. In 2003, the PE Förderkreis awarded him a scholarship. Graduated in 2006 he passed with distinction and took part in the International Festival Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander in Spain in the summer of the same year.
Hanno Pilz has since played in known orchestras like Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Babelsberg Film Orchester, Kammerakademie Potsdam and Berliner Symphoniker.
魁北克音乐比赛版权所有2019 All Rights Reserved Quebec Music Competition 2019 Tous droits réservés 2019 Concours de Musique Québéc
Quebec Music Competition, Canadian National Music Competition, International Music Competition, Montreal Quebec Music competition for all ages and levels, Online International Music Competition, Piano Competition, Violin Competition, Guitar Competition, Singing Competition
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RACHEL KAMINSKI SANDERS
Rachel Kaminski Sanders graduated from Florida State University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design and Technology. Rachel spent her senior internship in the showroom of Donghia, a luxury interior design company, studying textile designs. After college, Rachel moved to New York City to start a career in the fashion industry. She had the wonderful opportunity to work with the fashion department at InStyle magazine, which landed her a job with Bottega Veneta’s communication department. At Bottega, she was able to work with a number of national publications and travel to Milan several times for Fashion Week.
Rachel moved back to South Carolina in 2010 in order to attend graduate school at Clemson University, where she received a Master of Arts in Teaching both English and Social Studies for grades 5th-9th. Rachel landed her first teaching position at Southwood Academy of the Arts, a public magnet school in Anderson, SC. The school offered a great opportunity to blend Rachel’s interest in art and her passion for teaching. She taught seventh grade writing for three years before deciding to pursue a PhD. Rachel received her doctoral degree at The University of Georgia in the Language and Literacy Education Department under the advisement of Dr. Donna Alvermann. At The University of Georgia, she was able to further explore her research interests, including: arts based research, new literacies and cultural studies. Rachel used her background in apparel design to broaden the types of scholarly research compositions traditionally accepted within higher education, an area of particular interest that she feels is imperative to developing a broader set of knowledge and skills that extend beyond academic institutions.
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You are at:Home»Sports»‘Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game’ Opens March 29 at JANM
‘Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game’ Opens March 29 at JANM
Posted On March 26, 2014 Sports, Featured
“Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game,” a new exhibition exploring the team’s storied past through four players and a Hall of Fame manager, will open at the Japanese American National Museum on Saturday, March 29.
Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, and Tommy Lasorda — each of whom made history in his own right — will be prominently featured, as will owners Branch Rickey, Walter O’Malley, and Peter O’Malley. The exhibition continues through Sept. 14.
“Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game” will give visitors the opportunity to look beyond the statistics and memorable performances on the field. Baseball fans and those new to the game will gain an understanding of the importance of these key individuals and the Dodgers’ role in shaping American culture, contributing to advancements in civil rights, and promoting international baseball. The exhibition’s stories, photographs, and original artifacts will celebrate prolific careers and illustrate what makes the Dodgers more than just a baseball team.
Fernando Valenzuela
“The Dodgers are true trailblazers,” said JANM President and CEO Greg Kimura. “The important cultural roles the team has played are what make this show a perfect fit for the museum. Our intent is to showcase the team and its accomplishments in ways that are meaningful not just for baseball fans and Dodgers fans but the public at large.”
“The Dodgers have a long history of commitment to civil rights, dating back to Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier,” said Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson. “This exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum will be an opportunity for people of all ages, races, and ethnicities to see that commitment and gain new understanding of its importance. And the materials to be displayed are sure to please our biggest fans.”
“The Japanese American National Museum is a treasure and we are honored to participate in ‘Dodgers: Brotherhood of the Game,’” said Peter O’Malley, past president of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1970-1998). “Our family is proud to have led the way in opening doors so that others could follow. Society and baseball have been the beneficiaries.”
Hideo Nomo
Among the numerous artifacts on display will be:
• Rare photographs of Robinson in Japan during the team’s 1956 goodwill tour, as well as a one-of-a-kind porcelain plate signed by members of the team and others in the touring group, never before displayed in the U.S.;
• A 1947 National League Championship bat;
• A photo album put together in 1961 of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, the first professional baseball team from Japan to train at a U.S. major league training site — Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla.;
Chan Ho Park
• Lasorda’s handwritten letter to Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley about his 1965 goodwill tour to Japan;
• A collection of autographed baseballs commemorating the first-ever Olympic Games baseball exhibition tournament, played at Dodger Stadium;
• The cap worn by Nomo during his first game with the Dodgers.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Dodgers, Peter O’Malley and family, and JANM. O’Malley is the exhibition’s Premier Sponsor.
Public programs will accompany the exhibition during its run.
JANM is located at 100 N. Central Avenue in Little Tokyo. For more information, call (213) 625-0414, or visit www.janm.org. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Mondays, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Admission is $9 for adults, $5 for seniors, students and children; free for museum members and children under 5. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from 12 to 8 p.m.
ＬＡ北方でＭ７・１の地震：小東京の住民も「強い揺れ」
ＬＡ市：一部地区で路上の清掃作業
HADAJUN( Japanese) on December 1, 2016 6:46 pm
Nomo a Japanese hero！
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Tag Archives: Andromeda
Monday, April, 21, 2014
Sci-Fi on Television (Part 3)
The 2000s have provided a relative scarcity of good new telefantasy that I’ve actually liked (in comparison to, say, the 1960s, 1970s or 1990s), and the unnerving policy of cancelling potentially good series (both UK and US) before they even get off the ground still continues to hang over every new television sci-fi creation.
In the UK (and, indeed, worldwide), the modern incarnation of Doctor Who has been a runaway success, and is still going strong after seven seasons. Although not as big a fan of NuWho as I am of the classic series, in my opinion, it still ranks among the very best of recent telefantasy. I was also quite fond of spin-off series Torchwood, although it seems to have petered out after a run of four seasons (I hope I’m wrong and it returns at some point in the future). Another of my favourite UK series was Primeval, which had a decent run lasting for five seasons, but it also seems to have disappeared. The 2011 series Outcasts, was cancelled after only eight episodes, due to poor viewing figures, just when it was getting really interesting and I was starting to really get into it. I was well pissed off about that.
As for US telefantasy series, I quite liked Andromeda (2000-2005), although what seems like a change in tone and general direction in the middle of the run took it down a path that I didn’t like quite as much as I did the earlier seasons. One of my favourite series of the past decade was the remake of Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). Four seasons of the main series, plus the initial 2003 mini-series and the two TV movies Razor and The Plan, provided a rivetting storyline, which actually managed to wrap up everything neatly by the end. It’s a great pity that the two very interesting BSG prequel series, Caprica and Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome barely made it out of the starting blocks, as they both had a lot of potential.
Star Trek: Enterprise was one that I wasn’t fussed on first time around, but I got to like it when I watched it a few years later on DVD. Sadly it was cancelled after four seasons, the first Trek series since the original 1960s show to be canned prematurely. Stargate SG1, another one that I didn’t get into until a few years afterwards, lasted an incredible ten seasons, ending in 2002, and spawning a couple of spin-off series that I liked quite a lot.
I quite liked Stargate Atlantis, which was sadly cancelled after only five years to make way for its much more serious and BSG-influenced follow-up series, Stargate Universe, which ironically and sadly was also canned, after only two seasons. This one never managed to pick up the big audiences of its predecessors, who were most likely put off by the bleak grimness of the series. Both these series had interesting characters and scripts, and deserved to last longer (particularly Stargate Universe).
The fun Warehouse 13 and its sister series Eureka both made it to a respectable five years, while Sanctuary made it to four seasons. However, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, an interesting Terminator spin-off, only made it to two seasons, as did Alphas. I really, really wish the damned networks would give these series a bit more time to grow before nixing them.
Taking this into consideration, I was delighted that one of my favourite series, Fringe, actually got to finish off its storyline in a fifth season finale. I really, REALLY hate it when a good series is cancelled on a cliffhanger, without the overall story being resolved, as happened with Farscape, another favourite of mine. At least The Peacekeeper Wars mini-series gave some closure to that one, but still left a hugely unsatisfying taste in my mouth.
Worst of all, the excellent Firefly only made it to fourteen episodes before being canned by moronic network execs. The follow-up movie Serenity, as good as it was, was no compensation for that extremely short-sighted and tragically premature axing of the main series. Firefly was, in my opinion, Joss Whedon’s best television series, and it’s really sad that the suits wouldn’t give it more of a chance to spread its wings, as it would’ve been really big. The television network suits only understand viewing figures. They wouldn’t know good TV if it kicked them up the arse and screamed “WATCH ME!”
As for current telefantasy series, There isn’t much out there right now. Two of my favourite series finished recently, Fringe in January 2013, and the adult comedy sci-fi drama Misfits in December 2013. With those two gone, I don’t see any current sci-fi television worth getting too worked up about. Well, maybe Defiance, which isn’t too bad (and it seems has been given the green light for a second season), and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is okay for an hour’s viewing, but nothing special overall.
And then there’s the current US remake of classic 1970’s UK kid’s sci-fi series The Tomorrow People. I wouldn’t really describe this one as “good”. It’s a bit “Meh” to be honest, bland and Americanised, in many ways yet another teenage soap opera, chock-full of pretty boys and girls and mindless fight scenes. It’s lost pretty much everything which made the original 1970s series such fun (despite it being so cheap and cheesy), and falls strictly into the “watch if there’s nothing else good on another channel” category. I do keep watching in the hope that the series comes up with something interesting, but I doubt that it will. I don’t think the scriptwriters have the balls or the talent. But I really do hope that they prove me wrong.
Maybe there have been other recent telefantasy series aside from these, but they certainly weren’t a big enough hit for me to even notice them. Good new telefantasy series in the second decade of the twenty-first century seem to be as rare as hen’s teeth, and, at almost half-way through the decade, this trend shows no signs of improving. It seems like it’s left to good old Doctor Who to carry the lone banner for decent telefantasy right now, and if IT finishes up, God help us all. If it wasn’t for my big collection of classic telefantasy DVDs, I’d go off my head. 🙁
Posted in Telefantasy
Tagged Alphas, Andromeda, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome, Battlestar Galactica: New Series, Caprica, Defiance, Doctor Who: New Series, Eureka, Farscape, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, Firefly, Fringe, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Misfits, Outcasts, Primeval, Sanctuary, Serenity (film 2007), Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG1, Stargate Universe, Terminator (film 1984), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Tomorrow People: New Series, Torchwood, Warehouse 13
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Shakespeare at Play was founded on the principle that Shakespeare does not have to be intimidating to read or learn. Shakespeare's works are meant to be performed, so seeing and hearing the action unfold can aid tremendously in understanding the story of a play. While Shakespeare's texts can and do serve as great literature, simply reading a 400-year-old script can be formidable for the inexperienced. Shakespeare at Play equips its users with a multitude of tools to tailor the experience of reading Shakespeare to their own particular needs.
It gives viewers a sense of how the work is meant to be seen (on stage) while also taking advantage of the benefits of modern, digital filmmaking.
— Joseph Czikk, BetaKit
Our video productions are staged like theatrical performances, but for a camera instead of a live audience. We employ traditional theatrical conventions, such as impressionistic sets and cast-doubling, but we also take advantage of the power of photography and digital video to help tell the stories most effectively to a digitally-engaged audience.
All of our actors are classically trained, and each performance is delivered with word-for-word accuracy. Unlike most filmed versions of Shakespeare, even ones filmed on stage by prominent companies, our text has not been cut down or re-arranged to meet the needs of the particular film or production. Shakespeare at Play's aim is to bring clarity to the text, and that means that we present the every word of Shakespeare's text to our audiences.
We put the focus on character and story, making sure that the action is clear and the progression of the plot is understandable. We use simple, modern dress, but do not relocate the plays to a contemporary setting. We use minimal sets, but employ appropriate set pieces to make sure the setting and location is clear (when it needs to be). Our aesthetic is always evolving so that we can meet the needs of every play that we commit to video.
The Text
That doesn't mean that Shakespeare at Play has ignored the importance or the power of Shakespeare's text. The text in all of our Video Editions has been edited by the University of Toronto's Noam Lior, the dramaturge on all of our productions as well as the academic voice of Shakespeare at Play. His contextual materials -- the in-line annotations and audio introductions -- serve as valuable aids in helping newcomers to understand the written text of each play.
Lior puts much of the focus of his supplemental material on presenting options for performance and interpretation. Rather than attempting to offer a definitive reading, Lior challenges viewers and readers to make interpretational choices when a play demands it. These choices can be as large as the mental stability of a character like Polonius in Hamlet or as small as the attention paid to Theseus by the lovers when they awake in Act 4 Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Most importantly, he stresses that the choices that we've made in our productions of Shakespeare's plays are not the definitive choices, but rather one possible choice followed by another possible choice.
The aim is to emphasize the readers' role in shaping the story, since what they are presented with is a script and not a novel. This is especially useful in the classroom, where students are challenged not just to comprehend the action, but to interpret it, shape it and communicate their ideas to their classmates.
I purchased the video edition and flashed it around to a few members of the English department in my school. I must say, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. They loved the idea of everything being in one place, in that currently, they have the text, then they have to find a YouTube video with a clip of the scene, and then describe the scene. The big tick in the box here is that this app streamlines that process completely.
— James Potter, iPad Insight
what is included in each video edition:
A full-length, word-for-word HD video production of the play
A full-length copy of the text, edited by the University of Toronto's Noam Lior
Hundreds of in-line annotations that offer clarity to the text and points-of-interest in the story
A custom-made glossary of words and terms that have either gone out of use or meant something different 400 years ago
An audio introduction to every scene by the University of Toronto's Noam Lior, which includes a description of the action as well as things to look out for
Character and Scene Descriptions for each scene
Line numbers for citation and referencing
The ability to download the video of any scene for offline use
Shakespeare at Play, Toronto, ON, Canada
© 2015 Rick Chisholm Productions Ltd.
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Historic homes represent Redondo Beach's past
The City of Redondo Beach has a lot of history as one of the three communities that make up Southern California's South Bay--in fact, more than 100 years worth. Much of that history is reflected in some of the historic homes of Redondo Beach, incorporated in 1892, many of which were built just after the turn of the century and still stand today as a benchmark to the city's historic past.
Here's a look at several of the historic homes:
The Morrell House might be the most famous of the historic homes in Redondo Beach. Built in 1906 by Ed Morrell, a prominent entrepreneur, it was one of the first in Redondo Beach to have electricity and at 2,200 square feet was nearly twice as big as most houses in the city at that time.
The Queen Anne Cottage, circa 1904, now sits next to the Morrell House in Heritage Court within Dominquez Park and serves as the city's historical museum. The home was originally built at 318 S. Broadway and was slated for demolition in 1989 before it was acquired by the city and moved to its current location and later renovated.
The Sweetser House is one of the most recognized in Redondo Beach. Built in 1921 at a cost of just $5,000, the Colonial Revival home belonged to Chase and Lillian Sweetser and later Chase Jr., who served as president of Coca-Cola until 1961 and lived in the home until his death in 1987. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
To get a look at more of the historic homes, the City of Redondo Beach lists all of the properties designated as local landmarks, while the Redondo Beach Historical Society has been hosting yearly home tours since 1982. Visit their Facebook page for more information.
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